With our first target dealt with, I didn't waste any time and immediately stripped the body of all its valuables and deposited them alongside the body itself into my item box to be tossed into the wilds later. Ready to get back to the task at hand, the squad and I set off for the next target on the kill list and moved hurriedly under the cover of night. We ran around the town, going from spot to spot, quietly assassinating each of the pawns hired by the Merchant Guild down in Las Vegas.
After scouring the wasteland settlement for a tad more than an hour; we had finally dealt with every known hostile within Crystal Spring... Permanently. Waltzing out of the perps' main hideout here in Crystal Springs, we began trotting back to the holding facility to send the last survivor off to the world of the dead. However, just as we started the journey, one of my birds soaring above Crystal Springs spotted an invisible heat signature breaking into the sealed-off metro station on the south side of town.
What do we got going on here?
Intrigued, I had my group and I begin heading in the direction of the sealed-up metro station while I continued to observe the invisible human-shaped heat signature via my increased number of eyes in the sky.
"Hey, we're going to take a detour and check something out."
"Okay, but what for?" My only non-mechanical companion inquired.
"There is some invisible person attempting to break into the old sealed-up Metro Station."
"Hmm, why would they want to get in there..."
"Who knows, but there are a lot of incredibly dangerous creatures that live down in the tunnels, so we better head over there quickly before this unknown individual causes an incident. The last thing we want is for any of the people in town to get hurt."
"Then let's hurry." Mary said last, just before racing off in the general direction of the metro station.
Understanding what could happen if that person unsealed the metro station, I raced alongside the wildflower and made a mad dash for the station. On our way there, I rang her old man and informed him of the brand new situation that popped up right after the one we just got done dealing with. Once he was brought up to speed and said he would bring over reinforcements, I hung up and kept running with haste.
The bunch of us kept sprinting through the streets that crisscrossed the town, and soon the old station came into view. Unfortunately for us, the unknown individual managed to open it up and find their way inside.
"Looks like we were too late, so I'm going to have to go inside." I told my female companion.
"I'm coming too, right?"
"Unfortunately, not this time. There are just way too many different creatures that could be lying down there that could take you out, so I'm not willing to risk it."
"..."
*Sigh* "I understand, but you'll be alright, yea?"
"I'll be fine." I said, confident of being able to handle just about anything I could come across down there on my own.
Having reassured my companion, I left a couple of robots behind with her just in case and walked up to the metro station's entrance that was sitting there wide open.
It would be wise to have one of my larger weapons ready.
As I was bringing out my FBPS-7 Plasma Scorcher, I surveyed the weathered but still standing metro station with my eyes and analyzed the interior with my perception field, searching for any would-be threats. Sadly, my efforts were fruitless, so I stepped into the darkness with the robots that remained with me and descended the rusted escalators. It took a bit to reach the bottom, but when we did, the place opened up into a large open lobby space covered in layers of dust, cobwebs, and deteriorated debry.
Wary of my surroundings, I scanned the ceiling full of missing tiles and the sides prior to moving my attention to the open gate that went further into the place. Knowing that I needed to capture whoever opened this place up before returning, I strode past the threshold and into the darkness with my thermal vision activated. Thankfully, I didn't have to travel far because not long after I stepped off the stairs; I came across a body that was being ripped apart by a pack of Ferals.
Of course, I'd come across these zombies.
Seeing how these ravenous mutants have yet to become aware of my presence, I used this perfect opportunity to study the humanoid abominations. What I found was a dozen disgusting mutated humans of differing physicalities with patches of tissue rotting from their frames, chowing down on a familiar figure.
Isn't that the merc I had left locked up in the cell earlier???
The moment I saw who it was on the floor of the metro platform, I stepped forward and whipped my right leg out and sent forth a wave of unarmed energy that blew the mutants, who were pretty much this world's equivalent of zombies, off the corpse. Assured that my strike was powerful enough to put them out of commission, at least for a short while, I approached the body and got a good look at it.
"Yeah, that's him alright, but how the fuck did he get all the way down here when he was locked up nice and tight at the jail?"
Scanning the chewed-up body in its entirety, my attention was immediately drawn to a small metallic object not lying far away from his right hand.
Hmm, what's this?
Reaching down, I scooped up the curious device, scanned it briefly, and activated | Tech Junkie |. The second I did, a wave of information regarding the tiny gadget and its various functions invaded my brain.
| Stealth Pack MKII |
Weight: 0.75
Value: 1,500,000
Description:『 The Stealth Pack MKII was the last iteration of stealth pack design before all hell broke loose across the planet. This little guy is far more capable compared to its predecessor and features a whole host of upgrades. These improvements include better light manipulation, i.e. improved stealth effects, a significantly smaller package and lesser weight, and last but certainly not least, far more efficient use of energy.
Which has resulted in this piece of tech being able to be used for a far longer duration and be reused as many times as the user wants… Or as many times as the device will put up with till it kicks the bucket. Because of these upgrades from its former and there being very few of them around, it has become one of the most desired pieces of kit one can possibly obtain in the wasteland, hence the wild price tag it carries. 』
I'm honestly astonished by how much life-saving kit this squad leader has for a merc. It really has me thinking about how he got his hands on it all... At any rate, I've never came across such a handy piece of tech in all my travels through the series, so this has got to be my best find to date given how useful it is.
Turning the little thing over in my hand, my mind wandered to the future possibilities it presented.
I wonder if I can reverse engineer it and integrate it into my and my forces' equipment... I don't see why not, so it should be feasible. That said, I can only imagine how effective an army of heavily armed and armored forces that can turn invisible in the blink of an eye could be. Although that sounds ridiculously powerful, large movements would still produce a shit ton of noise, so work would have to be done in that area if I would want to create something truly overpowered.
Imagining the possibilities this stealth tech could bring me in combination with muffled sound or even no sound, I couldn't help but become excited to start researching again.
I'll definitely have to look into things when I get back, but I'll see if I can't make any improvements to it before I implement it into any of our current stuff.
Continuing to play around with a number of ideas in my head with the help of my multiple thought processes, I soon heard the sound of movement coming from the darkness, and quite a lot of it at that.
I guess it's time to leave this dingy metro before shit hits the fan.
Ready to get the hell out of dodge, I stowed this incredibly valuable and never before seen piece of tech in my item box and spewed a swath of superheated plasma flames onto the group of slowly healing ferals I had left broken and tattered. Whilst they burned to nothing, I began flying up the steps with my mechanical constructs following not too far behind. The second the last of my boys cleared the gate, I activated the controls, beginning the closing procedures to seal this place up once more.
The gate hadn't been used nor maintained in quite some time, so it screeched as it slowly slid down its fixed tracks. However, it was much too slow, so before long, a swarm of ferals showed up, ready to rip my robots and me apart. Preferring to remain in the world of the living as long as I could, the boys and I aimed our weapons at the swarm of zombie-like mutants and opened fire on the crowd of charging corpses. Because of our superior firepower, we were able to keep the coming swarm at bay just long enough for the old gate to come to a close.
That couldn't have gone any better.
[ Ding! ]
[ Bounty Has Been Completed ]
Scratch that; it can get better. Now what do I want to do about the Merchant Guild in Las Vegas... Well, they are one of the dominant powers in the wasteland and possess one of the largest if not the largest network of connections and intelligence amongst the human powers, thus, it would be advantageous if I could take control of them. However, if they aren't bright enough to read the writing on the wall and take my hand when the time comes, I can always attempt a hostile takeover... Or slaughter the lot of them and leave them in ruin, though that would be kind of a waste.
[ Ding! ]
[ New Goal Gained ]
| Fall In Line Or Else | Objectives: Handle the Las Vegas Merchant Guild and either make them fall in line or eliminate them outright. Rewards: Perk | Business Man |, 10 Attribute Points, 100 Skill Points, 250 Trade Points, 10,000,000,000 Dollars, 1,000,000 Exp.
And even better.
Happy to have completed a quest, gained a new one, and farmed a bit of exp all on my way out, I continued my ascent as the swarm of mutants futilely banged on the thick metal gate.
After closing up the passage to the metro platform and making sure every last rat lurking in this wasteland settlement was dead, I was keen to get out of this dusty, cobwebbed-filled metro station, so I swiftly made my way for the exit. I then raced up the steps and quickly popped back out on the surface to a crowd of armed men, Uncle Barry, Mary's dad Ron, and the girl herself.
"I took care of it." I told the gathered crowd with a tone of assurance, much to their relief.
Following more than a few audible sighs of relief from those gathered, the family that ran this town approached. "I can't thank you enough for your help, young man. You really came into our lives at just the right time." The mayor thanked me whilst patting my shoulder joyfully.
Feeling the genuineness in his words, I responded in kind. "I'm sure we're going to be family at some point in the not so distant future, so obviously I have to make sure you guys are good."
"Look at you buttering up this old man, haha. Anyway, just let me know if you ever need some help, son. I'll be sure to return the favor." Mary's pa replied, giving my shoulder a bit more of a beating.
It's a good thing I have an abnormally tough physique; otherwise, I would've for sure gained a few bruises, courtesy of this old fogey.
Right as I finished that thought, the energetic, rowdy cowgirl I've still yet to deliver home latched onto me and checked me up, down, and all around. "Phew, it looks like you didn't get hurt, Dom... Right?"
"Not even a scratch." I answered, showing off my pristine state.
"That's good. So, did you really mean what you said to my pa... You know the family part."
"Every bit of it, but we won't really know if that'll come to pass until the day actually arrives."
"I guess I'll have to make sure it really comes to be, then, aye, handsome."
"You don't strike me as someone who would let something you want go, beautiful, so I'm sure you'll sink your claws into me the second the opportunity finally presents itself."
"It's only been a short while since we first met, but you already know me so well." The rowdy young woman said, smiling.
Done handling yet another problematic event, I inquired about the holding facility's status next and after a bit of back and forth; I was quickly made aware that a number of the guards and personnel had been knocked out and had their belongings stolen in the mercenary squad leader's jailbreak.
Normally I would've spotted every single bit of equipment someone has on them with my perception field, but he must've hidden that Stealth Pack MKII of his either in between his leg and groin, armpit, or a cavity, all of which are areas my perception field has difficulty reaching unless there's an opening... Well it didn't reek so wherever he stored it mustn't have been his prison wallet, thank god.
After returning what I could to the town's security forces, I finally set off for the lass's home and made sure she got there safely.
Standing at her doorstep under a starlit sky, I started saying my farewells. "Well, it was fun, Mary, but it's time I returned home."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" The rambunctious cowgirl asked in a slightly pleading voice that struck just the right chords in me.
Although tempted to take her up on the offer, I nevertheless shot her down. "I'm sure, and besides, I've got Alice and Rei waiting on me. I'm sure when you're put in a similar position in the future, you'd want me to come back to, right, beautiful?"
"I suppose you got me there, handsome." She agreed reluctantly.
After sharing a snug hug with the pretty, full-figured wildflower and saying our farewells, I wandered over to my motorcycle and hopped on as Mary waved goodbye from the stoop of her family home. Returning the gesture one last time, I left her and the robots I brought along to ensure her and her family's safety and drove off into the night.
Prepared to get on the road again, I passed the town square, navigated through the dimly lit streets, and sped out of Crystal Springs' northern checkpoint. Eager to reach my home here in the wasteland and embrace the two lovely ladies who were still anticipating my return, I rushed across the wasteland at breakneck speed.
[ Loot Gained ]
| Weapons |
AALP-3 Laser Pistols (7) - AALR-6 Laser Rifles (6) - Beretta M10 Pistols (12) - Combat Knives (25) - DDG-8mm Hornets (2) - M5 Assault Rifles (3) - M90 Frag Grenades (100) - M101 Frag Mines (30) - STAR-25 Assault Rifles (10) - T-4 Plasma Grenades (2) - TBT Sniper Rifle (1) - U-2 EMP Grenades (5) - Z-2 Plasma Rifle (1)
| Weapon Magazines |
5.56 STANAG 30 Round Magazines (91) - 5.56 STANAG 60 Round Quad Stack Magazines (15) - 7.62 STANAG 20 Round Magazines (7) - Beretta M10 Pistol 18 Round Magazines (53) - DDG-8mm Hornet 16 Round Magazines (10)
| Armor |
M-45 Combat Armors (2) - Makeshift Armored Suits (1) - Plate Carriers (19)
| Apparel |
Kevex Backpacks (3)
| Aid |
AFAKs (2) - First Aid Kits (11) - IFAKs (25) - Maxigen Bottles (13) - Medstims (154) - P-Dex Bottles (27) - P-Dex Syringes (15) - R4GE Combat Stim (17) - Z-Rox Combat Stims (43)
| Ammo |
10mm Auto Rounds (1,159) - 5.56x45mm Rounds (4,132) - 7.62x39mm Rounds (500) - 7.62x51mm Rounds (296) - 8.49x31mm Rounds (233) - Microfusion Cells (103)
| Skill Books |
All Things Gun (1)
| Miscellaneous |
Stealth Pack MKII (1)
| Money |
Dollars (688,173) - Gold (10) - Silver (44)
[ Creatures Killed & EXP Gained ]
Human Mercenaries (19) Exp 25,793 - Human Mercenary Squad Leaders (2) Exp 4,978 - Total Exp 30,771
______
Just letting you guys know I changed the agility attribute perk | Gotta Go Fast |, so it works off of movement speed instead of a flat mile per hour increase since it's easier to calculate.
| Gotta Go Fast | Requirements 11 Agility: Congrats, you've surpassed human limitations for agility. Because of that, you've gained the inhuman ability to jump 5 feet off the ground and sprint at a speed of 25 miles per hour. In addition to that, this new jump height of yours will increase by 1% for every agility point you possess and your new max speed will receive something similar, but it will be in the way of movement speed (Example: 11 Agility = +11% movement speed). Last but certainly not least, your flexibility has undergone a major improvement, allowing you to twist yourself into a pretzel… not literally, though.