The mercenary from the Syndicate, a man known as 'Viper', felt the cold sting of Ray's mana against his neck. His cybernetic eye whirred frantically, unable to track Ray's speed.
"Wait! Don't kill me!" Viper gasped, his Phase-Blade clattering to the ground. "The Council... they've locked down the entire Sector 7. You can't get back in. But I... I have a back-door."
Ray loosened his grip slightly, but the violet fire in his eyes didn't fade. "A back-door to the High City? Why would a bottom-feeder like you have access to the Council's nest?"
"Because the Syndicate runs the 'Waste-Lines'," Viper explained, his voice shaking. "We smuggle illegal tech through the automated disposal shafts that lead directly into the basement of the Hexagon's research facility. If you kill me, you'll never find the entrance."
Elara stepped forward, her tablet scanning the area for more incoming hostiles. "Ray, he's lying. It's a trap. The Waste-Lines are guarded by 'Disposal Drones' that shred anything organic."
Ray looked at the crystalline forest, now scarred by the Council's bombs, and then at Mother Gaia. "The forest can't take another hit. I need to take the fight to them."
"I'll take the risk," Ray said, turning back to Viper. "But if I smell a hint of a trap, I won't just kill you. I'll burn your soul out of your body."
They moved toward the edge of the Outlands, where a massive, rusted pipe—large enough to fit a hover-truck—jutted out from the side of a mountain. This was the 'Gate' to the belly of the beast.
"This is it," Viper pointed to a heavy biometric scanner on the pipe's side. "It needs a Council-approved chip to open. Since you're a 'Zero-Link', you're stuck."
Ray didn't say a word. He didn't need a chip. He placed his hand on the scanner. Instead of trying to bypass the security, he sent a surge of 'Destructive Mana' directly into the terminal's motherboard.
CRACK-BOOM!
The massive steel door didn't just open; it was blown off its hinges by the sheer pressure of the magic. Ray stepped into the dark, echoing tunnel, the smell of chemicals and old grease filling his nose.
"Zero-Link, you say?" Ray looked back at Viper, who was staring in absolute horror. "In my world, there are no locks. Only things I haven't decided to break yet."
As they disappeared into the darkness of the pipe, a red light began to blink deep inside the tunnel. The High City's sensors had been tripped, but Ray didn't care. He wasn't breaking in; he was coming to collect a debt.