Chapter 46: Cloak

Chapter 46: Cloak

The following day, I handed off the chip I found to Leo to deal with while I sat back and relaxed.

Status

Level:

14

EXP:

320/1400

Musculoskeletal:

76

Neural Reflex:

15

Visuomotor Coordination:

27

Endurance:

24

Sensory Perception:

52

Upgrade Points:

0

Upgrades:

Stealth +7Hacking +3Cybernetic Engineering +7Stealth Technology +9Software Engineering +6

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.

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.

+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.”