Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 350 Fatal Clue (Part 4)

"boom--"

The heavy object caused the houses in the shantytown, which had been exposed to moisture and corrosion for many years, to collapse suddenly!

Actually, it wasn't some inanimate object that was forcefully thrown away; it was Jack Wells who reacted immediately upon noticing someone behind him.

Dorio drew her sidearm, knowing perfectly well that it wasn't those kidney-harvesting scavengers behind her. But the moment the gun was turned towards her, Dorio froze in shock—

"Mann?!"

The thick darkness of night had descended, and all that could be seen were two eerily glowing eyes and an arm raised horizontally—it was this very fist that had struck Jack.

Dorothy, completely unaware of whether Jack could hold on, was stiff with rage…

On that day in Dogville, Mann seemed to retain a certain degree of self-awareness, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to help Lin Yue and the others—but the problem now is that Dorio feels he is a stranger. This is a feeling that comes from natural intuition. No matter how strong she is, she is still a woman, and she has the most say in whether her lover's aura and behavior match her perception.

"It wasn't you..."

It seems that Mann is an extremely important link in the clues that Regina has been painstakingly investigating.

He remained in the same posture as when he finished his attack, his wolf-like eyes fixed on the muzzle of Dorio's raised gun.

Dorio kept telling herself, "Don't put down the gun."

If she were alone, it would be fine, but the problem is that Jack is also there. She can risk her life for Mann, but she can't ignore her teammates.

However, Dorio still wants to try what needs to be tried.

She held the gun in one hand, knowing that with Mann's visibly advanced modifications, it was uncertain whether he remembered her or was still the same Mann who loved her. She still raised one hand, bowed slightly, and said in as calm a tone as possible, "Hey, Mann, I know you can hear me… Can you… can you tell me what happened to you?"

Why do you frequently appear at the scenes of cyberpsychosis incidents?

"What exactly is going on...?"

"say something!"

Dorothy's voice began to tremble with anxiety.

However, the other party's response immediately froze Dorio's expression.

"Terrorist SWAT Team Report No. 3: Mercenaries and one...NCPD officer have appeared at the scene. Requesting 'elimination' of the factors based on leak prevention risk. Over."

Mann's voice may sound like an electronic synthesized voice due to the implant that modified his larynx, but the most important thing is the content.

"Terrorist SWAT Team..."

Dorio's face darkened. The Terrorist Mobile Squad had always known about these cyber lunatics, and even knew exactly which areas would see cyber psychopaths. Not only did they send agents to intervene in cyber psychopath cases without any communication, but they were also prepared to silence them at any time.

bang...

Mann took a step forward in his military boots.

Reporting information upwards doesn't require opening your mouth to speak; brain-computer interface can transmit the information. However, Mann did this mostly to exacerbate Dorio's panic.

Regina's investigation, Rin's prior knowledge of Mann's presence in the city, and Mann's words today—the Terrorist Mobile Unit is an indispensable part of the investigation.

Dorio just had to get out of there alive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several canisters of natural gas with a petal-shaped logo of petrochemical fuel—the fuel source those scavengers used to roast synthetic meat and some crunchy insects.

Just as Dorio was still wary of Mann's next move, the edges of Mann's body seemed to blur.

"Depend on!"

With her hair standing on end, Dorio could only rely on her experience to lie down. There are many fatal parts on a person's body, but the cyber madman would only use the fastest solution to make the enemy in his eyes pay the price, so trying to hide his head first was a good move.

Mann's body left a trail of shadows. As Dorio crouched down, the guns behind her, in sequence from left to right, immediately exploded, sending cement fragments flying...

These dozen or so bullets looked as if they had been nailed into a precisely measured line, but in reality, Mann had only swung his forearm sideways, and only now could one see his arm slowly retracting.

Dorio's evasion this time was entirely the result of her long immersion in training, but good luck doesn't last forever. Statistically, it's "impossible" for her to give in to this guy with an unknown level of cybernetics.

Amidst the crashing ruins, Jack sat up, covered in dust and dirt.

"Damn it..."

He felt he definitely had several broken ribs.

Jack, who once rode his motorcycle past the Blue Sky Building by Watson Beach, boasted to Misty that if he ever pulled off a big heist at the Blue Sky Building, he could slide down the 90th floor to the 70th floor without breaking a sweat on the sloping glass outside the building. Now, having been blasted ten meters away, he would have been dead on the spot if it weren't for his muscular physique.

The girl is still there, Jack doesn't want to give up.

After getting up, Jack pulled out his pistol, and bullets from the golden-haired woman's dual pistols poured out instantly.

After knocking Dorio down, Mann stretched out his foot and stomped forward, covering his face with one hand, just to prevent his prosthetic eye from being affected. The tough outer skin was no joke; two bullets from the Golden Fierce Woman's high-powered modified weapon only caused the bulletproof skin on Mann's face to curl up and ooze a little blood.

Bang!
The thud was no less than a block of iron hitting her face; Dorio, lying on the ground, saw that Mann had been affected by the bullets—

"Let's go, Jack!"

She shouted loudly.

At this point, how can you let the Haywood people run away with their backsides between their legs?
Jack didn't want to do it, and besides, his mother hadn't taught him to abandon his friends in crucial moments.

Low humanity is the most prominent characteristic of high functionality. When people encounter pain, they have two reactions. High functionality often manifests as emotional outbursts and anger.

Jack cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"

"You damn lover, you don't recognize me anymore?! Is that so?! Huh?"

That speed was incredible; Jack admitted it was like the scenes in legendary ranking magazines describing the Night City's most powerful figures in battle!
Dorothy looked ashen-faced…

She had hoped countless times that she would see Mann again and learn more about what had happened, but she never expected that Mann would be so ruthless.

"Stay away from me..."

During Mann's charge, it seemed as if someone was struggling to speak through his throat beneath the stitched-up skin, carrying a heavy load, or like a person with their mouth covered in despair letting out a warning roar.

"Get rid of these bedbugs."

And what follows is the kind of talk that only a cyberpsychotic could possibly utter.

It seems that an evil and cruel soul is giving him orders.

All he saw were things he hated and felt powerless to change; he only wanted to destroy them, not patiently try to understand the reasons…

Mann knew perfectly well that he was about to start a killing spree and was thrilled about it.

"Even the most scumbag rock star wouldn't hit his girlfriend, what an idiot!"

If we're talking about who among the Night City's lone wolves is the most proud, it would naturally be Jack Wells. He has a prosthetic body, but not many. He works out and keeps his mother healthy, which is Jack Wells's philosophy on prosthetic implants. He respects others getting implants, but he's extremely careful with his own, so he puts in a lot more effort.

But his talent still allows Jack to stand at the level of a top mercenary in this city.

In the original timeline, Jack and V could bravely venture alone into the secret realm of Azure, which had been sealed off after Saburo's death. In the next life, those mercenaries who only knew how to drink, chase women, and find men would have died eight times over...

Jack was also a bit unlucky; he was hit in a vital organ by a stray bullet and died.

So Mann was quick, but Jack knew how to deal with these mercenaries who had been given S.A.S.A.

The more complex the environment, the more it tests the Sinweistan operator's ability to control details. A piece of paper can easily cut through flesh when it is moving at its fastest speed. In complex environments, Sinweistan operators also have to slow down and change lanes. Sometimes, they may even have to stop the Sinweistan from operating, as crashing into obstacles is a risky decision.

"Get the hell up and run! Your man's probably out of his mind!"

Jack yelled, and the shanty door behind him ripped apart instantly!
The big man ran with heavy breathing, but he was very nervous.

Having a big heart doesn't mean being fearless; even Jack would be scared if he heard about cyberbullying.

Dorio gritted her teeth, wanting to give chase, but the intermittent, echoing sounds of the Sianwaistan shantytown filled her with despair. The two people Regina found were no pushovers, but she hadn't expected them to be this strong.

After running around several corners, Jack sensed the approaching figure behind him. The burly man flew backward, his dual pistols spitting fire, making his face flicker between light and shadow. The desperate courage on his face and the ferocity of the cyber madman opposite him became the most vivid picture in the dark area under the neon lights of Night City.

In the shadows where the sunlight doesn't reach, everyone fights like animals in the law of the jungle.

Mann's arm joints began to pop and deform. In Swansea's time-stopped world, bullets crawled slowly. Having killed many people during his illness, Mann had seen all kinds of fear and the confusion in the eyes of many dying cyberpsychotics. But the person in front of him had great courage.

"it's over…"

The projectile launching system on Mann's arm suddenly lit up.

Haywood has plenty of backup plans—

Mann, who hadn't taken many bullets, assumed Jack was just bad at aiming; but Jack, who could both race cars and shoot in the gun and horseback riding show, was an excellent shot. There was a sound of collapse behind Mann, and the water tank hanging on the roof suddenly collapsed. In the distance, Dorio suddenly threw a liquefied gas tank toward Mann.

"Roar!"

Mann roared ferociously like a maddened beast.

Dorothy's eyes were filled with determination.

She wanted Mann, the skinny, dark-skinned boy lost in the power of Night City, not this machine.

He can die, and she can die with him, but they can't drag each other down with them.

This has always been Dorio's bottom line.

"What are you mumbling about?"

The girl, leaping down from the rooftop, deformed her fists joint by joint, and the diaphragm in the gaps between her black arms vibrated wildly, spewing out intense heat.

Sianwistan instantly positioned the twin-tailed girl close to the liquefied gas tank that was about to be hit by the water tank and that Dorio was trying to detonate—

"Get the hell out of here, you stupid idiot Mann!"

Mann's Krenchkov enhanced time stop again, but Rebecca has that too, so if you add it, I'll add it too, we're all the same...

Also.

Rebecca's Sianwistan had just started, unlike Mann whose speed had already dropped wildly from its peak.

The seemingly small fist, when imprinted on Mann's side, caused ripples to instantly spread across the mechanical and bionic skin.

"Boom!"

The speed of a shell blast is no less than that.

Rebecca's face showed a complex mix of worry and relief. "Mann, what's wrong..."

She arched her back and sped up again like a tiger, trying to grab Mann.

The camera swayed behind the sniper rifle above, and Sasha saw Mann through the mirror…

"He's going to run, Qiwei!"

A faint, lifeless voice came through the headset…

"Oh dear, oh dear, let the hacker die for the cyber lunatic, have some respect for me, the senior, okay?" Despite the sweltering heat, Qi Wei was still wrapped in her maroon leather jacket. Squatting on the rooftop, she punched the baseline device for the television signal, her eyes gleaming with a swift, intrusive light.

I tried it and said—

"Hmm, it seems I'm not up to par. The ICE is too thick. What about you?"

Sasha's sniper scope was locked on Mann's thigh, hesitating whether to break it.

"Make a special IICE and execute that plan."

Qiwei could not deny it.

Catching cyber lunatics seems a bit far-fetched, especially since they're a mercenary team—or rather, a company security detail, or something like that.

Rebecca gasped for breath.

"Hold!"

"Mann! You didn't say your prosthetic body could be activated continuously!"

The little girl's pigtails hung down to the ground, her throat was dry, because she had been running for so long that she had drooled.

Caught off guard, Dorothy then realized that a squad had been deployed around her all along.

A grappling hook, like a venomous snake, suddenly lashed out from the rooftop towards Mann, who was running away expressionlessly. Mann simply swung his arm sharply, sparks flew, and the grappling hook flew backward...

Just as he was scoffing at this tactic to try and keep people, an EMP device happened to be parked at the alley entrance.

A slender woman stood on the rooftop looking down at him.

"Beast."

His voice was cold and sarcastic.

hum!
This instantaneous amplification of EMP has an extremely devastating impact on all surrounding electronic devices. EMP threads can counteract it, but the effect will be far less noticeable.

Mann's prosthetic eye instantly shut down, and his head stopped abruptly as if a thread had snapped behind him.

The slender cigarette stuck in Qiwei's mask burned slowly, and strangely, she did not jump down to control Mann.

The best possible outcome for a math problem is that Mann stumbles and falls, but is still able to move—this posture…

It's clearly a lie.

Qiwei finally understood what a cunning beast was.

Mann lay on the ground, and the entire squad surrounded him.

"want…"

Sasha hadn't even finished speaking.

Mann suddenly stood up, and Sianwistan's speed increased dramatically, firing at the group in an instant!

Rebecca lunged at Sasha, while Qiwei crouched on the ground, clutching the wide brim of her hat. Shells whistled past overhead, and her hair danced wildly in the night.

"Ah...what a pity."

She was the one who wasn't very close to Mann, and naturally, she was the most composed.

“Listen to Miss Emma, ​​let him go. At least we’ve achieved our goal of coercing him…”

The rest of the team members' faces darkened, but none of them spoke.

At that moment, a woman's languid voice came through the earpiece.

"Looks like I guessed right, didn't I?"

Emma quietly watched the screen and said this.

……

……

(End of this chapter)