Hajin Recon Report: Gone to the Canines
The important thing had come from a Lieutenant’s corpse after a protracted pursuit by means of the northern hills, lastly ended by Morrow’s Astaroth sniper rifle punching by means of a slender hole within the foliage at excessive vary, and thru the cranium of the Warden. He practically left the important thing among the many goal’s different possessions, till he acknowledged the stamped location: a sealed door someplace beneath the NuriGO Mall.
Morrow labored alone. He crossed beneath the outdated prepare station because the fog started to elevate, the Astaroth slung throughout his again and a suppressed GS .50 drawn for shut encounters.
On the courtyard, three round constructions marked the doorway to the underground mall: a pavilion and two mild wells, one constructed round a service elevator descending into the deserted procuring district.
The elevator had been the positioning of a earlier ambush. Morrow had survived it by seconds.
He took the steps.
Above floor, Hajin had been all fog, engines, and distant gunfire. Beneath, the noise fell away. No patrols. No voices. Solely the delicate footfalls of his boots and the faint electrical hiss of his NVGs as they turned the black corridors inexperienced.
The mall stretched farther than the recon notes advised. Corridors of shuttered storefronts opened onto branching service tunnels, with traps hidden beneath collapsed signage and free cables. He moved slowly, checking every threshold earlier than stepping by means of.
Then got here the sound.
A mechanical click on. A pause. One other click on, nearer.
One thing moved on the far finish of the hall. It unfolded from the darkness on 4 articulated legs, every joint correcting with fast, exact changes because it superior. Its compact physique stayed degree over the garbage-strewn ground. It moved like a searching animal rebuilt in metal.
The primary robotic canine broke from a aspect passage at a full dash.
He fired twice, staggered it, and completed the machine beneath the jaw meeting earlier than it might shut. The second charged by means of the smoke, following the gunfire. Morrow caught it with a shot by means of the optic cluster, then retrieved the important thing as he reached the locked room.
Inside, the reward was ready: a high-value Plate Provider recipe, uncommon parts, and a weapon guide sealed in a water-resistant case.
Extra mechanical clicks answered from the darkish earlier than he reached the exit.
He pocketed the spoils, thumbed a contemporary journal into his hand cannon, and began again by means of the mall.