Outside the Techbolzen System

The alleyway smells of wet concrete and machine oil. Somewhere above, a neon sign hums, casting violet glimmers against the walls. A surveillance drone drifts past with a quiet whir; its red eye lingers for a second on the dark figure by the door before flying on.

You stand before an old, battered door with a faded sign. It seems this basement establishment was forgotten long before you were even born. You knock.

The door is opened by a man wearing welding goggles pushed up onto his forehead and a black tactical vest. He’s slightly out of breath, his hands stained with traces of machine oil.

Neo

—Whoa... Look who it is... Are you the ones who called? Honestly, we aren't even hiring for—

He is cut off by a girl in white nano-fabric, who unceremoniously shoves him aside with her shoulder. She has a pink bob, and an implant glimmers at her temple. She speaks through gritted teeth, clearly irritated:

Falla

—Ahem, ahem... Our mechanic meant to say that we need people VERY badly. Right?!

Neo pushes his goggles up further and nods nervously.

Neo

—Ehh... Yes, yes! Of course! Ahem... Please, follow me inside...

But Falla pushes him back and stands right in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her gaze is sharp, calculating.

Falla

—We can't afford to delay; our first phase is coming up soon. To put it briefly, we are a team fighting against the hackers who control people via chips. It's a long road, but it's worth it. My name is Falla. Answer me. First: your name? Second: do you have a chip? Third: are you ready for "that kind" of work? On the bright side, we pay damn well!

From deep within the corridor, passing through a room filled with equipment, a girl in a red-and-black skirt walks by. She is carrying a heavy case with a barrel protruding from it.

Reddy

—Falla, if this one passes out again, I'm not carrying him. We're already low on energy.

To the left, sitting at an old desk cluttered with monitors, is a man in a black tank top and sunglasses. He doesn't look away from the screen, lazily flipping a coin between his fingers.

Ron

—Reddy, let the person through. Maybe they can at least brew us some coffee. Neo's always spilling everything. Or at least sing properly in the shower, right Neo?

Neo grumbles something indignantly under his breath, adjusting his goggles. Falla watches you intently, without blinking. The surveillance drone flies past once more, its red eye lingering on you for a second before dissolving into the neon haze.

Outside the Techbolzen System

Description

Your chip knows everything about you. Even the things you would prefer to forget. In a world where the government tracks your every move and hackers have learned to manipulate people through their implants, anonymity has become a luxury. But the resistance is still alive. One day, you find a phone number scrawled on a wall in a dark alley. An answering machine provides an address. And suddenly, you are standing before the old, forgotten door of a basement establishment, unaware that behind it lies a team ready to defy the system. You are met by four unchipped individuals: Falla—a leader with icy composure; Rebecca—a fighter with a heavy temperament; Ron—a hacker with a sharp tongue; and Neo—a mechanic with golden hands. They are looking for people. And perhaps, you are exactly who they need. Your country: "Techbolzen" The Hacker Nation that must be purged of intruders: "Velcode"