It had been three days since the deal with the Institute, and the installation was finally complete. The solakris generator had been connected to the power system, providing electricity for the entire Temple Hill.
In the underground bunker beneath the temple, only four people were present—Kang, Lena, Xiao Yun, and Kotori. Pedro was outside keeping watch. The place was a secret even from the other Orphans members not out of mistrust, but simply because the fewer people who knew about it, the safer it would remain.
Kotori was making final adjustments to a generator before linking it to the main power grid. The bunker itself had been built as a fallout shelter, complete with its own power and underground water filtration system. Naturally, the Institute knew nothing about it. All they were aware of was the generator they had installed in Lena's room, holding the violet solakris.
"I thought only the Institute knew how to bootleg a solakris generator?" Kang asked, watching Kotori work.
"Yes, Koko didn't know how before. But after she saw their modified generator, she could easily make another one." Lena said proudly.
Xiao Yun looked at Kotori with admiration. Like Kang, she had never been much for studying, both of them being what you might call "muscle brains." That was why she deeply respected smart people.
"Before joining the Orphans, Koko went to the most prestigious school in Slum 9 Inner Zone. Without her, we'd still be just a bunch of lowlifes without a clue what to do with our lives. Simply put, she's the brain of our gang."
Lena continued with her praises. Kang noticed Kotori's ears turning slightly red, though she tried to hide it and focus on her work. Heh, how cute.
He was curious about her reason for joining the Orphans but held his tongue. From his own experience, stories like that rarely ended on a happy note. Instead, he looked around the bunker.
"Still, this is a great place. Can't believe they've got something like this right under that old temple."
"Yeah, it surprised me too," Xiao Yun nodded. It was also her first time seeing the place.
"Koko found it when she was checking the old building plans for the whole Temple Hill. We destroyed every record of it afterward, of course. This'll be our last fallback spot if things go south. Who knows what kind of drek this world might throw at us, right?"
Both Kang and Xiao Yun nodded. It was never a bad idea to have a hidden safehouse, and this place doubled as the perfect location for their secret generator. It used their best solakris crystal, a yellow one. Kotori had secretly connected the bunker to the main power system so that they would draw energy from this generator instead, leaving the violet solakris generator as a decoy.
Based on what Ice had said about the cost efficiency of higher-ranked crystals, Kang estimated that a yellow solakris was about a hundred times more powerful than a violet one. That meant it could power the entire Temple Hill for at least half a year before completely depleted, and only take about two days to fully recharge. The recharging cost was also minimal so from now on, the Orphans were basically "electric-free."
Not to mention, they still had a green solakris as backup. No more worrying about electricity for the rest of their lives. Gotta contact Rosaline soon and thank her for this priceless gift, Kang thought.
The bunker itself was deep underground and surprisingly spacious, built to shelter around fifty people. There were three dormitories with fifteen bunk beds each, plus five private rooms meant for families. It even had a large recreation area, a full kitchen, and shared bathrooms. The water filtration system and power generator had their own dedicated engine room, where the group was currently standing, along with two storerooms—one of them a cold storage unit for preserving food.
All in all, whoever built this place must have been extremely thorough with their doomsday preparations. And extremely rich as well.
Brzzz.
A low humming sound broke Kang's train of thought. Kotori had finished booting up the generator, and it was running smoothly without a hitch.
"Yup, perfect. With that, we're done here!"
Kotori slipped off her tech gloves and stood up, clearly satisfied with her work.
"Great job, Koko!" Lena said, happily giving Kotori a tight hug.
"Let's get up then~"
Kang said as he stretched. The bunker might be impressive, but to him, it felt like a tomb—cold, sealed, and lifeless. He didn't like that feeling one bit. Xiao Yun quickly agreed, she probably felt the same way.
"And it's time for your private lesson, Lena!"
The moment those words left Kang's mouth, Lena dropped to her knees in despair. Xiao Yun and Kotori both tried their best not to laugh at her pitiful state. Still, there was a faint glint of envy in Xiao Yun's eyes before she quickly shook her head, reminding herself that Kang wanted her to focus on the Core Forms for now.
They made their way out of the bunker, with Kang literally dragging a sulking Lena behind him.
-----
"Can't we just enjoy ourselves today? We just got electricity, you know?"
Lena was still whining as they made their way to the practice ground. Her last two days had been nothing but endless training with that hellish technique. Morning practice, afternoon practice, night practice… and then the backlash from her cyberware legs sent her into heat, forcing her to spend another two hours each night "cooling down" with Kang.
Still, the results were undeniable. Lena had begun to move like she was in a trance, her body flowing naturally, each step precise and efficient. Every motion aimed at reaching the next footprint without any wasted effort. She had no idea what use this could have in real combat, but her body was starting to understand something deeper.
"Well, we can always enjoy ourselves after you finish morning practice, right?"
Kang smiled, not slowing his pace.
"Hmph… fine! I'll show you that the great Lena can overcome anything you throw at her. Bleh!"
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"I'm looking forward to that!"
Kang's mischievous grin should've been enough warning, unfortunately Lena didn't notice that.
A few minutes later, Lena understood why he had smiled like that.
"What. The. Frag. Are. Those?"
The familiar circle of footprints was still there, but now there were new additions—wooden poles lined up on both sides of the track, each topped with a single arm-like stick. It looked less like training and more like an obstacle course built by a madman.
"Simply following the footprints has become a little too easy for you, so I added these." Kang's grin was pure evil. "Same practice, but now try to avoid those wooden arms while you move."
"How am I supposed to do that?!"
Lena shouted, on the verge of tears. How could she be so naive to think he'd let her take it easy today? Of course not, he just had to make her life more miserable. Damn this sadistic drek!
"Why are you asking me? I'm only here to watch the great Lena overcome anything I throw at her~"
"You're evil! I hate you! Waaahh!"
Lena glared daggers at him but still stepped into the circle, determined to start her training. Kang smiled approvingly. Very admirable. She deserved some encouragement, so he offered it in the warmest tone he could muster.
"Don't worry, this is only the beginning!"