cyberpunk: Travel to 2075

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Start Fighting

James felt the intrusion of the data flow. The puppet program infiltrated his mind, disrupting the signal transmission between the pyramidal tract and his legs, rendering him unable to move.

Military-grade anti-hacking equipment prioritizes protecting the user's brain from hackers overheating the prosthetic body. Signal transmission protection is lower on the priority list, allowing the puppet program to easily bypass it and affect James's movements.

This restriction, however, wouldn't last long. The military-grade equipment would soon react and neutralize the intrusion.

But even a fraction of a second was enough for Karl to act.

As they closed the distance to twenty meters, Karl had already aimed his Kenshin pistol at James's head.

In an instant, Karl fired six shots.

Two were aimed at James's prosthetic eyes, two at his exposed left chest, and the remaining two at his throat and lower abdomen.

Karl wondered if a tough guy like James, renowned in military tech circles, would feel anything if hit in such sensitive areas.

The gunfire echoed, and time seemed to slow.

But it wasn't slowing down; Karl's reactions were now matching James's, who had begun to move faster. The Krenzikov prosthetic in James's spine heightened his reflexes, and then his military-grade experimental Sandevistan activated.

In this slowed-down perception, even with his feet immobilized, James's movements were swift, like a butterfly in flight.

James turned his head, dodging the bullets aimed at his eyes and throat.

As for the shots aimed at his lower abdomen, James didn't bother to dodge. The bullets merely tore through fabric, revealing a steel shield underneath.

Karl suddenly understood why James was considered a tough guy.

So, he's the ultimate man, having removed his greatest vulnerability?

Four of Karl's six bullets missed. The only two that hit James made a metallic sound upon impact with his left chest. The bullets twisted and shattered, falling to the ground.

Karl stared at James's chest, where broken artificial skin revealed subdermal armor. Even Kenshin couldn't penetrate it.

Damn, I should have known that military-grade tech is leagues ahead of the commercial stuff.

Karl recalled the old body armor standards: Level I to Level IV. Even Level IV, capable of stopping high-velocity rounds, was no match for the advancements of 2075.

America hasn't changed in that regard, Karl thought. The best stuff is always reserved for internal use.

Karl's data flow ceased. He had reached the limit of his intrusion capabilities.

Now, there was good news and bad news, and Karl preferred the bad news first.

The bad news: His access device had maxed out, and his hacking skills were insufficient for continued use of the puppet program.

The good news: James had used his Sandevistan once. According to Blanca, the experimental Sandevistan wasn't something ordinary people could handle. Even a tough guy like James could only use it three times a day before reaching his limit and experiencing dizziness.

Two more uses, and James would be out.

James discarded the now-useless shotgun. Only three seconds had passed since their fight began, and he took the moment to draw two pistols from his waist.

One was a Military Technology M-76E Omaha, and the other, an Arasaka HJKE-11 Yukimura.

[Military Technology M-76E Omaha]: A powerful firearm that shoots three projectiles per trigger pull and can fire continuously after charging the barrel's magnet. In short battles, its lethality rivals that of a heavy machine gun.

[Arasaka HJKE-11 Yukimura]: Released in 2040, still one of the best pistols, Yukimura started the smart weapon revolution. It can fire single shots or three bursts, remaining relevant even 30 years later.

Seeing the weapons James drew, Karl aimed and fired at them without hesitation.

Though James didn't have smart weapon prosthetics, his skills would be on par with security guards using assisted aiming. Karl trusted James's shooting prowess and aimed to disable his guns.

Karl fired, but James, prepared, blocked the shots with his arm.

Instinct kicked in again?

But Karl's role was to restrain.

"Jack, aim for his guns and shoot!"

"Don't worry, leave it to me! Jack Wells is here!"

Jack had arrived, raising his Saratoga submachine gun and unleashing a burst at James's hands.

Jack's shooting wasn't as refined as Karl's or Oliver's, but his street fighting skills put him on par with ordinary soldiers. He only needed to aim roughly, letting the bullets scatter.

Amid the dense gunfire and the sound of breaking weapons, the pistols James had drawn were damaged and fell from his hands. His fingers, broken by the impact, fell with them—the subdermal armor on his fingers still relied on bones for support.

At that moment, Karl felt time slow again.

James had activated Sandevistan once more.

In this slowed state, his left arm's projectile launcher activated, and a launch port emerged from under his armpit, aiming at Jack.

Then, high-explosive rounds burst forth.