S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Heart of Chornobyl (2.0) #1,746: Slippery When Wet

At the Cement Factory, it was raining, overcast and there was no sign of the sun, at 9am in the morning according to my PDA. I walked around the Duty base, talking to Dutyers inside and outside the buildings, finally deciding to leave the Duty base and cross the bridge into the Cooling Towers territory. I went to the MAS where I found there were several Dutyers there that had been killed, where the Dutyers present were attending to and I was able to loot a few of them. I looked for any dead mutants or other Factions, as I was unable to figure out who had killed them all. I searched the entire MAS complex, eventually coming out the northern end, where I saw the looming SKD Assembly Unit building to the north of me. I went to the east side of it where there was a giant tower that I took several ladders to get up higher. The tower was covered with electrical anomalies, and you had to throw bolts to pass through it safely. There was a Scanner near the limit on how high I could go, and it was one of the few I had not activated yet. On the metal framework, I found a Bandit that I had not yet looted, so I quickly discovered how dangerous that was to do. I went back down and I could look down at the eastern side of the SKD Assembly Unit building and see a headlamp bobbing back and forth. I went down to investigate it, making my way around the tower and entering it through an opening on the north side. Right away I was coming across several dead I.P.S.F. soldiers that had already been looted, and then I heard someone yell out about suspicious activity, making me run to the stairs and ascending to the upper catwalks. I took the catwalk on the northern side of the SKD Assembly Unit building, that took me to a blue safe on the western side. This was a stash that I had left behind a lot of weapons, including AKM, Vipers, Toz-34 and many pistols. I grabbed it all and then realizing it was really too much, I left behind a large quantity of food, drink, grenades and small amounts of ammo. I went down to the catwalk on the southern side of the building and when I went back towards the stairs to the ground floor, an I.P.S.F. soldier spotted me and stepped out from hiding, where I shot him with my scoped rifle. I went down and found a total of four I.P.S.F. soldiers, including him, that I quickly looted. I went out the eastern side of the SKD Assembly Unit building, as it was still raining and very overcast, as I made my way south back to the MAS complex. A lightning storm was blowing in, as I made my way to the main building, where the Duty detachment was, where I sold some beer, vodka, water and food to one of the Dutyers. Suddenly four of them ran inside the storage room, where I followed them, thinking the overdue Emission was upon us, but just as quickly the Dutyers went back outside and then were departing as a patrol going northeast. I got on the roof to look around, realizing it was just a storm that was passing around us, seeing some movement down by the canal. I got off the roof and ran over to the canal, catching up with a Loner squad going south to the bridge. I returned to the Duty base and went to the Trader, where I made 18,031 coupons off the yellow damaged weapons. I went to the barracks where I unloaded all the red damaged weapons and the excess supplies. By the time I went back outside, it had stopped raining, the sun had come out, and it looked like a really nice afternoon. Going to the Mechanic I only had to spend 39 coupons to repair my Mark 1 EMR. I went over to the bar and then watched two Dutyers come down the stairs of the Cement factory tower. Game Note: The SKD Assembly Unit tower had a Scanner, that I had not yet activated, unlike most all the others I had found in the Zone. One reason was I had not yet formed a strategy where I assumed I would have to fight one or two Poltergeists. The electrical anomalies were one consideration, but it was not until I went to loot a Bandit on the metal framework, did I discover there was a spot where it was incredibly slippery and I kept falling to my death again and again. Then I realized this was on purpose, as anyone moving around to maneuver away from the expected Poltergeists would find this slippery surface and fall to their death. I knew now, however I decided to be moving around fighting what the Scanner brought my way, I would not be going out on this section of the metal framework.