"Director Cai, the vehicles have entered the main road and are about to pass through the checkpoint."
"Understood. Stay vigilant; Director Zhu doesn't know what's going on yet, and this cargo is extremely important."
"Roger that."
In the Kang Tao convoy, Cai Pin was nervously lighting one cigarette after another.
Although it was called a convoy, there were only two vehicles. To avoid drawing attention, the security level of this operation was kept low.
There were no hovering cars, no drones—just two modified Villefort Columbus V340 armored trucks. Stripped of their Kang Tao markings, they looked like ordinary vans, their only advantage being their spacious interiors.
Cai Pin cursed Zhu Shen under her breath—"To fool the enemy, you must first fool your own people"—what kind of nonsense was that?
Fooling your own people without fooling yourself, only to let someone else exploit the situation? What good is that strategy?
Useless.
But the fact that APD (Atlanta Police Department) still hadn't found Zhu Shen's body made her uneasy—how could a bunch of scavengers be this good?
APD had raided two of their hideouts, yet Zhu Shen's body was nowhere to be found?
If they were this capable, should the company's security department start recruiting from scavengers?
Still, with Zhu Shen's signal down and no concrete evidence that someone was targeting her, she was left with nothing but a vague sense of unease.
Ding—
Her phone rang, and Cai Pin answered with a low voice: "I've already left. Where will your people take over?"
"After the checkpoint, you'll see us—no word from your superior yet?"
"No—" Cai Pin checked on the small fry she had left behind, that ordinary employee named Zhu Ranran, who had fallen asleep after finishing her task.
If Zhu Shen were truly alive and returned, he wouldn't care about someone at her level. Either the alarm would go off, or Zhu Ranran would be dead.
Office? No alarms. Database? No alarms. The safety measures she left behind? No alarms.
No issues.
"Everything is normal, except those scavengers hiding better than expected and that mercenary being dumber than anticipated."
Clank—
The enormous checkpoint gate lifted.
There were two gates at the checkpoint. Once the convoy passed through the first gate, they were trapped inside.
The narrow space was filled with heavy machine gun turrets—anyone with a brain wouldn't resist.
But if anyone tried to bypass the checkpoint and cross the border, they'd be met with relentless pursuit by heavily armed forces.
Various scanning technologies activated, including ray and sonar scans, and the implants of the transport personnel were fully scanned.
Cai Pin tried to remain calm—just as if she were transporting ordinary cargo.
"Scan complete."
The checkpoint gate lifted, and Cai Pin smiled.
Success.
"I've passed the checkpoint."
"Excellent, continue driving—we'll see you shortly."
The convoy sped down the road, overtaking one car after another as it headed toward Mexico City.
After about an hour, Cai Pin spotted the motel in the distance.
"I see you—preparing to transfer the cargo."
Receiving the call, Cai Pin issued the command to the convoy: "Prepare to stop for a rest."
Though her tone was calm, Cai Pin was anything but.
Completing this deal would net her a significant sum of money, allowing her to leave behind the cursed Kang Tao and head to Europe!
Besides that one piece of cargo, there were several other Kang Tao prototype weapons she planned to sell to these Europeans along with this deal. With the combined earnings, she could enjoy the rest of her life in Europe!
As for the convoy personnel, their fate was uncertain.
Cai Pin pulled out her A-22B smart pistol, reflecting on the irony: she was about to use Kang Tao's weapon to kill Kang Tao's people.
The next moment, a shout echoed through her comms:
"Damn it, Cai! You didn't realize you were being tailed?!"
Bang!
A deafening sound nearly ruptured her eardrums as the driver's head exploded!
It was the Neko-Mata tech sniper rifle, a signature product of the Tsunami Defense Systems company. Powered by six electromagnetic acceleration arrays, it could fire tungsten-core rounds that easily penetrated thick walls and armor, reducing titanium skeletons to dust.
In the face of the Neko-Mata's devastating power, no one could feel safe, making this rifle heavily regulated in sales.
Unless employed by the government or a major corporation, it was nearly impossible for a mercenary to acquire such a weapon.
"This is the miracle of technology!"
The electrically charged bullet tore through the air, directly piercing both armored trucks!
One of the trucks lost control and slammed into a roadside boulder, exploding on impact!
Leo, watching from the car, pumped his fist in excitement. The sheer power of the weapon was exhilarating!
The lead truck shuddered violently, nearly veering off the road before being brought back under control.
Meanwhile, V, standing on the roof of the car with the Neko-Mata in hand, shouted triumphantly:
"I hit it! See that? I told you I could hit it with my eyes closed!"
Leo shouted back, "Got it! One truck down, two combat robots and a driver out of commission! Be careful with the lead truck; there's still a machine gunner!"
Inside the car, Zhu Shen was just as excited as he sped along—he wished he could be the one to take Cai Pin out, but they needed to secure the truck.
"Watch out! They have heavy firepower!"
"Shooting? Let me take another shot—"
Bang!
Both sides fired almost simultaneously. The transport truck's cargo hold was shredded by machine gun fire, bullets raining down on the road like a storm!
Meanwhile, Leo's side fired a single bullet aimed at the Kang Tao transport truck!
Pfft!
The bullet merely grazed the machine gunner's shoulder, but the terrifying kinetic energy blasted a large hole in his shoulder!
V shouted excitedly, "Woohoo! I feel like time has slowed down! And it's slowed down a lot!"
Leo warned, "Don't go cyberpsycho on me! The adrenaline from the bullet storm is boosting your Kerenzikov! Be careful!"
The medic beside the gunner quickly pulled out an injector and jammed it into the gunner's heart!
The gunner roared, managing to steady the machine gun with one hand!
Zzzzzz—
Zhu Shen yanked the steering wheel, swerving the car just in time to avoid the deadly hail of bullets that shredded the rear half of the van!
But not everyone was as skilled a driver as Zhu Shen. Bullets rained down like locusts, slicing off the roof of a nearby sedan!
Boom!
The unfortunate driver perished in the ensuing explosion, while Leo rapidly worked his tablet—though Knott couldn't send reinforcements, he had provided some advanced equipment.
The tablet contained a few daemons, and Leo's target was the Kang Tao medic trying to stabilize the machine gunner!
Lines of code flashed across the tablet's screen as Leo frantically worked to breach the enemy's defenses, while Zhu Shen struggled with the wheel, nearly losing his mind in frustration—
"You should've installed an OS!"
Leo didn't respond, focusing on rapidly hacking through the opponent's security system. The upload progress surged faster and faster!
"Got it—NUSA Special Daemon!"
[Completed First Protocol Breach]
[Completed First Daemon Upload]
[You have mastered practical technology: Network Hacking (Beginner)]
[Technology Points +150]
[Current Technology Points: 176]
Daemons were akin to viruses in the real world, but in this world, describing them as "cybernetic magic" was more fitting!
This particular daemon caused enemy implants to malfunction, including the medic's and the machine gunner's!
The heavy machine gun abruptly fired into the sky. As Zhu Shen regained stability, V swiftly took aim—
"Come on, bastard."
Bang!
The machine gun finally ceased firing, and V's follow-up shot blew out the truck's tire, sending the Kang Tao vehicle skidding off the road and crashing into a large boulder!
V cheered with excitement, "Woohoo! This is too satisfying! Take that, corpo scum!"
"Save the celebration! Get ready; Cai Pin is still alive, and this job isn't over yet." Leo knocked on the roof, then turned to Zhu Shen, "Alright, the coast is clear. Do you want to take her out yourself, or should we handle it?
If she has combat implants, I suggest we take care of it."
"Pleasure doing business, kid—you should come up with a nickname; it feels weird calling you 'kid,' but I mean no disrespect.
I'll take her out myself. She definitely doesn't have combat implants."
"No problem. Whatever you prefer—but we should check the cargo once she's dealt with. We can handle that part."
"Let's finish her first."
Zhu Shen checked his pistol, then got out of the car and approached the overturned truck.
Clack—bang.
Zhu Shen moved closer, watching as a woman struggled to pry open the warped door, trembling as she crawled out from beneath the wreckage.
"Cough, cough… I didn't expect you to turn the tables on me."
Cai Pin's face was covered in blood, half of it smashed to reveal the mechanical structure beneath, flickering with sparks.
Her once graceful body was now twisted and deformed from the impact and the crushing wreckage, her beautiful face now a horrific sight.
She laughed bitterly, hopelessly.
It leaves one feeling somewhat puzzled—clearly, she's the one who cornered Zhu Shen, pushing him to the brink, yet why does it feel as if she's the one being chased down by Zhu Shen?
Just like her life has always been.
"Why?" Zhu Shen asked a question.
"Why?" Cai Pin countered, her laughter growing more maniacal, "Hahahaha...haha—you ask me why?"
"You never saw me as human, just a walking flesh relief! Look at these cybernetic enhancements on me, all installed just to please you!"
"My existence is just to please you? Why?!"
"I will destroy you, I want you to struggle in hell because of me, this insignificant cripple, never to be reborn!"
"Is that it?" Zhu Shen's expression remained unchanged, "You truly disappoint me."
Cai Pin's fanatic smile hid the flicker of blue light in her cybernetic eye.