The rain fell harder.
Acid rain washed over the rusted steel frames of District 19, hissing as it hit the ground. But the sound couldn't mask the greedy panting hiding in the shadows.
Outside the container base, dozens of cybernetic eyes—red, blue, green—stared dead at the single exit. They were the "Hyenas" of the Outlands. Desperadoes who would sell their own mothers for a credit. Usually, they only preyed on the weak. But tonight, the "5 Million + Citizenship" reward had stripped them of all reason.
"They're coming out!" Someone growled in the dark.
The heavy lead door slowly opened. Two figures walked into the rain.
No panic. No trembling. The man worth 5 million wore a thin black shirt, carrying a long object wrapped in rags. The silver-haired woman chewed gum, her massive cannon resting on her shoulder like she was window shopping.
"Fuck, so arrogant?" A one-eyed sniper lying on a ruin spat. "I'll blow his leg off first!"
He lay in a puddle, aiming his crosshairs at Cade's knee. It was a modified "Armor-Piercing Wasp." One shot would turn the man's leg bone into powder.
"Goodbye, five million." The sniper grinned and pulled the trigger.
However. The moment his finger applied pressure.
"BANG!"
A deeper, more violent gunshot shattered the rainy night first. A custom high-explosive round pierced through three concrete walls from 300 meters away, obliterating the sniper's head. Red and white matter exploded like fireworks.
Jinx blew the smoke from her barrel. Her upgraded crimson eye glowed terrifyingly in the dark. "Top floor of the unfinished building on the left. Clear." She chewed her gum, tone lazy. "Next."
The Hyenas hiding around them froze. Through three walls? Blind snipe? What kind of wall-hack was that?
"Don't be scared! The girl only has one gun! The guy is useless!" In the shadows, a giant man with half his body replaced by machinery roared. "Charge together! Whoever grabs the body gets the reward!"
"KILL—!!" Money made men brave. Instantly, over twenty figures rushed out from all directions. Chainswords, thermal axes, crude energy pistols—weapons of all kinds screamed towards the pair.
Facing the human wave. Jinx didn't move. She even holstered her cannon, stepped back, and sat on an empty oil drum. "All yours, Boss."
Cade stood in the rain. Watching the faces twisted by greed.
He didn't draw his sword. He just watched the mechanical giant charging at the front. The giant swung a vibrating battle axe capable of slicing a tank, aiming straight for Cade's skull!
"Die! The citizenship is mine!"
Distance: Three meters. Two meters. One meter.
The giant could even see his own twisted reflection in Cade's pitch-black eyes. And... a total, utter indifference.
"Too loud."
Cade's wrist moved. No one saw him draw the blade.
They only saw a black blur draw a perfectly straight line through the rain.
[The 0th Law: Negation] [Target: Frontal Matter.] [Attribute: Solidity.] [Result: Sever.]
Shing.
The sound was soft. Like a paper cutter slicing through a sheet of white paper.
The high-speed vibrating axe, the thick mechanical arm, and the titanium chest plate the giant was so proud of... In that instant, everything was severed.
The cut was mirror-smooth. Even the heat was sealed inside due to the sheer speed of the slash.
The giant kept his charging momentum, rushing past Cade. Then. His upper body slowly slid off. Blood sprayed like a fountain, dyeing the rainwater red.
"..." The noisy battlefield fell instantly silent. Only the sound of rain remained.
The thugs who were mid-charge froze like statues, eyes popping out of their sockets. That was a Heavy Rhino Cyborg! Cut... in half? What was that black stick in the man's hand? A lightsaber?
Cade flicked the blood off the blade. The black sword [Silence] glowed ominously in the rain. No chips. Not even a scratch.
"Nineteen left." Cade looked up. His eyes were so calm they evoked despair. "Are you going to fuck off? Or do I have to make you quiet?"
Fear. It spread like a plague. This wasn't a fat sheep. This was a demon that crawled out of hell!
"M-Monster!" Someone broke and turned to run.
"BANG!" Jinx fired. The runner's knee shattered, and he fell screaming.
"Boss didn't say it's over. Who dares to leave?" Jinx whistled, cruel red light flickering in her eye. "Weren't you fierce just now? Come on."
Devil in front, mad dog behind. The desperadoes were cornered.
"Fuck it! He only has one sword! Swarm him!" The remaining men charged madly, bullets and blades weaving a net of death.
But in this rainy night. Cade demonstrated an art form called "Slaughter."
He didn't use any world-ending ultimate moves. He just walked. Step by step.
Every step, a body fell. Bullets flew at him? He didn't need to dodge. A slight tilt, or a block with the flat of his blade. [The 0th Law: Deflection] Bullets that could pierce steel hit an invisible field one meter around him and curved away, grazing his clothes.
And his sword. Every swing was a kill. Parry, block, armor—in front of [Silence], all men were equal. All were paper.
One cut, throat open. One cut, arm off. One cut, body split.
In less than three minutes. There was no one standing in the clearing. Limbs were scattered everywhere. Blood mixed with rain, forming a crimson stream.
Cade stood in the center of the mountain of corpses. His black shirt was still dry. Only a single drop of blood—not his—stained his cheek.
He slowly sheathed the sword. The black blade swallowed all the light and returned to silence.
Clap, clap, clap. Jinx sat on the oil drum, applauding. "Brilliant." "Nineteen people, twenty-one swings. The extra two were to slice grenades." "Cade, are you human? Your heart rate didn't even go over 80."
Cade didn't answer. He bent down and fished a still-working communicator from the giant's corpse. The screen displayed the "Black Market Bounty Network." Messages were scrolling madly: "Found the target?" "Heard they are in District 4! Go steal the kill!" "The 5 mil is mine!"
Cade looked at the greedy text. He pressed the broadcast button, opening a channel to the entire sector.
Zzzzt— Instantly, every hunter, hitman, and gang member's communicator within ten miles of the Outlands crackled with a cold voice.
"Listen." "This is Cade."
The entire underground world went silent.
"I know you want the five million." "But I don't want to find you one by one. Too troublesome. Too slow."
Cade looked up at the neon-lit "Night City" in the distance—the headquarters of the Black Market and the source of the bounty.
"Tonight, I will be at the 'District 9 Black Market Exchange'." "I'll be sitting there." "Anyone who wants money, wants life, or wants citizenship." "Come."
"Don't be late."
Click. He crushed the communicator.
Jinx jumped off the drum, shivering with excitement. "Hey, hey... are you crazy? Going straight to the Black Market HQ? There are hundreds of psychos and heavy weapons there!" "Is this a suicide run?"
Cade turned, rain sliding down his cold face. He looked at the flashing neon tower.
"No." "I'm going to tell them." "In this district, the roles of hunter and prey..." "Have changed."