Chapter 17
To the Unknown
Part 3
Day Three
Date: 03/01/01
Location: In the city.
Mission Duration: Three Days
Remaining Time: Two Days
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas & Samira Ali
Previous success rate: 95%
Expected success rate: 75%
Failed Subjects: 231
Successful subjects: 8
As soon as he threw the first stone, the following information was transmitted into his brain by the system's voice and simultaneously appeared in front of Samira.
{New mission acquired: Defeat the Grambith}
{A defective guardian that will no longer follow the rules is useless. Stop it from coasting any more damage}
Rewards:
One Level Up
Points: 500
One new skill
One skill level up
Attribute points 10
The low, guttural roar of the Grambith was a sound of immense, physical power, a deep, grinding echo that resonated through the desolate city streets. The massive, cobbled-together golem lumbered forward, its immense feet shaking the ground with every step. Its eyes, two dull, menacing red lights, were locked onto them, a single-minded focus that was terrifying in its simplicity. Thomas's grim smile had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating intensity. The monster was a walking embodiment of the city's destruction, a living wall of concrete and rebar that stood between them and the City Gate.
"It's slow, but it's looks like a tank," Thomas said, his mind racing to find a plan. "We can't fight it head-on. My hits won't even scratch it." He was right. Looking at the Golem's stone hide and thick, metallic plates, he knew his Martial Arts attacks would be as effective as a fly hitting a boulder. His Qadab skill was powerful, but he couldn't unleash it recklessly; the power was still a volatile beast he was just learning to tame.
"It's a defensive construct," Samira said, her mind working furiously. "That's not a monster. It's a machine. It's been programmed to guard this area." Her Data Analysis skill was a torrent of information, but it was a dead end. The Golem's code was a simple, unyielding wall of commands: "Protect. Attack. Destroy." There was no emotional weakness to exploit, no intricate algorithm to disrupt. Its immense physical form was its only vulnerability, but it was a vulnerability that seemed impossible to breach.
The Golem's massive feet were shaking the ground, and it was heading straight for the collapsed highway that would lead them to the City Gate. They had to get past it. Samira had an idea. It was a long shot, but they had to try. She looked around, and her eyes settled on a massive, humming substation nearby, its wires torn and control panels shattered.
"Thomas, remember that power line I repaired at the gate?" she asked, her voice urgent. "I'm detecting similar energy signatures in this area. If this is a defensive construct, it must be powered by something nearby." She was already using her Data Analysis skill to trace the energy lines, a ghostly, shimmering network that ran beneath the ground. "It's drawing power from that substation! We have to divert its power. It's a huge risk. If we fail, it will turn its full force on us."
Thomas nodded, the gravity of the situation etched on his face. "Let's show them what we're capable of," he said. "You fix the power grid. I'll get its attention." It was a classic "divide and conquer" plan, but with a twist. Samira was more than just a distraction; she was the key to victory. He knew that for their plan to work, he had to keep the Golem's attention completely on him. He had to become a target so impossible to hit that the Golem would focus all its immense, slow-moving fury on him, leaving Samira free to work.
Samira activated her Trans Shield and created a wide, flexible wall of light between herself and the Golem. The shield was a translucent, golden-hued barrier that rippled with power. Thomas, meanwhile, moved with a newfound speed and agility. He wasn't just fast; he was a blur, using his Martial Arts skill to race around the Golem.
He threw a large rock at its head, and the massive construct turned slowly, its red eyes locking onto him. With a roar of fury, it began to lumber toward him, its massive body a battering ram of stone and steel. Samira's shield would buy her precious seconds, but it wouldn't last against a direct hit from the Golem. It was all or nothing.
Thomas ran, his body a well-oiled machine of focused energy. His feet barely touched the ground as he raced through the rubble, drawing the Golem's attention away from Samira. The monster was slow, but its reach was immense. It swung its massive stone arm, and Thomas had to use his Martial Arts skill to the fullest, performing a flawless Evade that sent him sliding under the Golem's sweeping fist. The wind of the blow was a physical force, a jarring gust that nearly knocked him off his feet.
He didn't just evade; he struck. His Strike (Level 2) skill was a series of precise, lightning-fast jabs aimed at the Golem's joints, its knees, and its waist. He knew the blows were useless, but they were meant to agitate the creature, to make it focus all of its immense power on him. The Golem responded with a frustrated roar, its stone head shaking with a low grinding sound. It was like a bull, enraged and ready to charge. Thomas needed to keep it that way.
Meanwhile, Samira was at the substation.
Her Trans Shield was holding, but the dull thuds against it were growing more frequent and powerful. She could feel the enormous weight of the Golem's attacks against her shield, a constant, straining pressure that made her entire body tremble. With a desperate effort, she focused her mind, channeling her mental energy into the shield to make it as resilient as possible. As she did so, her mind, now fully engaged with the System, began to analyze the ruined substation.
The place was a mess of torn wires and shattered control panels. There was no clean interface, no button to push to "turn off" the Golem. The Golem's energy source was not just one cable but a network of them, all drawing power from a massive, humming generator at the center of the substation. Samira's Data Analysis skill, now at Level 2, revealed a complex web of energy flow, a living circuit diagram. The Golem's power was a continuous loop, but there were tiny fluctuations, momentary surges and drops, that she could use to her advantage.
She needed to create a massive surge, a power spike that would overload the Golem's circuit, but she had no tools. She was just a student with a laptop, not an electrician. But the System had granted her a new kind of power. She closed her eyes and focused on the energy lines, her mind becoming a part of the circuit. She began to manipulate the energy, using her Trans Shield not as a barrier, but as a conduit. She funneled the energy from the generator and, with a subtle mental command, began to reroute it. It was like building a new circuit with her mind, a temporary one, one that would deliver a powerful shock to the Golem.
"Thomas! I have a plan!" she yelled, her voice strained with the effort. "It's all about the power grid! I'm going to create an electrical surge! It will stun it for a few seconds! You have to be ready to hit it the moment it happens!"
Thomas, who had just used a perfect Judu (Level 1) to throw the Golem off balance, understood immediately. He was running, baiting the beast, but now he had a clear goal. He needed to be in the right place at the right time. He needed to be close to the Golem's exposed energy core, a glowing, pulsating red orb on its back. He had seen it for a split second when the Golem's back had been twisted after the throw.
"I'm ready!" he yelled back, his voice a battle cry. He sprinted, his body becoming a blur of speed and agility, using his Evade skill to avoid the massive feet and sweeping arms of the Golem. He needed to get close, to get a clear shot at the core.
Samira, meanwhile, was pouring all of her mental energy into her new makeshift circuit. The Trans Shield had not been built for this kind of power, and she could feel the energy coursing through her body. Her teeth were clenched, her forehead beaded with sweat. She was in a battle of pure will against a living machine. With a final, explosive mental effort, she rerouted the energy.