SAR-03. Apocalypse Grit: by Wong Tao

Author:Wong, Tao [Wong, Tao]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LitRPG, Unread

Chapter 25

Night fell, enveloping Denver in darkness as I found myself back on my bike and riding deeper into the settlement. Cruising as casually and aimlessly as possible to avoid drawing any undue attention from the patrols, I kept my heading toward the lake at the heart of the district which held the primary Sect base and the City Core.

A silver tower, brightly lit with white lights reflected from the uniform material of the glossy metallic surface, climbed skyward from the center of Kountze Lake. Protrusions of decks and weapons platforms sprouted from all sides of the fifteen-story building at irregular intervals. As I got closer to the structure and approached the grounds of the former park, I could see that the foundation of the building eclipsed the tiny island and had artificially expanded the surrounding lake into a moat.

With the lake frozen over in a solid layer of ice, its effectiveness as a defensive measure was questionable. At least the Sect had taken the effort to clear the grounds of the park, turning the area around their headquarters into an open killing field.

I skirted the edges of the park and turned north on 121. The wide thoroughfare that ran north and south through the heart of the settlement was lined with numerous shops and businesses. Though most were shuttered and dark with the lateness of the evening, they appeared lived in enough that they were clearly well populated during the daylight hours.

Music rang out from a bar on the corner of one block. The establishment still sported a circular yellow sign with a winged buffalo, though the sign lacked the name of the popular pre-System restaurant chain.

A fair number of Sect transports hogged the parking spaces closest to the bar, though plenty of trucks, bikes, and personal walkers filled the rest of the lot. The Binary Eclipse half-tracks were in the best condition, while the remaining vehicles ranged from well maintained and freshly washed to battered and dented beaters.

Stowing away my bike, I headed inside. The heavy synth beat of some Galactic pop tune grew to nearly deafening levels when I opened the door, and I knew that if it weren’t for the System’s resistances I’d have earned a pounding headache in short order. The noise told me right away that I’d be unlikely to overhear anything useful, but it was somewhere to start.

A smoky haze filled the interior of the dimly lit establishment. Strobe lights flashed over a dance floor in the front corner opposite the entrance, populated with a small throng of gyrating figures. A mix of high-top tables without seating surrounded the dance floor and a bar counter ran from the edge of the dance area to the back wall. Booths lined the remaining walls, while the rest of the floor space was occupied by more normal seating arrangements.

The gloomy atmosphere made visually identifying any of the individuals within the bar nearly impossible, but Greater Observation pierced the murk and allowed me to obtain a better picture of the patrons.

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