David's voice was calm.
Yet the certainty in his tone left no room for doubt.
The people in the venue had already witnessed enough.
None of them dared to stay a second longer.
They had been coerced and lured here by the Tiger Claw Gang, forced to dance and offer themselves to Arasaka executives for free. Truth be told, many had already wanted to leave.
Now, hearing David's words, they didn't hesitate.
Without looking back, they bolted for the exit, their feet pounding against the floor as they scrambled downstairs.
Meanwhile, the Arasaka executives sitting at their private table remained completely unfazed.
Perhaps it was the commotion David had caused, perhaps it was their sheer arrogance, or maybe they simply enjoyed watching chaos unfold.
Either way, not a single one of them made a move to leave.
Instead, they looked at the young man standing in the middle of the room with nothing but disdain.
And, of course, they never forgot to spew their insults.
"Hmph, who the hell is this brat? Coming out of nowhere and causing trouble on the Tiger Claw Gang's turf?"
"That's right! Yokoo-kun, it looks like your security is a little too lax. Are you just letting sewer rats crawl up from the underground now?"
"Damn it, this little b*****d might not be big, but he sure has a mouth on him!"
"Disturbing my night for this nonsense? The nerve of this kid."
"Yokoo-kun, this is your territory. We don't need to tell you what to do, do we?"
The laughter and mockery flowed freely.
Then, one by one, they turned their attention toward Yoko Taro, clearly expecting him to handle the situation.
Yoko Taro scowled, his expression darkening.
His eyes, sharp and venomous like a snake, locked onto David.
"Since this punk dared to stir up trouble in my place," he sneered, "I'll make sure he regrets it."
Raising his hand, he gave a simple command.
"I want him cut up, piece by piece, and served as human flesh sashimi."
Several Tiger Claw gang members immediately leaped into action.
Their prosthetic leg rotors whirred to life.
With speed that rivaled high-tier ninjas, they flashed behind David, their Mantis Blades snapping out with a metallic screech.
David's shoulder blades—the pipa bones—a spot that, when pierced, would render a person completely immobilized.
They weren't just trying to take him down.
They wanted him to suffer.
These guys were truly deranged.
"A bunch of scum," David muttered, his eyes turning ice-cold.
The air around him crackled.
His magnetic powers flared.
The Mantis Blades, which had been just inches from piercing his flesh, suddenly halted mid-air—completely frozen in place.
In an instant, the blades twisted around, slashing back toward their owners.
A fountain of blood erupted.
A severed head tumbled to the ground like a fallen fruit, rolling right up to the feet of the stunned Arasaka executives.
David didn't stop there.
More Tiger Claw gangsters lunged at him—only for their own cybernetic weapons to turn against them.
One by one, their heads were pierced, their bodies collapsing like puppets with their strings cut.
Happened in mere seconds.
The third floor of the Tiger Claw Gang's den turned into a slaughterhouse.
Blood pooled across the floor, forming small rivers that stained everything in their path.
Scarlet splattered against David's black leather jacket—right onto the golden dragon embroidered on the back.
The once majestic symbol now looked demonic.
Ferocious. Terrifying.
The Arasaka executives who had been enjoying the show were now screaming.
"YOKAI!!" one of them shrieked. "F*****g MONSTER—!!"
Their hands trembled as they reached for their guns, desperately trying to aim at David.
David's pupils contracted.
The guns flew out of their hands and hovered in mid-air.
Then, the barrels turned toward their owners.
The company men paled.
Their knees nearly buckled as they stammered in terror.
"W-WE'RE WITH ARASAKA! Y-YOU CAN'T KILL US! IF YOU DO, YOU'LL DIE FOR SURE!"
"Yokoo-kun, help us! SAVE US!"
They were scrambling now, pleading desperately.
Yoko Taro's expression had completely changed.
Clearly, he hadn't expected David to possess such terrifying power.
"Put the guns down!" he barked, trying to regain control. "We can talk this out!"
Desperation laced his voice.
"If you have a problem, it's between you and the Tiger Claw Gang! Let them go! They were just... spectators!"
The Arasaka executives frantically nodded.
"Y-Yes! W-We were just watching! That's all!"
"We won't say a word about what happened here, I swear!"
"We'll leave now! Right now!"
They turned, practically tripping over themselves as they tried to flee.
But David's voice cut through the air like a knife.
"I just told you to leave."
"And now, you want to run?"
His lips curled into a smirk.
The company men convulsed, their bodies riddled with bullets before they could even scream.
Blood splattered across the walls.
Within moments, they lay twitching on the floor, their lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling.
David exhaled, his expression unreadable.
There was no need to worry about Arasaka's Trauma Team arriving anytime soon.
Lucy had already hacked into the Tiger Claw Gang's local network.
Communications were completely blocked.
David had all the time in the world.
He was running out of time.
Seeing his distinguished guests slaughtered before his eyes, the gang leader erupted in fury.
"You bastard!" he roared. "You're dead—you hear me? DEAD!!"
The Tiger Claw gang members, already armed and ready, opened fire.
David gritted his teeth.
His magnetic powers surged—
The bullets slowed mid-air, but this time...
His forehead veined with strain.
He was reaching his limit.
The exhaustion from fighting his way up three floors was finally catching up to him.
Sweat dripped from his brow.
He barely managed to repel the first round of attacks.
Yoko Taro's sharp eyes gleamed.
"He's weakening!" he shouted.
David sucked in a breath.
He reached behind him—
Gripping a small, metallic injector.
A powerful stimulant.
He jammed the needle into his arm—
And pressed the trigger.
The fight wasn't over.
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