How To Live as a Cyberpunk Solver

70. momentum

The gunfire got closer.

The reconnaissance team, which confidently dispatched, said, ‘Ugh!’ Or, after a short report of ‘Evil!’, communication was cut off, the automatic turret guarding the main gate was silent without even emptying 1/3 of its 150 rounds of ammunition, and the sound of urgent footsteps of the security guards guarding the inside of the factory echoed right in front of the situation room.

The time when pitch-black darkness descended on the expression of liberal arts. In scientific terms, the time the earth’s surface is out of the solar system. To put it plainly, it was 2:23 in the morning.

“Max, stay here.”

“Are you going out alone?”

Leonard checked his two revolvers and pressed the hood of his coat deeply. There is a bulletproof helmet effect with silicon carbide blah material, and it was possible to create a sense of intimidation.

“If I am attacked, lock the door and hold out until the public security arrives. Don’t say that you’re getting revenge.”

“Ah, that can’t be.”

It was a confusing answer whether it meant that Leonard could not be defeated or that he had no will to take revenge. I didn’t ask because I didn’t have enough time. I left the situation room and crossed the inside of the factory.

The corporate mercenaries, who had loaded their rifles with magazines and took their positions, glanced at Leonard. A specially hired fixer whose employers do not trust them. A self-proclaimed professional who goes to work and does nothing but hang out. In the meantime, I didn’t have a good gaze, but when the situation broke out, I was reassured.

Leonard stood tall, unobstructed, and looked at the factory entrance. Some believe in a bulletproof coat worth 19,000 credits, but it was to talk to the assailant.

“Did that person turn?”

“Leave it alone. You are the solver.”

The whispers of the corporate mercenaries were a bit annoying, but things went the way Leonard intended. A group of assailants entered the factory and aimed their guns at Leonard, but did not pull the trigger. If you come out with a white flag during a war, it will be similar to the psychology of not shooting because you are curious about something.

“What are you! Do you want to lose?!”

Maybe he just didn’t shoot because he was flustered. Leonard surveyed the assailant. The numbers have gotten pretty good. There were 20 guns in front of me right now, and if you add up the buzzing outside the building, that number is more than double. Considering that the automatic turret was disabled, the firepower was also formidable.

‘Why did those guys come to pick up scraps because they’re missing something?’

I think it would be better to sell the gun and buy something to eat, but can’t I let go of it because it’s a tool for making a living? That would be better than dying. Leonard raised both hands slightly to show that he had no weapons.

“I’ve seen enough blood, why don’t we go back?”

“What is this madman talking about? If you were just going back, you wouldn’t have come!”

“I knew you would say that.”

At first glance, it may seem that he is being unnecessarily reckless, but he had his own reasons. Hacked half of the attackers in line of sight. If he had known that the ‘crazy guy’ was an implant hacker, even an uneducated scavenger wouldn’t have talked about it leisurely.

“Actually, it would be difficult to go back. Because the client promised 300 credits per head.”

In this situation, there was only one occupation that used the word ‘client’. Among the assailants, the quick-witted one shouted like a scream.

“Fuck! He is the fixer!”

And he shot himself in the head. It looks like he committed suicide after being scared by the ‘fixer’, but it was impossible. It was a ‘suicide’ program that had been useful since the days of Hexagon.

Here, the types who have experienced implant hacking and those who have not experienced it are divided. The former attempted a system check or emergency down, and the latter pulled the trigger. It was meaningless to evaluate which one was wiser. The former was hived by a corporate mercenary who responded to gunshots, while the latter shot himself or a neighbor he thought was Leonard.

It took less than three seconds for the 20 to be organized. Even the damage on the factory side was zero.

“Wow, fuck, is there a reason why the president, Nari, is talking about the solver, the solver, in his sleep?”

“How did you do this? Hacking?”

Corporate mercenaries came out of cover in admiration. Hackers themselves are rare, but hackers who run the field are even rarer. Leonard took out a lollipop and peeled off the wrapper. It’s been a while since I hacked multiple times, and my goal was itching.

“It’s not over yet.”

Even though it was well armed for a scavenger, it was at the level of a scavenger. The automatic turret wouldn’t have been neutralized by these guys. The real exhaust was different. The outer wall of the factory was smashed and proved right away. Kwakwang-!

The corporate mercenary who decided that the corner would be safe and took cover in the corner was also smashed. It wasn’t because of revenge, but the guns turned toward them all at once. The usual training became poison. The second attack began at the entrance that was thought to have been cleared. Tatatatang-! Tata Tang-!

The corporate mercenaries who gave up the side were knocked down in excellent numbers. It was a clever diversion for a scavenger. It must have been an operation planned from the time he broke the surveillance camera.

Leonard turned to his side and protected his head with his left arm. The bullet hit his torso, but failed to pierce the bulletproof coat he deserved.

“Ha, that’s quite right!”

Leonard drew his revolver with his free right hand and fired. It’s not exactly a sharpshooter, but it was enough skill to seize the victory and hit the unwary. One per shot, a total of six people fell at Leonard’s hands. Excluding the ones I had hacked earlier, it was 1,800 credits. It was a lucrative profit. That is, if you can safely complete the quest.

“Why isn’t that thing collapsing!”

I wasn’t talking about Leonard. Leonard is also holding on with his equipment, but the ‘monster’ that penetrated the factory’s outer wall also survived the corporate mercenary fire. It was not an explosion with explosives, but a high-powered cyborg breaking the wall with brute force.

“Keep shooting! It works!”

“To the entrance of Group 3 and Group 4! Stop those bastards from coming in!”

High output is not necessarily high quality. It didn’t look very classy from the outside. It was literally like a ‘monster’ with steel frames and steel plates randomly welded and auxiliary power units attached here and there. It was a crazy implant cyborg who forcibly increased his power.

Leonard turned to the other side and replaced ‘Army’ with ‘Air Force’. The 3rd or 4th group of corporate mercenaries applied, and the entrance side calmed down to some extent. The attacker, who failed to make a quick entry, returned fire from cover near the entrance. It was a boring gunfight with not many casualties compared to the number of bullets. If there was a variable, it was a monster that broke the outer wall.

Leonard left the defense of the entrance to corporate mercenaries and pulled himself out. The monster’s rampage was intense.

He hesitated for a moment when he was pouring bullets, but when he ran out of bullets and went into replacement, he started to rampage in earnest. A single stomp of the foot moves 2m, and a single swing of the arm destroys the factory equipment for what it is used for. The facility also included corporate mercenaries. A corporate mercenary whose magazine was late to change flew away with a pitiful scream.

“Where did the scavenger get something like that…!”

The implant itself wasn’t great. It wasn’t a high-tech material, it was just an iron plate. The evidence was that each time he was shot, a dent was made. The output device was also a generation ago.

Modern implants were supposed to send and receive electronic signals with the implant body as a virtual brain using a brain chip. So, it can move freely like a real body, and even though it is inorganic, it can feel the touch and sense the temperature. So, an implant hacker like Leonard could have intercepted the signal and manipulated the person.

But that monster was no ordinary implant cyborg. It did not move by receiving a signal from the brain chip, but moved by its own power. To put it bluntly, it was closer to War Machine. It could be described as a junk machine that moves only with a human head on board.

‘Is it a good name?’

If that kind of thing is common, I should spread it with an official name. If it’s really common.

The material and principle were simple, but suppression was not simple. Since there is no main brain chip, you have to hack the electronics of each part yourself, but it took time because it was the first model I had ever seen and it was a very old board.

“Solver man! How do you do this!”

The captain leading the corporate mercenaries shouted as he removed the third magazine. Each person carried about 120 to 150 rounds, so there were only 4 to 5 magazines. In this situation, if a bullet ran out, it was a dead life.

“Don’t rush me. Because it just started.”

I didn’t have time, so I focused on one leg. There is an output device attached to each joint, and it was amazing how it moved as one. Is it designed to automatically match motion to pelvic movement?

“great. Got it.”

Leonard’s brain chip, the Hexagon module, caused signal disturbance to the electronics of the junk machine. Smoke leaked from his knee joints and stiffened. The monster stumbled and touched the metal barrel next to it. No, it was crushed. It was a vat containing a strong acid that dissolved rubber skin. A dark liquid poured out from the dented hole and hit the giant.

I don’t know who made that monster, but I’m sure they only thought of waterproofing against rainwater or fire trucks. The highly concentrated acidic solution dissolved the coating and penetrated deep into the device. Sparks flew all at once from the chest, waist, pelvis, and ankles. Pajijik-! Pajik-!

“Oh, no!”

The assailant who saw the scene shouted like a scream. Conversely, corporate mercenaries were delighted.

“I’ve been waiting for that!”

“As expected, the solver! Great!”

There was some misunderstanding, but it was not explained. The monster belatedly pulled its arm out of the dented barrel, but it didn’t move as intended and fell to the other side. And never got up again. While using the dragon, a malfunction occurred throughout the body, and it wriggled unsightly.

“Bomber-man has been attacked!”

“No, nonsense!”

Both sides were shocked, and the shooting stopped for a moment. At dawn, when the gunshots disappeared, the factory was strangely silent despite the shouting. Maybe that’s why Leonard’s voice could be heard exceptionally well.

“What is Bomberman? As for the naming sense… Let’s call it a junk machine.”

Eyes flew in asking if the name was important right now, but it was only for a short time. The corporate mercenary captain, who came to his senses, inserted a new magazine and shouted.

“Those chews are tight!”

Momentum was very important in the war. The modern era, which has come close to the space age, was no exception. Whether it was a junk machine or a bomberman, when the weapons they believed disappeared, the attackers quickly collapsed despite their numerical superiority.

The quick-footed ones still ran out of the factory, but the slow-moving ones fell one after another at the hands of corporate mercenaries. There was no intention of arrest, no expectation of being arrested. It was natural to die if the plunder failed.

Even the lucky assailant who escaped the factory wasn’t comfortable tonight. Always a step behind, but coming, the siren of the coming public security was loud.

Instead of giving chase for the 300 puny credits, Leonard approached the living monster. One corporate mercenary took off his tin helmet to finish it off. Leonard restrained it with his hand.

“Who made these things?”

The monster didn’t answer. It was not a rebellion with a strong will. Leonard crouched down and held the monster’s cheeks. It was revealed that the lips parted up and down and were less than half of the average.

“…Can the tongue also become an implant?”

No one gave an answer.