The rest of SOF stood in the silence—injured, exhausted, but still standing.
Samui finally spoke. “We need to move forward.”
Shining let out a frustrated exhale. “We barely caught our breath, and you’re already talking about the next fight?”
Brave’s tone left no room for argument. “Yes.”
Weird rolled his shoulders, stretching. “C’mon, man. At least let us pretend we won for, like, five minutes.”
Brave’s expression didn’t change. “You didn’t win.”
Weird blinked. “Wow. Brutal.”
Samui tapped her tablet, shifting the display to a new priority target. A satellite image flickered onto the screen—an abandoned industrial sector. The last trace of Wise. “We were tracking Wise before Yornyang appeared,” Samui said, matter-of-fact. “That hasn’t changed.” “This place shouldn’t exist,” She murmured, arms crossed as she analyzed the distorted images. “There’s no record of it in any urban development plans, no power grids, no infrastructure. But if you compare older satellite data…” She tapped the console, revealing an overlaid image from five years ago. “The area wasn’t always a blind spot.”
Khem studied the screen, his brow furrowing. “Someone’s covering it up.”
“Not just covering it up,” Weird added, lazily spinning a coin between his fingers. “They’re erasing it. No traffic, no comms, no heat signatures—it’s like the place doesn’t even breathe.”
Brave’s answer was immediate. “Then we assume Wise is there. Move in, but stay sharp. If they’re hiding it, they don’t want you finding it.”
The hum of the transport engine vibrated beneath their feet. The SOF strike team sat in tight silence, the weight of Yornyang’s escape still lingering in the air like smoke. But they weren’t heading back for him. Not yet. Wise was the mission now.
Khem sat near the edge of the cabin, scanning through the mission file again. The satellite images of the abandoned industrial sector were grainy, corrupted—deliberate obfuscation. Whatever was there, Wise wanted it hidden.
Senshi sat across from him, arms crossed, his jaw tight. His knuckles were still bruised from the last battle. “This better not be another waste of time.”
Weird huffed. “Oh, don’t worry. If Wise is actually there, we’ll get a great workout before getting our asses handed to us again.”
Shining scoffed, “Let them be there. The last thing we need is another ‘they got away’ situation.”
Brave’s voice crackled through their comms. “Final briefing.” His tone was level. The kind of tone that meant you will listen. “The industrial zone was shut down years ago. Now, it’s an empty graveyard of steel and rust. Wise’s trail leads there.” The holo-screen inside the transport displayed the region—half-collapsed buildings, forgotten loading docks, and rusted skeletons of old machinery. Brave continued. “No security footage. No active communications. Whatever Wise is doing there, he’s not broadcasting it.”
A heavy silence followed.
Shining clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "That never means anything good."
Weird exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Yeah, 'cause people who do honest work totally erase themselves from existence."
Senshi ran a hand over his bruised knuckles. "Then we go in expecting the worst."
Samui, eyes still locked on the holo-screen, muttered, "We always do."
The transport slowed. The red lights overhead flashed. They had arrived. The complex was a graveyard of rusted metal and collapsed structures, a maze of forgotten machinery and shattered walkways. Yet, despite the decay, there was something unnatural about it—like the air itself resisted their presence. No guards. No patrols. No signs of recent activity.
Khem signaled the team forward, his steps silent against the cracked pavement. Samui stayed close, scanning the area for any disturbances. Weird moved with a careful but casual gait, whispering, "Too quiet. I don’t like it."
Shining muttered, "Either Wise is sloppy, or he wants us to think he is."
Senshi ran a hand over the rusted surface of a nearby crate. "Dust is settled. Nothing's been touched in weeks." His gaze flickered across the empty structures. "No footprints. No tire tracks."
They moved deeper into the complex, each step increasing the tension in the air. The place should have been abandoned, but something about it felt... staged. Then, the trap sprang. A shrill beep cut through the silence. A second later, the ground around them burst into life—metal plating shifting as automated turrets emerged from concealed panels. High above, drones detached from rusted beams, their sensors flickering to life.
"Ambush!" Samui shouted, diving for cover just as the first rounds fired.
A translucent force field surged up around them, trapping them inside the industrial zone. Weird cursed under his breath. "Oh, great. We walked right into this one."
The drones wasted no time. Twin barrels spun beneath their chassis, unleashing a barrage of plasma rounds. Khem sidestepped the first volley, his movements crisp and precise. The moment a drone recalibrated, he lunged, slamming his palm against its metal shell. Freeze. The drone locked mid-air, its thrusters still sputtering as it hung in suspension. Without breaking stride, Khem shoved it into the path of another drone’s gunfire, sending sparks flying as both crashed into the ground.
Senshi took a more direct approach. A drone veered toward him, its sensors flashing red. He didn’t dodge. Instead, he caught the machine mid-flight, his grip crushing through reinforced plating. With a grunt, he hurled it into a second drone, the impact sending both spinning into a heap of wreckage.
Shining moved with practiced efficiency, his body flaring with a brilliant glow. He raised a hand, releasing a concentrated beam of light that burned through the nearest drone in an instant. A quick pivot, another burst of laser fire, and another drone collapsed, its circuits fried. "We need to end this quick."
Weird stood firm as the drones targeted him, grinning as energy bolts slammed into his body. Instead of flinching, he absorbed the impact, his ability instantly rebounding the attacks back at their sources. Each drone that fired on him suffered its own wrath, sparks flying as they were torn apart by their own projectiles. "Oh yeah, keep ‘em coming!"
Meanwhile, Samui ducked behind a fallen crate, fingers dancing over her portable terminal. "The force field isn’t just a barrier. It’s reactive. The more energy we output, the stronger it reinforces itself. We need to disrupt its central relay before we can punch through."
Khem deflected another barrage with a frozen drone, his gaze snapping toward her. "Where’s the relay?"
Samui’s screen flickered. "Still locating. Just buy me a few more seconds!"
But the drones were already adapting. They veered away from Khem and Senshi, avoiding close-quarters engagements entirely. Instead, they shifted tactics—staying at mid-range and deploying rapid-fire suppression rounds to keep them at bay.
Shining fired another laser blast, but the drones responded instantly, deploying reflective shields that redirected his beam away. The light scattered harmlessly into the air, forcing him to cut off his attack.
Weird smirked, waiting for the next barrage to redirect—only it never came. Instead, a drone launched a canister that burst open mid-air, releasing a sticky, fast-hardening foam. The substance wrapped around his arms and legs, solidifying in seconds, locking him in place. He struggled, but the material refused to budge. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me! They really learn fast!"
Senshi rushed toward Weird, trying to tear the hardened foam apart. Just as his fingers clenched around the material, a blur of movement slammed into him from the side. The impact sent him skidding across the ground.
A four-armed woman landed where he once stood, cracking her knuckles with a grin. "Tsk. Tsk. You lot really are falling behind Wise. Guess I’ll have to teach you your place."
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Senshi pushed himself up, eyes narrowing. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman smirked. "Call me Four. The one who's gonna crush you all."
Before he could react, Four lunged at him, fists flying in a relentless barrage. Senshi met her charge, trading blows, his strikes colliding with hers in a thunderous exchange. But with four arms, she had the advantage, landing twice as many hits, forcing Senshi onto the defensive. Gritting his teeth, Senshi roared, "RYU!" From the folds of his gi, a human-sized flaming dragon erupted, its fiery form coiling around him before launching at Four. The creature's searing jaws snapped at her, forcing her to dodge, momentarily distracted. Seizing the opening, Senshi struck, his blow landing clean and sending Four hurtling backward. She tumbled through the air before twisting and landing on her feet with ease.
Four wiped her lip and laughed. "Not bad. But how about this?" She vanished, reappearing in front of Senshi in an instant. Her fists blurred as she struck faster, harder. Each impact landed more than once, as if multiple blows were connecting at the same time.
Senshi clenched his jaw, bracing against the relentless onslaught.
"Senshi!" Samui shouted, seeing him struggle under Four’s overwhelming speed. Her voice cut through the chaos, but there was little he could do but endure.
Shining and Khem moved to assist, but the drones intercepted them, adjusting their formations to block their advance. Shining fired a laser blast, but the reflective shields rendered it useless. Khem attempted to freeze a drone mid-flight, but it adapted, staying just out of range.
Meanwhile, Samui's fingers flew over her portable terminal. Her eyes darted between data streams until something clicked. "Got it! The force field relay is inside that—" Before she could finish, a deep rumbling shook the ground. The building that housed the relay groaned, its rusted supports beginning to crack and buckle. Samui’s eyes widened. "The structure’s collapsing!" The entire team was inside the building containing the relay. The walls groaned under the stress, cracks racing along the ceiling as dust and debris rained down.
Four didn’t slow her assault, keeping Senshi on the defensive while drones continued suppressing Shining and Khem.
Weird struggled against the hardened foam, gritting his teeth. "Uh, not to ruin the moment, but I’d really like to not be buried alive right now!"
Four let out a sharp laugh, barely slowing her assault on Senshi. "What’s the matter? Scared of a little rubble? You all should focus on staying alive instead of wasting your energy!"
Senshi gritted his teeth, his stance shifting as Four’s relentless strikes kept him on the defensive. His flaming dragon, Ryu, coiled around his leg, its fiery form surging with power. With a sharp inhale, he stomped the ground, channeling his energy. A flaming shockwave erupted outward, the force pushing Four back slightly. She slid to a halt, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she grinned. "Oh? Now that’s more like it!"
Samui glanced between her terminal and the crumbling walls. "We have to take down the relay before this whole place goes!"
Shining ducked under a stray blast from a drone, his gaze snapping to Samui. "Where is the relay? We don’t have time to guess!"
Samui’s fingers raced across her terminal, eyes narrowing as the final coordinates locked in. "It’s on Four. Directly attached to her back."
The room fell silent for a fraction of a second as everyone’s gaze locked onto Four. She smirked, rolling her shoulders before spreading her arms wide in invitation.
"Well, well," she mused, her grin widening. "Looks like you’ve finally figured it out. Come and get it!"
Samui gritted her teeth, fingers flying across her terminal. "Fine. If we can’t take her down yet, let’s even the playing field first." She initiated a rapid intrusion protocol, attempting to override the drones’ control system. If she could break through, she could turn them against Four—or at least stop them from blocking Khem and Shining.
Khem and Shining rushed forward, trying to close the distance to Four, but the drones weren’t letting them through. More of them descended, their movements adapting to every maneuver, keeping the two locked in constant engagement. Khem froze any drone that got too close, while Shining’s laser bursts flashed through the air, but for every drone they disabled, more swarmed in to take its place.
Meanwhile, Senshi was losing ground. Even with his flame-coated strikes, Four’s relentless attacks were overwhelming him. Every time he landed a hit, she landed two. Every time he pushed forward, she forced him back. Her four arms were a constant barrage, parrying his attacks and striking faster than he could react. Ryu, his flaming dragon, lashed at her, but she twisted around it, dodging and countering with devastating precision. The structure shuddered violently, another chunk of ceiling crashing to the ground. The building was seconds away from coming down entirely, and they were running out of time.
Samui’s terminal beeped—she had broken through. "I’ve got partial control!" she shouted. "Redirecting drones now!" A handful of drones suddenly shifted, turning their weapons on their own kind. The battlefield erupted in chaos as the hacked drones fired on their former allies, forcing the remaining machines to split their attention.
"Nice work!" Khem called out, freezing a distracted drone.
With the drones momentarily occupied, Khem and Shining finally found their opening. They rushed toward Four, pressing the attack. Khem aimed precise strikes at her legs, trying to disrupt her footing and stop her movements, while Shining fired precise laser blasts to disrupt her defense.
Four grunted, her smirk fading as she dodged Khem’s hand and swatted away a laser shot. "So, you can work together," she mused, flexing her fingers. "Let’s see how long you last."
Meanwhile, Senshi saw his chance. He gathered every ounce of energy he had left, his flaming dragon coiling tightly around his arm. With a fierce roar, he lunged forward, unleashing a blazing strike straight at Four’s torso.
Four barely had time to react. The impact sent her skidding backward, her feet grinding against the floor as she fought to keep her balance. Smoke and embers crackled around her form as she came to a stop. She exhaled sharply, then chuckled. "Not bad. But let’s turn things up a notch." Without warning, Four lunged toward a pile of crumbling debris, grabbing chunks of rubble in her powerful grip. With a single motion, she hurled them toward SOF. But before the projectiles could reach their targets, they multiplied—splitting into four identical pieces mid-air, expanding their reach. The sudden barrage rained down on every member of SOF at once.
"Damn it!" Shining barely managed to roll away as a stone slab crashed into the spot where he had been standing.
Khem ducked and twisted, narrowly avoiding a sharp chunk that sliced through the air beside him.
Senshi raised his arms instinctively, deflecting a piece of rubble with his forearm, but another struck his shoulder, forcing him back.
Weird, still partially immobilized by the foam, gritted his teeth. "Oh, great! Now she’s breaking physics too?!"
Samui took advantage of the chaos, quickly reprogramming the hacked drones. "Target the relay on her back!" she commanded, sending them darting toward Four. The drones zipped through the collapsing space, blasters primed to strike. But Four’s keen senses picked up the movement instantly. With a sharp pivot, she grabbed another chunk of debris and hurled it at the approaching drones. Each rock split mid-air, swarming toward the machines and knocking several out before they could reach her.
"Nice try," Four taunted, smashing another drone with a quick swing of her fist. "But you’ll have to do better than that." As she focused on the drones, Khem, Senshi, and Shining saw their opening. "Now!" Khem barked, leading the charge. Senshi’s flaming aura flared as he sprinted forward, and Shining gathered energy in his hands, ready to unleash a coordinated assault. Senshi led the charge, throwing a relentless barrage of strikes to keep Four occupied. She smirked, effortlessly weaving between his attacks, her multiplied speed allowing her to sidestep around him with precision. Khem rushed in behind, aiming to apply his stasis touch. He lunged, fingers inches from her skin, but Four twisted and ducked, dodging him with ease while still keeping Senshi engaged. Shining gritted his teeth, watching the fight unfold. Every shot he took risked missing or hitting an ally. He needed a way to land a clean hit. His mind raced before an idea struck. "Samui! Use your drone to deploy a light-reflecting plate!" Samui’s fingers flew over her console. "On it!" A drone quickly repositioned, releasing a reflective surface in mid-air. Shining exhaled, waiting for the perfect moment. His body flared with light, gathering an intense energy charge. Four continued dodging, her back momentarily exposed. "Now!" Shining fired a searing light beam at the drone, and in an instant, the plate reflected it straight toward Four’s back. The beam struck true, a burst of energy erupting as the relay on her back shattered into pieces.
Four staggered forward slightly, her eyes widening in surprise. She reached behind her, feeling the broken remains of the relay. Her smirk faltered for just a moment.
Khem didn’t hesitate. "We’re done here! Everyone, fall back!"
Senshi rushed over to Weird, who was still trapped in the hardened foam. "Hang on, I got you!" he growled, summoning Ryu’s flames to burn through the material. The foam cracked and softened under the heat, allowing Weird to break free with a grunt. "Took you long enough," Weird muttered, shaking off the remnants. "Now let’s get the hell out of here!"
Samui quickly deployed her last batch of drones, sending them swarming around Four in a final bid to buy time. "Go! I’ll cover!"
One by one, the SOF team dashed toward the nearest exit, dodging falling debris as the structure continued to crumble around them. Samui lingered only long enough to ensure her drones were engaging before she too turned and sprinted after them.
Inside the collapsing building, Four methodically tore through the remaining drones, smashing them apart with ruthless efficiency. As the last one fell in a heap of twisted metal, she stood amidst the wreckage, gazing at the destruction around her. She exhaled slowly, a grin creeping onto her face as she murmured to herself, "That was fun." The ceiling gave way, and the building collapsed around her.
The team barely made it out in time. The moment they cleared the collapsing structure, the building caved in with a deafening roar, sending dust and debris billowing into the night sky. They stumbled forward, coughing as they turned back to watch the destruction. For a few long moments, no one spoke. Then, Weird exhaled loudly. "That was way too close."
Shining ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "What now? We came all this way, and Wise isn’t even here. Just another damn trap."
Khem clenched his fists, scanning the wreckage. "We need to regroup. Figure out what Wise gained from luring us here."
Samui’s eyes widened as a realization struck her. "Wait… the drones. They weren’t just adapting—they were learning."
Weird raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and? We already knew they were getting smarter."
Samui shook her head. "Not just that. They knew exactly how to counter us. They adjusted to our abilities almost instantly. What if… what if Wise already knew what we could do before we even got here?"
A heavy silence fell over the group as the implications sank in. If Wise had this level of intel, then every move they made was already anticipated.
Khem exhaled sharply, making a decision. "We’re leaving. Now. Back to Blackout Fortress. We need to reassess before Wise pulls us into another trap."
No one argued. They were battered, exhausted, and—more than anything—aware that they had been outplayed. Without hesitation, they turned and moved, disappearing into the night, their minds racing with what this meant for the fight ahead. The journey back to Blackout Fortress was silent, each of them lost in thought. The weight of failure clung to them, but so did the burning question—how much did Wise truly know? And how far ahead was he? As the towering walls of Blackout Fortress came into view, the tension among them didn’t ease. Answers would have to wait. For now, they had to regroup, recover, and prepare for whatever came next.
But one thing was certain—this war was far from over.
Anyway thanks for reading chapter 7. Feels free to comment and rate this chapter. I would really appreciate it.
Now! Illustration of Four!