[The Sanctuary - The Golden Spire]
With The Bishop dead, the religious zealots had fled. But the path to the Core was blocked by a massive, windowless skyscraper made of reinforced gold-titanium alloy. The Central Bank.
Alex stood at the heavy blast doors. "Knock knock," Alex whispered.
BOOM.
The Behemoth fired its main cannon. The shell hit the door. It didn't scratch it. A blue energy field absorbed the impact instantly.
"Alert," Dawn reported. "The structure is protected by a Kinetic-Dampening Field. It is powered by the city's geothermal grid. It is impenetrable."
[The Boardroom]
Inside the Spire, The Banker (Seat 4) watched the screen. He was a morbidly obese man floating in a gravity-chair. Tubes connected his body to the mainframe. He wasn't just a man; he was a living server.
"You cannot break in, boy," The Banker chuckled, his voice vibrating through the speakers. "This vault was built to survive a supernova. I have enough food and oxygen for a hundred years. I will simply wait for you to die of old age."
"He's right," Luna said, scanning the door. "We can't blast through. And we can't hack it. The encryption is quantum-locked."
Alex looked at the door. He looked at the energy shield shimmering around the building. "He thinks he's safe because he owns the building," Alex smiled. "But who owns the power?"
"Dawn," Alex ordered. "Open the System Store. Category: Utilities & Infrastructure."
Item: Geothermal Plant (Sanctuary Grid). Owner: The Council.
Action: Hostile Takeover.
"How much to buy the power plant supplying this city?" Alex asked.
"Valuation: $500 Billion," Dawn replied. "It is the most expensive asset in the region."
"Cheap," Alex tapped the screen. "Buy it. And turn off his lights."
[The Blackout]
[Transaction Complete.] [Asset Acquired: Sanctuary Power Grid.]
Inside the Vault, the lights didn't flicker. They died. The gravity-chair supporting The Banker failed. THUD. He crashed to the floor, a heap of flesh and wires.
"What?!" The Banker screamed in the darkness. "Backup generators! Activate!"
"Error," the Vault AI replied. "Power source disconnected by Owner."
"I am the owner!" The Banker shrieked.
"Correction: Ownership transferred to User: Alex."
Outside, the invincible blue shield flickered and vanished. The blast doors unlocked and slowly creaked open.
[The Repo Man]
Alex walked into the dark boardroom, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor. Two Praetorian Guards flanked him, their red eyes illuminating the room.
The Banker was crawling toward a hidden panic room. "Stay back!" The Banker pulled a gold-plated pistol. "I have trillions in crypto! I can pay you! I can give you the codes to the world economy!"
Alex kicked the gun out of his hand. It skittered across the floor.
"I don't need your money," Alex looked down at the pathetic figure. "I have a printer."
Alex grabbed the tubes connecting The Banker to the wall. "You treated the world like a ledger, didn't you? Debits and credits. Lives were just numbers to you."
"Please!" The Banker begged, sweat pouring down his face. "I was just the accountant! The Elder made me do it!"
"Then consider this an audit," Alex said cold-bloodedly.
He ripped the life-support cables out of the wall. HISSS.
The Banker gasped. His cybernetics shut down. His heart, regulated by the machine, began to fail. "You... you can't..."
"I just liquidated your assets," Alex turned around, walking away as The Banker clutched his chest.
Behind him, The Banker convulsed once and went still.
[The Loot]
"Target Eliminated," Dawn confirmed.
Alex walked to the massive server rack at the back of the room. "Download everything," Alex ordered. "Bank accounts, blackmail files, Council secrets. I want it all."
[Data Extraction: 100%.] [Map Updated.]
A hologram of the city appeared. The Golden Spire was clear. Only one structure remained. The Core.
It was located at the very bottom of the city, surrounded by a lake of liquid nitrogen. That was where The Elder was hiding. And that was where Elena was.
"Luna," Alex adjusted his cuffs. "Reload your weapons."
"We are going to the basement."