The System of Justice

Chapter 10: Dead Zone

"Dammit! They’re going to level this place!" Arga shouted. "Rio! Find me another way out! I can’t head through the main entrance carrying a casualty!"

[Ghost: Uncle, look up! There’s a large-diameter waste pipe on the ceiling to your right. I’ve hacked the pressure valve; it’s going to blow and open a path into the city’s drainage system. Move, now!]

Arga hoisted Dr. Amelia with one arm while his other hand snatched her medical bag from a nearby table. Just as he lunged toward the pipe, the first explosion thundered from the floor above.

BOOM!

A massive tremor rocked the entire underground structure. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling as the roar of approaching explosions grew louder. Arga didn't have a second to hesitate.

"Hold on tight, Doctor!" Arga cried out, even though he knew she was unconscious.

[System: Activating Pipe Pressure Compression in 3... 2... 1...]

BOOM!

The large pipe valve exploded from the steam pressure Rio had manipulated, creating a gaping hole that led directly into the dark city drainage tunnels. Arga leaped with system-enhanced strength, gripping the edge of the hot steel pipe and pulling himself and Dr. Amelia inside just as the laboratory below was swallowed by a thermobaric blast.

WHOOOOOSH!

Searing heat licked at Arga’s heels, but he managed to crawl deeper into the damp drainage pipe. Inside, ankle-deep water flowed, but the air felt significantly warmer than the cryogenic chamber.

Arga immediately laid Dr. Amelia down on a relatively dry patch. Her face was still blue. He recalled her words: "Micro... chip... inside... autopsy... wound..."

Using his Eagle Eye glasses, Arga scanned her body. A blue light swept from head to toe until it finally stopped and blinked red on her upper left arm, right beneath a fresh surgical scar.

[Foreign Object Detected: Silicon material detected in the subcutaneous tissue of the left arm.]

"So this is why they’re hunting you to the death," Arga muttered.

[Ghost: Uncle! You can't stop there! The cleanup team has deployed thermal tracking drones into the sewers. They know you survived! You need to reach the coordinates I sent immediately!

"I can't run with her in this state of hypothermia, Rio! Her heart could stop at any moment!" Arga opened the medical bag he had grabbed. Inside was an automatic adrenaline injector and an emergency thermal blanket.

"Uncle, are you sure about the injection? One mistake and she’s dead!" Rio warned through the earpiece.

"There’s no other choice. I’ll make sure it’s precise," Arga replied.

Without wasting a second, Arga administered the adrenaline into Dr. Amelia’s thigh and wrapped her fragile body in the thermal blanket.

"Ugh..." Dr. Amelia coughed, her body beginning to shiver violently—a positive sign that her nerves were reacting to the temperature.

"Doctor, can you hear me? We have to move!" Arga said, helping her up.

"Argh…?" She recognized the voice, though her eyes struggled to open. "They are using the serum on the orphans."

"They? Who are they?" Arga asked.

[Warning: Tracking drones approaching. Distance: 50 meters!]

The hum of drone propellers echoed through the narrow tunnel. Arga drew his pistol once more.

"Rio, have the Black-Cab ready at the drainage exit by the Sector 9 riverbank. I’m going to cause a little chaos here to throw them off the scent."

Arga placed Dr. Amelia in a hidden alcove, then stood tall in the middle of the dark corridor, waiting for the armed drones to appear. His eyes flashed red behind his tactical glasses.

"Come on. Let’s see how fast I can scrap these toys," Arga challenged.

The drone of four armed quadcopters approached rapidly, their red sensor lights sweeping the mossy walls. Arga didn't wait for them to lock on.

[Active Skill: Predictive Accuracy Enabled!]

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Four precision shots rang out in seconds. The bullets struck the drone motors just before they could open fire. The drones detonated in small bursts and splashed into the water in a shower of sparks.

"Who are they, Doctor? Who is behind this insane experiment?" Arga asked as he pulled Dr. Amelia, now fully conscious, back into his arms.

"The Medika... Sejahtera Foundation," she panted, her voice raspy. "The mastermind is Dr. Bramantyo, the Chairman. He’s using orphans as lab rats for a cell-regeneration serum..."

Arga was stunned. The Medika Sejahtera Foundation was one of the city’s largest donors, renowned for its charity work. It turned out that behind Bramantyo’s philanthropic facade lay a cruelty deeper than anything Arga had imagined.

[Ghost: Uncle! Those drones sent your last coordinates to their command center! I’m detecting three black vans approaching the river exit! They aren't police; they're the Foundation's elite mercenaries!

"Bramantyo doesn't want his secrets leaking out," Arga hissed. "Doctor, can you walk? We have to reach the car before they surround the exit."

Dr. Amelia nodded weakly, though her body was still shaking. "Take me... somewhere safe. The chip in my arm... contains the data of the subjects who died. It’s the only evidence that can bring Bramantyo down."

Arga supported her as they navigated the slippery, foul-smelling drainage tunnels. Light from the end of the tunnel began to reveal the dark, foggy riverbank of Sector 9.

[Predator Intuition: 6 targets ahead. They’ve set up an electric net trap at the tunnel mouth!

"Rio, cut the power to the river dock area now!" Arga commanded.

[Ghost: Hacking Sector 9 substation... NOW!]

Snap!

The streetlights and security systems around the dock went pitch black. In the darkness, the Black Cab glided silently without its headlights, stopping right at the tunnel’s mouth.

Arga helped Dr. Amelia into the back seat. But as he went to hop into the driver's seat, a high-intensity spotlight suddenly flared from above the dock, blinding him.

"Who’s there!" a cold voice boomed through a loudspeaker. "Return what belongs to the Medika Foundation, and we will let you walk away."

"They're here," Arga muttered.

The spotlight locked onto Arga’s position, casting long, sharp shadows across the wet asphalt. From behind the blinding light, silhouettes of men in tactical gear descended from the black vans, aiming long-range rifles with red lasers dancing across Arga’s chest.

"Leave the woman and hand over the chip, and you can leave with your life!" the man shouted again.

"Uncle, stay in the car’s protection zone! I’ve detected a sniper on the warehouse roof across the way!" Rio’s warning buzzed in Arga’s ear.

Arga remained undaunted. He stood behind the open car door, using the Black Cab’s bulletproof steel as a shield. "You discuss lives while you murder orphans for experiments? That’s rich," Arga countered coldly.

"Finish him!" the voice from the speaker ordered without hesitation.

TATATATATA!

A hail of bullets peppered the car’s body. Arga ducked while Dr. Amelia huddled on the floor of the rear cabin, trembling.

"Rio, activate the short-range electromagnetic pulse! Now!" Arga ordered.

Ghost: Ready, Uncle! Blinding them in 3... 2... 1... BZZZZZT!]

An invisible shockwave radiated from the car’s hood. Instantly, the giant spotlight exploded, the mercenaries' night-vision goggles short-circuited, and their comms devices emitted a painful screech.

"Now!" Arga leaped into the driver's seat.

[Aggressive Driving Mode: ON] [Non-Lethal Weapon Systems: Active]

Arga floored the accelerator. The Black Cab roared, charging through the line of black vans. From the sides of the vehicle, automatic tear-gas launchers deployed, firing smoke grenades at the mercenaries.

"Cough! I can't see!" one of the attackers screamed amidst the thick fog.

Arga’s car rammed one of the vans, sending it spinning aside and clearing a path to the main highway. He spun the wheel with expertise, weaving in a zigzag pattern to dodge the blind gunfire from behind.

"Doctor, stay down!" Arga yelled, glancing at the mirror. Two high-powered dirt bikes had started pursuing him, attempting to shoot out his tires.

[Ghost: Uncle, they’re persistent! They just activated the GPS tracker on the microchip in Dr. Amelia’s arm! As long as that chip is on her, they’ll keep finding us!]

Arga cursed under his breath. He had to get that chip out, but he couldn't do it in the middle of a high-speed death chase.

"Rio, find me a route to a Signal Dead Zone! I need five minutes for an emergency extraction!"

[Ghost: There’s an underground tunnel in Sector 4 under renovation. It’s lined with thick lead; their GPS signal won't penetrate it. But Uncle, the path is extremely narrow!

"Do it!" Arga snapped.

***