Chapter 44: Battle!
Mason sprang from behind the burly man, and while the man's body was still impaled on Johnny's arm, he swiftly closed in, aiming a backhand stab at Johnny's head!
In this era, human life was cheap, and behind the highly advanced technology lay a crumbling social system and cruel, hardened hearts.
Having made his move, Mason didn't hesitate—he intended to kill with a single blow!
Johnny's arm was still spinning inside the man's body. Seeing Mason rapidly closing in, he was startled and frantically tried to pull his arm free.
But the weight of a corpse was pressing down on his hand, and in his haste, he couldn't completely break free.
Mason's physical abilities, twice the human limit, far surpassed Johnny's, and in the blink of an eye, the blade in Mason's hand was already at Johnny's head.
"Stop! Stop it, both of you!" Donnie's shout came from behind.
In this critical moment, Johnny stopped trying to pull his arm away, instead yanking the burly man's corpse closer to use as a shield, and in a flash, slightly tilted his head back.
Thud!
Due to Johnny's obstruction, Mason's blade didn't pierce Johnny's temple, but instead pierced through the joint of his metal jaw.
Mason recoiled, forcefully twisting the blade wedged in Johnny's jaw. Johnny screamed, half his tongue protruding, while Mason seized the opportunity to circle behind Johnny.
With the blade stuck in Johnny's mechanical jaw, Mason simply released it, slithered up Johnny's spine, grabbed the blade with one hand, and forcefully ripped at Johnny's jaw with the other.
Rip!
Accompanied by a piercing metallic scraping sound, the metal jaw, already mangled by the blade, was torn off Johnny's face by Mason!
"Ahhh...!"
Johnny's entire lower jaw from the mouth down was torn off by Mason, revealing a horrifying cavity. He howled, using his freed right arm to stab at Mason.
Mason nimbly dodged Johnny's attack, then plunged the knife along Johnny's shoulder blade, creating a horrific gash.
Just as he reversed his grip, intending to plunge the knife into Johnny's spine, a sudden warning gripped his chest. A gunshot rang out, the knife was knocked from his hand, and another bullet whizzed past his ear, shattering the car window behind him.
"I said stop—didn't you hear me?!"
Donnie's furious roar reached his ears. Mason kicked the defenseless Johnny away.
He saw Donnie holding a pistol, staring at him with a grim expression, his red cybernetic eye flashing as if ready to fire at any moment.
"I didn't want trouble—I was just defending myself,"
Mason protested.
"That's the only reason you're still breathing!" Donnie said coldly, holstering his weapon. Only then did Mason finally feel the pressure lift.
He didn't know the function of the cybernetic eye Donnie had installed, but it was definitely linked to the gun in his hand. Facing an armed Donnie, Mason knew he had no chance of winning.
"Go to the back warehouse and load up!"
"And this matter ends here."
"Ahh...!"
At this moment, Johnny, who'd caught his breath, suddenly stood up, roared, and was about to lunge at Mason.
"Bang bang bang!"
Mason's vision blurred. He didn't even see Donnie draw his weapon, aim, and fire. He only heard a series of gunshots, and Johnny's metal arm was reduced to a pile of scrap metal. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
The cybernetic arm was connected to brain nerves, and after being damaged, the brain would also register pain.
"I said, this is over. If I find out anyone's been working against me behind my back, next time I'll put a bullet in their skull!"
"George, get someone to haul this mad dog away and send him to Dodd. Put it on my tab."
He casually tossed over a paper package. Mason caught it and squeezed it—judging by its thickness, it was at least five times larger than the package he'd received before.
Mad Dog Johnny was Donnie's top enforcer. Although he looked thoroughly beaten by Mason, his injuries were all to his cybernetics—he'd be back operational in less than a night.
And after this incident, he owed Donnie a huge favor, so he should be much more restrained for a while.
As for Mason, although Donnie valued him, he was currently just small-time—a little hush money would suffice.
Later, when he was brought into the Gear Gang, Donnie would not only gain a formidable fighter but also curb Johnny's arrogance—a win-win situation.
Although Mason had accepted the money, he wasn't truly satisfied. The murderous rage Johnny displayed when he left was still fresh in his mind—the guy's mental state was unstable and couldn't be
judged by normal standards. Mason didn't want to be caught off guard and get a blade through the heart from behind.
So Johnny had to go!
However, glancing at the gun in Donnie's hand, he realized he needed to plan carefully.
"Boss Donnie, I'm off to work."
Mason waved the money in his hand, accepting Donnie's resolution—at least on the surface, the matter was settled.
The tasks he had weren't particularly difficult, and the delivery locations were all in the lower city. It seemed Donnie had deliberately arranged them to win him over.
After replacing the car window at the repair shop, Mason loaded up the goods and made deliveries according to the addresses and times. After completing each task, he submitted the assignments on his wristwatch.
All the work was finished around 5 PM. He parked the car and headed deeper into Elm Street.
Border City had three districts, and Mason's residence was on the outskirts of the lower city—the most chaotic area of the entire metropolis.
Although this place is called a city, its actual size is incomparable to any city in Mason's previous life.
It's unimaginably vast.
And the core area of the upper city is built in the sky!
The edge of the lower city is overshadowed by towering skyscrapers, and the entire city is a dazzling, intoxicating dreamscape day and night.
Mason walked in the shadows of the city. Elm Street is a melting pot in the lower city, full of black market trading, back-alley clinics, runners, thieves, and all sorts of people running sex work and selling information.
"Hey handsome, want to come in and have some fun?"
At the entrance of a shop nearby, a voluptuous holographic projection winked at Mason, her illusory body posing provocatively. "Baby, don't you want me?"
Mason passed through her projection expressionlessly. Having just received a large sum of money, he wasn't here for entertainment. The battery in his chest was both his life source and a ticking time bomb.
During his time in this world, he'd tried to subtly inquire with various people and even searched for information, but he couldn't find any news similar to his own situation.
Not having the original owner's memories made him even more cautious. Now that he'd joined the Dimensional Express Company by chance, he was determined to seize this opportunity and improve his survival capabilities.
He knew that unseen dangers could strike at any moment.
After walking and stopping several times, he finally stopped in front of a shop deep in Elm Street.
The signboard bore only a single word in bold letters: "FIGHT."
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