CYBERPUNK: Travel to 2075

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.It's Just That I Happened to Be Here..

Listening to the gunfire on the other side, Karl, who had gone around the alley and was running towards the back of the convenience store, wasn't surprised by the shots he heard.

He recognized the sound instantly. It was the distinct noise of a Projectile Launching System.

Projectile Launching System: A prosthetic device installed in the human arm, essentially turning it into a handheld projectile launcher.

Karl recalled how the prosthetic worked. When activated, it would spring out of the arm, much like a mantis blade or monomolecular wire. It resembled a cannon emerging from the arm, and once the user took aim, it could fire anything from a small cannonball to a missile.

Karl had long considered buying one of these prosthetics, but in the end, he decided against it—it was simply too expensive.

The price of the Projectile Launching System itself wasn't the real issue; it was the cost of the ammunition. Tiny cannonballs or missiles were hard to come by, not to mention that they were single-use. Every shot would mean another purchase. No poor mercenary could afford that.

Using artillery shells and missiles, even miniaturized ones, meant these attackers were wealthy. Very wealthy.

But Karl found himself wondering why they weren't using rocket launchers. They'd already fired rockets earlier, so why switch now? Compared to the shells and missiles launched from prosthetic arms, rockets were much more destructive. A few more rockets, and the three-story shop they were targeting would have been completely obliterated.

Then it hit him.

None of the earlier rockets had been aimed directly at the car.

Did they want to capture the target alive?

No, considering how close the rockets had landed to the vehicle, they couldn't have been trying to leave the target unharmed. But maybe they just wanted them alive enough to breathe.

Karl's thoughts raced, but his pace didn't.

His legs, still unmodified, couldn't match the speed of his mind. Panting heavily, he ran as fast as his two organic legs could carry him.

When Karl reached the back door of the convenience store, he was surprised to find no one there.

Strange…

He expected that Arasaka's security personnel, tasked with protecting the target, would have stationed someone at the back, especially during an emergency evacuation. They were professionals, after all. So why was there no one guarding the rear in case the attackers or the Maelstrom Gang circled around?

The answer became clear as soon as Karl entered the store through the back.

The target was injured.

And it was the kind of injury that made immediate evacuation impossible.

As Karl entered, one of the Arasaka guards, on edge, instinctively raised his weapon. But recognizing Karl, the guard quickly lowered it.

"Are you the mercenary we hired?" the guard asked.

They had all seen Karl in action before and remembered his performance well.

"Mercenary?" A soft voice interrupted.

The target, who had been under the protection of Arasaka's security personnel, stepped into view. She was wearing a cherry blossom-colored kimono.

She appeared to be around the same age as Karl, with delicate, silky black hair cascading down her back. She was undeniably pretty, but it was her eyes that truly caught Karl's attention.

They were like the night sky, with reflections of stars shimmering in her pupils.

Such beautiful eyes… Karl thought to himself. I wonder if they're prosthetic.

He then noticed the wound on her abdomen. Despite her attempts to press on it, blood flowed steadily from the wound, staining her kimono a deep red.

Was she hit while trying to dodge?

"Why haven't you treated her yet?" Karl asked, perplexed by the inaction of the Arasaka guards. They seemed more focused on surrounding the target than providing any medical assistance. Didn't they realize she could bleed out if they didn't act soon?

"We… can't touch Miss," one of the guards stammered, clearly distressed. "If we touch her, something will happen to our families…"

He cast a nervous glance at the young woman they were supposed to be protecting. "And if I neglect my duty, I'll be the only one to die."

"Are you kidding me?" Karl groaned in disbelief. "What kind of feudal relic is this? You're part of a capitalist company, for crying out loud. Can we drop the ancient customs already?"

He had heard stories about not being allowed to touch certain people, even to save them, under the threat of severe punishment. He never imagined he'd encounter something like that in real life.

"This is my great-grandfather's will," the girl explained, her voice calm despite her pale face and the blood loss. "Don't blame them. They're powerless to go against him…"

She spoke with a quiet dignity, even in her weakened state. "I was careless when I got out of the car. I failed to dodge the bullet, and the injury was an accident. But my great-grandfather's test cannot be interrupted. It's my fault… and yours too."

Karl sighed. "You're seriously telling me this is a test? I know corporate family politics are ruthless, but endangering lives for a test? It's insane."

To them, the lives of people like the security guards—or anyone outside their family—meant nothing.

But then again, wasn't this young woman's life also part of the test?

"I'm half Sin blood," she continued, her voice growing faint. "If I can't pass this test and prove myself worthy of the family, maybe it's just fate."

Karl felt a surge of disgust. This so-called test had already claimed lives, and now she was prepared to die as well?

If she died, the people outside would die with her. Brown, Jack, Mann, and Oliver would all be lost.

To her, wealth and life might mean little, but others still needed them.

"You, move," Karl ordered, shoving the Arasaka guards aside. He knelt down beside the injured girl, ignoring the shocked looks from the guards.

"I'm taking the target. Any objections? She's no longer part of the Trauma Team, right?"

One of the guards shook his head, his voice trembling. "N-No… her membership was revoked when she accepted this test."

"Is there a Trauma Team in the Blue Bi building?"

"Yes, a special unit stationed at the entrance, just in case."

"Heh, you really thought ahead. Now, hold off the attackers while I take her for treatment."

As Karl turned and started walking away with the girl in his arms, none of the Arasaka guards dared stop him. They exchanged uncertain glances before finally snapping back into action, weapons at the ready.

"You… want to save me?" the girl asked weakly, looking up at Karl's face. "Is it because you want to complete your mission?"

"I want to save people," Karl replied, quickening his pace. "To save my friends. And to save you. You may not be a good person in my eyes, but your eyes are beautiful. Because of them, I'm giving you 1% of my pity. The other 99% is for my friends."

The girl smiled softly, despite her pain. "You insulted my company earlier, but now you pity me. Why?"

"I told you. Your eyes are beautiful. Can't I appreciate beauty?" Karl said, glancing ahead at the Blue Bi building. "It's like a cherry blossom petal falling right into my arms by chance…"

He sighed.

"It's just that I happened to be here.

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