Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 888, 98. Come and beat me!

"Karl."

In the darkness, responding to Karl's voice, Li De emerged. His gaze swept across the dimly lit passageway, past the lifeless Hansen lying on the ground, then over the slumped lark, her body trembling, her face covered, oblivious to what was happening around her. Finally, his gaze settled on Karl.

Karl's appearance was completely unexpected by Li De. He never thought that Karl would appear in this chaos, nor did he expect that Hansen would eventually die at KK's hands.

But there was one thing he was very clear about.

Regardless of the current situation, Song Zhaomei is right in front of you now.

"Hand over Xiao Song to me."

Li De's voice echoed in the narrow passage, carrying an undeniable resolve.

He lowered his body slightly, shifted his center of gravity forward, placed his left hand lightly on his waist, and his right hand seemed to hang naturally, but Carl knew that hand could draw the 'discard pistol' and aim it in a fraction of a second.

Li De's 'Krenzikov' enhanced reaction booster was clearly in a state of readiness, making him look like a taut bow.

Karl remained standing in the same spot, his posture even somewhat relaxed, though his fingers were still close to the 'KK' pistol at his waist.

He looked at Li De with a calm gaze, as if he were looking at someone who could be considered a friend, or as if he were evaluating a good dog.

"Give her to you?" Carl repeated, his tone devoid of emotion. "And then, take her back to Miles, let her continue to be a tool for New America to explore the Black Wall, waiting for when New America will break through the Black Wall and cause a second data crash?"

“She is an asset of the new America, and also my responsibility.” Reed’s voice was low and steady. “I must take her back. Carl, step aside. I don’t want to fight you.”

Li De spoke earnestly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes as he looked at Karl, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper determination.

Just as Li De said, he really didn't want to fight Karl, and he didn't even want to at all.

Li De is a professional agent, an excellent agent, but he is also an unqualified agent.

His chest still beats with patriotism, but it is also filled with too many emotions that should not exist.

Perhaps it was concern for Song Zhaomei, her "disciple," or perhaps it was the warmth she felt from Karl when they first met and spent time together—a warmth that should have long since disappeared in a career as a secret agent, almost like that of a "friend."

These superfluous emotions, in his loyalty which was beginning to crack time and again due to Rosalind Miles's various decisions, were now violently twisting his will.

He had never wavered so much, nor had he ever so clearly gone against his own heart.

Li De's heart was twisted.

He was practically praying, pleading, and begging Karl in his heart, hoping that Karl would hand Song Zhaomei over to him, as it would be better for everyone.

But he couldn't say it.

He couldn't utter a single word.

But Karl saw it.

He sensed something from Li De's seemingly resolute words. If he were truly resolute, if he were truly the unwavering ace of the FBI, he shouldn't have acted without saying a word.

Your words are probably just meant to put people on their toes so that they can take action more easily.

Carl realized that it was no accident that Hansen was able to escape from Reed.

Looking at Li De now, Karl felt that he wasn't even worthy of being called a dog.

Even he was now wavering because of the dog's loyalty.

What do you have left now, Li De? Just the kind of exhaustion that comes from instinct?

Karl sighed softly. Even as time ticked by, he was willing to say a few more words to someone who genuinely didn't want to fight him.
“Li De, you value ‘responsibility’ and ‘orders’ more than anything else, but have you ever considered whether handing her over is truly for her benefit? Or is it truly for the benefit of the new America? Or is it just completing a task you ‘must’ complete, so that you can continue to serve that president who is no different from Hansen with a clear conscience?”

Carl continued, “The new America should not be Rosalind Miles’s alone. I respect every true patriot, Reed, but you should also understand that the object of your loyalty should not be a phantom distorted by selfish desires.”

“You should understand better than anyone else that if Song Zhaomei returns to Rosalind Miles’s hands, Rosalind Miles will only continue, which is like dancing next to a nuclear bomb that is about to explode. Sooner or later, the explosion will engulf you.”
If the Black Wall is destroyed, the new America you cherish will become the target of everyone's attacks. No power or country in the world will let the new America go. At that time, the new America will face true destruction and will never have a chance to revive.
The chance to revive a new America may only come once, but it will absolutely not be in Rosalind Myers' hands. You should know Reed better than I do: are you sworn to serve Rosalind Myers personally, or a new America that truly has the potential to become better?

As Li De listened to Karl's words, his pupils contracted. Karl's words were like a needle, piercing straight into a corner of his heart that he did not want to touch.

His beliefs were both his armor and his prison.

Did Li De really never think about these things?
how is this possible.

He is Li De.

However, he kept deceiving himself, unwilling to think deeply, and afraid to cross that bottom line.

Once Carl has laid bare the bloody reality, what else can he do?
Perhaps, the only way out is to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

“This is not the time to discuss right and wrong, Karl.” Li De’s voice was dry and hoarse, as if it were not his own, but like a puppet being mechanically repeated by a puppet controlled by threads.

“My job is to take her back, one last time—get out of the way.”

Listening to Li De's hollow words and looking at his tense face, Karl's gaze unconsciously turned to Song Zhaomei beside him.

Perhaps compared to the confused Song Zhaomei, Li De, bound by responsibility and orders, is more like a puppet who has lost himself.

Karl sighed deeply, but with that sigh, his eyes became even clearer and more determined.

It was a kind of steadfastness completely different from Li De's—stemming from complete trust in one's own will, an unshakable force that grew from the depths of one's heart.

"Then let's give it a try, Li De."

Karl responded to Li De, his gaze unwavering.

"Try to beat me with your broken will."

(End of this chapter)