But before all that Randidly had a decision As it was the easiest opponent Randidly had built these drones to deal with the flood of Raid Bosses Perhaps they too were a result of the rising thickness of Aether but that felt wrong to Randidly They werenÆt more powerful there were just more of them Specifically Raid Bosses were concentrated very strongly in populated areas
These would solve that They would rip through most Raid Bosses like a hot knife through butter But
These were powerful things They bore the workings of Randidly Ghosthound and were likely quite a few years ahead of what other humans could accomplish Sure with the technology and methods of production people would catch up more rapidly but that almost made it worse Ghost would figure out how to make lesser things based upon his methods
That was the real catch Randidly didnÆt trust Ghost But people were dying He couldnÆt be everywhere Although Ghost might use these weapons for evil Randidly sensed it likely that Raid Bosses would be the victims in the short term
Randidly reached out a hand and pet one of his Reaver Crushers He had based the frame on the physique of a gorilla If a gorilla was double its normal size could have shoulder spikes and plasma knives for fingers Randidly looked over at his other two creations
All had been built without projectiles But they were constructed with some of his highest quality mid tier steel that he made They would suffice
The Hunter Seeker model was built with the Death Cultists from the Raid Dungeon in mind Their destructive power wasnÆt high but they were mobile and durable However if they were able to work on a target the high frequency drills in their arms would rip through most physical barriers
Meanwhile the Stalker Reapers took the most work They were built a little like spiders but they had four short legs and four long ones The longer legs were thick and powerful enabling them to leap easily Or at least Randidly hoped There was a body at the meeting point of those four legs but the real valuable bits were underneath that torso There hanging dangerously were the four smaller limbs that were basically just butcher knives Those knives were the most difficult part They were filled with technology to make them vibrate until even a dulled edge would rip through metal and flesh
There was another reason why Randidly chose to push the technology in the direction of durable close range drones If Zone 1 ever went to war with Zone 32 he wanted no part in creating a weapon that would be difficult to defend against To the people of Zone 32 these were simply another form of monster
Even with that reassurance he looked at the 15 drones for a long time before he called Henrik He had made five of each He would present them all to the man then head to this party with him Hopefully he would downplay them at the time and not deal with anymore weeping
Was this too fast Would he stand out Undoubtedly But people were dying He had to throw a bit of the caution to the wind Besides Neveah was solidly in place as his old identity Even if Ghost suspected something was off it would likely be a local political thing due to his interactions with Tatiana
As Randidly considered his gleaming inventions what ultimately decided whether to give the people of Zone 1 these tools was a selfish reason Randidly had spent almost two months now working on the foundations for these drones And the whole time he had a blast For a drone that was so much fun to make
It would be a shame if no one saw it in action
Besides
Randidly flexed his hand If someone believed they could wield the knives he had created better than he could Let them try It would be a nice diversion from all of the actual threats he was facing
Chapter 562
Randidly was awkwardly pulling at the collar of his fitted suit when he received the message from Dinesh
Found another base ItÆs a big one About 5 times as large as the previous ones
Randidly froze He was sitting in the back of a car with Tatiana and Henrik Unfortunately Davey had to cancel to inspect RandidlyÆs new drones when they were given over to the administrators at the drone complex This left them with only Henrik to guide him Henrik was typing excitedly with his assistants who were examining the drones that Randidly had provided for them earlier Tatiana was coming as his date He had promised to ask her out to dinner after all
But in a second Randidly prepared to throw that all to the side How many people do they have
None right now Dinesh replied Randidly relaxed somewhat
continue to watch Although itÆs annoying tonight might yield useful information But at the slightest hint that someone is in there
Got it
Breathing out through his nose Randidly folded his arms Tatiana tsk ed at him
If you are uncomfortable you shouldnÆt have worn a suit It looks good but not if you are going to glare at everything all night
Randidly chuckled ItÆs not the suit
TatianaÆs eyes went to Henrik who was sitting in the front passenger seat Ah Is it these drones Is what you did that impressive
YouÆd be surprised Randidly said mildly He supposed he could try to explain but he would rather see her face when she witnessed what one of his drones could do Although that thought made him cringe somewhat He had tested them a little but not to the point of absolute confidence They worked in a laboratory setting but it remained to be seen how they would fare in the field
Best leave that to the professionals however Randidly was here to finally see what the upper crust lived like After all for all the months he had spent here he had never been actually into the nearby city of Tonna It was a Tier II city which meant it couldnÆt rival the East and West Providences but neither was it a border city People with power would be here if just in passing for the charity dinner
It was apparently a big ordeal So big that they had invited celebrities
Luckily Tia and her new fiancee Randidly Ghosthound were forced to cancel After all the news was reporting that Senator Firefly was the subject of a kidnapping attempt and only through the heroic actions of Randidly was he able to escape
Honestly the thought of criminals trying to get past Neveah to strike at someone was somewhat amusing There were some rumors floating around that the methods Randidly Ghosthound had used in the defense of Senator Firefly were brutal to say the least However no pictures surfaced and as such the statement didnÆt make much of a dent in the public consciousness
But still Randidly felt a thin jolt of pity When Neveah fought she was absolutely vicious
Sirs and madam we are here The driver announced
Annoyed Henrik looked up from his small laptop What Oh yes the dinner Well I suppose it canÆt be helped Come on in
They got out of the car Randidly glanced at Tatiana who was looking up at the building with tight lips It was a tall building in RandidlyÆs opinion but that was because it was at least 20 stories Buildings like that didnÆt survive in Zone 32 outside of Franksburg Will you be alright being here
Yes but it might get a little ugly She gave Randidly a toothy grin I hope you donÆt mind if I use your reputation a bit tonight I have a feeling my partner will be exquisitely disappointed to find he missed the chance to get an introduction to Baloo Erickson drone maker
Randidly reached up and gripped TatianaÆs upper arm As he did so his eyes burned into hers ItÆs not a big deal but be careful I tried to warn you before There will be a fallout around me eventually I wonÆt stay as a drone maker forever The more you are implicated with me
Tatiana stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed him
This was very very different from the last time a woman surprised Randidly with a kiss Tia was a child basically Tatiana was a woman and very good at kissing
It was light and purposeful and it left Randidly burning Tatiana pulled away and smiled up at him