"Kang Tao, your smart electronics solution."
"This is Kang Tao. This is smart."
A holographic airship swept across the sky, trailing a long holographic advertising banner and playing a Kang Tao commercial.
Smart weapons were Kang Tao's core business, but in terms of the underlying technology, they also had the best chip manufacturing processes and the most advanced intelligent neural networks.
Kiroshi was a Kang Tao subsidiary responsible for developing and selling cybernetic implants, though its quality and sales still lagged behind implant market leaders like Militech.
Take the same type of cyberware, the Sandevistan, for example: even Kiroshi's top-end Type 4 Sandevistan might not measure up to Militech's second-tier products.
It was a top-of-the-line implant that enhanced the entire body, extending through the spine into the gray matter, connecting to the bone marrow, and affecting almost every muscle and nerve.
It squeezed out every last drop of the body's potential, pushing physical performance and reaction speed to their limits for a short time.
To the user, it felt as though time had slowed down, or even stopped.
But because its invasive enhancements reached every part of the body, frequent use could easily cause users to lose control and develop cyberpsychosis.
And there was no doubt that the Sandevistan put tremendous strain on the body. Calling every use an act of slow suicide would hardly be an exaggeration.
That's the implant that could keep me from becoming crippled right now, Lier thought.
"Hey, what are you doing? Aren't you getting out?"
V's voice pulled Lier out of his thoughts.
Lier looked baffled. "Are you stupid? You're doing this job, not me."
V grinned mischievously. "No, no, no-I heard there's a saying in the East. You're all proud of Kang Tao:
"'You don't have to use a Shingen, but bow three times whenever you pass Kang Tao.' Aren't you getting out to bow?"
Lier's face darkened. "Dumbass!"
"Wow, I thought all you could do was spout pretentious crap. Turns out you can swear too."
V laughed and took out her pistol to inspect it. "Still, I really wanted to try that submachine gun Zhu Shen gave you. Shame I won't get to."
That gun was in Lier's hands now-the G-58 Dian smart submachine gun.
Smart weapons were highly advanced gear in this world. All you needed was a compatible Smart Link installed in your palm, and the weapon could automatically read visual and environmental data, lock onto enemies, and land every shot.
The bullets could even turn in midair-as long as you had money, there was no target you couldn't hit.
But Lier didn't trust anything in this world, so he hadn't installed a Smart Link in his palm and couldn't use the smart weapon's auto-aim.
Of course, even without it, this was still an excellent submachine gun.
[First contact: Smart firearms] [Tech Points +30] [Current Tech Points: 86]
"All the cyberware installed in Atlanta has problems. Implants like the Smart Link that need complex software drivers are the most likely to go wrong.
"Besides, didn't you say you could hit your target with your eyes closed?"
"I wasn't making that up."
Lier checked the time. Their window was about to open. "All right, get into position. I'll direct you from here. Remember, connect the Controller to the surveillance system first, then I'll guide you."
"Okay-let's get to work."
V got out of the car and headed toward Kang Tao's warehouse, soon melting into the shadows.
The night sky was clear, the moon hanging high overhead.
Just after V pressed against the wall and slipped into the shadows, the billboard played its next ad: "Shingen, a young person's first smart weapon."
"Hey, Lier, look over here."
Lier looked toward V and saw her bowing to the billboard like an idiot.
"I bowed for you. No need to thank me, even if you aren't using a Shingen."
Lier pressed a hand to his forehead and flipped V off.
[First connection to a video channel] [Tech Points +10] [Current Tech Points: 96]
"Easy. I'm in the channel."
The compound had five zones in total. Data from all thirty cameras streamed into Lier's brain, and the link between his brain and the machines felt strangely wonderful.
The visual feeds were transmitted to his Cyber-Eye, making him feel as though he were there, as though he had become the cameras.
Zhu Shen's plan worked remarkably well. As long as the mercenary knew how to sneak, getting past those guards was as easy as crossing a street in the early morning.
"The signal's good. Everything's going according to plan. Cross the passage ahead in ten seconds, but don't go through the main entrance. Turn right. There's a ventilation duct."
"That duct's pretty high up."
"Why else do you think you needed Fortified Tendons? Damn it, there are still so many employees working overtime this late.
"Change of plan. Go along the outside of the building and use the restroom and the wall to get straight into the office.
"Calculating drone flight paths."
Lier used the cameras to scan all the drones patrolling outside, compiled the data, and built a model. He transferred the collected data through his Brain-Computer Interface to the Portable Computing Terminal at hand, calculated their window of opportunity, then displayed the results on his Cyber-Eye.
If Lier had more cyberware installed, he could have performed the calculations directly with a Biocomputer.
This kind of operation was a necessary step for novice hackers, as well as a basic technique for using cyberware.
[Practical skill acquired: Cyberware Technology (beginner)] [Tech Points gained: 20] [Current Tech Points: 116]
In other words, learning the skill himself earned him twenty tech points, while buying it with tech points would have cost fifty. It looked like studying hard on his own was the better option.
"Reached the next destination-these corpo dogs even fill their restrooms with plants."
"Stop admiring the scenery. A drone will pass overhead in three seconds. Follow right behind it-you need to stay almost flush with it as you jump to the floor above. Push too hard and you'll hit it.
"Don't stay close enough and you'll leave this drone's blind spot and get spotted by another one-move."
"Holy shit..."
V swore on the other end, and Lier broke into a nervous sweat too.
The maneuver was far too risky, but this was their only window and their only real obstacle.
A rookie would have had a ninety-percent chance of screwing it up, but he believed V could pull it off.
Besides the fact that she was V, there was another reason: she currently had the Kerenzikov neural implant installed.
Under extreme excitement and stress, this implant enhanced neural responses, producing an effect similar to the Sandevistan's "time stop."
At the windowsill, V had no time to think. The drone swept past outside, its lights shining, and she leaped up!
The drone flew fast. Just as she was about to fall behind, she gritted her teeth and activated her Fortified Tendons.
All the energy stored in her tendons was released, blasting out a powerful jet of air and giving her a second jump in midair!
As the drone drew closer and closer, V's head began to burn, every part of her body stretched to the breaking point with tension-
In that instant, she felt the world slow down.
V tucked her head in as far as she could and stared hard at the wall. The moment her hand could reach the window, she grabbed the sill!
Tap.
With a faint sound, V disappeared from outside the window. Another drone swept past overhead, the two drones crossing paths.
"Fuck! Why didn't you tell me this part was so dangerous?!"
Lier pumped his fist inside the car, then put on a calm voice. "You don't understand. That was to draw out your potential. I'm guessing your Kerenzikov activated just now."
V collected herself. "Yeah-yeah, that thing's amazing... Wait, so you did that on purpose?"
"Go straight through the ventilation duct. Come out in thirty seconds."
"Screw you."
There was barely even a tense moment along the rest of the route. Almost everywhere she went, the people there were finishing their shifts and handing over to their replacements.
The drone patrol network offered no more hair-raising moments of crossing flight paths either.
"Go a little farther, then turn left. The second office is the destination-someone's ahead. Do you see her?"
"I see her. She stopped. Should I take her out?"
Lier's breathing grew heavy again.
A woman had walked out of the office-could she be the target?
"Zhu Shen, take a look. Is this Cai Pin? If so, we can kill her here."
"No-is she in your way? Kill her if she is. She's just an ordinary employee. I don't know her."
Lier said nothing. On the camera feed, the woman let out a long breath and stretched. The relaxed smile on her face left him momentarily dazed.
She looked just like he had in his previous life, finally getting to go home after a long stint of overtime.
In other words, she had a home to return to.
"Let her..." Lier was about to say to let her go, but a moment later, he changed his mind.
The only part of the entire plan they couldn't verify in advance, and could only infer from Zhu Shen's information, was the situation inside the office right now.
And... perhaps this woman had done something that could send the plan spiraling out of control.
"...No one's nearby. Tie her up and bring her over. Find out what's going on inside-if she has combat cyberware and shows any sign of resistance..."
Lier paused.
"Kill her."
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