Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Demon Cyborg Genos [23]

It took him two minutes. Two minutes of pure sprinting and leaping. Had the buildings not slowed him down, he would’ve arrived in seconds.  But now—he stood before his target.

The Watson District Arasaka Security Headquarters. A massive, black monolith of a building, towering over the surrounding structures. The Arasaka logo gleamed in crimson neon above the entrance.

And as Ethan stared at it— Memories surfaced. This wasn’t his first time here. The last time he was at this compound, he had been hunted. Arasaka had nearly killed him. Back then—he had been weaker.

Back then—he had run. He had hidden. He had chosen patience over vengeance. He had planned to wait. To grow stronger. To one day be powerful enough to challenge Arasaka without being crushed instantly.

But in this corporate-dominated dystopia— There was no such thing as waiting. The moment he killed Hiro Murakami’s brother, his war with Arasaka had already begun. He just hadn’t realized it yet.

Now? He was ready.

“Leave immediately.” A security guard at the front gate barked the command in flawless Japanese.

The man was a bald, cyber-enhanced Arasaka enforcer, clad in a bulletproof corporate suit.

He stared down at Ethan with cold, professional efficiency, gripping a Shingen Smart Submachine Gun.

“This is Arasaka’s Watson Security Division. Unauthorized personnel are strictly prohibited.”

His tone was flat. Uncaring. Absolute. He waited. Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t even acknowledge him. His presence alone was already a declaration of war.

The bald enforcer’s eyes narrowed. “This is your final warning. Leave now, or I have full authorization to use lethal force.” He raised his Shingen, finger hovering over the trigger.

And then— Ethan disappeared. Vanished. One second, he was standing there. The next—he was gone. The enforcer’s expression twisted in confusion. His cybernetic optics scanned frantically—had he just hallucinated that?!

He reached up, rubbing his eyes, blinking hard— Then. A sharp, chilling sensation at his throat. His body froze. A second later— His head hit the ground.

A perfectly severed, gleaming bald head. Blood pooled around his twitching body. He never even had the chance to scream.

Then—

BOOM.

The first explosion rocked the compound. Followed by another. Then another. The front plaza of the Arasaka security building erupted into flames.

As the explosion roared across the compound, ear-piercing alarms followed almost immediately, blaring throughout the facility.

Ethan’s incineration cannon had obliterated everything in the front plaza—vehicles, equipment, and even the Arasaka security personnel stationed there.

Nothing had been spared.

“Rebecca is underground.” His eyes glowed red, a telltale sign of his life-sensing ability activating.

The G4 upgrade had significantly enhanced this ability, allowing him to detect any living presence within a kilometer radius.

But it didn’t stop there.

He could now even simulate the forms of those life signatures in his mind—creating a virtual map of their movements and positions.

When Ethan tilted his head downward, his enhanced senses painted a vivid picture.

He could see the reinforcements coming.

Dozens of heavily armed Arasaka security personnel were rushing up from the underground levels to confront him.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He had no intention of waiting at the entrance for them to emerge.

Instead, he leaped into the air, channeling energy from his reactor core into his legs.

Boom!

With a sound like a rocket igniting, he shot downward, slamming into the ground with overwhelming force.

The reinforced steel-and-concrete floor shattered beneath him, forming a massive crater that opened directly into the underground passageways.

As the dust settled, Ethan found himself in a spacious, black-metal-lined corridor.

Directly in front of him were more than a dozen Arasaka guards, all armed to the teeth.

For a moment, they stood frozen in shock, their expressions reflecting the impossibility of what they had just witnessed.

But the moment passed quickly. Their training kicked in.

They raised their weapons—*Shingen rifles and submachine guns gleaming with smart tech—*and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

The corridor filled with the thunderous roar of gunfire.

Thousands of bullets poured toward Ethan, the sheer volume of firepower like a tidal wave crashing against a shore.

Yet—

Ethan simply walked forward.

Step by deliberate step, he moved through the storm of bullets.

His body—coated in the indestructible G4 alloy—didn’t flinch.

Not a single bullet penetrated.

Sparks flew with every impact, the corridor briefly lit by the chaotic shower of embers.

“Why the hell isn’t it working?!”

“What kind of monster is this guy?! He’s still moving!”

“Shit! He’s gotta be a cyber-psychotic lunatic! Someone call the Trauma Response Team!”

Their fear was palpable.

They could feel it—the overwhelming pressure of facing an opponent who couldn’t be hurt, who seemed utterly unstoppable.

Still, the guards didn’t stop shooting. They reloaded. They fired again. Even though it was useless, they kept firing. Anything was better than standing there doing nothing.

Seconds passed. Then thirty seconds. Then sixty. By the time a full minute had elapsed, their firepower had waned.

Most of their ammo was gone. Some, in a last-ditch effort, hurled grenades. They used incendiary grenades. Biochemical hazard grenades. Even the highly lethal EMP grenades—the bane of cybernetics.

The corridor exploded in a series of bright, violent flashes, the air filling with smoke, heat, and static discharge.

And yet— When the smoke cleared— Ethan was still standing. Untouched. Not a single scratch on his cyber-body. The faint hope that had flickered in the guards’ minds was now gone.

They were consumed by despair. And then— The corridor began to shake. A deep, rumbling vibration echoed through the space, rhythmic and heavy, like the footfalls of some massive, lumbering beast.

Then came the voice.

Deep.

Cold.

Filled with rage.

“So, it’s you… the one who killed my brother, Hiro Murakami.”

From the shadows ahead, a massive figure emerged.

“Do you even know the kind of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, boy?”