NOVEL WEB Chapter 46: Cloak
The following day, I handed off the chip I found to Leo to deal with while I sat back and relaxed.
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Status |
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Level: |
14 |
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EXP: |
320/1400 |
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Musculoskeletal: |
76 |
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Neural Reflex: |
15 |
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Visuomotor Coordination: |
27 |
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Endurance: |
24 |
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Sensory Perception: |
52 |
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Upgrade Points: |
0 |
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Upgrades: |
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Enhancements: |
SAID: Zenitech Hoth Mk.3 Optics: Nova Tech Stars Mk.4 Cyberarm(Left): Nova Tech Mudra Mk.6 Cyberarm(Right): Nova Tech Shiva Mk.5 Auditory: Amazing Corp FieldTac Gen 2 Cardiovascular: BioGen Labs Marathon 4 Miscellaneous: HSU Custom Shade |
I was still quite a way from leveling up, but seeing the daily progress never fails to motivate me. Well, that and the new knowledge the system offers was also a bit addicting. It scratched the itch of my curiosity about what comes next and gave me a new challenge on how I could apply the new theories.
However, I needed to start deciding on a new direction to take, as it wasn’t a smart move to sell more advanced stealth tech to the general public. It would only draw the ire of other corps and give away information that could jeopardize our security.
The system had a large selection to choose from but with leveling up getting more and more difficult, it would take a while to start off in a new field, not to talk about the investment and equipment needed besides the know-how.
We currently were looking to dive into the transportation business, more so to become self-sufficient. Maybe I should search for options that could complement that.
The obvious choice would be in vehicles but that encompassed various disciplines of science that couldn’t be covered by only one choice in the system. Maybe if I targeted a specific aspect of a vehicle, I could hire the relevant personnel for the rest.
There were other options to explore as well, though I wasn’t in a hurry to decide. For now, I didn’t even have any spare points. I should focus on our current objective in Firebird or I would be counting the chickens before they hatch.
“Hey, Roll, that chip you gave me is heavily encrypted,” Leo said as he walked into my workshop.
“So we can’t find out what’s on it?”
“No, we can, but it’ll take over a week at the minimum.”
“Then just—”
An incoming text covered up the corner of my vision, *This is Roger, we talked yesterday. I’ve put together a team, I’m sending you the information and where to meet them later today.*
“What’s up?” Leo asked. “Got the message from the QG last night. We got a meeting in an hour and a half.”
“Send me the info and let’s head out. We can grab some food and check out the meeting place at the same time.”
I walked up to a small group that was huddled around their car in a secluded alleyway, “Kurt? I’m Cloak.”
He gave me a look over, “Can’t say we’re glad to have an outsider on the team, but it’s the client’s request. Try not to get in our way.”
I had the mercenaries we hired agree to take along one of my people so I could join incognito. Leo was also with the other team, monitoring them remotely so we could coordinate with Vin’s strike team in NLA. There was no need for him to be disguised as he would be sitting in the back, on his terminal, like a typical client.
In my case, I wanted to join in on the action so I had to minimize the chances for QuickLink Logistics to recognize me.
With more points in stealth tech now than before, I upgraded my personal cybernetics as well as my security team’s, though I kept the best to myself. The uptime my new implants allowed for was way longer, with better energy capacity and lower cooldown time. It also hid me from various forms of detection common to high-security systems common to corporations.
With that said, it wasn’t perfect. I was still physically there, so any weight-based detection or physical contact could still give me away.
For this outing, I chose to wear a mask and visor to keep my face hidden and clothing that did not show any skin. I definitely looked like some sketchy person you did not want to get involved with.
The sound of a clap drew my attention, “Okay, it’s almost time. Everyone get in the car and we’ll discuss any final details on the way.”
There were only three other mercs here besides Kurt, their leader. Like the quality outfit the QG had advertised, they all wore standardized tactical equipment. It was a sore spot for me, as my own security still appeared to be a motley crew, sporting different gear and equipment.
The moment the car got moving, Kurt continued, “So Tera will run cy-sec in the car as usual, being in contact with the other team who will be executing this operation at the same time as us. Our target is a vehicle maintenance facility, so expect a lot of cars. Our focus is to sabotage high-value and hard-to-replace equipment. Any questions?”
“How are we taking care of any witnesses?” A man with short green hair spoke up with his helmet held under his arm.
“They are not a priority, eliminate any obstacles, but no need to chase after any runners. Our main goal is to sabotage anything of value.”
“Understood,” The man nodded. “What about him? This will be a quick and chaotic operation. I don’t want to trust my back to an unknown,” He continued as he glared at me.
“You’ll have to—”
“I’ll move separately from you,” I interjected. “We’ll stay connected to avoid friendly fire, but otherwise, I’ll be a distance away.”
“...It’s up to you. I have no authority over you, but to ensure you don’t jeopardize our mission, I’ll have to ask you to wait for our signal before starting anything,” Kurt responded.
“Sure, be my guest.”
With our plan settled, we parked on the streets near our objective. It was a distance away since the target facility was located in a suburban area with few buildings in its surroundings. It was a huge warehouse that acted as the storage and maintenance facility for the Firebird branch of QuickLink Logistics.
I trailed Kurt’s team as we drew near and stayed a small distance behind them. Once they were near the target warehouse, they took a deep breath and started running straight at the building, right through the front toll gates. The security mainly kept unauthorized cars out, so it didn’t pose any obstruction when their team of three attacked on foot. They shot the two guards in the booth and rushed into the compound.
Their plan was to go in fast and hard, with explosives to blow any obstacles in their way and any machinery they could reach. Then they would leave before a more organized response could be mustered.
The garage doors meant for trucks were all closed, but the thin sheets of metal were quickly blown out of the way.
Seeing how they went loud and got the party started, I activated my new and improved active camouflage and made my way slightly away from the commotion.
Not long after they went inside the warehouse, I spotted a door slam open as a squad of five security guards rushed out, decked out in armor. I took out a grenade from the pack on my hip and set the timer to three seconds before activating it and slipping it into the tactical vest a guard was wearing.
I then dashed past the door they came from before it fully closed. Before the door could slam shut, the explosion slightly shook the ground beneath me. My experience notification indicated only three confirmed kills, though I’m sure the other two weren’t fit for combat anymore. For this gig, I would rather do maximum damage to the facility and worry about experience points later.
Inside, the guardroom near the entrance was empty. The hallway was filled with the sound of people scrambling about. As I turned the corner, I found people rushing out toward the exits on the opposite side of the commotion.
They were no threat, so I left them be while I made my way through until I spotted a room labeled ‘Machinery’.
Instead of a grenade, I had explosive packs prepared for this, similar to the ones Kurt used to blow their way into the maintenance bay. I placed them evenly across the machinery room and activated the switch once I was out of the way.
The loud explosions caused the escaping employees to panic even more, as they double-timed out of the premises. With fewer people in the way, I soon came upon the storage room where I repeated the previous steps to blow the place up.
I heard several explosions in the distance, which should mean Kurt’s team was progressing well.
The last room I came upon was up the stairs to the supervisor’s office. The door was locked and since this was a shock and awe day; I allowed my cybernetic arms to utilize all their strength and slammed a shoulder into the door. The flimsy warehouse door came off at the hinges and landed boldly in the room, crumpled up.
“What the fuck?” A man yelled out in panic as our eyes met. He came to a realization and immediately reached for a drawer near him, and a gunshot rang out.
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+10 EXP |
He slumped down in his chair while I cleared the room of any other threats. The nameplate on the desk was for some supply chain manager. Having been running my own business, I knew too well how difficult it was to find qualified and experienced people, so hopefully this loss added another incentive for QuickLinks to pull out from this city.
I noticed his handheld terminal still had an ongoing connection, so I quickly disconnected it, even though it was likely too late.
With that done, I glanced out the window from his office, which had a clear view of the large open area where their trucks were serviced and parked. I could spot flaming wrecks where the service bays once were and various bodies spread across the floor.
I went through the door that connected to the open area and rendezvoused with Kurt, who stood guard nearby as his companions busied themselves with rigging the place up with explosives.
I deactivated my camouflage before approaching him, “You guys finished?”
His body tensed as it snapped toward me but relaxed after meeting my eyes, “...Yes, we were about to clear the back halls real quick and head out. Our spotter outside picked up some activity so we don’t have long.”
“I got that taken care of. Let’s head out once you guys are done here.”
He nodded slowly in response and gestured to his team with hand signs that I couldn’t decipher.
Not long after, we were all on our way out of the compound. Several firefighter trucks were parked outside, but they simply ignored us as we ran by. As if on cue, a thunderous explosion rang out behind us the moment we crossed the toll gates by the entrance.
Ignoring the crowd of employees gathered together who let out screams, we moved into a discreet alleyway where our ride was waiting.
We drove in silence as we made our way back to where we had met, and I texted Leo the latest updates. After a few minutes, I could make out the parking lot, but just as we turned in, an incoming call blocked out a corner of my vision from Leo.
“R—Cloak! If you guys are done, then get over here ASAP. Our team here is pinned down. They have some serious guys over here.”
“You okay?” I instantly asked. “Yeah, I’m monitoring the situation remotely, but the mercenary team has already taken casualties. It’s become a shitshow over there.”
“Okay, understood,” I inspected the mercenary around me, who seemed to still be fresh. “The other team needs our help. Our employer has agreed to give out bonuses as outlined in the contract if you assist. You guys in?”
Their team whistled in unison before Kurt responded, “Let’s go. We were thinking the gig was going just a little too smoothly. Something always goes wrong. Glad the fuck up wasn’t on our end.”