Boxing match

Kidnapping Director Tanaka was the most critical part of Faraday's plan to steal information on the "Vajra" cyberware.

Because all relevant important information was stored in his neural link.

Compared to hacking into Arasaka Corporation's servers, it would be much easier to crack open Director Tanaka's brain.

But how to quietly kidnap an Arasaka high-ranking official was a thorny issue for any veteran Edgerunner.

No one wanted to alert Arasaka Corporation's security department.

The corporation's armed forces were far beyond what the NCPD could compare to.

First, Maine needed to obtain Director Tanaka's travel trajectory, which could be started from his daily luxury car, as it definitely stored Director Tanaka's navigation records.

Don't be fooled by Maine's brawny appearance; when he actually put his mind to it, he was quite sharp and meticulous in his actions.

He set his sights on Director Tanaka's bodyguard and driver, a guy named Maxim.

This man's greatest hobby was gambling at the Animals' underground boxing ring, and after losing, he would go to a nearby shabby tavern to drink himself into a stupor, giving Maine's crew a chance to act.

Before that, however, they needed to consider how to make the popular championship contender, Butcher, lose this match.

"Why is everyone looking at me?"

Chen Nuo was sitting on a nearby sofa, cuddling with Lucy in an affectionate moment, when he noticed the eyes of Maine's crew focused on him with some ill intent.

"Ahem, didn't you know? That fellow Butcher challenged you not long ago."

Maine said with a chuckle, showing a bit of a sleazy vibe.

"There are plenty of people from the Animals who want to challenge me; how was I supposed to know there was one called Butcher?"

Chen Nuo had already seen through Maine's plan; this guy wanted him to fight this boxing match.

Butcher had been a popular fighter for the Animals recently, and many people went to the arena specifically to see her bloody and brutal fighting style.

It was clear her strength was quite formidable; making her lose would be truly difficult for an ordinary person.

Moreover, not just anyone could participate in the Animals' underground arena.

"Don't you want to make a fortune? The betting pool for the Animals' underground boxing matches is quite large."

Maine winked at Chen Nuo, trying to entice him.

"Fine."

Chen Nuo stretched; this wasn't just for the money; the smooth progress of the mission was also important to him.

"That's the spirit. I'll have Dorio help you sign up."

Maine rubbed his fingers excitedly. His cyberware had been reintegrated and replaced by Viktor, and even his cybernetic arms had been swapped for Arasaka Gorilla Arms.

The effect was obvious; Maine felt as if his physical condition had returned to years ago, and his daily dosage of Inhibitors had dropped significantly.

This had cost him a lot of money, and he urgently needed to recoup some funds.

He was already considering how to take out a large loan to bet on Chen Nuo.

As for why he asked Dorio to help, it was because her father had once been a member of the Animals.

To this day, Dorio herself still maintained certain connections with the Animals. Looking at her muscles, one could tell they were the same style as the Animals', likely from injecting plenty of boosters... The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Animals' underground arena was located in an abandoned factory.

It wasn't the kind of wire-mesh ring people usually imagined, but a circular pit several meters deep.

This was a true deathmatch arena where only one person could crawl out alive; that was always the Animals' style.

One could see bleached bone fragments and blackened bloodstains around the arena and on the ground.

The spectator stands above the arena were already crowded with people calling out Butcher's name. With a streak of over twenty consecutive victories, she had left an invincible impression in their hearts and was the heavy favorite to win tonight.

As for the opponent in front of Butcher, he was an obscure, skinny kid. The massive difference in physique made the match seem like a foregone conclusion.

The name BT was not well-known among the general public.

"You are BT?"

Butcher still found it hard to believe that this person before her had defeated ten of the Animals' experts barehanded; his arms weren't even as thick as her forearms, and she couldn't even spot any combat cyberware.

"Haven't you guys already verified it? Stop wasting words."

Chen Nuo was a bit impatient; the feeling of being watched like a monkey in the arena made him uncomfortable.

"I like your attitude. I'll show you how much I 'love' you in a bit."

Butcher grinned hideously and pounded her rock-hard fists.

Come to think of it, the high-ranking members of the Animals seemed to be all female. Could it be that their physical structure gave them better drug resistance, allowing them to build bodies stronger than males?

Chen Nuo thought this as he looked at Butcher, who had few feminine traits left.

"Buzz—"

The sound signaling the start of the match rang out.

Butcher took the lead in attacking. Standing over two meters tall with bulging muscles, her presence was incredibly oppressive.

Her fists, larger than Chen Nuo's head, showed clear signs of modification, with thick metal plates attached to the knuckles.

The force of this punch was enough to cave in a person's head.

It was all the power of technology. These guys in the Animals had biological hormones and even animal supplements flowing in their veins, not treating themselves as human at all.

Returning to primal animality was their gang's philosophy.

Chen Nuo lifted his eyelids and delivered a front kick; an unrivaled force sent Butcher flying back before she could land a blow.

This kick, imbued with the power of four Nuos, would make even Adam Smasher stumble.

If not seen with one's own eyes, it would be hard to imagine the visual shock brought by such a contrast in physique, like a toddler kicking away a sturdy adult.

The previously boisterous spectator stands suddenly fell silent.

Chen Nuo walked slowly to Butcher; now it was his turn to look down at her.

"Cough, cough..."

Butcher couldn't stop coughing, blood frothing at the corners of her mouth. A clear indentation had appeared on her chest; her internal organs were certainly damaged, but with various combat hormones supporting her, she could still maintain enough combat capability.

The brief exchange was enough to make one realize the gap in strength; there was no suspense in this match.

Butcher should have been able to recognize this more clearly than anyone.

"What do you say? Surrender?"

Chen Nuo asked. He had no penchant for slaughter, and the person in front of him wasn't urban scum like the Scavengers.

"Heh, surrender? I can still breathe, surrender my..."

Just as Butcher was about to start spewing profanities, Chen Nuo's fist slammed into her forehead, responding to her determination.

With a bang, the dust on the arena floor swirled up.

Half of Butcher's head was buried in the arena floor; she was now breathing her last.

"Hey, it's over, right?"

Chen Nuo turned to the referee and reminded him.

The hammer signaling the end of the match sounded, and the spectator stands instantly erupted in a mix of angry curses and excitement.

Without looking back, Chen Nuo took hundreds of thousands in cash from the organizers, who looked like they'd lost a parent, and left happily.

This money came a bit too easily; he felt that if he was short on cash in the future, fighting underground matches for the Animals seemed like a good option.

On the other side, Maine's crew followed Maxim to the bar where he was drinking.

Before long, the gambler who had lost at the arena was slumped over the bar, drunk.

Now was the best time to act.

Maine and Kiwi sat in the car at the bar entrance, directing the operation.

Rebecca and Sasha were tasked with stealing Maxim's key chip; the two were old partners.

The process went smoothly. Rebecca's appearance and figure were too harmless, and she didn't attract Maxim's attention at all.

The next step was simply to copy the chip's information.

As long as no accidents happened, everything would go very smoothly.

Maine's crew were, after all, veterans who had been around for years.

Things developed exactly as he had envisioned. After Kiwi got the key chip, she opened Maxim's car door and began stealing the itinerary data inside.

"Oh no, this guy is coming out."

Dorio's sudden voice made everyone's heart tighten.

"I need at least another minute!"

Kiwi responded calmly.

Just as Maine was about to have Rebecca and the others find a way to stall for time, the drunken Maxim didn't notice the person in front of him and bumped right into them, falling heavily to the ground.

"Which blind bastard..."

Maxim spoke subconsciously, but when he looked up and met the eyes of the person in front of him, he sobered up instantly, his teeth chattering for a long time without being able to say a word.

Holy shit!

How did he run into BT here?

Maxim hadn't personally experienced how terrifying this guy was, but as a follower of Butcher, he knew exactly how strong she was.

The image of Chen Nuo taking down Butcher with one kick and one punch had left an indelible impression on Maxim.

"Who's blind?"

Chen Nuo reached out and grabbed Maxim's collar, lifting him up like a little hen. His cold gaze felt like a knife stabbing into Maxim's heart.

"I... I'm the blind one."

Maxim answered with rapid breathing.

Just moments ago, while drinking, he had been cursing Chen Nuo for his gambling loss, but now that he saw the man himself, he couldn't even speak clearly, left only with the instinct for survival.

"Is that all?"

Chen Nuo asked back in a flat tone.

"I'm very sorry, I can compensate you, sir..."

Maxim barely managed to untie his tongue to reply.

"These clothes of mine are very expensive."

"This is all the cash I have; it's all yours."

"As expected of a dog trained by the corporation, you're quite sensible and obedient."

Looking at the 1,543 eddies that had just been transferred, Chen Nuo let go of the other man with satisfaction and patted his head.

Maxim didn't dare breathe heavily; he hunched his body and ran out the door as if escaping, returning to his car. The familiar seat gave him a slight sense of security. Barely calming down, he hurriedly drove away.

Today was truly a disastrous day for Maxim.

Not only did he lose this month's salary, but he also emptied his pockets of the last bit of food money.

But at the thought of surviving Chen Nuo's hands, Maxim felt he had still come out ahead.

Thinking this way, he felt much more comforted.

To be a dog for the corporation, one must learn to self-console.

"Nice job!"

Rebecca jumped over and hung onto Chen Nuo's back, swinging her body happily.

If he hadn't appeared suddenly and stalled for enough time, Rebecca wouldn't have known how to handle the situation.

Sasha looked at Chen Nuo quietly, her eyes filled with tenderness like spring water, but Lucy's sudden intervention blocked her view, making the atmosphere a bit subtle.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you all."

Kiwi walked in and couldn't help but tease upon seeing the scene, which wasn't quite her usual style of speaking.

It was likely out of relief for almost being caught in a trap.

Maine then sent the stolen data to Faraday; what to do next was something for the Fixer to consider.

Faraday seemed very satisfied with the operation, and his tone of voice was slightly less condescending.

"That bastard really knows how to put on an act."

After hanging up, Maine curled his lip in disdain. If Chen Nuo didn't still need to use him, Maine would have cut ties with Faraday long ago.

Using Edgerunners on one hand while treating them as corporate test subjects on the other—it was practically sucking the marrow from their bones.

"That's it for today. Contact me if there's any news."

Chen Nuo waved his hand and bid farewell to Maine's crew, preparing to head to Delamain headquarters to continue the development and iteration of Dabai. It just so happened that Delamain's headquarters wasn't far from here.

"Wait, what are you following us for?"

Lucy asked, looking at Sasha who was following closely behind Chen Nuo.

Sasha didn't answer and turned to look at Chen Nuo.

"Did you forget? I told you last night that I'd have Sasha help refine Dabai's smart chip together."

Chen Nuo spread his hands and explained somewhat innocently.

He was naturally expert-level in hardware, but in software, he had to learn a lot from these two teachers.

Come to think of it, the Japanese-style teacher-student outfits he bought a couple of days ago should have arrived. Tonight, he'd have to let Teacher Lucy whip him into shape. Hehe.

"...Was there such a thing?"

Lucy furrowed her brows, seemingly having a slight impression of it.

She had lost too much fluid last night, and her mind was in a daze; how could she remember so clearly?

Chen Nuo's expression remained unchanged. He knew it was impossible to convince Lucy with words, but that didn't mean he couldn't "sleep-vince" her. The key to solving a problem was always finding the right method. Ever heard of "finding the hidden path"? Don't be so stubborn.

"Alright, let's go."

Chen Nuo took one in each hand and pushed the two of them into the car.

Kiwi nodded as she watched the three of them leave.

Good, it seemed she would soon have the chance to become a regular. Maine was indeed a good captain; he not only had a strong sense of responsibility but also considerable ability, and most importantly, he was generous.

This unknowingly changed Kiwi's original thoughts, making her feel that becoming a formal member of the crew would be a good decision.

"Wait, take me with you!"

Feeling left behind, Rebecca hurriedly chased after them. Maine didn't even have time to stop her. Those short legs ran incredibly fast; that bit of sexy baby fat wasn't for nothing.

"That's their business as a trio; what are you going over there to disrupt?"

"Maybe she's going over to join in?"

Kiwi took out a lighter and lit her slim cigarette.

"...It seems you're right."

Maine thought about it. It was indeed his fault; his impression of Rebecca was still stuck in the past.

Unknowingly, his family's naive cabbage had grown up and started learning how to go after the pig.