Lucian leveraged his body into the narrow recess of the drain pipe entrance, achieving a position of Maximum Defensive Advantage.
The pipe restricted movement to a single, linear, predictable path, forcing any threat to advance in a single-file, compressed formation.
He used a heavy section of rebar to brace his legs, locking his body into an inert, immovable defensive position against kinetic impact.
Proximity Update: 15 meters. Olfactory Input: Extreme Intensity. Bio-matter Decay, Synthetic Grease, Trace Iron.
The Junk Dogs were now a sensory assault.
Lucian's analysis dictated a response of passive, decisive force, utilizing minimal energy. He confirmed the placement of his Monofilament Tripwire (Improvised) across the entrance.
The tensile strength of the salvaged copper thread was calculated to achieve a single, fatal point of kinetic imbalance against a low-armored, high-velocity target. The wire was invisible in the darkness, a purely geometric hazard.
His only operational weapon was the Surgical Plasma Torch, containing a critical 1.2-second reserve of power. This reserve had to be used exclusively for Terminal Damage, targeting only critical infrastructure, not mass.
The scraping sounds intensified rapidly, accompanied by low, guttural snarls. The pack was estimated at four to five units.
The Alpha unit arrived first, a hulking shape visible through Lucian's failing thermal optics.
It was crudely augmented with heavy, scrap metal plates bolted to its shoulders and torso in a desperate, structurally unsound attempt to achieve kinetic superiority.
Its red-lensed eyes, powered by cheap, unstable cells, focused instantly on Lucian's diminishing thermal signature.
The Alpha, driven by instinct, failed to register the invisible tripwire.
Its primitive AI focused solely on the target acquisition.
It lunged in a heavy, committed burst of scavenged hydraulic force.
The monofilament wire caught the heavy bolt assembly on its ankle. The resulting, high-tension arrest of the forward momentum sent the Alpha unit tumbling forward, its massive head crashing heavily against the ground. The force momentarily disoriented the creature, causing its actuators to cycle uncontrollably.
This was the single kinetic window.
Lucian executed the strike instantly. He activated the plasma torch, emitting a single, focused beam of brilliant blue thermal energy.
He did not aim for the heavily armored cranium or chest. He targeted the exposed hydraulic pressure valve located at the base of its spine—the critical, unarmored junction point for its main kinetic augment.
Strike Execution: Plasma Torch Activation: 0.35 seconds. Target Lock: 99.8%. Required Energy Consumption: 25% of plasma reserve.
The thermal energy instantly fused the valve and caused a catastrophic Pressure Failure in the hydraulic line.
The Alpha unit emitted a raw, high-frequency, biological scream as its limbs seized, its expensive augments rendered permanently inert by a single, surgical thermal blast.
It was immobilized and actively screaming, as Lucian immediately logged the noise as an Audial Distractor to confuse the remaining pack members.
Threat Reduction: 1/5 (Immobilized/Audial Distractor). Power Expenditure: 0.35 seconds. Remaining Plasma Reserve: 0.85 seconds.
The sound of the plasma flare and the Alpha's scream galvanized the rest of the pack.
Two smaller, faster units—lighter and less encumbered—surged past the immobilized Alpha, successfully violating the defensive perimeter. Lucian was now engaged in Close-Quarters Combat on less than 3% total system power.
The final, critical phase of the engagement had begun, demanding an immediate, calculated shift in defensive geometry.