All Chapters of Systems Made me Lord of the City : Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
144 chapters
The Devil in Cell Block D
Chapter 61For the next few hours after they left the slums, the rain in Aethelgard fell like the sky was opening a freaking gigantic tap on you.Joe drove the armored SUV like he was playing a video game with a broken controller. He swerved around a pothole the size of a jacuzzi, drifting the heavy vehicle through the slick streets of Sector 2."So, let me get this straight," Joe shouted over the roar of the engine and the drumming rain. "The homeless guy? The one who smelled like cabbage and dead rat? He’s the super-villain?""He’s not a super-villain, Joe," Adrian said, checking the magazine of a pistol he had confiscated from a Red Scorpion. "He’s an architect really, some sort of a visionary. And apparently, a homicidal maniac."Adrian winced as the car hit a speed bump. His ribs, still knitting together under the System’s care, gave a sharp throb of protest.[ SYSTEM STATUS: REPAIRING (72%). ][ ADVISORY: AVOID SUDDEN MOVEMENTS, EXPLOSIONS, AND FALLING OFF SKYSCRAPERS. ][ ENER
Technophobia Isn't A Word
Chapter 62 Silas wasn't wearing his rags anymore. He was wearing a sleek, black bodysuit that looked like a second skin. His head was completely shaved, revealing a complex network of metallic ports embedded in his skull. Cables ran from the servers directly into his brain.His eyes were closed and his skin looked very gray and almost lifeless.But on the screens around him, his face was rendered in wireframe graphics, speaking silently."Silas," Adrian called out, his voice echoing in the hum of the servers.The figure in the chair didn't move. But the screens flickered. The wireframe face turned to look at Adrian."YOU ARE LATE, NEPHEW."The voice didn't come from Silas’s mouth. It came from the speakers mounted on the walls. It was Silas’s voice but it was quite distorted, digital, and almost omnipresent."Nephew?" Adrian stepped closer, navigating the maze of cables. "Sterling told me about the family tree. You and my father. The affair and the baby.""JONATHAN WAS A FOOL," the
The Dead Man's Switch
Chapter 63A few hours later, after the doctors tried their best to resuscitate Silas, the sub-basement of Ironhold Prison was silent, except for the dripping of coolant water. Silas Vance, the man who tried to become a god, sat slumped in his chair, shivering and broken. The wires hanging from his head sparked weakly as he tried to sit straight. Adrian stood over him, looking rather bored. "It's over," Adrian said.He turned to Sheriff Miller, who was peeking out from behind a doorway, looking pale."Sheriff," Adrian called out. "He's all yours. Strip him of the tech. Put him in a hole so deep even the rats can't find him. And Miller?""Yeah?" Miller swallowed hard."If he escapes again," Adrian’s eyes flashed gold, "I won't be coming back for him. I'll be coming for you."Miller nodded rapidly. "Understood. We'll weld the door shut."Adrian signaled to Joe and the androids. "Let's go. I need a shower and about three days of sleep."The ride back to the estate was quiet. The rain
Yes, I Do
Chapter 64 For a second, both Adrian and Joe paused and looked at the clock like it was some sort of time bomb. Well, it somehow was. “I'm sorry, did I just hear that right?" Joe blinked, looking at the TV screen and then at Adrian. “Did Silas just arrange your own marriage?" Adrian looked at the screen pointedly, like he expected Silas to reappear at any minute and then he rubbed his face. “Is this some kind of joke?" "He's insane," Joe whispered. "He wants you to marry Selene? To stop a virus?""It's not about marriage," Adrian said, his voice cold. "It's about humiliation. Even in defeat, he wants to shackle me to the people I hate. He wants to prove that I can't rule alone.""Can you hack it?" Sarah asked. "Can you bypass the lock?"Adrian immediately called on the system. [ SYSTEM ANALYSIS: ][ VIRUS TYPE: OMEGA-LEVEL. ][ HACK PROBABILITY: 0%. ][ THE LOCK IS HARDCODED INTO THE CITY'S DNA. ]"No," Adrian said. "I can't hack it."He looked at the timer and saw that it was 56
Union of Ice
Chapter 65The honeymoon suite at the Grand Aethelgard Hotel was larger than the entire apartment complex Adrian had grown up in. It had marble floors, a chandelier made of real diamonds, and a view of the city that made the cars below look like ants.It was also the coldest room Adrian had ever been in.He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the city he had saved. The lights were back on and the traffic was flowing. The smog was clearing and it was now a masterpiece of order, restored by his hand.But inside the room, the air was nearly suffocating him in his double breasted suit. "Adrian?"The voice came from behind him softly. Adrian didn't turn around. He took a sip of the sparkling water he was holding, staring at his reflection in the glass."Go to sleep, Selene," he said. His voice was flat, devoid of the warmth that used to color it when he spoke to her long ago."I can't sleep," she whispered.He heard the rustle of silk and saw her reflection in the wind
What a Little Wife Can Do
Chapter 66But this wasn't the same Marcus Vane he recognized from the slums days ago. He had shaved and was wearing a new suit, cheap, ill-fitting, likely bought with the credit card Adrian had thrown at them, but a suit nonetheless. He was holding a bouquet of cheap gas station flowers."Let me through, you rust bucket!" Marcus yelled at the android. "I am family! I am the father of the bride!"Unit 409 didn't move. Its headless torso simply loomed there, continually blocking him. "Let him in," Adrian commanded coldly. Unit 409 stepped aside and Marcus Vane practically skipped up the driveway. He ignored Adrian at first, making a beeline for Selene."Selene! My darling! My sweet girl!" Marcus cried, throwing his arms around her. "Oh, look at you! You look like a queen! I saw the news! A secret wedding at City Hall! A romantic elopement to save the city! The press is eating it up!"Selene stiffened in his embrace. “Marcus? What are you doing here?""What am I doing here?" Marcus
The Judas Protocol 2
Chapter 67A few hours after their shitty welcome back home, the rain had stopped, but there was still this gloomy atmosphere that hung over the Black Estate.Adrian sat in the library, the glow of the holographic map reflecting in his eyes as he watched the projection. The map before him displayed the topography of the coastline, specifically a deep trench known as "The Maw" located ten miles offshore.[ TARGET: PROJECT LAZARUS - SITE.][ DEPTH: 2,000 METERS. ][ STATUS: ACTIVE SIGNALS DETECTED. ][ REQUIRED KEY: BIOMETRIC FINGER (ACQUIRED). ]"We go tonight," Adrian said coldly as he listened to the system's instructions. Joe was standing by the window, cleaning a heavy pulse rifle. He had been quiet all day. Too quiet. Usually, Joe would be making jokes about fish people or asking if they needed to pack swimwear. Tonight, he looked like he was attending a funeral."Are you sure about this, Adrian?" Joe asked, not looking up from the weapon. "Site B isn't just a lab. It's a tomb.
Dear Icarus
Chapter 68Adrian stopped at the sight of what was left of his father. He felt a wave of grief so profound it almost knocked him over. He walked slowly toward the skeleton. This was his father. The Architect. He had died here, alone, in the dark, watching over his failures."I found you," Adrian said, his voice breaking.He saw something clutched in the skeleton’s hand and he went closer. It looked like a data drive of some sort.Adrian gently pried the bones open and took the drive.It didn't matter how long the tech was, he knew the system could regenerate it with just one thought. "System. Interface."[ ACCESSING DRIVE... ][ PLAYING LAST LOG. ]At once, a hologram flickered to life. It was Jonathan Black. But there, he was alive, although he looked old and sick with his eyes wild."If you are watching this," the hologram said, "then Silas has won. Or maybe... maybe my son found me. Adrian. I am sorry."The hologram coughed, blood spattering the virtual lens."I tried to stop th
The Bad Kind Of Silence
Chapter 69Adrian learnt two things about rage. First, it was blind, like literally. He couldn't quite recall seeing anything he'd done in that haze of wrath. Second, it could cost you a trusted best friend and sidekick. The Black Estate was quiet.It wasn’t the peaceful quiet of a library or a sleeping house. It was a sad silence that seemed to physically press against Adrian’s ears. For the first time in months, there was no footsteps running down the hall. No bad jokes about tacos. No crashing sounds followed by "I meant to do that!"He was coming to terms with the fact that Joe was gone.Adrian sat at the head of the long mahogany dining table. His breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee sat untouched. He was staring at the empty chair to his right.[ SYSTEM STATUS: RECOVERING. ][ ENERGY LEVEL: 40%. ][ WORLD ENDER MODE: COOLDOWN (29 DAYS). ]The explosion at the ocean had nearly killed him. Crushing the yacht had drained him to the point of collapse. He had woken up two days ago
Dirty Slum Boys Stick Together
Chapter 70It took only a few minutes for Adrian to locate Sector 8, The Mill District. The house on 44th Street looked like it was held together by termite spit and bad luck. The windows were boarded up with plywood. The front porch sagged dangerously and the yard was a graveyard of rusted car parts.Adrian stood on the sidewalk. He didn't use his X-ray vision or bother to scan for heat signatures. He just felt the weight of the poverty and despair here. This was where Joe came from. This was the darkness he had tried to escape.It wasn't much different from what he'd survived himself. He walked up the path and the wooden steps creaked under his boots.He knocked on the door twice but there was no answer.He knocked again. "Hello? I'm looking for the Miller family!"From inside, he heard a crash. Then shouting.The door flew open.A young man stood there. He looked like Joe, but stronger and…meaner. He had Joe's eyes, but they were surrounded by tattoos and scars. He was holding