Li Pan made a quick decision. He handed Rama 100,000 credits, telling him not to worry—expenses would be reimbursed as business costs. Rama just had to keep playing and secure Old Liu's recruitment. Meanwhile, Li Pan took A-Qi and Spider-18 to hunt the real elite monsters.
Yagyū Inujirō needed no introduction: young master of the East Castle Society, heir of the Yagyū family. His combat strength alone was Tier 5, worth at least a million bounty, even more alive.
Asura Phantom wasn't as highborn, but his gear and skills were just as formidable, another Tier 5 combatant.
Though the Asura-kai wasn't as established as East Castle, rising factions often acted more ruthlessly. Their farm scandal had just gone public; the bounty on Asura Phantom's head was also in the million range. One strike could earn them back everything.
With money on the table, motivation wasn't lacking. To prevent their prey from slipping away, the team rushed straight for the parking garage. With Spider-18's terrain mobility and optical camouflage, they slipped in silently.
Luck was on their side—Li Pan had thought the targets might have scattered after 18 spooked them. Instead, the two factions hadn't fled or fought. They were… drinking brotherhood wine together?
Shirtless, tattooed, scarred, musclebound gangsters locked biceps as thick as a child's leg, shouting "aniki!" and "otōto!" while clinking glasses.
"What the hell is this…?"
Watching the feed, Li Pan's face twisted in disbelief.
Gangsters were this hot-blooded now? Fight, then swear brotherhood on the spot?
Spider-18 slipped closer, hacking their comms.
The truth came out: the two sides had indeed panicked when 18 suddenly scuttled past. Guns were drawn, shouts of "Ora ora ora!" and "Kora kora kora!" echoed, but after some wild shooting and minimal casualties, they realized it was all a misunderstanding.
The bosses came out, talked it over, and settled the matter with a truce. Not only that—they swore brotherhood and decided to finish their arms deal.
Ordinarily, neither gang would swallow such humiliation. But circumstances forced their hands.
East Castle's attempt to negotiate with Ye Corp had collapsed under a sudden ambush. Their community HQ lay in ruins, weapons seized, reinforcements cut off. With Akaten Tengu's mutiny, even the Security Bureau was tightening weapon controls. They still had numbers, but not enough guns.
And Asura Phantom? His group had been gutted, cadres killed. The Asura-kai was all but dissolved, but Phantom still held the assets, and with a vampire mistress backing him, his losses were minor. Offloading stock quickly, then reappearing later with new recruits, would be no problem.
Thus, East Castle needed arms. Asura Phantom had arms but no men. A perfect match.
Their supposed attack on Tianlong Gang was a diversion—Oni Troops lured attention while the real deal took place here. Once they realized they weren't being hunted by Ye Corp, they completed the trade in peace, even sealing it with blood-oaths.
Li Pan sneered.
"Same year, same month, same day to die, eh? Sure. I'll grant your wish."
He spoke over comms:
"They've sent men to fetch the weapons. 18, you tail and intercept. Kill and loot, block Oni Troops—your job. If you can, swing back to flank them.
"The garage has too many exits, but no matter. We've got bombs in the hovercar. Drop one for fun.
"A-Qi, take all my gear. With smart ammo you don't need to aim—just unload at Exit A, force them toward Exit B.
"Gravity Hammer radius covers three exits at once. One good throw, and it's a wipe. I'll circle around and cut them off in the emergency stairwell.
"Encirclement, heaven's net. None escape. I want them all!"
The plan set, Li Pan handed his weapons to A-Qi, armed himself with pistol and sword, stuffed flashbangs into his pocket, and slithered into ambush position.
Just as he predicted, the two bosses swore brotherhood, then sent their men to Tianlong Slum's hidden warehouse to fetch the arms. As soon as the transaction was confirmed on the monitors, Li Pan authorized 18 and A-Qi to strike.
Gunfire erupted. Vehicles exploded in fireballs. A-Qi, jacked into a military exoskeleton, functioned like an auto-turret under 18's remote module. Assault rifles and shotguns roared, cutting down gangsters as laser-electro grenades blocked escape routes.
Meanwhile, Li Pan crouched in the stairwell, pulse and qi suppressed. Through inner sense he tracked movements, waiting.
Panic broke out. Outgunned, the thugs scrambled for cars. The bosses shoved into vehicles with their guards.
18 dropped the Gravity Hammer.
A thunderous blast tore through the garage. Tungsten hail shredded cars, walls, flesh—everything. The place became a meat grinder.
Only a few survivors staggered free, bleeding and screaming. Li Pan let one slip past to spread panic, then waited.
Soon, the target came: Yagyū Inujirō himself, still alive despite grievous wounds. He staggered toward the stairwell.
Li Pan hurled two flashbangs—BOOM! Smoke and blinding light filled the confined space. Half-deafened himself, he leapt in, sword flashing.
Inujirō's instincts saved him from instant decapitation, but not from ruin. The blade sheared off half a shoulder and a leg. Li Pan followed with two shotgun blasts that cracked his armor, then finished him with a bullet to the remaining eye. He tore the head free and hung it from his belt.
Nearby gangsters tried to flee. Li Pan cut them down without pause.
"Boss! SMS inbound—two units! Muramasa-class Oni!"
"And Oni Troops charging in too!"
Li Pan quickly assessed. Phantom had probably survived, buried under rubble. The Oni mechs came to dig him out. Oni Troops stormed in, enraged by their leader's death.
He ordered calmly:
"Plan stays. Spider intercepts Oni Troops. A-Qi, distract the SMS. 18—what do we have left? Can the hot-wire laser cannon run?"
18 checked the hovercar's racks.
"No. Car's grid too weak. Pulse cannon too. Only bombs left…"
"The one with the biohazard label? Damn it, throw that and we all die! Forget it. I'll handle it. Get the hovercar clear before the SMS blows it."
From cover, Li Pan watched as A-Qi darted around, pouring fire into one SMS. It shrugged off the smart rounds, its armor too tough. The other mech tore through the rubble, gunning down survivors to clear space, then began excavation.
Li Pan wasn't worried. He'd already stripped one of these machines before. If he got a shot at the control unit, he'd strike. But why risk it now? Better to let them dig Phantom out.
Meanwhile, Spider-18 ambushed the Oni Troops convoy, turning the street into a killing field. Armored cars exploded. Reinforcements faltered under Tianlong Gang's opportunistic counterattack. The Oni Troops were being slaughtered.
Then comms crackled:
"Boss, Cerberus inbound."
"Damn, they're fast…"
Cerberus—the legendary Three-Headed Dogs, veterans who'd fought across hell itself and lived to retire.
Their grav-carrier hovered overhead. One Oni mech turned to engage—only to be obliterated in seconds.
Everyone froze. You didn't shoot first at Cerberus. If they wanted a kill credit, you let them take it.
Li Pan whispered:
"Retreat. Leave Phantom to them."
No hesitation. He melted into the shadows.
He'd learned his lesson long ago: against veterans, pride meant nothing. Against Cerberus? Even nukes weren't overkill.
.
.
.
⚠️ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD — I'm Not a Cyberpsycho ⚠️
The system says: Kill.Mercs obey. Corporates obey. Monsters obey.One man didn't.
🧠💀 "I'm not a cyberpsycho. I just think... differently."
💥 High-voltage cyberpunk. Urban warfare. AI paranoia.Read 30 chapters ahead, only on Patreon.
🔗 patreon.com/DrManhattanEN