There was no mercy to be had.
The Tyger Claws on the ground groaned in pain. Kikyo's motorcycle boots, with all her might, gave each of the three a soccer kick, giving them a head-shaking combo.
Ensuring they would never need to breathe again in this lifetime.
At this moment, the Tyger Claws gathered below immediately opened fire.
"Da da da da!!!"
The violent gunfire exploded in the slum alleyways, the sparks from the bullets illuminating the surroundings like a rock concert.
"Kill her!"
"Go on a rampage!"
The shouts of the gang members were incessant, distorted and warped by the gunfire.
Bullets whizzed past her, but all missed and hit the ground.
The moment the gang members pulled their triggers, Kikyo sprinted with powerful steps like a nimble female leopard onto the surrounding corrugated iron shacks. The scorching monowire also floated in the air with the wind, like strands of seaweed swaying in seawater.
The battle suddenly erupted, and the entire slum was thrown into chaos.
The junkies lying on the ground, high on drugs, also got up and fled. More slum residents, accustomed to the daily gunfire, hid in their homes, burrowing under their beds, trembling and waiting for the battle to end.
And under the evening sunset, Kikyo darted across the undulating corrugated iron roofs of the slum, a river of bullets closely following, riddling the shacks with a clatter and sending debris flying everywhere.
Gunfire came from all directions: behind corrugated iron boxes, at street corners, at doorways. The situation was complex, but in Kikyo's thermal imaging system, every breathing individual was clearly revealed before her Kiroshi optical implants.
And now, it was time for judgment.
Pushing off with her feet, she leaped high into the air. Under the disbelieving gaze of the Tyger Claws, the monowire in Kikyo's hand glowed with a searing red light.
Her cat-like agile figure landed silently. As soon as she landed, Kikyo twisted her body amidst the terrified Tyger Claw crowd, dancing and spinning like a praying miko. The monowire whip flashed, and the sound of it sweeping everything around exploded.
"Fuck, my arm!"
"Ah!!!"
Amidst the shrill wails, the high-temperature monowire swept through like a storm, tearing apart cardboard boxes, trash cans, old newspapers, and human bodies, sending fragments and limbs flying everywhere. The Tyger Claws screamed, spewing blood, and fell.
With just one strike, the Tyger Claws were completely defeated.
The stench of scorched blood instantly permeated the entire street, combined with the fragments of limbs falling like a rain of blood, it was like a hellish scroll painting.
Phew, it's much quieter now.
Berry, behind the scenes, expressed her approval.
Retracting the monowire, Kikyo pulled out the pistol from her waist and quickly finished off the few still-groaning guys on the ground. Only then did the surroundings become completely silent.
Next, I need to quickly find the guy hiding in the fridge.
Kikyo took off, rushing down the alley towards the target's location.
Along the way, more Tyger Claws rushed out, but for these scattered enemies, Kikyo didn't even need to use the monowire; she simply used her pistol to take care of them.
In less than three minutes, the gang members in the slum were all gone.
Achieving such a result wasn't because Kikyo was too strong, but because these Tyger Claws were too weak.
Think about it, how strong could guys who just manage to guard a territory in the slums be?
Their cheap cyberware combined wasn't even as expensive as their boss's dinner. One could only say they were truly pathetic.
Rushing out of the winding alleys, she then came to a gravel beach covered in oil stains and trash. The corrugated iron shacks here were noticeably sparser.
And the target was here.
Kikyo rushed into an empty house and opened a refrigerator.
Nobody.
Then, she rushed to another one.
"'No Future,' this is it."
Kikyo nodded and opened the refrigerator door.
As the door opened, a heavy object tumbled out of the refrigerator.
Lying on the ground was a man in a suit, with an East Asian appearance and a short, flat haircut. He seemed to still be unconscious, eyes tightly closed, his body writhing uncomfortably from the impact.
After the impact, his hazy eyes opened.
"Where, where am I?"
The East Asian man in the suit painfully opened his eyes, breathing with difficulty. Clearly, that impact had hit him hard.
When he spoke, a genuine Old Tokyo accent came out. It was a good thing Kikyo, like everyone else, had a real-time translation program in her head, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to decipher what he meant.
"Are you alright?"
Kikyo helped him sit up.
"You, are you from the Wu Tao Gang?"
But now, this target user felt a bit scared due to the unfamiliar environment, especially seeing Kikyo's East Asian face, which made him even more nervous.
Berry shrugged.
Culturally speaking, you two are practically from the same hometown, why are you so nervous?
Kikyo is from Musashi Province, and you're from Tokyo, so you're not that far apart.
There's also another fellow countryman named Akechi Mitsuhide, he's a bit further, from Mino, but they're all from Japan, aren't they? Shouldn't you be warmer when you meet a fellow countryman in a foreign land?
However, Berry also understood. This guy had offended a fellow countryman, which is why he fled the country. It would be strange if he were happy to see an East Asian face.
Seeing that the other party was fine, Berry didn't plan to explain further. The danger wasn't over yet, so it was better to let him sleep a bit more.
"Look over here."
"Hm?"
The man looked up in confusion, and Kikyo punched him in the face. In just the blink of an eye, the world's best neurosurgeon fell back into a sweet, baby-like sleep.
"Dennis, your 'package' has been acquired."
Confirming the target was safe, Kikyo dialed the number of the humorous intermediary, Dennis.
"Is he still breathing?"
Dennis's image appeared on the video call.
"He's fine, bouncing around. Just got a bit banged up during transport, bruised and swollen. Maybe you guys could pick a better way to deliver next time."
Kikyo said confidently, glancing at the doctor lying stiffly on the ground.
"Well, things happened suddenly, there was nothing we could do."
The intermediary casually brushed it off, then continued.
"If it were a box of bananas, I'd use express delivery, no need for this. Now, let's hurry up. Pack him into the trunk and deliver him north. GPS location sent."
"One more thing, watch out for the Tyger Claws, they're after your new passenger."
The intermediary's warning made Kikyo scoff.
"You human traffickers do a really beautiful job with your secrecy. Why doesn't the CIA hire you as agents?"
"Hey, say what you want, just get him out quickly. I'll be waiting for you at the destination."
The call ended, but Judy, who had been on standby, spoke up in the channel.
"Kikyo, I see several cars painted with 'Tyger Claws' heading towards the slum. Whatever you're doing, hurry up!"
Listening to Judy's anxious voice, Kikyo nonchalantly reassured her.
"Relax, little Judy, I'm coming."
Kikyo looked at the guy sleeping soundly below, shook her head, and hoisted him onto her shoulders.
With her metal skeleton, let alone carrying a grown man, she could carry a car and still move swiftly.
At this moment, several Tyger Claws rushed out from the downward alley entrance. This time, they were different from the street thugs before. Looking at their three-holed cyberware eyes and heavy weapons, they were clearly elite gang members.
It seems this doctor really pissed off the Tyger Claws. Even across half the Pacific, these guys weren't willing to let him go.
Alright, more blood needs to be spilled, Kikyo shook her head helplessly.
Meanwhile, on the uphill road outside the slum, Judy was anxiously waiting in her car, especially seeing the surrounding shops pull down their shutters and hide completely because of the approaching Tyger Claws.
This was her first time doing such an exciting job.
And as for the outcome, she swore she would never again fall for Berry's evil suggestions and get involved in such messy business.
Just as Judy was getting nervous, the trunk of the car suddenly rattled, startling her. She was hiding behind the steering wheel, looking left and right, and nearly jumped out of her seat.
Then, the car door suddenly opened, and Kikyo, smelling of blood, got in and slammed the door shut.
"Little Judy, why are you frozen? Drive."
Judy snapped back to reality, gave Kikyo a resentful look, and stomped on the gas, sending the car rushing forward.
"Behind, someone's following us!"
Just as she started, Judy saw several brightly painted SUVs in the rearview mirror, her pupils widening in alarm.
"My car isn't fast enough, they'll catch up!"
Judy gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to look in the rearview mirror, and pressed the accelerator to the floor. But she knew it was futile; those Tyger Claws would eventually catch up to her old, broken car.
"Don't be nervous, I'm here."
But Kikyo showed no panic. She glanced at the roaring cars chasing them in the rearview mirror and silently pulled out her pistol.
Leaning out of the car window, her long hair streaming in the wind, Kikyo aimed her pistol backward and pulled the trigger, firing bullets. The Tyger Claws in the cars behind also leaned out, firing long and short-barreled guns at their car.
Thus, Judy's car charged ahead, with several brightly colored SUVs furiously chasing behind. Gunfire erupted from both sides, heating up the chase. The entire scene was tense and thrilling, like lionesses chasing a lone gazelle on the savanna.
"Fuck, I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes!"
Judy cursed in the car, nervously dodging normal traffic ahead.
She now felt an invisible net tightly enclosing her, and the origin of it all was when her brain-dead self accepted Berry's suggestion.
However, while Judy was still exclaiming about the trouble, Kikyo had already sat back down, looking relaxed.
"What's going on? Kikyo, why did you stop shooting?"
Judy, who was driving, stared at Kikyo in disbelief. Was she surrendering by not resisting now?
"Hmph, it's already taken care of."
Kikyo, meanwhile, casually blew away the smoke from the gun barrel and reloaded with a new magazine.
"Taken care of?"
Judy was incredulous. She glanced into the rearview mirror, and sure enough, the vehicles that had been chasing them were gone without a trace.
So many people? So fast? Is this person next to me even human?
For the first time, Judy doubted her worldview.
"Hey, why bother taking them all out? Just get rid of their drivers."
Under Judy's astonished gaze, Kikyo spread her hands as if she had accomplished something trivial.
Judy was speechless for a moment.
She didn't know where to begin complaining.
It was like a difficult problem being presented to a top student, and the student just glanced at it and gave you the solution. How to put it? It felt like she had been subtly looked down upon.
Judy said nothing, silently driving her car.
"Hey, Judy, relax. No one's chasing us anymore."
Kikyo spoke, and Judy, still immersed in the pounding heart from the battle, finally reacted, easing off the accelerator significantly, causing the car to lurch forward and give a strong push-back feeling.
"Hoo..."
Judy suddenly let out a sigh of relief.
First day as a Mercenary, already wanting to quit.
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