In the theater of Darian’s mind, the Simple System was no longer a mere interface; it was a god-tier tactical map pulsing with the cold light of inevitability.
[Operation: Shard Heist – Phase 1] [Operator Vaxen: Positioned at Sector 4 (Inflow Junction)] [Operator Ghost: Positioned at Sector 7 (Exhaust Vent)] [Network Status: Silent. Zero-Contact Protocol Active.]
Darian watched the thermal signatures through the Observation Node. He didn't need to speak to his subordinates. He didn't need to risk a meeting that could expose his identity. To Vaxen and Ghost, the mission parameters appeared as glowing, ethereal HUD markers burned into their retinas by their system-linked gear. They followed the commands of a voice that sounded like grinding metal and absolute authority—a voice they feared more than the city guards.
A heavy, rhythmic splashing echoed through the tunnel, vibrating through the metal catwalk under Darian's boots. A squad of eight Tiger Battalion soldiers marched in a tight defensive diamond around a heavy, floating repulsor-sled. On the sled sat a reinforced lead box, hummed with a low-frequency vibration that set Darian's teeth on edge—the signature of raw, volatile relic energy.
[Target Identified: Lieutenant Kroll] [Class: Heavy Vanguard] [Power Level: 31] [Threat Assessment: High Physical Resistance / Low Mental Shielding]
Kroll was a mountain of a man, his armor etched with kinetic-dampening runes that glowed a faint, predatory orange in the dark. A direct assault by Darian would be suicide. But Darian didn't fight with muscle; he fought with the friction of the world itself.
"System," Darian whispered into the void of his mind. "Execute Economic Distraction: Protocol 0-9."
Five districts away, in a high-end gambling den, the private account of the Battalion’s Logistics Major suddenly received a massive, untraceable deposit of 50,000 Credits. Simultaneously, a system-generated "anonymous tip" reached the Internal Affairs office. The ripple effect was instantaneous—the command frequency for Kroll’s unit flared with panicked chatter as their superior was suddenly flagged for arrest.
"Sir! The Major’s been flagged! High-command is freezing all sector comms!" one soldier shouted, his voice echoing off the damp stone.
"Ignore it! Eyes on the cargo!" Kroll roared, but the seed of confusion was planted. The diamond formation faltered.
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Darian’s eyes remained fixed on the sled. He swiped a mental scroll.
[Command: Deploy Operator Vaxen. Target: Propulsion.]
From a vertical steam pipe, a figure exploded outward. Vaxen Kahl didn't aim for the soldiers' throats; he aimed for the sled’s gravity-stabilizers. With a jagged burst of grey energy, Vaxen unleashed Echo Strike. His phantom after-image slammed into the sled's left thruster while his physical blade sliced the right.
The sled’s gravity-well collapsed with a thunderous, metallic groan. The lead box tilted and slammed into the knee-deep sludge with a splash that drenched the guards in filth.
"Ambush!" Kroll screamed, drawing a thermal-claymore that hissed as it met the humid air.
But Vaxen was already gone. He hadn't stayed to trade blows. He had moved with the unnatural fluidity of a man whose strings were being pulled by a master puppeteer. The Simple System guided his every step, highlighting the exact path of least resistance through the dark.
As the soldiers scrambled to recover the box, the second part of the machine clicked into place.
[Command: Deploy Operator Ghost. Target: Rear Guard.]
Ghost—the disgraced scout—didn't even make a sound. She dropped from a ventilation grate like a shroud of silk. She didn't use a blade. She used Neural Static, a skill Darian had purchased for her for 2,000 HC.
The two rear guards didn't even have time to scream. Their nervous systems were momentarily overloaded by a system-generated pulse. They collapsed into the water, their hearts skipping beats as their brains rebooted in a state of sheer terror.
This was the moment. The soldiers were focused on the front; the rear was unconscious; the Lieutenant was cursing at a shadow that wasn't there.
Darian activated Void Phantom.
In a blink of absolute blackness, Darian swapped places with a shadow cast by the fallen box. For exactly four seconds, the Mastermind was on the field. He placed his hand on the cold, vibrating lead casing.
[Direct Access Confirmed.] [Inventory Transfer: 12 Refined Relic Shards → System Vault.] [Replacing Content: 12 Volatile Mercury Decoys.]
He didn't take the box; he took its value. He replaced the shards with unstable decoys he had crafted in the archives—items rigged to explode if the box was opened without a specific Vanguard-style encryption key.
Blink.
Darian was back on the catwalk, two hundred feet away. His heart was steady. His breathing was shallow. Below him, the "heist" appeared to have failed as the soldiers successfully drove off the "mysterious attackers."
[Operation Successful.] [Payout: 2,500 HC distributed to Operator Vaxen.] [Payout: 2,500 HC distributed to Operator Ghost.] [Binding Protocol: Loyalty Threshold Increased.]
Miles away, in two separate hideouts, Vaxen and Ghost felt the warmth of the credits hitting their system-linked accounts. They didn't know who had directed them. They didn't know the boy on the catwalk. They only knew that the Hollow Order was generous, and the Hollow Order was watching.
Darian stood up, dusting his knees. The Tiger Battalion would now return to their base with a box of explosives. When it inevitably blew up, the internal evidence—planted by Darian—would point toward a betrayal by a rival faction within the Obsidian Vanguard.
The two organizations his father belonged to and fought against were about to tear each other apart, and Darian Noctis would be the only one standing in the center of the wreckage, counting the profits.
[Authority Synchronization: 38%] [Current Balance: 14,200 HC] [System Note: The first brick of the Throne has been laid in blood.]