Cyberpunk: 2075

Right before the gunshot rang out, Blanca had made a subtle motion, brushing her hair back.

But when she actually pulled the trigger and executed the corporate suit in front of her with a single shot, Karl hesitated for a moment.

He hadn't expected his employer to be this decisive—pulling a gun and shooting without a second thought.

Being threatened? He has evidence against you?

Simple—kill him.

Using force to settle disputes… clearly, Blanca had already mastered the true art of corporate warfare.

Just for that alone, Karl had to admit—compared to Juanito, who had spent so much time running his mouth, Blanca was far superior.

She was in a higher position at the company for a reason.

His surprise only lasted for an instant.

Blanca had already fired—so Karl naturally followed suit.

And in that moment, he understood something.

He had misjudged his employer.

When Blanca first said they would be facing ten enemies, Karl had assumed she was wrong after noticing there were more than ten upon arrival.

But now, he realized—no, she was absolutely correct.

Blanca had never planned to let Juanito leave alive.

She had entertained his long-winded speech only to confirm where the leak had come from.

As Juanito's body hit the floor, the Maelstrom members reacted instantly, reaching for their weapons.

None of them had their safeties on—they only needed one second to turn Karl and Blanca into Swiss cheese.

Unfortunately for them, Karl was faster.

For the past few days, Karl had been watching a lot of braindance recordings.

One of his favorites—which he had watched twice—was a BD called "Western Gunslinger."

From it, Karl had learned the ancient American technique of "quick draw."

The gunfire was so rapid it almost sounded like a single shot.

And when the noise faded, seven Maelstrom members lay dead.

The Kenshin had a 12-round magazine.

Karl hadn't run out of bullets—but he had fired seven rounds in a single instant, and his hand couldn't take the recoil anymore.

His gun slipped from his grip.

The Kenshin may have had reduced recoil, being a tech pistol, but it wasn't recoil-free.

Even a cybernetically enhanced mercenary would feel their hand go numb after firing so many rounds in quick succession.

And Karl? He didn't even have reinforced tendons or cybermuscle.

But just because he had lost his gun didn't mean he was defenseless.

From his wrists, two thin, vein-like wires shot out, each caught between his index and middle fingers.

[MONOFILAMENT WIRES]

A single-molecule-thin cutting wire, as flexible as a whip and as sharp as a sword.

When fully charged, it could generate heat, slicing through flesh and metal alike.

A favorite among netrunners, as it doubled as both a weapon and a hacking tool.

To put it simply—

It was a whip-length weapon, as sharp as a katana, and doubled as a cyberwarfare device.

This was Karl's second major cyberware upgrade, the one he had spent every last eddie to install at Doc Vic's clinic.

Karl's hands flicked through the air—before the three Maelstrom gangers closest to him could even finish drawing their weapons, they froze mid-motion.

"Shing—"

With a sharp flick of his wrists, Karl retracted his monowires. At the same time, he bent down slightly, catching his Kenshin pistol before it even hit the floor.

"Splurt!"

The instant Karl's fingers wrapped around his gun, a spray of blood burst from the waists and arms of the three Maelstrom members.

A heartbeat later, their heads and legs hit the floor separately, their torsos neatly bisected—smooth cross-sections gleaming under the dim light.

"Damn it… another set of clothes ruined."

Ensuring a clean, instant kill came at a price.

Karl let out a sigh as he glanced at the fresh blood soaking his entire outfit—completely unaware of just how terrifying he looked to everyone else in the room.

Blanca, who had originally planned to provide backup in case Karl couldn't kill everyone fast enough, stood frozen in place.

She stared at the massacre Karl had created in less than a second, her mind struggling to process the sheer brutality and efficiency of it.

"I hired you for protection… but did you really need to wipe them out so fast?"

She had already mentally prepared herself for a chaotic gunfight, for getting injured, even for the possibility of dying here today.

But in reality?

All that preparation was pointless.

She had assumed Karl's job would be to kill Juanito first, then cover her escape under fire from the ten Maelstrom members.

That was her idea of the "best-case scenario."

Sure, things had played out a little differently—she ended up shooting Juanito herself—but in the end, they should still be running away right now.

But instead… Karl had just killed everyone.

What was supposed to be an escape-and-protect mission… turned into pure, unrestrained slaughter.

Since when were mercs this capable?!

Karl, completely oblivious to Blanca's internal horror, remained unfazed.

To him, this was just logical.

How do you protect your client?

Kill every single person who poses a threat—isn't that just common sense?

Why waste time standing guard, constantly worrying that some stray bullet might blow your employer's head off?

That's amateur hour.

Karl was a professional mercenary—he'd already completed several jobs at this point.

And he knew his trade.

"Threat neutralized. So, what's next, boss?" Karl asked, casually reloading his gun.

"There are three more downstairs—want me to take them out while I'm at it?"

"While you're at it?"

Blanca almost wanted to say "Maelstrom members are still people, too"—but honestly?

She didn't care about them.

So, she simply nodded.

Karl wasted no time.

He strode to the window, aimed his gun downward, and—before the three Maelstrom gangers outside could even react to the gunshots inside—

"BANG!"

A single deafening shot rang out.

Then, silence.

"All clear. What's next?"

PING!

"Your account has received 50,000 eddies."

"Oh? Damn, that was fast—guess the job's done then."

Karl flashed a wide grin—completely unaware of the blood dripping down his face, trailing from his forehead down his neck.

Blanca stiffened.

Her body shivered involuntarily.

Not from the threats she had faced today—not from Juanito, not from Maelstrom.

No.

For the first time, she was truly afraid—

Of the mercenary she had hired to protect her.