"Let’s go core hunting."
[There is still two hours before night ti, are you sure you want to retrieve the unstable core right now that the cri scene investigation is still ongoing?]
"Shit, that’s true, well till then I’ll have to keep myself busy, how about we craft those grenades right now?"
[Affirmative, how many EMP and smoke grenade do you wish to craft master?]
"Max it out, how many can I craft at the level Nano Creation is at right now?"
[Nano Creation has been activated.]
[Crafting....]
The Digitally Advanced Carrier humd to life, its touch panel gliding open with chanical precision. A silver cloud of nanites poured forth, swirling in a chaotic dance around his table before rging into a solid form. When the tallic haze finally settled, it revealed two sets of slender grenades, each etched with intricate carvings and patterns.
[Nano Creation has been completed!]
[You have successfully maxed out EMP grenade Nano Creation!]
[You have successfully maxed out Smoke grenade Nano Creation!]
[You have levelled up a skill!]
[Nano Creation Level 1 > Level 2]
[You have gained a new item!]
[Basic Body Armor]
"Basic body armor? Man... D.E.L.T.A really is aweso, equip the basic body armor."
With a simple command, the touch panel of his watch split in two yet again and dark nanites poured out like liquid smoke, swirling in the air around his body before shaping into a solid armor.
"Alright, now then, gotta find where to store these grenades. I guess it’s ti for a craftsmanship of my own." He took the the grenades and stuffed them in the pockets created in the body armor according to their functions, EMP at his left side, and smoke grenades on his right.
"Let’s go."
..
West Avenue Docks
After waiting three to four hours, Eric pulled his hood up, the quiet hum of his mask’s lenses filling the room. This ti, he skipped the taxi. Equipping the Dual Pulse Gloves, he leapt out his bedroom window, moving swiftly across the rooftops, each jumps, he travelled deeper into the night.
Another benefit of Nano regeneration was the repair of his muscle fibers. It worked much like the natural principle of muscle growth, but faster, and with the added push from his daily quests, he had beco stronger, quicker, and more agile than he’d been in their last encounter.
"WOOOOHOOO." He wasn’t used to it yet, but swinging between buildings on a rope carried a strange mix of sensations, the rush of living at its peak, and the cold edge of knowing that one wrong move could an his permanent death.
As the grappling hook caught the rooftop’s edge, he tightened his grip and hauled himself forward, twisting into a smooth 360° spin around a nearby water tank before landing at the next roof top.
As expected, the docks were wrapped in caution tape from the earlier investigation, which was still underway. All shipping operations had been suspended here until further notice.
"It’s too quiet..."
[Caution is advised master.]
"I know, those robbers main objective was the power source, they wouldn’t have gone after it if they didn’t know what it was capable of. They’ll be b-"
As he spoke, the water below began to swirl, as if sothing were about to surface. Monts later, three figures in full diving gear broke through the waves and climbed ashore.
One of the divers clutched a translucent tube in his hands, it was unmistakably the power source. Yet sothing was different. The one from the previous night had glowed a solid red, but this tube pulsed with a swirling blend of red and blue.
"Hava, what happened to the tube? Why is it showing two different colors?"
[It’s becoming more unstable as the hours passed, the blue is most likely from the effects of going unstable. By my estimates, there are only a total of 10-13 hours before it goes completely critical.]
"That ans, I have to stabilize it now."
The three divers sprinted toward a getaway car parked behind a nearby warehouse. There was no doubt, they were the sa ones from the previous night. Only now, they moved with sharper caution, their eyes sweeping the surroundings, every step asured and alert.
They quickly stripped off their diving gear and shoved it into the trunk, wasting no ti. "We have the core, let’s get out of here." The leader said, and his two accomplices nodded in unison before pulling open the car’s side doors.
THUD!
Before they could step inside, a hooded figure dropped from above, landing in a crouch atop the car’s hood with a resounding thud.
"Phew... That was less painful than I expected it to be, Nano Regeneration really is aweso."
The figure lifted his head, and in that instant, the slitted mask ca into view. It was a sight the robbers could never forget, after all he was the reason they had their asses handed over to them by their employer.
"You again!?" The two accomplices staggered back, yanking out their sidearms and aid them squarely at the masked man.
"We blew you up to pieces! How the fuck are you still alive!?"
"Oh I don’t know, you missed?"
Pissed off, they squeezed their triggers, emptying their magazines at him. Eric didn’t move, he didn’t even flinch. He stayed crouched on the car’s roof, arms resting lazily on his knees, as the bullets struck his chest and ricocheted harmlessly away.
"What!?" They couldn’t believe their eyes, he actually ca prepared?
"I don’t have all day, there’s no ti to explain, but I’m going to need you to hand over that core."
The leader chuckled softly, it certainly wasn’t a developnt he expected. "I had a feeling you’d show that God-awful mask of yours again, and this ti you ca prepared. Well, you’re not the only one."
Almost instantly, he swung out a massive plasma cannon, its barrel locking onto the masked man. As it powered up, a harsh red glow bled from its core, growing brighter with each second. Eric knew in that mont, if he took a direct hit, it would an his instant death.
As the cannon roared to life, Eric jumped high in the air, the beam scorching past beneath him. In the sa motion, he fired the grappling hook of the Dual Pulse Gloves, swinging away in a narrow escape that left only inches to spare.
He reached into the pocket at the right side of his body armor and grabbed a smoke grenade, he pressed the button in the middle of the vessel and threw it down at the ground. The next mont, it detonated into a cloud of smoke that covered them all, blocking their vision.
"What the hell is this!?"
"I can’t see a thing! Where are you!?"
"HAVA."
[Activating S.K.U.L.L]
While airborne, he activated the S.K.U.L.L feature and glanced down at the cloud of smoke below.
[Initiating Infrared Mode.]
The once-white lenses of his mask flared red, revealing the heat signatures radiating from the three robbers. Even through the thick smoke, their glowing outlines stood clear in his vision.
He thrust his hand forward, firing the grappling hook. The claw shot out and clamped onto the leader’s vest, yanking tight. His focus was singular, stabilizing the core. Everything else was secondary, irrelevant compared to securing it.
Eric jerked the leader out of the smoke with a sharp pull, hurling him against the warehouse’s outer wall with bone-jarring force.
The leader hit the ground with a heavy groan, the impact pulled the plasma cannon from his grasp sowhere in the smoke. Yet, even as pain radiated through his body, his grip on the core remained tight.
He dropped down in front of him, and stood tall as his lenses faded back to their normal white hue. He stood there, gazing down at the leader.
"It’s over, I’m taking the core."
Just as he reached for the core, a sharp, resounding thud echoed from within the smoke, there was no doubt, it was the sound of a body slamming hard against a tallic surface.
From within the smoke ca two loud groans from the leader’s accomplices, as if their bodies had been ruthlessly beaten.
"W-what?"
As the smoke cleared slowly, both the masked man and the leader kept their eyes locked on it.
The masked man’s lenses widened, he couldn’t believe his eyes and for good reason. One of the accomplices laid on the ground beside the car, unconscious.
And as the last veil of smoke drifted away, it revealed a woman, dressed in a sleek blue latex suit. Its polished surface caught the moonlight, with a sharp emblem set on the chest and clean lines running along the arms and legs..
Her uniform clung to every curve in her body with precision, sculpted like armor yet fluid like a second skin. Gold accents shimred faintly at her waist and legs, catching the moonlight with every subtle movent.
"I-Impossible..." The leader managed to speak as the woman stepped forward, dropping the man at her feet.
"I-it’s Nova city’s..." No one had seen her in person before, but she was a person well known on TV, revered as humanity’s second strongest agent.
Eric clenched his fist, and his white lenses narrowed in irritation as a low growl escaped his mouth. "Agent Alpha."
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