Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 156: Chaos.

November 18

Neo-Vatra, City Center.

"REVERSE THE TAX REFORMS!"

"REVERSE THE TAX REFORMS!"

"TAX THE RICH, NOT THE POOR!"

"TAX THE RICH, NOT THE POOR!"

"WE WANT TO LIVE, WE DON’T WANT WAR!"

"WE WANT TO LIVE, WE DON’T WANT WAR!"

The tension was rising, and the tide of protesters kept inching closer to the barricades blocking the entrance to the city hall. It should have been clear that there wasn’t much to be achieved by storming the building, but angry crowds weren’t known for their logic.

At some point, the police brought out some heavy equipment—quadrupedal weapon platforms made for urban warfare, nicknamed the Tortoise. The purpose behind them was likely to intimidate the protesters from crossing the line, but that stunt only spilled fuel into the fire.

After much consideration, Dante pulled back from the frontlines. He was trying to get shot, not blown up into tiny chunks of mincemeat. That said, moving too far would’ve rendered the trip meaningless, so he stayed close to the area that’s likely going to suffer the most once the fighting started, and from the looks of it, he didn’t have to wait for long.

The protesters pushed forward, and the police remained patient, retreating instead of pushing back. Eventually, they were forced to aim their weapons, but no one dared to fire the first shot, at least until some idiot threw a plastic bottle at the armed formation, hitting one of the officers in the head. An instant later, all hell broke loose.

BANG

The first shot was like a droplet that fell from the cloudy sky, then it started raining bullets. The chanting turned to screams and the tide was reversed for a moment, as if it had splashed against a tall wall. Half of the crowd was overcome with fear and tried to retreat, the other was swallowed by anger and rushed toward the wall in a mad attempt to bring it down.

Blood bloomed with each bullet fired, creating a harrowing field of red spider lilies. The tide continued its advance, uncaring about the bodies it crushed under it. The guards pushed with their shields, but it was to no avail. Their efforts were rendered meaningless against the greater numbers, then came the bullets from the opposite direction.

Bringing weapons to a protest was one of the worst things one could do, since it could be used as an excuse to crack down on those who participated in it. Things were different this time, however. Though they didn’t know for sure, people had a feeling that things were going to be different this time, which is why many brought with them whatever firearm they could find and kept them concealed just in case.

As he watched the mayhem spread around him, Dante noticed the middle-aged man beside him open his bag and take out a machine pistol with a magazine that was almost half a meter long. Another one did the same, and soon enough, he was surrounded by armed firemen.

It was exactly the situation he was looking for, but when the Tortoise began turning its machine guns in his direction, he realized he didn’t want to be standing there when that thing fired.

Dante turned away in a panic, intending to move away from the armed group before they got shredded into pieces. With gritted teeth, he glanced over his shoulder as he pushed through the crowd. That was when he saw it.

In the chaos of the enraged protesters, a single man caught Dante’s attention. There was nothing special about his appearance, nor did Dante recognize him from somewhere. By all means, there shouldn’t have been anything eye-catching about him, but in the moment Dante happened to be looking in his direction, he saw him swallow something.

A single light blue capsule.

Thunder suddenly erupted from a different direction, its roar silencing the cacophony of gunfire. In another part of the street, the ground swayed under the blockade and a few officers began floating. When he turned to check, Dante caught a glimpse of a lanky man taking to the air, rising above the crowd as he leaped toward the city hall.

Dante whipped his head in the direction of the man who took the pill, and as if to confirm the thought in his mind, the man’s visage changed. His skin turned from pale white to dark brown as massive lumps began bulging from under it, quickly changing its texture. The people surrounding him noticed the change as well, their angry shouts dying down as they turned to stare at him, watching him grow visibly taller right in front of their eyes.

His clothes ripped as his size and mass increased. Twigs spread out in random directions, and green leaves started spilling out of his head and shoulders, cascading over his face to hide his demonic features. For a moment there, it felt as if a weird-looking tree, but then it began moving.

The crowd split apart as the protesters hurried to get away from the monster that suddenly spawned in their midst, and right away, a path toward the barricades was created.

The tree moved and snapping sounds echoed from it, amplified by the silence enveloping its surroundings. Its head seemed to split apart as it spread its jaws, and the next instant, an inhuman roar exploded from the human-shaped tree as it lunged forward.

The machine guns mounted on two Tortoise tanks snapped in the direction of the rushing tree and instantly opened fire. Splinters scattered as the heavy rain struck its bark, but the tree didn’t slow its advance and rammed straight into the four-legged tank, sending it flying with a single slam.

The wrathful tide of protesters came to a halt and silence spread through the frontlines. All heads turned in the direction of the massive tree man, and as the confusion spread, a single voice shattered the tension.

"THE GOVERNMENT HAS RAISED WEAPONS AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE! COME, MY BROTHERS! FOLLOW OUR CHAMPIONS AND BRING DOWN THIS UNJUST SYSTEM!!!"

The protesting crowd exploded with cheers and the fear that crippled it vanished into thin air. With renewed anger and conviction, the tide surged forth once more.