Chapter 79: Old Friends, New Weapon
Missy’s analysis of Yuzhou and it’s Daughter Company, Shandian.
Yuzhou, Asia’s conglomerate. It means ‘Universe’ in chinese, how ironic that SynTec’s the one pioneering space-programs while they’re focused on the planet. Not as bad as being named directly after your Founder — looking at you, Haithama — but the simplistic name really gives you enough about their Founder. Xiaomang Baizhu does not care about profit, his underlings might, but he only cares about fighting and winning this war against the MAL. That, we can agree on. His methods, we do not. There was a reason Metal Heavens abducted children and forced BUGs into their heads, it’s common knowledge that BUGs adapt faster under stress and pain, but the shit they pulled for that company’s money is the reason we destroyed them. Or tried to. I don’t know how The Uncaged played their role in that group, but it’s pretty clear they have Muramasa and Orthodox Metal Heavens at their beck and call.
Shit, I’m getting sidetracked. Yuzhou has hundreds of firms working under them. Shandian is perhaps the most widely known, it’s their weapons manufacturing division akin to SynTec’s Magna. Shandian has a considerable space in New California for one simple reason, we’re going to be the most vulnerable civilized location for the next swarm with two MALtitans breathing down our neck. Following the earthquake in the mid-century, they upscaled their operation here and have their Shardyne in half of our politician’s pockets.
Goliath, whatever this project is, they’ve dedicated several billion Shardyne into it. If R0N1N really wants to put a dent into their plans, this is it, the question then becomes ‘what do we do with Goliath?’ We can’t sell it. That’s a surefire way to get it back in Yuzhou’s hands eventually, alternatively, we could find a way to use it ourselves. Depending on what Grade it is, Diamante and Mirage can deal with it. But if it’s a Gold Grade, there’s only two of us who can figure it out.
Shit, you really put us in a bad spot Mikail. But we will stop you.
August 26th
Development: 73%
Ripley’s twenty-seventh day… and he’s going to fight for his spot.
I stared at the array of BUGs I’d changed in some form. I didn’t want to experiment too much, but what I’d figured out was already enough. For one, it was still too much for me to compound two Bronze Features together into one Module. Second, it was too much for me to compound two different Features together.
At least, not when they were dissimilar — some very, very similar Features could be Modulated like a Dataweaving specialized in creating a DataCleaver and a Jailbreak known for enhancing their effectiveness. There was only one exception to this rule of modifying Bronze BUGs, the Priest’s BUG could have its Network and Analyze Features Modulated pretty easily given they were both found in the same Implant, but it required me to convert a lot of my Warp Energy into Warpcode — 80% of my storage to be exact.
Once Modulated using Rewrite, I could then rename them into something else. I wasn’t quite creating a Unique Feature, but I was finding a way to have two Features pour their output at once. And damn, did it feel good.
Mimicset Modules [5/10]:
* Stabilize: [I+B] Sustain/Sustain
* Burn: [I+B] Overclock/Overclock
* Insight: [2B] Analyze/Network
* Wield: [I+B] Integration/Integration
* Databreak: [I+B] Dataweave/Jailbreak
* Light: [I+B] Accomodate/Accomodate
Data Mimicry V.2.00 has updated to V.2.02
Effects:
* Increased Rewrite speed for Features the Adapter has mimicked before.
* Reduced Rewrite Warp Energy cost.
Updates Pending… Warpcode required…
There you go, now I need more Warpcode. It was still the morning and I had all the time in the world to think about how these three days could go. That was sarcasm, by the way. Sigh, I tapped my feet. There were my grandfather’s eyes, the same ones in the Exoskeleton from way back, they’d been read to have a Bronze I capacity, so if I put them in I’d have over-capacitance at 120%.
I knew it wasn’t world-ending, but the main drawbacks would be a quicker loss of Warp Energy and everything would feel a bit heavier to move around. My new Wield BUG could mitigate it, but that would leave me vulnerable if I ever switched it off. Besides, Missy had updated me that the Bronze Stealth Suit she’d be having us wear would have an Iron V Capacitance, which would already put me up by 10%.
I could always absorb a few of these BUGs to help out my updates, I knew that was a viable option. Though, I’d gotten pretty comfortable with them over the last few weeks, and each had their uses. Some as worst case scenarios, whereas many were good in specific situations.
Databreak could quickly stutter another Adapter’s control over their Shardware. Burn would massively increase my physical strength. Wield improved my aim with any gun or External Link I had. Light could make using my body as easy as blowing a feather.
Every single one of them had their uses. It was up to me to decide when and where to use them. So as noon approached, I left the old mall.
And went to the Metal Heavens’ cathedral.
———
I stalked atop the scaffoldings of Little Requiem. Muramasa had gotten my message, and so did Los Diablos.
———
Razorpede was cursing up and down as she read the confines of my message, Elsa had done a good job of tracking her down to this pub, and getting the bartender to slip her the letter when she wasn’t looking was almost hilarious.
———
9:00 PM
Four BUG Users, four Bronzes, four Tier IIs. Those were my targets today, I’d gotten some info from them with Twilight’s help, enough to plan around them and prepare over the day.
First. Simenry Theodore, the Metal Heavens man who indoctrinated me into their hold was a powerhouse. Besides the overwhelming charge of his legs and unstoppable might of his Wrecking ball of a hand, he was protected by subdermal Shardware that could absorb impacts using a kevlar-like material. Even bullets struggled to harm him, but the tough nut that he is, he’ll have weaknesses and I’ve got just the idea.
Second. Good old Razorpede, she visits a Shard Op’ with a knack for putting together two sharp things and making an even sharper thing. Her claws are as sharp as she is crazy, able to extend her arms by several meters — she’s a threat at close and long range.
Third. Black Dragon Long, the Muramsa Tier II who I’d one a wager with and won his Necrotium-coated sword. Fast, deadly, precise. He was famed for killing his foes in one strike using the old weapon, but rumors have it that he’s just as good at drawn out fights. If not better, seemingly getter faster as the fight progresses.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Fourth. Frederick Domingo. The head bouncer at the club I’d bounced at, apparently he was a big fan of the DJ I assassinated. A powerful marksman and hand-to-hand-combatant, his arms can change between a variety of guns at will. While I never talked to him, I’ve learned that he’s very vocal online about his hate for Dreadwire at killing Ulgaye.
A time and location was sent to each, detailing them that I was waiting for them. That was true, but I never told them that others would be approaching… and I did warn them to come alone. That wasn’t just an empty threat, I’d managed to guilt Diamante into possibly intervening if a gang war was going to erupt because of this. Well, guilt was the wrong word, I’d bartered for him to do it… by maybe promising to give him a fuck ton of Feature Links on his guns if I needed his help.
I was waiting atop an alleyway in a quiet neighborhood, my little Webcrawler bot scanning for any approaching gang members.
Black Dragon Long was the first to arrive, I remained hidden for now, he stayed inside his car. Only getting out once he saw the same person I did, Razorpede. Her crimson eyes were a dead giveaway to her allegiance with Crimson Soul, and as she entered the alleyway with a raging sneer — a sword pointed at her back.
”You’re working with Dreadwire? Crimson Soul? Not surprised in the slightest.” My bot crept closer, hidden in the shadows of the tall skyscrapers to hear the coversation out.
”Fuck no! I’m here to kill him!”
”Ah, then we have a similar aspiration.” Long dropped his sword, allowing Razorpede to turn around but this time she had her arms morph and elongate until they were mechanisms of a painful death.
“How do I know you’re not planning something?”
”I had my sword to your back, if I wanted you dead, you would be.” Long, dammit, why did he have to be calm and rational? I was expecting there to be some sort of a brawl before I joined in.
My next friend there, though, he was anything but calm and rational. Simenry attacked first, his heavy arm whacking into Black Dragon Long’s back and booming the man deep into the alley.
”So Masa and Soul was behinds the Priest’s murder?!” Simenry screamed through his mechanical mouth. “Shoulda’ known dat Deadwire cunt couldn’t do i’ ‘imself!”
Razorpede elongated her arm until it was a thin whip poised to strike back, her eyes aflame at Simenry. “A man with metal for a brain?! Please we have better things to do than worry about you cultists!”
”That hurt…” Black Dragon Long picked himself up with a groan, showing a resilience I didn’t expect from the relatively small man. “…But it seems like you’ve been wronged by him as well… Dreadwire, has he brought us here?”
”You ain’ workin’ wi’im?” Simenry rubbed his chin with wrecking-ball hand. “Guess you’s with me then.”
Wha- I was expecting more gang violence than this.
Maybe Fredrick could do something, and it took a minute for the burly man to appear on motorbike, his arm already shifted into a gun.
He spat out a cigarette as he took sight of the three in the alley. “Tch- should have figured you three would-“
”We’re not with Dreadwire!” Razorpede seemed incredibly annoyed by the scheme I’d tried to pull.
”It seems like he wanted us to fight each other.” Black Dragon Long eyed them all with caution, but didn’t draw his sword.
”I agrees wi’ ‘em.” Simenry was… himself.
”Ah…” Fredrick looked incredibly confused by the situation, but rested his gun away from their heads. “What’d he do to you guys? He killed my favorite musician.”
”Killed ma’ boss.” Simenry said sadly. “May he rest with the Allseeing.”
”Killed my friends.” Razorpede growled.
”Stole half of my sword.” Long said it with such disdain like he’d lost a part of himself.
”How much was it worth?” Razorpede eyed him with vehemence.
The Black Dragon stared at his current sword like he was staring at a photo of a dead friend. ”More than a hundred thousand.”
”Damn, you got it the worst.” Razorpede said with a flinch… as she patted his shoulder — to which I only groaned from up here. Did I accidentally make these guys friends?!
Whatever, it was time to fight. I hooked and hopped across the rooftops, landing at the end of the alleyway with a puff of dust rising up. My mechanical body whirred their attention towards me.
”Before you accuse us…” Long looked at me boredly. “We’re not with Dreadwire.”
My voice came out altered and distorted through my helmet. ”I know. I got a new mask.” They didn’t recognize me because this time I was wearing a full cowl to conceal my identity, it had a design spread across its frontside so that my visor would look like six spider-legs converging at the center of it. I showed off my claws, in hopes that it would jog their memories.
”Dreadwire…” Long pulled out his sword to align me with it. “You will give back my sword or el-“
”Deadwire!” Simenry pushed the man aside, charging at me headfirst. The Insight Bug gave me ample time to react, I knew my strengths, I had access to verticality in a way they didn’t.
With a kick of my legs, they grew blades that attached me to a wall, my left claw digging in for better support. “Now-now Simenry, why don-”
My drone saw Fredrick raise up his gun arm at me, and my Matrix cascaded action through my limbs. I dropped down, taking cover behind Simenry who took the bullet shots in stride, wincing but waging all his bloodlust towards me.
Then all hell broke loose. I had a whole speech planned out to bring fear into their hearts, but whatever, they wanted to fight. So be it.
I was faster, stronger, and this time… just a little more careful. Simenry’s attacks came crashing down and aside, shattering stone and leaving him open to punches, jabs or scratches that barely tickled him. “Deadwire! I’ll rip yous anus open!”
I saw Razorpede try to reposition herself, as did Long and Fredrick, but the narrow alleyway and Simenry’s large body gave them little to no sight of me.
”Get out of the way you fat bastard!” Razorpede’s raised her long arms impatiently.
”At least let him be stuck between us!” Long added.
”Don’t make me shoot through you!” Fredrick said with arm raised and ready to make his words true.
Simenry’s berserker rage didn’t heed to their words. He swung, slammed and crashed through the alley, pushing me further back with every wild blow. I was fast, even faster when I switched to the Burn module, not attacking once — waiting.
There! A swing too wide for him to strike me away, I pivoted — taking a good side-step that put me in position to get on his back. I engaged my Mantis legs to split and divide, hooking the blades around his waist and grappling me onto him. His flesh and steely back was unbelievably musty, even with my mask’s air filtration my eyes teared up.
Pushing it aside, I sent a wave of Energy across my claws then I unhooked one finger from each, the fingers intertwined with a new joint-connection I made in them, effectively knotting their wires up as he tried to thrash me around.
”Turn your back to us!” Fredrick yelled.
I wasn’t willing to bet on that risk, so I sparked a command across my spine and sprouted four spider limbs which stabbed into the walls, I felt him try to tug me away but the Arachnodyne arms fastened us in place, their stabilizers hooking in… but damn was he strong.
”Wha-“ The remaining three stood in awe at the sight of my four extra limbs.
Though, I knew this hold wouldn’t last. So I quickly used the knotted Livewire and swung it around his throat, circling a few layers of it around as he struggled and thrashed around. Thank the Founders he only had one actual hand. Those legs of his, though? Being so close to him, I could feel the heat burning off them like I was teleported to a desert.
At this rate, he’d snap my Arachne joints into two so I took a gander. I didn’t have a lot of time to test out just how strong my new limbs were… but they could hold my weight. What was four times that?
The joints groaned and pulled, lifting us both and stealing his leverage as I garroted him in front of the others. Truth is, they probably could have taken this moment to reposition, but I saw the smiles on their faces grow the more purple Simenry’s face became… yeah, no wonder I couldn’t predict them. They were crazy and it seemed like they only saw value in the new upgrades I’d done to myself.
The Livewire contracted tighter, who cared about being bulletproof when your blood vessels and spine were being squeezed to death. The razor-like wires drew blood as my Energy thinned them out, but simultaneously reeling them back until his neck was half the size.
Then his head burst off, falling to the floor and rolling away… I unhooked both connected claw tips and made my hands whole as I pushed Simenry’s headless body away from me.
One down… three to go.