Chapter 111: A light Blade?
"You probably wouldn't even win against my warrior," Zack said calmly, finishing the last adjustment to his dark nanosuit. The sleek suit hugged his form perfectly, leaving him a menacing silhouette. He placed the helmet on his head, activating the suit fully.
"But I decided to deal with you myself. Want to know why?" As the helmet clicked into place, the nanosuit came alive. Countless nanofibers pierced deep into Zack's body, stimulating his muscles, nerves, and bloodstream. The suit accelerated his blood flow, delivering oxygen to his brain at an unprecedented rate. Every fiber of his being felt like it was on fire, ready to explode with power.
"Because you pissed me off!" Zack roared, charging forward to meet the oncoming bear. The brown bear lunged at him, its enormous paw sweeping down with crushing force. Zack clenched his fist, the power of the nanosuit amplifying every muscle in his arm. As he swung, he felt the air resist his punch, as if the sheer velocity was trying to hold him back.
BOOM!
The sound was like a drumbeat from the heavens. Zack's fist collided with the bear's paw, punching straight through it. Blood sprayed as bones shattered. A gaping hole the size of a bowl was left in the bear's paw, Zack's fist tearing through it effortlessly.
CRACK!
Zack withdrew his fist, fragments of bone flying in all directions along with streams of blood.
"ROAR!!!" The monstrous bear howled in agony, its towering form stumbling back a few steps. Despite its size and strength, fear flickered in its eyes as it stared at Zack.
Even though Zack stood only 1.95 meters tall—just over two meters in the nanosuit—he was like a titan to the bear. The man-beast, enhanced in both strength and defense, had fur that could withstand armor-piercing bullets. And yet, Zack's fist had torn through it like paper.
At the base of the mountain, Black Hand stood frozen in disbelief. Cloaked entirely in black, his mechanical, synthesized voice trembled with frustration. Everything he'd been told about Zack had been wrong.
The reports were clear: Zack, the leader of NYC City Base, was a tech guy. His strength supposedly came from the exoskeleton suits he designed. His forces consisted entirely of machines, not people. Black Hand had believed every word. He'd even gone so far as to request an electromagnetic pulse bomb specifically to neutralize Zack's tech.
But the reality? Zack had human soldiers. Not just any soldiers—super soldiers. And there weren't just one or two; there were eight of them. On top of that, Zack himself wasn't just a "tech guy." He was an overwhelming powerhouse. "This intel team deserves to be sent to Experimental Site No. 42!" Black Hand snarled, his anger spilling over.
"Lillian! What are you waiting for? Kill him already!" In his rage, Black Hand seemed to lose all composure, shouting at Lillian, who stood nearby in her combat uniform.
"Black Hand!" Lillian's voice was cold as ice. She drew a hilt from her waist, pointing it at him. The hilt had no visible blade, but it was enough to make Black Hand step back instinctively. "I'm not one of your subordinates," she continued, her tone sharp and unforgiving. "Watch your words."
After a tense pause, she lowered the hilt, her gaze shifting toward Zack on the mountaintop. Her expression was unreadable, but deep inside, she felt something strange—It was irrational, but she couldn't help it. Zack's presence stirred something in her, something she hadn't felt before. "I'll kill him," she said, her voice firm yet conflicted. "But after this, you'd better apply for three days of leave for me."
Without waiting for a response, Lillian dashed toward Bear Mountain, moving with the speed and grace of a predator. The uneven terrain didn't slow her down at all. To her, it was no different from flat ground.
Back on Bear Mountain, the massive brown bear—Verrik—was hesitant. The hole in his paw throbbed with pain, and Zack's display of strength had shaken him. "ROAR!" He let out a warning roar, its injured paw curling under its body as it crouched low to the ground. With three limbs supporting its massive frame, it slowly began backing away.
"If you were a real brown bear, I might've considered keeping you as a pet," Zack said, his voice laced with mockery as he approached the injured creature. The dark nanosuit clung tightly to his body, its faint hum a testament to its activated power.
"But it's a shame—you're just a human," he added coldly. Before Zack could close the distance, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed behind him. Lillian had arrived. "Kill it," Zack ordered, not bothering to turn around. Compared to other enemies, Zack preferred fighting large opponents like the brown bear. Their sheer size and power made victories against them all the more satisfying.
Without another word, Zack dashed toward the brown bear. His movement was so fast that the air around him seemed to ripple.
BOOM!
His uppercut landed squarely on the bear's chin, the force of the blow reverberating like a cannon blast.
CRACK!
The sound of bones breaking was sharp and unmistakable.
"ROAR!" The bear let out a guttural cry of pain as its jaw twisted grotesquely. Broken teeth mixed with blood and saliva fell to the dirt below.
"Aren't you here to behead me?" Zack shouted, his voice filled with fury as he launched another punch, this time straight to the bear's face. The impact sent the massive beast crashing to the ground. It rolled twice before struggling to its feet, swaying unsteadily.
After several failed attempts to stay upright, the brown bear—Verrik—collapsed again. His paw was mangled, his jaw shattered, and his skull, one of the hardest parts of his body, was now riddled with cracks. Blood seeped into the dirt around his head as his battered form lay motionless.
"You're already done?" Zack sneered, walking toward the fallen creature, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Before he could strike, a heavy crash sounded from behind him. Zack turned sharply to see one of the fearless warriors, nearly four meters tall, topple to the ground. Both of the warrior's legs had been severed by an invisible blade, and the weight of the powered armor—nearly a ton—caused the earth to tremble upon impact.
Standing nearby was Lillian, clad in a sleek black combat suit that accentuated her agility and speed. She moved with the fluidity of water, weaving through the group of fearless warriors with ease, despite their relentless attempts to strike her. The fearless warriors weren't ordinary fighters. They had injected a serum far superior to the second-rate concoction used by the Vanguard organization. But against Lillian, their speed and reaction time seemed sluggish. She darted around them like a shadow, untouchable.
The blade in her hand, connected to a seemingly edgeless hilt, glowed faintly with a pale, moonlit light. With a single swing, it cut effortlessly through the warriors' alloy steel armor, several centimeters thick, as if it were paper. Even their bullet-resistant skin offered no protection against the blade's deadly glow. "What is that?" Zack murmured, his voice tinged with unease. "A light blade?"