Ding...
The sound of metal rang out as the elevator doors opened, signaling that I had arrived at my destination. Without wasting any time, I immediately stepped out.
June 17, 2063
The night before.
I walked home to my apartment, or more accurately, my hideout.
My footsteps echoed through the dingy, cluttered hallway that stretched along this floor, leading to my room at the end of the corridor.
The atmosphere here was always noisy and echoing.
The hustle and bustle of the streets could be heard faintly, mingling with the constant din on this floor.
.
.
.
Upon reaching the door to my room, I quickly opened the automatic door and stepped inside.
Click…!!
The door locked behind me.
I breathed a sigh of relief, there was no place more special than this room, at least for someone like me.
I walked over to the small refrigerator to grab a bottle of soda.
My drink supply seems to be running low, maybe enough for three more days. I take one energy drink, open it, and take a big gulp.
From the side of the table in the middle of the room, I turn on the TV.
The live broadcast drowns out the noise outside, though it's still faintly audible from my room.
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.
.
I walked back to my desk, right next to my bed. I collapsed into the chair and turned on the computer screen.
My hands touched the surface of the panel, and the computer screen lit up slowly.
The dim blue light from the main monitor illuminated the messy desk, with cables scattered around, memory chips, and several empty energy drink cans.
In this era, I am known as a Ghost, someone who sells his skills in hacking systems, breaking through security networks, and accessing data that should be locked away (similar to hackers in the old days). I am assigned by the linkers (clients who need this information).
I am not just an information thief, but also an experienced expert executor who carries out secret missions for the linkers with big reputations.
For people in this era, surviving isn't easy. After the apocalyptic event, everything changed completely. Most of the world is no longer governed by nations but by massive corporations or those with cutting-edge technology. They act like gods, controlling the world's power as they please.
It's not uncommon for some of these corporations to wage war against each other to seize technology from one another.
As ordinary people who have managed to survive until now, we must fight even harder to survive amidst the ruins of the world system.
Fortunately, I am quite skilled in my field, and it didn't take me long to build a reputation at AbySys, a hidden network located in sanctuOS (the latest generation of the internet that has replaced the old internet).
AbySys is a haven for the underworld dwellers like Ghost, Bounty Riders, and other dark-hearted individuals who gather there.
Rumor has it that the network was originally created as a refuge for those who opposed the major corporations and even sanctuOS itself. They all gathered to eliminate them, but time has changed everything. Now, this place is more useful as a haven for those who still want to survive.
Hacking systems, creating chaos, and attracting attention are my daily bread. Every exploit, every system I successfully break into, brings me closer to my ultimate goal.
I want my name to become legendary in AbySys, a figure feared behind the scenes, someone crazy enough to make big changes in this broken world.
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ting...!!
A series of messages appeared, notifications from various linkers connecting with me to offer their jobs.
Some only offered small tasks, but there were also some jobs that looked promising with big rewards and commensurate risks.
I opened the email and started scanning the offers.
Most were standard requests: hacking into a small company's security system, manipulating someone's data, or infiltrating a specific network undetected.
But one message caught my attention. A new linker seemed to be offering me a highly lucrative job.
The subject of the message read: "The 23rd Enigma Heist."
Part 1
I am currently walking through the basement again.
The air here is much colder than upstairs.
My eyes glance at the screen of the gadget I am holding. I look at the map on the screen, if this route is correct, I should arrive at the server room in a few meters.
Oh, and one more thing.
The O.R.B.B.I.T Corp security system only needs 30 minutes before the hacking device I injected earlier reboots.
"If that security grid reboots, I'm screwed. Those protocols will lock me in for good."
After passing through several corridors, I finally arrived in front of the main server room.
"Bingo..."
This is where all of O.R.B.B.I.T Corp's data is stored, including the important data they've hidden.
"But…"
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.
.
It seems like a technician is standing in front of the door, his eyes busy staring at the panel.
I quickly approached him.
"Hey... yo...!!!" I called out with a casual wave.
He turned toward me, and his eyes widened when he saw me.
Tension immediately appeared on his face.
"Uh... who are you? I've never seen you before...!"
"Calm down. I just need one small thing," I said with a crooked smile.
" I just need a little favor…"
"Mind opening that door for me? Please….!!!"
"Heeh...?"
"Who sent you...?"
"Hm...I was just assigned to check the server, that's all."
He stared at me and looked suspicious.
He slowly backed away toward the side panel. His hand reached for the communication radio.
"Well, if you're thinking about calling the guards... yeah, that's not gonna work."
He kept trying to contact the supervisors.
Ding... ding...!!
"Huh... why aren't the guards responding?"
"I told you already the security system's acting up. I tried fixing it in the control room, but I think I messed something up instead, haha."
He looked at me, panicked. Then suddenly, as if triggered,
"You bastard… You're an intruder...!!"
"Ehemm….Intruder's such a harsh word,"
Quickly, he threw some items he was carrying at me.
Then he fled the scene.
"Tch…"
Without further ado, I aimed and pulled the trigger.
Blitzz…!
The stun bullet hit his back. He staggered, then collapsed unconscious.
" Too bad you couldn't be negotiated with…"
I stared at my gun.
Hmmmm… This time I have to conserve my ammo, because I only have 6 stun bullets left."
I walked toward the technician, knelt down, and took his access card, trying to open the server door.
I saw that the server door was tightly closed.
I placed the card toward the server door's security system.
Tit…!!
"Damn... looks like it needs extra authentication…."
I took the encryption device out of my pocket again and attached it to the door access panel. The system started working, trying to break the security code protecting this room. But this was harder than I thought.
"Huh...?"
The O.R.B.B.I.T encryption algorithm was multi-layered, and my device started to experience delays.
"This door's heavily guarded. Hacking it won't be simple, I need to push harder," I muttered softly.
I tinkered with the device's configuration, looking for a loophole in the system.
.
.
.
After a few moments, then.
Click….!!
The door indicator light turned green, and the access panel beeped softly.
"Bingo…!"
"Even a pro like me has to work harder to get through this door..."
I quickly entered the room was filled with server racks, it seemed like half the world's data was stored on these servers.
I knew this corporation had successfully transformed people's lives in this era, almost controlling everything.
And I could guess that the linker who ordered me to steal the data wasn't just anyone, they must be an important figure, or perhaps a rival corporation trying to steal their data.
I continued walking to find the main terminal, which would be the target of my data theft.
Throughout the room, the hum of the servers fills the air, creating an increasingly tense atmosphere.
Shortly after, I arrive at the main terminal corridor and immediately take out my gadget and attach the eavesdropping chip to the terminal's access port.
The data copying process begins.
I sit on my knees, alert, my eyes constantly watching the area around me while typing on the console.
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.
.
It seemed like 10 minutes had passed.
The indicator light on the chip began to flash faster.
The data I was pulling was too large
"I couldn't wait too long in this place."
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.
15 minutes...
A notification appeared on the screen: Transfer 98%.
"C'mon, hurry…"
I clenched my fists. Almost done.
"Transfer stopped at 99%."
"Haah...shit...!"
I can't believe some of the data seems to be taking so long to copy.
"Why's it stopped…?"
"Is the file corrupted? Or locked..?"
I clicked again and immediately started analyzing it.
One line of code... then the next... my brain is still trying to focus in this tense atmosphere.
At first, I didn't find the file causing the transfer to take so long, and it looked ordinary, just a collection of encrypted data that should contain important technological information from O.R.B.B.I.T Corp.
But the more I dug in, the more I felt something was off.
I opened each raw file one by one. Most were blueprints, prototype specifications, and development notes. Some I didn't fully understand.
I found one that piqued my curiosity.
"The files... were different…"
I opened it. The file was filled with complex, strange data structures written in a format I rarely understood.
I began delving deeper into the data structure. And there, I discovered a blueprint for a technology they seemed to be designing.
"Proxs Drive, Kagen Stahl, Null Space...what the hell is that? What kind of dystopia are they planning now?"
I furrowed my brows, my fingers moving faster on the keyboard of my gadget, trying to make sense of the data.
I hadn't finished reading everything in the data yet.
Suddenly, the alarm in the building went off.
Bumm… bum… bummm..
A loud sound echoed throughout the room.
"Damn…I hadn't read everything…"
But my time was already up.
"Tch…!"
My body tensed up.
I glanced at the time, but it seemed like only 18 minutes had passed.
Damn, they found my trail faster… I had to get out of here immediately.
However, I couldn't just leave yet, I had to wait a moment to finish the data transfer process.
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.
.
20 minutes…
"C'mon… c'mon… hurry up...!"
I grew more alert and restless, quickly preparing myself in case they arrived here first.
Shortly after, a notification sounded so beautiful.
"Transfer complete."
"Ah…Damn it, finally finished…"
...
I had to get out of there before they found me.
I quickly pulled out the chip, put it in my jacket, and breathed a sigh of relief.
This data was more valuable than my own life.
Without wasting any time, I turned around.
"Time to make my exit."
But it seemed too late. I heard footsteps entering the server room.
"Fuck…!!"
I heard the sound of a group of people storming into the room.
"He's still in here! Find the intruder…!"
The three guards at the front rushed in to search for me.
I quickly crouched down, backed away slowly, and looked for a safe place.
"You're surrounded! Surrender now….!" one of them shouted.
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.
.
"Come out… and drop your weapon! Do it now…!"
They continued to walk slowly toward me.
I was still hiding behind the server rack.
And quickly.
My left hand threw a small flashbang toward them.
Fweb…Krak….!
"Haah…bomb..."
Smoke and blinding light erupted.
I quickly got up and ran through the smoke.
colliding with one guard with my shoulder, knocking the second one down with a knee to his ribs, his body curving and about to hit the floor.
I quickly used his thigh as a foothold to help me jump forward.
I quickly drew my stun gun and fired at the third guard while I was in the air.
Blitzzzz….!
The third guard was flung forward, colliding with the two guards in front of him. The stun bullets struck the three guards surrounding me.
"Huff…!"
I landed on the floor nearly perfectly, but it wasn't over yet.
Phuttt… Phutt… Phutt…
"Tch…!!"
From the front door, several guards fired wildly toward me
"Damn… I almost got hit...!"
I quickly dodged the bullets that kept coming my way
I jumped behind a shelf for cover
"He's exposed! Flank him from both sides…move…!"
"They really want to kill me…!"
I calmed myself down while the sound of gunfire continued to rain down on my position.
Damn, this is really troublesome... I have to think fast to get past them all now.
However.
A buzzing sound was heard from above.
A mini drone was right above my head.
"Haah…"
The drone is about to fire a stun bullet.
"Damn it...!!!"
Phuttt...Phutt…Phutt...Phuttt...….!!
I managed to move sideways to dodge it.
But I'm in an open area now.
"Target in sight…."
"There he is…. Shoot…"
Phut…Phut…Putt….Puttt…..!!
"Tch…..!!"
I had to stay completely focused and move quickly to avoid the continuous shots they were firing at me.
But I couldn't keep dodging forever, if I were careless, a single shot could be fatal.
I thought hard about how to face them all. And shortly after, I spotted an opening. It seemed like the man in the next front row could be used as cover if I could reach him
Quickly, I ran toward him while dodging the bullets still aimed at me
Sure enough, once his gun was empty, he looked panicked as he reloaded
And at that exact moment, I slid toward the guard in front.
Zeet…!
I managed to get close to him.
He panicked and tried to attack me from close range, but I maneuvered behind him, locked his neck tightly, and grabbed his gun.
"Argh, let go…punk…!"
"Heeh…Too late…You're mine now, buddy…"
I reloaded his rifle, quickly grabbing ammunition from his vest. Aimed the rifle at his teammates.
Stop firing! If you all keep shooting me, your teammates will be hit by your bullets…
"Stop fire! You keep shooting like that, and you'll hit your own men…!"
However, it seemed they weren't intimidated.
They remained on alert, ready to keep firing.
From behind, I heard the faint sound of a drone about to shoot me.
I tried to be careful, and sure enough, the drone was controlled to fire an attack at me. I, who was still conscious, managed to dodge the shot while still choking the guard.
As I said before, they underestimated me for not following my orders. I fired brutally at all of them who were blocking my escape.
"Welcome to the Bloody Festival...!"
Phuttt… Phuttt…!!!
Bullets were flying everywhere. Many of their comrades and their drones were hit by my unguided shots.
Some of them had to retreat and hide behind the entrance wall
Phuttt… Phuttt…!!!
"Shit… out of ammo...."
The guard thrashed wildly, using every ounce of strength to break free. Just as he raised his arm to strike, I moved first, twisting his neck in one swift motion.
Crak…
He fell and fainted
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.
.
Outside the server room door, there were several remaining guards.
One of them was seen contacting a special team to help capture me.
"Quickly send additional guards to capture this punk… he's very dangerous…"
"Activate the security protocol to the next level…"
I slid out of the room and quickly identified the guards still in the area. They were on the right and left sides outside the entrance. Then, I quickly maneuvered, turned around, and prepared to shoot at the guards with the remaining bullets.
They didn't have time to speak or aim their weapons at me. Two bullets I fired successfully incapacitated the remaining guards. They fell to the floor after receiving the bullets from my rifle.
"Haah... hah... finally."
I had to get out of this place immediately, so I moved again to find a way out.
The alarm continued to sound loudly, echoing throughout the corridor. The sound continued to ring in my head.
With quick steps. I immediately walked towards the emergency stairs.
But as soon as I arrived and was about to climb the stairs, I saw a group of guards coming from above
"Hah, there he is…"
They immediately took positions to shoot me. Aware of this, I quickly took cover behind a wall and retreated
"Damn, I have to find another way…"
While running to another corridor, I turned on my device to view the building map and find another way out.
However.
As I passed through a side corridor.
The guard quickly swung their electric batons at me.
Whipp...!!! .....Bzzzt...!
I was thrown back and fell to the ground.
The shock was excruciatingly painful, and luckily, the attack only hit my right arm, but the shock made my right arm go numb, and I had to press the pain with my left arm.
"Agh...!"
"He's in corridor G7! Surround him..!"
The guard stared at me with an intimidating expression.
"You've caused enough trouble…punk…!"
I slowly raised my head, grinning
"Better be, 'cause you're way too slow to catch me…!!"
He gripped his staff tightly.
"Stop your nonsense, I'll finish you off soon..!"
The guard approached with heavy steps, the electric staff glowing again.
Wham..!!
He was charged with overflowing anger. I rolled backward to avoid his attack. He attacked brutally, blindly. I tried to keep dodging his strikes, using my speed despite my movements slowing down from the pain in my arm.
Drrttt…
Strike after strike, he swung toward me. until I was exhausted, and the hard blow from the staff hit my body again, this time hitting my right rib.
Crack…!!!!
I was thrown backward, causing me to cough up a little blood and feel an extra sting.
"Damn it… He's too strong."
I'm almost unconscious from his attacks.
"Still holding on…punk…!!!"
"Fine, I surrender…I'll give back the data I stole…"
He continued to glare at me.
I saw this as my big chance, and if I failed, I would just have to accept my fate and wait for death.
My right hand, which was still able to move, grabbed the remaining flashbang.
Clack…!
The bomb flew toward him.
"Huh…!"
Thick smoke immediately spread, blocking his vision.
"What..?!"
I forced my body to get up and moved quickly to escape from him.
"He's escaping! Toward... Argh, damn this smoke...!"
My body was shattered after facing that guard. This time, my breathing was chaotic.
But I tried to stay calm, and luck was still on my side because I had managed to escape from that terrifying guard. At least... for now.