Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 150

Chapter 150I looked out over the roof, carefully checking everything and ensuring there was nothing new. There wasn’t. Well, there wasn’t anything new in the way of security. A couple dozen new cigarette butts lay around soaked in the rain. Quite a few of them looked like Tosta, though surprisingly there weren’t any of the red and black ones from the Neo-Jokers. We were close to Bricktown, so I expected some kind of Neo-Joker cigarette in the mix. Wonder how long they’ve been gone to not see even one.

Yeah, the roof access was one of those ‘not supposed to come out, but everyone does to smoke’ type entries. They were quite common and an easy way to get into most places. As such, the camera had long been shifted to the side by a worker, no longer covering the door properly like it was supposed to. 

The fact that the angle was still off was good for me for a couple reasons. One, it meant I could easily get into the door. Two, and this one was more important than the previous point, it meant there was a high chance the Netrunner prowling the building was too lazy to shift it back. Coincidentally, it also gave me hope there were plenty of other gaps in the security for me to get through. If not, I had ways to make some.

Before making my move, I flicked on Aetherial Perception and looked around. The tall walls of the ward surrounded the building entirely. Well, not entirely. There was no roof to the walls, which was one of the many reasons I decided to drop in from the sky. I completely bypassed the initial wards blocking the way into Cold Moon Solutions. And it was easy to boot. At least for me. I can’t imagine too many others dropping out of the sky to get on the building.

The roof was good for other reasons besides that, including the wards separating each floor I noticed when Corvid bugged the elevator. After some

”Caw!” He shot me a look as if to say ‘you better’. Then, with a flap of his wings, he ascended, shooting back into the Aether.

I imitated the way I got to the electrical shed, cutting through the deep shadows as I avoided the various cameras set up. For those I couldn't easily get around, such as the one looking over the shed, I flicked the bola on to make a temporary gap as the power cut out. I approached the door, looking it over as I crouched amongst dozens of cigarette butts.

The lock was similarly warded just the same as the shed had been. Or, at least, mostly the same. There was one key difference about the runes spread around the lock. They didn’t register to my Aetherial Perception at all. For all intents and purposes, they looked as though they were purely mundane scripts. And, as best I could tell, they probably were.

From the limited research I old do, wards required constant upkeep from an Adept making them a costly and consuming defense. If, say, this door that was supposed to remain locked constantly had people coming and going like the vast amount of cigarette butts suggested, then it only made sense the magic in the ward would wear out quicker.

Needless to say, I got in easily. It was a simple lock entirely reliant on inactive magic. I slid into the building, careful not to open the door too far and expose myself to the outside cameras. The way down was rather safe considering it sat in a separate stairwell, though I didn’t immediately descend into the building. I squeezed as much rainwater off my poncho and clothes as I could, patiently waiting till I wouldn’t leave a trail of water.

I thought carefully through the layout of the floor as I faded into the shadows. Before anything, I needed to take care of the Netrunner.