The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 323

Chapter 323: 323 | The Incident at Meridian Technologies

"That’s the point." I slurped ramen. The broth was perfect, pork bone richness layered over a de pth of flavor that made me briefly consider whether the cafeteria chef had an Aspect specifically designed for noodle preparation. "Dravid doesn’t want you to hit harder. He wants you to think about why you’re hitting at all."

"See, that’s the problem." Caden stole one of Marco’s chips. Marco noticed but chose violence through silence rather than confrontation, which was his way of establishing that the debt would be collected at a later and more inconvenient time. "I’m great at hitting. Thinking about hitting takes all the fun out of hitting."

"You literally turned invisible during the entrance exam and let other people do the hitting for you."

"That’s different. That was strategic invisibility."

"Strategic cowardice," Marco corrected.

"Strategic cowardice is a valid tactical philosophy and I will die on that hill."

"Dying on hills is what happens when your tactical philosophy is cowardice."

The table had its own rhythm by now, conversations overlapping and branching like roots beneath the surface. Felicity asked Rina about her tea. Finn said something to Theo about leverage angles that made Theo reconsider his entire approach to grappling. Percy documented everything without appearing to, his pen moving between bites of chicken with the consistency of a metronome.

I was halfway through my short ribs when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Then buzzed again. Then a third time in rapid succession, which was the universal signal for either an emergency or Sloane having opinions about something.

I pulled it out expecting pink-haired aggression.

Instead, the screen showed a news alert.

BREAKING: INCIDENT AT MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGIES HEADQUARTERS. EMERGENCY SERVICES RESPONDING TO REPORTED ASPECT DISCHARGE IN UPPER FLOORS. BUILDING EVACUATION IN PROGRESS.

My ramen suddenly tasted like nothing.

I knew Meridian Technologies. Everyone in Verano knew Meridian Technologies. They occupied a forty-story glass tower in the financial district, the kind of building that made the skyline look like it was trying too hard. The company sat at the intersection of hero-tech manufacturing and private sector Aspect research, producing everything from costume materials to combat analytics software. Their CEO, a man named Roland Richards, had been profiled in approximately every business publication that existed, usually alongside photos of himself standing in front of increasingly expensive things while wearing increasingly expensive suits.

"Hey." Caden’s voice lost its casual register. He was looking at his own phone, his hazel eyes focused in a way that stripped away the class clown entirely and left something considerably sharper underneath. "You guys seeing this?"

The table went quiet in the specific way that happens when twenty teenagers who are training to respond to emergencies suddenly encounter an actual emergency happening in real time on their phones.

Felicity’s blue eyes widened as she scrolled through the alert. "Meridian Technologies. That’s the hero-tech company in downtown, right? The one that does the costume fabrication contracts?"

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