Chapter 44: Cyberpsychosis

The fragmented remains of the three individuals scattered onto the ground.

Lin Yue aimed at the translucent, blurred curtain and pulled the trigger for the second time!

This shot was practically a blind sniper fire. Lin Yue was not sure whether it could temporarily shut down the server, but since his self-ICE had not yet recovered, he had no choice but to take a gamble and fire.

The server emitted a spark, and surrounding Voodoo Boys members shouted to one another.

"Some scumbag sneaked in! Guard the server, and for fuck's sake notify Slider!"

Unfortunately, the effect of this shot was negligible. The hacking code was still successfully uploaded into Lin Yue's body, breaching his ICE.

A series of electric arcs suddenly surged across his gorilla arms, accompanied by sparks and a mild burning sensation that sent a sharp, stabbing pain through Lin Yue's nervous system!

Damn it!

This was Lin Yue's first time experiencing the full power of a quickhack. His system's ICE warning indicated that this was merely a cyberware malfunction type of quickhack—

If it had been [Synapse Burnout], it probably would have claimed his life right on the spot!

He could not drag this out any longer!

Moving his heavy and sluggish gorilla arms—compromised by the hack—Lin Yue jammed his fingers tightly into the gap of the automatic sliding door. Amidst the dull groans of cyberware bearings and joints, and enduring the skin-scorching pain, Lin Yue forcefully pried the doors apart!

Thanks to the operations of his self-ICE and biomonitor, the cyberware's parameters began to stabilize and gradually returned to normal.

Lin Yue quickly patted out a few ignition points, and the neurological pain subsided by more than half immediately.

He pulled a deep-cutting grenade from his waist and tossed it directly behind the curtain.

The grenade detonated with a muffled pop, unleashing a dense web of blinding red light!

The Voodoo Boys members lurking behind the curtain for an ambush let out agonizing screeches and howls!

The high-energy laser unleashed by the cutting grenade was more than enough to slice through fragile flesh and skin. Lin Yue tore down the curtain and kicked away the severed cyberware limbs scattered at his feet.

A massive server, wired with countless cables like an ancient tree, stood right before him...

A thunderous roar blended with the heat waves generated by the server's operation, and the density of incoming quickhacks began to spike dramatically.

Every single one of these Voodoo Boys members could serve as a relay station and host; the quickhacks would leverage them to attack Lin Yue, bypassing any distance limitations.

<div>This guy has ICE, but it's not military-grade. All of you, move faster—</div>

Before the Voodoo Boy commanding the defense could finish his sentence, his head was torn apart by a massive surge of energy.

Using the railing as cover, Lin Yue fended off the quickhacks originating from the gang members, while simultaneously destroying various modules of the server with the explosives he threw.

The Voodoo Boys hiding behind their cover fell into utter chaos, ignorantly believing that MaxTac had breached their stronghold!

"Shit! Send a few people in close quarters, this is a sniper! If the server goes down, we're all finished!"

Hearing the order, several Voodoo Boys drew long blades and other weapons from their waists. With staircases at both ends of the circular corridor, they attempted to flank Lin Yue from both sides.

The attacks on the server were proving remarkably effective. As Lin Yue's firepower blanketed the area, the server's functions began to suffer, sputtering arcs of electricity. Several quickhacks launched by the netrunners of this-puppeteer workshop were cut short mid-upload.

Lin Yue observed the situation while keeping a close eye on his self-ICE cooldown timer.

A Voodoo Boy rushing up from the left side before he could reach cover was sniped by a single shot. Lin Yue immediately drew his pistol and shifted toward the opposite end.

Just as Lin Yue advanced, a figure wielding a machete lunged out from behind a stack of crates. Lin Yue reacted instinctively to block, and the blade hacked viciously into his arm!

The subcutaneous armor restricted the razor-sharp blade, causing it to bite in a mere centimeter before grinding to a halt.

Blood gushed from the wound on Lin Yue's arm. His pain editor activated, dulling the agony. He reached out, grabbed the assailant by the throat, and hurled him straight down from the second-floor mezzanine!

He then yanked the long blade from his arm and tossed it to the ground, where it clattered noisily.

The remaining Voodoo Boys trailing behind to flank Lin Yue lost their nerve at the sight of this god of death and began to retreat. Unwilling to be caught in a pincer attack, Lin Yue raised his gun and fired!

A kinetic handgun was an absolute killing machine in such narrow terrain!

The wildly ricocheting bullets left no room for escape. After eliminating the threats on one flank, Lin Yue immediately resumed hammering the server with his sniper rifle.

A grenade rolled to the feet of another group of Voodoo Boys advancing from the opposite side. An explosion of fire accompanied disintegrating cyberware, and in Lin Yue's field of vision, the third quickhack's progress bar was about to finish loading!

Damn it!

Lin Yue stared anxiously at the progress bar. Fortunately, after a series of metallic clicks from the server, the progress bar froze at ninety-nine percent.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Surrounded as he was, if his cyberware malfunctioned or his optical optics rebooted, Lin Yue would suffer a fatal blow!

With at least a dozen Voodoo Boys still putting up a defense around the server, Lin Yue simply could not be in two places at once while trying to divide his attention between the server and the combatants—

However, his keen eyes noticed that this power-hungry server was wired directly to a generator. Deciding on a new tactic, he began shooting at the power cables connected to the server while continuing to damage the machine itself.

In a corner where Lin Yue least expected it, a security camera slowly pivoted.

Reflected in its glowing red lens, a blind man dwelling within the Net stared at this unfamiliar young mercenary.

As the relentless gunfire began to subside, Lin Yue finally destroyed the server. Accompanied by explosive blasts and falling sheets of metal casing, several Voodoo Boys who failed to dodge in time were crushed beneath the wreckage. To Lin Yue's dismay, however, the progress bar stuck in his optical implants had not vanished.

At least I can wrap this up temporarily.

Just as Lin Yue thought everything was settled, an urgent desire drove him to search for the location where Slider was supposedly hiding.

Yet—

The quickhack progress bar in his vision suddenly snapped to one hundred percent.

Oh no!

Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat as his vision plunged into absolute darkness!

Everything around him transformed... It felt as though a piece of his brain had been ripped away.

Regaining consciousness, Lin Yue looked down at his own hands, struck by a sudden wave of helpless weakness.

Gone was the cyberware; in its place were slightly slender arms, a gaming walkthrough video playing on the computer screen before him, and video editing software.

The smartphone screen reflected Lin Yue's face and slightly messy hair—the quintessential appearance of an exhausted shut-in.

"What is going on?"

Confused, Lin Yue blinked. The sunlight outside the window was warm and gentle, making that other world feel as elusive as a dream.

In disbelief, Lin Yue stood up. His legs felt somewhat wobbly from staying up all night, and he staggered out onto the balcony. Outside, the street below was filled with the hustle and bustle of traffic, as if he had truly returned to his original world.

Lin Yue gazed with a sense of loss at the home of his memories—gone was that complex, mesmerizing neon metropolis, the cutting-edge technology of Night City...

It really must have been a dream.

He stretched his arms and let out a hearty yawn.

"I shouldn't stay up late anymore. That dream was way too long!"

Suddenly, the scene before his eyes shifted. Maelstrom—no, Maine—was chomping on a cigar, looking down at him from above.

Rebecca and Pilar, standing beside him, crossed their arms with hostile glares.

"You sold us out? What a hell-bound scumbag..."

Dorio slowly stepped up close to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was startled. "What are you talking about?"

A gun materialized in his hand out of nowhere. Panicking, Lin Yue hurriedly raised it, and everyone else drew their weapons as well, freezing the atmosphere in an instant.

V stepped out from behind the group with her arms crossed, her face etched with icy intent.

A figure beside them, wearing a helmet with green light pulsing within the eye lenses, pressed the barrel of a gun against Lin Yue's head—

"MaxTac?"

Lin Yue found himself utterly paralyzed, forced to endure the chilling muzzle pressed directly against his temple.

"Bang!"

Lin Yue felt his mind go completely blank, his gaze freezing at that exact moment. The sensation of warm blood trickling down his cheek felt strangely ticklish, and the heavy stench of rust hung thick in his nostrils.

"Why?"

Lin Yue reached out his arms—his gorilla arms were back.

Why kill me? Wasn't I doing a good job? I survived against all odds all the way from Dogtown, I brought everyone profits, why betray me?

His arms surged with sudden strength. The companions before him morphed into Arasaka operatives. With a ferocious burst of power, he threw a punch straight into the face of the operative before him.

His expression twisted into a savage snarl, muttering incoherent words aloud—

An Arasaka operative attempting a stealth attack was firmly grabbed by the throat as Lin Yue smashed a fist into his face.

"Lin Yue, why did you kill me, you asshole..."

Before him lay the pale neck of a woman. Half of Rebecca's face was caved in, her eyes staring at Lin Yue in despair, filled with a mixture of reproach and lingering resentment.

Startled out of his wits, Lin Yue hurriedly released Rebecca.

In disbelief, he stared at the blood on his hands, dropping to his knees before Rebecca's fading life. He clutched his head, his eyes shot through with blood vessels.

"No, no, no... It wasn't me, Rebecca, it wasn't me!"

Lin Yue looked up. Not far away, lying motionless, were everyone he knew: V, Maine, Pilar, Dorio...

All of their skulls had been crushed by these very arms!

A beast-like roar echoed through this spatial expanse, and reverberated deep within Slider's [Sanctum].

...

[Synapse Burnout]: The most lethal quickhack available to netrunners, capable of achieving 'death by glaring' when paired with relevant cyberware.

[MaxTac]: The task force responsible for cyberpsychosis-related incidents. Extremely dangerous individuals suffering from cyberware psychosis are hunted down and eliminated by them—or perhaps they are essentially cyberpsychos themselves.

[Sanctum]: The Voodoo Boys believe their puppet workshop is a sacred temple in Voodoo tradition used for communicating with deities, and the leaders of these workshops and cybercrime syndicates are generally referred to as priests.

(Slider's hideout server is located downstairs~)