"Boss, we're here!"
"Good. Get out. Once we hand this brat over, we're in the clear!"
The leader nodded and immediately got out of the car, eager to drag David out.
Hearing the car door open and footsteps approaching, David tensed up. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder why PROJECT's security patrol still hadn't arrived. Normally, this amount of time would have been more than enough for rescue to show up. This delay felt off.
Whoosh. Clang.
Suddenly, several sharp sounds cut through the air. The moment the mercenaries noticed, multiple energy blades had already pierced through their heads and embedded themselves firmly into the ground.
Boom!
V dropped from above, her landing leaving a large crack in the ground.
Now she understood why other corporations liked adding a heroic landing ability to Berserk Cyberware. It really did look impressive.
After V eliminated them, the team members behind her were more restrained. They used their exoskeleton armor to push off nearby walls before landing lightly.
Rrrrip!
With the sound of metal being torn apart, David's pitch-black surroundings suddenly lit up. When he saw the group in black exoskeleton armor and the PROJECT emblem above them, he froze.
Since when did PROJECT's rescue teams operate at this level?
And that woman in the center… she was clearly a core member of a PROJECT squad.
"Well, looks like this mission was to save you, kid."
V glanced at David with a faint smile.
With the Justice Template equipped, calling him a kid felt completely natural. After all, David hadn't fully grown yet, and even when he did… he wasn't exactly tall. That was before his modifications.
"I'm not a kid. I'm going to join PROJECT corporation in the future. We might even end up as colleagues."
David climbed out of the trunk and spoke up.
"Colleagues?"
V looked him up and down, then shook her head.
"With that kind of build, I doubt you'd handle it."
David choked on his reply, annoyed but unable to argue. His physical condition wasn't great, but he was focused on netrunning. That was normal.
"I specialize in netrunning. Being a bit weak physically is normal!"
"Alright, good luck then, future colleague. We still have a mission to finish. Hey, Grant, take him out of here."
"Huh? Come on, Captain, I'm not good with kids."
The man called Grant scratched his helmet, clearly troubled.
"Then how about sparring with me later?"
"I'll take the kid."
Grant straightened up instantly and walked over, grabbing David in one hand and lifting him up.
He was not scared. He was simply making a rational decision.
"Hey, I'm your customer, you know. Is this how you treat customers? I'm injured too!"
David protested immediately.
"Relax, kid. Our customer is your mom. Gloria already contacted us. When you get back, you're going to have a rough time, so you'd better prepare yourself."
David's expression froze, and he instantly deflated.
As for his so-called injuries, Grant could tell at a glance that aside from a couple of bumps on his forehead, there was nothing wrong.
"Let's move. Looks like we've got a big catch."
V glanced at the building ahead and tilted her head slightly.
"Understood."
The team nodded and rushed inside like shadows. V pulled down her goggles and raised two fingers.
The blades embedded in the ground flew back and reattached to her back. This setup was faster for movement.
Whoosh.
She became a streak of magenta and dashed into the building.
Despite leaving last, she was the first to reach the Scavengers' base.
A Scavenger doctor stepped out to answer a call, only to find V standing right in front of him.
He froze for a split second. Just as he was about to raise the alarm, V pointed at him.
Whoosh.
A red flash passed through, and his head dropped to the floor.
V spread her hands. Several flying blades shot out from her back and hovered at her sides.
"Go."
Whoosh.
The blades pierced through walls, instantly killing several Scavengers hiding behind them. V did not slow down, charging deeper into the base.
The blades orbiting her cut down enemies like a reaper harvesting lives.
As she pushed further inside, her teammates arrived. Seeing Scavengers rushing toward V, they exchanged glances and moved in to intercept.
The commotion alerted several Scavenger leaders inside. They immediately opened cabinets and grabbed their weapons.
MK machine guns, Cheetah shotguns, and other heavy firepower were brought out.
Just as V had said, this was a major operation. Several scattered Scavenger groups had joined forces here to resist PROJECT's purge.
Boom!
The moment they heard V approaching, they opened fire without hesitation, flooding the entrance with bullets.
V stopped instantly.
Taking a deep breath, the blades around her snapped into formation. Magenta energy surged as they began spinning at high speed.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Every bullet that struck was deflected or sliced apart.
"Die, you damn PROJECT dogs!"