Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

Chapter 96 What are you hiding from?

Death is ever-present; one wrong step and you will find yourself sleeping alongside the other wronged souls of Night City.

Just as Lucy was about to break through Tanaka's ICE defenses, Tanaka, the company dog, woke up from anesthesia.

In a daze, he saw David about to give him a strong sedative, and he hurriedly shouted.

"David!"

David's hand suddenly stopped.

"I knew you were David."

Why would you—

"I've heard a lot about you, including the incident with my son at the academy."

Even so, I still order you to return to the academy.

The cunning corporate dog began to appeal to David's emotions, attempting to sway the young man in front of him who had never experienced the brutal beatings of Night City.

Lucy noticed that the environment around Tanaka was becoming increasingly unstable, and she became anxious, wondering why David hadn't continued the anesthesia.

"David, please, help me, I don't want to die!"

"We just want the data, you won't die—"

"Don't be naive! I've seen their faces. Do you think Arasaka won't go so far as to wipe them all out?"

Listen, do you know why I rescinded the expulsion order? You have exceptional abilities, and I believe you can become a top talent at Arasaka! We can give you a bright future!

Tanaka's words made David hesitate; he stared wide-eyed, undecided.

"When a sweet cake falls from the sky, you should check if there's a fishhook behind it."

Vito's words suddenly echoed in David's mind.

Seeing David hesitate, Tanaka immediately seized the opportunity.

Don't waste your talent!

At that moment, Vito's words continued to echo in David's mind.

"It would be easier for you to conquer Arasaka Tower than to do all this rubbish."

When Tanaka saw that David was not speaking, he assumed that David had been persuaded.

"Help me contact the person in Arasaka, and I'll help your mother find a job too. Then you two—"

"No!"

David's gaze hardened.

"Companies are ruthless and exploitative. I won't resort to such methods to become a groveling corporate dog to the Arasaka family!"

Ti~

The tranquilizer was injected into Tianzhong's body.

"No! Don't you understand? They're using you. It's obvious that military technology is funding them behind the scenes, and you're just a pawn—"

Before he could finish speaking, Tanaka fell into a coma.

Lucy was also able to access Tanaka's data.

But just after Lucy finished reading the data, she was horrified to discover that David's information was in Tanaka's data.

Mann's cyberpsychotic symptoms worsened, and Dorio gave Mann one last dose of suppressant before immediately calling David.

"David! How's it going over there?"

David quickly checked on Lucy's condition and then reported back.

"Lucy sent a message, everything went smoothly! Tanaka just woke up, I gave him a sedative."

"Well done, David. Mann and I will be right there; he's not doing well!"

The call ended, and Lucy finished unpacking the package.

She stood up from the ice bathtub and unplugged the big data device the hacker was using.

"Lucy, how are you?"

David quickly helped Lucy wipe the ice water off her body.

"The data doesn't exist at all, we—"

boom!

The door was kicked open, and Mann and Dorio rushed into the room.

Mann shouted loudly.

"David, get Lucy out of here quickly! Company people have suddenly gathered here!"

Lucy froze, and she instinctively looked at the jammer on Tanaka's head.

"How could this be? He—"

Dorio quickly stepped forward and untied the chains off Tanaka.

"No time for nonsense, you guys get out of here! Mann and I will take Tanaka!"

"Let's go together! Tanaka's brain isn't loaded with data!"

"What?"

A violent explosion suddenly rang out, followed by a burst of intense gunfire.

"Damn it, what are these guys doing here?!"

Two groups of people suddenly emerged from the building's corridor and began exchanging fire, firing indiscriminately in the opposite direction.

"Be careful!"

An externally armored fixed-armor penetrator shell pierced through the wall.

Mann quickly shielded Dorio.

As the smoke cleared, the armor-piercing shell blew Tanaka's head off, then penetrated the wall and exploded in another room.

"Retreat! I'll cover your escape!"

Mann fired a flashbang into the stairwell from his prosthetic hand, followed by a smoke grenade.

After the flashbang exploded, Mann shouted.

"Now, David!"

David activated the S.A.S. Steinway and rushed downstairs with Lucy in his arms.

"Something's wrong! A third party has intervened!"

"Kill them!"

Mann and Dorio hadn't expected these people to have such strong firepower.

"Damn it! These are the company's elite soldiers!"

Mann was firing the Zoe shotgun that Vito had given him when, in a daze, fragments of memories began to flash before his eyes again.

"Damn it! Of all times! Dolly—"

The blinding sunlight shone into Mann's eyes, and he was once again trapped in the memories of his cyberbullying episode.

boom! boom! boom!

He saw an indistinct black shadow in front of him, and instinctively fired at it.

"The real target has appeared! Evacuate! Evacuate! Throwers, cut the grenades!"

The two company teams withdrew separately. Although he didn't understand what was going on, Dorio breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mann, we—"

boom!

Mann's eyes gleamed as he pointed his gun at Dorio.

"Mann! It's me!"

boom!

Dorio tried her best to dodge, but the specially made shotgun shells still grazed her. She wanted to rush in front of Mann and knock him out of his wits.

boom!

boom!

Thud! The personnel cutting grenade exploded, and Dorio froze, taking the grenade for Mann.

In Mann's mind, a dark figure was rushing towards him. He pointed his gun at the figure and pulled the trigger.

boom!

As the sunlight faded, he was pulled back to reality, but all he could see was black and white.

Dorio was in front of him, and her hand touched his face.

what is she doing

Why did she open her eyes wide?

Why is she drifting further and further away from me?

Everything in the world seemed to slow down.

Mann's gaze shifted downwards, and in the black and white scene, a blood-red flower bloomed on Dorio's chest.

I----

I killed her!

I----

my sweetheart----

The entire field of vision was dyed red.

Time, which had slowed down, began to flow normally again.

Boom!

The immense impact slammed Dorio against the wall.

"Do, Dorio—"

Mann murmured.

"Mann, I'm here!"

David, with his sidearm in hand, drove his Sinwidman to help Mann.

Beep beep!

"Trauma team! Leave the client immediately! Leave the client immediately!"

A maniacal grin spread across Mann's face as he threw an air canister at the trauma team's hovercar, causing it to explode in mid-air in front of the vehicle.

Lucy called out to David.

But the situation was urgent, and David did not answer the call.

David rushed to Mann's side. By this time, Mann seemed to have regained his senses, and his expression returned to normal.

"It's you, David."

He threw Dorio's body onto a pile of gas canisters.

In his eyes, his lover's body was waiting to be cremated in a pile of wood under the sun.

"Dorio is dead, this is all I can do for her."

"Let's go, Mann, take Dorio with us!"

"I don't want to run away anymore, death has come."

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