>>43335047
Jeremy’s face is pale but his chest rises and falls in a gentle rhythm that assures you that the worst is over. You place him down in an office not too far away, where the scenery consists of fewer scattered limbs. Positioning his unconscious form is awkward and you struggle to keep his head from pitching in one direction before giving up and sweeping a desk clear to lay him down flat for a moment. A seat cushion stabilizes his head. This is the first time you’ve actually seen his bare face since you dropped him off at GEC a week ago. Small metal implants line his cheeks and jawline, ostensibly to help keep the mask secured to his face, all gently bruised.

It must have been difficult to remove the mask, you think. Difficult and painful.

Back in the room where he was being kept, you find Vincent’s mask in a corner, nested beside some viscera. It looks like it was literally tossed aside. You also locate a half-empty bottle of antibiotics, which you take with you back to Jeremy.

The mask clicks neatly back onto his face, adhering magnetically to the implants. The antibiotics fit in his front pocket.

The mask gives Jeremy an alien appearance, almost resembling the mandibles of the mantises in how the front opens to accept food and drink. It’s easy to forget how young and fresh-faced he really is under there; you wonder what the doctors thought.

Do doctors think about that kind of thing? Maybe the mysterious escapee knows…

But now is not the time to get hypothetical. This office is essentially a contaminated timebomb and Jeremy is going to need a new source of medical treatment asap. There’s still a humanoid on the first floor (though it wasn’t moving the last time you saw it).

[1/2]

>>43335081
>Current Loadout:
>2 Chinese Specs
>1 Brass Knuckles
>1 Tranq gun (56 shots)
>1 Bag of Bait (mostly depleted)
>2 frag grenades, 1 smoke
>bandages


Options:

>Reload your Chinese specials, waste the humanoid on the first floor
>Put together some kindling from what you can find on this floor, sneak out the back with Jeremy and return with the lighter from your van
>ready your trank gun, try and subdue the remaining humanoid
>Drive somewhere to find flammable materials to ensure the vet’s office burns down quickly (take Jeremy out to car with you)
>blow this place sky high with all your plastic explosive
>leave everything be, just leave
>Write-In

>>43335081
>Vincent’s mask

>>43335102
>>Reload your Chinese specials, waste the humanoid on the first floor

First thing's first.

Then time for fire.

>>43335102
Is there a fire alarm to disable somewhere?

>>43335184

Possibly. Vince will check for one based on your comment.

>>43335102
Also, this would be easier if that Russian flamethrower were ready to be bought already. Should be today or tomorrow or so.

>>43335102
>>Reload your Chinese specials, waste the humanoid on the first floor
no witnesses

>>43335221
This was also a humanoid that was working directly alongside the other humanoid that was full of spores.

They were messing with Zheng's corpse.

So it's obviously a zombie.

>>43335145

My bad, I was typing quickly. I'm not drunk today, promise.

>>43335212

Zheng was getting you that flamethrower and he is now quite dead. You can still make the purchase but you may have to renew the order with Crusty.

>>43335221
>>43335145

>waste 'em

You got it.

>>43335145
>>43335221
>>43335238

You reload your two pistols and leave Jeremy where he is for the moment; hopefully he won’t attract any more mantises than he already has.

Making your way down to the first floor and head towards where you believe the lobby to be. That’s where you last saw this humanoid, slumped against something. They didn’t seem very active to be honest, a bit of a change from the behavior of the other “zombies” you’ve euthanized in this building.

The wood-paneled lobby is empty. Informative posters about pet health line the walls and a secretary’s desk sits unmanned. You peek behind it and find nothing but bags of Ricola cough drops and photos of what you can only assume are the secretary and her husband. He has a remarkably long nose.

You’re perplexed by the absence of the humanoid but your curiosity quickly vanishes when you hear the sound of running water coming from a nearby bathroom.

Noting the slightly ajar door, you decide to take advantage of the element of surprise and boot it open, slamming it inwards so hard that you can hear the cheap tiling crack. A woman turns to face you, her face the picture of shock. Her head and hair are all wet, as though she was running them under the faucet. The collar of her shirt is shaded by water.

She doesn’t try to attack you; she doesn’t have time. In her eyes you see the slight clouding of fungal infection and pull the triggers. Holes open neatly in her buttoned shirt, punching through to the mirror behind her and collapsing it into blood spattered shards. Hands shake with nervous shock as she lists slightly to one side before dropping to her knees. Her final expression is one of confusion and, as she finally crashes down to the floor, you spot a single roach fleeing from the sink.

A well-aimed kick crushes it against the tile.

With that done, it’s a quick job to get Jeremy off of the top floor and pack him in the van. All that’s left to decide is how you want to eliminate the evidence.

>>43335047
>The-SAN
The what?

Is that a sanitary biohazard-proof part of the van?

We should keep the tranq'd queens there too.

>>43335262

All my 4chan tabs just crashed in unison. How terrifying.

>>43335265

Check lore paste

Options:

>make kindling, set it on fire with your lighter
>drive somewhere to find fast-burning substances that will speed the rate at which this place is destroyed
>blow everything sky-high with plastic explosive
>do a quick check for fire alarms
>write-in

Plastic explosives are lowest risk right?

>>43335312

It would certainly destroy everything the fastest as you wouldn't have to wait for everything to burn.

>>43335301
>>write-in
Rob the bodies if you're going to blow them up.

Zheng, the zombies.

>>43335301
>do a quick check for fire alarms
>drive somewhere to find fast-burning substances that will speed the rate at which this place is destroyed
Guess we can buy it with all that illicit cash.

Arson is probably less attention grabbing.

Also that empty Scyth car will eventually lead to another cop coming.

Can we even get some fuel to burn stuff with without taking off the conspicuous hazmat suit first?

>>43335436

You could probably change out of the hazmat suit in a parking lot without much issue. Vince wouldn't remove it inside the vet's office or the van, since even with Jeremy's mask on his clothing may or may not be inundated with spores.

>>43335406

>fire alarm check
>drive for flammable stuff

Reminder that you may have accelerants already, though you are unsure of their properties. The plastic explosive will also burn nicely if you want things to burn a little faster, though it would consume a chunk of it.

>>43335346

>rob everything, then blow it up

Waiting on some more votes here.

Wait, do Scyth cars have cameras in them?

That would be bad if it records this van leaving and shit burning/blowing up.

>>43335564
>you may have accelerants already
What, the hot sauce? Or kindling around the building?

I'll change my vote to rob everything, and burn it all.

>>43335568

Yes, but Vince knows this and would not drive past the car.

That said, he might still be observed.

>>43335609

Which vote are you changing, anon?

>>43335406

This one?

>>43335644
I was changing from blow it up. >>43335346

>>43335301
>do a quick check for fire alarms

>>43335672

Alright, I'll keep that on the table.

For now:
>>43335702
>>43335564

Dictate a quick fire alarm check. Writing.

Are there accelerants already around like a heater tank?

>>43335723

You decide that you’re going to have to burn this place to the ground to eliminate all the evidence. But you’re going to have to be discrete. Disabling all the fire alarms in the building would prevent any kind of automatic system from summoning the Scyth Emergency Corps (assuming the “veterinarian” had been keeping up with their payments).

There is a fire alarm in the lobby and you waste no time in grabbing a chair to help you reach the ceiling and remove the power cell.

It might be time consuming to do all the alarms in the building this way. Maybe you could find another way to disable the system?

>just rush through, disable the alarms by hand (speed check)
>Find another way (intelligence check)

Knew Vince should have stolen that cat lady's stuff for ANFO material last Thursday.

>>43335826
>Find another way (intelligence check)
We can do it guys!

Rolled 3, 5, 2 = 10 (3d6)

>>43335826
>>Find another way (intelligence check)
there's always a central control right.

Or just cut the power at the fuse box.

>>43335846
>>43335854

Gonna need just two more rolls of 3d6.

Rolled 5, 4, 3 = 12 (3d6)

>>43335888
ruhroh

Rolled 2, 3, 6 = 11 (3d6)

>>43335888

>>43335895
>>43335854
>>43335916

>10, 12, 11

Reasonable success. Writing.

Rolled 2, 1, 3 = 6 (3d6)

>>43335888

>>43335954
You realize that time is of the essence here on several different levels and search the secretary’s body. You find a small smartphone on her person and quickly figure out the password (it’s “12345” of course).

On it you find another master list of passwords for the office’s different accounts, one of which is the one for their coverage by the Scyths. Using a customer service website, you’re able to cancel their service after filling out a short “exit” questionnaire where you provide a few colorful examples for why you’re leaving them.

With the coverage gone, all the fire alarms in this building are now impotent and are deactivated completely via a management app.

You are now free to burn down the building as you please.

>rob all the corpses you can of anything you haven’t taken yet
>make kindling, set it on fire with your lighter
>drive somewhere, pick up something that will burn a bit better
>search the building for something that will work as an accelerant.
>write-in

>>43336050
>rob all the corpses you can of anything you haven’t taken yet

>search the building for something that will work as an accelerant.

>>43336050
>rob all the corpses you can of anything you haven’t taken yet
>search the building for something that will work as an accelerant.

>>43336050
>search the building for something that will work as an accelerant.
>rob all the corpses you can of anything you haven’t taken yet
and I guess the contents of the more burnable wooden drawers too? Stuff that'll burn anyway.

>>43336077
>>43336079
>>43336125

>>43336079
>>43336077

You make your way through the building one more time to try and take anything of value. The dead secretary doesn’t have anything of value but pilfering Zheng’s $200 dollars, cigs, and shotgun shells is fairly rewarding. You also check the dead doctor on this floor: he has some unlabeled pills in the right pocket of his labcoat and a wallet with $57 dollars of cash inside. You take both, hoping someone can identify the pills for you later.

Upstairs, the mutilated Scyth has her gasmask, a taser, a baton, and a stubby little pistol. The extra gasmask could definitely be helpful and there’s nothing wrong with having a good taser. You leave the pistol and baton, fairly certain they have tracking devices in them (like most Scyth weapons).

With all this bounty, you still have the secretary’s phone. It has a lot of information on it but it also might be used to track you down.

Keep it? (also, roll 3d6+4 for accelerant search)

>yes
>no

Rolled 1, 4, 1 + 4 = 10 (3d6 + 4)

>>43336208
>>no

Rolled 2, 6, 1 + 4 = 13 (3d6 + 4)

>>43336208
dat sonfu bonus

>>no
It would be nice to make a backup of it somehow.

Vince should carry around spare flash drives or something for this purpose.

>>43336222
>>43335955


I think I am done rolling.

Rolled 3, 6, 3 + 4 = 16 (3d6 + 4)

>>43336208
Do we boost with nerves?

>>43336237

It's actually both your pyro bonuses added together on top of awareness

>>43336259
>>43336237
>>43336222

>10,13.16

You may boost with nerves if you like. They currently stand at 11/13 and it costs 2 points per boost.

>>43336283
Eh boosto. 1x.

>>43336283
Boost once. Day's almost over.

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>>43336302
>>43336308
>>43336283

>boost once
>11,14,17

You decide to leave the phone, crushing it beneath your foot. It seems like a bit of a waste considering all the valuable account information it contained (and the fact that you really could use a phone).

Searching the building is relatively unrewarding; even exploring the basement yields only an empty and unused oil tank; they obviously chose to switch to electric long ago.
Just when you’re about to give up hope, an exploration into one of the offices on the second floor yields a surprising discovery: an entire cabinet of high-proof liquor, complete with an antique decanter set.

>use all the booze to ensure stuff burns
>save a certain amount for yourself (write-in a percentage)
>save one bottle for yourself
>take all of this, it’s too precious to burn
>write-in

>>43336447

>Nerves [9/13]

>>43336447
>save one bottle for yourself

Save the glass-ware. Good crystal is worth a fair bit of cash.

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>>43336447
>>save one bottle for yourself

>>43336478
>>43336447
Second

Now we just have to... talk to Crusty about the trouble with fungus-infected mantis attack on the vet.

Of course the vet is still alive somewhere so we can't contradict his story.

Then we need to put Jeremy somewhere with Crusty to coalesce and decontaminate him, Vince, and the van, before going to debrief at GEC.

Then maybe buying a phone finally.

Oh god, is Jeremy's Nintendo Holo still back at the apartment.

Or did somebody walk in and steal it by now.

>>43336501
>filename

>>43336478
>>43336501

>Save a bottle

You decide to save one bottle of the most expensive looking whiskey in the cabinet as well as the decanting set. You figure the two combined might make for a good way for you to set things straight with Amanda tonight.

Then you go about gathering everything the least bit flammable in each of the offices and piling it together in the hallway. Torn pages from books, pieces of smashed furniture, and containers full of bandages and cotton balls create a lining over the floor which you then pour out all the booze you're not saving on.

Dropping your loot in the van, you retrieve your trusty lighter for yet another "controlled burn".

>rolllll 3d6+1 for how quickly/explosively this all burns, keeping in mind that your actions have lowered the DC considerably.

Rolled 5, 4, 1 + 1 = 11 (3d6 + 1)

>>43336764

Rolled 4, 1, 3 + 1 = 9 (3d6 + 1)

>>43336764
Let the phoenix rise

Rolled 3, 3, 4 + 1 = 11 (3d6 + 1)

>>43336764
dat low DC tho

>>43336764
>>43336806
>>43336789
9/11
>Booze Fuel can't melt vet beams

We can use our Con Man skill to help the vet come up with an insurance fraud at least!

Also for a con man, Vince is kinda dumb.

>>43336945
>Vince is kinda dumb

Yup. All talent, no brains.

>>43336789
>11,9,11

Standing away from your improvised kindling, you light up the end of a branch you've broken off from a tree growing near the office. With this meager pilot light, you touch off your handiwork which catches fire instantly, the combustion being facilitated by your extremely generous application of alcohol. The flames travel down the hallway at high speed and are soon climbing the walls.

A rough guesstimation says the place will be gone in two to three minutes, well under Scyth response time.

You'd love to stay and admire your handiwork but you need to leave before anyone links you to the crime scene. Getting into the van, you pull out of your parking spot and begin to slither through the suburban streets. You're not exactly sure where you're going just yet, just that you've got to get away from here.

As you motor away, another car pulls out behind you. It looks like a new tail has caught up to you. Hopefully they don't represent someone who cares about the vet's office...

>try and lose the tail by driving evasively (3d6+3, Nerves to boost)

Alternately, ignore the tail and travel to:

>GEC
>Amanda's home
>The most isolated area you can find
>A shopping center
>Lopez's Scyth HQ
>A bar
>Write-in

Rolled 4, 3, 3 + 3 = 13 (3d6 + 3)

>>43337013
We still have Jeremy in the back. We have to get him and us decontaminated without GEC's help, so we need to call Crusty.

So.

>>43337013
>try and lose the tail by driving evasively

>>43337013
>>Write-in
Call Crusty first, while driving?

Rolled 1, 6, 5 + 3 = 15 (3d6 + 3)

>>43337013

Rolled 1, 3, 1 + 3 = 8 (3d6 + 3)

>>43337013

>>43337013
>>try and lose the tail by driving evasively

Vince is kill

>>43337312
>>43337248
>>43337208
>>43337098

>>43337700

Just writing a long post.

Well this is gonna be some rough conversation.

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>>43337140

You drive as aggressively as you can without injuring Jeremy but the tail is persistent. He weaves through traffic behind you and seems to be a driver of great skill. You grit your teeth and accelerate.

The chase continues and you lead him on to the Sha Tin Heights tunnel. Your van pays the toll automatically and you zoom onwards, hoping to lock your pursuer behind you in traffic.

Your plan doesn't work, as most of the commuting population is still at work, and the two of you emerge on the other end of the tunnel at about 145 kmh. You're beginning to fear seriously that you’ll attract the attention of the Scyths. Worse, your tail is gaining on you and the electric engine of the van is already straining to the max.

It’s taking every ounce of steel you have to avoid crashing into the cars of regular Cits with the van, no easy task considering its massive momentum. People scream and shout curses as you scream across Tai Wai, the neighborhood on the other side of the tunnel. Your van’s computer is flashing warnings at you as well, warning you to reduce your speed.

[1/]

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>>43339127
To the south of you is Lion’s rock and Kowloon. To the north rise the mountains of the New Territories, notably the mighty and volcanic Tai Mo Shan, which you know to be the second highest peak in China. Swallowing your anxiety, you tell the onboard computer to plot a course for the peak while doing your best to keep your tail at a distance. It does so dutifully but never stops telling you to slow down, even when you start hurling curses at it. You really hope GEC doesn’t mind you breaking the speed limit a bit…

The speed issue is lessened as the computer directs you to get back on the highway. Both you and your tail slow somewhat to avoid Scyth patrols and you have a few precious seconds to catch your breath. Jeremy is continuing to breath slowly beside you, seemingly oblivious to all the action. You wonder if you did him a favor really. The thugs in the VTOLs obviously wanted him for something and they’re probably the same people tailing you now. You just led them right back to him…

You swerve suddenly, realizing you’re about to miss your exit. Your tail follows your lead with ease, even as you struggle to keep the top heavy van from rolling in the middle of a high speed turn. He certainly has the advantage over you in that powerful car of his…

[2/]

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>>43339155

You’re at the foot of Tai Mo Shan now, maneuvering through increasingly poor and rural looking portions of Hong Kong. Despite decades of the Chinese goverments best attempts, this is an area they never were able to force entirely into the modern age. You spot rice paddies and ancient hiking paths as you climb in elevation towards the peak. The engine whines in protest but remain firm in accelerating as best you can. The tail is steadily gaining on you, his huge engine and lighter load being able to handle the slopes better.

[3/]

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>>43339204

The roads become slimmer and the turns more unpredictable. Traffic in the opposite direction is pressed to the edge of the flimsy guardrail to avoid you as you motor higher and higher. At the peak you can look down on all the New Territories that stretch between here and Lion’s Rock, beyond which your home and the “true” city exist.

This is your big chance. Time to use that superior weight and skill of yours to show this guy what driving is all about.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCiDuy4mrWU

You start driving back down towards the city, slaloming through the slim mountain roads. The speedometer ticks steadily back up and your tail begins to fall behind in your rearview. In response, he slams down on the gas pedal to make up the difference and soon he’s threatening your rear bumper.

Going into a big turn together, you feel the rear tires begin to lose grip and the two of you enter a dangerous drift together over a steep cliff. You focus on the road ahead of you and the motion of your feet on the pedals as the scenery swings past you and narrowly maintain control. Unfortunately, so does your tail and the slipstream of your van seems to have given him a little extra speed.

He pulls up into the lane beside you and suddenly the chase has become a gunfight as he shoots across his passengers seat at you. The first bullet breaks your window and embeds itself in the ceiling. You duck the second but it tears a hole in the pill bottle in the front of Jeremy’s shirt. A little closer and it would have killed him.

>Modifier activated: +1

[4/]

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>>43339286

Angered, you begin using the superior weight of the van to push the smaller car into the guard rail. Sparks erupt as metal grates metal and the shots become wild and less accurate.
Unable to push him off completely without losing control of your own vehicle, you disengage just in time for the two of you to enter into another intense turn between two crags of Tai Mo Shan. You lose control of the rear wheels again and then regain it just in time for a wavy bit of downhill road that opens up into a flat stretch.

Pulling one of your specs from your bag, you open fire on the tail to try and keep him from getting close enough to shoot at you and Jeremy. You aim the first few at his window and the next several at his tires, hoping force a blowout but to no avail. The two of you are locked together for yet another tight turn and you hear several bullets strike the body of the van behind you.

Wind whips through your shattered window, blowing your GEC cap from your head as you clutch the wheel. You’re still picking up speed, surely he can’t keep up with you much longer… but he doesn’t seem to be falling behind either.

Suddenly, your tail pulls back behind you again. Perplexed, you look ahead on the road and spot oncoming traffic; a caravan of brightly colored cars that ride close to the ground. They slice the air as they ride past you, and several make eye-contact with you, apparently perplexed to see a GEC exterminator riding down the mountain in his van at ludicrous speeds.

Once the local boys have passed by, the tail begins to tease your bumper again and you’re forced to push forward at top speed to keep control. One of the last switchbacks is up ahead, looking even more dangerous than the rest. You take a deep breath and grip the wheel. Your tail accelerates to try and destabilize you again.

[5/]

>>43339333
Ay dios mio.

This is what happens when you only barely match the enemy DC?

Should've headed to an isolated area and sniper rifle'd him through his car.

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>>43339333

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKw5Oh6be3o

It’s not so much like turning as it is orbiting around the corner. The slight dampness of the ground lends you the advantage in making the drift. Jeremy’s limp body pushes against his seatbelt and the glassware in the back clinks as the van successfully navigates the turn.
Your tail, who was unable to see past you before going into the turn, is less lucky. He careens over the rail and smashes into a stand of trees. The sound of smashing metal sends a jolt into your bones but you’re homefree now.

You descend the rest of the mountain at a normal speed but you struggle to dissipate the intense cloud of endorphins and adrenaline surrounding you the entire time.


>make a call:
>call Crusty
>call Lopez
>call Amanda
>call Devlinson
>Go to:
>GEC
>Amanda's home
>The most isolated area you can find
>A shopping center
>Lopez's Scyth HQ
>A bar
>Write-in

>>43339439
>>call Crusty
Go wherever Crusty can arrange a dropoff. He can do that GEC-location-scrambling trick again for the van and Vince's neck device?

We just need decon and a place to keep Jeremy.

>>43339439
>>call Crusty

>>43339487
>>43339525

>call Crusty

You set the van back to automatic and set your destination for the foot of the mountain. Reaching backwards, you retrieve communicator from the rear seat and call up Crusty.

He doesn't bother with a greeting.

<What did you find, Vincent?>

<Zheng is dead.>

The old man blinks but seems otherwise unsurprised.

<What happened to him?>

<A biological agent got loose in the vet's office. He was dead by the time I got there.>

<A biological agent? How?>

>tell him the truth about Jeremy
>try and come up with a convincing lie
>write-in

>>43339439
>>A shopping center
Buy phones for self and Jeremy for when he wakes up.

>>43339615
>tell him the truth about Jeremy
One person escaped, he can probably contradict any lies.

>>43339692
"I was gonna warn you but Zheng punched me in the face."

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>>43339692
>>43339713

You give Crusty the unvarnished truth about Jeremy and how you had to burn the place to the ground. He wrinkles his nose and pinches his lower lip between his forefinger as you talk, obviously troubled by what you're telling him.

<And now you have the kid? How long until you end up covered by mantises?>

You have to admit you don't know. In the past, you encountered mantises only at night, so you suppose the problem might become severe as the day goes on. All the more reason to get Jeremy somewhere safe and isolated, you argue.

<I agree. I'll set up a drop-off as soon as we can, but remember Vince, you owe us now.>

You shudder at the thought. You add that at least one person made it out of the building alive, though you're not sure how.

<We'll watch for them.>

He turns away, as if to end the call before pausing and turning back.

<Vince, if it's any easing of the pain, I don't blame you. You are very stupid, yes. But it was the doctor's fault. They should have known the mask was there for a reason.>

You're tempted to point out that not removing the mask might have gotten Jeremy killed but you keep that thought to yourself. The call terminates.

You still have to debrief at GEC HQ and you're starting to get a little concerned about the situation you left behind at Mrs. Shan's this morning.

You decide to call up Devlinson and debrief, giving him a half-true spiel about the termite infestation and Mrs. Shan. You leave out the murderhole in the basement but ask him to please get Mrs. Shan in touch with you soon. You also mention that you're going to need a decon on your suit and the van due to a "poison sprayer malfunction". He seems upbeat as usual when you finally get off the horn with him...

You set the van to take you back towards central Hong Kong where GEC HQ is. You can make a side stop in any of the following places:

>A shopping center
>Lopez's Scyth HQ
>A bar
>Your apartment

>>43339990
>>A shopping center
A pair of phones finally.

Gotta do something until the drop-off time.

>>43339990
>you're going to need a decon on your suit and the van due to a "poison sprayer malfunction".

Won't we have to wait till Crusty can pick up Jeremy and a termite queen before we can go back to GEC?

>>43340080

Yup, the pu shouldn't take long though and you warned them to be prepared for contamination

>>43339990
You know what Jeremy needs when he wakes up?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/811251486/termitat-the-live-termite-exhibit-for-your-desktop

>>43340119
So one queen for Crusty, six queens for GEC, and one queen for Jeremy!

>>43339990
>>A shopping center
PHONES
H
O
N
E
S

>>43340141
Jeremy is covered in his own spores. We can't take him out of the van.

>>43340138
Sounds fair. Needs a get well present after all. Lets get him a new game as well. Some kinda 120+ hour rpg, best deal for the money.

>>43340165
Fair. Idea removed.

>>43340040
>>43340146

So shopping center and save a queen for Jeremy. Writing.

>>43340119

Goddamn, that's fucking neat.

>>43340214
We termite farm now!

>>43340173
First you have to go back to the apartment and find if the Nintendo Holo is still there, or got broken by the thugs, or got stolen by neighbors because didn't they break the door down?

Well Jeremy can rescind the order of 'protect me' when he wakes up.

But until then any roaches Crusty has nearby will crawl out of the woodwork to get squashed.

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>>43340214
You plug the location of the nearest shopping center into the computer and let it do the driving. You need time to recuperate right now…

The place the computer picks turns out to be a gaudy little “mall” that more a loose collection of tightly packed stores and alleyways than anything an American would recognize as a mall. Not long after getting out of the van you’re getting into stores where you have to duck to avoid smacking your head on the ceiling. After a great deal of searching and confusion, you find a phone store where an overeager young saleswoman offers a dozen different models. You pick out six at random and tell her to put them back, opting to choose from what’s left.

Choices:

>The Nokia Brick: A cheap and extremely durable phone with complete waterproofing and analog buttons. Something of a “retro” phone, it’s not multipurpose or able to play the latest hologames (though holosnake is included). $100 per phone.
>The Apple iMorph: The iMorph uses a combination of highly advanced “fluid electronics” and nanotechnology to rebuild and improve itself every year. Though the outer case is extremely delicate (and the innards can potentially spill out of a broken iMorph) it is always capable of running the most advanced software (so long as you pay Apple regularly for ongoing updates). $400 per phone
>The Microsoft Cutter: The Cutter is a lovely phone with an appealing aesthetic design and enough power to do just about anything you need. It’s an excellent for interfacing with different electronics but Microsoft has become increasingly conservative regarding what kind of software the phone is allowed to run. There are also rumors that the government is using it to spy on users. $300 per phone.
>The gPhone: Designed to appeal to users in developing countries, Google’s gPhone has just enough oomph to run some useful apps. As an actual phone, the design is rather hideous and not very durable but it gets the job done. $70 dollars per phone
>The Illegal: While made to look like an iMorph, this was obviously manufactured using an illegal 3d printer. It appears to be running some kind of open source operating system and comes with several different apps that you’ve never heard of before, including one whose sole purpose seems to be to cause vending machine malfunctions.

>>43340589
>The Dao Shan: This venerable pre-war phone shows true respect for the old ways of Chinese phone manufacturing. Assembled in a sweat shop by real human beings rather than emotionless robot, you can feel the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this phone. Both durable and powerful, it nonetheless suffers from being unable to interface with modern electronics. $200 per phone.
>don’t buy

>>43340607

Going to take a break to eat. Probably be back in an hour or so and then the thread will continue. Feel free to pick a phone in the meantime.

>>43340607
Either the Dao Shan or the Ilegal, depending on the illegals unstated price.

>>43340589
Wait how much is the Illegal knockoff.

>>43340607
So, to break it down into individual stat categories?

Brick
>Durable: High
>Power: None (it is literally only a phone)
>Special: None
iMorph
>Durable: Low
>Power: High
>Special: pay for updates
Cutter
>Durable: Medium?
>Power: High (can't run restricted apps)
>Special: Botnet
gPhone
>Durable: Low
>Power: Medium
>Special: Ugly
Illegal
>Power: High
>Durable: Low
>Special: ??? maybe have some nerd your own custom firmware on this one first...

Dao Shan
>Durable: High
>Power: High
>Special: ...it lacks wifi?
Not sure what unable to interface means.

>>43340661
An Illegal for Vince, a Dao Shan for Jeremy?

Stick the contact info for each into the other and hand it off with him.

>>43340661
>>43340666
>>43340666
>>43340748
>>43340781

Illegal is $145, unable to interface would mean it can't go all R2D2 and integrate neatly with your van or a piece of advanced weaponry or potentially even with Jeremy's mask.

Still eating, the Mets are allowing me to autoseason my own food with tears.

>>43341361
>No mask phone
Let's just get Jeremy a legit IPhone, we can have our illegal to compensate. Only the most expensive for bug-boy after all.

>>43341408
An ugly gPhone would work too.

We should also ask Crusty if his shadowy organization's tech nerds know what measures we can take with phones to get the rootkits out of them and make them less Stingray-able...

>>43341361
Don't forget to buy a dozen flash drives in case you want to make offline backups of secret lab databases, or of someone's phone whose data you want to steal.

>>43340607
>The Nokia Brick
x2
>The Illegal
x1

>>43340781
>illegal for vince, dao shan for Jeremy
>>43341408
>illegal for vince, iMorph for Jeremy
>>43341517
>gPhones
>>43341585
>search for flash drives
>>43341632
>two nokia bricks, one illegal

So I'm thinking we'll set Vince up with an illegal for sure and Jeremy with either a:

1. Dao Shan (doesn't integrate with most electronic devices)
2. iMorph
3. gPhone
4. Two nokia bricks exclusively for Jeremy/Vince conversations

Vote now or forever hold your peace.

>>43341658
4

>>43341658
The Dao Shan can play all the holo games though right?

>>43341685
Yes.

>>43341658
2

>>43341658
1

>>43341658
2

>>43341658
Well get the flash drives regardless though.

Don't want to put too much reliance on the privacy of Vince's cloud storage account.

>>43341702
>>43341745
>2
>>43341715
>1
>>43341675
>4

Looks like the iMorph takes it.

>>43341819

You tell the saleswoman to give you one of the illegal phones and she hands you an unmarked white box from under the counter. You open it up and boot the phone up to make sure it’s legit before you hand over your money, which doesn’t seem to offend the saleswoman much. She must be used to it.

For Jeremy you get an iMorph. It’s a powerful, if costly device but you think it’ll be a good fit for him. Kid needs all the entertainment he can get.

Lastly, you ask if they have any flashdrives. The saleswoman smiles and pulls out an entire milkcrate of the things.

“2 dollars each, 30 gigabytes each.”

A fair price. You take 10.

>Total expense: $565

On your way back to the van, your communicator rings. It’s Crusty, who has finally arranged a drop point for you and Jeremy. It’s not far away either, just a little deeper into Kowloon.

You get back into the van and begin driving manually to the coordinates, watching your rearview carefully. A new tail has yet to emerge, though it’s only a matter of time before they track you down again. Whoever “they” are.

Crusty meets you on the third floor of a parking garage with a van of his own. He and three much larger cronies are all outfitted in hazmat gear of their own. They don’t wait for permission when they see you’ve arrived and take Jeremy out of the car themselves over your objections.

Crusty himself comes to your aid, getting the men back in line and allowing you to carry Jeremy over to their van yourself.

>ask where they’re taking him
>tell him about the flamethrower deal you had made with Zheng
>say nothing, you should get back to HQ and decon asap
>write-in

>>43341965
>>ask where they’re taking him
Concerning.

Also install your Illegal's contact info into that iMorph already and tell Crusty to give it to Jeremy when he wakes up.

>>43341965
>>write-in
Uh, we do have this queen specimen to give you.

>>43341965
>>write-in
Thanks, I'll repay you for this.

>>43341965
>ask where they’re taking him
>tell him about the flamethrower deal you had made with Zheng
>thank him
We're getting that damn flamethrower.

>>43342009
>>43342099
>>43342123
>>43342271

You quickly activate both your new Illegal and the iMorph, and plug your new number and contact into the latter. You give the iMorph to Crusty and tell him to give it to Jeremy when he wakes up. He mimes handing the phone to Jeremy to show he understands and nods.

<Where are you taking him anyway?>

<We have places... underground, very secure. Mantises will not be a problem, nor other annoying things like Scyths or Medcorp.>

<That's good. And how will he be treated?>

Crusty shrugs.

<Our best trauma doctor is dead now. But we have others who will watch him.>

<And when will I get him back?>

<When he gets better. And you do a small favor for us.>

<What's that?>

<We found out that our source inside GEC was located and "popped". We want you to kill the man responsible.>

<What's his name?>

<Chris Devlinson.>

Ah. That's not good.

>I'll do it
>I can't do that
>I need some time to make up my mind

>>43342280
>I can't do that
Devlinson's the only reason I wasn't popped.

I'd have a better chance of living turning him into your new source than killing him.

>>43342280
Man, can't the favor be seducing a GEC executive and installing a virus in their computer or something.

>>43342280
"What if i told you that a GEC exec that i recently worked for has something very interesting and Damning in the basement"

>>43342320
>>43342417
>>43342461

<I can't do that.>

<Then the kid isn't coming back.>

Crusty turns around to leave and you panic.

<Wait, I could try and make him into a new source for you!>

The old chinaman gives you a sour look from behind the visor of his undersized hazmat suit.

<Doubt it.>

<Or... what if I told you I had leverage with a high level GEC executive that you could use.>

<What kind of leverage?>

<I slept with her.>

<That's not leverage, she'll just pop you if you try and come out about that.>

<And her husband murders small children.>

<What?>

<You heard me.>

<Really?>

<Really.>

Crusty considers what you've said for a moment. It looks like he's trying to decide if what you've said is true.

<Which executive is it?>

<Rebecca Shan. She's vice-administrator of the Hong Kong branch.>

<Vice-administrator? That's pretty damn good...>

<...I tell you this: we'll make a deal. You bring me a way to use this Vice-administrator and you'll get the boy back. You have my solemn word.>

<I'll take that deal. Now, if you'll come around the back of my van, I've got a spec I'd like to offer you->

You give Crusty one of the termite queens and he hands you the standard $300. You also mention your deal with Zheng regarding a flamethrower. Crusty doesn't seem too happy with the fact that Zheng was promising you military weaponry but he says he'll do everything he can to secure the weapon for you.

>say something else
>head back to GEC for decon

>>43342461
That would be ultra traceable back to Vince though.

And they can clean it up soon.

>>43342644
>You give Crusty one of the termite queens and he hands you the standard $300.
I thought that got Dealmaster'd.

I guess that was with Zheng though. Oops.

>head back to GEC for decon

>>43342644
Maybe owing them a number of specimens in exchange of Jeremy, no charge?

>>43342744

It's a short drive back to GEC. Still no obvious tails emerging...

A team meets you at the usual specimen drop off point and they take the van from you. They then spray down your entire hazmat suit with...

"Don't try and unzip yourself, Vince. You'll just get stuck. Harriet! Unzip him!"

Apparently they've coated you with a layer of adhesive to keep contaminants laminated in place.

A few minutes later, you're finally out of your suit and in Devlinson's office.

"Vincent! Great news! We caught the guy who pulled the heist!"

"That's great news, boss."

You carefully suppress any strong emotional reaction you might have to that news.

"I popped him myself once I figured it out. You know he was working here for three years? Must have finally gotten sick of hard work, eh?"

"Guess so. Sounds like a shame if you ask me; you could have tried to pawn him off on the Scyths."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't let Scyths within a mile of this place. Now, for the even better news: Mrs. Shan called me a little while ago and told me she feels you qualify for our "Elite" certification program."

Select one:

>Elite certification program?
>Mrs. Shan called you?
>How did you figure out who did the heist?
>Write-in

>>43342965
>>How did you figure out who did the heist?

>>43342965
>>Elite certification program?
>>Mrs. Shan called you?
>>How did you figure out who did the heist?
Sorry Simmons but gotta go with all.

>>43343018
>>43343034
>all

Fuck it, why not. But it'll take me a little while to write probably.

We may want a dead man's switch with evidence of the skeletons in the Shans' basement.

Of course you need evidence first. Saying "check secret passage in basement" will work in the short-term, longer-term that can be cleaned up.

>>43343078
>all of the above

“Elite certification?” you ask. You’ve never heard of such a program…

“Yup, they wanna make you an elite. Seems a little early if you ask me, I had to spend years to even be considered for the program and they ended up passing on me when I suffered my big injury…”

He grows distant for a second before snapping back to reality.

“Anyway, it’s a big deal. You’d be the only Elite in Hong Kong and they’d call on you once in a while to go on a special “mission” somewhere. Secret stuff, you know.”

“Yeah, haha. Uh, so did Mrs. Shan say anything else?”

“Actually, yeah. She wants to see you again tomorrow when your morning assignment is done. She said she’ll meet you here.”

“Huh.”

“Right? She’s a hottie though. You know, I used to-”

Devlinson runs off on a long detailed recollection of his “intimate experiences” with Mrs. Shan. You suffer through it all, trying to keep a perfect poker face.

“That’s really awesome… Devlinson. Um. So how did you catch the guy who ran the heist?”

“Piece of cake really. We ran back some of the tape and found he was talking into a two-way in his Armory locker. Turns out he was communicating with some low lives on the outside or something; I’m not really sure who he was involved with because that all got turned over to the investigators. But hey! We got him!”

>So does the Elite program mean I get more money or…
>Do I get trained to be an Elite?
>What else do you know about the Elite’s “secret stuff”?
>Can I turn down being an Elite?
>Write-in

>>43343286
>>So does the Elite program mean I get more money or…
>>Do I get trained to be an Elite?

>>43343286
>>What else do you know about the Elite’s “secret stuff”?

>>43343286
>What else do you know about the Elite’s “secret stuff”?

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130 KB JPG

>>43343364
>>43343365
>>43343531


>>>So does the Elite program mean I get more money or…
>>>Do I get trained to be an Elite?
>sekrit stuff

"Well, I'm glad he's gone. What do I get out of this program though? Does my pay go up?"

"Does your pay go up?!"

Devlinson can't seem to contain his raucous laughter and slaps his desk a few times, sending papers sliding to the floor.

"You'd make at least three times what I make now, Vince. It's a big deal."

"I know it's a big deal, you said that before. But three times what you make? What is that, three dollars a year?"

"Try more like 210 grand per annum, Vin."

"Jesu Christo."

"That's right. All you've got to do is suffer two weeks evaluation and you're in."

"What about training? Do they train you for this stuff?"

"Oh yeah. The training is unbelievably hard. By the time it's over they say you're not quite human anymore..."

"Not quite human? What about their secret stuff?"

"Oh yeah. Well, at that level you're one of the most expensive assets GEC has. They're going to expect a lot from you, especially seeing as you'd be the only Elite they'd have in the Hong Kong area. You'd be getting the best stuff but you would absolutely have to cover your tracks. The slightest slip-up could mean disaster for the company."

"Sounds high-pressure."

"Oh, it is."

>I'd definitely like to become an Elite
>...Give me some time to think about it.
>I'm not interested, I enjoy having a life outside of GEC.
>write-in

>>43343702

>I'd definitely like to become an Elite
We will be the apex exterminator; ender of infestation, pacifier of pests, rogue agent

>>43343702
>>...Give me some time to think about it.
Vince always earns a promotion on Wednesday apparently.

What the hell will next Wednesday bring.

Well this promotion either buys our silence or sends us to a high-risk career resulting in our death, and therefore silence.

Since just popping might be suspicious.

>>43343702
>>...Give me some time to think about it.
Or am I being voluntold?

>>43343794

Technically you'd have to endure at least two weeks of evaluation before you even started training. This would be a long path and an alternative to eventually leaving GEC.

>>43343702
>210 grand per annum
So close to 4 grand a week.

That is, ten times his current base pay?

So Shan will meet us here tomorrow.

No doubt to thank us for exposing the 'infestation' in her house.

And, she'll need help to get rid of the basement. Won't want to involve anyone else.

That would be the chance to start running a holo-recording app on vince's new phone to record all the evidence for leverage.

Let's hope this Thursday goes better than the last one.

>>43343832
>>43343794
>>43343824
>>43343774

"I think I'm going to need a little time to think about it."

"Are you sure? I mean, I waited years for what you'e being offered in your second week here."

"That's exactly why I want to think about it."

Devlinson sighs and steeples his fingers.

"Vince, you're putting a very lucrative opportunity on hold here-"

"Am I being allowed to make the choice or not, Dev?"

You're finding it a little difficult not to get annoyed at the man, seeing as you basically bargained for his life today.

"Of course you are Vin. If you don't want to do it, I'll just-"

"I said I wanted to think about it, not that I won't do it. Maybe I'll have a little chat about it with Mrs. Chan tomorrow, get her opinion on why I'd make a good Elite. That alright, boss?"

"Yeah... Yeah. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Vin. Get some rest, you were kind of a wreck this morning."

"You do the same Dev. Thanks for getting rid of those vultures by the way."

He grins.

"It was entirely my pleasure, Vince."

Having left your boss on a high note, you get back downstairs to find that your van isn't ready yet. Apparently the decon process involves a lengthy quarantine.

You're given a small taxi voucher and sent on your way. Standing on the curb, you finally realize that you fucked up and forgot to keep a termite queen for Jeremy and that the GEC techs probably just lifted the lot of them from the back of your van.

Well, maybe Clarissa can get you one later. In the meantime, you need to decide on how you're going to get home... and where home is.

>hail a taxi, head to Amanda's
>hail a taxi, head to your place
>walk over to the pub, maybe you can drink with Crusty
>try and find alternative transportation
>write-in

>>43344078
>>hail a taxi, head to your place
We need to salvage our Nintendo Holo.

Might want to wear armor... Probably gonna gain a new tail.

>>43344078
>walk over to the pub, maybe you can drink with Crusty
The guy done us good. Fuck if I don't want to chill with Amanda though.

>>43344078
>>hail a taxi, head to Amanda's

>>43344078
Play with your new Illegal phone. See if it has a discreet, undetectable holo-recording mode.

>>43344078
Taxi to Amanda's after that home

>>43344078
>>walk over to the pub, maybe you can drink with Crusty
Actually, maybe we can get a spy camera from Crusty, if the phone's too bulky and obvious.

A subtle camera to record the evidence/conversation.

Wait, armor is in the van.
Changing >>43344113
to
>>43344078
>walk over to the pub, maybe you can drink with Crusty

>>43344113

>hail a taxi, head to your place

>>43344126
>>43344196
>>43344216

>walk over to the pub, maybe you can drink with Crusty

>>43344127
>>43344182

>Taxi to Amandas

>>43344156

>diddle the new device

>>43344241
Pub takes it, writing.

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703 KB JPG

>>43344267

Tucking the voucher into your pocket, you make your way over to the pub where you and Amanda went drinking the other day.

It’s strange to be somewhere where Zheng was bartending so recently. Crusty isn’t here tonight either, instead a fresh-faced asian in his early twenties is behind the counter. He hardly looks old enough to be serving drinks but who are you to judge?

You order yourself up a Tsing-Tao (having drank just a little too much Guinness lately) and he’s quick to fill your glass with the cold pilsner. There are a few ragged men and women here who you can only assume are “regulars” but there’s a fair number of young chinese who are here tonight, all eager to experiment with foreign “pub culture”.

In the corner, there actually are a few baby-faced Brits with pints in hand. They’re wearing brightly colored jackets, with splashes of cyan, yellow, and pink. They look like an old color printer’s test page, you think but they’re obviously having a good time and laughing heartily about something.

You take out your phone and begin to fiddle with it, swapping through different apps. There’s a lot of stuff here you don’t even recognize, like this “Pandemonium” app. What the hell is that?

A few seconds later, every person in the bar’s phone goes off simultaneously and the patrons all start drunkenly grappling to shut them off. It only lasts a minute but everyone seems very distracted by it.

There’s a holo-recorder here too, though you’ll have to experiment with it to see how accurate it is.

>see if the bartender knows Crusty
>find out what the Brits are talking about
>try and find something to use the holo-recorder on
>give Amanda a call, invite her down here
>Write-in

>>43344564
>>try and find something to use the holo-recorder on

spy phone!

>>43344564
>try and find something to use the holo-recorder on
...like what the Brits are laughing about?

>>43344564
>>try and find something to use the holo-recorder on

>>43344589
>>43344638


You continue playing with the phone, finally locating the holo-recording app. Like all holo-recorders it works on a variant of echolocation, using sound-waves to determine the shapes of different objects. The upside of this is that you don't have to hold the phone out in front of you like your idiot parents had to. The downside is that in a crowded location like the pub, you lose a lot of resolution.

Not that that's a problem here: you're trying to test the phone's capabilities anyway.

You tell the phone to record and then place it in the front pocket of your uniform, facing outwards. You can't hear the sound the phone makes to echolocate with as it's at a frequency too high for human hearing but you'd struggle to hear anything in this environment. Fresh patrons are clamoring to order from the under experienced bartender and the whole place seems to be on the verge of a riot after that little accidental prank you pulled with the Pandemonium app.

Still, none of this seems to have dampened the Brit's moods.

"-and then he pulled up in an old Toyota with a combustion engine!"

"A combustion engine? You couldn't accelerate your way out of a perper bag with one of those!"

"Now look here gents, the combustion engine has a proud legacy. It revolutionized the automobile industry and made our fine hobby-"

"Bah. You beat him soundly, right Lucas?"

"Of course I did!"

"And he really gave you the car?"

"Naturally. I've got no idea what to do with it now though."

"Have you thought about trying to pawn it off on an early 20th century aficionado? Or more lucratively, selling it for scrap?"

They just ramble on and on like that about racing and cars. The holorecorder seems to be getting all of it but you have this weird temptation to intervene in the conversation. Maybe, just maybe, you could win a car off one of these "blokes"? They seem to have so many after all.

>see if they'd be open to a race
>just finish the recording and keep moving
>write-in

>>43344949
>>see if they'd be open to a race
This sounds mad.

I like it.

>>43344949
>>see if they'd be open to a race
Driver trait.

I'd like to wait for it to upgrade after today's chase but gotta take the chance.

>>43345018
>>43345060

"Excuse me, fellow 'chaps'."

"A dirty yank! What in the King's name do you want?"

"Well, you guys seem to be such gearheads that I was wondering if you'd like to make a little wager with me."

"A wager of what sort? Is this some sort of queer Northern American trickery or are you sincere?"

"No trick."

You count out four grand and lay it on the table.

"I'd like to race but I'm short a car at the moment. If you'd be kind enough to let me borrow one, I'll wager everything you see in front of you. If I win though, I'd like my pick from your cars. Only condition is that I pick the place."

The leader of the little troupe smiles evilly.

"As it happens, Lucas here just won a Toyota Elevon. A 2020 model, nice and sporty. Last of the big old combustion engines. You willing to race in that?"

>yes
>no

>>43345170
>yes
All we know about this model is the last guy using it lost.

But, fuck it. Vince is picking the place, is there an exploit here.

One of those places he drove recently?

>>43345170
>>no

>>43345170
>>yes

>>43345261
>>43345244
>>43345223
>yes

"I'm not willing, I'm confident. The place is the Tai Mo Shan road, downhill."

"Downhill, eh? Clever. Lucas will call his man to bring the car around and then we’ll all have a run up there together. In the meantime, come have a pint with us and we’ll chat…”

>End Thread

It's 2 in the morning here, so I'm going to take this as our natural end point. You'll race when I run next, which based on the performance of the New York Metropolitans will be on Monday at 5pm EST.

Gonna archive and take questions for a little bit as usual.

Archive complete:
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=exterminator+quest

October sure has been a busy month for Exterminator Quest. Despite me running only twice a week, we've had 10 threads if the archive is to be believed.

Do anons like where the story is going?

>>43345358
It's hard to tell where it's going, it's one big rollercoaster of Happening now. A gripping one.

>>43345314
Crusty didn't seem like he would put a price on this favor in cash did he.

>>43345433

Probably not.

>>43345380

The Happening has been strong in the last few threads. I'm looking forward to Vince hopefully regaining Jeremy in time for the weekend. That would be very pleasant to write in the midst of NaNo.