Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chapter 250

I moved through the building and dropped back down to street level, avoiding the racket behind me. It was either more of Shen Kang’s people coming to investigate, or more of the infested on the prowl. Neither one of them would be good to run into face-to-face, especially not given my current situation.

The streets this close to the tree were different from the ones closer to the edge of the AEZ. The cars were all shoved off the road and onto the sidewalk as if something massive had moved through the area, blocking off the entries to buildings.

It was dark here too, almost pitch black. I could still see fine, but there were only occasional flashes of lightning and neon to light the way forward. The damage to the Underground had shaken up a lot of the city, and this place in particular was almost entirely without power. Backup generators hummed from the depths of a few buildings.

Car alarms constantly went off, creating an echoing drone that drowned out most noises. Rain slowly started to fall, and lightning thundered. Occasionally, I caught the explosions or gunfire in the background, but they were so very far away. It was incredibly eerie, like a ghost town.

The scent of blood and oil was in the air. I turned away from a scene of several dead grouped up, their bodies savaged by monsters. It wasn't the first, nor the last, I'd see of it. Whoever was left in this section of the city when everything went down? The monsters got to them before anything else did. Most looked to be civilians, though there were a few better armed and dressed among the dead. 

Vines and trees hung from windows, making a canopy of greenery. Monsters were on the prowl here and there, most of which I dodged by keeping off the streets. I carefully walked along the gaps of cars, keeping low and in the shadows so Illusive could do its work.

As I moved, I started tracking my position once more using landmarks. I was way, way deeper into enemy territory than I wanted. I’d gone past the circle’s HQ into the ring of blocks surrounding Mother’s tree. The way out was... well, it was too far to be much of an option. Maybe I could find a flyer here somewhere? No- the AA might still be up.

This section of the city was full of monsters, and I was running low on supplies and equipment. All of my Blaze rounds had been burned on the Maniac, leaving me with just three cryo rounds. Worse yet, it was only a matter of time until artillery started up. I should be out of the blast radius, but there was no telling.

I needed to get out of here. My head throbbed with bright lights. How was I even supposed to do that though-

I ducked into a building through a shattered window as I heard movement out in the streets. A lot of it. I carefully crawled under a table, feeling my body push and pull uncomfortably. The shoulder injury throbbed as I put pressure on it, peeking through a small gap.

A large mass moved down the streets, illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning and neon. Hundreds of figures marched along behind it.  Most of them were the infested robots, but about a quarter of them were seemingly an evolution of the maw beast I’d seen a couple times. They were smaller and seemed to imitate closer to a wolf.

I waited for them to pass, leaning against the table as I closed my eyes. It'd all be over soon. I just needed to get there. The sounds of crunching faded away, though stragglers still ambled through behind the massive army. Once I felt reassured that was all of them, I crept back out and started moving in the opposite direction.

I didn’t have a particular goal as I dodged through shadowy streets. I just needed to get away from the cult’s HQ before the artillery started. It wouldn’t hurt to get outside the jammer’s area if I weren’t already. Intel and a call for aid wouldn't hurt.

I pulled my phone out and checked it. Still no service. Ugh… okay, new plan, head for a hardware store. I could fix up my tech real quick if I had the right tools. Then maybe after that, try and wrap the long way around the AEZ to get out? Exit out through what remained of the East End rather than the Corporate Quarter side? I was still injured, though- maybe find somewhere to rest for a few hours?

The closest hardware store would be… over that way? About three blocks down from where I was, closer to the tree. I adjusted my route, pausing as I swept the street and checked every shadow. Nothing. I carefully limped across.

I continued forward, dodging a few more roving patrols of the wolves as I neared the department store. I easily picked the lock on the back alley door, the tumblers mere child’s play before Technical Expertise. Hopefully, whatever I needed would be in here.

I stopped just before the employee door out into the store and took off my backpack to check the tech. I knew it was broken, but I hadn’t actually checked what was fried.

I tapped my bag, sending a pulse of Technical Expertise through it as I took in the Drop Chute’s condition and compared it to how it should be. Most of the wires and circuits were fried. Easily replaceable, thankfully. The biggest issue was that one of the five had a fried micro-circuit board. Not so easily fixed. At least, not without a lot of time.

I scrounged around the department store for what I needed, borrowing tools and equipment to fix the Drop Chutes. No one would be coming back here anyway, so they probably wouldn't mind. It took a bit of time, but the repairs really weren’t that bad. If anything, my injured shoulder slowed me down the most.

Four out of five of my Drop Chutes were back up and working by the time I finished. I carefully moved around the Chutes to make it symmetrical once more. I also ran some calculations on how much missing one would affect me as I fixed up my bag. Thankfully, it shouldn’t be too bad. It’d just limit my drops to about five or six stories. I wouldn’t be able to jump off a skyscraper like I would’ve in the past. Not without going splat at least.

With my equipment fixed up the best it could, I made my way back to the alley door. Next up was… finding a place to rest? To heal my ankle and shoulder, at least. The rest of me wasn't in great condition either. I rolled up my shirt, checking my chest and stomach. They were almost black with bruises, and my legs weren't much better thanks to Burst Step. I tapped on the bruise, suppressing a hiss as I flicked Cold-Blooded back on.

I dropped my shirt back and leaned against the alley doorway. There were apartment buildings all around here. I could just pick any of them, probably… I should move a bit further, though. I’d rather not get caught by a stray hit of artillery. I’d already been through one collapsing building, and I really didn’t want to go through two.

I cracked open the door out of the store and walked out-

Insight’s warning hit me like a freight train. I threw myself to the side, my sprained ankle giving out and forcing me into a roll across the filth-coated alley. Hope Quick Healing could take care of infections as well. I limped up, stolen rifle raised as I shot a full burst at my attacker before I could even really spot them.

My bullets flew down the alley, piercing through one of the new wolf-like plants Mother was used. It dodged a few of the bullets by lunging at me, but I adjusted my aim before it could even really get close as I pelted its face. It dropped dead, leaking sap from several parts of its tentacled body. 

I took a breath, testing my ankle once more. It worsened after the haphazard dodge. Every step shot pain up my leg. A splint or something could help. I could get the stuff I needed if I went back in, but it was only a matter of time before something came to investigate the gunshots. This sucked.

I hit the wolf creature with the barrel of my gun as I passed. They weren't as durable as the mawed beasts, but they were much more agile. Honestly, more of a threat. By itself, it wasn't much of an issue, but if there was a group of them like in that army?

After a moment’s hesitation, I headed down the alley in the opposite way I came, dodging dismembered limbs from a group of homeless people that'd been torn apart. Poor guys. Didn't even stand a chance. I looked away from a kid amongst the group, feeling my nausea and queasiness spike.

Moving out of the alley-

I threw myself behind a truck as I spotted a large group of shadows heading my way. I staggered over just in time as a pack of the knock-off wolves showed up, drawn by my shots, no doubt. There were... a lot of them. I tried to take a count, but I kept losing focus before I could finish.

I crawled even further behind a car as one of the plant monsters looked right in my direction. Its eyes glowed with a corruptive light. There weren’t just three or four of them. I finally got a count, putting them at around twelve? Based on the blood dripping from their bodies, this was a full-on hunting pack to root out any survivors. And recently successful at that.

I slunk back, rolling under a truck as it approached. Several of its brethren followed closely behind, the vines across their bodies writhing as if in excitement. They split off, heading down the alley as the one approached closer and closer to me.

I controlled my breathing as it stalked forward, carefully muffling any sounds that might give me away. Illusive was fully active, blending my body down into the shadows. Even looking down at myself, it was hard to tell where the shadows ended and I began.

It moved along the side of the truck, its four limbs visible between the wheels as it stalked forward slowly. Its snout dropped to the ground, huffing slightly. It was close- close enough I could make out the individual details of the vines wrapping around its snout. A vine reached down from its body, sweeping between the tires toward me.

I silently shifted away, holding my breath as it swept right next to me. The vine swept loose pebbles, causing a few of them to flick off and hit me. Just a little further, and it would’ve trailed along my side. I held my rifle up, my heart hammering in my chest as everything except the beast seemed to fade.

Its snout pressed against the gap as if-

A bark, sharp and ever so slightly off, came from the alley. Its companions must’ve found the body. The one scenting just next to me paused for a moment before its snout withdrew. It shifted, its paws trailing along the pavement as the vines retracted.

I let out a breath of relief-

The truck flipped off me, rolling onto its side as the beast slammed into it full force. I unloaded full auto into it and the larger pack as they approached. My bullets caught three of them, but a fourth lunged forward past the fire to get at me.

I rolled several times, my back roughly slamming into the overturned truck as I barely managed to move out of the way. I pulled a flash, dropping it on the ground without its pin.

Bang!

With the blinding light, I had a moment to get back up and reload, carelessly dropping the empty magazine as I inserted a new one. I took a firing stance once more and unleashed several bursts toward the monsters, clearing up three of them. Each impact of the rifle against my shoulder sent a bolt of misery through me, even through Cold-Blooded.

The one that initially scented me out was tougher than the others. It was also bigger, with a much more ominous aura as if it were the alpha of the pack. It took several bullets, staggering but not falling, as it showcased the durability of the original mawed plants.

I flung myself to the side as the rest of the hunting pack came out of the alley and moved toward me, barely getting past a lunge as Insight constantly tingled. I kept up the cat and mouse for a few moments longer, dodging bestial lunges as I fired haphazardly into the mass of monsters circling me.

I tracked the one that missed its lunge, killing it as my gun clacked empty. I dropped the mag, launching a knife with my other hand at one who crouched low to lunge. The knife slammed into its eye, buying me a few moments. 

I grabbed my last mag, ducking past one of the monsters biting toward me. I popped the magazine into place and moved as Insight warned me of three more attacks-

The alpha of the group slammed into me. With my leg injury, it was only a matter of time before an attack landed. Insight was good. It was strong, arguably the strongest Trait. In one versus ones, that is. When there were a lot of enemies? It was easy to get overwhelmed, and even dodging one attack wouldn’t matter if there were enough attacks to hit me mid-dodge. 

The alpha bided its time, waiting for the opportune moment as it used its hunting pack to bait out my dodge. Then, it moved. It was inevitable, really. 

I tumbled to the ground, my head pounding as the alpha’s full weight pressed into me. I struggled, pulling free a knife and jamming it into the beast’s eye as it chomped down on my shoulder. My already injured, cauterized shoulder. My arm gave out, flopping uselessly to the side.

”Argh!” A scream left me as its teeth dug into my burned flesh, though before it could go much deeper, I fired all three of my cryo rounds into its jaw. The ice expanded as the bullets impacted, forcing its jaw to open wide and momentarily releasing my shoulder.

I slammed headfirst, headbutting the knife in its eye even deeper into its head. It staggered backward as my vision flashed white, its jaw finally releasing. With my free hand, I punched up into where a normal animal's ribs would be. The shock gauntlet zapped the beast as it dumped a full charge. The scent of burning plant fiber filled the air. 

The beast slid off of me, its center of gravity shifting as the electricity made its entire side go rigid. I used the gap to roll out from under it. Half my body pulled awkwardly against the weight pressing me down, and my rifle's strap snapped as I rolled to safety. 

The others encircled the alpha, baring their teeth at me as I scrambled away without a rifle once more. A pained bark from the alpha stopped them before they could do more damage to my already tattered body. I dropped my last flash bang, turning before it could go off.

I clutched at my shoulder as I ran, this was potentially my only chance to get out.