Location: Core Disciple Villa #1 – The Garden Terrace

  Time: Noon (The Day of the Heist)

  ?The terrace was set perfectly. Silk cushions, a table made of floating driftwood, and a view of the clouds.

  ?Aris (Han Xiao) stood by the table, checking the temperature of the teapot.

  ?"Is the sedative active?" Aris whispered.

  ?"It is not a sedative," Mo corrected from the doorway. "It is Neural-Relaxant harvested from the Titan's medical bay. It doesn't knock you out; it just makes your tactile nerves numb for ten minutes. He won't feel the scanner on your glove."

  ?"Perfect."

  ?A chime sounded at the gate.

  ?Elder Mist-Walker had arrived.

  ?He was a round, jovial man wearing robes embroidered with silver clouds. He floated into the courtyard on a literal cloud of mist, looking every bit the immortal sage who enjoyed the finer things in life.

  ?"Disciple Han Xiao!" The Elder beamed, landing softly. "I heard you have a tea that tastes like starlight? A bold claim."

  ?"Elder!" Aris bowed low, wearing his synthetic glove on his right hand (disguised as a silk glove). "It is an honor! Please, sit! The tea was harvested from a... very old ruin in Sector 12. It has been fermenting in zero-gravity for ten thousand years."

  ?The Elder's eyes lit up. "Zero-gravity fermentation? Fascinating."

  ?He sat down.

  ?Aris poured. The liquid was deep purple and sparkled with actual suspended light particles (nanites).

  ?Elder Mist-Walker took a sip.

  ?His eyes widened. The nanites stimulated his taste buds with data-packets of "Flavor." It was the best thing he had ever tasted because it was programmed to be.

  ?"Heavenly!" The Elder sighed, his body relaxing into the cushions. "I feel my meridians opening! The Qi... it is so smooth!"

  ?"It is potent, Elder," Aris warned, pouring another cup. "It makes the body feel... weightless."

  ?They drank for an hour. Aris flattered him ("You look so young, Elder!"), fed him exotic snacks (dehydrated space-rations), and kept the tea flowing.

  ?By the fifth cup, Elder Mist-Walker was swaying slightly. The Neural-Relaxant had kicked in.

  ?"Han Xiao," the Elder slurred slightly, patting Aris's shoulder. "You are a good boy. A bit stupid, yes. But you have good taste. If Iron-Fist tries to bully you again, you tell him Mist-Walker is your patron!"

  ?"You are too kind, Elder!" Aris fell to his knees in fake gratitude. "I am unworthy! Please, allow me to shake the hand that guides our sect's logistics!"

  ?It was a weird request, but the Elder was high on space-tea.

  ?"Ha! Stand up, boy!"

  ?The Elder extended his hand.

  ?Aris reached out.

  ?CONTACT.

  ?Aris squeezed the Elder's hand.

  ?[System Active: Biometric Copy]

  [Scanning Dermal Ridges...]

  [Scanning Qi Signature...]

  [Duplicating...]

  ?The synthetic glove on Aris's hand vibrated microscopically. It reshaped itself, molding its fingerprints to match the Elder's exactly. It even absorbed a trace amount of the Elder's sweat and Qi to mimic his bio-scent.

  ?"Thank you, Elder!" Aris held the hand for exactly three seconds. "I feel the power flowing into me!"

  ?"Yes, yes," the Elder chuckled, pulling his hand back (he didn't feel the scan due to the numbness). "Don't get greedy."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  ?He stood up, wobbling slightly on his cloud.

  ?"I must go. I have to inspect the Vault perimeter before my nap. This tea... it makes me sleepy."

  ?"Safe travels, Elder!" Aris waved.

  ?As the Elder floated away, disappearing over the cliff edge, Aris's smile vanished.

  ?He looked at his gloved right hand. The fingertips were now a perfect replica of Mist-Walker's.

  ?"We have the Key," Aris said.

  ?He checked the time.

  ?"Sunset in four hours. The Puppet Sect launches their attack at dusk. Mo, suit up."

  ?Location: The Abyssal Prison – Sub-Level 4

  Time: Dusk

  ?The Prison was a fortress buried deep under the mountain. It held the worst criminals: Demon Cultivators, Void Beasts, and political prisoners.

  ?Suddenly, the air in the cell block shimmered.

  ?[Space-Time Distortion Detected.]

  ?A portal tore open. Not a cultivation portal. A Warp Gate.

  ?Three metal pods shot out of the gate and slammed into the prison floor.

  ?CRASH.

  ?The pods opened.

  ?Out stepped War-Puppets. They were ten feet tall, made of black adamantine, with buzz-saws for hands and glowing red eyes.

  ?"OBJECTIVE: TITAN WARHEAD," the lead Puppet announced. "SEARCH AND RETRIEVE."

  ?The prison guards—Level 50 disciples—drew their swords.

  ?"Intruders! Sound the alarm!"

  ?The Puppets opened fire. Plasma bolts filled the hallway.

  ?"OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. ENGAGING LETHAL FORCE."

  ?WEE-OOO-WEE-OOO.

  ?The alarm wailed across the entire Myriad Beasts Mountain.

  ?Location: The Vault of Thousand Weapons – The Entrance

  Time: Simultaneous

  ?Chaos erupted above ground. Elders were flying toward the prison. Disciples were panicking.

  ?"The Puppet Sect is attacking!"

  "They bypassed the outer shield!"

  "Protect the Prison!"

  ?In the shadow of the Administration Hall, two figures stood perfectly still.

  ?Aris and Mo were wrapped in Null-Suits. They were invisible to thermal and Qi scans.

  ?They stood before the massive bronze doors of the Vault.

  ?"The diversion worked," Aris whispered (though the Void-Walker boots absorbed the sound). "The guards have left to reinforce the prison."

  ?He looked at the keypad next to the door. It wasn't a keypad. It was a hand-scanner embedded in stone.

  ?[Security: Handprint Required (Elder Rank).]

  ?Aris stepped forward. He swallowed a Stasis Pill.

  ?Thump... thump...

  ?His heart rate slowed. His body temperature dropped to match the stone walls.

  ?He raised his right hand—the one wearing the Mimic Glove.

  ?He pressed it against the stone scanner.

  ?HUMMM.

  ?The stone absorbed the Qi signature. It read the fingerprints.

  ?[Identity Confirmed: Elder Mist-Walker.]

  [Welcome, Logistician.]

  ?The massive bronze doors groaned. Ancient gears turned. The doors cracked open just enough for a human to slip through.

  ?Aris slipped inside. Mo followed.

  ?The doors closed behind them.

  ?Silence.

  ?They were in.

  ?Location: The Vault – Antechamber

  Time: The Quiet Run

  ?The Vault was not a room. It was a labyrinth of shelves stretching for miles. Floating lights illuminated rows of legendary swords, armor made of dragon scales, and jars of pills that could revive the dead.

  ?"Don't touch anything," Aris projected telepathically. "Every item is weight-sensitive. You pick up a coin, and the ceiling drops on us."

  ?They walked down the central aisle.

  ?Aris's HUD projected the path.

  ?"300 meters to the Forbidden Zone. Elder Steel-Soul is sitting at the intersection."

  ?They moved like ghosts. The Void-Walker Boots lived up to their name; they stepped on stone, but made no sound. They displaced air, but the suit absorbed the turbulence.

  ?Ahead, sitting on a stone mat in the middle of the hallway, was Elder Steel-Soul.

  ?He was a withered old man with bandaged eyes. A rusted sword lay across his knees.

  ?[Scan: Elder Steel-Soul]

  [Status: Meditating.]

  [Detection Range: Omnidirectional.]

  ?Aris stopped ten meters away.

  ?He signaled Mo: Wait here.

  ?Aris crept forward. He had to walk past the Elder to reach the inner sanctum.

  ?Five meters.

  ?The Elder's ear twitched.

  ?Aris froze. His heart beat once. Thump.

  ?The Stasis Pill kept the next beat from happening for sixty seconds.

  ?The Elder frowned. He tilted his head. He had heard... something? A shift in air pressure?

  ?He reached for his sword.

  ?Aris held his breath.

  ?Suddenly, the ground shook slightly.

  ?BOOM.

  ?Far above them, the Puppet Sect detonated a breaching charge in the prison. The vibration traveled down through the mountain rock.

  ?The Elder relaxed his hand.

  ?"The prison..." Steel-Soul muttered. "Noisy today."

  ?He went back to meditation.

  ?Aris exhaled (slowly). He moved.

  ?He slipped past the Elder, inches away from the rusted sword.

  ?He reached the Forbidden Zone.

  ?There it was.

  ?The Gravity Well. The black sphere floating on a pedestal.

  ?[Void Key Fragment #5.]

  ?It was surrounded by a glowing red barrier. The Nine-Lock Heaven Seal.

  ?Aris knelt before it. He didn't have the key.

  ?But he had the Admin Codes from the Tower Founder.

  ?He raised his hand, his fingers dancing on an invisible keyboard.

  ?[System Cheat: Pause Process.]

  [Target: Seal_Array.exe]

  [Duration: 3 Seconds.]

  ?"Now."

  ?He pressed Enter.

  ?The red light flickered and died.

  ?Aris grabbed the sphere. He shoved it into his inventory.

  ?He replaced it with a Replica (a bowling ball painted black that he had prepared earlier).

  ?[System Cheat: Resume Process.]

  ?The red light flared back to life. The barrier enclosed the bowling ball.

  ?Aris stood up. He was sweating cold sweat inside his suit.

  ?"Got it," he projected to Mo.

  ?"Let's go."

  Wiki Update - The Gravity Well:

  Effect: Now that Aris has it, he can manipulate gravity on a planetary scale. He can crush enemies flat or fly without Qi. It is the core component for the Naglfar's Artificial Gravity Drive.