"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me?"
At the Lizzy Bar front desk, a dozen punk Girls in various outfits stood ready with firearms and baseball bats, seemingly having no intention of letting Arno leave.
"Speak!" Especially a gang leader in a studded leather jacket, who was particularly 'hospitable,' pressed the walnut-sized barrel of a shotgun against Arno's forehead.
"Kinetic shotgun, M2038 Tactician, manufactured by Constitutional Arms, a cheap self-defense weapon." Arno coldly recited the scan results.
"What?" Before the gang leader could even wonder, the next second, a huge force came. The shotgun was instantly snatched by Arno and held in his hand. Now, the dark muzzle was pointed at the gang leader herself.
"Holy crap!"
"Watch out!"
Arno suddenly exploded into action. The surrounding punk Girls' eyes widened. A chorus of bolt-rattling sounds followed as long and short guns were aimed at Arno.
Facing the threats of the crowd, Arno didn't even flinch. He just pressed the gun against the gang leader's exposed abdomen, signaling her to speak.
"Let him go." The muzzle grazed her abdominal skin, sending a chill through her. Cold sweat trickled down the gang leader's forehead.
Everyone looked at each other, hesitating before clearing a path for Arno.
Arno didn't move, but instead extended his hand towards the gang leader.
Thinking this silent giant was going to take her hostage, the gang leader gritted her teeth in hatred, her eyes almost spitting fire as she looked at Arno.
His large hand reached towards her full chest. Just as the surrounding Girls' faces flushed with anger, thinking Arno was going to humiliate the gang leader, Arno's hand suddenly pulled out the sunglasses hanging from her jacket's chest pocket.
Flipping out the temples and putting on the sunglasses, Arno strode away with the gun, and the stunned crowd momentarily forgot to stop him.
"Damn it!" It wasn't until Arno had walked out the door that the gang leader finally cursed in anger.
"Big Sister, should we go after him?" The younger Girls asked nervously, afraid of being the target of her anger.
"Forget it, just consider today unlucky, having provoked such a jinx." The gang leader took a few deep breaths, finally waving her hand and giving up. "Besides, it was those bastards, Lauren and his crew, who first broke the rules by bringing guns into the venue. We'll let this jinx go just this once."
First, an urgent alarm sounded, then a dyed-haired Girl rushed in, "Big Sister, it's bad, that tall guy stole your motorcycle."
"Shit!" The gang leader cried out in shock and anger, leading the way out to look, only to see Arno already roaring away on her heavy motorcycle, leaving her only a retreating back.
"I'm seriously f***ing f***ed!" On the spot, the Moxes leader, who had her gun stolen and her motorcycle taken, was stomping her feet furiously.
A few blocks away, V's beat-up red car stopped at the alley entrance.
"Damn it, Jackie, let's show them what we've got!"
V, who was just moments ago troubled by romance, was now a thoroughly aggressive Mercenary. She violently flipped open the trunk and casually tossed a gun to Jackie.
"That's right, V, let's give them a taste of their own medicine!" Jackie took the gun and picked up several magazines, tucking them into his waistband.
While cursing colorfully, V took the modified saratoga she had gotten from Berry that morning, flipped off the safety, and clipped it to her waist.
"The usual, Big Booms lead the way!" She handed a string of grenades to Jackie, then stuffed her own pockets full of melon-sized grenades. It looked like the two of them were getting serious.
"F***, who the hell are you guys!?"
A 6th Street Gang lackey, hearing the commotion in the alley, came out with a gun to check, only to run straight into the fully armed duo.
"Da da da~!!!"
Without saying a word, Jackie swept down two or three lackeys with a few shots.
"Enemy attack!"
Inside the alley, several urgent shouts, the sound of gun bolts racking, and running footsteps immediately erupted into chaos. In front of the path, Jackie and V exchanged a smile, raised their guns, and charged into the alley.
Ten minutes later, behind V's red car, Arno put down the kickstand and dismounted his motorcycle.
Berry sighed. Those two charged so fast; she barely managed to catch up.
The rattling gunfire, accompanied by grenade explosions, drifted from the alley. Berry's forehead twitched. So they were here participating in the daily "Free America, Gunfights Every Day" activity. She had thought they had some urgent business.
It was probably another mission or a revenge run. Either way, shooting was routine for Mercenaries, and the reasons were always varied.
However, Berry still planned to help them out. Arno, wearing sunglasses and dressed all in black like a ruthless killer, took a shotgun from the motorcycle and walked into the alley.
Two corners into the alley was a small open space, overgrown with weeds and holding a few scrapped cars. The 6th Street Gang members had planned to conduct a deal here, but they were caught completely off guard when V and Jackie, those two killing gods, burst in.
"Tu tu tu tu tu~!!!!"
"Damn it, all of you die!"
V peeked out from behind the ruined wall, her saratoga submachine gun spitting fire, forcing the opposing 6th Street Gang members to keep their heads down.
"Shit, where did this crazy woman come from!"
"Bastards, we can't even fight back!"
Bullets rained down on the surrounding ground, splashing up mud spots. The group of 6th Street Gang members, armed with long and short guns, were actually suppressed by V alone.
"I need to reload!"
Although she had the extended magazine modified by Berry, a submachine gun was still not a belt-fed machine gun, and it quickly emptied its rounds.
"Hot dogs coming!" Jackie and V had always worked well together. The moment V spoke, Jackie had already thrown three or four fragmentation grenades, which rolled right to the feet of the 6th Street Gang members hiding behind the scrapped cars.
"F***!" The 6th Street Gang members behind the car hadn't even finished the first syllable of their curse when several explosions followed, the bursting flames flipping over several scrapped cars along with the lackeys.
"Let's go!"
"Wait, V!"
"Da da da da da~!"
V was just about to kick through the ruined wall and charge out when a frantic Jackie pulled her back. The next second, the dull roar of a machine gun sounded, and bullets poured in like rain, shattering the ruined wall and the few concrete pillars behind it, quickly leaving them riddled with holes.
"Filthy whore, come out! I'll tear you to shreds!"
Emerging from the flames of the grenade explosion was a large 6th Street Gang brute wearing body armor. He held a 30-plus pound machine gun with a belt feed, tearing apart everything in sight like a screaming demon.
"Shit, V, this isn't working! The wall is about to be shot through!" In the dim light, Jackie huddled against the wall, his forehead slick with sweat.
"F***!" Debris and dust splashed everywhere as the ground and pillars were hit. V, clinging tightly to the wall with her gun raised, was also anxious.
"They're reloading, open fire!" The belt ran empty, and the crisp sound of the bolt slamming shut rang out. V was overjoyed. She immediately rolled over, positioned herself next to a pillar, and pulled the trigger on the 6th Street Gang brute.
"Tu tu tu~!"
The submachine gun's firing sounded like steel beads clashing, and sparks flew up all over the brute's body.
"Ahaha, useless, it's useless!" The brute laughed wildly, completely ignoring the bullets. Each round hitting him only made a dull *thump*, blocked by the armor plating beneath his clothes; not a single one penetrated his body.
In the meantime, the brute finished loading a new belt.
"F***!" V only had time for one curse before diving behind the pillar. The next second, a massive barrage of ammunition struck, making the pillar rattle, scattering debris, and exposing the steel rebar inside.
"Shit, V, wait up, I'm coming to save you!" Seeing V trapped by the pillar, Jackie panicked and prepared to open fire to relieve her.
"Boss Cole, the autocannons are ready!" On the exposed platform on the second floor of the building behind the brute, several 6th Street Gang gunmen holding control panels shouted in surprise. Immediately after, two autocannons, one on the left and one on the right, activated simultaneously, pointing their muzzles toward Jackie.
"Da da da da da da~!"
The autocannon firepower was even fiercer, dominating the area. Jackie, who was about to peek out, was forced back by the savage barrage and couldn't raise his head again.
"F***!" Jackie was burning with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do. At this moment, they were completely suppressed by three machine guns. If they didn't find a solution, they would just have to wait to die.
The wall and pillars providing cover were being struck until the rebar was exposed. There was no doubt that in less than half a minute, the bullets would penetrate the cover and turn both of them into bloody mush.
Their situation was dangerously dire.
"Hmm?" On the second-floor platform, several 6th Street Gang gunmen, excitedly preparing to watch their enemies be torn to shreds, heard footsteps behind them.
"Is..." Before the word "who" could leave his mouth, a muffled gunshot rang out, blowing a large hole in his skull.
"Enemy attack!" Seeing this, the remaining gunmen were terrified and immediately raised their guns to spray fire behind them.
But the newcomer's movements were faster.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang~!!!"
The muzzle flashes came one after another, illuminating Arno's cold face behind his sunglasses. He stood like an iron tower at the staircase entrance, his shotgun firing rhythmically, blasting the gunmen to the ground one by one.
When the last gunman fell, the shotgun ran out of ammunition.
Dropping the gun without hesitation, Arno walked over to the autocannons.
Automated autocannon turrets are useful and cheap self-defense weapons for homes and corporations. They have some anti-Hacker capabilities, but that was meaningless to Arno since Berry hadn't installed a Hacker chip in him. However, he had a faster method.
With one punch, he smashed through the control panel, yanking out a bundle of sparking wires. The autocannon instantly went silent. He did the same to the second one. In less than ten seconds, both autocannons were completely silenced.
"F***, those useless bastards, why did the autocannons stop?" The cessation of autocannon fire behind him confused the 6th Street Gang brute, and Jackie and V, hiding behind cover, were equally puzzled.
Did the enemy autocannons short-circuit?
That was all they could guess. Surely the 6th Street Gang hadn't turned them off themselves, especially when they were about to be wiped out?
Regardless, the chance for a counterattack had arrived. Jackie and V felt the relief of a narrow escape and gripped their guns, ready to take out the machine gun brute.
The machine gun ran out of ammo again. The 6th Street Gang brute cursed his useless teammates while loading a new belt. He assumed the autocannons behind him had jammed and the useless guys were fixing them.
But he didn't want to think: could two autocannons really jam at the same time?
However, he would never have the chance to question it again.
At this moment, Arno stood on the edge of the second floor, looking down at the idiot still reloading below. An uncontrollable impulse suddenly arose in his heart. After all, who could refuse a beautiful ground smash kill after a long day of hard work?
Deciding on the spot, Arno leaped. His 300-plus pound body plummeted like a cannonball under gravity, leaving a visible afterimage.
In the silence of the cease-fire, the machine gun brute was still changing the magazine when he suddenly felt a danger overhead. He instinctively looked up and saw a black mass hurtling straight down, aimed directly at his body. He was dumbfounded and prepared to raise his gun.
There was a deafening boom and a flash of fire. The ground seemed to shake, forcing Jackie and V, who had just peeked out, to quickly duck back behind the wall.
As the explosion dust settled, the two hesitantly poked their heads out. In the spot where the machine gun brute had been, only a tall man in a black leather jacket stood. As for the brute, he was nowhere to be seen—or rather, he was everywhere.
"I'll be back."
Blood splattered on Arno's face. Under the surprised and suspicious gaze of Jackie and V, the smoking cannon barrel in his arm retracted, and he mumbled an incomprehensible phrase.
Jackie and V exchanged glances, unable to understand what the strange man in front of them meant. Seeing their puzzled expressions, Berry, operating from behind the scenes, indicated that they simply didn't understand the romance of the era.