Chapter 66: Chapter 63: Escort_2
The metal door was about to recede into the wall.
John emerged from behind a narrow cover, silently shooting down the assailants hiding by the door with two shots.
He immediately discarded his gun, drawing the revolver at his waist.
Bam, bam!
A tremendous noise echoed in the elevator lobby.
The automatic glass shattered, and two Owl Town gang members holding SMGs had their heads blown apart in the distance.
Blood splattered across the painted floor.
John held the gun, peeked out to inspect, relaxed his mind, and his body autonomously operated as the reloading protocol took over.
Several autonomous shuttle vehicles burst in.
A burst of concentrated gunfire erupted from the dim corners.
The hidden gang members were firing at these driverless vehicles.
John took the opportunity to hide behind cover.
He marked all the muzzle flash locations and activated night vision mode.
Then he holstered the revolver and drew out a rifle.
Tat-tat-tat-tat—
The underground garage became chaotic.
John fought aggressively.
No choice, Kuang Xin was really on the brink.
His external bleeding was only treated in the simplest manner, and internally, the situation was very dire.
Another shock, and it would be over.
He moved while shooting, hiding only when his magazine was about to run dry to reload.
After equipping subdermal armor, he indeed became daring.
The kill efficiency doubled as well.
John’s mind had been uploaded with a military chip; every gun was decently modified and equipped with top-notch modules.
The pyramid hierarchy within the Owl Town gang was quite severe.
These thugs, although menacing, had prosthetics no stronger than street-grade; their tattoos and metal arms only appeared intimidating without any shooting advantage in the underground garage.
John occasionally felt a throbbing pain.
Bullets piercing through his body armor, even if passing through the layers, would be firmly stopped by the subdermal armor.
At most, leaving a minor bruise and a small blood spot.
John pressed forward as he shot.
The magazine emptied again, and suddenly, a few thugs wielding samurai swords appeared.
They had the standard Owl Town look:
Embedded goggles, pressure release valves on their arms’ sides, wearing various colored open-chest shirts to expose full-body tattooed synthetic leather.
Metallic glimmers flickered in the air.
[このばか野郎 (...fool!)]
[くだばれ (Go to hell!)]
John routinely took a hostage, retreating to the corner.
He blew out two heads with the revolver and then kicked the human shield forward, pulling out a Butterfly Knife in a desperate struggle with one of them.
Squish, squish...
Given the Butterfly Knife’s weapon length, closely engaging with someone rarely produced the sound of metal clashing.
Its advantage lay in efficient killing and portability.
John first seized one person’s wrist, slashing at the prosthetic joint multiple times, temporarily disabling their combat ability before finding a vital spot to stab.
He didn’t have the time to confirm the victim’s condition, quickly dodging a swing attack.
Then lunged at the last person...
Directly knee-kicking and knocking them to the ground.
Taking advantage of their slow reaction, he mauled and stabbed without needing special techniques.
Striking the head, heart, and neck a few times would end the fight.
[Oulos Grenada [Unread Message]]
[Get on the shuttle, go to the surface parking lot, no matter what, protect Kuang Xin’s life.]
The message seemed hastily composed.
Broken into several segments.
John carried Kuang Xin onto the circular shuttle, just as the autonomous hovercar started up...
Another new message arrived.
[Sh*t, leave the garage immediately, now!]
The message window appeared at the top right of his view.
John’s vehicle slowly ascended the slope, sunlight streaming in from outside.
His synthetic eyes began to auto-focus.
Avoiding temporary blindness.
He spotted a small figure and a flash of light.
Due to some instinct:
John immediately pushed the unconscious Kuang Xin down, his pale cheek pressed against the curved glass.
BANG!
The shuttle’s hood was flipped by the bullet.
John ducked, feeling—countless bullets whizzing overhead.
The seat shattered into pieces, scattering sparks and metal debris everywhere.
Suddenly, the gunfire stopped.
John instantly opened the car door, rolled out, and hoisted Kuang Xin back onto his shoulder.
A terrifyingly robust figure appeared on the tracks.
Armored·Behemoth.
Pushing a four to five-meter-wide moving shield, blocking all incoming bullets.
This thing was originally debris at the end of the runway—during the years when the airport was still in use, it was meant to help out-of-control planes decelerate.
The thickness and defensive capability are absolutely unquestionable.
Creaaak!
A car suddenly stopped beside him.
The driver’s seat opened automatically, the control panel lit up, and the autonomous driving indicator turned off.
Oulos’s voice came from the speaker.
"Get moving!"
John dared not delay.
He tossed Kuang Xin into the passenger seat, spun around on the spot, and left the gunfight scene. Only through the rearview mirror did he clearly see the guy who had attacked him earlier.
"F*ck, Longchuanzawa?"
Back when John went to Sakura Cross Street to rescue Gino, he’d run into this Owl Town gang executioner.
He was currently wearing heavy armor, with his face protected by a thick helmet, and a military-grade skeleton was connected to a heavy machine gun.
The bullets flew over.
Da, dada.
John felt the trunk get hit and immediately made the rear of the car sway to avoid the gunfire.
The barrier at the end of the runway turned green at the last second.
The red laser interception net turned off.
John drove the car through.
At that moment, several vehicles from the Owl Town gang emerged from the roadside, but instead, he felt a slight sense of relief.
Under normal circumstances with vehicles...
A highway chase is much safer than being cornered in a building.
Oulos’s voice came through the speakers again, "Drive straight into the city."
"There are tails behind, I can’t handle them now."
"I’ll take care of it. Just don’t get shot to pieces. As long as you cross the inner ring checkpoint, someone will help you. Go to the address I gave you, and contact me after dealing with the Owl Town gang."
[Mission Objective Updated]
[Withstand the pursuit. (Optional)]
[Reach the private clinic. (Not Achieved)]
John was skeptical.
He was currently driving a black business car.
In terms of performance, it didn’t have the powerful power and speed of a supercar; he could only rely on various drifts and lane changes to disrupt the pursuers’ rhythm.
The chase didn’t last long.
John reached the nearest checkpoint, and beyond it counted as leaving the suburban area.
The officers had set up a formation at the road’s end.
John’s car just arrived:
The barrier and hovercar withdrew themselves, red and blue flashlights and interception devices all activated, targeting the gang members in hot pursuit.
"Your government connections are solid."
He couldn’t help but quip, "These checkpoints aren’t something intermediaries like you keep up, are they?"
There was no sound from the speakers.
John reached the bustling commercial street.
He drifted directly into an underground garage, where he saw the stretchers and medical staff prepared.
They immediately performed emergency treatment:
This group of people had no identifying marks, and the scan results showed they were related to Gaia Cells.
They should belong to an affiliated organization.
They prepared something resembling a bathtub, filled with medicine, and two doctors with surgical prosthetics put their hands in to examine the wounds.
The solution turned red.
Kuang Xin’s life was saved.
"Member ID EDUS: 002242, confirmed received and emergency measures initiated, biochemical gel immersion pool used, currently administering adrenaline 95, dopamine..."
They directly lifted him into the elevator.
The metal doors closed.
Armed security personnel blocked the path, looking at John with the gaze of someone seeing off a guest.
John drove the car back onto the road.
After driving a bit, the steering wheel lost control, and the car started driving steadily along the roadside by itself.
A large sum of money was transferred into his account.
At the same time, Oulos’s voice also came through the speakers.
"Well done, babe, the extra money is hush money. I kept my partners safe, and when Kuang Xin wakes up, he’ll reach out to you. It’s definitely more reliable than a tie clip."
"I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between you and the tie clip."
John was calm.
He lifted his hand to rest on the driver’s seat, not looking like someone who’d just come out of a storm of bullets.
Oulos laughed lightly.
"I’ve arranged for people to clean up the scene, you’re very professional. When Kuang Xin wakes up, he should pay you another sum as a reward for not disturbing the guests."
She paused slightly.
"A congressman’s wife got tied up in the lounge, she’s a little disappointed... what’s up, John?"
"It was an emergency."
"She likes your looks and style. If you’re interested, have Kuang Xin help you get in touch. He’s really good at that sort of thing."
The call ended.
The vehicle came to a stop.
John got out on his own, standing by the roadside, watching the vehicle disappear into the distance, waiting for a motorcycle to pick him up.
[Mission: Kuang Xin’s Hot Party (Completed)]
[Reward: Compensation, Extra Bonus (Pending)]