Chapter 380: Poor Bastard

Chapter 380: Poor Bastard

n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

On their way to the tower, the cohort felt as if they were in another world.

There was not a single road or side of a building without any form of advertisement.

Most of them were about VPNs; their names were numerous but irrelevant as they served the

same purpose.

Even the traffic signs had advertisements.

They projected green arrows and bold letters on the ground with small pictures of corp products in the corner.

The place was disgustingly neon, almost frying their eyes, and the noise was loud too, every video display overlapping the other while cars zoomed past, competing on who had the loudest exhaust.

Their ears were met with people speaking in different dialects, a foreign concept for most of the cohort.

They might've looked like country boys if not for Emir and Lyra stealing the attention of all, keeping up their collective image with their threatening presence.

Especially Emir—not even here was he able to escape the fate of terrifying every random passerby.

It was only natural, he was a hulking man with building muscles that easily showed through his suit and eyes that exuded death.

Who wouldn't be intimated by that?

Lyra wouldn't.

She herself was pretty tall, slightly shorter than Emir, with a body that radiated strength even through the black dress that covered her from head to toe.

Their lovely sentient AI almost felt at home, as this environment was similar to where she was 'born.'

The rest slowly got accustomed to the sights and sounds as they continued their walk, getting deeper and deeper inside the web called Corp Plaza. Nearing their destination with each slow step.

***

Hello, I'm Gabriel Voisin, a mid-level engineer at Apex Dynamics.

A nobody working under an Exec.

'Hmm... a bit depressing, but that's fine, let's continue.'

I've always been fascinated by the potential of technology to transform our lives.

It was why I worked for this corporation.

They gave me the means to pursue my passion...

Or so I thought when I first started.

Now? Not so much.

My latest project?

Well, it was nothing important. The usual one-week do-over.

So that isn't what I'm writing this report for.

Today, I'm truly excited to share my side, but technically main and only true project, something I've poured years of passion and effort into:

The Gravbike 2.0!

Redesigning the Gravbike into a fully functional floating bike has been a challenging yet rewarding endeavor.

I'm almost done with the project, but I haven't even settled on a name, though it's shaping up to be something special, so do keep an eye on that.

It wouldn't be a lie to call me obsessed.

I've spent countless hours tweaking the design, testing prototypes, and refining the magnetic repulsion system.

The idea was simple: create a bike that could glide effortlessly above the ground, providing a smooth and quick mode of transportation.

The execution, however, was anything but simple.

In the early stages, I started by researching the principles of magnetic levitation.

Gravbike redesign, still needing the lab.

Whoosh!

But then suddenly...

'...No!'

Everything went dark.

One moment I was rushing through the bustling plaza, and the next I was engulfed by an overwhelming darkness, knocked out before I could even react.

The sights, sounds, and even the rain disappeared, leaving me in a state of utter confusion

and fear. Panic set in. My breath quickened, and my mind raced to make sense of the situation.

Was this some kind of attack? A sabotage? But why me? I'm a nobody!

I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy and unresponsive, as if I were suspended in a dense,

invisible fog.

And then, as abruptly as it had vanished, the world returned.

I was lying on the cold, wet ground, the rain pounding mercilessly against me, somehow not

burning my skin...

No, that wasn't rain, but a bucket of water thrown at me from above.

The one responsible looked down on me, only his inky eyes visible, almost highlighted as if they had absorbed the surrounding light.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision, and everything changed.

The scene that unfolded before me was nothing short of a nightmare.

Bodies. Lifeless, twisted forms strewn across the plaza, their eyes wide open in eternal terror.

The once-bustling square was now a grim puppet show of death.

My heart sank as I realized that these were the people I had rushed past moments ago.

The same vibrant, bustling crowd now lay motionless, their lives snuffed out in what

appeared to be an instant.

I struggled to my feet, my mind reeling.

What had happened? How had I survived when so many hadn't?

As I stood there, drenched and shaking, a cold, metallic taste filled my mouth.

It was suffocating.

I looked down, about to use my hands to check the reason for such a 'flavor,' only to see them

covered in blood-whether it was mine or someone else's, I couldn't tell.

And then suddenly, my head snapped straight, by a force not of my own.

I saw him.

A figure standing amidst the carnage.

His presence exuded an aura of sheer menace.

Tall, with black holes for eyes, he surveyed the scene with a detached calmness.

His gaze moved from left to right until it eventually locked onto mine.

At that moment, I understood.

I had seen the devil...

And his shadow of death.