Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 216

I awoke early the next morning, feeling completely refreshed compared to yesterday. I checked my legs- perfectly healed. Quick Healing truly was a cheat trait. I can’t even imagine how fucked up I’d be if I didn’t have it. Insight too, for that matter. Both of them were indispensable. Fox’s Grace was just… nice. Had a bunch of auxiliary effects.

Anyway- today’s schedule! The Constellation Night Market was the major event for today. I was really looking forward to it. There were a bunch of things I wanted to buy, including a lot of chemicals to make more effective Molotovs. They’d been indispensable so far, so why not make even more powerful variants? And they were my only AOE attack. At least, for now.

I was seriously excited as I killed time listening to the screamstreams talk about the various problems around Aythryn City. Most of it boiled down to gang activity and Blue Crusade crackdowns though. Oh, and there was a healthy dose of fear-mongering as per usual. Classic city news. One a side note, the mayoral elections were coming up, apparently.

And then it was time. I grabbed my stuff, ensured I had the Night Market card, and then set off for Portside. This time, the market was right at the water’s edge. It was supposed to be just inside of a shipyard. This would officially be the closest I’d ever been to the ocean.

I drove my bike down, breezing through morning traffic without too many issues. With the eyes of the Crusade bright and ready to crack down on any trouble, the commute was relatively nice and easy.

I pulled up to the gates of the shipyard. The guard on duty gave me one look before nodding to a parking lot off to the side. “Freight only. There’s a- uh, pedestrian entrance over there.”

”Chek.” I turned around, heading for the parking lot. As I pulled in and found a spot, I couldn’t help but notice how many nice vehicles there were out here. Of course, there were a fair amount of beat-up pieces of shit, but some of the nicer ones could sell for a million easily. If it weren’t for the PMCs walking around and keeping security, they would’ve surely been hit by carjackers considering the area.

Once I parked and made my way onward, I followed a subtle array of spray-painted stars leading the way. I passed through the shipyard, keeping out of the way of workers and the massive cranes that hefted shipping containers here and there.

Eventually, I followed the stars all the way to a ship in the port. It was a rusty hunk of metal called the SS Star Setter. I checked the address a few times before noticing a group of Constellation PMCs standing guard at a ramp onto the ship. Looks like this one was shipbound. Looks like I was actually going onto the ocean this time, eh?

I ran through the security just the same as last time, handing over my card. “I’m here for the Night Market.”

The guard handed me a different card after verifying my first one. It had the same image of a night sky on it, though this one’s stars were a bit different. “Don’t lose this. We don’t offer seconds, and it's your pass to the next market. Just scan it with your phone.”

Same exact words as the last time. Are these guys even human? Or robots? I was almost tempted to brush up against them and try it out. Then again, they were heavily armed, and there was no telling how they might react. Maybe not.

”Thank you!” I smiled at the guard. He didn’t react to my beautiful smile in the slightest, just stepping out of my way. Well-trained, I guess. Now that I think about it, there were very, very few people who could stay stone-faced when I turned on my full charm. Wow, that sounded super prideful.

I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind and made my way into the cargo ship. Its rocking took me a couple steps to get used to as I headed for the market.

As soon as I slipped in, I was taken aback by the style of this particular get-together. Unlike in the past, the cargo ship’s hold was extremely tight. Merchants set up shop wherever they wanted, narrowing passageways until only two people could get through at a time. Even the spacious cargo hold turned into a maze of alleys and tight passageways.

And that wasn’t all. The Night Market had set up vast temporary buildings out of scaffolding and cargo containers, giving several floors to trade off of. I stumbled around the place for a while until I finally got the hang of where everything was located with the assistance of a couple merchants.

The explosives and volatile goods section, my first target, was located in a separate cargo hold altogether. It was a good idea in theory, but not so great practically. If even one thing blew in the separate cargo hold, there were enough materials to cause the whole port to go off in the subsequent chain reaction. Especially considering how packed together the merchants were.

Still, that didn’t stop me from making my way through the explosive hold. I brushed up against every explosive device I could find, stealing blueprints for everything from grenades and mines to even hyper-advanced AA rockets with built-in targeting arrays. As I went through, I also made sure to pick up a variety of chemicals and materials, quickly filling up my backpack with explosives.

My AOE capabilities were sorely lacking, and the Night Market held the perfect chance to fix that. By the time I got out of the explosive hold, I was twenty thousand Rayn lighter and weighed down under a heavy load of chemicals. If I tripped and fell… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have to worry about my stinging wallet anymore.

I was nearly overloaded with merchandise already, so I left the Night Market to stash some of the heavier stuff on my bike before returning. The PMCs patrolling the parking lot gave me a great sense of security that it'd remain safe. Especially considering there were far nicer vehicles to break into.

And then I was going around shopping for stuff I’d need or things I thought looked cool. I, of course, finally bought an Ascender. Goodbye manually climbing ropes. Hello, sweet mechanical assistance. And it only set me back a hundred Rayn for the super fast variant! I shoulda gotten one way sooner.

I, of course, copied its blueprint. I also snatched the blueprints of dozens of other neat pieces of tech scattered about. Eidetic Schematic and Technical Expertise were truly my dream combo. 

I even managed to get a pretty good targeting software from one of the merchants for just five thousand Rayn. It boasted the ability to target, recognize, and analyze the best spots to shoot for maximum damage. I had no doubt it was only half as good as he showed it to be, considering the cheap price, but anything was better than my current setup. I also managed to snag a basic anti-air targeting software from the guy for half as much as a bundle deal. My turrets were about to get a serious upgrade.

Of course, a Bughound and Scrambler were among my purchases as well. I’d been wanting both for a long time now, and they would both prove to be valuable purchases at some point. Especially the Scrambler. I wouldn't have to wait for others now.

I also loaded up on medical supplies. I'd been meaning to buy more of them, especially considering how fast I was blowing through them. I wanted to buy a couple stims as well, but I figured I was better off waiting till I did some more research. No telling what side effects some of this stuff had. 

I left the Constellation Night Market happy with my purchases. And then, as I was driving home in the rain, I was hit with the stinging realization that I'd spent nearly a third of my money on one trip. It was a tough pill to swallow. At least I hadn’t wasted it on just anything, though. I’d bought a lot of stuff that would further boost my capabilities and hopefully allow me to make even more money.

I dropped all the stuff off back at my speakeasy, pausing just long enough to sort everything out before leaving. I was originally planning on working on it all today and getting everything done, but, like, this was my first time having a vacation in who knows how long.

Seriously, I’d been moving constantly since I got the interface, and my mind hadn’t left its high-strung state. It couldn't be healthy in the slightest. It was really about time to relax.

I went back to my apartment, sitting back on my bed as I went through a list of things I could do. The holo-arena? Not exactly relaxing. Or maybe head to that clinic to volunteer? No! No skill grinds! You’re supposed to be relaxing, Shiro!

A bar then? Mercs go to bars all the time… right, I was too young. In a couple years when I turn eighteen, it’d be no problem. I could probably get by without an ID if I really wanted to. They usually don’t check them at Merc Dives. I also don’t want to start drinking, though. That was a money sink if I'd ever seen one.

How about one of the eidolons' shrines? Fox’s had a good ambiance. Did that count as social networking with my bosses, though? And could I truly allow myself to fully relax in an eidolon’s shrine? 

I could go hang out with the Jade Fangs. Been a while since I saw anyone other than Shinobu… but then I’d be hanging out with a gang and likewise wouldn’t be able to relax. That's out, unfortunately. At least for now.

What do people do for fun in Aythryn City anyway? Other than strip clubs, bars, and drugs? I checked my phone. The Slashers didn’t have a game today, so that’s out. Amusement parks, maybe? Waiting in lines though…

Oh! A zoo! What a solid idea! I skimmed through my map, zoning in on the various holo-zoos scattered around. Eventually, I focused on two that seemed like the best bets.

 Aythryn City Zoo was the first, featuring not just holo displays but also a few live animal exhibits. The second was Wild Wasteland, a zoo dedicated to the creepy and wacky creatures around the world. They had everything from live Pervider feeding to petting mutant bears from Cwalu.

Decisions, decisions… I checked the time. It wasn't even close to night yet. Why not just go with both?

— — —

A yawn split my jaw as I blinked awake. Why-?

I forced myself upright, checking my phone. Past midnight. I’d had a busy day running around the city, and I could feel the exhaustion weighing on me. Why’d I wake up then? This was the first time I’d woken up from sleep since I got Quick Healing, right? How peculiar…

I stretched, popping my back as I summoned the canteen and gulped down some water to wash out my throat. I looked around, my eyes catching on the cityscape just beyond my window as I rubbed at my neck. Still raining.

I wrapped the blanket back around myself, shuffling back into my covers-

Insight tingled-

My sleepiness immediately vanished as my hand shot for my under-pillow pistol. Time seemed to slow as my processing speed accelerated thanks to Dexterity. Was someone in my apartment? No- that wasn’t quite right. What’s going on?

I staggered up, rapidly throwing all my gear and clothes on. I moved swiftly, packing up anything that might be even remotely important. While I ran through that, I multitasked and pulled several camera feeds into my HUD.

I’d long set up hidden cameras and listening devices all over the apartment building, all linked to my HUD. It was just a precautionary measure, one I’d hoped I’d never need. Now I was thankful for my foresight.

A camera from the staircase revealed a squad of heavily equipped people moving around. One of them waved a wand, casting some kind of magic. I felt another tingle of Insight hit me. That's what it was. That's what woke me up.

The mics weren’t picking up anything. Maybe some kind of silence spell? They were moving in heavy tactical gear, so it would’ve made at least a little sound otherwise.

Were they here for me? Or was it just a coincidence? Hmm… I’m not risking it. I ensured everything was good to go in case I never came back, rapidly burning anything that might be even remotely revealing as I watched the cams. Clothes, documents, and even the toys I’d made for Neal all ended up catching fire.

It was a bit sad to see some stuff go. Like my clothes from the school, which had such... awful memories tied to them. I'd long moved anything of value to the speakeasy though, so most of it was stuff I was okay with losing.

They were on the second flight of stairs now. It was only a matter of time till they got up here. Who even were these people? I carefully checked for any markers or anything that might signal their affiliation. They were a black-ops group, though. Having a patch with their affiliation would be extremely stupid.

While smoke started to fill the air from my burning belongings, I peeked out of the window to catch the street view. Six black vans lay scattered about. I marked them mentally as my eyes rapidly darted around to catch anything else suspicious.

I roughly cataloged all my information. There were at least four squads of six if not more. My window didn’t have the greatest of vantage points so it might be even more groups. Three of them were in the building. One group held the bottom floor while the others were coming up here. The last stayed outside holding an external perimeter.

I shifted from foot to foot, deciding to backtrack to my front door. I pulled out a bouquet of grenades, one I’d just bought earlier today. Tragic that I’d be using them almost immediately. I set up a quick trap using some string. If the door opened, they’d blow. I pulled two grenades from the bouquet and stuffed them into my pockets just in case.

I also took the time to change the canteen’s production. It was a small adjustment, but one that might help me later on in case I can’t get away.

With that taken care of, I moved back to my window and cracked it, carefully opening it. Never thought I’d actually have to use this escape route, but damn am I glad I planned ahead. The faux-balcony was just outside.

I didn’t immediately leave though. There was still a chance this strike wasn't for me. If I jumped out the window and they were here for someone else, I’d just be making a target of myself.

I activated all my Perks that would be even remotely helpful and waited at the window. The squad just hit the top landing, entering the range of my hidden mics. They paused, and the leader motioned for a halt as he whispered. “Remember, Mother wants her daughter alive. Incapacitate.”

A stone dropped in my stomach. It was the Circle. Definitely talking about me. Why did she want me though- unless… did she want to corrupt me just like the dryads? Turn me against the eidolons? Was that even possible?

Too little time to think about this. The squads started moving again. Now or never, Shiro.