Volper Page 6
The "Recon" pistol
Ammunition: 4.71x18
Range: 20 meters.
Combat Rate of Fire (per minute): 40
Shooting modes: single
Condition: 100%
Weight: 0.63 kg
Magazine case of the gun “Recon”
Ammunition: 4.71x18
Amount of cartridges: 16
Condition: 100%
Weight: 0.13 kg
Rifled cartridge "4.71x18"
Kinetic damage: 9-12
Penetration damage: 4-7
Condition: 100%
Cartridge Weight: 3.2 gr
Small-caliber machine gun pistol " Corsair "
Ammunition: 4.71x18
Range: 50 meters
Combat Rate of Fire (per minute): 400
Shooting modes: single, automatic
Condition: 100%
Weight: 2.7 kg
Magazine case for a small-caliber machine gun pistol "Corsair"
Ammunition: 4.71x18
Amount of cartridges: 50
Condition: 100%
Weight: 0.25 kg
Eight spare magazine cases for the Corsair and two spare stripper clips for each gun. I hoped this would be enough, otherwise I’d have to come back earlier. Most importantly, I’d installed a damper on the Corsair instead of a muzzle brake. Provided I have subsonic cartridges, it’ll work well as a muffler. Better, of course, would be to have a baffle with obturators, but carrying a heap of replaceable rubber bands and changing them every couple of magazine cases would be a pain in the ass. Going down to the information terminal near the entrance, I paid for the room for another week. I’d first wanted to go to Lita, but then changed my mind and went to the gate which led out of the outpost.
Having passed the gateway that led to the outside world, I got my submachine gun ready and slowly moved along the wall, not choosing an obstructed street, so that it would lead me into the city. Beginning to delve deeper down the street I’d chosen, I started creeping slowly, putting my foot down on the outside of the toe and rolling it smoothly until the foot was completely on the ground once more. A bit uncomfortable and an extremely slow way of movement, which has a big advantage - you can move as quietly as possible, and I had time to carefully inspect the space in front of me after every meter of movement. After walking for about fifty meters along the street, I noticed a stir in one of the piles of construction debris. Crouching on my right knee and aiming the point of the Corsair at the pile, I picked up a small pebble with my left hand and tossed it into the area, immediately grabbing my forearm, stabilizing the weapon.
Remembering my first meeting with the local mobs, I was expecting another hardcore battle and was a little surprised when two of the usual rats jumped out and headed toward me. It was a very visible move, each of them came up to my knee and the description above them indicated they were level 3. Holding the rifle, I let them run for about seven meters and exhaled the excess air from my lungs to steady my shot. After shooting the first one, without looking at the results, I aimed at the second one with a small turn of the case and fired another round of cartridges, no more than five. Again, directing the rifle back to the first one, I found that the rat was already not showing any signs of life. The second rat was still twitching on the floor, but could no longer move by itself. The ammunition needed to be used sparingly, so I went to finish it with a knife, slightly lowering the barrel of the Corsair, but still continuing to squeeze its handle.
After driving the knife into the rat's skull a couple of times, I wiped the knife on her dead corpse. Having carefully examined both corpses, I found only two bullet holes in the first one, the same for the second one. After changing the magazine cases, I did some thinking. So, my aim was still poor. As a result of that, out of nine bullets fired - only three had been hits. That result was depressing. Of course, the number of hits could be seen through the logs, but, unfortunately, they didn’t take into account the shots that had hit a corpse, but I was interested in my real accuracy, and not just the amount of damage dealt. Thus, I needed to determine the optimal distance of combat fire at my current level of skill development. Unfortunately, for now, I could only manage slightly effective shooting at a distance of up to five meters.
Leaving the corpses lying around, I went to the pile of construction debris, from which the rats had jumped out. After all, if they were crouching there, then there would be something to find. Carefully moving through the pile of debris, I found a partially gnawed body. After examining the equipment, I came to the conclusion that it had been an incautious newcomer, with minimal equipment. In another situation, I would’ve removed everything from his body, but right now I didn’t need to be overly burdened. There was a hole, a short distance away from the body. Taking out a small headlamp from the backpack and putting it on my long-suffering head, I put the muzzle of the machine gun and my head into this hole. Judging by the unevenness of the walls, the rats must’ve gnawed through it. The way led somewhere into the sewage or something else entirely: depending on what the devs had created here, under the concrete. On the one hand, it was worth crawling around to check it out, the size of the hole allowed it, but on the other hand, I was halted by the probability of an attack in a cramped space, without the ability to maneuver.
Thinking over the situation from multiple angles, I decided to explore the place. If there were basically similar rats there, then I would have a good opportunity to pump up my skills. Well, even if they ate me, then there would always be an opportunity to return for my remains. Having decided on a course of action, I headed for the dwelling of the rats. I immediately threw off my backpack and attached a submachine gun to it. Also, I emptied my chest pockets of the spare magazine cases so that they didn’t hinder me when crawling. The height of the manhole didn’t allow me to crawl with a backpack on my back, so I had to tie it with a piece of rope to my ankle. Taking a pistol into each hand, I crawled into the hole.
I had to crawl for about five minutes, stopping at every rustle and stretching my arms forward, feeling out the remainder of the pass in sight. Fortunately, I crawled through without any adventures. When I reached the exit from this hole, I slowly poked my head out to examine the surrounding space. It was part of a concrete pipe, about seven meters in diameter. Along the right and left walls there were many smaller pipes and energy wires, leaving about 2,5 or even 3 meters of clearance to move along the aisle. Various wires and tubes ran under the ceiling. To the left, the passage went far away into the darkness and its edges weren’t visible. On the right, there was a huge hole in the floor, formed, apparently, because of the dilapidated structure. A little light came from the hole. Once I got to the cracked space, I approached it, interested in the source of the lights. Stopping at the edge, I admired the view. I was looking from a height of about five hundred meters to a huge, partially destroyed metropolis, in which the lighting still remained in places. It was beautiful in its grandness, despite the devastation that had happened to its streets.
- “So, this is the fourth level,” – admiring it a little, I regretfully added, "I'm sad to admit it, but I'm too weak for you right now."
CHAPTER V: WANDERING IN COMPLETE DARKNESS
After contemplating and admiring the city below, I peered into the darkness behind the illuminated area of the lantern and, heavily sighing, grumbled to myself:
"Well, Volper, let's clear these catacombs!"
I tried to move as quietly as possible, carefully following the passage and listening for any noises or rustling. I understood these actions were useless: my headlamp would warn everything about my approach far ahead of me, even before I could notice my enemy, and that was despite my acute senses. So, in the end, my enemies appeared suddenly, exactly as I’d expected: a small mischief of rats - five heads - attacked me much faster than I could see them. I only learned about their approach from their loud squeaking, which gave me the opportunity to stop and prepare for the battle.
As soon as the fir
st creature came into the circle of light, I immediately aimed at it with my gun and began to retreat slowly, trying to keep at a distance suitable for shooting. After spending half a magazine of bullets to kill four rats, I waited anxiously for any new enemies, peering intently into the corridor, but completely forgot about the pipes going along the sides. I was inattentive and ended up paying my dues. The fifth rat had, apparently, run along the pipes, not the floor, and I noticed it only when it was already jumping from the pipes, aiming for my head.
I’d just managed to get my Corsair gun under the mouth of the rat when I was thrown back from a blow. The submachine gun flew from my hand into the darkness. Having recovered, I rolled over my shoulder and jumped to my feet, my body bent as I waited for the rat to jump at me again. I pulled out a knife with my right hand. My left hand was in front of me, with my palm open and pointed toward the enemy.
The rat was in front of me, slightly bending its front paws and opening its mouth in a predatory grin, showing me its fangs, from which saliva dripped onto the concrete floor. We were separated by only two meters, but this creature couldn’t decide whether to jump at me or not. My lantern blinded it, since it was accustomed to the darkness, and the rat, most likely, was confused, not sure where it was aiming. It apparently chose the lantern as the most vulnerable thing and jumped toward it, pointing its front paws and mouth at the top of my head.
Noticing how the rat was lowering the back side of its torso slightly, already preparing to jump, I stepped forward, with my left foot slightly ahead, and at the moment of the jump I transferred the weight to it and rotated, removing myself from the path of its leap. Passing the body of the rat, I caught it with my left hand, by the scruff. Using the inertia of the rat, which turned me around, I dropped myself on top of it, pressing it down to the ground with my elbow and body. Once on top, without wasting time, I thrust the knife I was holding onto tightly into its throat, making sure to widen the wound even further with my return motion.
In a mere moment, when the blood stopped flowing from its throat, the rat stopped twitching under me. Only the slight shudders of its death convulsion were felt. Waiting until the carcass of the rat had calmed down completely, I rose from the ground and went to look for my Corsair. Of course, it was possible to simply fight these rats, without any complicated tricks. I could’ve just grabbed the rat by its throat while it had been jumping, but these creatures have one nasty feature: they can easily tear into their victims with the claws on their hind legs. I’d once observed something like this in one of the colonies, where a cat had been fighting with a rat.
Picking up my submachine gun, I immediately reloaded it, and then threw the strap over my shoulder, so that next time I wouldn’t lose my weapon. After a couple of minutes’ rest, I slowly moved on to exploring these catacombs. About ten minutes later, on the left side of me, I found a metal door without a single sign or a lock. Communications wires, however, went into the wall, on either side of the door. Letting go of my Corsair, so that it hung down my belt, around my neck, and freeing up my right hand, I took out a pistol.
I lightly pressed my hand to the door, opening a gap of ten centimeters to check the room out. Having inspected the open space and finding nothing dangerous waiting for me, I opened the door gradually. When I came in, I saw a small room with only a couple of empty racks, a metal table, several chairs and a washstand with an old tap. I had already been dreaming of secret bunkers, with a bunch of ammunition under the guard of all sorts of special equipment, and then I found an ordinary room for technicians to rest in. But there were advantages to this, I could barricade myself in this room and go to bed without worrying about my safety.
I closed the door and resumed examining the corridors. Having reached the first crossroads, I turned to the left, according to the old man's tradition. After literally a dozen meters, some fleshy tentacles appeared in the beam of the lantern, sticking out in a chaotic disorder from the walls, floor and even the ceiling, breaking most of the communications wires with their enormous mass. When I looked at them, the neural interface was silent, not displaying any level for these tentacles. It was as if the system didn’t see them; there was no data on them.
Switching my Corsair into single-fire mode, I approached to a minimum distance and made a test shot at the nearest tentacle. Immediately, all the tentacles began to thrash all over the place, wherever they could reach. I wondered if this was one big creature, letting its tentacles through the concrete, or a colony of smaller creatures that had a common brain. Looking into the logs, I didn’t find anything about the damage, although the hole from the bullet was clearly visible. Shooting about thirty rounds of bullets into the same tentacle, I didn’t get any results - it was contradictory to the game logic, indeed.
The neurointerface doesn’t see these creatures or this creature, my shots are not displayed in the logs, and, most importantly, all my firing didn’t produce any results at all. The tentacles also continued to move, despite a bunch of wounds, and were now covered with a whitish liquid. While I was pondering this, I noticed how one of the first wounds began to regenerate. That's funny, they even undergo a regeneration process. I noticed the time on the neurointerface: four minutes and the wound had completely disappeared, the spot different from the rest of the tentacle only due to a slightly lighter pigmentation.
No matter how you look at it, there's no use in wasting my weapons. This requires a plasma gun or a laser to cut them off at the root. Calling up the map and leaving a note about this place on it, I moved on in the opposite direction. I often came across lone rats, sometimes even small groups of up to five rats, which I regularly fired at. On average, there were mobs from level 2-7 - almost classics of the sewage in the starting cities of many virtual games. At approximately every kilometer, there were technical premises similar to the first I’d seen.
I opened each of the rooms cautiously and there was just emptiness everywhere I looked. The difference between them was only in the number of shelves and chairs they had. But I didn’t despair and carefully marked every room on the map in my neural interface, with notes on the state of the room, so I knew where to find cover if necessary. Along the way, I noted all the stairs leading to holes in the ceiling. I suspect that they would lead to the city, but I have yet to manage opening one. At the first opportunity, I need to compare my map with the map of the land so that I can have backup plans for where I can retreat to.
Most of the passages ended in debris and various kinds of destruction, which didn’t allow me to go any further. Over time, there were fewer and fewer unexplored passages and rooms where I could have some rest and not fear death. Sometimes it took me about twenty minutes to go back, but only if I was lucky enough to run into enemies two or three times at most, when exploring a new passage. The scheme of the tunnels clearly showed what the system was like, but frequent dead ends turned them into a maze. A couple of times, I even managed to get into the same tunnels in a roundabout way, only on the other side of the obstruction.
After wandering around this labyrinth for four hours, I went into one of the technical rooms and, after blocking the door, I took off my ammunition since I was too tired to keep going. Spreading out my sleeping bag on the floor, I sat down on it, moving my legs underneath me. I wanted to rest a while and, at the same time, have a bite to eat. While eating one of my soldier’s rations, I looked through the info in my neurointerface.
First name: Volper
Level: 7
Experience: 521/45027
...
...
...
Skills:
Handling one-handed pistols - 12%
Shooting with both hands - 4%
Handling machine gun pistols - 25% (further development is blocked until your status as a third-class specialist is confirmed)
Handling a Knife / Dagger 9%
Dressing wounds in the field- 2%
Quick reloading of a manual automatic weapon - 3%
Quiet movement - 17%
Professions: -
Personal account: 3,251 credits
Sitting and reading all of that, I found I was pleased with the advances I’d made, and then came the nasty surprise: it was so sudden that I choked on my food. Noticing that I was sitting with my mouth open, I first shut it, and then I cursed very loudly. Then I began to give myself a hard time:
"So, you moron! Do you think you’re a hotshot? Fuck no! You aren’t a gamer, you aren’t experienced, and you couldn't organize a fart in a baked bean factory. Who stopped you from setting up a normal alert system right away?”
I tend to rush from one extreme to the other. After my fight with the meat-eater, the alerts that had popped up in front if my eyes were removed so as not to disturb me, and when I went to the regenerator, I turned off the notifications to take a little nap. It's been about a day since then, and I still haven’t set them up properly; I didn’t even turn them on to see what the system had wanted to tell me. That’s how I ended up calmly running around these catacombs, shooting monsters, without even seeing what was happening to my character. So, I should open the system menu. Okay, here are the system alerts, just below the list of settings and the different templates. Oh, that's just right for me. After searching for some time, and adjusting the settings, I turned on the system alerts.
And they appeared not right in front of my eyes, but in the lower left corner, in a small, translucent window with the possibility of scrolling down, where the pictogram of the weapons had been. The only inconvenience was the small text of the alerts, but with a mental command, the alert would unfold before my eyes. In this mode, when they appeared, they won’t block my view, but I won’t be able to miss them, and if necessary, I’ll read them in detail – I could also always close them. I’m scrolling to the top right now. What do we have here… Okay, it's after the battle, I got money for the corpse, that's what I was notified about during the treatment; a little further down are the details about my purchases and… Oh, that’s interesting: