He got a clear look at the two groups exchanging fire, and he did not see any gang markings on either side. In other words, they were just street trash that could not even get into a real gang. Even Scavengers would probably not want them.
Killing them would not be worth anything, and might even waste bullets.
"This damn City of Light really is something, shiny on the surface and messy underneath."
He had no interest in dealing with a bunch of punks daring to trade shots with Militech Lexington and cheap disposable pistols. Besides, out of the corner of his eye, he could already see NCPD arriving. NCPD might not be great at dealing with real gangs, but they were more than capable of beating down this kind of riffraff.
"NCPD, stand down!"
With an overly dramatic shout, several officers who had finally found someone they could easily overpower charged at the troublemakers. Most of the NCPD officers were also carrying Militech Lexington, but there were differences even among the same guns. Compared to the cheap Militech Lexington the punks were using, which might jam after a few more shots, the NCPD versions had been personally modified, firing with a loud, crisp sound that reminded Carl of a street popcorn machine bursting open.
Come to think of it, he had not eaten popcorn in a long time. He should have grabbed some before the movie yesterday.
Under the forceful suppression by the NCPD, the punks were either knocked down or arrested within minutes. By the time a steaming bowl of ramen was placed on the counter in front of Carl, everything had already been settled.
He turned his head and looked at the owner, who was back to work as if nothing had happened, and at the customers who had resumed eating. Then he glanced again at the gunfight scene less than a hundred meters away. After a brief silence, he looked at the ramen in front of him, the smell of seasoning stirring his appetite, and decided not to think too much.
Eating came first.
"Our NCPD officers have once again successfully put down a violent gang incident. Let us give our highest respect to these brave and admirable officers who protect Night City and bring safety to its citizens."
With the live broadcast from the official spokesperson who had arrived with the NCPD playing in the background, Carl finished his ramen and felt his stomach turn uneasy. Greasy ramen first thing in the morning really was too much. He rubbed his belly, picked up the two bags of Sushi, and prepared to head back.
Then he noticed someone near the police cordon where officers were handling the bodies. The figure had their head lowered, swaying as they walked, their movements clearly unnatural. For some reason, yesterday's news flashed through Carl's mind.
"The cyberpsycho vanished before the counterterror unit arrived."
The image of the unsteady figure walking toward the NCPD flashed through Carl's mind, and the thought of Cyberpsychosis crossed him at the same time. As that idea formed, the staggering man had already lifted his head. What followed left no room for doubt.
It was a middle-aged man covered in deep scars, looking to be in his forties. His cybernetic eyes rolled upward, the whites showing, with broken mechanical parts exposed around the sockets and flickering with a strange yellow light. It looked like the yellow signal of a traffic light, a warning frozen on his face.
An NCPD officer noticed the strange man approaching and raised a Militech Lexington, about to tell him to move away from the scene. In the next instant, the middle-aged man vanished from sight. The space in front of the officer was suddenly empty.
Carl's pupils shrank as if time itself had slowed down. In that near-frozen moment, the middle-aged man's body stretched into a chain of afterimages as he rushed straight at the officer. Carl wanted to move, but his own body felt unbearably slow.
He could see it clearly, but his body could not keep up. This is Sandevistan?
Not everyone had reactions like Carl, who did not possess Sandevistan but had enough G-Force to perceive it. The NCPD officer only felt his vision blur, and the strange man disappeared again. When awareness returned, pain had already bloomed in his chest.
He instinctively looked down and saw a long, sharp blade shaped like a mantis claw piercing straight through his chest. It had broken through ribs and flesh, emerging from his body, and he could see small red fragments still twitching faintly. For a brief moment, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Is that my heart?
As the thought appeared, the blade was pulled free, and the NCPD officer lost consciousness. His body collapsed heavily onto the ground, motionless.
Mantis Blades!
Carl was the only one present who had seen the entire process clearly, and he recognized the weapon that had pierced the officer's heart. Using Sandevistan to circle behind the target and then driving the arm-mounted blade straight through the heart was clean and practiced. This man knew exactly what he was doing.
Recalling the images reported on television the day before and the bodies cut into pieces, Carl was now almost certain. This was the missing Cyberpsychosis from Kabuki. The pieces fit too well.
"Watch out!"
As Carl finished his analysis, the NCPD officers who had reacted raised their guns and aimed at the yellow-eyed middle-aged man standing there. No orders were needed, and the moment they locked on, the Militech Lexington roared. Bullets poured into the man, but it was clear he had Subdermal Armor installed, and the dense rain of fire only made his body tremble slightly.
At that moment, the mechanical voice of NCPD identification rang out. "Criminal identity confirmed. Patrick Bell. Diagnosis: Cyberpsychosis."
"Damn it, it's yesterday's psycho!"
Amid the fear in the officers' voices, Patrick's eyes flickered, and a strange spark of life seemed to return to him. His body then began to sway again, like a machine with internal damage. Sandevistan activated once more, and only Carl could see the figure connect into a single line that ended like a closing stitch.
Another NCPD officer died.
"Cyberpsychosis!"
The crowd screamed in terror and began to flee. The official spokesperson who had been praising NCPD bravery moments ago abandoned all dignity and scrambled toward the broadcast vehicle to hide behind it. The food stall owner who had been cooking flipped over the counter, and customers who could no longer stomach eating ran desperately toward the megabuildings.
In the chaos, Carl set down the Sushi in his hand. It was not just breakfast for Oliver and Jack Welles, but also contained tofu skin that Carl could eat himself. He could not let it spill.
As the crowd fled, Carl shook out his arms and moved against the flow. He walked straight toward the NCPD officers struggling to fight the Cyberpsychosis. A normal person would have run without hesitation, but Carl was not normal.
He had wanted for a long time to test himself against an opponent with Sandevistan. If he had any desire at all in joining this mess, it was to measure his own ability and see how much he could make. After all, who knew what the bounty on a Cyberpsychosis might be.
Could it reach ten thousand Eurodollars?
Earning money while eating breakfast was not a bad deal.
Even a Cyberpsychosis had to bear the physical strain of using Sandevistan. After activating it twice, Patrick seemed to sense the danger and switched to sprinting toward the NCPD officers to continue his killing. The officers holding Militech Lexington could only shout frantically for the heavy response unit while watching in despair as the Cyberpsychosis advanced step by step through their gunfire.
I have to save up for a better gun when this is over.
That thought passed through the minds of every officer whose bullets bounced off uselessly. Then they saw Carl running forward at high speed, closing the distance.
Not again, seriously?
Just as they feared another possible Cyberpsychosis, they realized Carl was charging straight at Patrick instead. "He's mine. Don't hit me by mistake. I don't have any Subdermal Armor."