[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-397":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151888,1495,"Chapter 397 - 369: Opponent","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-397",397,"\u003Cp>Only three mercenaries remained: Lucas, Anna, and Hardcore Uncle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first two were captured by David on the night of the raid; the latter had been previously caught by the trio from Burger King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The identities of Lucas and Anna were clear, while Hardcore Uncle’s was still not very evident—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon Lille got his identity information from Blais:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man had been involved in multiple conflicts on the border between the European Union and the Su Federation, and compared to city mercenaries, he was closer to a battlefield mercenary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also where the whole of Europe differed from special cities like Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of their conflicts took place at the borders, and since they merely had strong combat abilities, the jobs they found tended to be of this type.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those mercenaries who were efficient, quick-witted, skilled, and capable of meeting the requirements of special missions managed to scrape by in the cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Lille had captured him on Martin Luther Street Avenue, he had been in this tiny basement for almost a week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each day, he was given only the essential nutrients for survival through an automatic injector, relatively speaking, in a state of hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Lille had knocked him out through hacking, the damage to his neural components caused him to experience slight brain fog when thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the door, he was stunned momentarily, suspiciously staring at the door. But when he saw Anna and Lucas thrown in, his heart sank—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s all over, a complete wipeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille looked at the last three surviving enemies and felt somewhat emotional:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If these mercenaries had been more efficient in cooperation, things might indeed have been different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did the mercenary gang really stand no chance? Of course not; on the contrary, they had many opportunities for victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First was the robbery case at Dew Hotel; if they had only wanted to kill the sergeant, they would have succeeded long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they wanted to take out Burger King as well, and as a result, the battle was over too quickly. The traitor from Six Street Gang and Hardcore Uncle didn’t even last 30 seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the temporary commander had decided to continue with the ambush at that point, at least one of the three from Burger King would have been seriously injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was a retreat, immediate unity and retreat without revealing their backup plan would have given them plenty of room to maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a pity that they chose the worst possible move each time, causing their chances of winning to plummet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, they were just too amateurish. The gang was more likely a team hastily pulled together by Munemasa and the original leaders, and the captain couldn’t suppress the others at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were mercenaries from all over the world, with similar reputations and skill levels, and even a slight disagreement would lead to severe consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hardcore Uncle watched dully as Lille shut the door—no one else was behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only... Only these two survived?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, the three of you might not be the strongest in that group, but you’re definitely the luckiest. Congratulations,\" Lille said as he patted his hands and sat opposite Hardcore Uncle, folding his arms, \"We’re all mercenaries, so I’ll get straight to the point. How much do you know about your client?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not much.\" The man shook his head, feeling a chill in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they didn’t see eye to eye, there were no newbies in the temporary team, all of them were seasoned veterans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only three survived?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s a ruthless hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, he suddenly jerked, as if certain information had dispelled the brain fog, stimulating his brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurriedly added, \"I only know his name was Munemasa, and he promised me a great gun, the one you guys took away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s all,\" Hardcore Uncle shook his head in a tragic manner, with a bitter smile, \"Damn, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have taken the job.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if trying to make Lille feel his information was of some value, he wracked his brain, recalling the details of his arrival in Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I arrived in Night City two weeks ago, unfamiliar with the place and couldn’t find a suitable middleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to offer me a job was Su Petrochemical, I suspect they’d had their eye on me since I crossed the border, Su Ka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know if it’s the same here, but I had no intention of accepting their commission in a strange city right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I planned to make a name for myself first, then find a middleman to help me, and that’s when Munemasa came knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sounded like a Japanese, offering a very generous reward, and promised me a very nice pistol in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could refuse something like that? I decided to take on a job with him first but then got entangled with you guys...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother, I really respect you guys, we’re all mercenaries, there’s no need for total annihilation, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve taken the gun, how much cash do you have left?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Transfer: +13042 Euros]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Balance: 23042 Euros]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tough uncle very sensibly transferred the money over, odd and even amounts included.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille thought for a while but still had no intention of wiping them all out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, everyone is a mercenary, and since the battle is already over, there isn’t really any deep hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of deep hatred...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille suddenly asked, \"No close friends of yours among the dead?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tough uncle hesitated for a moment, sensing danger in the air, as if admitting he had wiped out his friends would have this kind-eyed, kind-hearted young man sending him to meet them in the next second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after thinking about it, he decided to clarify as much as possible: \"Uh... no close friends, but there was someone I knew. If you’re sure he’s dead—that sniper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tough uncle continued, \"His real name is Simon Keskisyrja. We weren’t friends, but we faced off many times. I dare say he was the most troublesome sniper I have ever seen, the moodiest Finn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you put your life in the hands of your own rival?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The broad-shouldered man smiled, this time not a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, there was a kind of... subtle manly pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The more I couldn’t stand that moron, the more I trusted him to back me up,\" he said, becoming somewhat downcast, \"but unfortunately, it looks like I lost this time. If I could have held out a little longer...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could have lasted a little longer, things might have turned out differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he was still a respectable opponent—honestly, the sniper’s irritability had made Lille question his professionalism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, everything made sense: The sniper clearly had a nuanced attitude towards his old rival as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also deeply trusted his old rival to complete the mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille asked one last question, \"He seems to have killed some bigwig. Do you know what happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I do.\" The tough uncle nodded, \"A noble ran over his daughter with his car on the street, and was acquitted in a private trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took action—it even took him a very long time to find out that the killer was that noble. I remember the noble had a wife, but he messed up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you know this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once we faced off along the Finnish border, chasing each other in the snow for 14 days. In the end, I killed his employer’s men, and he killed mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one paid, so we shook hands and made peace—because if we didn’t go back for a prosthetics doctor, we would both have died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was boring on the way back, so we chatted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tough uncle paused, \"So how did he die?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I emptied three rounds, he was about to fire the fourth when I took him down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tough uncle chewed on these words and then slowly said, \"Then I lost fair and square.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Blais: The car has arrived.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille took one last look at the three men: \"If that’s the case, we’re square. I can introduce you to a few middlemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I still have to remind you... Night City is different from other places, and, you owe me a favor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1384,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.803Z",1,"novelbin.me","57b1380f842d7020d78a02efa66f51bc08fbf66853916adeb8c69ffe37f28b1f","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-398","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-396",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]