NOVEL NEXT Chapter 98: Another One
The mechanical dogs had been shredded into pieces as well. "It's a tragedy to lose so many people..." Zack sighed. Machines could be rebuilt, but those carefully chosen young men and women were gone forever.
"Sir, the air defense system has detected two transport planes and a fighter jet," Ego reported suddenly. "Satellite images show these aircraft took off from the Imperial Capital base. The two transports are carrying about 800 young people, seemingly headed for the Caribbean base."
"What?" Zack was stunned. The Caribbean base had already been destroyed, and now the Imperial Capital base was sending people there?
"Are they really sending these women as some kind of forced offering? Let's intercept them!" Zack said decisively.
High above, nearly 10,000 meters in the air, an F-15 fighter jet escorted two large transport planes flying toward the Caribbean base. "Sir, why are we heading back so urgently?" one of the transport pilots asked. "Didn't the leader order us to stay at the Imperial Capital base and wait for instructions?"
"And wasn't the agreement to send 5,000? We're only delivering 800. Isn't this too little?" another crew member chimed in.
Inside one of the transport planes, Oster, Navas's half-brother, stared out the window with a stoic expression. He listened to the grumbling of his subordinates but stayed quiet for a moment.
"I get that you're all frustrated," Oster said eventually. "But let me tell you this: we've lost all contact with the base. No matter how I try, I can't get through. On top of that, Kane's attitude towards us has suddenly changed. They won't even let us use their satellites for communication anymore."
"What are you saying?" one subordinate asked nervously.
"I think... something might've happened to the Caribbean base," Oster said, his voice heavy.
"What? That's impossible!" another crew member blurted out. "We had tons of aircraft, tanks, and weapons there. How could anything happen?"
"And when we left, didn't the satellite data show no signs of corpse waves nearby? There's no way!" a third added, though their tone betrayed unease.
"I hope I'm wrong," Oster said, glancing out the porthole again. A deep sense of dread was etched into his face, as though something terrible was about to happen.
Suddenly, a shadow zipped past the plane's window. It moved so quickly it was hard to see, but Oster caught a glimpse—a strange, humanoid aircraft, almost like something straight out of sci-fi movie.
"Everyone, stay alert!" Oster shouted, instinctively grabbing the revolver at his waist. He immediately called the F-15 escort pilot. "Eagle, do you copy?"
"I'm here," the pilot responded, but before he could say another word—BOOM!
The F-15 exploded in mid-air, struck by something no larger than a pencil. It erupted into a ball of flames, sending burning debris tumbling toward the ground below. "Dodge!" Oster yelled as the transport planes swerved to avoid the wreckage. The pilots managed to maneuver just in time, narrowly avoiding disaster.
"We're under attack!" one of the crew shouted in panic.
Through the chaos, Oster spotted the black figure ahead. It was Zack, flying in his Newest suit. He maintained a steady, subsonic speed, flying directly in front of the transports while scanning their interiors. "Ego, what do we know about this guy?" Zack asked.
"Oster," Ego replied. "Male, 27 years old, half-brother to Navas. Former Nordic mercenary with excellent marksmanship. Known for being calm and cunning."
"So, he's Navas's brother, huh?" Zack smirked. "Looks like I've found another loose end to tie up." After saying that, Zack drew an arc in the sky and turned sharply, heading straight for the transport plane carrying Oster.
"Courting death!" Oster hissed, his expression dark as he raised his revolver, aiming at Zack's rapidly approaching figure.
Unlike his brother Navas, Oster's mutant ability granted him superhuman reflexes and unmatched marksmanship. Any firearm in his hands became a deadly weapon, and his shots never missed their mark. "Sir, don't shoot! You'll shatter the windshield!" the transport pilot shouted in alarm.
"Move aside!" Oster snapped, ignoring the warning. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The deafening gunshots echoed through the cockpit as Oster fired a series of large-caliber rounds from his customized revolver. The bullets shattered the aircraft's windshield, racing toward Zack.
Zack, seeing the incoming barrage, activated his armor's auxiliary flaps, performing an intricate S-shaped evasive maneuver. However, it wasn't enough. Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of bullets striking his armor rang out repeatedly, some even hitting the same spot in quick succession. "Is this guy for real? Hitting the same spot like that?" Zack muttered to himself.
"Sir, the target appears to be a mutant with abilities related to enhanced shooting," Ego explained.
"Yeah, I figured," Zack replied, his tone cold. "Doesn't matter. He's already a dead man."
Rather than continuing to dodge, Zack pushed forward. The gold-titanium alloy of his armor easily absorbed the shots, leaving only faint white marks where the bullets struck. "Collision warning! He's coming straight for us!" the pilot yelled, his face pale as Zack closed the distance. No amount of evasive maneuvering could match Zack's speed and agility.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Zack smashed through the shattered windshield, landing directly inside the cockpit. "Reverse thrust!" Zack activated his auxiliary thrusters, halting his momentum before he could crash through the entire aircraft. The sudden reversal created a hurricane-like suction, pulling everything in the cockpit toward the gaping hole where the windshield used to be.
Oster, gripping the handlebar tightly, managed to hold his ground, while the two pilots, secured by their seatbelts, clung to their seats. The others in the cockpit weren't as lucky—several crew members were sucked out of the plane, their screams swallowed by the thin air thousands of meters above the ground.
In the chaos, Oster aimed and fired again. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three more bullets struck the same spot on Zack's armor, only to ricochet harmlessly. "Still shooting?" Zack sneered, stepping forward. Thanks to his thrusters, he moved freely, unaffected by the violent turbulence.
Oster fired his last two rounds, but the result was the same—nothing but faint white marks on the armor. Realizing his futility, he lowered his gun in despair. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"It doesn't matter," Zack said, his tone icy. "What matters is that you'll soon be reunited with your brother."
"You killed Navas? That's impossible!" Oster roared in fury. He swung his revolver like a club, aiming at Zack's head. Zack sidestepped easily, dodging the blow.
"Not so accurate without a gun, huh?" Zack quipped. He raised his palm, and the faint hum of a charging pulse cannon filled the cockpit.
"What happened to the Caribbean base? Was it you? What did you do?" Oster's voice grew frantic as the glow from Zack's pulse cannon intensified.
Boom!
A flash of light erupted, and Oster's head was obliterated, the remains of his body sucked out of the cockpit and into the open sky. His lifeless figure tumbled from the aircraft, never knowing what had truly happened to the Caribbean base. "Now it's just you two," Zack said, turning to the pilots.