Chapter 388: Tried To Kill Me.
A single gunshot changed Dante’s evaluation of the idiot in front of him. Just now, he hadn’t hesitated a single second before taking aim, and seeing how there was no delay before the shot was fired, there was no denying that he went straight for the kill.
Street Rats were thugs who acted tough but always froze when it mattered. This one moved with practiced ease, and since he aimed for the face from the start, it couldn’t be more obvious that this wasn’t his first or second time doing the same thing. It might just be that he had a few screws loose. Either way, Dante came to the conclusion that he couldn’t keep treating him like the average street rat.
Not that it mattered. The bastard wasn’t going to make it out of that alley.
"You just tried to kill me, didn’t you?" Dante said, still holding on to the extended bionic arm. "You fired the first shot."
The idiot was still in shock, having watched the head of one of his friends pop thanks to a bullet he had fired himself. Dante’s voice brought him back to reality, and finally understanding what had just happened, his face warped with rage, and he quickly yanked the bionic arm from Dante’s grip.
"Mothe-" The words he almost spat were forced back into his mouth by a fist directly to his face.
Dante felt the light snap of a nose bridge breaking. The punch he threw was more of a light tap intended to disorient, not to incapacitate. He planned to keep the main idiot for last, so he tapped him once more, drawing some blood, then turned to the others.
The remaining seven were already on the move. The three who had recovered the fastest had their weapons in hand and were about to take aim. The others had just shifted their eyes from the blood splattered on the wall and were reaching behind their backs.
Studying the scene as it moved in slow motion, Dante quickly decided on a course of action and began the execution. Just like with their leader, he grasped the first arm that aimed at him and pushed it toward another rat. He pushed the second one up and jabbed the owner’s face while retracting his hand and shoving the third one’s gun aside as he stepped out of the fourth one’s aim.
BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!
"HUH?"
"GAHH!!!"
"GWAAGH!!!"
"GYAAAAHH!!!"
Bullets burst and cries followed, only to be silenced by a few swift strikes. Dante saw no need for the boost his new implants provided after weaving around the first few shots. As confusion took hold of his opponents, causing their movement to lag, he stepped in close and delivered a series of blows to each one.
Each got a chop on the wrist to force the guns out of their hands, then they received a jab to the face, adding to their disorientation.
One managed to tilt his head forward so Dante’s fist connected with his forehead and shifted his body so he wouldn’t lose balance. Holding on to the composure fought to regain, he swung at Dante with an open palm and bared claws.
The bastard had Iron Claws. Though one of the simpler implants low-level thugs could get their hands on, its usefulness couldn’t be underestimated. It could easily flip the odds in a hand-to-hand fight, tear through the flesh of one’s opponents and rip off their hide, but that only worked when dealing with people who never had to fight against it before.
Just like with the guns, all Dante did was go for the wrist. He parried the first swing with his fist then grabbed the second one and twisted his body, pulling the thug along and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Wha-"
"Huh-"
Another thug happened to be in the way, so Dante slammed the one with the claws into him. Before they could hit the floor, Dante caught sight of the main idiot aiming his rifle arm once more and boosted his perception without hesitation. The muzzle flashed as he tilted his body and the bullet passed beside his left shoulder, missing it by a few centimeters.
Though no one was hit by the shot, it still caused the thugs to freeze. Their leader had fired in their direction for the second time. With how the first turned out, they probably thought he wouldn’t try it again, which confused Dante quite a bit, seeing how their reaction to it was to take their guns out and try to shoot him.
’I take it back.’ Dante thought as things began moving at normal speed once more. ’Maybe they are just moron.’
He lunged at metal arm with his right fist pulled back and swung the instant he was within range. One, two, three, and four. The main thug’s shaved head whipped in one direction after the other, blood spewing from his mouth and nose. An uppercut forced him up and a blow to the guts brought him down.
"Tsk..."
Dante clicked his tongue as he felt the harness of a subdermal armor meet his fist, but he didn’t stop. He punched, punched, and punched again, even as he noticed consciousness leave his opponent’s body.
If one of the others hadn’t moved, he would have kept on pummeling the bastard. Apparently, they still had a fight in them even after watching their leader get the daylight punched out of him. Some rushed at him while the rest tried to pick up their guns, but it was all a futile attempt. Dante could already see how he was going to knock each of them out.
Tires screeched to a halt at the entrance to the alleyway, the sound loud enough for the thugs to hear. Dante paid it no mind until he threw one more punch. Only then did he glance at the source and say the men in blue rushed out of their cars, ducking behind the doors as they aimed.
"NVPD! RAISE YOUR HANDS AND DROP YOUR WEAPONS!!!"