Chapter 10: Indiscriminate Assault [Reset Chapter]

Rebecca moved slowly, the weight of the machine gun in her hands preventing her from running quickly. On either side, Pira, Dolio, and Mann bore the brunt of the turret’s firepower.

“To hell with you, bastard!” Rebecca growled through clenched teeth, unbothered by the hot bullet casings pinging against her face.

A streak of blue light flashed across her cheek.

Standing beside her, Mann felt a powerful gust sweep past.

Bang!

Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock, her expression instantly frozen, as if walking on thin ice and suddenly plunging into an icy river.

No one could escape the premonition of death, and cyberpunks like them, with knives at the ready, were even more sensitive to it.

“Damn it! Rebecca!” Mann reacted instinctively but still a step too late.

The heavy machine gun in Rebecca’s hands was instantly destroyed; its parts exploded with a faint blast, scattering debris across the ground.

The next moment, Mann grabbed her and lifted her up. Dolio’s gun continued suppressing the Zeta Tech turret. With a swift sidestep, she slipped behind the pickup truck. Years of tacit understanding made words unnecessary.

They all knew a sniper had zeroed in on them.

Crouching low, they quickly dashed toward an unfinished building nearby. Pira twisted his gun toward Lin Yue’s direction and fired a burst.

Lin Yue ducked his head, waiting for the bullets to cease. Shaking off cement fragments from his hair, he rolled quickly to a lower platform beside the rooftop.

“The heavy machine gun’s down, Hamster.”

Hamster chuckled softly, “That’s damn awesome!”

Lin Yue knelt on one knee. This [Nekomata] rifle was like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, locking tightly onto Dolio, who was running toward the far end of the unfinished building.

Without hesitation, Lin Yue fired a second shot straight at Dolio’s gun. Steel shards from the shattered weapon stained her hand red.

“He’s playing us!” Pira shouted.

“Twenty minutes…” Lin Yue muttered. A simple defensive mission: just set up the gun to disrupt the squad’s attack rhythm, wait for the Phantom Hounds to arrive, and then force the team to retreat.

That would be mission accomplished.

Actually, Lin Yue valued his life, but the lucrative rewards and memories from his past existence made him hesitate.

At this moment, Lin Yue saw no problem in holding back. His situation was relatively safe; he only needed to ensure that Hamster’s underground network studio could hold out a little longer.

The sniper scope shifted. Mann, near a window, seemed to want to observe further. Lin Yue shot through a centimeter-thick concrete wall above Mann’s head.

Alright, just stall for now. Once the Phantom Hounds arrive, everyone can scatter.

That was Lin Yue’s plan.

Rebecca, tightly held in Dolio’s arms, struggled. If not restrained, she would have rushed toward the building where Lin Yue was hiding and smashed the sniper who was mocking them.

“Dolio!”

“Change the point of attack—I’m going after that sniper!”

Mann refused to give up, lightly patting Dolio’s shoulder before leaping down from the side platform of the building.

Lin Yue’s sniper scope lagged behind. This cyberpunk, seasoned in firefights, knew how to deal with a lone sniper like him.

“Damn it!”

Cursing under his breath, Lin Yue tossed the sniper rifle behind his back and drew his pistol, chambering a round.

He needed some distance to engage, to make the other side understand the situation in Dog Town. If the standoff dragged on until the Phantom Hounds arrived, Mann’s squad would find it hard to retreat.

“They’re all fucking crazy!” Lin Yue muttered bitterly. Wouldn’t any sane person flee quickly when facing such dense Zeta turrets and a sniper? Yet these street-smart hotheads insisted on pressing the attack—admirable recklessness.

Could the secret to becoming a legend be doing things with no retreat?

Lin Yue descended the metal fire escape outside the building step by step, pistol raised with a slight bend in his elbow, adopting a standard military shooting stance as he cautiously advanced.

He had to stay near Hamster. If not for some reservations, he would have changed position and resumed sniping.

In the night, Mann slowly advanced through the labyrinthine alley, gun raised. The Arasaka Kenshin he wielded was excellent gear from a recent score.

The alley was plastered with advertisements for [All Food] and [Big Cannon], the incessant sound of addicts vaping filled the air, punctuated by occasional shouts and the gunfire of teammates fighting hackers’ defense systems behind him.

The good news: the sniper fire had ceased. The bad news: the enemy likely knew he was approaching.

“Phantom Hounds’ bastards are damn hard to deal with,” Mann muttered as he slipped out of the alley, his gun muzzle clashing against Lin Yue’s.

Lin Yue’s skin prickled. Mann’s physique was even bigger than he’d imagined. At 1.78 meters, with cybernetic enhancements and artificial muscles, Lin Yue still looked like a runt compared to Mann.

Lin Yue kicked Mann’s calf, expecting no effect, but instinctively grabbed Mann’s gun muzzle with his other hand.

With a gunshot, the neon sign behind Lin Yue flickered and went dark.

Mann’s calf throbbed sharply. He was stunned by the strength of this guy. His hand felt like it was clamped in a vice. Suddenly, he hurled Lin Yue against a nearby wall with such force it felt like his insides were about to shift.

Lin Yue couldn’t help but gripe inwardly.

What strength.

“You’re not with Phantom Hounds?”

“Wait—”

“You’re that idiot… Lin Yue?”

Lin Yue rammed his knee into Mann’s abdomen. Mann retaliated instantly, tossing Lin Yue aside. Lin Yue scrambled up, raising his gun to confront him, attempting to slip into a side alley.

Bang!

Blood exploded from Mann’s shoulder!

“Dog bastard… Not bad skills. Who the hell are you? How did you get our intel?”

Mann’s voice came from afar.

Lin Yue had no intention of explaining how he knew all their names; it was his greatest advantage and secret.

“Where you came from, you go back there. Understand? Phantom Hounds will get here soon, and neither of us can leave,” Lin Yue said, his temple throbbing as he resorted to both coaxing and deception.

As Hans had said, Phantom Hounds was just a show to Lin Yue, but not to them.

Fortunately, his cybernetic arm was tough enough, and with the pain editor, Mann’s collision still left Lin Yue shaken, his entire back tingling.

This fight between Lin Yue and Mann was meaningless in itself.

The cyberpunk squad feared being betrayed, Lin Yue feared trouble from the cyberpunk squad reaching the colonel, and Mr. Hans didn’t want outside forces meddling in Dog Town.

If only Mann could calmly listen to him, things might be different.

“Whether you believe it or not, the Phantom Hounds patrol is coming soon. If Dog Town rises up, do you really think you can run?”

Lin Yue thought: if not for the reward, he’d have sniped this guy dead already. His head was like a single chord.

“Go back immediately. We’re all just trying to make a living. Hansen’s vendetta will be taken to whoever intercepted your shipment or the company.”

Mann laughed heartily, eyes behind his sunglasses full of mockery.

“Phantom Hounds sure talk a good game.”

“Someone might even mistake you for Hansen.”

“But today I’m here to gut you, idiot. No matter how much you know, you think I don’t understand Hansen’s protecting you?”

Lin Yue leaned against the wall, seeing that “reasoning” was useless. The cyberpunk squad had limited information; whoever threatened them was dealt with—no logic involved.

“Lin Yue! Hurry up! The hacker on the other side is already breaking through the turret defenses!” Hamster’s voice trembled in Lin Yue’s ear, as if about to be cut off at any moment.

Was Mann’s squad’s hacker really that formidable?

Suddenly, Lin Yue sensed something was off.

Just as he prepared to disengage from Mann and find a new sniping position, Hamster let out a scream.

“It’s not the damn cyberpunk squad! It’s a military tech hacker! Shit! Lin Yue!”

Amid static and screams, Hamster went silent.

At the same time—

“Mann, retreat! Arasaka’s biting down!”

Sasha’s weak voice rang out. Mann shouted, “Arasaka? Sasha?!”

While Lin Yue and Mann were locked in confrontation, the Phantom Hounds forces were rapidly converging.

Lin Yue registered this immediately.

All this talk about everyone just trying to make a living and not making things difficult—it was all a massive trap!

So this was the damned surprise!

Before Lin Yue could react fully, a violent explosion echoed from the distant, gunfire-riddled motel. Above, numerous Phantom Hounds drones swarmed toward the scene.

One locked onto Lin Yue hiding below. With a strange, modulated beep, friend-or-foe recognition quickly targeted him.

“Getting serious, huh?”

Mann sensed the danger too. The two were forced by the dense gunfire into a narrow alley.