The transition from the open pass to the Iron Gate Perimeter was marked by a sudden, sterile drop in temperature.
The Perimeter wasn't a wall; it was a localized grid line—a three-mile stretch of reinforced carbon-steel tiles laid flat across the gray dirt, dividing the Outer Lowlands from the inner corporate spires. Every twelve feet, a heavy, automated security pylon hummed with a low-frequency kinetic barrier.
Itachi walked along the edge of the metal grid, his boots making no sound against the frozen soil. His standard-issue trench spike was gone, replaced by a slightly heavier, unpolished carbon-steel rod he'd salvaged from a broken crate near the canyon lip.
[Current Location: Square E-4 (Iron Gate Perimeter)]
[System Status: Uncontested]
[Pawn Rating: Anomalous Piece (Threat Level: Low-A)]
"The system is running a standard trace algorithm," Itachi murmured, his eyes scanning the horizon where the neon lights of the inner spires cut through the smog. "Commander Vane's vitals didn't hit zero, which means the Board hasn't registered his death. They only register his immobility. Error loop duration: approximately fourteen minutes before an automated sweep is triggered."
He stopped exactly two inches away from the first security pylon's detection vector. A faint, red laser line flickered across the dust.
[Warning: Active Scanner Grid (Level 25 Automation)]
[Detection Risk: 100% if threshold is crossed]
"A standard perimeter logic," Itachi noted, his deadpan expression perfectly fixed. "The pylons cycle their optical sensors on a staggered four-second interval. Pylon One looks left while Pylon Two looks right. But because the installation team used a serial wiring harness to save on data cables, there is a 0.08-second latency gap when the data packet travels from the slave unit back to the master terminal."
He adjusted the strap of his worn tactical vest.
"I don't need to break the wall," Itachi said. "I just need to occupy the latency."
[Skill Activated: Stubborn Advance]
[Current Momentum: 1.0x]
He stepped forward, his boot coming down directly on the red laser line at the exact millisecond Pylon One completed its sweep. The red light flared, but before the data packet could reach the master terminal to trigger the alarm, Itachi was already three steps past the threshold. He didn't run; running altered the wind resistance and caused atmospheric friction that a high-tier scanner could pick up. He maintained a perfectly measured, linear pace.
Step. Step. Step.
[System Note: Latency Exploited. Detection Margin: 0.00%]
[You have entered Square E-5: The Lower Commons]
The Lower Commons was a gray, industrial slum built into the shadow of the spires, packed with rusted shipping containers turned into tenements. The air smelled of sulfur and cheap synthetic grease. As Itachi slipped past a row of inactive hydraulic lifters, a sharp, metallic click echoed from the darkness of a container alley.
"You're a long way from the outer squares, Pawn," a voice called out.
A figure stepped into the dim light. He wore the gray leather coat of a Syndicate Scout (Level 23), his right arm completely replaced by a pneumatic rivet-cannon. Behind him, three more scouts slid out from the shadows, their eyes glowing with cheap, black-market optical implants.
"The Board says a low-tier piece bypassed Vane," the Scout said, his rivet-cannon whirring as the pressure chamber filled. "But your profile doesn't show any heavy augmentations. You look like corporate scrap."
Itachi didn't stop walking. His golden eyes locked onto the hydraulic pressure gauge on the Scout's arm. "Your rivet-cannon has a leak in the primary seal, Scout. Your pressure is at eighteen bars instead of twenty-two. If you fire that weapon, the recoil is going to pull your shot four inches to the left."
The Scout blinked, his grip tightening. "What?"
"I am currently walking at 2.4 miles per hour," Itachi deadpanned, his carbon-steel rod resting loosely against his thigh. "If you intend to hit my center mass, you need to compensate for your mechanical defect by aiming three inches to the right of my left shoulder. Please adjust your stance accordingly."