Ashen Crucible

Chapter Four: Complications

Chapter Four: Complications - Part 1

Su meticulously retraced the tunnel twice before returning to base, his methodical nature earning him favor with major corporations like Payne Industries. This discipline had smoothly secured him two Payne-issued licenses.

The mission handoff proceeded without incident. True to Tony's word, Old Anthony proved reliable, promptly paying out the promised reward upon verification - though his poorly concealed shock at Su's speed betrayed deeper knowledge about the hive's intelligent leader. Such information asymmetry meant little in these times; by wasteland standards, the old man's integrity remained commendable.

The primary payment - a 10cm vial of chartreuse liquid labeled "Primary Gene Evolution Serum" - felt lighter than expected. Su's trained fingers detected its limitations: a semi-universal formula skewed toward psychic domain enhancement, its value diminished compared to balanced variants. While marketable at ~4,000 credits (20% below initial estimates), challenging a compound guarded by twenty first-tier fighters seemed unwise.

After restocking rifle rounds and water, Su melted into the wastes. Net earnings: ~3,500 credits plus 0.8 evolution points from exterminating the hive. Three-tier abilities demanded greater challenges; survival itself remained an evolutionary filter.

Noon's ultraviolet fury found Su sheltering in a half-collapsed villa. Beneath his sunproof cloak, calloused hands transformed standard .45 rounds into fractal-patterned monstrosities. Each carved bullet would fragment inside flesh - precision sacrificed for c*****e. Two hours passed without impatience; survival rewarded the meticulous.

The ground trembled.

Su became shadow - rifle assembled, custom round chambered, vantage claimed through crumbling mortar. Kilometers west, dust plumes betrayed an armored convoy: two retrofitted tanks bracketing troop carriers, centerpiece being a six-wheeled command vehicle bearing Rocksolan Corp insignia.

They descended on the base like carrion birds. Su's enhanced vision parsed details through heat haze - 100+ soldiers deploying behind tank cover, spec ops teams breaching the mountain complex. Automatic turret fire erupted briefly before demolition charges detonated with apocalyptic fury. Half the hillside disintegrated, exposing the compound's mangled gates.

Shockwaves toppled derelict structures. Su's rooftop perch collapsed, forcing exposure. Twelve hundred meters away, command vehicle officers snapped binoculars to eyes. Elite troops swung weapons toward the sudden movement - only the three-tier sniper's Rockford RF1000 posed real threat.

Su knelt like carved obsidian, ancient rifle steady against residual tremors. Through crosshair-less iron sights, he locked onto the sniper's carotid pulse visible beneath sweat-slick skin. Wind whipped his cloak, revealing scarred hands fused with weapon.

"Eliminate that target!" barked the male officer beside Commander Li Ji.

Su's trigger finger whitened as the sniper's breathing hitched - then relaxed when Li Ji's gloved hand clamped the officer's wrist. "Stand down!" Her voice carried battlefield finality.

"But Commander, he's-"

"Third warning, Major." Li Ji's smile chilled hotter than noon asphalt. The officer's salute crackled with suppressed rage.

She turned toward Su's position, lips curving predatorily. Even across the wasteland void, her message transmitted clear: left eye blazing conquest, right promising pursuit. Su's withdrawal into ruins felt like sheathing a blade.

Behind her, the humiliated major glared. Li Ji traced a crimson nail down his cheek. "That rifle could've redecorated your cerebellum before your precious sniper blinked." She gestured toward their hyperventilating marksman now staining the command vehicle floor with sweat. "Evolution cares not for rank."

Dusk swallowed the confrontation. As starless night reclaimed the ruins, Su's absence lingered like a phantom scope reticle. Li Ji inhaled deeply, tasting cordite and promise. The game had truly begun

Chapter 4: Trouble (Part 2)

Su moved like a ghost through the ruins under the moonlight. Though he disliked traveling at night, urgency drove him toward his destination.

The 11th Base gradually disappeared behind him. From the moment he'd showered there, Su knew its fate was sealed. Whether Rocktheran Company or others came, he couldn't save anyone. He wasn't foolish enough to fight a corporation for clients he'd only traded with once.

His reasons for returning remained unclear. Opportunism wasn't his style - the waters between corporations and bases often hid mutated crocodiles. He blamed instinct.

The woman calling herself Liji troubled him most. The commanding officer on the armored vehicle bore no resemblance to the drunken lover from that night. Zero distance contact had revealed no abilities - yet no ordinary woman could lead a corporate army, especially one with heavy weapons. Either she possessed third-tier abilities or something unknown. Both spelled trouble.

Su read in her eyes that there'd be no m******e if the base surrendered. A promise? Every promise demanded payment. What price did she want? Su never considered himself a savior.

That predatory gaze - amused, wild, utterly confident - made his skin crawl. He hated uncontrollable situations, being prey.

Night creatures stirred around him. Some sensed his presence. Su's pistol ruled at ten meters. Closer, his dagger worked fine.

After daybreak, a vibrant town emerged - Asmo, headquarters of Paine Company. Unlike filthy settlements, it boasted wire fences, sandbag barricades, and concrete watchtowers. The central glass tower displayed a flaming logo.

Guards recognized Su. Routine license check, then entry.

Half of Asmo contained company zones. The rest held hotels, bars, warehouses. Factories produced everything from canned food to weapons. Their 150-strong army carried PE02 rifles, backed by artillery and an antique tank.

Three months prior, Su earned his hunter/mercenary licenses through four mutant specimens and three missions. Burn, the balding employment manager, insisted they were friends - and drinking buddies.

Tonight was no exception. Burn dragged Su into the dim bar reeking of alcohol and sweat. Half-naked dancers twisted under drugs and spotlights. Burn loved this decay, ordering Asmo's harsh whiskey. Su endured the sensory assault, mentally converting each 90-coin bottle into 20 custom rounds or grenades.

After three drinks, Burn's tongue loosened: "So you pissed off Rocktheran? They're steel/ore giants with hundreds of troops. Good news - they're too far to bring armor. We've got tanks and artillery!"

Su swirled his glass. Corporate wars weren't his concern.

"Wait - that woman's name?" Burn's bulbous nose glistened. "You didn't mess with their Butcher General, did you?"

"She said Liji."

Burn choked. Sweat poured down his bald scalp. "Li! That's the Butcher General! Your luck's s**t, kid."

Su waited for details, but Burn glanced around nervously and shut up.

The whiskey burned. Su remembered Li's feral determination. Every threat she'd make good on. Especially that particular promise...

His gloved palm grew damp.

Burn leered, "Maybe not all bad. If she catches you... heard she's a looker." He winked.

As if summoned, a half-drunk woman slammed vintage cognac on their table. "Pretty boy, wanna drink? The liquor's good... so am I."

Before Su could refuse, a hairy paw crushed his glass. The 2-meter-tall brute growled, "You hitting on my girl, pretty boy?"

The bar froze. Guards watched. The thug's bulging muscles rippled - third-tier strength enhancement.

"You broke my glass," Su said mildly.

"Motherfucker!" The brute's throat bulged with phlegm. Then froze.

No one saw Su draw the modified revolver now jammed in the brute's mouth. The .50 caliber barrel promised brain puree.

Click

Hammer fell on empty chamber. The brute fainted mid-scream.

Su doused his barrel with cognac, lit it clean, then reloaded six rounds from his palm. Regulars nodded - newcomers learned fast about the quiet man.

At dawn, Su liquidated assets. The gene-mod serum fetched 4,000 coins - converted to ceramic armor, tools, specialty ammo. By 9:40 AM, he approached Asmo's gates.

Ground trembled. Twin jeeps emerged from dust clouds, .50 cals mounted. Then came the dragon's roar - a black motorcycle outran both, skidding to halt three meters from Su.

The rider wore skin-tight black leathers. Li's cropped hair whipped as she killed the engine. Her finger stabbed at Su:

"From this moment, you belong to me."