Neon Dragons - A Cyberpunk Isekai LitRPG Story

PoV: Jade

Jade followed Ela out of the alley with hurried steps, her hands moving on autopilot as she slid her knives back into their sheaths.

Her mind was spinning, tangled in a chaotic mess of adrenaline, disbelief, and sheer panic.

This whole mission had gone sideways the moment those Golden Phoenix enforcers had shown up, but Jade never imagined it would end with them tearing through the group like this.

Not only had they just trashed an entire squad of enforcers on Golden Phoenix’s home turf, but Ela had gone at it with barely any restraint. Jade couldn’t really blame her for that—the guys had come at them with clear intentions to kill, and it was fight or die at that point.

Still, she hadn’t expected things to escalate this much to begin with.

What had really caught Jade off guard, though, was how Ela had actually kept her word about not killing anyone.

Despite the sheer brutality of the brawl, Ela had even gone out of her way to patch the guys up afterward, administering just enough first aid to keep them breathing as long as help got there fast.

It was a sight Jade couldn’t quite wrap her head around—Ela, drenched in blood, calmly moving from one screaming, bleeding enforcer to the next, hastily tying off wounds and stopping the worst of the bleeding. The scene was burned into her memory, a grim reminder of how completely out of her depth she was dealing with this girl.

But it wasn’t just the fight or the blood that rattled her.

It was the sheer unpredictability of Ela as a whole.

One minute, she was helping Jade set up a shooting lesson in the back room of a gun shop like they were just a couple of bored teens, and the next, she was out here dismantling gang members with a level of efficiency that was frankly fucking frightening.

‘What the fuck did I just get myself into—What the fuck did Vega get us all into?!’ Jade thought, her heart racing as she replayed everything that had happened.

She’d hoped that once Ela had dragged them into that shop, there was some kind of plan in place—maybe sneak out the back quickly to dodge a fight altogether or something akin to that.

But Ela had clearly been operating on a different wavelength altogether.

The fact that Ela had enough pull with the shop owner to not only get them private access to the shooting range but also to just casually leave them unsupervised with a whole arsenal at their disposal? That was just the start of it.

Ela had spent a good chunk of time just messing around, enjoying the shooting range like it was a personal playground—practising trick shots, going through hundreds of rounds, and even honing her weaker left-handed aim, which still sent more than a few bullets smacking into the back wall.

Jade had appreciated the chance to get some range time in herself, but there was something deeply unnerving about how Ela treated it all like a casual training day in the middle of what was supposed to be a covert mission.

The girl clearly had skills—her handling of different pistol variants, her almost scary accuracy, especially when aiming for some… specific lower regions—but it was the sheer nonchalance that had really gotten under Jade’s skin.

This wasn’t just some kid with a knack for firearms; this was someone with a whole other level of experience in doing these types of missions, someone who seemed more comfortable toeing the line between order and chaos than in any one region of either.

The other girl hadn’t even tried to get them out of the enforcer mess without throwing down; hell, she’d practically invited the fight herself, squaring up to the enforcer leader and practically daring him to make a move.

And man, what a “fight” that had turned out to be…

‘How the fuck did she even do any of that…?’ Jade kept asking herself as they ducked into yet another crowded street, two blocks away from where they’d left the enforcers bleeding out in the alley.

Ela was moving like she was on autopilot, her pace relentless, and Jade was struggling to keep up—not just with Ela’s stamina and speed, but with how downright effortlessly she weaved through the crowd like they were just another part of the scenery.

Jade’s mind, however, kept spinning back to the moment when everything had gone completely sideways.

That one moment, stuck on repeat in her head.

The leader, standing barely a metre from Ela, his pistol trained right at her head, ready to end it all in a single shot. And Ela? Not a hint of fear, not even an ounce of hesitation.

She just stared him down, cool as ice, like he wasn’t holding a fucking pistol but a nutrient pack instead. That calm, unflinching look on her face was seared into Jade’s memory—a look that had simply screamed, ‘You’re nothing.’

‘Then again, I guess she wasn’t wrong…’ Jade thought, shuddering as she remembered the exact moment it all flipped.

One second, the leader was puffing himself up, spouting off garbage to his crew, relishing in his power trip—and then, just like that, his arm was gone. Just popped right off like a scav ripper harvesting the newest victim’s poorly attached cybernetics.

There was no better way to put it.

One second, it was there; the next, it was already in Ela’s hand, his gun still gripped in his fingers.

Jade had been watching everyone like a hawk, adrenaline heightening every sense to the max, and still—still—she hadn’t even seen Ela move until it was too late.

She hadn’t even blinked and the leader’s arm was suddenly severed, Ela’s knife slicing through it like it was a thin sheet of fibre cloth with a sharpness that made it seem like it had been cut by a fucking laser.

‘Just how the fuck…?!’ Jade’s mind raced.

Not even Emira, who was hands-down the fastest among their sisters, could’ve pulled off something like that. Emira was a complete demon in close combat, her speed unmatched by even most of the Clawed Beasts top enforcers, but even she couldn’t have just casually disarmed someone in the literal sense of the word like that.

Not with that level of finesse. Not with that level of sheer brutality. Not with that insane speed.

Jade couldn’t shake the unsettling revelation that was now circling her mind like a vulture. It made her question the Clawed Beasts' involvement with Ela entirely; there was really only one explanation for that kind of speed—and it was something none of them should be messing with or even getting close to: Speedware.

Ela had fucking speedware chipped.

Not some low-grade, black market junk, either. This was the real deal, proper speedware.

The kind that turned you into a walking fucking calamity. The kind that most street gangs and even minor corpos couldn’t get their hands on without risking everything.

The truly wild part? It was installed on a girl around her age.

Unless they’d all misjudged Ela’s appearance and she was actually way older than she looked—which was starting to feel more and more likely with every new piece of this insane puzzle—this was far beyond next-level crazy.

Speedware wasn’t your run-of-the-mill enhancement; it was one of the most intrusive cybernetics to have ever existed.

Even hardened cyberborgs struggled to handle the strain of proper speedware.

Bodies and minds often just couldn’t keep up with the relentless demands it placed on them, leaving even the most seasoned veterans burned out or straight-up cyberpsycho within a year of chipping.

But Ela? She moved like she was born with it, like the speedware was just another natural part of her being. No hesitation, no obvious signs of bodily or mental strain at all.

Either she was hiding her age like a pro, or she was some kind of lab-grown black-site experiment that had somehow broken free and was now running loose in Delta.

It was the only explanation that made sense.

Big corpos were the only ones who could afford high-grade speedware designed to work on teenagers and had enough bodies to throw at the inevitable failures until they someday got it right.

If that truly was the case, however… Jade had no possible frame of reference to even wager a guess at what kind of monster they’d just accidentally aligned themselves with.

‘I’ve gotta tell Vega and somehow get us the fuck out of this fucking deal,’ Jade thought, the sheer panic of it settling in like a lead weight in her gut. ‘This is gonna get us all killed; and not in the nice, nor the far-distant kind of ways!’

Trying to keep her wits about her, she’d already sent out a quick message to her sisters the second they’d bolted from the alley: [Olivia, Yarn].

A basic cipher they used to signal that she was okay but things were getting dicey and that backup might be needed soon. There wasn’t enough time or mental space to send a full report while sprinting after Ela, whose stamina seemed straight-up supernatural.

Finally, after what felt like forever, they ducked into a narrow alley four blocks away from the fight. Ela leaned against the wall, carefully scanning their surroundings, but Jade’s mind was still racing as she took some heavy breaths.

The thought of the speedware gnawed at her relentlessly, not letting her relax for even a second.

She glanced at Ela, who was casually wiping blood from her gear like they’d just had a friendly sparring match. There wasn’t a single bead of sweat on her forehead, no heavy panting—just that cold, unreadable look she always wore.

It was unnerving.

Ela was more than just dangerous—she was unpredictable, and whatever kind of fucked-up game she was playing was way out of Jade’s league, maybe even Vega’s.

When Ela’s emerald eyes met hers abruptly, piercing and unsettlingly calm despite the chaos they’d just left behind, Jade almost flinched.

“You good?” Ela asked, her voice cool and detached, mirroring the sweat trickling down Jade’s back. The way she said it, like they’d just finished a light jog instead of a street brawl followed by a mad dash through crowds and crowds of people on a hostile floor, only added to the surrealness of the situation.

Swallowing hard and trying to steady her breathing, Jade forced out, “Yeah… Not hurt. You?” Her words came out choked, half from exhaustion, half from sheer disbelief at what they’d just survived.

Ela glanced down at her right arm—the one not holding the stolen pistol—and her expression turned oddly pained, almost petulant.

“Got hit pretty bad on the arm. Might be cracked… It’s kind of painful,” she muttered, sounding both annoyed and, somehow, just a little bit whiny.

Jade blinked, struggling to process what she’d just heard.

‘A… crack?’ she thought, caught between disbelief and a sudden, bizarre urge to laugh. ‘Did she really just say that? After going one-vs-five in a fucking melee, she’s whining about a fucking crack being her worst injury?’

She stared at Ela, still half expecting to see some hidden, grievous injury under all that blood.

The girl was drenched in it—hers, theirs, who even knew anymore? For a moment, Jade had actually been worried that Ela was nursing something serious, some hidden wound that had been kept a secret by her seemingly superhuman endurance and uncanny calm.

But no.

Apparently, the biggest issue the girl had right now was a slightly painful crack.

The absurdity of it all made Jade’s head spin.

They’d just fought through a near-hopeless melee, dodged knives, blocked blows, and danced on the edge of death, all while surrounded by pissed-off gang members—and Ela’s main takeaway was that her arm was a little sore?

Jade couldn’t tell if she was impressed or utterly horrified.

‘What kind of fucking psycho complains about a damn crack after all that?!’ she wondered, shaking her head. Ela’s view of what constituted “danger” or “pain” was clearly on a whole nother level, and Jade wasn’t sure she’d ever understand it.

Ela flexed her fingers experimentally, wincing slightly.

“Yeah… definitely cracked,” she concluded with a nod, sounding more annoyed than anything else. “But I think I’ll live... Just gotta work around it, I guess...”

Straightening up and taking a careful peek around the corner of the alley back toward the bustling thoroughfare they had just come from, Ela turned back toward Jade after a few seconds, her eyes scanning every inch of the street.

“Looks like we’re good for now. You okay to keep going, or do you need a breather?” she asked.

Jade wanted nothing more than to bolt off this cursed floor and never look back, but her body had other plans. The anxiety that had gripped her ever since she’d joined Ela, followed by the run-in with the gang enforcers, the bizarre stint in the shooting range, and the brutal melee that had ended in a frantic dash through the crowded streets, had left her completely drained.

“Give me a minute—maybe two,” she admitted quietly, almost mumbling it to herself more than to Ela.

She hated showing any kind of weakness, especially in front of someone as unpredictable as Ela, but she didn’t have much choice.

If Ela pushed on and she couldn’t keep up, there was no telling how things might go sideways. With Ela at her side, she was pretty sure nothing on this floor could pose a real threat, given the insane display of skill Ela had put on during the fight.

“Alright, let’s take two then,” Ela replied with a nod, offering Jade a surprisingly genuine smile, the kind that said, “Relax, I got this.”

Jade had no idea how to read this girl, nor where to even begin trying.

She’d figured out a while ago that Ela was way beyond her league, but the more time she spent around her, the more baffled she became. Ela’s personality seemed to swing wildly—from cool, professional operator one second to a clumsy, almost awkward amateur the next. One moment, she was bloodthirsty and ruthless, and the next, she was disarmingly charming, almost protective.

It was like she had two sides constantly battling for control, with no apparent pattern or reason behind when one would emerge over the other.

There was something oddly captivating about that duality, Jade had to admit.

A mystery that almost beckoned her to dig deeper, to figure out what made Ela tick.

But Jade knew better than to give in to that urge.

Ela was clearly something far more dangerous than any of them had initially assumed—some kind of black-site project with chipped speedware that put her on another level entirely.

Getting too close was a guaranteed ticket to a world of trouble that neither she nor anyone in the Clawed Beasts was anywhere close to prepared to be able to handle.

Taking the time to catch her breath, Jade leaned heavily against the cold rock-crete wall, her eyes never leaving Ela.

As much as Ela was trying to keep the two of them safe, Jade couldn’t help but think it was instead the rest of the floor that needed protecting—from the very existence of the girl standing in front of her and the consequences her existence could cause…

I was on high alert, scanning every corner, every shadow, and listening for anything that could spell trouble for Jade and me.

The scrap with the Golden Phoenix enforcers had left me running on fumes, but thanks to my intense training routine and my Body of 5, my stamina was holding up better than expected—even if I could feel that familiar heaviness creeping in.

It was only a matter of time before my energy gave out, but I was determined to keep it together until we were clear of this hellhole.

Jade, on the other hand, looked like she was barely hanging on by a thread, so this short breather was a godsend for the both of us. Still, every second felt like an eternity, and all I wanted was to get off this cursed floor as fast as possible.

‘What a complete fucking mess…’ I thought bitterly, sneaking another cautious look around the corner of the alley into the bustling thoroughfare. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were still on us.

What was supposed to be a quick in-and-out had turned into another chaotic chase, just like my last run.

I had prepped meticulously, going over every angle and making sure all bases were covered, but the universe clearly had other plans. My careful strategies had unravelled the moment those creeps showed up, throwing everything into chaos.

‘Who could have predicted those fucking scumbags would show up though…?’ I muttered internally, unsure if I’d messed up in my planning or if the universe just enjoyed fucking with me.

Either way, I’d need some serious feedback from Mr. Stirling once this was all over.

I couldn’t afford this kind of shitshow every single time I took on a Task—not if I actually wanted to make a name for myself as an Operator in the future.

I winced as I absent-mindedly prodded my bruised arm, a surge of annoyance flaring up with the pain.

‘If I’d just killed them all, I wouldn’t be nursing this crap right now.’

The thought caught me off guard, dark and unexpected, and I blinked at the sudden shift in my own mentality. I wasn’t keen on crossing that line unless absolutely necessary; killing wasn’t something I wanted on my conscience if I could help it.

Sure, those guys had come at us hard, and their leader had been all too happy to bark out orders to end us, but they were just kids, barely older than us.

They didn’t strike me as the kind of people who deserved to die, just a bunch of teenage punks caught up in the wrong crowd.

I knew this world wasn’t exactly forgiving of my kind of naivety, and I’d have to toughen up eventually if I was going to survive here, but going full murder-hobo wasn’t who I wanted to be—at least, I think.

I knew I’d have to make peace with the idea of killing someday in this dystopian nightmare of a city, but I sure as hell wasn’t there yet.

It was a jarring thought, though, considering how much effort my Ego had put into keeping me from retching when I’d severed that guy’s arm. Just the memory of the blood and that sickening moment flashed in my mind, and I felt bile rise in my throat, my Ego barely managing to keep it together so I didn’t embarrass myself in front of Jade.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe deeply as I shook off the gruesome thoughts, determined to get through this.

No way was I going to let this place break me down—not yet, not today.

I glanced over at Jade, who was still leaning heavily against the wall, her breaths coming in ragged, shallow bursts. Her forehead was sweaty, eyes darting around nervously as she tried to keep her composure. I couldn’t blame her; it’d been a rough day, and we were both running on fumes.

But sitting around wasn’t doing us any favours.

We needed to move—now.

“You good to go?” I asked, keeping my voice low and steady, trying not to let my own anxiety seep through.

Jade nodded, swallowing hard as she straightened up, though her hands were still trembling slightly. “Yeah… yeah, I’m good. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

With that, I took the lead, weaving us back into the labyrinth of thoroughfares that made up the 38th floor.

The floor plan from Mr. Stirling’s intel flashed through my mind as I recalled the locations of every possible escape route. I had marked over a dozen different elevators we could use, each one carefully noted down ahead of time just in case we had to improvise an exit strategy—and, unsurprisingly, we were knee-deep in one of those worst-case scenarios; at least one part of my planning had paid off.

I kept a brisk but steady pace, making sure Jade was right on my heels.

My eyes flickered constantly, scanning the crowded walkways for any signs of the Golden Phoenix enforcers.

They were out in force, their gang colours standing out like warnings on every corner.

Some leaned casually against shop fronts, pretending to be on their phones, while others roamed in pairs, eyes scanning every passerby like they were looking for a prize.

I tightened my grip on Jade’s arm slightly, tugging her closer to me as we ducked into the throng of people.

“Stay close,” I whispered, my tone firm but reassuring. “We blend in, we stay low, and we don’t make any sudden moves. Got it?”

Jade gave a sharp nod, her eyes sharp and focused despite the fatigue. “Got it. Let’s just… not run into any more of those assholes.”

With that agreement between us, we moved like shadows through the crowd.

I took every opportunity to put distance between us and the enforcers, turning corners quickly and using the crowds to our advantage, slipping behind larger groups and ducking into stalls whenever we needed a moment to recalibrate our direction. I could feel the weight of every second passing, each one amplifying the tension as we navigated our way through the floor.

Every once in a while, I’d pick up on a certain movement or specific way that Jade moved that made her appear far more inconspicuous than I was and tried to mimic her; but my mind was primarily busy with keeping us safe, so my attempts at imitation and self-improvement were half-hearted at best.

We then passed a group of street performers, the blaring music and chaotic dancing providing just enough distraction for us to slip behind a food stall without being noticed. I gestured for Jade to keep her head down as we crouched behind a row of large crates, stealing another moment to catch our breath.

I peeked around the side, spotting a pair of enforcers heading our way, but they were too busy loudly harassing a nearby street-vendor to notice us.

“This way,” I mouthed to Jade, pointing toward a narrow alley that would take us toward one of the marked elevators. She nodded, following my lead as we silently moved past the commotion.

I kept a mental count of our distance from each elevator as we moved, recalculating our route on the fly whenever I spotted another group of enforcers.

My muscles were coiled tight the entire time, ready to spring at the slightest hint of danger.

I could see Jade’s nervous glances at every turn, but she was keeping it together surprisingly well, her trust in our combined efforts evident as she followed along and did her best to cover our rear—we were a surprisingly good team, all things considered.

As we neared the next elevator on my mental list, I finally saw it—the familiar, boxy structure tucked into a less crowded corner of the thoroughfare. But just as relief started to settle in, I spotted two enforcers standing guard right by the doors, eyes darting around suspiciously.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, quickly pulling Jade back around the corner before they could see us. “They’ve got the elevator covered.”

“Any plan?” Jade asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I bit my lip, weighing our options.

We could try to fight our way through, but we were both exhausted, and taking on two enforcers head-on was a risky move—especially because these guys didn’t seem as fresh and untrained as the boys we had run into earlier; these were straight up bulky-ass adults.

We needed a distraction, something to draw them away long enough for us to slip past.

“Hold on,” I whispered, an idea forming in my mind. “We need to create some chaos...”

I scanned the crowd, the stalls, and the shops on and near the thoroughfare, desperately searching for anything that could be used to our advantage. My eyes darted around, but nothing immediately stood out.

The enforcers were still stationed near the elevator, and with every second, the window of opportunity was closing as more and more Golden Phoenix members were undoubtedly searching for us on the floor.

Then, my gaze randomly fell on the pistol still clutched in my left hand—the one I’d ripped from the severed arm back in the alley.

The thought of firing it in such a crowded area was reckless, borderline insane even, but right now, it was whispering sweet nothings into my ear—the only way to stir up the chaos we needed.

I glanced at Jade, her eyes wide as she followed my line of sight to the gun.

She shook her head vehemently, clearly following at least parts of my thought process.

We didn’t have another option.

“Just a distraction,” I muttered, more to myself than to her, as I tightened my grip on the gun.

“And aim away from the crowd…”

I aimed high, targeting the overhanging sign of a nearby shop—a bright, gaudy neon monstrosity that looked like it had seen better days. It seemed to read something like “Oruba Knives” but it was hard to make out considering the flickering letters.

With a deep breath, I steadied my hand and squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot rang out, impossibly loud, echoing across the bustling thoroughfare.

The bullet tore through the sign, sending sparks flying and chunks of neon glass raining down onto the crowd below. A moment later, the sign teetered precariously before crashing onto the ground with a resounding clatter, knocking over a series of crates and stalls in its wake.

The entire area erupted into chaos.

Shoppers screamed, ducking and scattering in every direction, while vendors rushed to protect their goods from the sudden pandemonium.

The sound of shouting and confusion spread like wildfire, the thoroughfare turning into a mass of panicked bodies trying to escape the scene. Some of the panicked people in the crowd fell and got trampled by others, but there was no time for me to lament them.

The enforcers’ attention snapped instantly towards the commotion.

They moved away from the elevator, pushing through the crowd to see what had caused the sudden explosion of chaos, their hands on their weapons—pistols for both of them.

“Now!” I hissed, grabbing Jade’s arm and dragging her through the swarm of frantic people.

We ducked low, weaving through the confusion and using the commotion as cover.

My heart pounded in my chest as we slipped past the enforcers, who were too distracted to notice us slipping away.

We made it to the elevator, and I slammed the button with a desperate urgency, repeatedly jabbing at it as though it would make the doors open faster.

Come on, come on!

The elevator doors finally slid open, and we dove inside, practically throwing ourselves against the back wall as I hit the close button with as much force as I could muster.

The enforcers were still trying to restore order, their shouts barely audible over the panicked crowd, but the doors finally shut, sealing us inside.

We were out of sight, safe for the moment.

Jade leaned against the wall, panting heavily, her eyes still wide from the adrenaline rush. I could feel my own breath coming in ragged gasps, but as the elevator began its descent, I let out a shaky laugh—half relief, half disbelief that we’d actually pulled it off.

“That was… beyond reckless,” Jade said between breaths, her voice filled with a mix of fear and relief. “But fuck… it somehow worked, didn’t it?”

I nodded, still catching my breath as the tension began to slowly ebb away. “Yeah… let’s just hope we never have to see any of those blanks again.”

The elevator hummed softly as it carried us further from the chaos above.

For now, we’d made our escape, but the echoes of that gunshot still lingered in my ears—a stark reminder that in this world, sometimes you had to create your own way out, even if it meant leaving absolute pandemonium in your wake…