171 SPECIALIZATIONS
"I'll return to lrose City. Fortress Myrone still needs the new shipnt of ta-artillery parts and relay cores," Dan said to them.
Liorea nodded. "I'll handle the transport personally."
Zairgid turned to Kail, who was busy calibrating a drone projector. "You're staying here with ?"
Kail nodded, looking up to Dan. "Can I, Big Brother? Soone has to lay down the security frawork for our new secret base."
"Good," Dan said, approvingly. "You stay. If Lander and Dorin want in, we'll bring them over here too."
Zairgid smiled faintly. "Perfect. Leave Silver City to us."
But Dan wasn't entirely comfortable.
His instincts gnawed at him — Silver City glittered on the surface, but danger ran deep beneath. "You'd better fortify the place while I'm gone. And don't step outside the HQ unless it's necessary. We don't know if your uncle still has any hidden cards."
Zairgid leaned back, his usual confidence flashing through. "Don't worry. With money, I can buy an army. We'll start recruiting ta-human guards — no one's killing
that easily again."
Dan smirked but didn't reply.
Outside, the foundations of their new empire began to rise with steel, glass, and ambition.
------
Dan and Liorea returned to lrose City, heading straight for GenSyn. The familiar haze of the city greeted them — chaotic, noisy, and strangely comforting.
Inside the HQ, they found Lander and Dorin waiting.
"You've been gone so long I thought you weren't coming back," Dorin grumbled.
Dan dropped his pack and stretched. "We've been setting up a new HQ in Silver City …. took longer than expected."
He glanced at the two of them. "What about you? Want to co to Silver City? You could run your investigative agency there …. There would be nobody looking for trouble with you… consider it a reboot, a clean slate."
That suggestion caught their attention.
"I wouldn't mind leaving lrose city," Lander said. "This city's rotten to the core. The governnt and SIA are too corrupt to function anymore."
He hesitated, then added grimly, "But before we go… the disappearances in the slums are getting worse. It's not just vagrants now …. working-class families are vanishing. Thousands of them."
Dan frowned. "And the governnt? The SIA? Aren't they doing nothing?"
"They don't care," Lander said flatly. "The upper class actually welcos it …. Missing those people ans fewer mouths to feed, fewer problems to deal with."
Dan exchanged a look with Liorea. "Alright. Make up your mind. We'll be back after the Fortress Myrone run …. then we'll decide our next move."
-----
Dan and Liorea arrived once more at the aur mine.
The air shimred faintly with residual ta energy from the rift nearby. Waiting for them at the gate was Yaris, the overseer.
"Oh, it's you again, young sir," Yaris greeted with a weary smile.
"Good to see you, Yaris. How have you been?" Dan asked, his tone friendly but observant.
"The sa as ever…" Yaris managed a smile, but Dan caught the heaviness behind it.
Sothing was off.
Casually, he asked, "Last ti I passed through here, one of your miners had an accident. How's he doing now?"
Yaris's eyes dimd, moisture gathering at the corners. "That's Ralph Dark… he has the sa family na as you, sir."
Dan's expression didn't change.
Yaris continued, his voice trembling, "The thing is… Ralph and his entire family, his wife, his boy, they went missing. Vanished one night. No one's seen them since."
The words struck Dan harder than he expected, though he didn't show it. Uncle Ralph… The na stirred ghosts he'd long buried.
He gave a small nod, his voice calm but distant. "Strange tis. People disappear everywhere these days."
Then, more softly, "Take care of yourself, Yaris."
He turned away before the overseer could say more and went down the elevator.
Together, Dan and Liorea entered the shimring veil of the space rift — the world behind them dissolved into silence.
-----
[Fortress Myrone]
"Dan, you've returned," Captain Green greeted as the young ta descended from the transport platform.
The soldiers nearby paused their work to salute him.
The Captain and his n had only recently co back from lrose City — their protection of the supply lines was no longer required.
With Dan in charge, and Liorea's psychic transport ability, there were no more convoys to ambush, no routes to defend.
Without a word, Liorea raised her hands.
A low hum rippled through the air as containers began to shimr into view — dozens of them — materializing neatly on the platform. Each crate was marked, containing weapons, machinery, dicine, and rare ta materials.
A cheer rose from the fortress crew as the supplies settled with a heavy thud.
While Captain Green and his team began offloading and sorting the shipnt, Dan turned away and made for the training center.
-----
Dan's Strength Stat had been stagnant for weeks; only a complete transfusion with advanced ta blood could finally shatter that bottleneck, allowing his Strength to grow again… he's reached the limit of his DNA Strength.
Fortunately for him, the technology in Silver City is far more advanced that lrose city…. Provided he could pay for it.
Dan had undergone a complete blood transfusion at a Silver City dical facility, imbuing himself with revolutionary new ta-infused blood that possessed a unique property — which amplified physical strength and regeneration.
But every blood transfusion ca with sacrifice. He lost two-thirds of his Blood Stat and a third of his Armor.
He reviewed his updated stats:
Na: Dan Dark
Strength Rank: B????ta Rank: B????Blood Rank: C
Strength: 688??|??Charm: 382??|??ta: 513??|??Command: 512??|??Blood: 406??|??Armor: 887??|
A faint smile crossed his face.
This ti, Dan had a plan.
Earlier, he discovered that having too many active Cores doesn't help him. Each new Core would dilute the effectiveness of the active ones.
With that in mind, Dan reconsidered his approach.
He realized he'd spread himself too thin before, learning too many ta skills and mastering none. From here on, he would reforge his power, focus on specialization, and bring his main cores into alignnt and develop them— turning his diverse potential into sothing unstoppable.
"What can I help you with this ti, God of War?" Lieutenant Kalr teased, his voice echoing in the sterile lab.
Dan smiled faintly. "Actually, there is one thing. My fusion skills are too fragnted. I've been spreading my energy across too many elents. I want a more focused approach—sothing that amplifies my output through specialization."
Kalr tilted his head, intrigued. "That's an interesting philosophy. I've never had anyone request less power before. How do you want to proceed?"
"I need a new fusion skill centered on a single elent—electricity. If I concentrate all my upgrades, equipnt, and dicines on one type, the amplification should multiply exponentially."
Kalr's eyes lit up. "A focused elental path… I like it. Give
a mont."
He turned to his console, working swiftly through layers of code and molecular design sequences.
Dan didn't bother him, he spent the ti training on the simulators. When he was done, Kalr returned, holding a small vial glowing with sharp blue arcs.
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