Chapter 68: Gang War

Chapter 68: Gang War

Today was a special day.

A week after dealing with the Rust Scrapper’s leader, we kept out of their way and monitored the situation. With their leadership completely gone, the remaining members were conflicted about who would take over the gang. They pointed fingers at each other for being responsible for the previous leader’s death, and soon a civil war started amidst the gang.

In the meantime, I kept busy by doing my community service and leveling up. I had cy-specialists, hard at work, decrypting the data we downloaded from the gang leader’s residence.

And on this special day, I finally managed to level up.

Status

Level:

19

EXP:

40/1900

Musculoskeletal:

211

Neural Reflex:

65

Visuomotor Coordination:

87

Endurance:

59

Sensory Perception:

127

Upgrade Points:

2

Upgrades:

Stealth +7Hacking +3Cybernetic Engineering +10Stealth Technology +10Software Engineering +6Electrical Engineering +4

Enhancements:

SAID: Zenitech Sebastien v2

Optics: Mirage Tech Clear-Sights mk.12

Cyberarm (Left): Nova Tech Heracle Mk. 3

Cyberarm (Right): Nova Tech Heracle Mk. 3

Auditory: SocialCorp Echo IV

Cardiovascular: BioGen Lifepump 5

Miscellaneous: HSU Custom Shade

I immediately dumped my newfound points into electrical engineering and enjoyed the sensation that I hadn’t experienced in a while. The flow of knowledge answered many of my previous curiosities but also brought on new ones. The way I looked at anything in the field had gone through a metamorphosis once more.

I spent the whole day studying and figuring out ways to improve the EMP-resistant properties of my cybernetics. When I was done with that, I moved on to the electric motors of our Vanguards and all the other internals of it.

Just as inspiration struck me in an application on how to improve efficiency, several familiar faces barged into my workshop.

“Rollo, we’re finally done decrypting the data,” Claire said, with Leo and Lana standing behind her.

I tried to pretend I didn’t hear her, hoping she would come back later and continued working on the motor.

“Rollo, Rollo. Mr. Halls! Wake up!”

She started grabbing my shoulders and shaking me around, so I no longer had a choice.

Sigh...

“Yes, I’m listening. What did you guys find?”

The virtual system accurately simulated the firearm physics, so he knew if this was a real engagement, his bullet would’ve penetrated through the walls and hit his targets.

Fights would’ve been so much easier if I had this tech back when we were fighting other gang members.

“Gather up, I have an announcement to make,” Flo, our instructor, immediately yelled out as soon as the training exercise was over. “You guys are still pathetic in my eyes, but tomorrow, we will be going out on a live operation.”

He exchanged looks with Peng, only to find him staring blankly at the speaker, so he glanced over at his other two teammates. There were also people from the other teams, but he hadn’t spoken to any of them yet.

“You people will hear the details tomorrow. You’re all dismissed for now.”

“Peng is hungry. Can we go eat, Andrew?”

“...Sure.”

Just as he began to walk away, a voice called out from behind.

“Wait! Can we join you guys?”

He turned and identified the speakers as his teammates. He hadn’t taken any interest in them, but if they were going to be fighting together tomorrow, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least get to know their names.

“Okay, let’s go errr...”

“...He’s Brian and I’m Mark. How long have we been training together again?” The taller of the two stepped forward and replied.

They were both pretty muscular for being barely twenty. It was enough to tell him they had a good upbringing and were actually fed, unlike him and his childhood friend.

“Let’s talk at the restaurant, Brian and Mark. You don’t want to see Peng throwing a tantrum when he gets too hungry.”

“...”

Andrew - Halls Corporation

“You boys look sleepy. Are you sure you guys are ready for some action?” Flo said, right after they had assembled.

“Yes, mam!” Everyone saluted and responded in unison. They were experienced enough to know the repercussions if they didn’t, and it almost came reflexively to them now.

“Well, suit yourselves. The operation today may get violent, you have been warned. The two teams are being split, and here are the dossiers with everything you need to know. No one else will be giving you a hand, so you’re all on your own.”

They all continued to stand at attention until Flo was completely gone from the room.

As soon as she left, everyone collectively let out a sigh of relief as they split off to go over their own mission details.

Andrew and his two other team members read the terminal together while Peng played around with his tower shield.

After agreeing on a plan, they got into an unmarked van and moved out. For this operation, they wouldn’t be using their Vanguards so they could stay incognito.

The team parked in a small street near their objective, a rundown part of town that was just outside of the Neon District. They all left the car, as it wouldn’t be necessary for the rest of the plan. There was no way for them to escape with the captives without neutralizing all the enemies in the area, not safely at least.

The early morning streets were mostly deserted. The GPS on their optics quickly found the address their instructor had provided them with.

“Remember, no stealth tech. We don’t want anyone to think we’re from a corp.”

“Peng remembers.”

I’ll give it a 50/50 that he will actually remember.

“Okay. Just like training now. Peng, you got the lead.”

Peng nodded and started moving into the back alley of the commercial unit that was their target. His large figure lugging around a tower shield meant that it was only a matter of time before they would be spotted, so speed was their priority here.

Andrew watched as the large figure of Peng charged at the back door and slammed his shield into it, just like in training. The flimsy door came off at the hinges, and the team quickly filed in behind him.

Inside were empty hallways, but they didn’t dawdle, and started clearing the rooms. They had Brian in the back, holding the hallway, while Peng and Andrew charged into the closest room. Andrew found several people with tattoos that matched the ones he had seen from the dossier and wearing red, the signature color of the Rust Scrappers.

“What is with all the noise? Who the fu—”

One of the men nursing a headache was about to reach for his gun, so he fired. Peng took that as the signal to go wild and slammed his shield at the closest gang member who was just rousing. Hearing the firefight, the fourth member of the team, Mark, who acted as the flexible rotator, immediately came to back the two of them up.

It couldn’t even be called a fight, as they were caught solely unprepared and quickly succumbed to the surprise attack.

It was only when they finished clearing the room that Brian called out to them about the others in the building who had woken up and were on their way. The team quickly retreated into the narrow hallways and had Peng move to the front with his shield.

Bullets bounced off his shield, holding them back, as Andrew prepared a surprise for them. He hefted up the company-supplied grenade launcher and shot it down the hallway at his foes. He shot another one for good measure before his team started advancing on the enemy, who were all either injured or taking cover.

Weak, just too weak. We were weak gang members, just like them not too long ago. I really should make use of that employee discount to chrome us up. You never know when a corp would throw you away, after all.