67. Begin the Battle
James felt the data stream invade him. The Puppet Program flooded into his mind, blocking the signal transmission between the pyramidal tract in his brain and his legs, leaving his legs frozen in place just as he was about to take a step.
Military-grade anti-hacking equipment prioritized protecting the user's brain itself, preventing hackers from using cyberware overheating to burn it out directly. Its priority for defenses that blocked signal transmission was not particularly high, so the "Hinder Movement" Puppet Program easily bypassed the relevant safeguards and took effect on James.
However, the restriction would not last long. The military-grade equipment would quickly react and begin purging it. This hindrance might not even last a second.
But that was enough time for Carl to fire.
When he reached a distance of twenty meters, Carl had already aimed the Kenshin in his hand at James's head.
In an instant, Carl fired six shots.
Two targeted the cybernetic eyes, two were aimed at James's bare left chest, and the other two flew toward James's throat and a certain crucial male point on his lower abdomen.
Carl really wanted to know whether a man like James, described as a tough guy even in Militech intelligence reports, would—
Gunfire rang out, yet time seemed to slow at that very instant.
It had not slowed down. Carl's reactions had simply kept pace with James, who had begun moving at accelerated speed within that moment.
The Kerenzikov cyberware in James's spine stimulated his body, increasing his reaction speed, and then the military-grade experimental Sandevistan activated.
In the sluggish flow of time, even though his feet could not move, James moved as lightly as a fluttering butterfly.
James tilted his head to evade the shots aimed at his cybernetic eyes, also dodging the