Five Fears

Before the gunshots even rang out, Blanca had made a gesture of flipping her hair. But when she actually drew her gun and put a Corpo Dog down with a single shot, Karl still froze for a moment.

He hadn't expected his employer to be so decisive, drawing her weapon the moment words failed.

If someone threatens you, and you have evidence, what do you do?

Eliminate them, of course.

Blanca had clearly learned the true secrets of office politics, using force to make her point. And based on that alone, Karl had to admit that Juanito, who had babbled on for so long, was no match for his employer. There was a reason his employer held a higher position in the Corporation than he did.

After a moment of surprise at his employer's decisiveness, Karl also moved quickly.

His employer had opened fire, so of course he had to follow suit.

As he fired, Karl had a realization. He had misunderstood his employer. When his employer had said there were ten enemies, and then upon arrival the number didn't match, he had thought the information was faulty. But now, he saw there were indeed ten, no more, no less.

Blanca had intended to kill Juanito from the start. The reason she listened to his long speech and seemed to be discussing matters with him was likely just to confirm where her evidence had leaked from.

As Juanito fell, members of the Maelstrom reacted, reaching for their guns. Their weapons, with safeties still off, could have turned Karl and Blanca into swiss cheese in just one second. But as fast as they were to draw, they were not as fast as Karl.

Karl had spent a lot of time watching Braindances at home lately. There was one Braindance he particularly enjoyed, watching it twice. Its name was "Red Dead Redemption."

From it, Karl had learned the traditional American art of quickdraw.

The gunshots were so rapid they sounded like a single burst. After this single burst, seven Maelstrom members fell.

Kenshin's magazine capacity was twelve rounds. Karl hadn't run out of bullets, preventing him from firing; he had fired seven rounds in quick succession. His hand could no longer withstand the recoil, causing the weapon to slip from his grasp.

While the Kenshin was a technologically advanced pistol with very little recoil, it wasn't entirely without it. Seven consecutive shots would make even a modified hand go numb, let alone Karl, a low-mod mercenary who hadn't even installed Reinforced Tendons or other cybernetic implants.

But even though the gun had slipped from his grasp, that didn't mean Karl couldn't finish them off before the Maelstrom members could fire.

From Karl's hands, which had just let go of the weapon, two vein-like wires emerged from his wrists. Karl's hands deftly caught them, clamping them between his index and middle fingers.

[Monomolecular Wire]These single cutting wires, shaped like long whips, have edges only a molecule wide. When fully charged, they possess considerable thermal energy, making them a favorite among many hackers. Besides being a weapon, they can also be used as a tool for hacking.

To put it simply, it was a close-combat weapon with the length of a whip, the sharpness of a soft sword, and hacking capabilities. This was the second cybernetic implant Karl had Karl had modified at Old Vic's, spending all the money he had saved.

Karl's hands moved, and the three Maelstrom members he had intentionally left for last, closest to him, stopped their movements mid-draw.

"Zzzzip."

Karl retracted the monomolecular wires, then bent slightly, catching his Kenshin pistol before it hit the ground.

"Splat!"

The instant Karl's hand touched his gun, blood spurted from the waists and arms of the three Maelstrom members Karl hadn't shot in the head. Then, with smooth cross-sections revealed, their severed torsos and thighs crashed to the ground.

"Gotta do laundry again."

To ensure he could eliminate threats instantly, something had to be sacrificed. Looking at the blood splattered all over his clothes, Karl sighed. He was unaware of how terrifying he must have appeared to outsiders in his current state.

Blanca, who had been ready to step in and finish the job if Karl couldn't handle the enemies, stood frozen. The carnage Karl had wrought in an instant was as shocking to her brain as the moment she discovered her leverage had fallen into someone else's hands.

I asked you to protect me. But the speed at which you eliminate threats... it's just too fast.

Blanca, who had prepared herself to be injured in a fierce firefight, even mentally braced for death, felt her preparations were in vain.

The mission she had given Karl was, strictly speaking, to eliminate Juanito after she flipped her hair, and then to cover her escape from the attack of ten men. This was the most perfect outcome Blanca could have imagined. Although there were some deviations during the execution, like her inability to resist shooting Juanito, the overall plan should have been to escape. The possibility of Karl slaughtering everyone instantly was something Blanca hadn't even considered.

A simple escape and protection mission, and you turned it into a bloodbath. Are all mercenaries this capable nowadays?

Karl was unaware of Blanca's inner turmoil, as to him, this was simply the natural course of action.

How do you protect an employer?

Kill everyone who poses a threat to the employer. Isn't that the simplest way?

Are you supposed to stand beside the employer, constantly worrying about stray bullets hitting them?

Don't be ridiculous. As a mercenary, Karl is a professional who has completed several missions. He knows the ropes.

"Threats eliminated. What's next, employer? I recall there are three more downstairs. Should I take care of them while I'm at it?"

"'While you're at it?'"

The lives of the Maelstrom members were also lives, Blanca almost said. But in her eyes, the lives of the Maelstrom members truly didn't count for much. So, she nodded.

Karl acted quickly. He walked to the window and fired before the three Maelstrom members at the apartment entrance, who had heard the gunshots and were wondering what was happening inside, could make a move.

Again, the gunshot was so fast it sounded like a single report.

"Done. What now?"

'Beep. 50,000 Eurodollars have been deposited.'

"Oh, that was quick. Then this job is settled."

Looking at the mercenary in front of her, splattered with blood that was now trickling down his neck, yet blissfully unaware, flashing a brilliant smile, Blanca's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

She had to admit it now. She was genuinely afraid. But her fear wasn't directed at the threats, but at the mercenary who had come to protect her.