NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: Raid
"Annie, listen to your uncle! Hide, now!" an elderly worker urged, pulling at her arm, trying to lead her away.
"No! Let go!" Annie struggled, tears streaming down her face. "They're going to kill my dad!"
But Jacob had already spotted her. Despite her attempts to disguise herself with short hair and smudged oil on her face, her beauty was unmistakable. "Perfect…" Jacob's lips curled into a grin, and he started toward her, eyes gleaming with unrestrained greed.
"Annie, run!" Annie's mother grabbed Jacob's pant leg from behind, pleading desperately.
"Get off me!" Jacob snapped, kicking her with brutal force. She hit the ground, blood spilling from her mouth, but her grip held firm, her eyes unwavering.
"Don't just stand there! Get her!" Jacob ordered, as he continued beating the woman. His men, eager to follow his command, moved toward Annie, but the steel plant workers stepped in front of them, a line of determined faces.
"Out of the way!" one of Jacob's men barked, raising his gun, hoping intimidation would work as usual. But to his surprise, a steel pipe swung through the air, aimed right at his head.
"Damn you!" The enraged workers swung their steel pipes with all their might, striking one of Jacob's men and splitting his head open. Blood splattered as he fell, his pistol dropping to the ground, quickly scooped up by another worker.
In an instant, the plant erupted into chaos. Gunshots echoed, mingling with screams and the sickening sound of steel pipes shattering bone. The air filled with the savage, violent beat of revenge. But reality is unforgiving. Soon, the harsh rattle of automatic gunfire sliced through the frenzy. The workers fell silent, the last sparks of their defiance snuffed out.
"Who else wants to die?" Jacob sneered, leveling his rifle at the remaining workers. Behind him, the ground was littered with bodies, a thick pool of blood spreading out from the dead. The survivors stared at each other in despair, realizing their steel pipes were powerless against his weapon.
"Hand over Annie…" one of the workers began, but his voice faltered. No one wanted to give her up, but they were out of options. Annie was the steel plant's pride. They had watched her grow, seen her achievements bring honor to their small world. It was a pride that meant more than any personal accomplishment.
Yet now, could they truly give her up to these monsters? The oldest man among them, face etched in sorrow, gently covered Annie's eyes. His hand shook as he took the pistol from a fallen comrade, raising it to her forehead.
"Annie… close your eyes, sweetheart," he whispered. "Think of the amusement park."
As his finger tightened on the trigger, a sudden roar of an engine shattered the silence. The sound grew louder, until, with a thunderous crash, a vehicle smashed through the factory wall, sending debris flying.
Every head turned to see the intruder. It was the escort truck, reinforced with a thick layer of armor and front spikes, its modified body bristling with makeshift weaponry. The vehicle looked like a beast unleashed, ready to tear through anything in its path. The double doors swung open, a menacing invitation.
A silent moment passed before realization dawned. Help had arrived.
The sudden roar of the steel vehicle shattered the tense standoff in the factory, igniting a flicker of hope in the eyes of the exhausted workers. All attention snapped toward this hulking machine, standing defiantly amid the chaos.
Anne, who had been shielded by the workers, pried open the old man's grip, her gaze transfixed on the formidable vehicle before her. Just as confusion began to settle, Jacob raised his rifle without a word.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The rapid-fire shots of automatic rifle rounds echoed through the factory, and sparks flew as the bullets struck the metal shell of the vehicle. But instead of piercing it, the bullets left only shallow dents.
"Bulletproof?" Jacob muttered, frowning. With a casual gesture, he pointed to one of his men. "You, go check it out!"
The man he picked was Ivan. Despite his fear, Jacob's unyielding stare drove him to inch forward, step by step, toward the armored vehicle.
BANG! BANG!
Ivan hadn't even reached the door when loud, thunderous sounds erupted from inside the vehicle, like something massive preparing to break free. Jacob barked, "Go on, check it out!"
With trembling hands, Ivan reached for the door handle, gripping it tightly. But before he could pull, a tremendous force exploded from within, blasting the door outward. The impact hit Ivan squarely in the chest, caving it in. His ribs shattered, and he crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood mixed with bits of his own organs. His life was ebbing away.
From within the vehicle stepped a towering figure clad in what looked like futuristic steel armor, over two meters tall and radiating a chilling, murderous aura. The factory fell silent as everyone stood in stunned disbelief, unable to fire a single shot.
Inside the armor, Zack scanned the factory floor through the heads-up display. "Ego, how many steelworkers are still alive?"
"Scanning… sir, seven remain, though two are critically injured. Only five can move."
A hard glint entered Zack's eyes. Metal, high-strength steel—his MV armor, his dream of a flying air fortress—all required vast resources. Upon seeing survivors at the steel plant via satellite, he had come here without hesitation, but now, most of the skilled workers lay dead. Rage simmered in his chest.
"Ego," he muttered coldly, "I'm going to kill them."
"Targets have been marked for you, sir," Ego replied.
The blue light in the eyes of the armor shifted to a burning red. The air grew tense as a menacing aura emanated from the suit. Jacob, sensing the danger, roared, "Shoot him!"
His rifle erupted in a volley of bullets, each round ricocheting off the armor with sharp, metallic pings. One of the ricochets struck one of his men, who fell to the ground clutching his bleeding arm. Soon, the others joined in, but they were armed with only pistols, and the 9mm rounds barely left a scratch.
"Did you rob an armory?" Zack scoffed, striding forward.
Each step of his one-ton armor made the ground tremble, and despite his size, he moved alarmingly fast. In moments, he was in front of one of Jacob's men, raising his armored fist. The punch landed with a sickening crunch, obliterating the man's head in an explosion of blood. The spray splattered across another man's face, who froze, squeezing his gun's trigger in blind terror, even as it clicked empty.
Zack turned and slammed his fist down, snapping the panicked man's neck with brutal efficiency.
"Is that all you've got? Just guns?" Zack growled, striding toward the remaining men. Bullets bounced off him harmlessly, the sound of gunfire clanging in his ears.
Soon, the floor was littered with bodies. Most were left unrecognizable from the brutal force of his attacks. Only Jacob remained, standing with a now-empty rifle in his hands, facing the armored figure with a cold, defiant gaze.
Click.
The rifle was out of bullets. "Out already?" Zack's voice echoed from within the suit, a chilling mechanical monotone.