Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 210

Getting down to the cavern was much, much easier than last time. Back then, I didn’t know where I was going or the routes to get there. Mira and I even entered through the Jade Fangs’ entrance, which was really far away from our destination.

Now though? Now getting down was easy. There were several entrances if you knew just where to look. This time, we got down through an ancient pump facility next to the tower. It was mostly abandoned, though at one point pumped up water from the aquifer below to water nearby farms.

Considering it was in the middle of the city now and the closest bit of farmland was hundreds of miles away? Like I said, ancient. At least several decades. Maybe even longer.

Getting into the pumping station was the trickiest part. Instead of tearing it down way back when, they just built over it and concreted a new foundation, raising the entire street level a few blocks. The treatment plant and dozens of other buildings lay just beneath the surface, hidden unless one knew where to look.

And I knew where to look. We got access to the building above without any issues thanks to our Blue Crusade identities and then worked our way down. The water pump station didn’t even have electricity, let alone security. It was easy to get to our entrance. I set up the repel line, and then we descended into the depths. 

We exited out into an old library of some kind, the books and shelves long rotten into mush. What wasn’t rotten was impossible to read thanks to the thousands of small bite marks. Rats like paper, I guess. 

“Zuku? You- uh- you here? Got a light? I didn’t bring one with me.” Inquisitor Varus called out to me as I took my first step into the room, completely overlooking the fact that this place was pitch dark. 

My dark vision was to the point I could see flawlessly, another improvement from Panther’s Sight if I had to guess. Just a couple of days ago, my vision would blur far away from me, but now I could see as if the place was perfectly lit up. Wasn't sold on it yet, but it was a nice boost.

I rifled through my bag for a flashlight. It was something I hadn’t needed in a long, long time. I clicked it on, shining it at the Inquisitor. “You can’t see?”

”No chrome.” He chuckled slightly and stared right at me, the mask seemingly preventing him from getting blinded. He shifted from foot to foot, seemingly lost in thought, before grabbing a shark-tooth amulet. “Just a moment. Let me summon a sprite.”

I turned on Aetherial Perception. A few seconds later, the Aether shifted as though something swam through it. Out popped a small shark, drifting through space as it swam around mid-air like it was still in the water. Adult sharks were a bit terrifying, but a small one? It was, quite frankly, adorable with its little fins and curious eyes.

I wasn’t well-versed in marine zoology, so I couldn’t say anything other than it was a shark. Could’ve been a hammerhead or a great white, for all I knew. They didn’t exactly focus on marine animals in the holo-zoos I’d been to when I was younger. Maybe I should go back to them now? For re

At a glance, the response was obvious. Trip or Clyne should carry the catatonic Netrunner. But that wasn’t taking into account their situation. Clyne was too weak to carry her all the way. That, and though the small man hid it well, Trip had been 'round long enough to see his strength was flagging. The last fight had almost entirely drained him.

Trip being bogged down wouldn’t be good either. There were a host of reasons, but it boiled down to this: carrying her would temporarily incapacitate one of the two at least. It would give the two chromed guys an opportunity for betrayal--an ever-present issue in the world of mercenaries. And he’d caught their sly eyes earlier. Betrayal was a likely possibility if they were given the chance.

Of course, it wasn't smart to say such a thing aloud even if Trip and Clyne were thinking it. It was currently a stalemate, both sides hesitant after watching each other in battle. And although she looked catatonic, Jet was  a Netrunner. “Clyne, can you get a sprite to help out?”

”Not one big enough.” The short Clyne shook his head helplessly. Although he said that, Trip knew it wasn't so simple. More accurately, Clyne probably couldn't offer enough incentive to have a Sprite answer his summons with how drained he was. Although they were in a stalemate, it was only since the two incorrectly assumed Clyne had more juice in the tank.

Trip roughly rubbed his rifle with his hands in aggravation. There wasn’t a good solution- at least not one that’d leave everyone alive and well. They couldn’t just keep waiting around either. Every moment they did was another moment something might come to investigate the scene of battle. 

“Look, we can just-“

Rubble shifted just outside of the control room, causing an eerie silence as everyone stopped talking. High-strung as they were, they entered a tacit agreement to put the dispute aside for the moment. Funny how survival instincts could force working together.

Trip turned on the flashlight of his rifle and took the lead, slowly edging towards the door to investigate.