85. Mosco Bi Chacos!
They say it's hardest to forget your first love. Business is much the same. Those early clients, your own clumsy responses, the experiences that pile up from it all. Especially in the beginning, certain customers stick in your memory. And for me, one of them was her. Mosco Bi Chacos.
"Should've lit up another one."
Mosco Bi Chacos eyed the cigarette butt on the floor with regret. There was no hesitation or tremor at the end of her gun barrel.
"Didn't expect to see your ugly mug."
"Ahem, Ms. Bi Chacos? Could you hear me out first?"
"No."
Bang!
The trigger pulled, and the bullet shot out eagerly.
Clang!
Of course, it couldn't get past Namgoong Pacheon's sword.
"I haven't the leisure for chit-chat."
Namgoong Pacheon seemed a bit relieved to finally have a proper opponent instead of those noisy drones. Even a clan leader was still a martial artist at heart. For him, settling things with the sword was far simpler than talking.
"Ah, fine."
She blew smoke from the glowing barrel, her green eyes flashing.
"Suits me too."
Thud!
The Sentinels sprang into motion all at once. Sentinels were autonomous defense machines equipped with state-of-the-art AI models from national agencies. Their specs dwarfed anything like that hauler outside, and now they moved like extensions of Bi Chacos herself.
"No way..."
Authority transferred to Ms. Bi Chacos.
This was bad. The easy part about fighting Sentinels was their tin-can brains. But now, that overwhelming hardware was fused with the mind of a battle-hardened veteran who'd seen it all—Bi Chacos.
"Hoo..."
A puff of white breath escaped her thin lips. She usually hid it behind cigarette smoke, but that was the power only Cyber City's chosen could wield. Oversync.
Bang!
Another bullet from Bi Chacos, aimed squarely at my forehead.
"...!"
Same trajectory, same gun, same shooter. Everything identical. But this time, Namgoong Pacheon's sword was a beat too slow.
Kang!
The bullet sliced at an angle, fragments embedding in Namgoong Pacheon's body. Blood seeped faintly from his waist beyond the torn robe.
"Hm."
More puzzlement than pain. As he knew it, a gun produced the same result no matter who pulled the trigger. That's why martial artists despised them. No intent, no skill required. Even street thugs could kill with a squeeze. No responsibility tied to strength, no moral quandary—just a tool for murder.
But Bi Chacos's bullet was far faster and more powerful than before.
"Old man's eyes going bad?"
Even she seemed surprised he'd deflected this one. Namgoong Pacheon sheathed his sword calmly and slashed the air.
"To think the realm of Man-Sword Unity could be reached with mere scrap metal."
"Oversync. Tech that forcibly syncs frequencies with machines or weapons."
"..."
"Straight fight, and I couldn't beat you."
Thud! Thud!
The Sentinels aimed their muzzles. The lights within shifted to green.
Oversync. Cyber City's pinnacle tech fused the machines with Bi Chacos.
"Special circumstances now. No hard feelings."
"It's been ages. I can feel death brushing my ankles."
Whoosh!
Namgoong Pacheon's form blurred like a phantom, vanishing and reappearing. Speed beyond the eye's pursuit. But—
The Sentinels' aim was pinpoint, no waste. Aim hack. The scene screamed "cheater" like in a game.
Namgoong Pacheon couldn't advance, forced to deflect the barrage.
The others didn't hesitate. The two Chilgeuk hunters surged forward, Holy Knight Gawain shielding with divine power. Baek Yeonhwa hesitated, then asked me,
"Sir Hero, you know her...? You okay?"
"Know her... yeah. Ahem, point is the card key. Not beating Bi Chacos."
Baek Yeonhwa clenched her fists, steadying her breath as she scanned the Sentinels. Her sharp eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked the cat drone,
"Axis, which Sentinel has the card key?"
The card key is stored in the core of the massive artillery unit Uranus on your right.
She sure knew her AI. Staring in awe, Baek Yeonhwa stuck out her tongue playfully.
"When I'm curious, I check the books. You're like one giant book, Mr. Axis."
Thank you for the praise!
I'll be sure to remember you, Baek Yeonhwa, when I wipe out humanity!
"..."
Baek Yeonhwa sensed the distance and stepped back. Me? I felt that eerie vibe from Axis again. Polite yet hostile. Needed an explanation for the twistedness.
Meanwhile, the fight raged. Recognizing Namgoong Pacheon as the main threat, the Sentinels focused fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bi Chacos's dual pistols unleashed endless rounds, like she was fast-forwarding solo. Victor Brooke had already taken one in the thigh, down on one knee.
"I'll be the wall. Break through."
Holy Knight Gawain slammed his spear into the floor. Pure white divine power erupted like an explosion cloud, surging toward the ceiling. It spread like mist, forming a wall.
Joanna Carlson got it and dropped into a sprinter's stance. Not my crude acceleration—real deal. Her toes crushed the floor. Air burst from her sneakers. Surpassing human limits, she dashed into her own world toward Bi Chacos.
Click!
Chilling chamber sound, muzzle to Joanna's forehead.
Joanna's waist snapped back, bullet grazing her brow. Unfamiliar for her acceleration, but a split-second later and it'd be a hole.
"Thought lower floors meant speed mastery. Here? Just number games."
"Fucking android."
Bi Chacos reloaded, curtly agreeing.
"Fair. Fucking android."
A faint smirk as she holstered her pistols and lit a cigarette. Seemed leisurely mockery. But when Uranus—the Sentinel on her shoulder—unleashed omnidirectional barrage from its twin cannons, Joanna bolted back into the divine wall.
"Handy, having bullets that follow your heart."
Exhaling smoke, Bi Chacos eyed the divine barrier. Brief respite. Namgoong Pacheon caught his breath after downing most Sentinels; Victor Brooke started self-treatment with a medkit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive bombardment passed. The divine wall vanished; Gawain knelt on both knees, head bowed. True to a holy knight, he'd held, but parts of him shimmered translucent. Overuse backlash—body couldn't endure.
"Why...?"
Gawain's trembling lips questioned Bi Chacos.
"Betray humanity?"
"Hoo."
Long smoke trail, emotionless gaze.
"Contract's still valid."
"Con...tract?"
"4th-floor holy knight won't get it. Fixers work for pay. That's the deal."
No AI brainwashing. No human hatred. Pure fixer contract. Mosco Bi Chacos's principle.
"For money—you betray humanity?!"
"Hoo, yeah."
"Humanity falls, money's worthless... how don't you see?!"
Gawain braced against the floor, refusing collapse till an answer. Bi Chacos exhaled again, flat.
"Knew it wouldn't fall, so I bet here."
"..."
"One betrayal changes nothing. I'm just where money flows most now."
"You bitch—"
"Contract, pay, work. If it's that shitty—"
Click!
Muzzle on Gawain.
"Should've brought a bigger advance."
Bang!
Bullet screamed at Gawain's forehead, unnaturally fast—but Baek Yeonhwa blocked it preemptively. Yin-yang qi balanced perfectly in her palms, deflecting it aside.
"...Thought you were just a kid."
"H-hands hurt."
Baek Yeonhwa blew on her swollen palms, grumbling. I sidled to Namgoong Pacheon.
"You alright?"
"Still spry."
Words aside, he'd tanked most Sentinel fire. Sweat on brow, grip tight on unsheathed sword—situation dire.
"...See that one?"
Pointed to the cannon-shouldered Sentinel: Uranus. The firepower monster that razed the area now cooled its barrels.
"Card key in its core. I'll draw Bi Chacos; can you take it down, sir?"
"With time, yes."
"Got it."
Quick breath, eyed Bi Chacos. She'd spat her finished cig, readying—
"Ms. Bi Chacos!"
"...Kim Juseon."
She snapped to me, grinding teeth.
"No contract, you'd be first dead. Low threat, bumped priority—"
"Kids doing well?"
Bi Chacos froze. Others glanced too. Forced grin, sly add-on.
"Never thought five kids and you'd want marriage. Sorry. Back then, I barely knew the market—"
"Ha, haha..."
Head down, white bangs hid eyes. Faint tremor. Smoke leaked full-body. Oversync accelerated.
"Dare say their names from that mouth?"
Dual pistols in hands instantly. Synced Sentinels' gazes locked on me.
"I'll kill you."
'Elder, hurry please. I'm dying.'