> "The old me used to hear your names with envy. I dreamed that one day I'd rise above it all, standing in the spotlight, surrounded by applause... and never bullied again. Now that the day's come... I suddenly think—being human isn't so bad after all~"
Leon Black murmured these words softly, watching Hess's every move like a predator waiting to strike.
What's the concept of 0.2 seconds? Just a blink.
A timespan so brief, even the most advanced neural operating systems couldn't keep up. No matter how fast a machine calculated, calculations still took time.
But for someone with the power to stop time, 0.2 seconds was more than enough.
Leon moved.
In a moment frozen to the rest of the world, he appeared before Hess. His laser-embedded cybernetic arm extended—piercing Hess's chest like a hot blade through wax. With a precise motion, he grabbed the man's heart and yanked it out through the body.
Then—time resumed.
A thunderous impact followed. Hess's fists, mid-swing just moments ago, slammed into the concrete, pulverizing the entire area into dust. The ground around them collapsed like a sinkhole. Cracks spiderwebbed across nearby buildings. The decrepit structure above couldn't hold and crumbled entirely.
"You—How?!" Hess wheezed, pale and stunned, staring at the calm figure of Leon Black.
"Maybe... because my base attributes—reflexes, intelligence, technique, physical endurance—are just too high?" Leon said casually, almost teasing.
"In games, time-stop abilities are gated behind absurd stat requirements. In reality, the body capable of meeting those limits is one in a billion. So yeah… I suppose I do have a cheat code."
"Time stop?!" Hess's eyes widened in disbelief.
As Biotech's Deputy Section Chief, Hess knew about plenty of corporate secrets—like Arasaka's Soul Prison, Militech's Orb of Destruction, Kang Tao's Mechworld project. He also knew that many megacorps had researched theoretical time-stop systems since the Corporate Wars.
But no one had ever succeeded.
Until now?
Leon blinked in mock realization. "Ah—oops. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud."
That one line hit Hess harder than any punch.
"Shouldn't have said that"… meant it was true.
Leon's eyes turned cold, his playful expression dropping. "So… why don't you just die now?"
"Wait! I—!"
Hess never finished the sentence.
Leon's skin split open, revealing rows of built-in micro-barrels. An instant later—
BOOM!
A burst of flame hotter than 10,000 degrees incinerated Hess on the spot.
The shockwave disintegrated what remained of the rubble. A pillar of fire erupted, painting the sky crimson. And Leon Black—his face half-burned from the heat—stood still as his skin rapidly regenerated, thanks to his Flesh Proliferation cyberware.
He ran a hand through his hair, conjuring an illusory set of clothing to cover himself. "You say stop and I stop? What do I look like—some pushover?"
---
European Biotech Headquarters
Far from Night City, a golden dot blinked off on the corporation's satellite feed.
Director Seberqi Doria frowned and picked up a red phone.
"Bring me Lori Olivia."
Minutes later—
Knock knock knock~
Before he could reply, a petite girl in a white Lolita dress was already seated across from him, swinging her legs and sucking on a lollipop.
"What's up, Uncle?" Lori said, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Hess Weis is dead. I need you to investigate in Night City," Seberqi said flatly. He didn't bother playing games with this one.
"Ohh, that green rage monster?" Lori twirled her lollipop. "Twelve million euros."
Seberqi's brow twitched. "Deal."
"Upfront." Lori curtsied with a grin.
Seberqi: ...
---
Terminator Vehicle – En Route
"You owe us 100,000," Lily Cross said with a grin as she injected a glowing serum into Takemura Goro's arm.
Her own arm was tightly bandaged.
After the missile detonation, Lily had handed driving duties to Ethan Cross and turned to patch them both up. The Terminator—Seventeen Squad's mobile command unit—had a built-in field hospital.
She pulled two high-grade medkits from a hidden storage drawer and injected both herself and Takemura. Before he could protest, she was already making jokes.
Takemura just sighed. He didn't even argue. At this point, another debt didn't matter.
"Aren't you worried about your captain?" he asked, watching her scarf down a meal packet.
Lily rolled her eyes and tossed him a ration bar. "Worried about him? The best way we can help is by not being dead weight. He told us to go, and that's exactly what we're doing."
"You trust him that much?" Takemura asked, genuinely surprised. "That was Hess Weis back there. A walking superweapon."
"To put it simply..." Lily chewed thoughtfully. "In the two years I've been part of this team, there's never been a mission that Captain or Yui couldn't handle. No matter the threat. Every time, they came out calm and unfazed—like gods among mortals."
Her words caught the attention of Ethan, who was driving, and You Dou, who was on lookout. All three of them had joined Seventeen Squad at different times, but they shared the same sense of awe.
Lily had once been top of her class. Brilliant, confident, and proud.
Until she met them.
Leon Black and Lena Fox were in a different league. Every time Lily thought she'd caught up, they pulled further ahead—stronger, sharper, faster, smarter. In combat, in leadership, even in presence.
She had never felt so thoroughly outclassed.
So, she changed.
She buried herself in knowledge. Books, manuals, combat data—day or night, she studied like a woman possessed. Her parents were baffled. The girl who once scoffed at academics was now asking questions so advanced they had to consult experts to answer them.
"You scared of them?" You Dou asked quietly, licking his dry lips.
Lily stared out the window, eyes serious. "Not scared of them. Just... in awe..I think they've already crossed into the realm of gods."
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)