Ch 73: The Lesser Threads

Kael leaned against the cold metal wall of his apartment, arms crossed as he replayed last night's findings in his mind.

Substation 9 was the key—the hidden facility, the containment tech, and the people protecting it.

But he still didn't know what they were moving.

And before he decided on his next move, he needed to verify the other locations on his list.

If Substation 4 or 8 had anything remotely similar, it could change how he approached this.

If not… then he could focus all his efforts on hitting 9 before they relocated.

Kael exhaled, pushing off the wall. He grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and left.

Time to check the other sites.

Substation 4: A Familiar Kind of Crime

Substation 4 was buried beneath a rundown industrial complex—one of Gron's many neglected zones. It wasn't abandoned, but it was close.

The outer perimeter had a single automated security camera, old and predictable. Kael knew how to get past those.

He moved through a side alley, accessing an old ventilation shaft that led into the lower sections of the substation. The metal groaned under his weight, but he reached the access panel without issue.

Inside, the room was cluttered with server racks and cooling units, their dull hum filling the space. The air was thick with dust and the scent of burnt wiring.

Kael didn't even need to run a full scan—he already knew what this was.

Crypto-mining.

A whole setup running off stolen energy, feeding illegal blockchain operations.

It wasn't particularly impressive, but it explained the power siphon.

He checked the hardware—custom photonic processors designed for high-speed calculations. Unlike traditional silicon chips, these processors used light-based computation, making them exponentially faster for specific workloads, like cryptographic hashing.

Someone had gone through the trouble of hiding this, but it wasn't related to what he found in Substation 9.

Kael pulled back, moving silently out the way he came.

One down.

Substation 8: Augmentations & Business

The next stop was Substation 8, located beneath an old commercial district.

Unlike 4, this one had actual security.

Kael observed from a distance—two guards, one at the entrance, another on an elevated walkway. Not military, just hired muscle.

Instead of forcing his way in, Kael took a more subtle approach. He watched.

Half an hour passed before someone arrived—a client.

A man in a tattered coat, nervous but purposeful. He spoke with the guard before being let inside.

Kael frowned.

This wasn't normal energy siphoning.

After another fifteen minutes, he made his move. He scaled the side of a neighboring building, moving to the ventilation ducts overlooking the back of the substation.

Through the narrow grating, he could see inside.

Rows of body-mod stations.

Black-market augmentations.

People lay on operating tables, surgeons working on implanting illegal tech. Most of the enhancements were low-grade cybernetics—retinal mods, neural uplinks, enhanced muscle stimulators.

Nothing military-level but still expensive.

Kael ran a quick scan on the power readings. Consistent but low.

Whoever ran this place was careful not to draw too much attention.

He saw nothing connected to the mystery of Substation 9.

This was just business.

After recording the details for later, Kael slipped back into the shadows.

Two down.

Now, back to the real problem.

Kael sat atop a rooftop, watching the industrial sector below. The city lights flickered against the dense smog, Gron's ever-present mechanical heartbeat humming beneath his feet.

His mind was already working through his next move.

Substation 4 and 8 were irrelevant to the bigger picture.

Substation 9, however…

That was a different story.

They were moving something.

And Kael had less than 48 hours to figure out what it was before it disappeared.

He had three options:

Intercept one of the workers—risky but could provide direct intel. Sabotage the transfer process—force them to reveal their hand. Go in before the move happens—the most dangerous but the most rewarding.

Kael exhaled.

He had made harder decisions before.

And he wasn't about to back down now.

He pulled up his scanner, running one last passive sweep on Substation 9's energy grid.

One new result came up.

Power draw fluctuating—higher than yesterday.

They were already preparing to move.

Kael smirked.

Let's see what you're hiding.

This chapter expands Kael's investigation while keeping the focus on his next major move. Let me know if you want to tweak any details!