Chapter 5: Into the Shadows
The south gate of Neo Arcadia-2 loomed like a sentinel in the dark, its towering steel frame illuminated by dim floodlights. Ethan arrived fifteen minutes before midnight, his steps light and deliberate. The streets here were quieter, the usual chaos replaced by a sense of unease. This part of the city wasn't a place for casual strolls—anyone out this late either had a purpose or a death wish.
As he approached the rendezvous point, a soft chime echoed in his mind.
[New Quest: High-Risk, High-Reward]
Objective: Assist Briggs's crew in intercepting the Syndicate's shipment.
Primary Tasks:
1. Bypass security systems at the south gate.
2. Ensure the safe retrieval of at least 50% of the shipment.
Optional: Prevent any casualties.
Rewards: +1,000 EXP, High-Grade Parts Cache, Reputation +20 (Neo Arcadia-2).
Failure: Lose Reputation with local factions.
Ethan frowned. The stakes were clear—failure wasn't an option. He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his decision. If he wanted to climb higher, he had to take risks, but the optional task of avoiding casualties lingered in his mind. He didn't want unnecessary blood on his hands.
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You showed up. Good."
Briggs emerged from the shadows, his rough features lit by the faint glow of a cigarette. Behind him stood three others—a burly man with a plasma rifle slung over his shoulder, a wiry woman with a hacking console strapped to her arm, and a silent figure masked in black armor.
Ethan nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "I don't like being late."
Briggs grinned, his teeth flashing in the dim light. "Good attitude. This here's the crew: Garret, Rhea, and Shade. They'll handle the heavy lifting. You just do your part, and we'll all walk away richer."
Ethan's eyes flicked to Rhea, who was tinkering with her console. "I thought you had a hacker?"
Rhea smirked without looking up. "I handle digital security. You're here for the physical systems. Syndicate tech isn't standard—takes more than a codebreaker to get through their barriers."
Ethan shrugged. "Fair enough. Let's get to it."
The group moved in silence toward the south gate's perimeter, keeping to the shadows. Ethan's Multi-System Interface hummed softly in his mind, feeding him details as they approached.
[Area Analysis: South Gate—Syndicate Outpost]
• Security Drones: 4 Active.
• Lock Mechanism: Advanced Biometric Scanner.
• Patrol Routes: Semi-Randomized (Refresh every 2 minutes).
Recommended Action: Disable security drones first to prevent reinforcements.
Ethan's voice was low as he addressed Briggs. "There are four drones patrolling the area. We'll need to disable them before touching the gate, or we'll have a full squad on us in seconds."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "You got all that just by looking?"
"Something like that," Ethan replied, his tone dismissive. He tapped his wristband, the Interface lighting up with his next move.
[Skill Activated: Scavenger's Insight]
Target: Security Drones.
Result: Weak points identified—Energy Nodes on lower chassis.
Ethan grinned. "Aim for the underside of the drones. That's where their energy nodes are. Hit those, and they're toast."
Briggs motioned to Shade, who nodded silently and disappeared into the shadows. Moments later, faint flashes of light marked the precise strikes that took out the drones one by one. Shade reappeared, his black armor unscathed, and gave a silent thumbs-up.
With the perimeter clear, Ethan approached the gate. The biometric scanner's interface glowed ominously, a series of concentric symbols shifting in a pattern meant to dissuade tampering.
[Skill Activated: Basic Defense Protocols]
Secondary Function Unlocked: Basic System Override.
Objective: Reverse-engineer Syndicate Biometric Scanner.
Time Required: 2 Minutes.
He crouched by the scanner, pulling out a multi-tool and connecting it to the device. His hands moved quickly, splicing wires and rerouting circuits while his Interface guided him through the complex process. Each second felt like an eternity as the scanner's resistance pushed back against his efforts.
A warning flashed in his mind.
[Alert: Patrol Refresh Detected—30 Seconds Until Detection.]
Ethan swore under his breath, his fingers working faster. "Almost there," he muttered.
Rhea glanced nervously at her console. "Make it quick. We've got a fresh patrol route heading this way."
With a final spark and a satisfying click, the scanner's display turned green. The gate slid open with a low hiss, revealing a row of hover crates stacked neatly inside.
"Done," Ethan said, stepping back. "Let's move."
The crew worked efficiently, loading the crates onto a repurposed cargo hauler Briggs had stashed nearby. Each crate hummed faintly, filled with high-grade parts and materials that could fetch a small fortune on the black market.
Ethan stayed alert, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of reinforcements. The job was almost too smooth, and his instincts told him something was off. Just as the last crate was loaded, a sharp alarm pierced the air.
"Damn it!" Rhea cursed. "They've got backup protocols. We've got incoming!"
[Event: Syndicate Response Team Detected.]
• Units: 8 Combat Drones, 2 Elite Enforcers.
Recommended Action: Delay enemies while securing escape route.
Briggs cursed, hefting his plasma rifle. "Hold them off while we get the hauler moving! Garret, Shade, you're with me!"
The combat drones were the first to arrive, their sleek forms darting through the air as plasma bolts rained down on the group. Ethan ducked behind a crate, his mind racing.
"Turret time," he muttered, pulling the compact plasma turret from his bag. He deployed it quickly, its nozzle swiveling to lock onto the nearest drone.
[Skill Activated: Basic Defense Protocols.]
Turret Operational: Compact Plasma Turret Mk. I.
The turret fired with mechanical precision, taking out two drones in quick succession. Ethan joined the fray, using a salvaged plasma pistol to cover Briggs and the others as they fought their way to the hauler.
One of the enforcers, a towering figure clad in heavy armor, charged forward with a kinetic hammer, smashing through crates like paper. Ethan's turret swiveled to target him, but the plasma bolts barely dented the enforcer's reinforced plating.
Ethan's Interface beeped urgently.
[Analysis Complete: Syndicate Enforcer.]
• Weakness: Energy Overload (Target Power Pack).
• Recommendation: Use plasma regulator to destabilize core.
Ethan's eyes flicked to the plasma regulator he'd repaired earlier. "Of course," he muttered. He grabbed the device from his bag and sprinted toward the enforcer, dodging a wide arc of the kinetic hammer as it smashed into the ground beside him. The shockwave sent crates flying, but Ethan pressed forward, his focus razor-sharp. His Interface pinged incessantly, providing real-time adjustments to his trajectory.
The enforcer's power pack glowed faintly on its back, shielded by overlapping armor plates. It was a small target, but Ethan had no choice. He activated the plasma regulator, its core humming to life as energy crackled through its circuits.
"Come on, big guy," Ethan muttered, his grip tightening around the device.
The enforcer turned, its helmeted head locking onto him. With a mechanical growl, it raised the hammer high and charged. Ethan waited, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Timing was everything.
The hammer came down, but Ethan rolled to the side at the last second, the weapon slamming into the ground and sending up a cloud of dust. Using the momentum of his dodge, Ethan sprang to his feet and jammed the plasma regulator directly into the enforcer's power pack.
"Eat this," he hissed, slamming his palm onto the activation switch.
The regulator discharged with a deafening crack, a surge of unstable energy flooding the enforcer's systems. Sparks erupted from its armor as it staggered forward, its movements jerky and uncoordinated. Ethan scrambled back, watching as the glow from the power pack intensified.
"Overload detected," the Interface informed him calmly. "Detonation imminent."
"Detonation?" Ethan's eyes widened. "That would've been nice to know earlier!"
He dove behind a nearby crate just as the enforcer exploded in a blinding flash of light and heat. The shockwave rattled the ground, sending shards of metal scattering in all directions. When the dust settled, the enforcer was nothing more than a smoldering heap of slag.
"One down," Ethan muttered, coughing as he pulled himself up. "Two hundred credits better be worth this."
Across the battlefield, the second enforcer was tearing through Briggs's crew. Shade moved like a shadow, his strikes precise but unable to pierce the enforcer's heavy armor. Garret fired his plasma rifle in bursts, but the enforcer deflected the shots with a glowing energy shield.
Ethan's Interface pinged again, highlighting the enforcer's weak point: the joints of its shield emitter.
"Of course," Ethan muttered. He activated his comm link. "Shade, aim for the emitter joints on its shield! It's vulnerable there!"
Shade gave a brief nod and adjusted his approach, darting in close and striking the exposed joints with surgical precision. Sparks flew as the emitter sputtered and failed, the shield collapsing.
Briggs seized the opportunity, unloading a concentrated plasma blast into the enforcer's chest. The armored figure staggered, its servos whining in protest, before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Briggs roared, his grin wild.
Ethan didn't have time to celebrate. The remaining combat drones swarmed toward the hauler, their plasma fire intensifying. The turret was holding its own, but it wouldn't last forever.
"Time to end this," Ethan muttered. He sprinted toward the hauler, his mind racing. He activated the Interface, analyzing the drone formation and calculating their firing patterns.
[Skill Activated: Tactical Analysis.]
Solution Identified: Distract and flank remaining drones. Suggested Method: Plasma Core Detonation.
Ethan reached into his bag and pulled out a damaged plasma core he'd scavenged earlier. It was unstable, its energy readings erratic, but it would serve as a makeshift grenade. He primed the core, its glow intensifying as it neared critical mass, and hurled it into the center of the drone formation.
"Fire in the hole!" he shouted, diving for cover.
The explosion was immediate and devastating. The drones were engulfed in a wave of plasma energy, their frames disintegrating under the force. When the smoke cleared, the battlefield was silent.
Ethan stood, brushing dust off his jacket, and surveyed the carnage. The enforcers were down, the drones destroyed, and the crates secured.
"That was insane," Rhea said, her voice breathless as she emerged from cover. "I can't believe we pulled it off."
Briggs clapped Ethan on the shoulder, his grin fierce. "Kid, you've got a hell of a future ahead of you. If you keep this up, you'll own this city in no time."
Ethan smirked, his gaze drifting toward the skyline where Neo Arcadia-1 gleamed in the distance. "One step at a time."
[Quest Complete: High-Risk, High-Reward.]
Primary Tasks Completed: Security systems bypassed, shipment secured.
Optional Task Completed: No casualties sustained.
Rewards Earned:
• +1,000 EXP
• High-Grade Parts Cache
• Reputation +20 (Neo Arcadia-2)
Level Up!
Level 2 → Level 3.
New Attribute Points: +3.
Skill Unlocked: Advanced Crafting Protocols.
Ethan felt the familiar rush of energy as his Interface processed the level-up. He opened his stats and allocated his points quickly, boosting Intelligence and Perception to enhance his crafting efficiency and tactical awareness.
[Skill Unlocked: Advanced Crafting Protocols.]
Description: Unlocks advanced techniques for creating high-grade equipment and augmentations.
Effect: +20% crafting speed, +10% output efficiency.
Ethan's eyes lit up at the description. With this skill, he could push his creations to the next level. The turret, the plasma regulator—everything he'd built so far was just the beginning.
Briggs's voice broke his train of thought. "We'll divvy up the parts back at the scrapyard. You've earned your share, and then some."
Ethan nodded, following the crew as they loaded the last crate onto the hauler. He couldn't shake the feeling that this job was just a prelude, a small taste of what Neo Arcadia-2 had in store. But one thing was certain: he wasn't just surviving anymore. He was building something—step by step, system by system.
As the hauler rumbled away from the gate, Ethan allowed himself a small smile. The game was only beginning.