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At Panther Fortress, Training Ground No. 3, Jax, who had just finished training alone at the adjacent Ground No. 2, was drinking water and then looked up at the fighting figures in front of him.
"I say, Lucy, when did their relationship get so good?"
Jax couldn't help but ask Lucy beside him. Jax had also been training these past few days. The Shadow Song was already known to everyone, and Shoko even suggested she try it. Jax didn't refuse, but after playing with it for a while, Shoko returned it to Jax.
Her assessment was—quite ordinary.
Ordinary? The Gunblade: Shadow Song is quite ordinary?
Damn it, is this weapon even a technology that should exist in the 2077 era?
Yes, the technology of this era is already amazing. The moon and Mars can already be inhabited, but in reality, after the Blackwall incident, technology has regressed because a large amount of knowledge and data were left in the Blackwall. To put it plainly, there was a discontinuity!
This is also why corporations always send suicide squads into the Blackwall, risking their lives in the old Net world, in cyberspace.
It's for that old but useful knowledge.
Therefore, Shoko believed this was a weapon made with technology from the old Net. The ability to transform was indeed very good, but—
That was all it was.
Compared to heavy weapons, precise smart weapons, or firearms with self-awareness that can talk and chat with their owners... a weapon that can change forms is really nothing.
It can't even talk!
Jax could only say—she doesn't appreciate it!
But the real reason... Jax thought it was probably because of the Shadow Song's binding effect...
After all, besides Jax, anyone else using the Shadow Song would only find it an ordinary weapon, and they wouldn't know how to use it.
But Maine's crew showed strange expressions about it, especially Pilar.
He was the one who designed the gunblade. Didn't he know what kind of weapon he made? But the team members said nothing about it.
Because compared to the gunblade, Jax's body was clearly more peculiar...
Just like Superman from comic stories of the last century!
And why say anything? To cause trouble for Jax?
Listening to Jax's question, Lucy yawned, resting her chin on her hand. The sarcastic beauty seemed to have changed completely after her conversation with Jax that day. To be more specific... Lucy was now more vibrant.
She was still as cold and beautiful, but she now had more of a living person's aura. Lucy was no longer a purposeless walking corpse.
"She seems to really like Rebecca. She said she wants to teach Rebecca how to fight, saying Rebecca's habits have always been too stupid. Rebecca wasn't convinced, so she argued with her, and then, the two of them have been undergoing special training for the past few days."
"What about Maine?" Jax nodded, then asked.
The figures fighting on the training ground in front were Tiger Woman, Maine, and Rebecca.
Tiger Woman was fighting two-on-one, only using part of her cybernetics, but she wasn't at a disadvantage at all. And they were really fighting. Besides not using guns—
and not attacking vital areas, breaking arms or legs... was a perfectly normal occurrence.
Anyway, the medical team at the fortress had explosive technology. As an important base for the first team, the medical equipment and personnel of the Panther team—
their level surpassed that of Night City's Trauma Team.
Therefore, as long as it wasn't immediate brain death, reviving them was easy.
As for the cost, the expenses... Ha, that wasn't something Jax should worry about. It was all paid for by the fortress anyway.
"Maine? He joined in on his own, saying he wanted to gain more combat experience, but I think he actually wants to scam some cyberware back. Oh, Jax, let me have a sip of your water." Lucy said as Jax was watching the fight on the training ground.
Turning to look at Lucy, Jax was a bit confused.
Drink water?
Drink my water?
Why?
Jax: "Isn't there a vending machine over there where you can just tap Tiger Woman's card and get some? And your favorite carbonated drinks."
"I'm too lazy to walk, and I don't drink carbonated drinks every day," Lucy replied.
Jax: "..."
He reached out and handed the water he had drunk to Lucy. Jax then turned his gaze back to the field.
Beside him, Lucy half-held the bottle to her mouth, sipping the water, but rather than drinking, it seemed Lucy was playing with the water... Then, she returned the bottle to Jax.
Jax looked strangely at the water bottle, which hadn't decreased much, and prepared to twist the cap on.
"Aren't you drinking anymore?"
"Didn't I drink half of it?"
Lucy rested her chin on her hand, narrowed her eyes, and suddenly said, "You're still sweating. Drink some more, replenish your body's moisture."
"I'm not thirsty anymore. My water intake is actually quite..."
"No, I think you're still thirsty."
"9
Jax took another sip of water, then glanced at Lucy, who had already turned her gaze forward again.
Her long legs were pressed together, her firm thighs encased in a skin-tight netrunner suit, and her feet, wearing boots, tapped lightly on the floor.
After the Sasha incident, Jax was no longer a novice...
But when exactly did he attract Lucy?
When he first met Lucy, he never really thought about such things... It was just because of his lingering regrets, and because Lucy's hacking skills were also excellent. Anyway... there were all sorts of reasons to invite Lucy to join, but... it was definitely not because he wanted to date Lucy that he invited her to join!
So why was it?
Could it be... could it be that I'm really that handsome?
Or is it that 'natural' goods are just that popular in Night City?
Jax stroked his chin, starting to feel a bit narcissistic.
Damn, actually, I am quite handsome. Although I'm not the tough-guy type, in this era of bulging muscles and everyone looking like Arnie, maybe my delicate pretty boy look can carve out a different path?
"Damn it!"
As Jax was secretly pleased, on the training ground in front, Rebecca plopped down on the ground, tugging hard at her twin pigtails. She furiously yelled at Tiger Woman.
"Can you stop always pushing my head down? Are you showing off your long arms?!"
"You're too short, and your arms are too short," Tiger Woman said with a smile, wiping sweat from her chin with the back of her hand as she looked at Rebecca.
"Go to hell... go to hell!" Rebecca flipped Tiger Woman the middle finger, but surprisingly caught herself at the last moment.
Watching this scene, Dorio, who was sitting on the steps opposite Lucy and Jax, gave an auntie smile, the kind that shows pride in one's growing child.
Yes, Rebecca was indeed very volatile, her temper flaring up like oil, snapping at anyone who provoked her. But in reality—
Rebecca was a very kind, empathetic, and naive girl.
For those who were good to her, she would truly, wholeheartedly dedicate herself to them from the bottom of her heart.
And Rebecca had sensed Tiger Woman's goodwill towards her.
Otherwise? Why would such a high-level combatant, who might not be at the world's top but was certainly an elite frontline warrior, inexplicably help her train?
Therefore, Rebecca really couldn't curse at Tiger Woman like before.
"Alright, go take a break. Remember to come to the training ground after dinner tonight." Tiger Woman reached out and ruffled Rebecca's head, which earned a furious shake of Rebecca's head.
"Don't treat me like a child!"
Rebecca said, annoyed.
Tiger Woman just smiled, then walked out of the training ground.
On the other side, Dorio's gaze shifted, and she saw Jax and Lucy sitting very close. Seeing this, Dorio showed concern.
She had just seen Jax and Lucy share a bottle of water. Actually, there was nothing to it... it was just drinking from the same bottle. Would anyone really emphasize that it was an indirect kiss?
Damn it, if such a stupid phrase could even be brought up, Dorio would punch someone.
But... it was different when it came to Lucy.
She was extremely exclusive. Forget sharing a bottle of water; when drinking alcohol, even when excited, she would calmly insist on pouring the drink into a glass. She would even resist if someone else drank from a bottle and then poured it into her glass.
This coldness was even more extreme than Kiwi's.
And it was precisely because of this that Dorio was worried...
Sasha, despite her outwardly sweet and naive appearance, was actually... sometimes quite petty, especially when it came to her possessions... she valued them extremely highly!
Anyway, what does it have to do with me?
Looking at Maine, Dorio thought with a chuckle.
Was she really starting to see herself as the mother of this team?
In Shoko's exclusive netrunner room, Tiger Woman entered after scanning her retina.
Walking over to Shoko, she plopped down, squeezing Shoko's executive chair. Tiger Woman looked at Shoko and said seriously, "That little plugin on Rebecca, are you really not going to remove it for her?"
Shoko was dozing off. Startled by Tiger Woman, she groggily shook her head and woke up.
"It's nothing," Shoko said.
"That's tracking software. That thing is no different from a virus," Tiger Woman said seriously.
Shoko looked up at Tiger Woman, her voice tinged with amusement: "You really like her, don't you? Do you see your past self in her? Because you've been rained on, you want to hold an umbrella for her?"
"Don't change the subject. I'm serious about this," Tiger Woman said sternly.
Everyone in Danger Girl, especially the first-generation Panther team, had lived together for decades, from the Red Era to the end of 2075. They had long since become like family.
Therefore, Tiger Woman wouldn't be polite with Shoko.
"It's really nothing. That plugin is only for tracking. Hmm... if I were to give an example, it's probably like a baby monitor plugin?" Shoko said. She then explained, "Although the plugin is very precise and has personal characteristics, it won't harm Rebecca in the slightest. It's only used to track Rebecca."
"It's like adults at home caring about their children. Ah, a corporate executive's son, does that make sense to you?"
"But she's just an ordinary mercenary. Who would spend so much effort, for no reason, to make such a precise little plugin to tag Rebecca? We're using the highest-spec equipment, personally selected by Dr. Naomi. Even so, when scanning Rebecca, we almost overlooked it, thinking it was original compatibility software in Rebecca's body."
"Hmm... hacking and medicine are two different things. To you, that thing is very complex. To me, it's just an interesting, somewhat amusing children's toy," Shoko said thoughtfully.
She wasn't being narcissistic or arrogant. After all, when she was in her teens, she had already hacked into TV stations and corporations, releasing the code of a popular drama online for everyone to watch for free.
To put it plainly, she was a true genius girl. If she hadn't been recruited by Michiko, she would probably be a particularly famous, super-sharp hacker on the streets now?
Damn boss... luring me with Moira!
Shoko thought, finding it somewhat amusing.
"In short, that software was most likely put on her by someone from her team. Don't they have hackers on their team? Lucy and Kiwi are both pretty good, especially Lucy. She's no different from those high-level Arasaka hackers, just a bit lacking in experience.
As for Kiwi... she's too much of a maverick. Her self-taught skills are a bit too skewed; all her skill points are focused in one direction. I remember they seemed to have another hacker? Anyway, as for why Rebecca has this plugin, don't ask me. How would I know? It's not doing her any harm at all, so just leave it."
Hearing Shoko say this, Tiger Woman took a deep breath and said nothing more.
"Alright, you're the expert in this area, I'll listen to you."
Tiger Woman said, and then she was about to say something else, but before she could open her mouth, she heard Shoko let out a soft sound.
"Lala!"
Shoko suddenly sat up straight, reaching out and tapping a few times in front of her. A screen appeared on the large display.
It was a pixelated image, a... concretization of Shoko's cyber world in her mind.
And at this moment, the image on the screen was a huge fortress. Tiger Woman knew that fortress was the Panther Fortress.
"What's wrong?"
Shoko's strange behavior made Tiger Woman curious, and she quickly asked.
Shoko didn't answer Tiger Woman's question, but just swept her hand to the side. Then, the pixelated image changed, and a sneaky pixelated figure appeared.
"Someone is trying to hack us," Shoko whispered.
As her voice fell—
"Beep beep beep!!!"
Throughout the entire Panther Fortress, in all rooms, in all places, a piercing alarm sounded simultaneously.
Tiger Woman's brows immediately furrowed. She instinctively felt it must be Arasaka's people.
"How interesting, hacking me? Let me see who gave you the guts, and what capabilities you have..." Shoko chuckled, turned off the alarm, then zoomed in on the pixelated figure.
The cyber pixelated figure was seen going through levels in her world. The so-called hacker firewalls and security, apart from corporate packages, mostly had elements unique to individual hackers.
And Shoko's world was one of cartoonish, pixelated, 2D worlds.
Stretching her arms forward, yawning, Shoko rocked her executive chair and sat down in front of the oversized, extra-long control panel.
"Come on~"
She was interested.
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