Protagonist?Antagonist? I Reject Both

Chapter 318  318

In Sector 5 of the human race in the dimension zone, the buildings towered above like monoliths gave the backdrop of a forgotten era.

Neon lights flickered against the perpetual smog, casting an eerie glow on the crowded streets below.

The rain poured down, shimmering neon reflections danced on the slick pavement of the cyberpunk street. Hovering billboards cast a variety of ads, competing for attention amidst the labyrinth of alleys and towering skyscrapers.

 Amongst the chaos, the marketplace thrived.

People bustled through the crowded streets, their augmented reality implants flickering with data streams and transaction notifications. Vendors hawking their wares from makeshift stalls, their voices cutting through the steady hum of the city.

At a bustling corner, a young woman with a robotic arm and two pointed ears negotiated with a vendor over a sleek, chrome-plated cyberdeck.

"How much for the deck?" she inquired, her augmented eyes scanning the device for any imperfections.

The pot-bellied man with a patchwork of tattoos exposing two metallic teeth eyed her cautiously. "For you, sweetheart, I'll knock off fifty creds. Best offer in the district."

She frowned, tapping her fingers on the edge of the stall. "Forty, final offer. It's a fair price."

The vendor hesitated, his gaze flickering between the woman and the gleaming cyberdeck. After a moment, he nodded, a smirk playing across his lips. "Deal."

With a satisfied nod, the woman transferred the credits from her virtual wallet to the vendor's account, the transaction completed in an instant. She slipped the cyberdeck into her bag and disappeared into the throng of pedestrians.

Meanwhile, nearby, a group of hackers huddled around a table littered with circuit boards and data chips. They bartered with a tech-savvy vendor over a rare encryption algorithm, their voices hushed as they discussed terms and prices.

Further down the street, a trio of mercenaries negotiated with a weapons dealer, examining an array of high-tech firearms and combat implants.

 With quick hands, they struck a deal, exchanging credits for firepower in the shadows of the towering skyscrapers.

The  street buzzed with activity as negotiations carried on as the business hour was at its peak but just then.

A loud voice echoed across the street.

"Fuck! The Demoness are here."

The moment they heard this, silence reigned for a moment followed by a loud scream of despair.

Men especially screamed in panic and some even held their genitals in fear due to the influx of a sudden brutal memory that shook them down to the core.

Two notorious girls who beat most of the men here.

It was a black Market at the backdrop of Sector 5 and most of them were criminals.

These two women appeared out of nowhere and started squashing and hunting men with certain criminal tendencies.

Thankfully they disappeared 7 years ago but they seem to have appeared now.

Their presence made everyone uneasy, knowing their reputation for chaos. One woman had fiery red hair, her eyes gleaming with danger. Her companion, equally fierce, cracked her knuckles menacingly.

Vendors quickly packed up, fearing trouble. Negotiations halted as people watched warily. A group of mercenaries, sensing danger, left in a hurry.

A young woman, who had just made a purchase, froze, readying herself for trouble. The vendors held their breath, unsure of what would happen next.

A cry of Phoenix of cry resonated in the air and a sickly flame cloud started raining down.

Then they saw a huge pillar of fire soaring up in heaven.

Then a loud declaration.

"Assholes and Son of bitches, today I am a bit busy so I am giving you a chance to run today as per tomorrow.."

Leaving behind a crafty declaration, he left, and the flame pillar dispersed.

In moments, the bustling marketplace became stagnant as everyone started fleeing with vendors closing their shops and going to hideout.

..........

In a café where red-haired beauties sat staring outside.

She covered one of her hands trying to hide her embarrassment while glaring at another red hair.

"Do you need to create such a mess?"She asked angrily.

In response, she just saw the other person shrugging her shoulders.

Sighing heavily she looked around for a breath of fresh air while ordering their drinks.

The café itself was a fusion of old-world charm and futuristic technology. Holographic menus floated above sleek, minimalist tables while the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of synthetic ozone. The walls were adorned with weird art, each piece pulsating with vibrant colors that seemed to dance in the dim light.

As the two women sipped their drinks, they watched the mixed mix of races pass by outside.

Despite the diversity of the inhabitants, there was an air of tension lingering in the atmosphere. The constant hum of distant machinery and the occasional siren rang around as a group of officers ran after some people to arrest.

Taking a sip, one of them spoke with a solemn gaze.

"Ruoxi, I always thought that I found this place suffocating because of those bastards but it seems this place is gloomy.."

"Sister, the earth had maintained the balance by containing superior technologies allowing people to live well while here the advanced technology and contest of powers, never-ending wars had created cyberpunk life themes. While the rich are enjoying it, the poor are getting poorer and your chances of cultivating and growing bigger are also less as most of the cultivators die."Feng Ruoxi said with a sigh, staring at Sophia.

Her sister always used to sneak into the earth but due to being obsessed with her love, she always stuck to him but after betrayal, as she left for earth with Sophia, she finally found peace unlike her.

Unlike Earth, here 8 out of 10 would be cultivators, and being mixed with various races, humans had undergone a great transformation.

Sophia, who was taking another sip, paused.

"He is here..."

Feng Ruoxi's eyes narrowed as he felt the air getting cold and a sinister aura enveloped them, soon a shadowy figure emerged beside Sophia bowing her head.

"Young Misses, this humble servant pays respect to both of you.."

"What's going in that shithole?"

Sophia asked directly with a blank expression making the shadow guard's expression freeze.

He took a moment and replied, "Miss everything is in a mess. The Clan leader isn't regulating anymore and seems to have given up all the duties so all the Elders are going wild."

"What?"Feng Ruoxi slammed her hands on the table with an expression of disbelief and laughed loudly.

"Has he finally gone wild? Serves him right?"

Sophia looked at the shadow guard with a strange expression and then glared at Feng Ruoxi.

"Don't talk like that?He is your father after all."

Talking about her father, that person was quite weird. He wasn't exactly a piece of shit but it was hard to get along.

 She couldn't forget the first time she met him.

She expected him to be a caring and loveable man but all he saw in her eyes was an air of indifference and coldness.

He was like a blank sheet of paper that was hard to read.

She thought that maybe he was showing this face only to her because she was disappointed due to being born out of wedlock and maybe things would have changed if it was a boy.

But later after Feng Ruoxi was born, and as she started to build her power and plant spies, she came to know that her father had always been indifferent and cold.

He was like a machine with no human emotion, a product, or according to information he had trained from childhood to become optimal to be a Clan leader.

Though he never shows her any warmth, in terms of finances she has never been neglected.

Her child support easily went way above a few billion which made no sense.

This also made her worried about the man's intention so she used all plausible means to plant some spies later as she gained a reputation on earth, she negotiated with elders for trade in which her margin was just 10%.

It was a loss for her but it helped her to infiltrate into a hierarchy of clans and in doing so she came to know that the Elders have always been trying to remove him as he hadn't any sons and it made him a suitable target to be replaced.

Unlike other clans and families where heads had several wives, except her mother who married others, he had only married another girl who was none other than a servant.

Despite being influential he didn't take more wives even though many requested which was a necessity to produce more children and an heir.

'I wonder what goes inside his head?'

Snapping out of her thoughts, she rubbed her forehead.

"Any other changes with father's behavior..what has he been doing?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Miss...He has been staying in seclusion all along. No one has seen him coming out since the past month so Miss...."

"Why are you hesitating? Is there something you can't say?"Feng Ruoxi intervened, seeing the guard's darkened expression.

"The Elder planned to rebel to force him to abdicate and I am sure some are even planning to assassinate him so I wonder if the two miss can return…"

The moment he said this, Sophia and Feng Ruoxi became blank for a moment.