Speed Is King

Ten massive drones the size of an urban SUV descended rapidly from the sky. They were simple in design – Huge rectangular boxes with flight modules installed on two sides.

They fell so fast that all of the seven surviving human beings shouted in fear and scattered as they distanced themselves from the projected area of impact.

Camelia and Kara, however, stood calmly next to Elliot. Their trust for him had grown exponentially and Elliot’s calm demeanor toward the falling drones allowed them to look at the drones with more curiosity than fear.

At twenty meters above the ground, the thrusters on the drones suddenly burst into life and slowed their descent sufficiently for a soft and gentle touch down, an amazing feat that even Elliot had to applaud.

“Technology.” Elliot’s hyper enhanced mind immediately grasped on a crucial thought.

“The aliens are not only powerful because of the magic they wield, but also because of the technology they have. I must grow in power in a balanced manner if I want to successfully take them on. I must combine magic and technology.”

The thought slowly bloomed and blossomed deep within Elliot’s subconscious, and would soon emerge as one of the stronger forces that would drive his decisions in the near future.

[Congratulations! Ten fully customized rewards had been delivered.]

[Please place your palm on any part of the drone for a biometric unlocking of your prize.]

[Elliot Musk, your contribution value is at 99%]

[Please proceed to drone number ONE and receive your rewards.]

[Event area lockdown released. Please remain aware of your surroundings.]

“I’m ranked second! YEAH!! Rewards! Let’s go and check them out!” Camelia squealed loudly with bright shining eyes. She had conveniently overlooked her contribution value which was probably just slightly more than 0.5%.

Camelia shouldered her two laser rifles and bounded towards the drone with a huge number “two” on it excitedly.

Elliot looked at Camelia with a bemused smile before glancing at Kara, who happened to be looking at Elliot as well.

They shared a quick smile before following Camelia to approach the Number 2 Drone.

“I love rewards!” Camelia said excitedly to Elliot and Kara when she heard them approaching. Both her hands were already firmly placed on the Drone’s smooth exterior and it was already humming lightly as it authenticated her identity.

BSH!

The Drone’s entire side opened up.

“KYAAAA!!!” Camelia squealed once more, this time with extreme happiness! She was happy and excited that she began to hop lightly on the spot!

Elliot peered past her shoulder and saw a long and beautiful rifle encased in an exquisite, transparent case with the words “Hyper Long Range Sniper/Assault Laser-Powered Rifle” engraved on the top in big, bold letters.

In English.

It was as though the aliens feared that the recipient of their rewards would fail to identify what the reward was.

Within the rifle case was also a little device which had the words “TUTORIAL” in big bold letters as well placed above a button.

“Do I…” Camelia hesitated slightly when she saw the strange device.

“Just take it and press the button. The device will emit some sort of psionic wave which would transmit whatever information you need to know directly into your brain. It’s totally safe.” Elliot assured her.

“Right.” Camelia immediately took the device and then fell into trance as information began to flood her mind.

Elliot looked closely at the rifle, and realized that he had seen one just like that before.

A few weeks before he died in the previous iteration, he met a middle aged Asian man who was sprawled on the ground in the middle of nowhere, half-dead from hunger and thirst. Usually, Elliot would have simply finished him off and looted his dead body.

But for some unknown reason, a powerful surge of sympathy suddenly washed over him and he decided to save the middle aged man.

After feeding him some food and water, Elliot carried his thin and weak body to a safer place and left him there with a day’s worth of supplies. He even left the man’s main weapon, the exact same rifle that Camelia was caressing at that moment, with him.

He had no idea what happened to the man, or if he even survived the night.

But somehow, he didn’t regret his actions. In fact, Elliot even felt good about it.

And seeing the rifle once more stirred the memories of that strange moment in Elliot’s mind.

“It’s perfect!” Camelia said happily as the tutorial ended.

“The rifle has two modes, Sniper and Assault. In Sniper mode, it will fire a high -intensity laser beam which could pierce through even mecha armor! In Assault, it could fire a middle intensity laser beam continuously for THIRTY full minutes before having to recharge! It’s ridiculous. With this, I would be able to unleash my full potential in battles!”

“Good. Very, very good!” Elliot was pleased. His elite sharpshooter had just become serious force to be reckoned with.

“You still have another reward.” Kara suddenly said and pointed at a small box next to the rifle cast.

“Huh? Hey, you’re right! Let me see what’s in it!” Camelia placed the beautiful HLRS/ALP Rifle back its case gently and then quickly opened the small box which was barely the size of her palm.

“Pills?” Camelia frowned lightly in confusion. The small box contained three small vials which had different tags on them. “Strength… Five pills. Speed… Two pills. Intelligence… Two pills.”

“Hmmm. Those pills are extremely useful for you. I suggest you consume them now.” Elliot nodded in satisfaction. There was no need to explain what they did because it was quite obvious.

The boost in strength, speed and intelligence would definitely make Camelia a much more reliable sidekick!

“Ok.” Camelia immediately opened the vials and poured the contents into her mouth and swallowed them.

“Kara, wana open your rewards?” Elliot asked her.

“Of course!” Kara grinned prettily and led the trio to the Number 3 Drone.

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