Chapter 44
An internet post I read with interest in the past comes to mind.
Not just the past, but the fairly distant past.
The information is from a community forum I checked back in 21st-century Korea, before I fell into Dusk City.
The topic was about who would win if an Ordinary Person with a dagger fought a bare-handed pro fighter.
In novels, movies, and dramas, there are plenty of scenes where a bare-handed protagonist stylishly subdues a knife-wielding enemy with flashy movements and martial arts.
But apparently, that's impossible in reality.
The video was attached as supplementary material.
It showed an experiment pitting an ordinary person with a mock knife against a fighter who had much faster reflexes, was more agile, and fought far better than an ordinary person.
In it, the fighter couldn't even put up a proper resistance and ended up getting stabbed multiple times by the mock knife.
If that had been a real situation with a real dagger instead of a mock knife, he would have been dead meat.
So the post concluded that if you see someone holding a knife, even if you're a martial artist, you shouldn't even think about fighting back and must unconditionally run away.
I remember various debates breaking out in the community after that: if bare hands don't work, what about a club? Since a club has a longer reach, couldn't it easily beat a dagger?
Assuming similar weight classes and skill levels, which is better: a dagger or a club?
But for me, someone who doesn't carry around a baseball bat for Self-defense, it was a meaningless story.
Besides, even if I had a club in my hand, I didn't think I could face the dagger held by the robber in front of me.
[Seeing as you don't look like you're from around here, why don't you cooperate a little for Local Community Development?]
The Assailant spouted utter nonsense and thrust the knife forward.
When I flinched, he pressed the button on the dagger's hilt to add persuasiveness to his argument.
Vrrrng─
The elongated blade shook and vibrated wildly from side to side.
When he brought the blade, vibrating at an invisible speed, to the wall, the cement was sliced away like tofu.
…Certainly, that's very persuasive.
I swallowed hard involuntarily.
A technique called the Vibration Cutter, otherwise known as the Booming Blade, is a similar type to what was applied to the jet engine saw I used yesterday.
I know they're hard to get due to regulations, so I don't know why I keep seeing them so often.
It was great when I was the one using it, but being on the receiving end feels like absolute shit.
A wooden bat, my ass. Even if I brought a club made of steel, it would be sliced apart like a radish in front of that dagger.
Is this what they call the Gear Gap?
Was this how Man Hunter felt when he was getting beaten by me yesterday? Am I receiving my karma in return?
Various thoughts flashed through my mind on how to deal with this.
They said to run away unconditionally without looking back if you see someone holding a knife.
Recalling the lesson the community information post had given me, I subtly shifted my eyes to look at the wet passage behind me, illuminated by a flickering light.
If I turned my body quickly and bolted right now, could I shake him off? I just need to get near the Station.
[If you're thinking of running away, you'd better drop it. If you move even a single step from that spot, I'll throw this knife immediately.]
“….”
[I don't want to do that either. The blade might get damaged, and our cash cow would get hurt too. Let's keep things nice and friendly. You'd better just quietly donate to the local community.]
But I was immediately cut off.
Pretty quick-witted for a Robber.
Certainly, if he threw that knife at my fleeing back… even a graze would be a fatal wound.
It was a risk I couldn't carelessly take.
With a stiffly frozen neck, I faced the Assailant and planted my feet firmly on the Ground.
It was a Stance, and I was ready to listen attentively.
The guy spoke with satisfaction.
[You're a guy who understands reason. You know what I want, right?]
…It couldn't be helped.
A vibrating blade is fucking terrifying. I had to do as I was told.
If running away wasn't an option, I had no choice but to earnestly comply with the opponent's demands and find a way to survive.
If there was any silver lining, it was that I generally didn't need to worry about him rushing in and stabbing me just like that.
If it were my Previous World, he might have taken the approach of killing me first and searching my wallet later, but this is a Cyberpunk City.
It is an era where physical currency has faded away, a world where cyber wallets and virtual safes are more common than leather wallets.
As long as money is the goal, killing and searching have no meaning. It's much more efficient to threaten someone and extort money from their net account.
Therefore, the Robber probably didn't intend to kill me either. As long as I dealt with it rationally, I could survive.
Trading money for my life is a profitable deal, even if it's a waste.
“…Where should I send it? Call out your account. I'll send the money.”
[No, download the Virtual Currency to your cyberware. I'll take it directly.]
He is thorough in useless areas. He seems to be doing that to avoid the risk of tracking through the account.
Grumbling only in my head, I obediently downloaded the money.
My blood-like City Dollars drained from my balance and were saved into the memory of my Watch Device.
[Looks like you put it in that old-model watch? Just hold out your arm. You'd better not have tried any funny business. If you want to live.]
“I didn't try anything.”
When I held out my arm, the Robber pulled a USB cable straight out of his cracked plastic wrist and plugged it into my old-model Cyberwatch.
A notification popped up saying the amount was in Transfer, and a few seconds later, he pulled the cable back out.
The robber, having confirmed the money came in, suddenly flew into a rage.
[…Only thirty thousand dollars? Are you kidding me right now? You should be offering your entire fortune. Did you look down on us because it's a poor area? Is the slum society a joke to you?]
I don't know why this guy keeps attaching "local community" to the end of his sentences.
What does robbing a passerby have to do with the local community?
And is thirty thousand City Dollars a joke?
It's my entire month's salary. I withdrew it swallowing my tears, feeling like I was tearing off my own flesh and blood.
I wanted to protest like that, but my mouth wouldn't easily open.
Watching him threaten me by waving a vibrating blade right in front of my eyes, I couldn't help it.
…First, let's calmly resolve this through conversation.
“Calm down. I didn't take out only thirty thousand dollars on purpose; I had no choice. There's a withdrawal limit on the account for anything over a certain amount. The maximum I could withdraw right now was exactly thirty thousand dollars.”
[…There's such a thing?]
Looking at him now, I thought he was a total amateur.
Seeing as he didn't know common knowledge that even I, who had lived in Dusk City for half a year, knew, he seemed to be a newbie who had just started robbing after spending a fortune to buy a fancy knife.
Seeing as there were no patterns on his clothes, he wasn't part of a gang either.
Just the night before, I was the one subduing the infamous Red Mafia Ronin, Man Hunter.
How did I end up in a situation where I'm getting extorted for money by some beginner street robber?
Thinking about how fleeting life truly is, I kindly explained it to the Assailant.
“Yeah. Because there are a lot of robb… no, people who want to raise charity funds for the local community like you, most Net Banks use a similar system.”
[For some reason, the way you talk is pissing me off.]
“It's just your imagination.”
He must have been very displeased, as he thrust the blade even further forward. I freaked out and pulled only my head back while keeping my feet planted.
Anyway, he's been strangely quick-witted since earlier.
[How do you lift that limit?]
“I just have to go through an authentication process to prove I'm not being threatened into withdrawing the money. It's not that difficult.”
[How long does it take?]
“About ten minutes?”
[….]
At my words, the robber stopped his actions as if troubled and began to ponder.
Yeah, no matter that this is an Outskirt Alley out of the City Police's sight, standing around like this for 10 minutes would be a burden.
And he wouldn't know what kind of trick I might pull during that time.
Actually, it was a lie. Ten minutes, my ass.
I just need to authenticate with my Bio-ID, so it will be over in 30 seconds.
With the Forged Data in my Cyberwatch, it will be quick. Though that guy wouldn't know that at all.
Based on the way he spoke, he seemed like a robber lacking common sense regarding the net system, so I took a risk and threw out some bait, and it was a success.
He seemed to have fallen for it completely.
Just look at him now. Isn't he giving up on extorting more City Dollars and trying to change his route to something else?
[Then isn't there anything else that could be worth money, something I can take right now?]
An absurd demand.
Who carries around physical valuables in this day and age? It's not like I'm a Treasure Goblin.
He should say something that makes sense….
Then, a sudden thought made my heart sink.
Come to think of it, there was one thing.
An item I brought from home that might be worth some money.
It is in my pocket right now.
The tiny Memory Stick is hidden in Man Hunter's thumb.
I hadn't checked the contents yet because I didn't know what was inside.
If a virus happened to be planted in it, I could end up in big trouble.
In a Cyberpunk World, one has to be even more careful of Hackers, Viruses, and Malicious Codes.
If I made a mistake and the functions of the Watch Device acting as my Forged Identity broke down, just imagining it is terrible.
So I was going to take it with me to the bar and ask Sey, Tony, or Dragon President, who seemed to have knowledge in this area.
Of all times, I had to run into a Street Robber holding a Vibration Knife on my way to work while carrying it.
To think I'd end up in a situation where it might be taken away like this. I haven't even opened it to see what's inside yet. Damn it.
Seeing me hesitate, the Robber gradually approached, putting his finger into the dagger's hilt and spinning the blade around.
The blade, vibrating at ultra-high speed and appearing blurry, made a
*Vroooom─*
sound as it tore through the air.
[You have something, don't you? You'd better hand it over obediently while I'm asking nicely.]
He really is filthy quick-witted. If he used that talent for something other than robbery, it would be the foundation for local community development.
It was a massive crisis. At this rate, not only would my one month's salary not be enough, but I would also end up losing a precious trophy that might be worth a huge sum of money to some amateur robber.
Even as I bit my lip tightly and pondered how to deal with this, no Clever Solution came to mind.
Facing a knife with bare hands was absurd, and the Microchip in My Head was currently unresponsive, perhaps because I abused it yesterday. I didn't have a single usable card to play.
Do I really have to just take this?
[What are you doing? Hurry up and take it out. Guess you don't value your life?]
At my hesitation, the Assailant shoved the Booming Blade closer and closer, yelling at me.
But it was strange.
…Why does it seem like the movement of the vibrating knife is gradually becoming visible to my eyes?
The switch is definitely turned off.