"Why do you keep staring at that rifle?"
Ethan's hand froze on the sniper rifle's stock. "How'd you see that?"
Hamster: "..."
"Oh right, all the cameras here feed directly into your brain." Ethan scratched his head. The solid weight of a real weapon wasn't something any collectible figure could replicate. What was wrong with touching it?
Not that he'd fired a single shot yet.
But speaking of which—
Shit!
Was 4 Intelligence really that obvious?
"Seriously, bro, level with me—have you ever been in a firefight? Like, actually exchanged fire with someone?"
Hamster was growing increasingly convinced that the idiot in front of him was unreliable. Those eyes clearly belonged to someone who'd never seen real action. How was he supposed to feel safe?
"We were escorting cargo. Truck got blown sky-high, I got thrown clear—then it was chase sequences, missiles flying, and I dumped a few mags into the enemy mercs until they couldn't lift their heads. Does that count?"
"Plus, I came out of Barghest, remember?"
Ethan shot back irritably.
"Alright, badass! I'll get back to watching the opposing netrunner."
Hamster returned to his work in cyberspace.
Ethan rubbed his chin, thinking. Was Maine's crew netrunner just Sasha, or was there another one? Kiwi? Or that white-haired girl with the colorful tips—
Damn his memory. He hadn't studied this crew's formation history before transmigrating.
Based on his knowledge of this world's timeline, 2075 probably meant Lucy wasn't involved yet. Most likely it was just Sasha, or maybe Kiwi had already joined.
An older woman, huh.
Ethan shook his head. He had no idea how this edgerunner crew was planning to come after him and Hamster.
Nervous as hell.
Tech sniper rifle. Charge penetration. Ethan looked at the Nekomata's trigger. He really wanted to know: did it charge while you held the trigger down, or during the pull itself?
Important question. Sniper shots happened in a split second.
If only he could test-fire once here. But the gun shop owner had been terrified Ethan would punch through the target and the concrete wall behind it. Absolutely refused to let him try.
As for firing on the street? Barghest exo-frames would turn him into Swiss cheese.
The original owner of this body had only ever handled assault rifles and pistols. He wasn't a sniper in the Barghest barracks.
Wait— Actually, there might be a way to squeeze off a few rounds.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
"Hamster, question."
"Mm." Hamster was still busy, barely acknowledging him with a grunt.
"Tech sniper rifles—does it charge while pulling the trigger, or after you've pulled it all the way?"
Dead silence.
Only the hum and click of servers and equipment.
"Are you fucking kidding me, bro?"
Ethan thought about it seriously. "No."
Hamster—who hadn't moved from his netrunner chair since Ethan arrived—sat bolt upright. He yanked the cable from the back of his neck. His modified optics looked like Master Yi's eyes, and his mouth hung open.
"You motherfucker!"
Ethan looked innocent. "I only used rifles in Barghest. What's wrong with asking? Relax, my aim's solid."
"Do you know why Hands gave you a sniper rifle?"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Snipers can hold off multiple targets. Buy time, right?"
"You knew you didn't know how to use it?! Then why the fuck did Hands confidently give you a sniper rifle?!"
Ethan watched the raging, pacing Hamster in front of him.
This guy's emotional regulation needed work.
If bullets started flying, Ethan would be the first to catch them.
"Stay calm, bro!" Hamster muttered to himself, apparently trying to self-soothe.
What an insecure man. Ethan slowly shook his head. "The turrets outside are Zetatech, right? And knowing you, there's probably more out back. That means I'm the one catching bullets out front. What are you worried about? Even if I'm stone dead, you can wait for Barghest to arrive."
Ethan had just asked one question. This guy was overreacting.
"You don't fucking understand—the point is you need to stay alive, you dumbass!" Hamster exploded.
"But you've got to handle the enemy netrunner."
Ethan's bland response.
"Fine. Fine! You win!" Hamster nodded, looking defeated.
A chip flew from his hand. Ethan scrambled to catch it.
"This is Militech hardware. I modified it with Arasaka tech. Inside are behavioral biometric simulations from corporate snipers. You can use it to train in learning mode—"
"Goddammit, I knew that old bastard Hands was up to no good!"
Hamster knew exactly what he'd just coughed up.
The chip in Ethan's hand felt like a trophy. Hamster was so pissed he threw himself back into his netrunner chair and refused to communicate further.
[INCOMING CALL: Mr. Hands]
"Young man, you should be at my friend's place by now?"
Ethan nodded. "Already here. And I got the chip."
Hamster clenched his fist in the netrunner chair.
Mr. Hands sounded pleasantly surprised. "That penny-pincher bought this little treasure from me at a discount, said he'd borrow it for a few days of study. That was... months ago, and I haven't heard a word since."
"I didn't have high hopes, but you actually got it back! Credit to you. Just bring it to me afterward."
"Hansen's people have Barghest patrols nearby. We're putting on a full show—try to keep things civil. Once they get the fake data, they'll give up."
Ethan nodded.
"Oh, one more thing. There might be a surprise tonight. I hope you can take care of yourself." Hands hesitated, then said it anyway.
Surprise? Ethan was confused.
"Good luck, my friend." Mr. Hands hung up.
Ethan puzzled over it, then gave up.
Right now, the priority was jamming this chip into the port behind his neck and learning some actual sniper skills.
After all, Maine's crew wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
Ethan muttered a few words to himself, then inserted the chip. A faint holographic overlay appeared in the underground server room.
"Kid, I'm only gonna say this once—memorize the Barghest handbook and tactical target selection. If you get yourself killed, I take no responsibility."
Hamster could only vent through passive-aggressive commentary, though the advice was solid.
[Please calibrate your weapon. Scanning...]
[Tech sniper rifle confirmed.]
[Please clear your magazine and ensure there is no possibility of discharge. Militech monitoring systems will track continuously...]
Ethan followed the procedure and ejected his rounds.
The world around him rapidly dimmed. A wireframe environment materialized.
Data began flooding into Ethan's cyberware, including his neural interface—behavioral patterns from an experienced sniper teaching him how to hold the weapon, how to take each shot, all the details that normally required years to learn.
And now, corporate technology had made rapid combat training a reality.
[Please attempt to fire.]
Hummm—BANG!
Ethan pulled the trigger. The rifle hummed as it charged, and the moment he released—a powerful pulse of energy erupted from the barrel.
[Step One: Position selection. Based on training data, choose a location advantageous to yourself.]
Ethan followed the steps methodically. Thanks to his existing Barghest soldier experience, the training module's concepts clicked quickly.
Throughout the process, Ethan realized this was only training him to be a competent sniper.
There was a difference between a trained sniper and a veteran sniper.
The experience he lacked? That came from actual firefights, from real battlefields.
But for now—this was enough.
In the underground room, a young man with a chip plugged in undergoing immersive training, and a netrunner lying in his chair jacked into the network.
A strange and silent tableau.
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES
BONUS CHAPTER
300 , 500 , 1000 for each milestone 1 Bonus Chapter.