Disclaimer before reading written in December 3rd, 2023: This chapter, among the other four that portraits the first night encounter and the early morning of the day after has been combined and improved on, please skip to it should you be wanting to watch the new one directly, or you can enjoy the old versions of those writings right here.
Lungmen city, 23:07 hours
After a long drive from Highway passes through the sign with '4.8km 南口 South Export' the SUV finally enters the CBD district of the nomadic city with the traffic isn't too crowded at this time, only a handful of vehicles are moving along the same or lanes near to them. Along the streets below the highway bridges there are neon light looking billboards written in both Chinese and English as the names of the companies and other supporting industries on buildings with similarities to the Western design. "...I have several... No, too much questions... But first got to settle down before start asking." Alex thinks to himself, keeping his head towards the windows outside.
"Enjoying the view? This is Centred, the business district of Lungmen, one of the most hectic areas around this city. We are lucky that it had passed the rush hour for a while so there wouldn't be too much of a traffic jam." Exusiai lifts her head to the rear-view mirror.
"You're nervous? Don't worry, we love to treat our fellow colleagues well. The boss does too, right Texas?" She lowered her voice lightly. "As long as there's no severe property damage that is..."
Texas didn't respond and switches on the tape player of her own during the stop at one of the red lights, where pop songs sung by a female plays from the thing.
"But you will be fine with us, we'll cross that bridge together when it comes, okay?" Despite her cheerful comfort she only received the reply of a cold nod. His eyes, the eyes of a killer. The last person she ran into with such eyes that gave her this level of despirital was Texas in their early days, but there are also a blend mix of different emotions hidden inside it separates it from the cases she encountered, yet Exusiai just couldn't tell what it is.
She blinks again and looks back directly this time, all she sees was Alex's eyes were closed already. With a smirk she climbs swiftly up and through the space between seats at the front with the help of her slim body and got to the back.
The sights of the city and the bump along the ride caused Alex's eyelids to lower. The sceneries brought his memories back to the city of Tarkov, many months ago.
The time it was in almost the end of summer in Russia. The bright sunlight of summer shines across the skies enlightened the streets that is of the rising city at day reflecting it's glorious growth. That is prior to the conflict later on dubbed and publicly known as the Contract Wars. The businesses of constantly increasing existence that is Western enterprises creating jobs and opportunities for the locals. Everything in this special economic region seems perfectly fine in order and will stay that way, at least almost everyone believed to be.
Everything was fine back then. Especially at night, where the neon lightshow is almost just as gorgeous as the ones at St. Petersburg and Moscow with the cool wind keeping the mood just right. Alex sightsees the streets from the roof on the Terragroup headquarters in downtown during his night shift with the others that got assigned. Since there's nothing much happening around the facility most people just kept their primaries slung and waiting for the shift to end, so that they can get some shut-eye.
"I miss my family back home..." One of the fellow USEC named Jack muttered with his British accent, he pulled out a pack of Red and white covered Marlboro and puts a cigarette out to his mouth. "Got a light?"
"Yeah, where is it?" Alex helps him with his Zippo, which is an Iraq war edition that got the 'Al Asad - Iraq' written on the brass lid along with an Eagle Globe and Anchor emblem engraved at the main brass of the lighter.
"It's in Grays, east of London right next to Thames. Living with my wife and a little baby girl." Jack blows out a smokecloud after a long inhale. "What about you mate?"
"Nowhere." Alex flips the cover of the Zippo shut.
"That's absolute bollocks, how could you got nowhere to live?"
"Fine, was in Old Brooklyn in Cleveland since '97. Until the rich bastards at Wall Streets stole it while I'm still in Iraq. Just weeks before they crashed the whole damn economy."
"Gosh, sorry to ask." Jack then kept his drag on the cig at his mouth.
"It's over anyways, if possible I wouldn't even want to join the any military companies and get tossed into the sandbox again, luckily they got one to station around here." Alex sighed.
"Speaking of that." He pulls it out for another blow. "With you mentioned it, where were you before 1997? They said that information in the company's files were redacted and everyone seems to be consistently making theories about you."
Alex replied with a smile and sigh.
"Come on chap, why hide it?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
"It's better off this way." Alex only replied it cold, colder than the wind that blew to their faces.
"It's alright, everyone got their secrets." After hearing it Jack then nods in understanding and takes another drag. The night shift was soon ended with another group went up to the roof in order to replace them.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk..." Lifting his chin up, the angel sighs and her head shakes. "Too young, too simple, you poor sinned abomination. You should never have get onboard a stranger's car. For thy original sin, I have booked one of the most luxurious room in hell just for you, " She slowly took the knife on Alex's belt and like a silver flash, the blade penetrated his trachea before any form of realisation could ever begin.
Caught completely by surprise like a bullet in the back, the contractor never got a chance to open his eyes ever again and brought to the forever sleep.
The body was soon kicked off at the the alley on the street where bodies like that one filled the street of Tarkov, left to rot and looted. It's not over yet. This time, as it is just being a nightmare. Who knows whether will it still be in the next time.
Slowly open his eyes again, Alex sighs speechlessly. Without a word he put his hand on his back near the spine and checks the clock at the dashboard for readjsting his watch, the time now is 2 minutes to midnight.
"I'll go park the car once you two are out." Texas loosen her pressure on the brakes.
"Okay." Exusiai releases her seat belt and prepares to open the door.
"...Don't start it just yet, I got something to unload." Alex exited the car with his sleeves unrolled and flipping open the trunk, it's the body with his backpack and a black long slinged backpack longer than the rifle he had.
"Ain't this the one from the market? Why would you bring him along?" Exusiai exited the SUV and asked, she couldn't understand the motives behind.
"What, he wouldn't need these stuff anymore. Might as well take it before someone use it to shoot me in the back." Alex replied dragging the body off the trunk after shouldering the sling on the backpack.
"It's immoral to disrespect the dead like that, and what's with that backpack?" Exusiai sighed and signalled Texas that she's free to leave.
"Noticed it nearby while moving the guy, so might as well bring it along. Chances are there'll be some goodies inside." He continues. "His body will be dealt with after this is over."
"Gosh..." Exusiai sighs again. "Lord... Please save this poor soul from his fate in the afterlife..." She prays inside with her thoughts, hoping to find her inner peace through her religious beliefs. After ending with an Amen, she heard something in a light volume.
"...Я жду ответа."
"Hmm?" She doesn't know what that easy sounding noise was.
"больше надежд нету."
She turned back to Alex who started to drag the body up up to the stairs with some effort, where he continues what he was murmuring and looked back with a smile upon notice.
"Скоро кончится лето."
"Это..." He then continues humming in a short but rapid paces of a melody before reaching to the door.
"Wait, why does it sounded so familiar, isn't that what the people in Ursus spoke? Hmm, it does sounded like a song too." Not understanding any words of it. Exusiai wonders about the questions at the door, but she doesn't have the slightest idea on how or why he knows the language.
She turns the knob and opens the door, where ahead of them greets is your typical bar with pop music. A counter with shelf load of bottles inside, at the opposite of the counter are the sets of tables and sofas enough for more than a dozen people to start a party inside. Two figures were located at the counter with one reacted by standing up when the door was opened.
"Yaho! We're back!" Exusiai shouted in her typical hyped tone.
"Looks like we can finally greet our new guy with your music Sora." The one with the visor cap and orange ponytail smiled when Exusiai entered the room.
"Yay! Let's give him a warm welcome Crois-" The yellow haired Idol in her usual dress stuttered. "...sant."
Them both simultaneously dropped their jaws as they see their new guy's appearance and action, while he waved his hand.
"... Uh, ahem. Croissant, Sora. This is Alex." Exusiai lifted her hand. "And Alex, can you give us a moment?"
He nods and set the body on the couch as the three logistics girls grouped next to each other with Exusiai tries to explain what happened at one side of the counter.
The looting on the body begins when Alex's broken gear and gloves are off to the other couch with the unloaded AR and the AK with the safety on, leaving only his pistol holster and baseball cap.
The skin of the body was pale and cold, despite without much evidence that he was shot or stabbed to death but chances are the guy still doesn't make it alive due to head trauma and many other things that can finish off the fracture human body. Otherwise he would have been waken up by Exusiai and Texas when they discovered him. Still whether if he would return to life from death or not by whatever means, the disposal of the body is still sooner the better.
The black helmet he was protected by a Ulach III A from Highcom Striker with the same peltor ComTac 2 headset on his ears that Alex is using acompanied by a 6B34 goggles. After taking all of them off the loot continues with the chest.
The armor component of it's consistent of both the 5.11 Tactical Hexgrid plate carrier and the GC-BSS-MK I Chest rig from Gear Craft, both in fine condition. On the back there's also a tactical sling bag.
"This is rare, Raiders usually don't have this kind of decent armor." He mutters, taking the sling bag off.
On the holster and scabbard at the belt, there's a Glock 17 and a survival machete, typical SCAV Raider gear.
The clothes and shoes doesn't even match as they are oversized, not worth the time to strip and loot. All that's left to search are the two backpacks and the pockets in the pouches.
In the meantime Exusiai explained the whole situation to them according to her knowledge of the situation from reaching the market up to this point.
"I... See... So that's how he got here." Sora nodded nervously.
"But, why would Mostima bring someone she never knows before here, not to mention he looks so weird? That doesn't act like her." Croissant added.
Exusiai sighed, she doesn't know how to answer properly. " I don't know as well... Maybe the boss would've just toss him to Rhodes Island to examine but she sounded like she trust him."
"We just never be able to read her mind." Croissant patted Exusiai's shoulder.
"By the way, where's boss?" Exusiai rests her arm on the counter.
"Still inside his office, making a phone call with probably RI about the upcoming delivery orders to them." Croissant shrugs.
"Hey... Why are there so many guns on the couch?" Sora pointed at Alex's direction, they all saw him striping the magazine out of a handgun and pulls the slide again in an easy manner.
"I have no idea, but it's quite impressive for him to weld two, if not all those." Exusiai smirks.
"More than two?! Even most Sanktas like you only got one for self defense or other use. How can he use that many there?" Croissant asked, with Sora went literally speechless by shock.
"Shi, shi. You're too loud." Exusiai shushed. "Though honestly, seeing him got himself all wet, we should get him some fresh clothes before letting him meet the boss. You two remember where the stash of clothes for male was?"
"Sorry." Croissant lowered her voice and pointed the door next to the counter. "It should still be in the blue locker in the restroom."
Exusiai then stood up and heads for the restroom, with Croissant and Sora continuing their discussion.
"What race do you think he is." Croissant holds her head. "He's got no ears and horns on his head, no flurry tails, no halo and wings. Hard to guess."
"He does look like a rare breed of Pythia though, only missing the typical long black tail of theirs." Sora pointed out her view.
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain the guns and the pile of things there." Croissant scratched her head. "I heard some security companies have it but then some models were completely new to me."
"Hmm." The door to the restroom was opened before Sora could reply with anything.
"Hey Alex, I brought you some clothes. Come to the restroom and change it." Exusiai waved her free hand with the other holding a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Yeah, wait a sec." Alex gets up and turned around for reply, not aware that the supposingly dead body opened his eyes.
"Is he capable to work with us though, we got into fights with the Siracuras all the time. He might not be able to-" Croissant's question was interrupted by a shout and a grunt at the sofa.
Alex was ambushed by the 'Dead' body that Exusiai and Texas claims to be. The raider takes his 1911 from behind and kicked him onto the ground then aimed the gun against his head. None of the girls see that coming and fear that this is the end of the new employee.
"Умереть сука!" (Die bitch!)
A hard click was squeezed onto the trigger.
Nothing happened to the 1911.
"Xа? Yмри!" (Huh? Die!) The second click was attempted but ended in another futile, the trigger didn't even budge.
"What?!" Everyone got that reaction except for Alex who knew exactly what caused this outcome. Leans up and dragged down the raider by his arm holding the gun. A fist found it's target onto the raider's face before he could react.
"Ax, Блядь!" (Ah, fuck!). With a push the raider found himself suddenly knocked onto the ground and tries to recover, but Alex doesn't give him any chances. A kick was already coming his way by the time he gets a hold of himself.
With another grunt his chin bites the dust, the 1911 dropped onto the ground now with both his hands came loose. His head was then lifted from behind and slammed onto the ground back and forth a couple times before a pause.
That pause wasn't because of mercy, but started with a click before a bang.
The girls' ears went ringing for a second that keeps them from an eye on the fight. As they looked back on the aftermath the floor above the individual that was fighting with Alex was painted by expanding blood from the head like the flip of a paint can. Alex, on the other hand, wipes his face from the blood spilled onto him calmly and stand back up with the handgun held firmly.
"... I take that back." Croissant looked at Sora after her ear ringing have ceased.
Alex looked down to the finally dead raider. "Guess that Striker Fire serves you too well huh."
"Ayo! Who's the noisy a** motherf**ker lookin' for some a** kickin'!" A penguin in hat, sunglasses and a figure printed t-shirt storms out of the right of the counter door with a Desert Eagle. Both pistols was then aimed towards each others' owner at the same time, prepared for a mutually assured destruction.
"Boss, Don't! He is the new employee Mostima found!" Croissant shouted with Sora rushed over to him immediately.
"Alex, put down the gun. That one you're aiming is our boss!" Exusiai puts down the clothes and hurries over as well.
With the girls' convincing the two male involved inside the standoff eventually lowered their weapons.
"Consider yourself lucky, for not tastin' my lil' Homie's wrath!" The penguin yelled setting his Desert Eagle back into the suitcase he brought along with.
Alex only put his 1911 back into the Safariland holster quietly after flipping the thumb safety back on.
"He's the Emperor, our boss as said before." Exusiai puts her hand on Alex's shoulder again.
"Boss, need a drink to calm down?" Croissant asked ready to get up from her seat.
"No." He then turned to Alex. "New guy, clean up your mess and get your a** to me in the office after." The penguin then slowly stumbles back in his office with the suitcase.
"Don't worry, I'll help you. Exusiai pats with her hand. "We'll cross the bridges together, remember? Now let's think of how to get rid of this body first."
"Got any spare gasoline?" Alex asked looking at her.
"Excuse me? What is that?" Even Sora and Croissant turned to gaze in a confused manner.
"What, it's gasoline. The liquid fuel that runs the car you guys drove." Alex tries to explain with the simplest way.
"All our vehicles runs in Originium..." Sora is the first one to speak from the frozen atmosphere.
"What the fuck." Alex can't believe what he was hearing.
"How do I say this... There is no such thing as 'Gasoline' here, everything runs in Originium. I thought you might know that?" Sora returns with a question that puts Alex into silence.
"There is a sewer hatch not too far at the alley next to us, let's just..." Croissant stutters. "put him inside."
The others who can't think of a better choice agreed and start working on it. Sora and Exusiai do the mopping while Alex and Croissant moves the body to the ditch.
Meanwhile at the nightstands somewhere in Lungmen. A fishballs was served at one of the stalls.
"Here you go, enjoy." The stall owner hands over the fishballs in a paper cup with long toothpicks.
"Thank you." The red haired Liberi hands over the LMDs before she takes her cup.
"... What you're looking at." She turned over to the blue angel behind her.
"Oh, just 'overseeing' my persistent overseer." The angel chuckles and the two started to walk along the street afterwards.
"You're up for something, I'm sure of it." The Liberi holds the cup to her right opposed to the angel.
"Oh, how can you protect someone you couldn't trust?" The angel asked in return.
"Ugh, you're so annoying." The Liberi lifts the toothpick and take her bite.
"Pffft! It's spicy?!" She then coughs uncontrollably. Using the cough as distraction the angel makes her escape.
"I knew it, you *Laterano slang* ! Get back here, Mostima!" She dropped her cup in rage and starts chasing down the prankster with fury, who slipped spicy hot sauce into the fishballs with her unique ability.
An: Almost writing like 80 to 90% of this stuff started at 8pm and now it's 4 in the morning, what the hell. Btw see if you can figure out what song Alex was singing when he dragged the body to the PL bar, it's a good one I assure you.
PS on the guessing game eight hours after publicising, since Suicidal-Kun have figured out what it is, kudos to him btw. The answer is Konchitsya Leto (Summer will be over soon) by the Soviet Rock band Kino. Going to post the video with English lyrics right below for saving others' time to search, enjoy.