Chapter 9: 09 Pretty Boy
The corridor ceiling lights were only functioning at the level he was from, so the rest of the journey was lit up with the tactical LED lamps mounted to the soldiers' exosuits and the walker drones hauling the two unconscious survivors.
By now, Nuel had accepted the fact that there were no players that came with Lady Layx for the rescue mission.
He was trying not to think of that one possibility for now.
It took more than half an hour to reach the facility exit, which surprised the soldiers as he, an untrained civilian, was able to match their stamina.
And they were wearing exosuits!
He could almost feel the heat pouring out of their eyes blazing in admiration and competition.
「 My Stamina stat has gone up when I levelled up... 」
He simply made himself oblivious to their spirited stares.
.....
Nuel - as they approached the building exit - was greeted by a draft of freezing air.
Private Aren, who volunteered to be his 'handler', noticed his predicament and came beside him and tossed him another item - it was a battery-powered, pneumatic personal heating (PH) device.
Ding!
_____
You have obtained <APTE-043 Thacon Tactical PH Device> × 1.
_____
"Wear it here," he said as he gestured his right hand over his chest - he was rather nonchalant about it.
In 「 ex Umbra Online 」, [ Thermal Comfort ] was a hidden game mechanic which required temperature-reading devices to be able to monitor it.
Unless inside <Thacon City> or during sunrise and sunset, everywhere else during any other time, would be extremely cold and dark, giving players without any PH device the <Abnormal Status : Hypothermia> in mere minutes.
Nuel gave a surprised look before he shot a grateful smile at the young Therian soldier, who was already returning to his position.
Ding!
_____
The item <APTE-043 Thacon Tactical PH Device> can be interacted with the <Title Ability : Archimedes' Eyes>.
Do you wish to use the ability now?
- Y / N -
_____
「 That would be a waste to use it just for this... 」
He strapped the PH device around his torso, equipping it.
It whirred alive and gentle warm air puffed out, radiating over his chest and neck.
The soldiers, as if rehearsed, spread out as soon as they stepped out of the facility building.
It was frigid and pitch-black outside.
No sun, no moon, no stars - as if the whole sky was devoured by darkness itself.
The only illumination sources were the ones coming from the soldiers, as well as from the floodlights of a huge-ass two-storeys high, two-lanes wide armoured vehicle twenty meters across them.
The <Bastion>.
According to the game lore, the <Heavy-Class Armoured Vehicle : MB-70 Bastion> was a forward operating mobile base (FOMB) designed and manufactured by [ Thacon City Administration ] under its Sentinel Protocol, for the exclusive use of its military branch.
The Bastions - retrofitted from the chassis-es of first generation Giga tanks which were now considered to be Old World relics - had high armor [ RES ] value due to the special alloy plating and even higher maximum [ HP ] due to the many system redundancies and backups integrated into its reconstruction assembly.
There were quite a few soldiers fully suited up in military exosuits holding their positions around the <Bastion>.
And upon the arrival of Nuel's group, the soldiers almost simultaneously reacted by raising the muzzles of the guns in their hands at them.
Lieutenant Layx held up a fist and halted the three squads.
A radio comm was established.
"Poseidon, Mermaid 1, over."
>"Go ahead Mermaid 1, over."<
"Poseidon, Operation Mermaid was completed. Permission for extraction had been granted at niner one foer..."
.....
"...rendezvous with Poseidon at extraction point delta, can confirm? Over."
>"Mermaid 1, rendezvous with Poseidon is confirmed. Mermaid 1, Mermaid 2, Mermaid 3, you have boarding access. Welcome back, soldiers, over."<
"Willco, roger and out."
Ding!
_____
[ Act 0 - Main Story Mission : Reach the Extraction Point ] Completed : The platoon led by Second Lieutenant Layx Haellen is retreating to the extraction point. Stay within formation until you reach there.
Rewards :
- [ Affiliation : Thacon City Administration ] unlocked.
- <Thacon City> unlocked.
_____
Ding!
_____
You have unlocked a factional affiliation with <Thacon City Administration>.
You currently have <Affiliation Points : 0> with this faction and are in a <Neutral> relationship.
_____
Nuel eyed the completed mission details as well as its rewards as they proceeded to go around the Bastion, to enter through its deployment rear hatch.
The monstrous fortress-like vehicle towered over him, blocking the low, black sky.
The Bastion hummed its nuclear-powered engine as Nuel and the soldiers his with passed its side as they were skirting around it to reach its opened rear hatch at the back.
Nuel took a deep breath and inadvertently used his <Talent : Basic ESP Control> to probe the insides of the Bastion, but as soon as his sixth sense reached its target, it got distorted and stuck, unable to pierce through an invisible wall.
「 So, this is what the Bastion psionic barrier feels like- 」
Ding!
_____
[ Act 0 - Main Story Mission : Gather Information ] : Talk to any military personnel during your stay in the Bastion. Depending on the information obtained, different rewards will be awarded.
Requirements :
• Remains inside <the Bastion>.
• <Military Personnel> required × 5.
Progress :
• <Information Points> : (0 /5)
Rewards :
• <XP> +5.
• <Geographical Information> : <Thacon City Map Data : Random Sector> × 1.
• <Political Information> : <Random Faction Affiliation> unlocked.
• <Commerce Information> : <Thacon Credit Chip : 500 ₢> × 1.
• <Other Information> : <Random Uncommon Ordnance> × 2.
_____
「 Oh, the next Main Story mission...the map data would be the least I would want, I mean I've spent six years playing the game already. The faction affiliation and random ordnance is also not that appealing... 」
「 ...As I expected, money is the way. Like how the idiom says, 'you can't buy happiness, but more money is always better?' Is that how it goes? 」
Nuel followed after his handler, Private Aren and another soldier who received them at the rear hatch and climbed into the Bastion.
Another notification immediately prompted up.
Ding!
_____
This item <Heavy-Class Armoured Vehicle : MB-70 Bastion> can be interacted with the <Title Ability : Archimedes' Eyes>.
The item size is beyond the current ability's level.
A random value <Success Chance Penalty> would be be applied.
Do you wish to use the ability on the item now?
- Y / N -
_____
「 Damn, it can do this? Didn't expect a welcoming gift, hahaha! I better take my time with this though...the ability channeling duration would be too long for me to not look suspicious. There's even a penalty too... 」
Nuel left the prompt hanging as he pulled down the holographic screen.
Despite the huge size as it appeared so from the outside, the inside space was relatively small.
Or rather, claustrophobic.
The corridors linking every room and space within the giant vehicle were about eight to nine feet wide and twelve to thirteen feet high, barely enough space for two soldiers in bulky exosuits to walk past each other.
There were no windows; lightings and ventilation were handled using electricity instead, thus the cyberpunk-ish aesthetics.
「 That's how the game devs explained it anyway... 」
Nuel was led to the in-house medical facility, the <Medical Bay>.
The other two survivors that were rescued with him, still strapped in the medical walker drone, were tailing from behind.
「 I think the times I ever went inside a Bastion could be counted in one hand... I didn't farm much Affiliation points with the Administration in the game, although I did a lot of their public-posted missions... 」
Ensuing that, a PA system announcement sounded throughout the Bastion.
>"Attention to all units, the Bastion will be departing in five minutes. All personnels are required to return to their stations and await for further instruction. Destination; Estama Outpost."<
>"I say again; Attention to all units, the Bastion will be departing in five..."<
.....
Nuel turned away his attention from the radio advert and hovered his eyes at the details of the new [ Main Story Mission ].
「 Five personnel, huh? 」
He looked at the medical officer before him who was busy running rounds of diagnostic tests on him.
The machine attached to his body via wires and metal prods whirred and beeped continuously.
"...Open your eyes and follow my finger-"
"...so, mister doctor, can I ask something?"
"Focus on my finger, sir..."
"I'm curious about something..."
"...What's your question, sir?"
"Hehe, would you tell me where can I make quick money in Thacon City?"
"..."
"You must know a place, right, mister doctor?"
"..."
.....
At the <Medical Bay>.
Ding!
_____
[ Act 0 - Main Story Mission : Gather Information ] : Talk to any military personnel during your stay in the Bastion. Depending on the information obtained, different rewards will be awarded.
Requirements :
• Remains inside <the Bastion>.
• <Military Personnel> required × 5.
Progress :
• <Information Points : Geographical> : 1
• <Information Points : Political> : 1
• <Information Points : Commerce> : 2
• <Information Points : Other> : 0
• <Total Information Points> : ( 4 /5 )
_____
"...so, is that all? I mean, there's surely something else. Look, I'm not working with the Administration. I won't tell nobody what we talk about today, alright..."
Nuel was trying to convince a young soldier in an exosuit who was standing guard by the <Medical Bay> entrance, into telling him the locations of gambling premises in <Thacon City Inner Ward>, which was quite a gray industry there.
The Bastion rumbled on as it sloughed through the barrage of Shadows that got caught under its tracks as it made its way to <Estama Point>.
"...*sigh* You...just don't tell anyone that I told you this, okay? You could find another one just a few blocks south from the Lower District's main gate into the Inner Ward. I have a friend who knows someone working there. When you want to go over next time, just contact this number."
The soldier produced a <Barcode Data Strip> from the drawer of a table and passed it onto him.
"Don't worry, I don't snitch and I surely don't lie. This will just be between us men."
Nuel declared shamelessly, at the expense of the young soldier's exhausted sense of reason.
_____
You have received <XP> +5.
You have received <Barcode Data Strip> × 1.
_____
Nuel returned back to his bed in the ward and smiled at the mission progress he had achieved so far.
He had harvested from his attending physician, Dr. Arwin, the two nurses, the ward assistant, and just now the soldier-on-duty.
Ding!
_____
[ Act 0 - Main Story Mission : Gather Information ] Completed : You have gathered some information on Thacon City, giving you a clearer sense of its present situation.
Progress :
• <Information Points : Geographical> : 1
• <Information Points : Political> : 1
• <Information Points : Commerce> : 3
• <Information Points : Other> : 0
• <Information Points> : (5 /5)
Rewards :
• <XP> +5.
• <Commerce Information> : <Thacon Credit Chip : 500 ₢> × 1.
Do you wish to receive <Thacon Credit Chip : 500 ₢> × 1 now?
- Y / N -
_____
In the game, players who had completed missions would obtain rewards in the form [ Class XP ], [ Stats ], [ Attributes ], [ Abilities ], etc.
Though the rest would be applied immediately upon receipt, it was not the same for item rewards; there would be a confirmation prompt first.
Then after confirming a 'Yes', a holographic projection of the item would appear on the ground within three meters in front of the player, indicating where the item would 'spawn'.
Of course, the spawn location as well as the item's z-axis orientation would be controllable by the player, as long as part of item was within the three meters range.
This was why players would rather not receive their item rewards immediately and let it stay as a prompt in the [ Missions ] tab as long as they could, as taking the items out would only occupy a slot in their [ Inventory ], on top of increasing their [ Carry Weight ].
Only when needed would they take it out.
「 Yes, please! 」
A faint bluish light outlined the shape of a 3 × 1 × 0.3 cm rectangular prism in Nuel's palm, as the holographic polyhedron slowly morphed into a solid crystal disc.
_____
<Thacon Credit Chip : 500 ₢> × 1 received.
_____
「 Now all I need is a working network terminal f**king somewhere to cash out this... 」
Ding!
_____
[ Act 0 - Main Story Mission : Credit-Oriented ] (New!) :
After gaining a general understanding of Thacon City's commercial climate, you feel the urgent need to amass sufficient Credit ₢ to secure your future.
Gather a total Credit of 10,000 ₢.
Progress:
- <Credit> : ( 500 /10,000 ) ₢
Rewards:
- <Bronze Commercial Ticket> × 2.
_____
「 F**k yeah, a commercial ticket! I could directly buy any Common-grade item with this ticket, regardless of its Credit price! And there's two of it- 」
Heavy footsteps against the floor's metal grill could be heard coming towards the <Medical Bay>.
「 Exosuit? A soldier is it? 」
Nuel heard the soldier in guard duty saluting the person.
Then, he heard the person's footsteps entering the ward and walked towards him, who was sitting on the bed hidden behind the patient curtain.
The curtain was pulled side, revealing the familiar face he saw a few hours earlier.
"How're you holding up, pretty boy?"
Lady Lieutenant Layx came up to his bedside and leaned languidly against the wall, her face full of confidence and self-pride, and expectant.
「 P-Pretty boy? 」
"P-Pretty boy?"
.
.
.
====================
Author's Post-Script
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<Barcode Data Strip>.
-----A common read-only data strip lined with an optic scannable barcode, containing small amount of information. A cheap way of off-grid information transmission.-----
Grade : Common | Data, Media
Weight : 0.005 kg
_____
<Thacon Credit Chip : 500 ₢>.
-----A Credit chip minted during the Old World Era as a means of currency as well as an alternative to the online Credit currency. After the fall of humanity, only the physical Credit chips survived.-----
Grade : Common | Data, Currency
Weight : 0.005 kg.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone