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> Corpo Age [Cyberpunk Progression LitRPG] > Chapter 9: Sneaky Beaky Like
Chapter 9: Sneaky Beaky Like
Corpo Age [Cyberpunk Progression LitRPG] by RandomBlueCat
1.2k 3 56
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Once I realized there were no other threats, I recollected myself and inspected the person who I had shot. From the experience notification, I knew he was dead, so I searched the body.
The body didn't have keys or anything, so I threw it into the dumpster along with any equipment, opting to go over it later. With that set aside, I entered the building from the door that the man had opened.
I tried to stay as silent as possible as I traversed the hallway, checking each room I came across. Most of the rooms looked abandoned and were piled with trash or dusty boxes.
At the end of the hallway was a door that led to the main room of the warehouse, where tall empty shelves loomed over.
Off to one side of the warehouse was an open area with stacks of metal shipping containers half surrounding it. The open area was well-lit, with one person who sat below a set of stairs that led atop the containers, leisurely reading an actual book.
It seemed like there weren't many of them active at this time. I couldn't really blame them either as it was around 4:00 AM.
With the place so lightly guarded, I easily moved around unhindered and climbed up to the second floor of the shipping containers. I slowly opened the door to a container that they were using as makeshift rooms and found a man in a sleeping bag snoring away. I moved on when his face didn't match with the image of the target I had pulled up in my optics.
I repeated the same steps for all the rooms on this floor. Some of them were empty, but most weren't. Not having found my target, I made my way back down to the first floor of containers, away from where the man was still reading, near the bottom of the stairs.
I dropped down as lightly as possible, but I couldn't entirely kill the sound. I hastily moved to another spot and kept watch for any reaction. The man looked up from his book for a second but didn't bother investigating and returned to his reading.
After allowing the man some time to be absorbed into his book, I resumed investigating the remaining makeshift rooms on the ground floor.
It wasn't until the third one that I found someone awake.
"Would it kill you to knock—" The man froze as he turned toward the barrel of my gun.
I gestured for him to stay silent while I kept my Suri trained on him while I closed the door behind me.
"Adam, I'm just here to ask a few questions. Now you answer them quietly and we all can go our way. Do you understand?"
He nodded before I gave him permission to speak.
"...Who are you, why are you looking for me?" Adam spoke as he kept alternating glances at me and the barrel pointed at him.
"No, Adam, I am the one asking questions here. Now tell me, where did you get those weapons you sold a few weeks earlier?"
"Weapons? What weapons?"
"Come on now, Adam, we both know you are lying. Let's not make this difficult."
"Look, I do a lot of errands for our group, so I probably sold off many packages, but that doesn't mean I know what it was," He said as he wiped the sweat that was building around his temple.
I stared at him unflinchingly.
"...Okay, look, it wasn't my idea. I'm just a grunt, I didn't know we were raiding your corp. I'll do anything you tell me, just let me go," He nervously pleaded.
So his group was responsible for the raid? I thought wastelanders did it…Was this guy a raider? No way, I thought they didn't stay in cities.
"So what did you do with the things you stole from us?" I asked, playing into the role of the corpo that he had assigned me.
Might as well go along with it, right?
"It's all here with us. I even have the keys to the stash. It's right there in the drawer," He slowly placed his hand on it and looked toward me for permission to continue.
I nodded and took a step back.
Adam gradually opened the drawer but then abruptly jerked it fully open and grabbed something from within it.
Two soft 'Pfft' noises resonated within the small shipping container, followed by two 'clinks' noises of the bullet hitting the walls.
+10 EXP
I should have known this was how it was going to end…
As I inspected the room and his body, I found nothing in particular besides the gun he tried to pull on me.
I was on my way out of his room when a knock came from the door.
"You okay in there, Adam?" A man's voice spoke out, and when no one responded, he continued knocking.
Shit, my gun may be quiet, but the sound of the bullets hitting the metal walls wasn't.
I stalked closer to the door and pushed it slightly open. I aimed my gun at the gap and waited.
"You mute now or what? The fuck you doi—"
As his head poked out through the gap, I opened fire from almost point-blank range, right at his forehead. Immediately, I dashed back into the warehouse, away from the shipping containers.
After five minutes had passed, it didn't seem like anyone else had noticed the commotion.
Now that their group was deemed hostile in my books, it was time to earn some experience points. I already killed three of them, and the last thing I wanted was to be a potential target of revenge.
I retraced my previous path, then quietly entered the shipping container rooms one by one to silently dispatch the occupants with my dagger. I didn't even need to turn on the vibroblade function as I could take my time aiming for the vitals.
I secured the area after I had gone through every container. I took some time to go over any loot they had and piled it all by the area where the man had been reading, though it was mostly just guns.
Just as I was bringing the last few hauls of loot out, someone called out while I had my hands full and was in the middle of descending the stairs.
"Hey, Baron! When the fuck are you coming to relieve my shift? I've been—" The man stopped talking and stared at me once he got close enough to make out my masked face and dark attire.
"Who the fuck are you?" He raised his rifle toward me.
I swiftly dropped everything in my hand away, jumped off the side of the stairs, and took cover behind the metal staircase.
Several loud shots echoed throughout the warehouse as the man started shooting as soon as I had moved.
Now that I was in cover, I could take the time to prepare for a fair gunfight… Okay, maybe not something I was confident in, but thankfully I had some aces up my sleeve.
As I tried to swap the mag in my gun, I fumbled it as my left hand didn't respond like I was used to.
Shit!
I looked down and saw my blood trickling out of a hole in my upper arm.
Deeming the imminent threat that was still shooting at me more important, I peeked out to scan for my opponent's location. In response, I received several more shots fired at me that forced me to duck back into cover. Though now I had a rough idea of where he was, behind an old forklift.
I swapped the ammo in the gun with my one good arm and blind-fired several times in his direction.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Three explosions rang out consecutively, and he hadn't shot back this time.
"Haha!" I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Firing off explosives sure was fun, if only I wasn't starting to feel the pain from my wound…
Those explosive rounds had better be effective too, they were quite expensive! At least the cost was a good deterrent for me from getting addicted to it.
I took another peek out and bullets once again came at me in response.
I responded with my own shots, exploding ones at that, but this time, I started pushing forward to my assailant by diving behind a crate while laying down suppressing fire.
Let's see if you can fight back when pelted by a rain of explosive rounds! I'll show you that money is power!
When I jumped out of cover again, no more shots were fired my way. I made my way to where I last saw him, behind the forklift.
When I cleared the corner, I spotted the man holding onto his bloodied chest while panting heavily. His rifle was lying on the ground, slightly away from him.
I pulled the trigger to finish the man off from the cover of the forklift.
+10 EXP
With the system having helped me confirm the kill, I took a closer look at my left arm as I felt warm liquids continuing to drip out.
Shit, I sure fucked up…
I should've known there still was a guard out front…This wasn't a video game where enemies stayed in place and patrolled in fixed routes.
Wait… there is still an entire building next door that I haven't checked out yet and there's also a guard posted out in front of it too…
After I realized the threat I was under, I retrieved a syringe from my med kit and stabbed it right beside the wound to stop the bleeding and doubled time out of the building the same way I entered.
By the time I was outside, I heard car engines starting up and lots of yelling. I made my way out of the fenced area and back into the thicket.
"Over there!" A voice yelled out behind me.
Damn it, it seems like they spotted me.
I headed further in where the foliage was thicker, covering my tracks. I made my way around a hill to ensure I broke the line of sight from my pursuers before I found a nice hiding spot atop a large tree.
In a minute or so, I spotted several lights moving nearby. I waited until it was a distance away from me before I started dressing up my wound and collected my thoughts.
Well, at least I now know that I hit the right target…But if I left now, who knows if they would relocate or not? In the first place, could I even get away?
They had cars on standby, and people searching for me on foot. I would need to call for a pickup to extract me, but that was probably something they would expect.
In that case, I should play to my strengths.
"Status," I called out.
Status
Level:
3
EXP:
20/300
Musculoskeletal:
11
Neural Reflex:
15
Visuomotor Coordination:
12
Endurance:
8
Sensory Perception:
37
Upgrade Points:
2
Upgrades:
Stealth +5
Hacking +3
Enhancements:
SAID: Zenitech Hoth Mk.3
Optics: Nova Tech Stars Mk.4
You know, I planned to start spending my points on technology skills that could help me start earning credits, but I guess the saying "No plan survives contact with the enemy" was too true.
I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the direct knowledge dump into my brain that I got when using my points, and double-checked my equipment.
I really need to be more careful and avoid falling into situations like these from now on. Let's hope this will be the last time…
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> Corpo Age [Cyberpunk Progression LitRPG] > Chapter 10: Sneaky Beaky Like Pt.2
Chapter 10: Sneaky Beaky Like Pt.2
Corpo Age [Cyberpunk Progression LitRPG] by RandomBlueCat
1k 3 57
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Yuri Kasakov - Outland Marauders
"What the fuck is going on, Yuri?" The six-foot-five tall man walked towards Yuri with anxiety in his voice. His face was stoic as always though, likely because he could no longer display any facial expression due to all the augments he had.
"It seems someone attacked the other warehouse, everyone there is dead. We spotted a person running from the scene and a team is chasing them right now."
"Everyone is dead?! How many of them are there? We better get ready to evacuate from this shithole."
"Yes…Most of them were killed in their sleep and we only spotted one of them so far. Our cars are all on standby, but we don't even have 20 men left now…"
"Idiots! The lot of them! Go recall everyone. We're packing up and leaving."
"...We're just going to let them go?"
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
"No sir, I'll go call the team back myself," Yuri said and immediately speed-walked out of the boss's room.
"That fucker was probably happy now that there were fewer of us to share our latest score with." A beautiful red-haired woman said from behind him.
"Now is not the time for this, Kat," At his words, Kat pouted, which he could only ruefully shake his head to.
He used his SAID to place a call to Jarvin, the team leader of the pursuit team, and was answered on the second ring.
"Jarvin, it's time to leave. Get your men back here double time."
After a few seconds of waiting, he still got no response, but he knew he was on the line as he could hear heaving and breathing on the other end.
"Hey Jarvin, answer me!"
"...Can't talk, we're pinned down, send reinforcements," The man whispered before the call disconnected.
Damn it, did they get led into a trap?
"Kat darling, I'm going to pick up Jarvin and his team. I need you to stay here to coordinate."
"What!? I'm coming with you!"
"No, we don't have any men to spare. I need you here. Don't worry, I'll have Roman with me."
She sighed, "...Fine."
He walked out of the building and found his brother leaning against his car.
"Roman, let's go, Jarvin and his boys are calling for help," Roman nodded back at him before grabbing his shotgun from the trunk and then started following him.
They started heading out of the compound in the direction he had previously sent the team toward.
They headed into the thicket fast, without needing to use any lighting equipment as both of them could see perfectly fine in the dark with their optics.
Occasionally, the two heard shots ring out from the distance, so they had no confusion about the direction they needed to go. Once the gunshot grew louder, the duo readied their weapons, kept low, and moved from cover to cover.
In fifteen minutes, they were close enough to start worrying about friendly fire as the brothers neared the position they were informed of. He called Jarvin again as they inched closer to receive updates on their position.
The two made their way to a small space surrounded by thick trees and a steep hill. They spotted their man peeking out and rushed toward their position.
"What's the sitch Jarvin? Where's the rest of your team?" He said as he looked him over along with the only other person with him, a woman who he recalled was called Sandra, someone he had spoken little to.
"We're the only two left. Someone's out there hunting us. They keep shooting us from every direction and we can't find them, so we took cover here."
He took out a mirror and used it to look around from the safety of cover in response to his warning.
"How long has it been since you were last under fire?" He said as he threw the mirror over to his brother to see if he could find anything that he hadn't.
"I don't know… Maybe like 5 minutes ago."
His brother finished scanning the area and shook his head.
"That means they could've been gone by now. We didn't see anything or get shot at on our way here," He said as he rose to his full height while he made sure his gun covered the gaps in his armor. Before he could step out, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"...Or maybe they are waiting for us to get out of cover to start picking us off again," Jarvin warned.
"Boss wants us out of here ASAP. We don't have time for this." He brushed Jarvin's hand off his shoulder and started jogging back in a zig-zag pattern, just in case there really was someone out there.
Several minutes of jogging later, the group encountered no issues and arrived at the edge of the compound, where he gestured for them to come to a stop.
"Something's wrong…I don't see any movement up ahead and they are supposed to be packing up right now."
He made a call to his boss, but it just kept ringing, with no one answering. He then tried Kat, but got the same result…
"Hey you guys, see if you can reach anyone. The boss ain't answering."
A few minutes later, after everyone had tried every number they had, they still couldn't get hold of anyone.
"This ain't right man…I knew it! It's probably some corpos hit squad. They found out after all… I don't want none of this shit, man," Jarvin said nervously as he started backing away.
"Come on Jarvin, boss won't enjoy hearing about you going off with that shit again. Let's carefully check things out. We still have a huge fortune sitting back in there," He pleaded, as he wanted as much help as he could get to go save Kat.
"I don't know, man…" He gave a troubled look over to his partner, Sandra, who simply returned a shrug.
"We'll be quick. I mean, if you leave and the boss is still kicking, he ain't going to take kindly to traitors."
"...Fine, fine. We're in, let's go quickly. We needed a car anyway."
He gave Roman a quick glance, who nodded back.
Guess I don't have to ask if he is in too.
They moved in a diamond-shaped formation as they had been trained to do, with Yuri at the front.
Seeing how everything was quiet, they opted to go in swiftly as opposed to quietly. They weren't that good at being quiet, anyway.
The group got close enough to the parking area to make out a few bodies spread around. The cars nearby still had their engines and headlights on, so they had adequate lighting in the area.
Yuri briefly noted who the bodies were once they got close enough, ensuring Kat wasn't one of them, and led the team toward the boss's room, which was right next to where the gang had stashed their loot.
Inside the warehouse, it was completely dark beside the flashlight attachments Jarvin and Sandra had on their rifles. Their lights shined on the floor, which showed a few trails of blood but no bodies since they entered the building. It was so quiet he could hear Jarvin swallow nervously as he adjusted the grip on his weapon.
It didn't take long before the four of them arrived at the shipping container that was the boss's room. The door was already open, and they saw the figure of a large man who resembled their boss. He sat at his desk with his head planted on the table, face down. It almost seemed like he had fallen asleep at his desk, but the gaping hole at the back of his head told a different story.
They next went to check the room where the loot was stored, but found it still locked. As the second in command, Yuri had a key as well, so he started searching for it in his pack.
Just as he was about to insert the key, the noise of something dropping entered his ears, followed by a few dull thuds. He turned around and saw Sandra, Jarvin's last remaining team member, sprawled out on the ground while his brother Roman crouched down and fired his shotgun repeatedly into the darkness.
Even with night vision, he couldn't spot anything in the direction Roman was shooting at.
"Backs against each other now!" Yuri yelled out louder than he intended.
He ran up and brushed his shoulders against his brother's and covered a different angle. After a moment, he didn't feel Jarvin in the space they had left for him and looked over in his direction.
"Fuck! I told you this was a bad idea!" Jarvin yelled out before he started running toward the exit.
That goddamn coward.
"Brother, we should get out of here," Roman whispered to him.
"But what about Kat—"
"She probably already escaped if…the worst hadn't already happened. We need to stay alive to find her."
"...Fine." He gritted his teeth. He knew Roman was right, and he wasn't thinking straight right now.
The brothers rearranged themselves with their backs against each other and started going for the back exit, but were startled by the sound of automatic gunfire followed by a few explosions coming from the parking lot.
Spying out of a window, they noted a new flaming vehicle by the main entrance of the warehouse.
Deciding it wasn't worth it to go toward the parking lot, the duo continued toward the back door. Just as they were about halfway there, Yuri unexpectedly felt some pressure punch into his chest and the dull thud that accompanied it.
He could tell from experience that he was shot, but luckily, it didn't penetrate his body armor. He briskly started scanning for what shot him while laying down suppressing fire to hopefully discourage his attacker from continuing their attack.
He caught a brief glimpse of a shadow just as it ducked back behind a nearby shipping container. His brother, Roman, followed closely behind, but both of them were now pinned down.
The two dashed away in the opposite direction of the enemy while keeping a close watch. Yuri felt bullets hitting body armor once more, but this time, from a completely different direction.
Roman started firing back at their assailant to no avail, as they could only catch glimpses of the enemy before they relocated.
"We can't stay in here any longer. There's too much cover in here. Their weapons may be silent, but they can't penetrate our armor. Run out together now!"
They sprinted back toward the main entrance, and when they were just around the corner, a sudden explosion loudly went off right next to him. It threw him straight onto the ground and left his ears ringing.
He felt his body heat leave him, carried away by the warm liquids flowing out from his wounds.
Fuck, is this the end…?
After what felt like an eternity, the ringing in his head lightened up. He tried to get up, but only made it halfway when he saw a figure standing over him. The figure pointed something blurry in his direction… no; he realized it was his vision that was blurry, and that something pointed at him was obviously a gun.
So I guess this is the end…
He always knew it was coming. He had killed enough to know it would one day be his turn, especially with all the misdeeds he had done.
But he didn't regret it. You had to do what you needed to survive in this world.
He mustered every bit of air I had left in his lungs and was able to mutter out his last words.
"Do it."
Then everything faded to black.
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