Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 97: Werewolf.

Dante’s face twitched, and his expression almost changed. Serious. He had to remain serious. This is a serious situation, and he was a serious person. He seriously couldn’t laugh at someone else’s appearance, no matter how ridiculous they looked. Especially not right now.

Dante looked at the furry man again and felt himself slipping. He then tried to ignore the fluffy-looking white tail and focused on the more important stuff.

The most notable thing was the badge. That, without a doubt, was a BEO officer badge hanging from his belt. It was the genuine article as well, not a holographic image like the one a certain red-haired girl had tried to use before. That meant the man was a hero, and just by looking at him, Dante felt like he could tell what kind of powers he had.

[Threat Evaluation: Level 2 Ascended Genome.] Volcan spoke. [A physical enhancement type. Currently, most of his cells seem to be in a dormant state so the threat evaluation might be subject to change.]

’Ascended, huh...’

Baseline Retention measures the number of human cells they have in their bodies. Basic means more than 90% of the cells in someone’s body haven’t been replaced and haven’t undergone any mutation or genetic modifications. An Intermediate has less than 90%, and an Advanced has at most 50%. An Ascended, however, has no more than 30% human cells, which makes them the closest to a Prime, a person who has 0% human cells i their bodies.

Though widely adapted, the scale was met with a massive backlash when it came out, seeing as it framed being less of a human in an exceedingly positive light. Even now, it’s still used as a tool for discrimination, which is why it is advised that people refrain from disclosing their rating to avoid the risk that might come with it being known.

The furry bastard was an ascended, which meant he was less than 30% human. One could argue he wasn’t human at all, and whoever chose that name for him clearly had a very sick sense of humor.

In the silence that ensued, the brats seemed to recognize the stranger who had barged in just in time to stop them from committing a grave mistake.

"It’s... It’s Werewolf..." Flinn muttered, his hold on Derick’s arm weakening.

"It can’t be..."

"It’s... It’s really him..."

"It’s Werewolf!"

Life returned to the one by one, but when the white haired man glanced over his shoulder, his blue eyes glowing with rage, they all realized that he wasn’t there just to save them.

’Hey, Volcan,’ Dante said internally. ’Mind looking up who this guy is?’

[Done.] The AI spoke not a second later. [His name is Werewolf. A hero working under the BEO branch in Neo-Vatra. He and his team have recently been assigned to Moonstone due to an increase in EI incidents in the district.]

’... Damn it, Victor...’ Dante clicked his tongue. ’Why the hell didn’t you say anything about this!

An entire hero team was in the area yet his fixer, who’s supposed to be an info broker as well, failed to mention it even once. Did he think it wouldn’t be a problem, just because the gig involved giving a bunch of kids a spanking?

’For fuck’s sake...’

"Hey! L-let’s get out of here!" Brandon said. That guy was without a doubt the brain of the group.

"Wha- are you insane!!?" Flinn hissed back. "It’s Werewolf! We gotta watch him kick that guy’s ass!"

"You want to get arrested!? Fine! I’m getting outta here!!"

Not even trying to hide it, the hero chose that moment to face forward and keep his eyes on Dante. Taking it as his chance, the first kid carefully moved away from the others then took off after crossing a short distance.

His friends watched him go then looked at each other and quickly came to a decision. As much as they would’ve liked to stay and watch the hero do his job, especially after what they had just gone through, it was simply a bad idea. Depending on what he saw, chances were that they were going to get into trouble themselves, even though they were clearly the victims.

Flinn got up first, then Kevin followed. Rayan hesitated at first but then took off as well. The only one who didn’t move was Derick.

’Volcan, shut down their bikes.’

[Will do.]

Now that things have escalated and a hero was involved, a 2000G was far from enough. Dante had planned on taking just the shiny new toy Mr. Rich Guy got for his birthday, but now he was going to keep all five, sell four of them and ride the last.

But first, he had to deal with the furry bastard in front of him.

’Should I just kill him?’

Dante studied the hero once more. Though he was wearing seemingly normal clothes and not the usual spandex bodysuit, everything looked rather tight, stretched to the limit by his bulging muscles.

Black was his favorite color, and his sleeveless shirt appears to have a purpose other than being just a fashion choice. It was a bit difficult to notice, but his arms seemed to be larger than they should be with a thick layer of white fur covering their surface, going all the way up to his shoulders. His hands were quite big as well.

[He possesses a transformation ability.] Volcan spoke as if reading Dante’s thoughts. [It allows him to take on the traits of an extinct species known as the dire wolf. Currently, he is in his second form, which grants him a significant boost in stamina and agility. He is proficient in several types of martial arts and uses his claws and fangs as his main weapon.]

’Is that so...’

In the corner of his eye, Dante watched as the first of the kids was now struggling to start his bike. The others soon reached theirs and experienced the same problem, adding to the panic rushing them. In the end, the smartest among them figured out what was going on and gave up on his ride. The rest followed soon.

Werewolf must’ve understood what happened as well, seeing how he chose that moment to speak up.

"By the authority of the BEO, I’m placing you under arrest." He grabbed the badge from his belt and held it up. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you."

Dante kept his guard up and fixed the hero with a glare.

’Aren’t you going to recommend me an armor?’ He said internally.

[I have analyzed the situation and concluded that you would not want to use one of my armors.] Volcan said.

’Huh, so you are learning.’

[I am a hyper-adaptive tactical defense system, after all. Though if you require a recommendation, I would say Type 5-3 would be sufficient for the situation.]

’So it’s speed I would need, huh?’ Dante smirked. ’You did say he has an agility boost in this form...’

"I take it you are resisting arrest?" Returning the badge to his belt, the furry hero took a fighting stance. "Know that I am allowed to use force to bring you in."

Thinking for a moment, Dante kept his mouth shut. He unclenched his fists and slowly lowered his arms, making it appear as if he was giving up resistance, but soon enough, it became apparent that he was taking a different stance, showing that he was ready for a fight.

The standoff lasted a couple more seconds, but then the hero lunged forward.