Chapter 109: Another Ambush
Zack studied him quickly. The man's outfit resembled something out of a neon warrior flick. Cradled in his arms was a strange cylinder, something that looked suspiciously like the warhead of a missile. "Die!" the man snarled through gritted teeth, clutching his wounded shoulder.
Before Zack could react, the man flung the cylinder toward the ground. As it hit, the warrior twisted his body and vanished into thin air.
BOOM!
The cylinder exploded, sending a wave of electromagnetic microwaves rippling outward in a visible ring. The blast spread rapidly, engulfing Bear Mountain and even reaching half of NYC.
In an instant, Zack's mechanical dogs dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. All nearby electronics, from simple gadgets to advanced systems, shut down or were fried beyond repair. "Sir, it's an electromagnetic pulse bomb," Ego reported calmly.
Being a system itself, Ego was immune to interference. "Dammit! I forgot about that kind of weapon!" Zack cursed, frustrated with himself. He prided himself on being prepared, yet he hadn't accounted for this.
"Sir, no plan is ever perfect," Ego offered, trying to be reassuring. "Even the most meticulous strategies will have flaws."
"Save it, Ego. How long until the armor's back online?" Zack's tone was cold, his frustration boiling over.
"It'll take ten minutes to reboot the suit, sir."
"No time for that. Emergency escape!"
Without a second thought, Zack reached for the emergency handle on his armor. This was a last-resort mechanism, designed specifically for situations like this.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The handle triggered a series of small, controlled explosions within the armor's connection points. These micro-charges transferred their kinetic energy to carefully engineered components, allowing the armor to break apart.
Kakakaka—
The sound of armor pieces sliding and unlocking filled the air as the back panel opened, freeing Zack from the suit. He stepped out just in time to hear a voice echoing from the base of the mountain.
"You'd better not move!" Turning toward the sound, Zack saw a squad of black-clad soldiers marching toward him. They were armed to the teeth, and at their center was a hulking figure—a super soldier, easily four or five meters tall, stomping toward him with purpose.
Behind them, a figure cloaked in black stood watching. The synthetic, mechanical tone of their voice rang out mockingly: "Is that all you've got without your armor? What are you even worth now?"
Zack stood at the edge of the deep pit atop Bear Mountain, his brow furrowing as the words rang in his ears. They sounded oddly familiar, like something from a movie. He smirked and replied, "How about this for an answer: I've got super soldiers too."
As he spoke, the ground trembled beneath heavy, rhythmic footsteps. Dong. Dong. Dong. Emerging from the shadows of the hillside were eight towering figures, each nearly four meters tall.
These weren't ordinary soldiers. Their bodies were encased in impossibly thick, fully sealed alloy armor. Unlike Zack's power armor, theirs had no detachable parts—everything but the helmet was welded together. This armor wasn't just protection; it was their permanent prison. With built-in life support and cleaning systems, these warriors could never take off their armor. It would be their grave if they died in battle.
Even the EMP hadn't stopped them. Though their systems were fried, the sheer physical strength of these fearless warriors allowed them to move. Dragging hundreds of kilograms of deadweight, they marched forward, their steps unbroken by the interference.
Boom!
When they stopped in unison, the sound of their armored boots meeting the ground was deafening. The killing intent they radiated was palpable, like a physical force pressing down on everything around them.
On the mountainside, a dozen soldiers dressed in black raised their guns simultaneously, aiming straight at Zack. Without hesitation, they pulled the trigger. The five super soldiers accompanying them also quickened their pace, charging toward the mountaintop. To guarantee a kill, the black-clad soldiers were using armor-piercing bullets. However, these were just steel-core rounds. In the post-apocalyptic world, only someone like Zack had the resources to mass-produce tungsten-core armor-piercing bullets.
The moment the soldiers aimed, even before the gunfire echoed across the mountain, two fearless warriors stepped forward, shielding Zack with their massive steel-plated bodies.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted. Bullets rained down, slamming into the warriors' heavy power armor.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The steel-core bullets ricocheted off the alloy steel like pebbles bouncing off a wall, leaving nothing but faint white marks and surface scratches.
"Kill!" With a roar, the two fearless warriors held their ground, standing firm to protect Zack. The other six warriors drew their massive chain swords and charged down the mountainside, heading straight for the super soldiers and the black-clad troops.
Clang, clang, clang! Bullets continued to hit the warriors' armor, creating a symphony of metallic notes that could stir anyone's blood.
"Kill!" "For glory!" The fearless warriors' battle cries echoed. Their blood boiled with the thrill of combat. Even with the electromagnetic pulse disabling their systems, the nanochips in their brains kept them focused. One thought burned bright in their minds: they would fight for Zack's will, embracing glorious battle or a glorious death.
Meanwhile, the super soldiers of the Vanguard Organization roared back. Though unarmed, they charged forward fearlessly, undeterred by the towering armored figures or the chain swords they wielded.
Boom! Boom!
The two groups collided with earth-shaking force. Flesh met steel. The impact was thunderous, like war drums signaling chaos. The outcome, however, was clear within seconds. Even burdened by hundreds of kilograms of armor, the fearless warriors' brute strength proved superior. In the initial clash, three super soldiers were sent flying. One was hurled into the air, crashing into the soldiers behind him and knocking them off their feet.
"FOR OUR MASTER!!!" With their war cries ringing out, the fearless warriors raised their chain swords high and attacked relentlessly. Although the electromagnetic pulse had disabled the rotating saw teeth, the chain swords themselves, weighing hundreds of kilograms, still became deadly blunt weapons.
A fearless warrior swung his chain sword with terrifying strength, striking the neck of a super soldier. The alloy teeth of the sword bit into flesh, and with a brutal tug, the warrior turned the weapon into a makeshift hacksaw.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed from the severed neck, splattering the warrior's armor. The sight of the fallen super soldier only drove the fearless warriors into a greater frenzy. The black-clad soldiers, seeing even their super soldiers fall, panicked. They screamed orders in desperation.
"Shoot them!" "Throw grenades! Grenades!" "No! Aghhh!" But it was no use. The fearless warriors tore through the battlefield like wolves in a flock of sheep. One swing of a chain sword could slice multiple soldiers in half.
In a particularly gruesome display, two fearless warriors worked together to capture a soldier. One grabbed his arms, the other his legs. With a sickening pull, they tore him apart. Within just ten seconds, the entire team of black-clad soldiers and the five super soldiers accompanying them were obliterated.
"How is this possible?!" At the foot of the mountain, the cloaked figure known as Black Hand watched the scene unfold, his mechanical voice trembling with disbelief.
"Their armor shouldn't even be functional! How can they still fight with such overwhelming strength while dragging that much weight? Could these guys actually be stronger than the organization's super soldiers?"