Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 889, Question 99: Will We Win?

Will he win against Karl?

will win.

Li De desperately wanted to say those words firmly in his heart, but he couldn't.

Therefore, he could only rely on fighting to quell his inner turmoil.

Once the fighting starts, you don't have to think about all that anymore.

In the midst of their eye contact, almost without warning, they both moved at the same time!
Li De's 'Krenchikov' activated instantly, and the world seemed to slow down in his eyes. He drew his gun with lightning speed with his right hand and almost simultaneously swung out the grappling hook with his left hand. The target was not Karl, but the pipe above and to the side—he needed to create distance, give the 'Discard' pistol time to charge, and think about the battle strategy in the process.

In Li De's mind, Karl was an outstanding person in every way.

His long-range shooting was flawless, his accuracy was akin to that of the Grim Reaper.

In close combat, his movements are concise and sharp, each move aimed directly at vital points, making him incredibly efficient.

Mid-range combat is where he truly embodies despair—his control over rhythm, space, and timing almost surpasses the limits of human reaction, making him unmatched.

In this situation, Li De had no choice but to use acceptable bullets to create distance.

However, Karl's speed exceeded Li De's expectations.

The instant Li De's finger touched the trigger, Karl's figure had already slid to the side, not moving in a straight line, but cutting into Li De's blind spot with an arc trajectory that defied physical intuition. He didn't even draw his gun; his right hand merely flicked seemingly casually—

An almost invisible silver line sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible whistling sound, and shot straight at Li De's right wrist holding the gun!
Single-molecule line!

Carl's favorite weapon for close-quarters combat.

Alarm bells rang in Li De's mind, and his powerful combat instincts made him abruptly stop firing, his wrist snapping back.

The incredibly sharp monomolecular line grazed the edge of his sleeve, leaving a tiny scratch. Had it not been for the super-fast reaction provided by 'Krenchikov', his wrist would probably have been severed.

Carl didn't hold back.

Facing a formidable opponent like Li De, even the slightest opening created by holding back could be fatal, so Karl went into a serious state from the very beginning.

His gaze lingered on Li De throughout the slow passage of time, drawn by his senses.

He didn't show any regret when he missed his first shot. He simply flicked his wrist, and the monomolecular wire seemed to come alive as it retracted into his sleeve. Finally, he drew his 'KK' pistol with his left hand.

Without the transformation module installed, the KK pistol fires in kinetic mode, just like the 'Nightfall' pistol, which was the foundation of the KK. Karl pulled the trigger, and in the flash, the bullets fired by the KK went towards Li De, but Li De used the pull of the grappling hook to swing his body into the air like a pendulum, dodging the bullets.

He twisted his body with difficulty in the air, completed the charging of the 'sacrifice' pistol and spat out three bullets. The three bullets were fired with precision, but they were not aimed directly at Karl. Instead, they blocked the path that Karl might dodge, especially the direction from which the deadly monomolecular line might attack.

But Karl didn't insist on long-range firefights at all. He slightly bent his knees, and the reinforced tendons in his legs instantly burst out with amazing power, propelling him upwards like a cannonball—not a straight jump, but a precise and unconventional double jump. The first jump avoided the bullet's trajectory, and the second jump directly changed direction, relentlessly closing in on Li De in mid-air!

Li De's pupils contracted sharply. He was well aware that Karl possessed reinforced tendons, but he had never seen such a smooth adjustment of his posture, so fluid that it seemed as if there was no connection between the two jumps.

In the air, he couldn't change direction as nimbly as Karl. Seeing Karl swooping down like a predatory raptor, Li De made a decisive move, releasing the grappling hook and plummeting rapidly under the influence of gravity. At the same time, he held the 'sacrifice pistol' in front of him, preparing to meet the close-range attack.

Carl seemed to have anticipated his response. During the descent, he used his core strength, and his right leg tore through the air like a battle axe, sweeping towards Li De with sharp wind pressure.

Li De crossed his arms to block, his subcutaneous armor, nanofiber muscles, and titanium skeleton working together to withstand the powerful blow that could easily have pierced a concrete wall.

"boom!"

A heavy thud resounded, and Li De felt a sharp pain and numbness in his arms. His falling speed suddenly increased, and he crashed heavily to the ground. He rolled over to dissipate the force, but his chest still felt a surge of blood and qi, and he could barely breathe.

The blow was too heavy. Even though Li De underwent a complete body modification after returning to New America and upgraded to the latest prosthetic body, he still paid a heavy price when blocking Karl's casual attack.

If it weren't for the 'synaptic optimization components' in Li De's bones strengthening his body and adding triple defense, that attack alone would have been enough to break all his ribs, or even send his entire upper body flying from the waist down.

Compared to Li De, who tumbled and rolled to dissipate his momentum and landed, Karl used the reaction force to land lightly a short distance away, his posture still composed. He did not immediately pursue, but calmly watched Li De struggle to stand up.

“Your movements have slowed down, Reed.” Karl’s voice remained calm, yet it struck Reed’s heart like a whip. “It’s not because your movements are no longer skillful, but because of hesitation. In the instant you strike, you try to immerse yourself in the battle, but you’re still thinking about whether it’s ‘correct’.”

Li De gritted his teeth and did not answer.

Karl was right. During the exchange just now, he did hesitate for a moment, wondering if he really had to make the move, and considering the meaning of the battle. This slight hesitation was a fatal flaw in the face of an opponent of Karl's caliber.

Karl's words had a stronger impact on him than he had imagined, and this was something that could not be suppressed by simply focusing on the battle.

Li De shook his numb arm.

It seems that his decision to create distance was a mistake. Because he didn't feel any threat around him, he wasn't fully focused on the battle. He couldn't hesitate any longer!
Carl must be treated as a threat that must be eliminated, just like in countless missions carried out in the past.

Li De started again. This time, he didn't try to create distance, but charged straight at Karl. He knew that with Karl completely controlling the rhythm at mid-range, only close-quarters combat, relying on his solid military fighting skills and experience, would give him a chance to survive.

(End of this chapter)