Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 81: Straw

The bounties offered through Red Marking are usually focused on their rival gangs and aren’t posted online. The pay isn’t very high, either, so professional bounty hunters don’t bother with them most of the time, leaving street rats looking to get started to pick them.

Dante had graduated from Red Marking at one point, and since it left him with few good memories, he was reluctant to go back to it. His feelings hadn’t changed, but right now, he needed to keep himself busy and let out some steam; otherwise, his mind would keep going in the directions he desperately wanted to avoid.

After flipping through the list a few times, Dante picked three targets and copied their files into his NIM. The shopkeeper had finished placing his items in a paper bag, which he then sealed with some tape then placed in a plastic bag. All that was left was paying.

Scanning another QR code on a different tablet, Dante watched as a 750G disappeared from his wallet. With the guns he sold earning him 270G, it would mean that the Blue Berry he purchased, along with the six packs of ammo, cost a whopping 1020G. Though he was satisfied with the purchase, Dante couldn’t help but feel the pinch.

"So, did anything catch your fancy?"

Looking up at the bald shopkeeper, Dante forced a polite smile.

"I picked a couple. Will be back for the cash when I’m done."

"Confident, aren’t you?" The bald man snorted. "Well, don’t get yourself killed, kid."

"Sure."

Placing his newly purchased gun into his armpit holster, Dante then picked the ammo bag and walked out of the Violet Rose.

~[ ]~

After leaving the alley where the gun shop was, Dante picked a quiet corner, sat down, and went about preparing himself for the hunt. The first thing he did was load his new gun. Its magazine held twelve rounds, thirteen if he left one in the chamber.

Once that was done, he focused on it for a couple of seconds, which caused a small notification to appear asking whether he wanted to move it to the Storage. Selecting the [YES] option caused the scanning process to start, and a second later, the gun disappeared from view.

He focused on the E icon in the bottom left corner of his vision next and opened the Equipment screen. Selecting the small box connected to his right hand, which was empty now that he had sold his old gun, he summoned a second screen that displayed the items in his storage.

’... You need to add a way to easily sort through this stuff.’ Dante thought.

[I will work on it.] Volcan replied.

Dante had to admit that he went a little overboard with the relic’s Storage ability. In the last four days, he had placed so much junk in it that now he had to scroll to reach the bottom of the list. He was far from being a hoarder, but it still felt a little too much.

Selecting the new gun closed the screen and caused a pistol icon to appear in the box connected to his right hand. With that done, Dante moved to loading the remaining ammo.

A while ago, he got the idea of storing several spare magazines so he could take one out when necessary. Buying a bunch of mags and too much ammo all at once would’ve looked way too weird, however, so he decided to do it a little at a time. It would have been great if Volcan was able to transfer the bullets straight into the gun, but apparently that was outside his capabilities.

The preparations were complete so it was time to start the hunt. After a short train ride, Dante arrived at Red Cliff, a street in Red Hill that bordered the Red River. The area contributed greatly to the origin of the district’s name as well as that of the river.

Apparently, a long time ago, it served as an execution ground where people were beheaded before being thrown directly into the river. Nowadays, it was just another part of the concrete jungle.

Walking around for a while, Dante arrived at a certain nightclub. This one had no line at the front, and no one tried to stop him when he walked in.

A band was playing live on the other end of the club while a drunk crowd was shifting and undulating their bodies along the rhythm, their numbers showing that the establishment had its patrons, even if it wasn’t insanely popular.

"What can I get for you?"

The bartender, a woman in her late twenties with side-swept hair, asked Dante as he settled at the bar. He scanned the QR code on one of the screens placed around and looked through the menu that popped up on his OAM.

"I will take a beer for now." He said.

"Howitzer or Golden Dew?"

"Howitzer."

Clearly not impressed, the bartender turned around and grabbed a bottle from the nearby fridge. Snapping the cap off, she placed it in front of him and scoffed.

"Do you want a straw with that?"

"Nah, save it for your boyfriend."

Not giving her a chance to reply, Dante picked the bottle and walked away. He had already paid for his drink, deciding not to leave a tip after seeing how rude the bartender was.

Looking around, he quickly located the "don’t talk to me" corner and got himself a spot.

[Alcohol affects cognitive abilities, correct?] Volcan asked just as Dante brought the bottle to his mouth. [Are you sure you should be consuming any alcoholic beverages, considering what you are about to do?]

’Chill. This stuff isn’t made for people to get drunk on.’

Alcohol has never been a favorite of his, but not getting anything to drink at such a place would have been way too suspicious.

’Still no sign of our guy?’

[Currently searching...]

Taking another gulp, Dante looked around absentmindedly. The flashing, colorful lights. The loud, ear-piercing music. The shouting, laughing, and constant chatter. The stench of smoke and excessive perfumes. All of it slowly but surely got on his nerves.

Back in the day, he had imagined himself spending a lot of his time in such places, but after only a few visits, he learned that the lively atmosphere didn’t suit him well, despite what his bright red hair might suggest.

[Dante, I have located the target.] freewebnoveℓ.com

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