[Chapter 18. Level 10]

  On the way to the small creek hidden within the forest, Searanox finally spoke.

  "The drones will be our cover," he said quietly. "If they get spotted and shot at..."

  "...just like that," he continued, unfazed. "They will focus on the drones and keep their distance. If they observe long enough, they will see them vanish in blue sparks and be, lost as fuck."

  "Lost as fuck," Iris repeated softly, tasting the phrase as if cataloging it for future tactical use.

  They followed the creek upstream until the trees thinned just enough for a blade of sunlight to pierce the canopy. The world felt calmer here deceptively so. Searanox reached into his pocket and retrieved the salvage cache. Palm sized. Seamless. Matte black metal. No buttons. No markings. He pressed it anyway. Nothing.

  "I suspect you must channel TP into it," Iris said calmly.

  He placed his hand against the container and focused. Blue light traced faint lines along its edges, the surface shimmering and then stopped. Nothing happened.

  "Based on my administrative knowledge," Iris continued, "salvage caches often contain schematics, rare materials, or pre-assembled modules. Some allow selection. We will see which this one is."

  Her amber eyes were steady, a stark contrast to the blood soaked chaos they had left behind.

  `Yes′

  The box dissolved into blue particles. A holographic interface unfolded before him, glowing softly in the dappled forest light.

  `The drone part.′

  The other options vanished instantly.

  A new object materialized a small metallic sphere, sleeker and more advanced than his current drones. A single green lens pulsed at its center, four retractable protrusions resting dormant along its hull. It hovered silently above where the box had been.

  The knowledge burned itself into his mind. The sphere and the remaining fragments of the cache vanished in familiar blue sparks just like a desummoned drone.

  They washed up at the creek. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. Cold water bit into Searanox's skin as he scrubbed away the worst of the blood, his heightened senses making every sensation sharper. The water darkened, turning pink… then red. He glanced at Iris, who cleaned her fur with meticulous care, her movements precise and almost ritualistic. The creek was a murky crimson by the time they finished.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Iris," he said as he pulled on the last set of clean clothes from the bag. "Thirty minutes. The drones should be finishing up. We move. Now."

  She nodded once. He severed the link.

  Still damp, they returned to the car and drove off, turning onto a dirt road before cutting straight across an open field. He checked the navigation. The next farm didn't need to be large. Just a few thousand animals would do. Cutting across the acre halved the travel time.

  "Iris," he said, tapping the phone mounted beside the steering wheel. "That green area, this forest. That's where we stay until the System descends. I don't want to be anywhere near a city when that shit happens."

  "I understand," she replied, her gaze shifting from the screen to the passing landscape. "Cities will become death traps. Dense populations of unprepared humans will attract predators."

  He parked just inside the tree line. The engine died, replaced by rustling leaves and distant birdsong. The air smelled of damp earth and pine clean, almost refreshing compared to the metallic stench that had clung to them for over a day.

  "Let's finish this," he said.

  He summoned a drone.

  The machine drifted away toward the nearby farm, its blue lens glowing faintly.

  Searanox leaned back and closed his eyes. The notifications began to flow steady, rhythmic, distant. Death and reward, reduced to numbers. A grim lullaby.

  "Sleep, Iris," he murmured. "It was a long day."

  Sunlight filtered through the leaves when he woke, urgency snapping him fully alert. He checked the feed.

  Then his status.

  So close. He summoned the second drone.

  He sent it to reinforce the first. The notifications accelerated. Then...

  Searanox exhaled slowly.

  "What the FUCK!!!"