Chapter -4 Subterranean Currents
Delta Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery
The outpost hummed with the low thrum of its third cycle operations – maintenance crews active, non-essential personnel mostly confined to quarters, security patrols following predictable, optimized routes. It was the ideal time. Valerius stood before the grimy access panel designated 'SL4-Access Tunnel 7C - CONDEMNED - STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY'. Red warning glyphs pulsed faintly on its surface. Officially, this tunnel hadn't been entered in years.
For the past several hours, Valerius had meticulously planned his excursion, leveraging the System's analytical power. He'd cross-referenced patrol schedules, sensor network layouts, maintenance logs, and even atmospheric pressure fluctuations within the lower levels.
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Shaft 33-Delta was intended for small repair drones, narrow and rarely used by personnel. His M2-D rank gave him clearance for Level 3 maintenance areas, providing a plausible cover story if questioned, though detection was unlikely. The System had already identified blind spots in the internal surveillance network.
Valerius glanced down the empty corridor. Taking a deep breath, he accessed the panel controls. Standard Imperial locks were trivial for the System.
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With a soft hiss of depressurized seals breaking, the heavy panel slid inwards, revealing a dark, narrow shaft descending into blackness. The air that wafted out was cold, stale, carrying the faint, metallic tang of decay and something else… a subtle, energetic sharpness that resonated with the nanites humming beneath his skin. Radiation.
Activating his helmet's integrated light source and multi-spectrum visor, Valerius slipped into the shaft, pulling the panel almost closed behind him. He descended using the maintenance rungs, his movements economical and silent. The System fed him environmental data: low oxygen, trace contaminants, elevated background radiation consistent with proximity to Gamma-isotopes.
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He reached the bottom, stepping out into the derelict Sub-Level 4 corridor. Emergency lighting flickered sporadically, casting long, dancing shadows. Dust lay thick on the floor, disturbed only by the tracks of automated maintenance drones, long since deactivated or rerouted. Sections of the ceiling plating had buckled, exposing tangled wires and conduits. The place felt like a tomb.
Following the System's precise navigation prompts, overlaid on his vision, he moved deeper into the condemned level. The energy signature grew stronger, the air vibrating almost imperceptibly. He passed other sealed tunnel entrances, their warning signs stark in the gloom. The outpost had simply walled off its problems, burying them beneath layers of bureaucracy and neglect.
Finally, he reached the designated tunnel – 7C. Unlike the access panel, this entrance was physically blocked by collapsed ferrocrete beams and twisted plating, remnants of the tremor that had officially sealed the level.
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Valerius focused his Warrior energy. He wasn't a Wargod yet, couldn't shatter boulders with contemptuous ease, but his High-Level Warrior strength, augmented by the nanites' subtle optimization, was considerable. Following the System's guidance, he channeled his genetic energy into his gauntleted fist, striking the highlighted weak points in the debris with controlled, percussive force.
Crack! Dust rained down. He struck again, and again. Ferrocrete groaned and splintered. With a final, grunting effort, he dislodged a key support beam. A section of the debris shifted inwards, creating an opening just large enough to squeeze through.
Beyond the blockage, the tunnel was different. The air was warmer, thick with the smell of ozone and energized particles. Faint, eerie green light emanated from deeper within, reflecting off crystalline mineral formations coating the walls – the radioactive isotopes, embedded within the geothermal vein itself. The energy readings on his HUD spiked dramatically.
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He moved cautiously towards the light. The tunnel opened into a small cavern where a fissure snaked across the floor and up the far wall. Through this fissure pulsed the raw, green energy of the geothermal vein, hot gases hissing softly. It was beautiful and deadly.
Valerius didn't need to touch it. He stood near the fissure, focusing his intent through the System Interface. 'Begin energy absorption. Prioritize Wargod Threshold Refinement Cycle.'
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He felt it immediately – a powerful influx, far exceeding the trickle of ambient energy topside. It was like stepping from a gentle stream into a rushing river. The nanites worked furiously, filtering the raw, potentially harmful energy, converting it into pure, usable power for his cultivation. The System overlay showed the energy input graph soaring.
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Forty-one days. He'd nearly halved the time in one go. A fierce surge of triumph coursed through him. This was the power, the advantage he needed.
Suddenly, a distant scraping sound echoed down the main Sub-Level 4 corridor behind him. Valerius froze, instantly cutting the visible energy siphon field, though the nanites continued absorbing passively. He strained his enhanced senses. Footsteps? No… rhythmic, mechanical.
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A forgotten maintenance drone, still running its ancient patrol route through the condemned level. Its sensors were likely degraded, but encountering it would trigger alerts, logs, questions he couldn't afford.
He had absorbed a significant charge, enough to drastically cut down the time needed. Greed warred with caution. Pushing his luck could undo everything.
Decision: Retreat.
Moving swiftly and silently, Valerius squeezed back through the debris blockage, pulling the dislodged beam partially back into place to make the opening less obvious. He sprinted back through the derelict corridors, the rhythmic scraping of the approaching drone fading behind him.
He reached Maintenance Shaft 33-Delta without incident, ascended quickly, and sealed the access panel, wiping away any traces of his passage. He emerged back into the dimly lit, operational corridor of Sub-Level 3, his heart rate slightly elevated, the potent energy still thrumming within him.
He checked his internal chronometer. 22:44. Just within the window. As he turned the corner, he saw the two-man security patrol, M1-ranked guards, rounding the far end of the adjacent corridor, precisely on schedule. They didn't even glance his way.
Back in the sterile safety of his quarters, Valerius finally allowed himself a moment of release, leaning back against the sealed door. The System confirmed the new projection: 41 cycles remaining. He would need periodic return trips to the geothermal vein, carefully planned, but the path to Wargod was now clear and dramatically shortened.
A notification pinged on his official datapad. An automated update from the recon drone he'd dispatched.
Valerius read the report, a grim satisfaction settling over him. His intervention, guided by the System, had been correct. Kaelen would look foolish, and Valerius would gain credibility with Commander Vorlag.
One step closer on the official path, while his secret power grew in the shadows. Delta-7 was proving to be far more interesting than he'd ever anticipated.