"Who are you people? Let David go!"
Gloria's face went pale the instant she saw David being choked. She snatched up a kitchen knife and strode towards the group.
"Huh? According to the file, you were critically injured. How are you still up and about?"
A burly man looked at Gloria, a flicker of confusion crossing his face, then casually let her bring the knife down on his arm.
Seeing David attacked had awakened a feral rage in Gloria.
But it was no use. The man's entire body was cybernetically enhanced. The kitchen knife merely sliced through his clothing, leaving his actual body completely unscathed.
Well, unless you counted a faint white scratch mark.
Against chrome like that, an ordinary kitchen knife was just too weak; their hardness wasn't even on the same level.
"Annoying. Talk. Where's the one who sprung you from the hospital? If you don't tell me where she is, I'll snap this brat's neck right now!"
Ahem...
As he spoke, the man's hand tightened slightly, and David appropriately contorted his face in pain.
"Don't hurt David! I'll talk!"
Gloria watched, her expression grim, and finally spoke.
Hearing this, the man loosened his grip a little.
"I don't know the details, but... I can call her. I can get her to come here now."
Beads of nervous sweat appeared on Gloria's forehead as she spoke slowly.
"Tch. Smart move. Be quick about it. I'll make sure she learns what happens to those who cross us! Whether you two live or die depends on how you behave next."
The man spoke, a brutal grin spreading across his face.
He'd already decided. He'd make the kid in his grip take out the troublemaker. Surely, under threat of death, she'd have to make a move.
Then, just when the boy thought he might survive, he'd personally chop off the woman's limbs, one piece at a time, leaving her to die in despair.
All these years, no one had dared to cause trouble at the hospital. These were the first.
So, he had to make an example of them. A warning to others.
As for the strange tricks that 'Silver Wolf' had pulled back in the control room, which he'd seen on the feeds, he wrote it off as sleight of hand. Maybe she had some special chrome. But his own enhancements were military-grade, procured at great cost. No matter how strong she was, she couldn't beat him.
"Wait, Mom! No! This guy won't let us go! We're dead either way! Why drag someone else into this?"
David gritted his teeth, staring at Gloria.
"Shut your mouth! Another word and I'll finish you right now!"
"No! Don't touch him!"
Gloria immediately panicked. "I'll do it, just don't hurt him."
As she spoke, she picked up the phone, took a deep breath, found a number, and dialed.
"Don't try any tricks. In Night City, no one can save you."
The man watched Gloria, his eyes narrowed in warning.
"How could I? David and I are all alone here in Night City, with no one to rely on. Even if I wanted to play tricks, I couldn't..."
While talking, she connected the call.
"Hello, Silver Wolf, are you there..."
On the other end, the tall and handsome Dorio answered the phone.
But before she could say a word, Gloria cut her off.
Immediately understanding, Dorio steadied herself. "I'm here. What is it, Gloria?"
"You left your wallet at my place. You probably haven't gone far, right? Why not come back for it? It's late, be careful on the road."
Trouble...
Dorio's heart sank as she heard Gloria's words.
Her own voice was very distinct. No matter how tired Gloria was, she wouldn't mistake her for someone named 'Silver Wolf' after she'd spoken... Which meant only one thing: Gloria was in danger! Possibly even under duress already.
"Understood. I'll be right there. Don't worry."
She hung up.
Beside her, the shirtless Maine sidled up, getting handsy, but the next second Dorio sent him flying with a solid punch.
"Stop fooling around! Get dressed, now! Gloria's in trouble! She's probably been compromised!"
"What? So my chrome is going up in smoke just like that?"
Maine clambered up from the floor, completely unbothered, rubbing his jaw impatiently.
"Seriously? You're still thinking about your chrome at a time like this? You're going to get yourself killed over that stuff one day!"
Dorio snapped, frantic.
"Nah, I won't."
Maine shook his head with mock seriousness. "The only thing I'll die on is your stomach."
He was met with a powerful uppercut from Dorio.
"It probably isn't the people chasing the chrome. If it were, Gloria wouldn't have contacted us. And if it were them, they wouldn't have given her a chance to speak. She'd be dead already... Tch... Kiwi had a rough day, she's in no state to fight. We'll have to get Lucy. She can handle it."
Talking as she moved, Dorio threw on her jacket and grabbed her phone to call in backup.
Daring to mess with our people? Someone's got a death wish.
A vicious look settled on her face.
As seasoned mercs in Night City, Maine's crew was top-notch, easily ranking among the best.
Though, compared to other mercs, while Maine and Dorio also worked for eddies, they were decent enough people.
At least in Night City, not killing indiscriminately already made you a pretty good merc.
"Sorry, Lucy. Kiwi's out of commission today. We need you on short notice."
Lucy arrived quickly. Once she was there, Dorio spoke to her apologetically.
"What's going on?" Lucy shook her head, indicating it was fine, and asked for details.
"One of our contacts has been taken hostage..." Dorio held nothing back, briefly explaining the situation to Lucy.
"We need your hacking skills. The perps likely have hostages. I need you to hack them, ensure the hostages' safety." Dorio said.
"Who cares? Just leave it all to me. Anyone who messes with my people, I'll blow 'em all to hell." Maine growled, his temper flaring.
"You idiot! Is your head full of nothing but explosives? What if Gloria gets hurt or killed? What about your chrome then?"
"You can leave it to me."
Lucy nodded.
With that, Maine, Dorio, and Lucy piled into the car. In the driver's seat, Falco was already waiting, engine running.
"Speaking of which, the person they're looking for is probably this 'Silver Wolf,' right? Gloria must be under their control. She used my name as 'Silver Wolf.' It seems this Silver Wolf person must have pissed someone off, and Gloria got caught in the crossfire."
With her years of experience as a edgerunner, Dorio quickly pieced the situation together logically.
"Silver Wolf?"
Hearing the name, Lucy froze, turning to Dorio with a look of surprise.
"Huh? What is it? You've heard the name?"
Dorio looked back at Lucy.
"Yeah... You could say I know her. A little girl with... bizarre methods. Very dangerous."
At Lucy's words, both Maine and Dorio's expressions grew more serious.
Though Lucy hadn't been with the crew long, only about a year, her hacking skills were top-tier. If Lucy said someone was dangerous, they were likely the real deal.
"Though, it might just be a coincidence."
After saying this, Lucy gently shook her head.
A moment later, they were speeding towards Gloria's apartment.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Silver Wolf, accompanied by Cole and Genji, was also racing towards Gloria's home.
"What's wrong? You've been in a hurry since a moment ago."
Cole watched the sprinting Silver Wolf, curiosity getting the better of him.
"A friend's in trouble. Of course I'm going."
When she'd left earlier, Silver Wolf had anticipated things wouldn't end so simply.
After all, anyone who could run a hospital in a place like that for so long had to have connections. It was only a matter of time before they tracked it back to David and Gloria.
So, before leaving, Silver Wolf had secretly installed a virus module on both of them.
If they were in danger, Silver Wolf would know and could rush over immediately.
Of course, Silver Wolf wasn't afraid they'd die before she arrived. The virus also had a built-in recovery function. Even if they were blown to bits, she could use the virus to preserve their consciousness and then craft them new bodies.
As for why Silver Wolf hadn't just erased all traces of them?
Well, of course, because that would be boring.
Since no one would actually get hurt, she might as well treat it like a side quest. And if it's a quest, you have to follow the steps. Who just skips to the end?
Normally, this was Silver Wolf's business, and Cole and Genji didn't need to come. But the two of them were currently scheming on how to recruit this ridiculously powerful girl. Since they had nothing better to do, they might as well help out.
Then, almost as if by sheer coincidence, Silver Wolf's group and the other team all arrived at the foot of David's apartment building at the same time.
"Lucy, hang back and approach from the shadows. Don't come with us directly, we might spook them."
Dorio looked at Lucy. Not knowing the enemy's situation, it was better for Lucy, as the hacker, not to move with them, to avoid giving the enemy an opening.
"Got it. I'll go up the other side."
Lucy nodded. Luckily, David's apartment wasn't too high up. She could take the stairs, get into position, and wait for the right moment.
With that, she turned and left.
As they entered the stairwell, they came face-to-face with Silver Wolf's group.
"Huh? A little girl, and two men who look pretty dangerous... Whatever, better not start trouble. We need to focus on Gloria."
The leader, Maine, thought to himself.
On the other side, Cole was also sizing up Maine and his crew.
"All that chrome... Edgerunners? What are they doing here... Ah, forget it. Just follow Silver Wolf. The rest doesn't matter..."
Genji and Cole exchanged a glance. The two groups stood in silence for a moment. Then, Ding! The elevator doors opened.
Both groups stepped into the elevator at the same time.
Then, when they went to press the floor button, both sides froze.
The same floor?
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Coincidences like that just didn't happen in the real world.
So the other group was definitely here with a purpose.
"Alright, let me ask you, what are you here for?"
Silver Wolf looked at them, arms crossed.
"And what are you here for?"
Maine shot back, not backing down, his gaze fixed on Silver Wolf. The tension ratcheted up another notch.
"I'm here to see my friend."
"I'm also here to see my friend."
In this bizarre standoff, the two groups had stumbled into a profound misunderstanding.
But the next moment, as the elevator doors opened, the tension eased slightly.
"Silver Wolf?"
Lucy, who had already taken up a hidden position, saw Silver Wolf and, noticing the strained atmosphere between the two groups, quickly stepped out.
"So you're the Silver Wolf Gloria mentioned?"
Maine looked Silver Wolf up and down, a trace of astonishment on her face.
"Oh... So that's why she didn't call me. Looks like she called you guys instead. You're friends of Gloria's?"
Silver Wolf figured it out in an instant.
"That's right."
"In that case, let's go in together."
"Wait, if we just barge in like that, Gloria could be in danger!"
Maine moved to block Silver Wolf's path.
"Relax. With me here, it's only the enemies who are in danger." Silver Wolf said, brushing past him and heading straight for David's apartment.
Inside the apartment, the lead man lounged on the couch, while Gloria and David were held at gunpoint by his lackeys, neither daring to move a muscle.
"Living in such a dumpster. No wonder you couldn't pay the medical bills. Pity. If you'd just behaved, at least your son might have lived. Now, you're both dead."
The man spoke, a sneer twisting his features.
"Let's see... judging by the time, that bitch should be here any minute..."
He glanced at his watch.
And right on cue, a series of screams erupted from the hallway outside.
"It's true that someone's about to die. But it's you." Silver Wolf's voice carried from just outside.
"Finally here! Now that you've come, don't even think about leaving! Open fire!" The man barked the order. Instantly, his lackeys raised their arms, aiming at Silver Wolf.
Their arm cyberware split open, revealing multi-barrel mini-gun mechanisms, which immediately unleashed a torrent of fire towards Silver Wolf and the others.
"Look out!"
Maine and Cole yelled in unison, scrambling for cover.
In such a confined space, getting hit by that kind of firepower was no joke.
But the next second, their eyes widened in disbelief.
As the barrels spun, all the bullets and projectiles being unleashed simply hung suspended in the air in front of Silver Wolf, as if... time itself had frozen!
"Boring. Is this all you've got? If that's the case..."
Silver Wolf clicked her tongue in disappointment. She'd thought the people they'd managed to draw out would be more impressive. But these guys' modifications were even worse than the big oaf over there. Even their leader was no different.
She'd lost interest immediately.
Of course, the main reason was that after all the running around today, she hadn't even had time to do her daily quests in her game!
So, she decided to end this. Quickly.
"Let's not waste any more time!"
The next moment, Silver Wolf looked at the men in front of her, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.
Instantly, smoke poured from the eyes, ears, noses, and mouths of every one of the attackers in the room as they crumpled to the floor.
In a single encounter, Silver Wolf had fried the chips in their brains, turning their grey matter to mush.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.