Gutterfront Descent

Gutterfront didn't exist on official maps anymore.

It was the city's surgical scar—cut from the records after a gas main explosion wiped out three blocks and left the surrounding zone blacklisted for "toxic instability." That was a lie. Everyone knew it. But no one asked questions about dead zones in Blackridge. They just stayed out.

Elias Kane stepped past a rusted barricade tagged with ghost symbols and stepped into the rot.

"Smells like ass and regret," Dizzy muttered, face buried in his hoodie sleeve.

Mara swept the perimeter, her boots silent despite the debris. "Movement two blocks over. Light. Could be rats. Could be worse."

Elias tapped the Predictive Overlay on his HUD.

******

**[Overlay Active – Environmental Analysis]**

Threat Projection: LOW

Recommended Loadout: Medium-Ranged + Close Quarters

Nearby Points of Interest:

— Abandoned Utility Shaft

— Flooded Cargo Tunnel (Caved)

— Echo Node Flare: 62m NE

******

"There," Elias pointed. "Echo Flare. We move fast, tight spread."

The three of them advanced through cracked concrete and broken chain-link fences. The deeper they went, the more the static returned—not in their ears, but in the system. Little flickers in the HUD. Numbers blinking wrong. Map layers glitching.

"System's twitchin'," Dizzy said, pulling his burner phone up. "Think we're gettin' tracked?"

"Worse," Elias said. "We're walking into a zone that fought back."

***

The access shaft was half-submerged, its stairwell slick with runoff and mildew. But the system pinged before they even descended.

******

**[Echo Node: Gutterfront Access]**

Status: Corrupted but Stable

Sync Available – High Interference

Warning: Chance of Vision Overlap

Initiate Sync?

(Y/N)

******

"Yes," Elias whispered.

The world blurred.

Not like Saltend Verge's jagged vision—this one was longer, deeper.

A corridor lit by flames. A squad in Syndicate gear, but not uniform—independent marks, custom armor. One of them looked like Vega. But younger. Cleaner. And behind them—Elias's breath caught.

A boy.

Wearing scavenged gear. Face dirt-streaked. Eyes glowing faint blue. System icons flickering in front of him—**primitive, raw versions** of Elias's own HUD.

He wasn't a gang member. He was a system bearer.

Just like Elias.

And they shot him.

The memory ended.

Elias collapsed, coughing hard. Blood hit the ground again, his system overheating. Dizzy caught him this time.

"What the hell was that?"

Elias didn't answer. He stared at the flickering icon in his HUD:

******

**[Vision Archive Fragment Recovered: "Subject 07 – Discontinued Asset"]**

Data Crossmatch: 82% Similarity to User Kane, E.

Implication: System Protocol May Be Repurposed

Current Objective Updated:

— Investigate "Subject 07" Echoes (3 Remain)

— Reward Path: System Core Expansion Unlocked

+6 CP

+1 Intel Thread

******

"That kid... he had the system," Elias said slowly. "Or something close."

"Then why kill him?" Mara asked.

"Because someone didn't want more of us."

***

They set up a temporary rest point just inside the Gutterfront Shaft, cloaked by collapsed beams and piping.

Elias checked their totals:

******

[Updated Resources]

CP: 19

Skill Points: 2

Intel Threads: 1

Passive Income: +1 CP/day (Grayline Node)

Underling XP:

— Mara: +1 XP (Combat Readiness)

— Dizzy: +1 XP (Zone Navigation)

******

His CP balance sat untouched since Saltend Verge. He opened the Crime Shop.

Crime Shop – Tier I Access

— [Bandit's Vest] – 10 CP

— [Lockpicks, Low-Grade] – 6 CP

— [Random Skill Boost Lv.1] – 15 CP

— [System Upgrade Fragment] – 20 CP (NEW – Limited Stock)

He bought the **System Upgrade Fragment**.

The HUD shuddered.

******

**[System Upgrade Fragment Installed]**

System Expansion Slot Opened

Choose Enhancement Path:

— Option A: Multi-Target Threat Tracking

— Option B: Passive Node Link Boost

— Option C: Echo Trace Sensitivity Increase

Time Limit to Choose: 6 Hours

******

He didn't choose immediately.

Not yet.

Whatever he picked would define how he hunted from here on.

***

They returned to the safehouse by nightfall. The city was pulsing with tension. Scavengers still missing. Syndicate quiet. And Elias? He had a dead boy's vision in his head, and the system's future in his hands.

Dizzy threw his coat down. "This gettin' real biblical, man. We got prophets, ghosts, and glowing kids."

Mara leaned against the wall. "What's our next move?"

Elias looked at the map.

One red node flickered—barely lit, almost forgotten.

"Southside. Next Echo's buried under a collapsed factory. If the visions are real, that one's got answers."

"And if it's another corpse trail?" Dizzy asked.

"Then we follow it," Elias said. "All the way down."

Because the system wasn't a gift.

It was a warning someone had tried to bury alive.