Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chapter 248

I stared at the spider tank as I moved along the wall, keeping to the shadows. My chances of killing such a beast of a vehicle were low. My grenade launcher was my best bet, but there was no telling if it’d even be able to get through the spider tank’s armor. I wasn't exactly optimized for amor penetration.

And then there was the squad of eight cultists. The most I’d ever taken on at once was five, and it hadn’t exactly been clean. Eight of them? I could maybe do it, but I’d have to go loud. Going loud right now wasn’t a good idea with the spider tank on the prowl.

The good news was that I didn’t have to necessarily take out the group. I just needed to lead them away from Dev. I had several advantages too, so my odds weren’t looking too bad. I had a good chance of getting us both out of this.

I turned around and shattered the lock and handle on the employee-only door. They’d have to fully break it down if they wanted in. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do given the current situation. With that done, I glanced around the store.

There were two ways out of here: the hole in the roof that I came from and the main door of the toy store. The drop was out. The spider tank was set up right below it, its sensors eerily blinking. I’d have to be crazy to attempt getting out through there. The main door it was.

I slunk around the edge of the room, keeping low and behind shelves of toys. The spider tank in the middle of the store groaned as it pushed up on its eight legs, standing taller. Spotlights across its body turned on, casting bright beams throughout the store. It made the shadows much, much deeper, though made it far easier to spot me if I wasn't careful.

I sped up, moving in time with the swaying spotlights, darting between cover as my body blended into the deep shadows thanks to Illusive. Blackout ensured I didn’t have to worry about the spider tank’s sensors, so I ignored it for the most part and kept my eyes on the cutlists. If one of them spotted me? It'd all be over.

Thankfully, the squad was being careful as they checked out the toy store. It gave me plenty of time to edge around to the main door. Just as I put my hand on the door handle, a shout came from behind. “Bodies! They’re ours!”

I shot a look over my shoulder towards the source of the noise. The second cultist I killed had been found, and the squad was converging on his location. It was only a matter of time before they found the first. After that? Clear shot for Dev. 

I cracked open the door, looking out onto a street full of destruction. The collapsed tower filled the area, leaving a once clear street full of obstructions. It was an enclosed space now, with the tower leaning on the roofs of the nearby buildings acting as a ceiling. Either end of the street was blocked by fallen debris.

I eyed the space, swiftly planning a route out of here. My best bet was probably to get back up into the tower and then move along its length to get out of here. The tight and unstable corridors of the fallen tower would be to my benefit. It’d slow the spider tank down, and the cultists would probably be more hesitant to chase without their tank.

I dropped my bag, pulling out two grenades—a pyro and a frag. I also grabbed one of my few remaining glow sticks. I hadn’t had much of a need for them since Panther’s Sight made my night vision so good, but I’d kept a few just in case. This situation was not how I thought I’d be using one.

I loaded the grenade launcher and took a deep breath as Dexterity sped up my perception. The world slowed down to a crawl as my eyes flicked across the toy store. I only had one shot at this.

I tapped on the controls for my poncho, turning the fabric to the bright, flamboyant white setting. To ensure that they truly spotted me, I dropped all of my Perks and cracked the glow stick. A green glow burst out from the doorway as I watched the group. Already, one of them started to look over here.

I aimed my grenade launcher at the gathered cultists and fired. With an explosive thunk, the frag grenade launched toward the cultists. I didn’t wait to see its effects as my hands blurred and loaded the pyro grenade.

”Contact!” A shout came from the group.

This time, my target was the spider tank. Honestly, it probably wouldn’t do much. Although the pyro grenade was boosted with a bit of Crystalized Fire, I hadn’t mixed it for penetrative power. Not that it mattered. The sensitive sensors all over the spider tank’s body were my target, not its internal mechanisms.

I pulled the trigger once more as the spider tank started twisting in my direction. The first grenade exploded as the second one flew, creating a chorus of screams and a shockwave that knocked over several shelves in the toy store.

I didn’t stick around to find out how effective my plan was, fleeing out into the street. I picked up my glow stick as I moved, keeping it on me as a beacon for the cultists. I carefully controlled my speed, nearing my escape route before slowly enough they wouldn't lose sight of me.

A commotion erupted behind me as the flaming spider tank rammed through the wall in a spray of debris, creating a large gap. Its lights flashed erratically as it searched for me, eventually turning in my direction as six cultists poured out behind it. “Over there!”

Cold lanced through me, warning me of heavy-caliber rounds tearing through my body. I used Burst Step, dodging behind a fallen section of the building. My body flew through the space just as the spider tank opened fire in my direction. It didn't seem to know exactly where I was, instead opting to spray the entire street down erratically.

The gunfire was deafening as the echoes bounced up and down the enclosed space. The heavy gunfire pounded the collapsed section of building, sending sprays of concrete chunks and dust flying through the space. Loud thunks beat against my bag as I carefully covered my head and eyed my way out.

My escape route was across the street from here--a fallen wall that'd act like a ramp back up into the collapsed tower. Crossing would put me in full view of the squad, and I'd most likely get winged by at least a couple bullets if I were to run out like this.

I’d planned for this, though. I grabbed the glow stick and flicked my poncho’s controls. It turned back into the urban camo that I typically had it set as. I didn’t enable my Perks fully though. I needed them to see me crossing up into the tower to fully lead them away.

I waited for a lull in the firepower heading my way. It came as the spider tank's main turrets started cycling. I grabbed the glow stick, throwing it out of cover in the opposite direction. Immediately, it became the target of several cultists and the spider tank’s other guns. Bullets poured down in its direction.

With the momentary distraction, I fled for the makeshift ramp. I used Burst Step intermittently, feeling my legs start to ache as I raced up the ramp. I got about halfway before I threw myself to the ground following a warning from Insight-

Boom!

Just ahead of me, the wall was blown apart as the spider tank’s artillery locked onto my position once more. My vision turned white for a moment as the concussive wave hit me, slamming me into the ground as I felt my legs pull uncomfortably. The wall groaned as it shifted, though thankfully didn’t fully collapse.

I unsteadily darted forward, crossing back into the tower as I heard shouted curses from behind.

With time back on my side, I flicked back on my Perks and worked my way through the tower once more. I made the occasional ‘mistake’, creating a fairly clear path for the squad to chase me down. Once I was confident enough in how far it was, I doubled back and went in the opposite direction.

"Footprints over here!" I ducked into a half-collapsed office, hiding in the darkness.

Four of the eight cultists moved stomped past me, following the trail. None of them even stopped to check back toward me for a moment, allowing me to easily escape their pursuit. 

Over the next thirty minutes, I dodged several other groups as I moved mindlessly. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure which direction I was moving in, nor where I was headed. It was a deeply unsettling feeling, one that I thought I'd never feel again after getting Eidetic Schematic.

Usually, I could track my position easily with a look around. The sightlines were too cluttered to get a good view, and getting to a vantage point wasn’t possible with the increasing number of cultists crawling through the ruins. Not that it would've mattered. The thick clouds of the dustbowl blowing through this area made everything one dark mass of confusion. 

I also couldn’t use my phone anymore to call for help either. They’d set up a jammer somewhere, blocking all signals in and out of the ruin. I’d either have to find it--which meant fighting a pack of cultists--or get far enough away to escape its range. Neither were great options given the situation.

I continued along my path, cutting down a sideways hallway. I walked across what would’ve once been a wall, my training from Fox’s Paw helping me pick the most stable footholds to step on. I jumped lightly over a doorway that’d become a pitfall and moved out into an office space-

I threw myself to the side as Insight coldly cut through my body. Time slowed as I pulled myself around to aim at my attacker-

I dodged back once more as I recognized the person. “Friendly! Friendly!”

The Valkyrie paused mid-motion, her plasma spear menacingly pointed in my direction. Its tip hummed fiercely as it waved in the air. After a moment, she dropped the weapon back down into a neutral stance as the plasma cut off. “Damn, kid! You’re still alive?”

I eyed Brunhilde as she checked behind me. The Valkyrie looked worse for wear. She’d evidently been in far more fights than I had. Her once flawless armor was covered in fresh blood, and there were bits and pieces missing from it in several spots. What looked like acid scorch marks surrounded the worst of the injured sections.

I disabled Dexterity, glancing behind her as I rubbed my head. Corpses were scattered around the office space. At least a dozen. ”Barely.” 

Brunhilde sighed, leaning against her spear tiredly. “I’m impressed… You find the other guy?”

“Banged up, but he was fine last time I saw him.” I sure hope the Inquisitor arrived in time. It’d be a true shame for my patient to die after I went so far to save him.

“That’s-“ 

Bang!

Brunhilde and I both dodged, throwing ourselves into cover. I got a warning from Insight, but I’m not sure how she knew to move. Maybe following my actions? Regardless, as we both got into cover, a sniper round pounded the wall where we’d just been. A moment later, a sharp crack echoed through the air, sending a bolt of pain through my brain.

I eyed the impact sight. It was a heavy caliber, easily digging into the ruin. Seemed the same as the one that shot Brunhilde out of the sky earlier. The bullet wasn’t just any ordinary bullet either. As it lay in the wall, acid poured out from it, dissolving the nearby surfaces. 

I recognized the type of bullet immediately. To be frank, using them was a war crime. Just straight up. Acid bullets like these were specifically designed to melt the nerves of whoever they hit, making even chrome replacements impossible. Most people would live in prolonged suffering for the rest of their lives, if they survived in the first place.

”Friend of yours?” I called out to Brunhilde as I traced the trajectory of the bullet. The sniper was way outside the ruin, probably set up on a surrounding skyscraper. How'd they shoot through all the dust with such precision? Some kind of tracker?

”You could say that! Bastard’s been shooting at me ever since we hit the ground!” Brunhilde’s voice dipped with rage. “One of the Wingbane, no doubt. Damn assassins...”

“Who’d you piss off for that to happen?” Even more of a reason to reject their recruitment offer. Wingbane... were they a group specifically targeting the Valkyries?

Brunhilde laughed bitterly as another round lanced above her head. “Who haven’t we?”

Fair, fair… Another shot cracked through the air. I could probably sneak out, but… well, they managed to snipe Brunhilde out of the air through a falling skyscraper. They were seriously skilled with a sniper rifle. Sneaking out might just put me further into their line of fire. “Do you have a plan?”

”The others were hunting the Wingbane… or at least they were when I lost contact. Give it a few minutes?” Brunhilde shrugged haphazardly. As far as plans went, it was terrible.

I sighed and made myself comfortable. If it wasn’t one thing, it was always the other.