The power of Sannuo

Where the hell did this take me?

Chen Nuo lay on the pure white floor, a head full of question marks.

"Get up, what are you still lying there for?"

A voice came from above. Chen Nuo looked up and saw a hand extended in front of him. He instinctively grasped it, and in an instant, countless memory images exploded in his mind like fireworks.

However, this didn't shock Chen Nuo at all. On the contrary, he absorbed and assimilated all these memories at the same time.

As if they had always belonged to him.

"Now you know what's going on, right?"

The voice sounded again. Chen Nuo stood up and looked at the person wearing a Pilot helmet in front of him, knowing he was another version of himself from a different world.

"I knew it. Someone as handsome as me must be the protagonist."

Cyber Chen Nuo couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth. After waiting so long, his cheat had finally come online.

"Could you put some clothes on first?"

Titan Chen Nuo was speechless. Although they were all Chen Nuo, their bodies were different. He really couldn't stand seeing a naked man standing in front of him.

"Sorry, sorry."

With a thought, Cyber Chen Nuo manifested the clothes he usually wore onto his body.

Only the consciousnesses of the Chen Nuos could enter this pure white space. Changing their outward appearance slightly was easily done.

Besides Titan Chen Nuo, there was another Ghoul Chen Nuo present.

Don't get the wrong idea. Ghoul Chen Nuo wasn't a Ghoul; he was a trainee Investigator who hadn't graduated yet.

He looked a bit older than Cyber Chen Nuo, with the same handsome face but a completely different style. He was all muscle, much taller and bulkier, clearly an athlete.

Too bad his skin was a bit too pale, otherwise he'd be invincible.

As for Titan Chen Nuo, he was originally just a rifleman. But due to an investigation mission, he accidentally became BT's proxy Pilot and was now alone on an alien planet continuing an unfinished task.

"Wait, then where's Cooper?"

Cyber Chen Nuo asked in confusion. From Titan Chen Nuo's memories, he couldn't find any trace of that legendary Pilot.

"What if I told you, I am Cooper?"

Titan Chen Nuo crossed his arms, his expression hidden under his helmet. His voice came from inside, slightly distorted but inexplicably cool.

"Then it's over. The Resistance is doomed. Might as well surrender."

Ghoul Chen Nuo spread his hands, offering a silent tribute to the Resistance.

"Stop telling the truth. We're all on the same side; give me some face."

Cyber Chen Nuo chimed in.

Titan Chen Nuo snorted disdainfully. At first, he had thought the same thing. With Cooper gone, having him play the legendary Pilot was indeed a bit laughable.

But now, with the cheat activated, the situation was completely different.

Who's the legend?

I am the future legendary Pilot!

Unfortunately, only two small fries had shown up so far, with legs thinner than his arms. He'd probably have to keep lying low on the alien planet for a while longer, waiting until he could latch onto a big shot before emerging to counterattack IMC... The roar of a rocket taking off woke Chen Nuo from his sleep, the soaring flames dyeing half the sky orange-yellow.

His apartment faced the Moonport, and he was woken up by the sound of rocket launches every few days.

Chen Nuo got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror, looking at his completely transformed body, confirming he wasn't dreaming.

Although there was no obvious change in physique, every inch of muscle had become a meticulously carved work of art, containing astonishing power.

Having superimposed the other two versions of himself, Chen Nuo could now be considered a man with the Power of Three Chen Nuos.

If based on Cyber Chen Nuo's physical fitness as the baseline, it would definitely be more than three, since he was the weakest of the three Chen Nuos.

But now, after the mutual superposition, the physical strength of all three Chen Nuos was completely identical, so there was no need to differentiate further.

"This sense of power is truly amazing."

Chen Nuo threw a series of jabs at the mirror, the air making dull sounds under his punches.

This level of power was no less than those Edgerunners who had replaced their limbs with gorilla cyberware. Combined with agility and speed far beyond ordinary people, he could really use gorillas as punching bags.

Moreover, what Titan Chen Nuo and Ghoul Chen Nuo brought wasn't just their physical fitness, but also their memories and instincts.

After all, although Titan Chen Nuo was just a rifleman, he was one who had completed Resistance combat training, fought on planetary battlefields, and jumped from the atmosphere.

As for Ghoul Chen Nuo, what he learned at the Investigator Academy was all about how to fight and kill Ghouls, and he was very proficient with various cold weapons.

One Chen Nuo might be a bit weak, but three Chen Nuos combined, not to say he could avoid beef in Night City, at least he had the right to skip the cilantro.

If he went back to the subway where they first met now, Chen Nuo could pin Lucy to the ground, pull up her suspenders, and give her butt a good spanking.

"Awesome!"

After going through a set of military boxing, Chen Nuo felt refreshed all over, as if he had vented all the frustration of these past days.

Although his strength had skyrocketed, it was still within the realm of carbon-based lifeforms, so it was best to keep lying low.

Chen Nuo glanced at the pistol on the workbench, walked over, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand. Looking at the neon lights a hundred meters outside the window, he inexplicably felt confident he could hit them with one shot.

This wasn't just due to Titan Chen Nuo's memories of using firearms, but also the control brought by the exponential increase in various physical attributes.

"Omaha series pistol, the modifications are a bit rough."

The moment Chen Nuo touched the pistol, various related pieces of information burst forth in his mind, followed immediately by inspiration for modifying it.

If Chen Nuo were to take the Arasaka Academy entrance exam now, his current intelligence results would far exceed the minimum requirements to become a Netrunner; he'd probably get a special admission.

Did Chen Nuo not learn Netrunner skills because he didn't want to?

It was because his intelligence at the time wasn't sufficient to support his desire.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Nuo disassembled Lucy's pistol into its various components, his fingers moving as if they could dance.

This wonderful state of eye, mind, and hand coordination was something he had never experienced before.

Chen Nuo took out his toolbox from under the table and carefully cleaned the dirt from the pistol parts.

At the same time, he checked each component for wear and tear to see if any needed replacement.

The Militech Omaha pistol series might seem a bit low-end, but that was just intentional camouflage.

Hidden inside the gun body was an Electromagnetic Rail System, and what it fired weren't ordinary bullets but Solid Metal Projectiles, with quite impressive power.

A moment later, Lucy's pistol was maintained and reassembled.

It wasn't much different from before, since the Omaha didn't have much room for modification anyway. It was more about meticulous polishing and replacement of internal parts.

Loading the bullet, the slide glided over the barrel extremely smoothly. Ejecting the bullet and pulling the trigger, there were still no issues.

"Three hundred Euros for my current technical services, Lucy, you really got a great deal."

Chen Nuo shook his head, his tone quite smug. Holding the gun, he suddenly felt the urge to go out and test it.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gone out after dark."

Thinking this, Chen Nuo didn't hesitate. He filled the magazine with bullets, changed into a new hoodie, tucked the pistol at his waist, pushed open the door, and left the apartment.

Night City, here I fucking come!

...Optical Pollution filled every corner of Japantown.

This place is separated from Night City's most bustling Corpo Plaza by just a single bridge. Looking slightly further, one can see towering corporate buildings.

During the day, this area is always packed with tourists. Compared to other parts of Night City, it is to some extent a 'safe' and 'clean' sightseeing spot, as long as you carefully avoid the members of the Tyger Claws.

However, when night falls, you need to be more cautious.

Alcohol and drugs have also saturated this area, with killings and crimes serving as nightly entertainment.

The deafeningly loud music and various decadent sounds are enough to drown out hysterical cries for help.

Even gunshots don't sound jarring here.

Lucy clutched her abdomen, squeezing her way out of the wild and frenzied crowd, her expression pained as blood seeped through her fingers.

But compared to the feeling of being betrayed, this physical pain was nothing.

The bullet had been fired from behind, passing straight through from the front, not causing fatal damage.

Moreover, Lucy had just used a Full-Heal Type 1 injection, whose rich analgesic and hemostatic effects were kicking in, easing the tension in her brow.

If she could just get through the alleyway ahead, Lucy could board the city rail and escape. What unsettled her was that there wasn't a single homeless person in sight on this path.

Just as Lucy was about to turn back, a familiar voice stopped her.

'Almost let you get away. That last move was pretty vicious, considering we were partners before. I was only planning to dismantle your cyberware...'

The man's response was the sound of a Monowire slicing through the air.

But this time it didn't hit. The man had been prepared, stepping back as soon as Lucy made her move, or his remaining hand would have been gone too.

'Enough useless talk! Hurry up and grab this chick so I can have some fun. Damn, she's so hot—I bet even the girls at Clouds can't compare.'

A rough voice came from the other side. It was a pale-skinned man, shirtless and wearing an apron, with two mismatched cybernetic hands. The translucent mask on his face marked him as a Scavenger.

Besides him, there were several others, all clearly Scavengers by their attire, their eyes gleaming with greedy red light as if analyzing a piece of meat on a chopping block, deciding which part was more valuable.

A Cyber Netrunner like Lucy would inevitably be equipped with neural system cyberware. Even the lowest-grade ones could fetch a high price, not to mention her figure and looks.

Even sold by weight, she'd command a good price.

Normally, these Goblin-like Scavengers wouldn't actively attack a Netrunner—the risk is too high. But this time, someone had taken the initiative to lead a collaboration.

Lucy's face darkened as she instinctively reached behind her back, only to find nothing. She then remembered she'd given her pistol to Chen Nuo for maintenance.

Now she was really in trouble.

Lucy's Monowire was just ordinary.

Though its lethality was strong, it required charging and warm-up, preventing continuous attacks. Against the current number of enemies, it was almost impossible to help her escape.

The same limitations applied to her Netrunner skills. These people wouldn't give her enough time to initiate an intrusion.

Beyond that, Lucy had no other means of attack. Her own modifications weren't extensive, not much different from an ordinary Cyber Netrunner.

It wasn't entirely Lucy's fault for exposing her hiding spot. The man in front had planned it, deliberately having Scavengers search nearby to pressure her. Combined with the good cooperation from previous times, which had made Lucy let her guard down a bit, she revealed her location.

What awaited her wasn't backup from a companion, but a bullet from behind.

'Lucy, stop struggling. Don't worry, I'll definitely...'

Before he could finish, three bullets pierced through the man's forehead, blowing his skull open.

The sudden gunshots stunned the Scavengers present. Before they could react, the gunfire continued, each bullet precisely piercing a skull.

Guns in Night City sure pack a punch.

The power of a pistol rivals that of a heavy machine gun.

After all, everyone here modifies their bodies, installing various cyberware. The recoil of a pistol isn't even considered in the design.

The Scavengers fell one after another like dominoes.

However, when a bullet struck the forehead of the apron-clad shirtless man, it only tore off a layer of scalp, revealing the thick alloy skull beneath.

'Didn't expect that, did you? I...'

The apron-clad shirtless man laughed triumphantly, but before he could finish, the next bullet passed through his throat, cutting off the rest of his words.

Yet the apron-clad shirtless man still didn't die. The bullet had only passed through his jaw, tearing open a large area of muscle, exposing pale bone and bloody, mangled flesh, but it finally lodged in the steel-forged spine.

This guy had undergone extensive cybernetic modifications to his body.

'Quite thick-skinned and tough.'

Chen Nuo holstered his pistol, mainly because he was out of bullets. Ignoring the apron-clad shirtless man charging at him with a saw-blade, he scanned the surroundings.

'Watch out!'

Lucy shouted anxiously, flinging her Monowire to block the apron-clad shirtless man. Unfortunately, she was a bit slow; the wire only cut through a bit of his skin.

Just as the apron-clad shirtless man's raised saw-blade was about to fall on Chen Nuo, a steel pipe stabbed into his cybernetic eye, instantly sparking. The immense force simultaneously pried open the steel skull.

The apron-clad shirtless man's heavy body slumped powerlessly to his knees.

'So dirty...'

Chen Nuo shook off the sticky substance on his hand with disgust, not wanting to dwell on what it was.

Lucy slowly came to a stop, halting about a meter in front of Chen Nuo. Looking at this face that was still the same, she inexplicably felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity.

'Where did all that usual cleverness go? If I hadn't just run into you on my way out, I might've only seen you in a XBD next time.'

Chen Nuo spoke up, breaking the silence between them. Hearing this, the unfamiliar feeling that had just arisen vanished completely. Lucy retorted defiantly.

'If my gun weren't with you, I would've dealt with these disgusting rats long ago.'

'Heh.'

'What does 'heh' mean! You don't believe me?'

Lucy felt mocked, especially by Chen Nuo, who she'd once pinned against a wall. Subconsciously, she closed in on him as before, just about to rise on her toes when a warm hand pressed down on her head.

'At a time like this, you should be saying thank you.'

Chen Nuo leaned down slightly, taking the dominant position.

Times had changed; offense and defense had switched!

Lucy's fair face flushed visibly, as if overheating, nearly steaming. Biting her lip for a moment, she finally forced out two words with effort.

'...Thank you.'

'What did you say? I didn't hear clearly. Too soft. Could you speak up? You didn't talk like this before. Did you leave your vocal cords at home in your rush to go out?'

Chen Nuo tilted his ear, cupping his hand like a megaphone.

'Thank you—!!!'

Lucy seized the chance, grabbing Chen Nuo's earlobe and pressing her mouth close, shouting so loudly it nearly shattered his eardrum.