25 Exoskeleton and Kitsune

Chapter 47 25. Exoskeleton and Kitsune

"What's happening?"

The gunfire from downstairs naturally alerted the attackers on the fifth floor. They could at least distinguish between gunfire from below and gunfire from their own level.

"Someone's sneaking up?"

"How is that possible? The mines and sensors on the first to third floors haven't been triggered!"

"Number Three has lost vital signs. Someone's downstairs!"

"Quick, to the stairs!"

There were three attackers on the floor above. Besides the empty rocket launchers beside them, each of them was armed with a Shingen Smart Submachine Gun. They had been gleefully spraying bullets at the mercenaries who were scrambling for cover below, never expecting someone to sneak up on them.

"Cease fire on the mercenaries, deal with the one who came up first!"

Just as the attackers were about to move, the floor beneath their feet suddenly bulged, and then an explosive shockwave swept over them from below.

After the gunfire, the attackers spent a second determining the source of the sound, then another second confirming the death of Number Three on the fourth floor, and then two more seconds making the decision to head to the stairs and deal with the intruder. They wasted a full four seconds, and four seconds was enough for Karl to do a lot of things.

Like using the Monomolecular Wire to shatter the lampshade, pulling the pin on a grenade, and dropping it into the light fixture above.

It's only polite to return the favor. I repay evil with virtue. You hit me with a rocket launcher, and I'll just give you a grenade in return.

Karl felt that he was truly too virtuous.

In the fiery explosion that spread across the fifth floor, two attackers died instantly, which was unexpected even for Karl, who had rushed up to the fifth floor.

"Too close together. You die together if you're going to die."

Looking at the only attacker who was still breathing on the ground, his right hand blown off and his Shingen nowhere to be found, Karl raised the Shingen he had just picked up to prevent the other party from having any remaining strength for a counterattack in this situation.

"Only three people? Fewer than I imagined."

Gunfire rang out, and the last attacker on this floor also fell soundly 'asleep.'

"Oliver, they're all asleep."

Maintaining team communication, Karl notified Oliver and Jack of the good news as soon as he had eliminated the enemies on this floor.

"We're currently using vehicles and buildings as cover to exchange fire with them. Karl, there's a sniper on the third floor of the apartment building opposite you. He's already blown the heads off three people with a Kitsune. Is there any way to take him out?"

"Kitsune sniper rifle, huh?"

[Tsunami Kitsune]: A precise technical sniper rifle. Although it requires frequent maintenance, the tungsten nail bullets it fires are enough to penetrate the thickest armor and shatter titanium skeletons. No one can rest easy in its power. Because of its threat, the sale and supervision of this rifle are extremely strict. If you are not employed by a company or government, it is almost impossible for an ordinary mercenary to get this gun.

In other words, most of the people who can get this gun are from companies or governments.

Karl thought about the expensive smart weapon, the Shingen, and the rocket launcher attack. This group of attackers was really making a mountain out of a molehill.

With this ability, why don't you wait for us mercenaries to pass by and then attack the professional security personnel? You're using it to deal with us mercenaries?

Or is it that there are others dealing with the security personnel, and you're just here to deal with us?

While thinking, Karl walked to the balcony of the apartment, which had been blasted open, and looked towards the third floor of the opposite apartment building. There, he saw a sniper holding a Kitsune sniper rifle, wearing a cloak, and with a red glow in his cybernetic eye, constantly locking onto the mercenaries below.

Aren't snipers supposed to move after each shot? Why isn't this guy moving?

Just as Karl was thinking this, he saw a bullet fired by a mercenary below hit the sniper, and then the bullet was actually deflected by the sniper's 'body.'

Something's not right. That thing is…

Through the bullet hole in the cloak, Karl saw what was under the cloak. Judging from the pitted, metal-reflecting appearance of the 'body,' that thing was an Exoskeleton Combat Suit.

Karl had seen exoskeleton suits in clothing stores in the northern Watson District, but those exoskeleton suits were basically expensive, had poor defense, and had to be connected to additional cybernetics to be used. They were completely incomparable to the Exoskeleton Combat Suit worn by this sniper.

It's probably military-grade stuff again.

Damn, even we mercenaries know that this is a life-threatening mission, but don't make it this life-threatening.

Just as Karl was wondering whether to throw a grenade over, a mercenary below had the same idea. He unhooked a grenade from his waist, rushed out of cover, and raised his hand to throw the grenade towards the sniper's location. This courageous act turned him into a corpse without a head and upper body the moment the grenade left his hand.

The grenade, on which the mercenary had pinned his hopes before his death, was scanned by the sniper's cybernetic eye in mid-air and detonated in mid-air with a shot.

As the sniper raised his weapon, his line of sight also rose, and then a red light flashed as he scanned Karl.

"Damn it!"

Without any hesitation, Karl rolled backward, and the next moment, the balcony he was on was shattered by a huge bullet impact. A rock balcony two meters long and one meter wide was so fragile in the face of the Kitsune's bullet. After the bullet passed, the complete form was gone, leaving only a pile of rock fragments falling below.

The bullet not only shattered the balcony, but its penetrating power also directly pierced through the fifth-floor ceiling of the apartment building. After rolling, Karl looked up and could actually see the extremely light-polluted sky of Night City through the large hole that had been blasted in the ceiling.

"Oliver, that sniper has an exoskeleton, a military-grade exoskeleton!"

"What? Military-grade? I knew this mission was going to be deadly."

Oliver seemed to be in a firefight as well. After he cursed, Jack's voice sounded in the communication: "Karl, since it's a military-grade exoskeleton, then ensure your own safety first. Maine, Oliver, and I are sneaking towards that apartment and will be there soon. We'll take him out then. You just cooperate from upstairs."

"There are mines and sensors on the stairs, it's not that easy to get up. And that sniper rifle, Jack, your Subdermal Armor won't be able to stop it."

Karl stuck the Shingen submachine gun into his waist and drew the Kenshin.

"Let me try first. I haven't even fired a shot and he already sent one my way. I really can't stand it."

"What are you planning to do, Karl?"

From Karl's tone, Jack sensed something was wrong.

"Planning a Western showdown."

If getting hit means death, then just don't get hit.

What's the big deal? It's just a flawless victory.

Karl jumped down from the broken floor, stopping at the third floor. Listening to the gunfire, he heard the Kitsune's sound again, and then he did something.

Something audacious.

He raised Kenshin and with one shot shattered the third-floor balcony's barrier, then started sprinting.

Amidst the flying debris, Karl's foot landed on the edge of the balcony, and then, he leaped.

"Hello."

In mid-air, Karl raised his gun, a step faster than the sniper raising the Kitsune.