Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System

The concept of strength could be explained as applying direct physical force onto something, or that's how it was in Type 4's case, at least. Just like how Type 5 boosted Agility, and Type 6 increased Durability, Type 4 focused on the Strength stat, greatly enhancing it.

Enhanced strength allowed for a lot more than just lifting heavy things. Stronger legs meant enhanced speed, and stronger arms meant enhanced punching power. Adding to that Force Amplification, Kinetic Boost, and Impact Amplification, a single punch could easily have the explosive power of a tank shell.

By all accounts, despite its simplicity, the armor was a versatile one. It could be used in a variety of situations, and countering it was easier said than done. Unfortunately, the Level 3 armor wasn't designed for frail humans, and because of that, each of its movements resulted in unbearable pressure, one that pushed bones and muscles to their absolute limit. Dante only felt after throwing that one punch, and once he did, every part of his body flared with excruciating pain.

"KIZUNA!!!"

With his fist still stretched, Dante stood still, his teeth almost cracking from the way he clenched his jaw. Though he heard the pained cry, he was in no state to pay it any mind. The second black cloak, the human one, rushed right past him, running toward her companion without paying any mind to him or the white hunters.

Dante fought through the pain, aware that he would be a target in his current state. The white hunters were already looking at him, the red glow in their lenses appearing quite ominous. Just as he began to consider his next move, the androids fell to the ground one by one. Though confused at first, his attention soon moved to the progression bars in the corner of his vision, and he saw that all of them had reached the end.

[Suppression complete.] Said Volcan. [Reprogramming them might take some time, so we cannot make use of them currently.]

Moving carefully, Dante straightened himself and faced the direction he blasted the cloaked android to. Though the pressure on his muscles and bones had subsided, his teeth were still clenched, and his gaze was still fixed ahead.

Just before his fist connected with it, the cloaked android deployed a barrier of some kind. Though his punch was powerful enough to blow it away, whether it had done any damage was unclear. Because of that, he couldn't let his guard down just yet.

He watched as the cloaked girl pushed aside large pieces of rubble. She then knelt down and placed an arm over her shoulder before pulling her companion up. Though it was still operational, the android was clearly damaged, unable to stand on her own.

The human girl looked at her companion with concern then turned to him, her red eyes burning with hatred and rage.

'Bring it on, bitch.'

Though he thought that to himself, Dante was hoping that the two would scram. He had already strained his body enough for that day, and since he had only recovered the day before, he didn't want to push himself more than he already did.

Thankfully, the human girl seemed to get the idea. She barely has any fighting power by herself, and the android serving as her guard had been defeated with a single punch. Those were more than enough reasons for a swift retreat. Dante tensed up when she suddenly threw something in his direction, but as he raised his hands to guard, he saw that it exploded long before it reached him.

Smoke flooded the Tunnel, instantly enveloping Dante. It blocked his vision, leaving him incapable of seeing anything beyond the length of his arm. Just when he thought he was completely blind, he saw two red dots in the distance, both moving away from him.

[They seem to have reactivated their signal receptors to perform diagnosis.] Volcan said. [Would you like me to resume diving into their processors?]

'... No, no need.' Dante thought. 'Let's not push them too far…'

Somehow, Dante got the feeling that things would end very badly for him if he kept going after those two.

'Can you track the location of the androids?'

[Yes.]

'Give me 5-1'

In a moment, the green armor disappeared, replaced by a simpler suit made of black fabric and dark gray plating. Masked by the smoke, Dante went around collecting the fallen androids, moving them into his storage one by one. The time it took fed his anxiety, and the lingering pain from his last clash only made things worse.

Once done, Dante made a swift retreat. In order not to stand out, he dismissed his armor and waited at the edge of the area covered in smoke then blended in with the people who rushed in as soon as it began to fade.

'That smoke sure does last…'

He left for the higher levels right away then headed for the closest gate. This time, the Abyss Wolves demanded a whole 50G for passage. It was a common scheme in such areas, forcing people to pay an entry fee then demanding three times the price for leaving.

Not wanting to deal with any of it, Dante just paid and got out of there. Thankfully, the outer gate opened automatically from the inside, and after a quick security check, he was finally out of that accursed district.

Hoping to never come back, he boarded the first train he came across.

~[ ]~

With her friend on her back, Maria made her way through a narrow tunnel illuminated by old orange lamps. Unlike the spiral coiling around the Pit, this one has walls reinforced with concrete, as well as alloy support beams. AS exhaustion caught up to her, she raised her gaze and looked ahead, spotting a large vault gate.

As she approached, it opened on its own, and an old man stepped out, his face pale with concern.

"I just heard what happened." He said. "Don't tell me…"

"It's them." She said. "They tracked my products."

"Did the merchant sell you out?"

"I don't think so…"

"Is the little missy-"

"She's fine." Cutting him off, the cloaked girl shot him a glare, prompting him to move out of the way.

Watching her pass, the old man heaved a sigh and shook his head.

"I guess this might be the last time we see each other, huh?"

"No…" Passing through the gate, Maria came to a stop, casting her gaze down as she thought. A moment later, she resumed her walk, not bothering to look behind as she followed on her answer. "I still have unfinished business in this city."