1 Chapter 1
I must run! Run! This is my only salvation! He was a hunter a minute ago, but now he had turned into prey.
The damn people had got a bomber and destroyed the electric power station. The seniors hadn't foreseen this scenario, and so the Sun went out, and the Light disintegrated into thousands of twinkles. They no longer heard each other's thoughts, no longer saw with each other's eyes.
However, he had the Light inside of him, and he had to keep it. Today, tomorrow, and forever!
Running around the corner, he hit a dead end filled with dumpsters. He strained his eyes to make out a metal door in the corner, and then he rushed to it and pulled at the handle. It was locked tight!
Break-in requires 62 points of Strength. You lack 15 points
Damn it. Light, be merciful! Quick, open the stats panel! What do I have?
DAD 9996533
Strength: 47
Dexterity: 42
Intelligence: 24
Perception: 57
Stamina: 44
Well, he needed the 'Dexterity', and his 'Intelligence' was too little. What could he sacrifice? 'Perception'!
Do you want to distribute 17 stat points?
Attention!
At redistribution 10% (2 stat points) will be lost?
He had no choice.
Yes
The world faded, and the surrounding sounds and smells noticeably dimmed. A heat wave passed through his body, and his muscles stiffened. He could feel the nanorobots intertwining with the fibers.
One strong kick and the door swung inward. Some of his junior, first-level brothers crowded in a corner of the warehouse. Blind and deaf, they couldn't even feel each other. Nevertheless, he wasn't able to help them. The smell of Kevlar and titanium was getting closer. Oh, if the Light were with them, he and his brothers would have torn their enemies to shreds.
He had to flee. Shots and screams sounded from behind as he ran. His poor brothers resisted, but what could they do against an armed group of professionals? He heard the stomping of boots. They were close. He had to flee!
While he was climbing to the roof – thanks to 42 stat points of 'Dexterity' – below the real hell had started. The people seemed to have grown bolder, and now they wanted to blow up the de-energized receiver. But they wouldn't succeed.
He saw his senior brothers moving towards the tanks and armored personnel carriers below. They were like bright spots – the Luminaries, dispersing the darkness. He would join them, do everything to stop this terrible invasion. First, though, he needed to save himself.
The machine-gun fire was getting closer, and in rushing to get away, his foot slipped into a precipice. I mustn't stumble. I must go forward. Where is the enemy? His 'Perception' was too low, he couldn't catch them with the sonar. His mind rushed, searching for an answer: What should I do? Redistribute the stats again? He looked around. The main group of the enemy went farther, destroying everything in its path.
Are they still chasing me? He turned around as a bullet hit the tile near his head. They're here! They're coming up to the roof! He hid on the other side of a visor. What do I do? His 'Perception' was barely enough to make out the sound of his enemies climbing to the roof, one by one. He had only a couple of seconds remaining to decide on his best course of action.
Why aren't they attacking? What are they doing? Carefully, trying not to make any noise, he crawled closer. A missile! They were setting up an anti-tank missile on the roof to destroy the relay station with direct fire. No, he wouldn't let them do that: after all, his life was worth much less than the freedom of thousands of his brothers.
However, he had a small chance! Yesterday, after annihilating a group of people, his senior brother had allowed him to replenish his supply of nanites from his enemies' throats. He had leveled-up, but he didn't pump his skills, he had just increased his stats. Thus it would help him to win now.
Choose a skill
Available skills: Regeneration, Jerk, Experienced, Cannibal, Training
Which do you choose?
The 'Regeneration' could be very useful, but not now. The 'Cannibal' and 'Experienced' options are also very useful. However, it's not time yet. Maybe later. So, the 'Jerk' is the only battle skill available at the moment.
Choose 'Jerk'. Confirm.
His leg muscles cramped up, but he made no sound. Crawling up to the length of the 'Jerk', which was now displayed as an active skill, he saw the arrow highlighting his flight. Just a foot closer and he would be able to get to the missile launcher.
"Ready. Withdraw at once. Five, four..." A woman-operator began counting down.
No, he wouldn't let these people win so easily. Jerk!
Time slowed down – he saw the fighters turning around and raising their guns, but they didn't manage to even get off a single shot. He punched one of the enemies in the face as he flew, making him disappear over the edge of the roof, and then he pierced another man's throat with his extended claws. The two men down, he jumped on the operator, squeezed her in his arms, and then kicked away the launcher, pushing it down. Machine-gun fire caused hellish pain throughout his body, but his mission had already been accomplished. He fell down with the woman-operator, intending to crush her on the ground below him.
There was no pain, no blood, and no darkness. Only the Light!
Slowly, he re-opened his eyes. It was dark, cold and snowing.
Trying to stand, he felt a sharp throbbing pain in his side. His wounds hadn't healed yet as he had too few nanomachines in his body. Albeit here there were more, right in the woman's body that he was still lying on. Twisting her neck, he bit into the neuroimplant that had been damaged by the EMP. The stupid people thought the nanorobots stopped working, having burnt down. DAD 9996533 smiled wryly. Welcome, experience.
He swallowed the nanomachines mixed in with the woman's blood, sucking greedily at every last drop. His experience bar was now filled up to the three-quarter mark. It wasn't enough, though. He looked around and noticed the two men he had already immobilized: the man with his throat torn out, and the man who had been pushed off the roof. The latter, despite multiple fractures, was still alive. Not for long.
He crawled forward on all fours with some difficulty. Noticing this, the barely alive man tried to get to his gun, which due to the fall now lay ten feet away from him. Too far. Jerk! He dropped down onto the man, and hot blood penetrated his mouth along with the nanomachines as he ate another implant.
Congratulations on achieving level 3
Available stat points: 15
Available skills: 1
Do you want to choose a skill now?
Oh, yes, please. Two new skills were in the list, although he hadn't got the previous ones.
Regeneration, Experienced, Cannibal, Training, Melee, Integrity
What are the new skills? The 'Melee' is increasing of the claws penetration. The 'Integrity' is a unification of the cores of development. Wow, it's a step toward the 'Luminary'. Yeah, that would be cool, but it's not the right time.
Choose 'Regeneration'. Confirm.
The nanomachines began to patch his damaged tissue with tripled force, but it was still too early to get up. Meanwhile, he could relax on the warm, recently deceased body and think on how to distribute his 15 stat points. On the one hand, it was a big amount, but on the other, development was indefinite. Why not put them into 'Intelligence'? Maybe he could make use of it. His other skills had about forty stat points each and 'Intelligence' only had twenty-four.
Distribute stat points: Add 15 to 'Intelligence'. Confirm.
Oh, that's great!
DAD 9996533
Strength: 62
Dexterity: 42
Intelligence: 39
Perception: 40
Stamina: 44
The world became a little bit brighter, but that was all. Why had he bothered pumping his 'Intelligence'?
He stood up, swaying slightly, and climbed back up to the last body. Leaning down to suck out the nanomachines, he suddenly noticed a magnifying glass icon.
Available items:
Bulletproof vest 1pcs.
Gun 9x19 1pcs.
Magazines for the gun 3 pcs.
MRE 1pcs.
Wow! He had never seen anything like this before. He needed to take it all.
As he mulled over his good fortune, there was a massive explosion a couple of blocks away. Whatever it was, he'd better hurry. DAD 9996533 took the bulletproof vest and inspected it carefully.
Bulletproof vest Type IV
Bullet resistance 9x19, 9x18, 45, shot
Reduced stat points:
Dexterity -2
Strength -7
It took too much, of course, but he would need some resistance against bullets. It was a good start. He should have pumped 'Intelligence' earlier if this was what came of it. The DAD then picked up the gun, removing it from its holster.
Gun 9x19
Maximum range 55 yds.
Low armor-penetrating ability
Required stats:
Strength 35
Dexterity 20
Intelligence 35
Perception 40
Requires the skill 'Shooter'
Dammit. He could shoot, but it was highly unlikely he would hit any target. Leaning over the body, he twisted out the implant with his claws and swallowed it. Only then did he realize that for the first time he hadn't bitten it. His Experience points now reached almost to the middle of the next level. Two or three more corpses and he would level-up again.
A noise caught his attention. The group, who had failed in their mission, were nearby. He calculated the distance. They'd probably go through the same door. He could do it! Trying not to make any noise, he dropped over the side and ran around the building. Easing a dumpster forward, he crouched above the level of the doorway.
The people inside didn't hide and talked loudly. Although he couldn't understand what they were talking about, he could distinguish three separate voices. He held his breath, stretching out along the wall so that nothing would betray his presence to those inside.
The door opened, and they went outside without even turning around. Skipping the first two to exit, he almost jumped on the third one, but, at the last moment, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that there was someone else still inside. The fourth member of the group moved in silence and was, apparently, the most experienced – he even looked around when leaving the building. However, it didn't save his neck from a blow from above. The DAD was jumping on the third man before the body of the fourth had even fallen on the fresh snow.
Jerk!
He held the neck of the man, who looked to be in his early twenties, while his companions shot their friend with their machine guns. They fired one continuous burst, but that didn't stop the hunter from moving forward. The girl was the first to give up. She shouted something unintelligible and fled. The man looked around to try and stop her. That was his last mistake.
Jerk!
The guy managed to turn back, but the hunter had already gripped the machine gun barrel with his claws and hit him with a swinging backhand that chopped off his enemy's arm. Only the girl was left. She rushed across the snowy road quickly, not looking back. He could have chased her, but there was no real need. From the corner of the next building several first-level brothers and sisters attacked her as she fled. It was over in the blink of an eye; she only screamed once.
