NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Robotic Arm
A soft hum filled the room as power surged through the coils, creating a magnetic field that pressed the deuterium and tritium into the palladium core. The palladium absorbed the hydrogen atoms, squeezing them closer together.
The fusion began with a brilliant flash of light, as the atoms fused and released an intense burst of energy. To anyone watching, it would look like a strange light bulb flickering to life, filling the room with a steady, bright glow.
"Sir, the reactor is fully operational. Congratulations," Ego announced.
Zack reached out, his hand gently touching the glowing reactor. A grin spread across his face. "Ego, how efficient is it?"
"The reactor generates approximately 4.5 billion joules per second," Ego replied. "The energy it produces in one second could power the Mansion for a year."
Zack stood silent for a moment, taking in the numbers. Then his gaze shifted to the MV-02 suit, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Let's install it. I want to fly today."
He crossed the room and opened the suit's breastplate, sliding the reactor into the prepared slot. It clicked into place perfectly. The suit's eyes flickered to life, and Ego's voice filled the room. "Reactor installation complete. MV-02 is now operational."
Before Ego could finish the self-check, Zack's impatience got the better of him. He knew he would need help to put the suit on—its intricate design made it impossible to do alone. "Annie! Come down here and give me a hand!" Zack called, already imagining himself soaring through the skies.
As Annie helped him get suited up, Zack muttered to himself, "I need to get some robotic arms in here. If Ego could control the assembly, suiting up would be a breeze—and it would solve our manufacturing issues too."
"Ego, search for high-precision robotic arms—no limits on location!" he ordered.
"Understood, Sir," Ego replied, its voice steady as ever.
With the reactor powering his suit, Zack felt a surge of confidence. The world might be in ruins, but now distance was no longer a problem. "Sir, the high-precision robotic arm has been located. I've marked the target on your map."
A holographic map appeared in front of Zack, showing a large building marked as the destination. It looked like a tech exhibition venue. "Perfect! Let's go!" Zack grinned, heading for the exit ramp of the garage.
As he picked up speed, the particle thrusters on the soles of his MV-02 armor ignited. In an instant, he was airborne, cutting through the sky in a brilliant silver arc. Within moments, he had reached an altitude of 1,000 meters, the landscape shrinking rapidly below. "Woo-hoo!" Zack shouted, exhilarated.
He pushed the armor's speed even further. With a deafening boom, he broke the sound barrier, leaving a shockwave behind that shattered the stillness of the air. "A flight route is being plotted for you," Ego informed him.
Zack locked onto the path displayed on his HUD and began navigating through the skies, flying over the city, his old apartment, and familiar sights now filled with destruction. The remnants of human civilization lay below—abandoned streets and buildings swarming with zombies.
As Zack lowered his altitude, the sonic boom echoed through the city, shattering the glass of countless high-rise buildings. The shards fell like rain, catching the attention of the undead below, who began to gather in hordes beneath him.
"It would've been nice to have missiles for moments like this," Zack muttered, watching the mass of zombies below. But for now, he would make do with what he had.
At speeds over Mach 1, Zack reached X Pearl City in less than ten minutes. From high above, he spotted the landmark exhibition center. He slowed down, gradually descending, and saw a massive crowd of zombies milling around the venue. Judging by their clothing, they were likely visitors or staff from the exhibition before the virus outbreak.
"Looks like they haven't evolved much," he said, observing the hundreds of zombies below. Most seemed to be regular infected, with only a few bloated ones among them.
Hovering mid-air, Zack activated the ailerons and flaps on his armor, stabilizing himself. He raised his hands, palms facing the undead horde.
"Time for some cleaning," he said with a smirk.
With precise targeting, particle beams shot from his palms, each blast hitting a zombie squarely and leaving scorched holes in their bodies. The regular zombies fell instantly, their bodies burned through by the beams.
"Roar!" The zombies let out guttural growls, beginning to pile up toward Zack.
They swarmed together, creating a grotesque, pyramid-like tower beneath him, reaching higher with each passing moment. The sight of their densely packed forms climbing over one another would send chills down anyone's spine.
"Trying to reach me, huh?" Zack chuckled, easily ascending another dozen meters. The zombie pile toppled as they scrambled after him, crashing to the ground in a chaotic heap. Zack continued repositioning himself in the air, drawing the zombies below him like he was walking a pack of dogs. Meanwhile, his pulse cannon kept firing rapidly, cutting down the horde.
The square below soon became littered with lifeless bodies and craters. Once there were fewer than a hundred zombies left, Zack retracted the armor's ailerons and flaps, dropping toward the ground. He landed with a heavy thud, one knee down, cracking the pavement beneath him in a classic superhero landing.
"Ouch! This landing's tough on the knees," he muttered, feeling the impact even through the suit's padding.
As he stood up, the remaining zombies roared and charged toward him, trampling over their fallen comrades in their frenzy.
"Alright, bring it on!"
Zack extended the foldable arm blade from his armor. With a swift motion, the blade unfolded into a sharp, meter-long weapon. Gripping it firmly, Zack launched himself into the crowd, slicing through the zombies like they were nothing more than targets.
He moved with incredible speed, the blade flashing as he took down each zombie with precise, swift cuts. The bloated ones he encountered were quickly dealt with by blasts from his pulse cannon, bursting into gory explosions that scattered dark stains across the area.
Toxic green gas spread around him, forming a thick, choking cloud. His armor's internal systems responded immediately.
"Life support system activated... Air purification complete."
With an expressionless face, Zack stepped through the mist, his armored figure cutting through the eerie haze. He entered the main doors of the venue, stepping into a scene of chaos and decay. Bloodstains splattered the floor, broken clothes were scattered everywhere, and shattered glass covered every surface. Most of the displays were destroyed, with broken cases and toppled exhibits everywhere. A few zombies remained inside, staggering aimlessly with missing limbs, a sad reminder of what they once were.
"Ego, where's the robotic arm?" Zack asked, his voice calm.
"Exhibition Hall 07, Zone D," Ego replied smoothly.