Corpo Age-Chapter 271: Final Hunt Pt.6

I took a brief moment of the scarce time I had to assess my situation, and more importantly, the status of the Nyes I had snuck onto the three executors during our scuffle. It would determine my next course of action.

Thankfully, none of them seemed to have noticed and the pyromaniac among them hadn’t engulfed herself in flames yet. I can’t say I wasn’t surprised by that. She had seen me hijack her subordinates, but she didn’t seem to care or realize how I had done so. I can’t complain about that, though.

The breaching software was making decent progress, so I had a chance even against all three of them. I had been caught off guard when I didn’t consider they would have a counter to the molecular divider from Ferrumus, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

I could hear heavy stomping all around me, marking where my foes were as they searched for me. Just as I was about to get moving again, the PA system on this mini-city of a ship rang out from every nearby speaker. It was the voice of the person I was here to see.

“Rollo Halls, here on my property. I’m flattered to have you aboard,” Silas Vexel said.

It rang just in time for me to activate one of the mobile speakers I scattered around the ship to draw my pursuers away—or at least confuse them some more. It was just a variation of the Nye, prepared exactly for situations such as this one.

“Yes, I heard about the great hospitality you offer here,” my voice resonated a few rooms away. “Can’t say it has my compliments so far, though.”

“Apologies. I’ve heard about it from my employees. The gravimetric edge our company employs has caused great damage to your property. I’d be happy to reimburse you. It’s not too late to reconsider my offer. It’s still open to a talent like you.”

“Sounds like a good deal until I stop being useful. I don’t think the retirement plan under your management style suits me—or anyone that enjoys living, if I do say so myself.”

“Nonsense. Don’t let the filth taint you with unjust prejudice. I am a man of my word and never break my contracts. While I do believe ethics are for bored idiots who only want to stimulate their minds and feel validated, it doesn’t mean I don’t keep promises.”

As he spoke, I relocated yet again while spreading more of my mobile speakers. His three goons didn’t care about us trying to have a conversation and continued to search without a care.

“You’re just proving my point here, Silas!”

“Do your powers only manifest in stubborn individuals? Your predecessor, The Gamer, sprouted the same things. Isn’t ethics the thing people throw out first as soon as things get dire enough? Is it truly that important to you? Perhaps drowning in your newfound power has made you forget about the way mortals are. Please wake up. Your powers are known to me. No matter how powerful you may get, you’re still only one person. Take it from me. I know what I’m talking about. I was the one to put down The Gamer, after all.”

Did he really know about how my power worked? I doubted it. More like he got a glimpse of it from experience, but from what I heard, The Gamer heavily focused on personal strength. Did Silas know anything about the technical capabilities the system gifted me?

I didn’t have time to mull about it or reply as spotted a faint glint shimmering along a thin wire going around me. I quickly ducked for cover as it retracted, cutting everything in its path. That included the wall I was lying up against.

If I hadn’t spotted it from the Nye, I had left behind on these assholes, I didn’t think I could’ve dodged that. This crazy woman was going around the ship, wreaking havoc everywhere. I barely recognized her latest target was just on the other side. It sucked being familiar with my surroundings.

As if her indiscriminate attacks were a prelude for what was to come, her compatriot, the firestarter, seemed to a taken her actions as permission to go wild as well. Streams of fire began melting parts of the ship.

All this senseless destruction was quickly destroying any space left on this level. I stopped hiding in the crooks and corners and began scouring for the stairs. The layout for these things usually didn’t stray too far from the norm, and I soon found what I was looking for.

I waited until the two crazy women were far enough away before rushing through the door. However, it had been a mistake. I should’ve waited patiently for a shadow of the third Executor first or took his absence as a statement that he was lying ambush elsewhere. That elsewhere was exactly where I walked into.

The giant figure charged straight toward my way as soon as she saw the door open. It proved that he couldn’t detect me that easily, but that wasn’t my concern right now. I vaulted over the railings of the stairwell, dropping to one of the floors below. I didn’t know how many floors I passed by, but my cyber-legs were more than up to par to absorb the shock. Nevertheless, I still felt searing pain the moment I landed. It wasn’t from my legs, but my left arm.

Even with my eyes on the wound, I couldn’t help but stare for a full second before I could process what I was seeing. My entire arm was gone. My shoulder was no longer covered by active camouflage, revealing a broken mess of what remained of my custom cyberarm.

I knew the situation was bad. I had to move fast. Without my stealth, this game of hide and seek won’t last long. It was one of the major weaknesses of committing to the skill so much. I didn’t invest in something that increased my survivability. My tech was nothing special outside the areas I specialized in.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Seeing the door before me, I rolled toward it to stand up in one smooth motion. I expected losing a limb to disorient me a lot more, but I was reminded this type of scenario wasn’t rare in this world. People fought every day and cybernetics was an integral part of it. Losing a limb happened more than a few times for most people who couldn’t afford top-tier security.

The secretarial assistant implant device, said to be the control tower for the body’s cybernetics, was pre-programmed to deal with limb-loss situations. It adjusted my balance automatically, which prevented my sense of balance from being affected at all.

I rushed through the door only to once again feel an impact blasting me forward. The next thing I knew, I was being suspected in the air, with something tightly gripping me from the back of my neck.

I blinked blankly, trying to recover from the shell shock. Then a holographic image materialized before me.

“As I was saying, Mr. Halls, your power doesn’t make you a god. You are still mortal, and I must say your powers pale in comparison to The Gamer. You’d be a fool to think you can make any lasting difference the way you are. Thankfully, I am one of the few still alive and have knowledge of your potential. Join me. I can help you grow and direct you in the right way to uplift human society.”

“No,” I could taste the blood gurgling in my throat as I said that. “Fuck—you.”

“Very creative, Mr. Halls. Did you read The Gamer’s autobiography and get inspired or something? I still remember the moment when he rushed into my office at the old spaceport. All geared up for war, fighting hundreds from the best-equipped force on the planet. He thought everything was under control and planted that bomb of his. Too bad his plans had been leaked to us weeks before and our talented cyber security personnel were able to adjust the timer.”

Hearing his retelling of some story as if I cared, I couldn’t help but chuckle. At the same time, the contents were quite ironic as well.

“Oh, you find it funny, do you? Doran, if you would.”

At his command, the grip around me tightened. My spine had been replaced, or it would’ve fractured long ago. Instead, I heard the creaking of metal getting crushed.

“I’m a forgiving person, Mr. Halls. You can still make the right choice.”

I simply smiled at him. My vision was blurry, and I could barely keep a straight mind, but there was no way for me to mistake the notification alert I had set. It seemed I had made it in time, if barely.

I didn’t hesitate to subvocalize to my SAID so it could transfer my command.

*O-Overide all safeties. Blast’em!*

The holographic image in front of me distorted before vanishing completely. The grip around my neck tightened further and spasmed. Then it stopped digging into my flesh.

I slumped onto the ground and took in deep breaths while laughing at the same time.

I had come out of this encounter alive.

As tired as my mind was, my cybernetics were a different story. I quickly got up and inspected the carnage I left behind. The man who was called Doran was sprawled on the ground behind me, with smoke coming out from his power armor. I couldn’t hear anything, but his helmet constantly fogged from the way he was breathing.

Not far behind him were two similar-looking power armor, in the same condition.

My hack had breached past the mile-thick security walls in time. No experience alerts popped up, so I knew they weren’t dead, but there was no way they could move with all their internals fried.

I was thankful for how EMP-resistant their equipment was, properly isolating its delicate electronics away from their exterior. Otherwise, the hand that had been gripping me would’ve shocked me as well.

I shook off my headache and took out my particle beam sword. It was time to confront Silas, so I had to end these guys too. No way I wanted to fight them again if they somehow miraculously recovered.

Unfortunately for them, their end was not swift. Their impressive defenses came back to haunt them as their armor withstood the heat of tens of thousands of degrees, even without the energy shields. It slowly melted away the exterior for a full minute before it punctured their helmet.

+100 EXP

+100 EXP

+100 EXP

Can’t say this amount of experience points is worth it. I think I’ll stick to wasteland monsters from now on.

After ensuring their demise, I proceeded to the exit of the colossal starship I was on. From the time I had access to the three Executor’s systems, I was able to access detailed map data of this facility. I could also trace the call that Doran had put to Silas, and it was nearby.

I had prepared to face off remnant security, but the place became eerily quiet. With my left arm missing, and the left arm, along with a good section of my power armor missing, I couldn’t remain in stealth for as long as I wanted. Thankfully, I knew how to get to my destination.

I strode through the hallway openly, went into a storage room, and activated its trapdoor. Passed it was a luxuriously decorated hallway, with gaudy red carpets that were stitched with gold threads. It led to a ten-meter-high door, the shape of an egg.

To my surprise yet again, there was no final army standing in waiting. No turrets or death machines or any kill squad to hold the position. The sturdy-looking gates were even wide open and a figure could be seen deep inside, sitting by a black desk that shone like crystal.

My optics could easily zoom in and I could easily identify who it was. After all, what kind of idiot would I be if I couldn’t even recognize my target?

Our eyes met, and he gestured me toward the chair across from him before turning around to face his back to me. He gazed out the window behind his desk. It was a virtual rendering of some city landscape—no, it was either a recording or live feed of some city somewhere.

I didn’t buy into his bullshit and readied my gun. I wanted to pull the trigger right away and get this over well, but I was wary of any traps. For all I know, he could have a reflective shield or something that redirected my attacks back or something.

Using everything at my disposal, I scanned the surroundings. My Argus, my Nyes—everything was used. There was no need to hold anything back.

As if to mock me, the only other person within sight laughed.

“No need to be so paranoid. I’m not a sore loser. Sit down.”

The more calm he was, the more suspicious I became. I was ready to send a signal to my allies to reinforce me at any moment.

Is he really just giving up like this? As the ambitious boss, he must’ve saved the best equipment for himself, right?