Diving into The Mines

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{The story on P-a-t-r-e-o-n is at 140+ chapters.}

The train slows down as we get close and close to the dilapidated city. I stand up and prepare myself for combat. I'm really glad Little Boy will do most of the work for me when I get into gunfights. There are definitely going to be some loyal goals or mercenaries guarding the site.

The mercenaries likely don't know what's going on. If they did, they probably wouldn't be down there. The stop where we get off is quickly approaching. The train stops, and the sliding doors to board open. I follow Durado off, and I look in the direction of the deepest mine.

We make out way down the stairs attached to the loading platform for the train, and I step foot on the metal pathways of another city for the first time. We look at each other and nod. Durado starts to run, and I follow him. While running through the streets towards the mining site, I look around.

The aliens here are worse for wear than the ones I see in Newton-14. There isn't a single player in Newton-2. It makes sense. There is no spaceport here, so they all hopped on the trains and headed for one of the two cities with a spaceport. Newton-14 being one of those two.

There is also a smell and thickness to the air in Newton-2, and the closer I look. Some of the metal buildings are corroded. The compounds being dumped into the air from all the mining sites makes the air slightly acidic. It's not wise to stay in Newton-2 for long with a respirator.

It'll not hurt a player permanently, but prolonged exposure could cause damage over time. This is a city that I'd never want to live in. The metal futuristic buildings are tall and streamline, but they too suffer from corrosion. They aren't as numerous as they are in Newton-14.

Newton-14 uses clean energy, and so does Newton-2. The difference that causes such an environmental change is the mining operation. The raw materials being dug up negates the clean energy in Newton-2.

Creating an environment that, while dangerous, is livable. "We are closing in on the mining site. We'll split up from here. I'll head to his private landing pad. Hopefully, he hasn't left yet." I nod in agreement as Durado pulls away from the current metal path and takes a different one. I'm on my own at this point. Getting to the mine isn't going to be a problem.

Getting deep into the mine is. I'm going to need to take a protective mask at the very least for what's down there. I'm going to steal one. There is 100% going to be miners and Ziller's men guarding the mine from the entrance to the quantum bomb site.

I look ahead of me, and I see several staircases that lead to the top, where an elevator is waiting. It'll take me to whatever level I want to go to. The thickness of the air is already noticeable, and I can't help coughing from time to time. I draw Little Boy out from its holster and begin sneaking around.

It's going to be harder to spot me, thanks to the thick smog up here and after a little bit of a hike. I make it to the top of the stairs. I look around as I take cover behind a crate, and I see a man exactly 12.3 meters from me. He has a mask to protect his lungs from pollution.

I point my blaster at his back, and I pull the trigger. A red bolt of energy launches from the tip of Little Boy and quickly blows a hole through the short alien hybrid. It's a mix between two species. You can tell by the deformities that cover his body.

I run while keeping my head low to the body, and I take his mask and put it on my face. As I do so, I don't get a system notification. The mechanics of The Aeternus Universe is to figure out how hurt you are by how you feel. The system doesn't tell you, so, naturally, the system won't tell me that I was debuffed and I'm no longer debuffed due to the mask.

I look towards the elevator and I see two guards with blaster rifles guarding it. They are exactly 55 meters away. There will be even more guards the further I go down. Right now the smog is too thick to see me. I point Little Boy at them and pull the trigger multiple times.