by L. M. Kerr
"Yes, yes!" The doctor nodded his head and continued to explain the plan to Micheal,
"So. We've registered that there are between 4 and 6 Monster Class Morenkai within the area of the Monster Class Morenkai Nest at any given time." Isaiah pointed back to the spot that was circled on the map.
"Your mission is to draw as much attention to yourself as possible. Killing several Morenkai and create some type of loud disturbance should prove enough to get a swarm of Abnormals on you. You can handle something of that level, right? I was told you could." Isaiah looked at Micheal questioningly.
"Yes." Micheal nodded back, tempted to glance back up at Head Cameron. He truly could handle a bunch of Abnormals, especially in his boosted state, but also in his regular state. His breakthrough to the Earth Tier of Ki Cultivation had raised his Strength to a bar where he was confident he could dispatch most Abnormals with ease, even in a group fight.
Still, he hadn't expected the Godfather Organization to be aware of that fact.
In actuality, the Godfather Organization wasn't aware of that either.
In fact, the reason why they believed Micheal was so powerful mostly happened to do with one rather boisterous teleporter. Shin had raved to Head Cameron about how powerful and amazing Micheal was, Shin's faith in his best friend absolute after he learned Micheal's visions were true.
There were also a few reports exaggerating Micheal's previous power, giving him a pretty stellar reputation.
"Excellent. After you take out the Abnormals, and continue to cause a racket, we're hoping that at least two Monster Class Morenkai will be sent out to handle you. When they do come, you are to flee as best you can and head to this building here." Isaiah dragged his finger across his map to a skyscraper that was several blocks down from the Monster Class Morenkai nest.
"It's important that you bring them here, just outside of The Towers. We believe this is outside of the Monster Class Morenkai Nest's immediate effective range. With the increased scrutiny on your team, Team A should hopefully be able to make it deep into the territory of the Nest undetected, and even if they are detected, the Morenkai at your location won't return."
"Why don't you just sneak in without me causing a racket? Is there a reason you can't?" Micheal asked, curious.
Isaiah sighed,
"Believe me, we've tried that before, several times in the past. When there are so many Monster Class Morenkai in the area, it's simply impossible to get close. As for fighting within the territory of the Nest itself…" He shook his head,
"Even for an S Ranker, it would be incredibly dangerous. You would get swarmed by Abnormals and Monster Class Morenkai in close quarters with no easy way to escape."
Micheal nodded when he heard that. That was what he'd guessed, but it was good to hear it confirmed.
The only person that might be able to face up against a group of Monster Class Morenkai in close quarters combat, in the entire First Layer right now, was Director Prime. The other S Rankers could likely defend themselves and escape, but it would be very dangerous. A single, minor mistake could mean death.
'Hmm… Number 1 could also do it, in the future anyway.' Micheal mused. Number 1 of the Nightrunners wasn't currently an S Ranker, but he was bound to become one in the future and was probably close to that level right now.
'Not if I have a say in that, though.' Micheal's thoughts turned a little grimmer. Number 1 was the man behind the plot to sacrifice countless innocent lives to grow his own private army.
There was no way Micheal would leave a man like that alive before he left the First Layer. The harm Number 1 could cause humanity if Micheal didn't take care of him now… well, it was a risk Micheal was not willing to take.
"So, I need to draw the attention of as many Monster Class Morenkai as possible, and then flee over here. Your Team A will then sneak in while I have their attention. Then what?" Micheal returned his focus back to Doctor Isaiah.
"That is all you two need to do. Team A can handle itself and will retreat on their own. If they need assistance, they will call for it. Your part of the plan is just that simple."
Isaiah went on to outline a few possible strategies Micheal might take. They knew he could fly around using his Life Orbs, and pointed to a few routes he could try when fleeing from the Monster Class Morenkai.
After they finished discussing strategy, Isaiah also pulled out a kit of 'Ivory Skin Leather Armor,' gear that cost a total of 78,000 Points for the full suit. It was magical leather armor that was alabaster white and covered in long, grey lines. The armor was particularly effective when it came to nullifying and protecting against blunt force attacks, the mainstay of most Morenkai.
He was also given several sets of Mid-Tier Healing Pills and a few other miscellaneous Artifacts. The Godfather Organization was truly sparing no expense at helping him defend himself.
Micheal gladly accepted everything they offered, storing what he didn't need yet in his Spatial Ring. The Ivory Skin Leather Armor was a magical set of gear that bonded to him once he activated it by sending in some of his Ki. It vanished from sight once he did so, magically stored within his Soul.
Gear that could be stored in one's Soul was very rare to see on the First Layer. Weapons that could be stored within one's Soul were almost impossible to find on the First Layer, due to even the cheapest weapon of that nature costing more than 200,000 Points.
When he wanted to wear the armor, all he had to do was will for it to exist and it would appear and cover him. It was truly a convenient set of gear.
After all of that was said and done, Micheal talked with Isaiah and the team for a few minutes, watching as Rosphen left the room. They waited for a brief period until Isaiah received word that Team A was ready to go a little while after Doctor Rosphen left.
Then Micheal and Head Cameron left the room and headed off to the rooftop, intent on starting the plan as soon as possible.
Head Cameron's ridiculous getup was ignored as both of them left the skyscraper, waving past the guards as they walked away. None of the guards seemed to find it odd, something that Micheal found hard to believe but was forced to accept anyway.
Then, the duo quickly left and began to travel through the Main Cluster towards the skyscraper Head Cameron would be lying in wait at.
Their travel period was a brief one, largely thanks to how close they were to the border of the Godfather Organization's territory. Micheal flew through the air using his Life Orbs, while Head Cameron traveling by launching himself through the air using his gravity manipulation and powerful body.
While they travelled, Head Cameron was quiet, as if brooding over things and making plans. Micheal let the man have his time to think, focusing on manipulating the Earth Tier Ki in his body.
He hadn't had a lot of live practice using this energy yet and was rapidly preparing for live combat with it. His vast decade of experience using Ki meant he wasn't particularly nervous, but there was no reason not to take precautions.
In what felt like no time at all, they reached the rendezvous point without encountering anything noteworthy on the way.
A single Morenkai was lurking on the rooftop when the duo landed on it. Micheal killed it with a casual swing of his wrist, piercing its head with a throwing knife that he imbued with Intermediate Tier Sword Energy.
.
—- Points Obtained —-
Points: 19
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This particular skyscraper didn't have anyone else on it this early in the morning. Every day, tens of thousands of people would travel into The Towers with the intent of reaching one of the many scattered Subways that could be found therein, gateways that one could leave through to reach the Second Layer.
However, most of those people would move in groups around noontime. Very few would travel early in the morning. On their way here, Micheal and Cameron had seen a few groups moving about towards The Towers or going about hunting Morenkai, but didn't see any nearby as of right now.
As he ran up
and retrieved his knife, Head Cameron's voice broke the silence that had formed between the two while they travel.
"Alright lad. You get the buggers over here and I'll make 'em kneel. Sound good?"
Micheal wiped his dagger off as he turned around and smiled over at Cameron.
"Sounds good to me. You better be ready when I pull them over here. They will be coming in hot." They likely would. He certainly couldn't outrun the Monster Class Morenkai, that was a fact he had personally become aware of.
Head Cameron merely laughed out loud. The Godfather tapped on his Spatial Ring as he laughed, bringing out exactly what Micheal had expected him to bring out.
A chair.
This particular chair, however, was extremely over the top. It was more of a throne than anything else, a large metal behemoth complete with a 4-meter wide platform. It had a lush, red cushion for where he would sit, but the rest of it was made of what appeared to be stainless steel, emblazoned with jewels.
Micheal shook his head as he turned away and walked over to the edge of the skyscraper. He gazed down at the crowds of shambling regular Morenkai. There were an unusually large number of Morenkai down on the streets below, far more than he would see when he was in a side Cluster, or the outer layers of the Main Cluster.
He then raised his head and looked up.
Standing before him were huge, enormous skyscrapers that shot up into the sky. Massive buildings that towered over their current skyscraper by dozens of floors.
If the skyscraper they were on was 60 floors tall, the huge collection of Towers before him were at least 100 floors tall each, some even larger.
"Get back here in one piece lad. If you truly need help, call for it and I'll come." Right before Micheal was about to jump off the building, Head Cameron's voice sounded off behind Micheal's back.
Micheal glanced backwards and nodded staunchly. He had been given a Long-Distance Alert Insignia, the same Insignia Shin had used to call for help when Shin and Sophia had been ambushed a few days ago.
After he nodded, Micheal turned back to face The Towers and then, with no hesitation, threw himself off the building.
His heart pounded as the wind rushed past him. Micheal fell all the way to around the 30th floor before he forcefully pulled up and began to fly alongside his skyscraper.
He almost immediately jumped over to the neighboring Tower, flying alongside it casually. Just like any other skyscraper in the First Layer, Micheal soared beside its edge, keeping his body small and flying close to it to avoid as much attention as possible.
In general, The Towers weren't actually that dangerous as long as you were careful. Most of the people that traveled to find a Subway succeeded safely. It was only if you caused a huge commotion that things became dangerous.
Micheal navigated his way from Tower to Tower, flying through the area with expert control.
Down in the streets below, the concentration of Morenkai transformed to become rather random, something unique to this zone.
Some streets had large numbers of Morenkai moving, while others were practically deserted. Groups of Morenkai moved about in seemingly random patterns, leaving large gaps where nothing at all guarded the area.
Micheal ignored all of this as he flew through to the center of the Main Cluster.
Finally, he reached his destination after several minutes of tense flight.
The Tower he was supposed to climb was stark black, with a few streaks of white creeping up and down it.
Micheal crept up the side of the huge building, scaling it silently. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, the intense focus and concentration he was displaying keeping him on edge. Throughout his entire journey, he had yet to be spotted thanks to his caution. He'd seen dozens of Abnormals, but none of them had spotted him, nor had he run into any Morenkai that were scaling the sides of the buildings.
When he reached the rooftop, Micheal slid over the edge, making almost no noise as he shot along it.
This particular rooftop was completely empty. It was the building he had been marked down to use, the Tower that neighbored the building containing the Monster Class Morenkai Nest. It wasn't located at the exact center of The Towers, but was close enough to the center to practically show no difference.
Micheal flew to the center of the rooftop before he hopped off and stored his Life Orbs. He took several deep breaths, forcing his pounding heart to calm as he gathered himself.
He stretched his arms and legs, and then withdrew a water bottle and took a long swig from it. He mentally prepared himself as he tapped on his sheathed Ashari Blade, making sure it was locked in and ready.
His eyes gleamed as he looked back and forth across his rooftop and the ones that neighbored him. He didn't see any Morenkai nearby, but was well aware that they would be infesting the skyscrapers in this area in extremely heavy numbers thanks to the nearby Monster Class Nest.
He then tapped on his Spatial Ring and brought out a large object and set it down on the roof. He fiddled with it for a few seconds before he stepped backwards.
Not a moment later, an extremely loud scratching noise shot into the air. Micheal winced and covered his ears when he heard this, glaring at the record player he had set down as if it had betrayed him.
A moment after that, however, he smiled as a glaringly loud and extremely noticeable song began to echo into the air, a haunting melody from a song that Micheal had found just before the apocalypse began, so long, or short, ago.
He began to hum along to it.
♫ There is a place that I used to go… ♫
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Chapter 59
Meanwhile…
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
While Micheal was unleashing a storm of music on the roof of an unsuspecting skyscraper, Shin Hopefell was sitting in his room and examining his new left arm.
The surgery to attach the arm had gone well. However, due to the latent damage left by Number 6's strike, the operating doctor had been forced to remove most of the stub that had been leftover. Apparently, the nerves of his arm had been injured, but only up to his shoulder. By removing most of the dead nerves, they were able to fix the issue.
That was Shin's understanding of it, anyway. A lot of what the doctor said had flown over his head, but this was the rough idea behind their actions.
If he had just left his arm as it was and attached the Melding Plate Arm Artifact to the remaining stub, his arm would constantly misfire. Even moving it in a straight line would be a pain due to the interference and difficulty the dead nerves presented.
Number 6's attack, according to Micheal, had possessed a similar kind of energy as Micheal's attacks. This energy was extremely virulent and destructive and was not something he could ignore.
"Hmm…" Shin studied his new arm intently.
It was colored a deep black and looked very similar to a real human arm. In fact, it looked almost identical to his vision of his old arm. This Artifact changed shape based on his thoughts, within a few reasonable bounds.
He raised the arm and flexed it, flicking out each finger individually and then pulling them back.
"Huh." Shin could feel the air brushing against his fingers. While it wasn't nearly as sensitive as his real arm, he could still feel along this arm, as if it was part of his body.
"Freaky." He would never get used to all this weird magic stuff.
"Still, it's good having you back, left arm." Shin raised his right arm and then patted his left one comfortingly, as if it was a long lost pet.
His decidedly not animate left arm did not reply.
After moving it around and testing it, Shin determined a few things.
The arm functioned just like his real arm. He could move it just as quickly, it could sense changes in temperature, pressure, albeit at a lower level, and could make small, adept movements.
He also found that when he ran his Ki energy through the arm, the arm grew a lot tougher than it did in its normal state. If he fully focused on it, the
metallic tool grew enhanced to several times its normal durability and strength.
And that normal durability was nothing to scoff at. According to the Godfather Armory Courier that had delivered the arm, this Artifact had been fed a very large amount of Lonsdaleite, a special type of diamond that was structurally more than 50% tougher. This was a type of crystal that could be found and created back on Earth, one that was absurdly tough in its perfect state.
The Artifact took on all the properties of Lonsdaleite while maintaining its metallic luster. However, with a simple thought, Shin could remove that luster and reveal its true, diamond-like state of matter.
After messing around with his arm for a bit, Shin got out of bed carefully.
His recovery from the surgery had been rather extreme, largely due to how the Artifact functioned as well as the magical healing prowess of the doctors, and the tools they used, here in the Godfather Organization. He had been under when they did everything, but his body still bounced back from the major surgery like it was nothing.
He could feel a little bit of tenderness in his shoulder, but nothing else untoward or that would throw him off balance.
He was still within one of the hospital rooms, yet to be discharged. Shin quickly located his Spatial Ring, which had been placed on a dresser near him, and put it on. He changed out of the patient's scrubs he was in and into a set of black jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a black vest coat.
He checked himself out in the mirror, nodding approvingly.
He then went over all his gear, making sure he had his trusty Soul Pistol and the sniper rifle, who's name he had forgotten, given to him by Micheal. He also found the new Long-Distance Alert Insignia given to him by Head Cameron.
"Alright." He smiled. Everything was where it was supposed to be.
He was supposed to remain within his room resting all day. There were even guards stationed at the stairway that had stern orders to not let him leave, per what the doctor had told him after his operation.
