Chapter 30 : One-Inch Punch

“What?”

What is she even talking about right now?

Don’t tell me… Did she actually go insane from using Neural Overclock while already mentally unstable?

“What do you mean, ‘did I think of you’?”

“…I…”

Kabi twisted her bangs again with her fingers, mumbling the end of her sentence.

‘Ugh, this girl’s really trying to drive me crazy.’

Does the QPD train its members to mess with people’s emotions now?

If that’s the case, then—yeah, it’s working…

‘Is she… trying to drain my energy?’

The completed version of Neural Overclock with the Limit Removal uses up power fast.

If Kabi’s stalling to drag this into a long fight and make me burn through my energy, then she might actually win.

Because of the Implant Generation Gap, I’d probably have to disable my Neural Overclock before she does.

If that happens, it’s game over.

I hurriedly checked my remaining power.

[Power Consumption Active. 57%]

57%.

I’ve only had it on for maybe 10 seconds, and I already used up 43% of my total energy.

‘I have to finish this fast.’

If this drags on any longer, I’ll collapse from power loss before I even get to fight properly.

Kabi was still acting shy, squirming and stalling.

Sneaky little brat.

—“You’ve spent two years just learning cheap tricks, huh.”

“…Cheap tricks? What the hell are you talking about now?”

—“No matter how fancy your cyberware gets, it’s useless on someone with no talent like you.”

Kabi’s face instantly twisted in anger.

Good.

Now that’s the face of someone who’s really ready to fight.

—“Talent? Ugh, that same old crap again? You’ve always been like this, Senpai. We didn’t expect to reach your level, but

we worked every day just to follow in your footsteps. And you brushed it all off, saying we just lacked talent. So arrogant.”

—“Because it was true.”

Kabi covered her face with her hand and burst into laughter. It wasn’t just through Secom, either. I could hear her

laughing for real—a long, drawn-out, almost broken sound.

—“I changed my mind. You don’t get to die easy. I’ll rip your limbs off with my own hands and leave your scrawny little

body crawling in the dirt like a worm, begging for life. That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied.”

—“Try it.”

Crackle.

The energy in my limbs and waist surged sharply, inflating my cybernetics.

My artificial muscles contracted and expanded, twitching like they were about to burst.

—“If someone like you can pull that off, that is.”

“You b*tch!!”

She took the bait. Kabi snarled and stretched her arms out to both sides.

From her elbow to her wrist, her arms opened up—where the ulna would be on a normal human—and rotating saw blades

sprang out.

‘Discharge Grinder?’

Did she always use weapons that brutal? I can’t remember.

“If you’ve still got the skills to back that big mouth, try dodging this, Senpai. One hit and you’re dead—no matter who you

are.”

…Yeah, I really didn’t want to deal with that.

The Discharge Grinder is a monster of a weapon—sharp enough to cut through special alloy like paper, even with a light

graze.

And its range isn’t short, either.

I usually fight barehanded, so this is a terrible matchup for me.

…Then again, is there any weapon a barehanded fighter has a natural advantage over? Probably not.

It just proves—again—that range is everything in a fight.

Guns are king for a reason.

Crouch.

Kabi bent her knees slightly, her thighs swelling.

She dashed in. The Discharge Grinder left blinding streaks of light in its path.

—“DIE!!”

Wait, I thought you weren’t going to kill me just now?

Yeah, no. That “DIE” was probably her real intention.

Kabi’s twin sawblades swung upward in a giant X motion.

But I could see everything.

From her shoulder to her elbow, elbow to wrist, and all ten fingers—I saw the angles, the tiny twitches in the muscles, the

shift in her tendons.

On their own, those details didn’t mean much.

But together, they told me exactly what her next move would be.

Right now, my eyes were seeing the future.

And if I can see the future, even bare hands are enough to win.

My heart pounded with excitement.

Thump.

‘Feet.’

All movement starts from the feet.

Whether it’s a kick, a punch, a swing, or a headbutt—the start is always your feet.

My left foot stepped back. My focus centered on the right.

Thump.

‘Legs.’

If feet begin the motion, legs generate the explosive power.

The glutes and thighs—the biggest muscle groups in the human body—send force through the feet, propelling the body

upward.

With just that one motion, my whole direction was already decided.

As I bent my knees, my torso dropped suddenly—about two feet—dodging Kabi’s attack naturally.

I saw her face pass overhead, twisted in shock.

That expression said it all:

‘Waist.’

The power generated by the lower body passed through the rotating core of the waist, gaining rotational force.

Just as the Discharge Grinder missed, my abs and spinal muscles snapped into motion. I shot into Kabi’s space.

Thump!!

‘Arms.’

Deltoids.

Triceps and biceps.

My bent left arm extended sharply—like it had always been there—aimed at her chest.

And finally—

‘Hand.’

My index finger landed precisely on her solar plexus.

Everything stopped.

Even my heartbeat.

The destructive force that traveled from my foot through my whole body now had just one more step—

The distance of a single knuckle.

The entire force of my body—my universe—condensed into one point.

『Fire.』

My finger curled.

My fist fired.

Even a highly-trained QPD agent couldn’t withstand that.

Kabi’s eyes went wide, stretched to their limits.

The force exploded out, shredding and crushing her body.

Even the latest QPD artificial parts—built to withstand any impact—couldn’t handle it.

Crack.

Shatter.

Her cybernetics caved in.

She couldn’t endure it. Her Neural Overclock even shut off.

She collapsed, not with Secom signals, but with real, choked noises.

I caught her before she hit the ground face-first and laid her down gently.

“You’ve definitely improved compared to two years ago.”

I used everything I had for that punch. It should’ve killed her.

But in the instant she realized her attack missed, she redirected all her energy into a shield at the impact point.

If not for that, her torso would’ve been split in two.

That reaction time… yeah, she’s grown.

Still can’t keep up with me, though.

…Her breathing sounds off.

“Can’t breathe? Did I hit a lung?”

There’s a huge hole in her solar plexus. Even if she has artificial organs, her lungs are probably wrecked.

But when I reached for her chest, she freaked out and smacked my hand away.

Tap.

“What, you nuts? Stay still.”

She had no strength. Her slap was weaker than a mosquito.

Swipe. Click.

I brushed aside the shredded chest plating and opened her panel.

Inside were her artificial heart and lungs, both stamped with the Kyro Society logo.

‘Lungs are totally shut down. Heart’s halfway gone too.’

They were pretty damaged—at this rate, they’d fail in under an hour.

Still, she was hanging on.

The lungs looked like they just lost power from sudden shock.

Spark.

I placed my hand on the power input and sent current through.

The diaphragm kicked back on. Her lungs inflated.

I shut the panel and pulled her shredded QPD suit together to cover her up.

“Don’t breathe too hard. I restarted it, but it could break down again anytime.”

Wheezing… gasping…

Not sure if it’s from pain or anger, but her face turned bright red.

She nodded weakly, then spoke:

“…why did you… save me…?”

Now how do I answer that?

Honestly?

If she died, things would get a lot more complicated.

A QPD member who volunteered to hunt me down ends up dead?

The Kyro Society might cancel their current strategy and send in even more power.

Like, two or more QPD agents.

Yeah, no thanks.

Now that I’ve seen how strong Kabi is, I know this:

If two or three QPD with upgraded specs came at me together, I might lose.

So I definitely don’t want that.

…But then again, if she survived with just barely enough damage to live…?

Won’t that still trigger the same response?

“She lost to Leilia? Send two more QPD!

Have Kabi join them as soon as she’s patched up!”

…What do I do then?

Maybe I should kill her here and reduce their numbers?

I stayed quiet, thinking. Kabi tilted her head.

‘This is driving me crazy…’

Kill her? The Kyro Society would just recover the body and come harder.

Spare her? She’ll recover and chase me again.

Checkmate either way.

Just like back at Virasion Tower with Isabella.

Am I going to be forced into their hands again?

No.

Not this time.

“You wanna know why I saved you?”

I searched her QPD suit, found six Military-Grade Jammers tucked in the hip compartment.

Standard issue. I figured she’d have them.

I activated one.

Kabi started shaking her head furiously as I slapped it onto the back of her neck.

“Stay still, damn it.”

As an active QPD, she doesn’t have her location or voice monitored in real time—

But if she passes out, an emergency signal automatically goes to the Kyro Society.

Almost no one knows this.

But I do—because I used to be QPD.

So putting a jammer on her means I’ve just blocked that emergency signal.

“…What… are you doing?”

I carefully slipped an arm under her knees and back and lifted her.

She struggled to breathe again—her face turned red all over.

“Senpai…?”

“Listen closely.”

I can’t kill her.

Can’t let her go either.

So there’s only one option left:

“You’ve just been kidnapped.”