Alpha Agent 2: A Cyberpunk LitRPG | Weak to Strong Progression Fantasy (A Progression Cyberpunk LitRPG Series), page 5
Dan looked at the many racks of rifles and other weapons as well as the supposed top picks from Alpha agents hung high up on the walls above the racks. This particular section of the wall was separated with a gold reflective surface along with mini lights to showcase each of the weapons.
The first gun was a familiar model.
ZK-77T assault rifle
Manufacturer: Emissary Armories
30 round magazine
7.62 x 57mm tungsten hollow-point rounds
Description: The newest version of the ZK-77, replacing the previous model. The main differences are the lighter weight—by a full kilogram—and its use of tungsten ammunition, ditching the older depleted uranium rounds. The tungsten hollow-point rounds are nearly just as effective without the hazardous radioactive concerns while also being cheaper.
Cost: 15,000 credits | 100 credits per magazine
Trade-in bonus: Exchanging an old ZK-77 will give a discount of 5,000 credits.
Dan could understand the need for an updated model. Any company would always look to streamline their products if it meant saving money on production while still delivering the benefits to a customer.
“Hmm, I don’t know,” Dan said.
Dan continued looking up at the wall, getting a good look at the other popular weapons Alpha agents used. His HUD was generous enough to continue feeding him details. The next gun had a giant cylinder, presumably for holding grenades instead of regular ammo.
Deathdealer grenade launcher
Manufacturer: Emissary Armories
10 grenades per cylinder
40mm “power” grenades
Description: A heavily specialized grenade launcher specifically built to stop high-level agents in their tracks. The added concussive effect is useful for stunning enemy agents, even through energy shields, while also delivering an explosive yield equivalent to several frag grenades. Most commonly used against other agents or for covering fire. The launcher has a secondary mode that allows the grenades to be shot and planted into various surfaces with delayed detonation, ideal for setting traps.
Cost: 30,000 credits | 750 credits for 10 grenades
Must be Tier 1 | Level 22 to unlock.
Staring up at the grenade launcher mounted at the top of the wall, Dan stood amazed at the firepower of the Deathdealer. He wondered how much easier his fights against Kate and Adam would have been if he’d had such a weapon in his hands.
The third gun hanging next to the Deathdealer was a much larger and elongated weapon. Dan noticed how much the weapon protruded out from the wall, indicating its thickness compared to the seventy-seven and the Deathdealer. He walked a few steps to the left to get a better look at the barrel of the gun, suspecting the barrel to be off center. When he got a better angle of this weapon, he noticed the dual barrels. Dan’s eyes also locked onto the strange grills on the side of the barrel. His HUD pulled up ridiculous stats for the gun.
Blackhammer light machine gun
Manufacturer: Emissary Armories
200 round magazine
7.62 x 39mm tungsten rounds
Description: A light machine gun that is the go-to gun for heavy weapon specialists and is designed for suppressive fire against enemy agents and for dealing with light vehicles. The dual barrels ensure the highest fire rate possible for a weapon of this class to keep the pressure on. Firing for prolonged periods will result in overheating. Excess heat must be vented manually by the wielder.
Warning: Recommended for tier two agents and above. Adequate strength and endurance stats are needed to properly handle the Blackhammer for extended periods without fatigue or injury.
Cost: 20,000 credits | 500 credits per magazine
Must be Tier 2 | Level 25 to unlock.
Dan had only read the stats of three guns so far, and yet he felt he could be in here all day reading up on each weapon in this armory. Something about guns simply appealed to Dan’s curiosity and excitement.
A fourth and final gun was slightly larger compared to the seventy-seven. It featured a drum magazine and had striking silver accents.
The light footsteps behind Dan stopped and he looked over his shoulder to see the female attendant.
“Do you like what you see so far?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Dan said. “Too bad I still can’t afford any of this stuff yet.”
“This is one of the primary motivators of all agents to strive to level up and earn more credits.” Dan noticed a glint in her eyes. “It is a privilege to be trusted with these state of the art weapons and equipment. The Alpha Corp does not disappoint when it comes to the gear it supplies its agents.”
Dan looked back at the final gun hanging on the gold section of the wall.
Z970 Rage automatic shotgun
Manufacturer: Nova Firearms
20 round drum magazine
12 gauge plasma shells
Description: A deadly close quarters weapon that every agent should fear. Using powerful twelve gauge plasma shells, such powerful rounds will burn through most agent armor without energy shields and can tear open armored jeeps. One of the most dangerous close range weapons for any agent, no matter what rank.
Fun fact: The Rage shotgun was almost banned by the Alpha Corp for its excessive firepower until attacks by the Church of Nanotology in Alpha-controlled territory became increasingly frequent.
Cost: 17,000 credits | 750 credits per magazine
Must be Tier 1 | Level 22 to unlock.
Dan balked at the insane cost of the ammunition for the Rage shotgun. But thinking about it, such powerful shotgun rounds that could burn through armor and vehicles alike would likely be more expensive.
All of this firepower was amazing to read about, but without the funds to buy any of these guns, Dan wasn’t thrilled.
“Something wrong, Dan?” the attendant asked.
“Well, all of these guns look badass and I’d love to buy some firepower, but I don’t have the credits yet. It’s sort of like admiring a stripper but you have no hands and your dick has been chopped off. It’s good to look at, but I can’t do shit. You get me?”
The attendant blinked at him and then awkwardly laughed. Admittedly, Dan probably could have used a much more tasteful analogy.
“I’m surprised that Jane Sunheiser tolerates such jokes,” she said.
Dan flashed her a grin. “She probably doesn’t, but she’s not here so it’s fair game.”
The two exchanged a few more laughs before Dan redirected his attention to the middle of the armory. A suit of armor inside a display case caught his eye. The same suit of armor that the likes of Jane and Michael wore. Only the best of the best of the Alpha Corp were entitled to wear this armor.
Dan saw the white long coat along with the white version of the bodysuit underneath. At the feet of the mannequin sat a helmet with the same shape and design as the one he had seen in his strange dream. The difference was that the helmet was white with black accents and a blue visor.
Dan pulled up the stats in his HUD to see any other details that Allen had missed when he had first introduced Dan to this armor.
Tier 3 Alpha armor
Manufacturer: Source Technologies
Description: The pinnacle of armor for all Alpha agents. The tier 3 armor is a balance of lightweight materials durable enough to survive a few direct shots from tungsten and depleted uranium rounds. The built-in energy shield module adds another layer of protection for an agent, allowing an agent to survive direct hits from rockets, grenades, mines, etc. The armor features self-repair capabilities, easily mending holes and other tears within the armor suit itself. The long coat is made from advanced nano-fibers and multiple layers that provide fire and electrical resistance and protection against small arms fire.
Cost: 50,000 credits
Must be Tier 3 | Level 50 to unlock.
Dan gazed at the armor in the display case for longer than he should. He knew he was nowhere near the sufficient rank or funds to purchase this for himself. His next immediate step was to continue relaxing on his day off and survive the mission with Michael before he could earn more credits and experience to level up.
He turned on his heel and walked past the attendant and through the short hallway.
“I think I’ve seen enough,” Dan said. “I’ll need more time before I get something nice from this place.”
Chapter 6
Dan stood outside of his apartment building as instructed by details sent to his HUD thanks to Chad. In full body armor, Dan had his looted ZK-77 rifle and his double Initiate pistols strapped to either side of his long coat.
He looked up at the sky and watched as the streaks of orange cracked through the cloud cover during this morning’s sunrise. It was rare for Dan to ever have such quiet moments such as this. He was allowed to lower his guard and simply stand and admire the distant scenery. Dan’s ears picked up a low rumbling from down the street and watched as a sleek yet understated car approached him. Recognizing the simplistic “A” logo on the side of the vehicle, Dan knew this was his ride.
The side door opened on its own and lifted up.
“Welcome,” a robotic male voice said. “Please make yourself comfortable while we transport you to your mission briefing. This ride was supplied by the venerable Michael Cynosa.”
Dan chuckled to himself before he entered the vehicle. He scooted over to the middle of the backseat and noticed no driver in the front.
“Uh, who’s driving this car?”
“This vehicle is controlled by a sophisticated self-driving system operated by the Alpha Corporation. Please relax and enjoy the ride.”
Dan recalled when he hacked a Kodak jeep that an onboard self-driving mechanism allowed him to hop on the back to shoot at pursuers while the jeep drove itself.
Dan leaned back and the car pulled out from the side of the road and smoothly drove him to his destination. Traffic wasn’t too heavy this early in the morning and the driving system quickly maneuvered around the cars he did see.
During the ride, Dan stopped paying attention to the repetition of tall high rise buildings and clean streets by inspecting his seventy-seven rifle. He took out one of the magazines and stared at the ammunition. There were depleted uranium rounds, and yet to his naked eye, he didn’t notice anything that set it apart from many other conventional round types.
“Michael Cynosa is very pleased to have you on board for his next mission, Dan Orion,” the same robotic voice said.
“Thanks,” Dan said awkwardly. It was strange having some automated program built into a vehicle speak. “How long will this ride be?”
“You are being transported to an Alpha facility on the other side of Cerulean City,” the voice said. Dan noticed the car taking advantage of the moderate traffic by picking up speed and swerving around vehicles. “But rest assured, this ride will only be forty-five minutes.”
“Forty-five minutes to reach the other side of the city?” Dan asked.
“Correct. We are lucky it is a quiet morning today,” the voice said.
Dan wondered with Jane’s popularity if there were appliances or other gadgets that used her voice. Her tone had the same level of consistency as this robotic voice, so he could see her voice being the AI voice for a high-level executive’s personal vehicle.
“A seatbelt is unnecessary. Gyroscopic dampeners within the interiors will minimize occupants being tossed around during sudden turns.”
Dan saw the demonstration for himself as the car swerved in and out between other cars and he felt little if any of it. He trusted the car and put down his rifle, then lay down across the backseat, though he had to bend his knees since the car couldn’t fit the entire length of his body.
The ride was relatively smooth and the car brought him to the promised destination. Arriving at the Alpha facility, Dan looked out the window and could immediately spot the drastic changes in scenery. The edge of Cerulean City appeared to be more industrial as opposed to the clean and sanitized aesthetic of the inner city. Here, Dan spotted the monolithic Alpha building that stood at least forty stories tall that was across from what appeared to be a training facility, only noticeably worse for wear with stains and flickering outdoor lighting.
Dan took his rifle and got up. The side door of the car lifted and the robotic voice said, “Thank you for riding with the Alpha Corporation. Michael Cynosa is expecting you.”
He put both his boots out on the pavement and the door slid down and closed behind him. Dan’s HUD updated him with a waypoint that pointed him towards the rundown facility across from the high-rise Alpha building.
Looking around more, Dan knew he was near the outskirts of the city. On one side was the main part of the city which lived up to the expectation of the standard of living and the tightly packed places he could go to. On the other side were some scattered buildings that conveyed that this part of Cerulean City got the leftovers of the planning budget. The sporadic buildings, all mostly small stores, eventually led to a road that stretched and turned right, presumably out of the city. The rest of the land beyond that Dan could make out appeared to be cracked, desert-like drylands.
Dan walked across the empty street and onto the empty and seemingly abandoned courtyard of the training facility. He walked past the aging brick wall that had a sentry gun that whirred as it made any turn.
“That thing needs some oil,” Dan muttered.
“It sure does, my boy,” a deep voice said, startling Dan. “This entire part of town could use more love from the Alpha Corp.”
Dan cocked his head in the direction of the wall he had just walked past. There, he saw the man himself. Michael Cynosa stood underneath a flickering street lamp that served as a spotlight for the famous agent.
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Michael looked exactly as Dan remembered him from the video message the agent had left after Dan had woken up from being fatally stabbed in the back. From this distance, Michael appeared just as tall if not taller than Allen Draco. He wore an all-white coat with matching under-armor similar to Jane’s armor. The difference was the gold trimmings on his white coat that glinted in the light from the lamp above.
Michael stepped away from the wall and walked over to Dan with a confident stride similar to Jane’s. Dan could see how Jane was forged into the squad leader she was today.
Michael stood right in front of him and Dan got a better look at his features. Up close, Michael looked to be in his late forties or early fifties with a somewhat graying buzzcut that was grown out compared to his appearance in the video message. The agent towered over him, standing well over two meters tall. Dan’s HUD popped up an exact measurement.
Michael Cynosa’s height: 2.16 meters | 7.1 feet
“Holy shit,” Dan said. “I’m finally meeting you.”
Out of curiosity, Dan had to check out Michael’s stats as an agent. He knew that Michael was legendary just from word of mouth alone. But Dan wasn’t ready to see just how strong Michael was.
Agent: Michael Cynosa
Age: 58 M
Shard: Alpha Corporation
Rank: Tier 4 | Level 94
Strength: 110
Agility: 120
Endurance: 124
Intelligence: 116
Healing Factor: High
Reflex: Mach
All of Michael’s stat categories were in the hundreds. Not even Jane’s stats were that high.
Michael wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face, but Dan could tell from the man’s eyes that he was smiling beneath the mask. “It’s good to meet you at last, Dan. Your comrades Jane and Allen have spoken highly about you. Jane rarely has praise for anyone, so understand that she has high expectations for you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Dan said. “I promise to put a hundred fifty percent into whatever is assigned to me.”
Admittedly, he had been relatively informal with his more experienced teammates, even Jane herself. But Michael’s mere presence commanded a level of respect and reverence that Dan had never offered to anyone in his life. Standing in front of him was the man who had saved his life and given him renewed purpose as an Alpha agent.
Michael let out a boisterous and unexpected laugh at that comment. “Let me guess, Jane was the one who ordered you to say that.”
“Yeah. She said you’re a lot harsher than she is.”
“Good to hear,” he said. “Let’s get you inside. I’ll introduce you to your new teammates for this mission and explain everything.”
“Yes sir,” Dan said.
Dan enthusiastically followed Michael through the desolate courtyard towards the facility’s entrance. Michael put his hand on a scanner next to the front doors and they slid open. The two men stepped inside. The lighting was on the warmer side with a faint gold tinge compared to the harsh bright white lighting in the training facility near his apartment, and the interior design didn’t consist of lifeless gray walls and flooring.
Dan was vaguely reminded of the interiors of an abandoned, rundown church he had broken into several times as a kid. As they both walked through the hall, Dan noticed several pieces of various artwork spaced out from each other on both walls. Some were abstract paintings splashing with vibrant color and personality, and a few were religious paintings depicting various famous events from the Bible, including the Last Supper along with bizarre interpretations of what the afterlife looked like.
One art piece depicted hell as a landscape with blackened skies of what appeared to be flowing lava that was blue and purple instead of the expected red and orange. Dan squinted and could make out skulls, spinal columns, and other parts of human and animal skeletons embedded into the rocky terrain.
“I see you’re taking a liking to this facility,” Michael said.
“Yeah. A lot more personality. I feel like my eyes aren’t about to bleed from looking at the same gray walls all the time. I asked Jane several times if I could buy some artwork to hang on a few of the walls but she adamantly forbade me from doing that.” Dan let out a chuckle, recalling one particular incident he had with Jane. “She told me if I ever did something like that to a training facility, she would chop my hand off with her viper fang sword.”
