Five minutes earlier.
In the control room of the basement, a woman sat in a chair, while a young man, with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, stared coldly at the computer screen in front of him.
The control room was filled with various machines and instruments, with a central desk connected to multiple computer screens via a retractable metal tube hanging from above.
"Brutus, the leader of this Scavenger gang. They call him 'Lightning Claw Wolf' on the streets. He's got a Sandevistan MK II, Kerenzikov, and some kind of alloy claws in his hands… What kind of cyberware is that?" The young man murmured to himself, glancing at the intel sent by the netrunner beside him, lost in thought.
Displayed on the screen was the live feed from the room's surveillance camera.
The scene was grotesque, revolting to anyone who saw it. Lin Mo struggled to hold back the urge to rush in and finish the man with a single blow.
But, out of caution, Lin Mo refrained from attacking the fat man immediately.
Anyone who could lead a gang of Scavengers of this size was no ordinary opponent.
Lin Mo was confident in his abilities. But confidence didn't mean invincibility.
Sasha's expression was equally displeased, her lips forming a slight frown, her face cold and indifferent.
She used her scanner, observing the man's movements on the screen, trying to ignore the despicable acts he was engaged in, and gathering as much data about his implants as possible.
When Lin Mo asked, she took a moment to respond, lifting her delicate, pale hand.
Her hand, like a piece of art sculpted by the gods themselves, was as smooth as white jade, but her slender fingers now gleamed with metallic black.
If cyberware designers could be considered creators, then this hand was certainly a masterpiece, retaining its beauty while maintaining full functionality.
As Lin Mo stared at her hand, Sasha's fingers flexed slightly, and razor-sharp claws suddenly extended from her nails, glinting dangerously under the lights.
"Probably something like these. I have the MK2 Cat's Claw series from Built Industries. Very handy to use." Sasha explained.
Lin Mo nodded thoughtfully. If the fat man had similar cyberware, he'd have to be careful.
Since Lin Mo specialized in close-quarters combat, fighting in tight spaces with an opponent who could surprise him with retractable claws could easily end badly, even with his speed.
"So, what's the plan? Can you hack him and hit him with Cyberpsychosis?" Lin Mo asked, his gaze still locked on the man on the screen.
Sasha's eyes shifted from red to green, streams of data flashing through them as she attempted to hack the man remotely.
After a few seconds, she sighed and shook her head, frowning. "Not really. Even if I manage to hack him and plant a quickhack, it would only last a second or two, at most."
Lin Mo: "..."
This wasn't quite what he expected.
In the game, Cyberpsychosis was pretty much a death sentence for anyone it hit, but now it seemed like the real-world version had some serious limitations.
With a sigh, Lin Mo couldn't help but feel disappointed. His Intelligence was only 4, and he hadn't invested in netrunning or hacking skills. So, it made sense that things would differ from the game's mechanics.
Apparently, not everyone could be like V.
"We can't wait any longer." Lin Mo said, his eyes glued to the screen as the music in the room reached its peak.
If they waited any longer, the woman would definitely die. Though he had instructed Fujiwara Kawako to commission a hit rather than a rescue, and the woman's death wouldn't affect the mission's completion, Lin Mo still preferred to save her if possible.
Sasha, after thinking for a moment, nodded slightly. "I'll try hacking his system, but I can't guarantee it'll work."
"Thank you. You helping at all is enough. You're not suited for direct combat. Leave that to me."
Lin Mo's gaze focused on the man's movements on the screen. His eyes scanned the man's body, calculating the best place to strike.
He was waiting for the right moment.
A little over a minute passed. As the final, dramatic note echoed from the speakers, the man finally moved, his lips curling into a crazed grin.
"Company should be sending someone soon…"
Company?
Lin Mo's eyes flickered with curiosity.
The man lifted his gun, pointing it at the woman lying on the ground, his lips stretching into a twisted smile.
"A celebration without fire and bloodshed wouldn't be a proper party."
His voice muttered through the speaker.
The basement's control room was linked to the surveillance system of the highest authority. No one could switch the camera feeds without the proper codes, and the system seemed to exist solely to record the man's twisted 'creations.'
The camera angle was perfect, even the audio crystal clear.
"Well said," Lin Mo muttered coldly, as though responding to the man's words. His tone was as icy as death.
"Today, people will die. But God is merciful. She won't pick the wrong ones."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the young man vanished from the control room!
The electronic door was too slow for him. Lin Mo slashed through it with a few swift strokes, then kicked it open. Nothing could stop the boy as he rushed forward like the wind.
Sasha's eyes widened in shock as the cold wind blew through the now-open door. She quickly turned her attention back to the screen.
It was the perfect moment. The man's attention was entirely focused on the woman, his mind occupied with the dark fantasies of what was about to happen. He had no idea someone had already sliced through the door.
The sharp blade had cut through the door like butter, making no sound at all. Only Lin Mo's final kick had caused the loud crash, which finally snapped the man out of his reverie.
From that moment on, the camera feed became almost impossible to follow.
Sasha could only make out two blurry figures clashing with incredible speed, their movements creating gusts of wind that blew small objects across the room.
The metal door had been reduced to shreds, pieces of it scattered across the floor. Several gunshots rang out, bullets embedding themselves into the walls as smoke and dust filled the air.
The screen finally froze on a single frame: Lin Mo standing coldly, gripping his katana, its blade buried deep into the man's right hand.
The man had fallen back onto the couch, his face showing a mix of anger and bewilderment, but he remained composed. From his shoulder, a small concealed turret had emerged.
The turret aimed directly at the young man. Lin Mo's blade was still lodged in the man's hand, while a red and orange pistol lay discarded nearby.
Both of them understood the situation perfectly. It was a standoff, with each weighing the consequences of their next move.
But Lin Mo's gaze remained cold, the half-mask on his face hiding all but his intense, focused eyes. Blood trickled down his cheek from a narrow wound, dripping onto the floor.
In the silence that followed, Lin Mo ignored the looming threat in front of him. Without hesitation, he kicked the blunt end of his blade, slicing through the man's hand completely. Blood and sparks burst from the wound as Lin Mo stared down at him with utter contempt.
Go ahead and shoot. What's it going to do? His eyes seemed to say.
The man's face twisted in rage. He hadn't expected the intruder to be so reckless. His brain's pain inhibitors blocked most of the sensation from his severed hand.
In an instant, the gun fired.
The shoulder-mounted turret spat fire, but Lin Mo moved with incredible speed, dodging just enough to avoid a fatal hit to the neck. The bullet struck his shoulder, blood oozing from the wound as the impact forced him to take a step back.
At the same time, the man activated his Sandevistan, pulling back and putting distance between them.
He grabbed the dazed woman from the floor as he retreated, finally escaping the narrow room and positioning himself in the hallway. With his remaining hand, he extended his arm and aimed back into the room.
Without hesitation, his cybernetic skin peeled back, revealing a small grenade launcher. He fired into the room.
The grenade exploded with a deafening blast. Smoke and dust filled the air, while debris rained down from the ceiling.
The man spat onto the ground, blood mixed with saliva.
When Lin Mo had kicked the door, it had knocked out one of his teeth.
But it wasn't over yet.
Through the scan in his cybernetic eye, the man spotted a faint red silhouette crouching behind some debris, hiding just outside the room. His grenade hadn't finished the job.
Tch. A standoff, huh? Suits me just fine.
The man let out a low, guttural laugh, his left hand yanking at the woman's hair.