The Hole
Author: Agent_047
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

A few minutes earlier.

*A superpowered individual is currently attempting a bank theft. Situation: rainbow. Casualties: one. Damage: white. Evacuation in progress.*

The pod barracks in the cube outside Pyongyang dimmed and a red light began flashing. Ten extended-stay VR pods hissed open, revealing a squad of ARES troopers. They climbed out of their pods and jogged to the armory, where they drew their kit. They had already been briefed on the mission in the simulation, so they knew what they needed to do.

All that remained was to execute the plan.

The men had relatively few nervous jitters, trading jokes and insults back and forth as they drew their equipment, geared up, and headed toward the roof through the express deployment elevator in the middle of the enormous structure. An unenhanced, normal human would suffer severe injuries due to the G force of the elevator itself, but to the enhanced ARES troopers it felt like little more than taking off in a passenger jet would to that sam
Continue to read this book on the App

Related Chapters

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   A Lot of Suffering, But No Lasting Damage

    “Sir! Sir! A moment of your time, please?” a reporter that happened to be lucky—or perhaps unlucky—enough to be at the scene asked the hostage negotiator. He had been in the bank to make a deposit when the robbery took place.Moments like these would make government officials’ careers in the past. They would use them to propel themselves to fame, then use that fame as a springboard to either work their way up into a higher position in the government, or quit their low-paying government jobs and enter the high-paying public sector. And it was all on the backs of the misery of others.“No comment for now. The investigation is ongoing, and we’ll release a statement to the press after our work is completed,” the negotiator answered. As the on-site commander had rushed into the bank behind the SWAT team and medical rescue, the negotiator was temporarily in charge. But even though he could have given out some tidbits of information to whet the public appetite, thereby gaining a reputation a

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   Erik's First Time

    Public simulation, press briefing room.The imperial police agency press conference was scheduled for 3PM, and everyone that’d been invited to attend had arrived five minutes early. Considering they had only been given seventeen minutes of lead time—or eight and a half minutes, real time—it was impressive that not a single person was missing from the list.Precisely as the clock ticked over to three, Erik materialized behind the podium, attracting the attention of the audience, all of whom were curious as to just who he was.He didn’t waste any time, much to the audience’s satisfaction, but immediately began speaking. “Good day, ladies and gentlemen of the press and everyone watching from the comfort of their own homes. My name is Erik Schneider, and about two and a half hours ago, Earth time, I was appointed as the head of the imperial police agency.” Though he was speaking in his native German, thanks to the magic of imperial technology and virtual reality, everyone listening heard,

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   One Hell of a Precedent

    The video of the sniper firing from the door of a hovering shuttle was completely unbelievable to people that found their way to it in the Akashic Record. Not to mention the distance it was fired from, just the fact that it had enough power to penetrate a reinforced bank vault from one side, essentially disintegrate the person it hit, then penetrate a second reinforced vault wall was incredible enough. And that wasn’t even mentioning that the sniper had no visual on his target and was firing completely blind!The people that saw it had chills running down their spines and goosebumps all over their bodies. Especially considering the empire hadn’t hidden that capability, which made them wonder just what actually was hidden in the classified files of the Akashic Record.Thus, they took the footage and posted it online, either in its raw version or with different edits, and through that method, the empire’s capabilities finally filtered down to non-citizens. Although the internet was free

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   The Purple World

    Rick’s eyelids fluttered and he groaned, fighting the urge to fall unconscious once more. It felt like they had been attached to twenty-pound weights as they fought against his command to open them, and his entire body ached with a bone-deep fatigue. Although he had been unconscious for the past six weeks, there was no portion of him that could even remotely be considered to have been “resting” during that time.“Shepherd!” Katarina shouted as she rushed over to his bedside, the doctor and the two men she had ordered to drag him out of the room forgotten.The doctor in question fell to the floor himself, the men holding him aloft by his arms having dropped him. He rushed to the bed and muscled Katrina out of the way, then injected an ampoule of adrenalin directly into Rick’s heart, helping him win the battle against the fatigue accumulated over his past six weeks of unconsciousness. As a side effect, it would also force the blessed into a fight-or-flight mode, thus prompting their ble

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   Kids Have Big Mouths

    Katrina briefly brought Rick up to speed on the Three Percenters, and what had happened to him. He fell into a daze for a while, considering the situation, then clarified, “So I spent six weeks in a coma receiving my blessing. How long did it take everyone that received theirs? And why did mine take so long?” He had just woken up and his brain was still a little fuzzy. To him, the time had passed in an instant and he just remembered a fierce, tearing pain in his head before he collapsed. But even that memory was fading, as all memories of physical pain do, a convenient defense mechanism that humanity had.“Yes. Although you were among the first to receive your blessing, it took this long for you to wake up due to resources. The empire’s blessed started coming to around the second week, while ours mostly started around day twenty. While we have access to the Biogen that the tyrant’s company developed before the war, that’s likely generations out of date now and the medical pods in the

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   Questionable Ethics

    After finishing the files in his hand, Rick frowned. The information he had at hand didn’t quite track with the sensations he was feeling. Ever since he had woken from his coma, he’d had an idea of how to use his blessing, almost like there was someone whispering in the back of his mind. It left him unsettled, and unsure of who to trust in his inner circle.“Leave me,” he calmly said after closing the last folder in the stack.“Yes, shepherd,” Katrina said, then everyone left the room. Katrina had a spring in her step, the thugs didn’t have much in their heads at the best of times, and the doctor could only wipe the cold sweat from his brow and practically sprint out of the room.Once the door closed, Rick leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable, and focused on the little voice in the back of his mind. It led him into a trance and most of the colors in his world faded away, leaving everything in shades of purple again.Time slowly passed as Rick sought the state he was in when h

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   Hypotheses and Tests

    ‘So she doesn’t remember what I made her do at all,’ Rick thought as he opened his eyes, returning to his purple world. He had tested many things on Katrina and she seemed to have no recollection of anything she’d done under his control, despite all the things he’d made her do to herself.The only test that had failed was the one where he attempted to take control of a single body part, but he wasn’t sure why. Taking over her entire body had been simple, like putting on new clothes, so why would he be incapable of taking over individual body parts? He wasn’t sure, but he felt it was likely because he lacked the fine control necessary to do so. Thus, more training and experimentation was in order.Gaaathheeeeeeeerrrrr ffffaaaaaaiiiiiithhhh,§ the voice in the back of his mind chanted, but Rick only had the vaguest idea of how to go about that.When he’d looked down at his body and noticed that the thread connecting him to Katrina had slightly dimmed, and the pulses of light had decrease

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   His Best Standing Long Jump

    ‘I hate it! Fuck my life... my dad died to a supervillain for nothing! He wanted to join the empire from the beginning but mom said no. But after he died, she couldn’t run to the recordkeepers to apply for citizenship fast enough. Dumb bitch!’Rick had found himself in the mind of a teenage boy. He listened to the stream of consciousness for a while and learned what the boy and his family had gone through over the past few weeks. Not only had the kid’s mother’s refusal to join the empire driven a wedge between her and her husband, one that they’d even been contemplating divorce over, but his girlfriend’s family had also chosen to join the empire during the first amnesty period. The boy blamed his mother for the resulting breakup as well.All of his rage had been directed toward his mother, but then one day he’d had a thought. If the empire had the power to enforce the law on rogue supervillains, why did they ignore the havoc that’d been wrought among the people who waived their imperi

Latest Chapter

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Conversation II

    “Seraphina,” Aron began, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of authority, “I’m not your enemy—unless you choose to make me one. I understand your anger, your frustration. You’ve lost control of a situation you believed was firmly under your command. But this predicament wasn’t my doing—you’re here because your leader chose to sacrifice you. What I’m offering you isn’t a chain—it’s an opportunity.”Her sharp eyes narrowed, the intensity of her gaze unwavering, but she held her silence. Aron leaned forward, his own gaze unrelenting as it met hers.“You can continue resisting, pushing the boundaries of the mana oath, and enduring needless pain. Or…” He paused, letting the words linger like a challenge. “You can choose to turn this situation into one that serves us both. Your strength, your insight—these are not things I wish to suppress. Quite the opposite. I want them refined, amplified, and put to meaningful use.”He motioned toward the table, where Nova was still doing fina

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Conversation I

    [Colosseum]Aron and Seraphina stood motionless, maintaining the same distance as at the start of their faceoff. Neither had moved, even during the spectacular fireworks show that followed Aron’s acceptance of her surrender. The only exception was Aron briefly waving to the citizens of his empire watching the broadcast, many of whom were overcome with emotion, crying in celebration of their historic victory. This event marked the first-ever interstellar combat they had participated in, and despite their lack of experience, they emerged as the sole victors.As cheers of triumph reverberated among his people and the disbelief of others lingered, the broadcast concluded. The moment Aron secured his final victory, the Arena itself was officially handed over to him as part of his reward, along with control of the AI referee. Without hesitation, the AI complied with her new owner’s first command: to end the broadcast. Aron had more pressing matters to attend to—a private conversation with a

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Meeting

    [Meeting Room]Inside the Zelvora mental network, an oppressive silence hung over the gathered representatives around the meeting table. The events of the day had left them all stunned, their minds racing with the implications of what had transpired. These were not just any representatives—they were the ones who had signed off on the agreements, the architects of their civilizations’ participation in this contest.Now, they were confronted with the brutal outcome of their decisions.Many representatives sat deep in thought, their faces betraying various degrees of fear, frustration, and resignation. Those who hailed from civilizations steeped in selfish political traditions knew all too well the grim truth: scapegoats would be needed. Someone would have to bear the brunt of the blame for the humiliation, anger, and setbacks their civilizations had suffered.For many of them, the path forward seemed bleak. In the best-case scenario, they might lose their positions, exiled from the corr

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Fireworks

    To say Aron was surprised would be the understatement of the gigaannum. The announcement had obliterated every scenario he had meticulously crafted in his mind. In all his time spent in simulations, preparing for countless contingencies, not once had he considered the possibility of the Xor’Vaks surrendering—least of all without a fight.Their pride in their strength was legendary, surpassing even the vaunted arrogance of the Valthorins. For a race that reveled in their dominance, surrendering, especially on such a grand stage, was unthinkable. This sudden reversal of expectations hit him with such force that he could practically feel the metaphorical veins in his temple throbbing from the sheer shock of it all.The audience’s collective astonishment mirrored his own, but none felt it as acutely as Aron, whose carefully laid strategies now seemed almost laughably over-prepared in the face of this unanticipated twist.The largest part of Aron's shock wasn’t just the surrender itself bu

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    “WHAT”

    The minutes passed quickly for the viewers, their eyes glued to Aron as he sat unmoving in the same meditative position for over fifteen minutes. Speculation ran rampant on both sides, fueled by curiosity and tension.For those in the Empire, the consensus was that Aron was in VR, likely meeting with family or key figures. Many debated who he might be speaking with, guessing that he was either calming worried loved ones or strategizing for the next fight.On the other hand, viewers from the Astral Conclave harbored a mix of anxiety and intrigue. They questioned whether Aron was recuperating in preparation for the upcoming battle, enhancing his focus and mental clarity, or if his recovery from the previous fight was incomplete and he was still in the process of healing.But their speculations ceased to matter as Aron opened his eyes with five minutes remaining in the waiting period. Calm and deliberate, he removed the glasses from his head, placing them back into their container. His n

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Therapy

    The moment the fight was officially declared over, Nova acted without hesitation. She immediately dispatched the collector ship, equipped with a medipod, to retrieve the Trinarian fighter's body. Simultaneously, she ensured Aron could rearm himself with a fresh set of nanomachines. For the first time, this process was being done openly, marking a significant shift.Previously, nanomachines had been classified technology, their existence kept strictly under wraps. However, that secrecy had been unintentionally broken when Nova used them to cover Aron’s exposed body during a critical moment, prioritizing his dignity over confidentiality. As a result, while the technology remained shrouded in mystery, its existence was now officially acknowledged, albeit without disclosing any further details.Aron retrieved a small canister from the ship and opened it, revealing a liquid-like substance inside. Pouring it onto his hand, the substance behaved unnaturally, defying gravity as it began to sp

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Ending Things

    "Him alive is better than dead, right? I can use his live brain data to study how they use their spatial abilities—it might even help accelerate my plans if things go as intended," Aron said as he stood over the fainting Trinarian fighter.{True, having him alive presents opportunities. But dead men cause no problems, while the living carry infinite potential for chaos—especially one like him. If our spatial lockdown isn’t enough to fully contain his abilities, he could use them long enough to cause catastrophic damage, even if it means enduring the backlash,} Nova replied, her tone laced with caution. She wanted to ensure Aron was fully aware of the risks he was inviting by sparing the fighter's life.Usually, Nova would have been in favor of keeping him alive—it meant more data for her to process, analyze, and extrapolate from. But spatial ability users were in a league of their own when it came to danger. Even a dead one would yield enough data to at least satisfy her curiosity for

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Awakening

    “Nova,” Aron called out in his mind the moment his eyes snapped open, rapidly collecting information and orienting himself, realizing he had finally left the enigmatic place the system had sent him.“Nova,” he called again, this time aloud, his voice carrying a commanding weight as it echoed faintly in the arena. Receiving no response to his first call, his sharp gaze shifted to his surroundings. It didn’t take long for him to notice his current state—nearly naked, save for the swarm of nanomachines that had begun assembling around him.{The system had ejected me, sir,} Nova’s voice finally came through, calm but slightly delayed as the nanomachines completed their task. They prioritized covering his lower body, forming a sleek pair of trousers, as there weren’t enough surviving nanomachines to reconstruct full armor. His chiseled upper body remained exposed, glistening under the lights of the Colosseum, much to the awe and unease of the spectators.Nova’s pragmatic choice left Aron l

  • Getting a Technology System in Modern Day   

    Rebirth

    Following Nova's orders and the AI referee's approval, the mana stone carriers swiftly began moving toward the Colosseum. As the first ship arrived and entered, it wasted no time, promptly unloading its entire cargo of mana stones before departing to make way for the next carrier to do the same. The process was conducted with remarkable efficiency, ensuring a steady flow of mana stones into the Colosseum without any unnecessary delays.The process continued as over fifty ships unloaded their cargo of mana stones, an act many from the Conclave viewed as both excessive and wasteful. With each successive ship, the pain of the Conclave's viewers grew, particularly when the fifth ship alone had already matched the quantity of mana stones used during the Colosseum's initial construction. Yet, they didn’t stop there; instead, they went on to unload ten times that amount, as if mana stones were an endless resource, leaving the Conclave citizens bewildered and horrified by such apparent extra