"Why are you guys so slow?"
The person in charge of the military technology transport convoy glared at Mann impatiently, his voice laced with irritation.
"The departure time is twelve o'clock. It's only eleven now. What are you in such a rush for?"
Mann shot him a sharp look. Just because he accepted a commission from the company didn't mean he had to like anyone in it—especially not this guy. Hearing him complain only irritated Mann more.
"You're just a logistics grunt. Don't talk to me like that. I'll make sure you regret it by the time we get to our destination."
The person in charge clenched his jaw, clearly wanting to argue. But then he remembered the words of his superior:
"If you mess this up or piss them off and they walk, I'll have your hide."
Even though the company didn't lack manpower, orders were orders. And right now, that meant putting up with Mann and his team of mercenaries.
The truth was, the person in charge didn't understand why they needed mercenaries at all. After all, they had already mobilized a large team to the border military base the night before. From his point of view, their current forces were more than enough for the transport job.
Soon, the rest of Mann's team began arriving one by one. Sasha was the last to show up, mostly because she'd been stationed farthest away.
"Look, everyone's here. Right on the dot. Maybe your company should stop being so uptight," Mann said, pointing at the time on his watch with an annoyed expression.
The person in charge bit down his frustration. "We're moving out!"
At his signal, more than a dozen military transport vehicles roared to life and began their journey.
The convoy passed through the border without incident. No attacks from the Chaos Knife Society. No interference from rogue families. The road was surprisingly smooth.
As the convoy neared the military technology base, Mann felt himself relax.
Easiest job ever, he thought. Easy money.
When they finally reached the base, the transport team's leader stepped out and saluted the welcoming crew.
"Reporting in. Transport mission complete. No interference along the way."
Mann didn't wait for formalities. He approached the person in charge and muttered, "Convoy's here. Our job's done."
With that, he turned around and started walking back to his vehicle, not bothering to look back.
But just as he reached the door, something unexpected happened.
Clunk. Click. Thunk.
Suddenly, all the transport vehicles were swarmed by armed personnel—soldiers from military technology—pointing weapons directly at Mann and his team.
"You're not going anywhere," the person in charge said with a chilling smile.
"We still need you."
Mann froze. Then his eyes narrowed. "You sons of bitches set us up!"
His team reached for their weapons, but the situation was hopeless. They were outnumbered and outgunned—hundreds of rifles aimed at them, ready to fire.
"I've contacted Peter. He said he'll be here soon," Sasha whispered, her blue eyes burning with determination. She had sent a message to Peter the moment the ambush began.
"If you're smart, you'll put your weapons down," said the military tech leader calmly. "Our target is just the hacker girl. Hand her over, and the rest of you walk away alive."
"You'll all be dead soon enough!" Rebecca shouted. "Peter's going to wipe the floor with you!"
"We only needed the hacker to draw Peter here. Everyone else is expendable. Now complete the task and move on."
Hall, the head scientist, stepped forward, speaking as though he was giving orders to a janitor instead of initiating a hostage situation.
"You're seriously pushing your luck," Mann growled. "You have no idea what kind of hell you've invited."
"Still playing the loyalty card?" Hall sneered. "You're mercenaries. You should know when to sell out and save yourselves."
His tone turned cold.
"You refuse the wine offered during the toast—then you'll have to drink the bitter wine instead."
Hall signaled the soldiers to prepare for combat. Just as they were about to move in—
A sudden gust of wind swept across the base.
Everyone looked up.
A figure hovered in the sky, eyes blazing with fury.
"Peter!" Rebecca cried, waving frantically.
Mann grinned. "Now you've really pissed off the wrong guy."
"Fire! Hit him with the tranquilizer bomb I gave you!" Hall screamed in a frenzy.
He had anticipated this moment might come—but not this fast. He expected it would take at least a day to draw Peter in. He hadn't accounted for Peter's insane speed, closing the distance from North Oak District to here in mere minutes.
The soldiers opened fire without hesitation.
Da-da-da-da!
An onslaught of tranquilizer bullets tore through the air toward Peter. The kind of darts that could knock out a blue whale.
But Peter was no whale.
One second, he was in the sky. The next, he vanished.
Hall's eyes darted wildly in all directions.
"Where is he?! Where did he go?!"
"Looking for me?"
The calm voice came from behind him.
Hall spun around.
There stood Peter, completely untouched, his face expressionless.
"You're here! Get him now!" Hall shrieked, practically trembling with excitement rather than fear.
Perhaps that was what made these mad scientists so dangerous—they were too insane to be afraid.
In an instant, a group of modified soldiers surrounded Peter. Their limbs had been reinforced with mechanical enhancements, making them faster and stronger than ordinary troops.
Peter gave them a once-over and scoffed.
"This all you've got? You think these metal dogs can stop me?"
He surveyed the base calmly. There were a lot of people—maybe the same number as the group he massacred back in the Cyan Bi Building—but quantity didn't always equal strength.
Peter had been suspicious ever since Mann told him about this transport job. With the resources military tech had, why would they need a small team of mercenaries to protect such a sensitive convoy?
Why not contact a larger rogue family like the Adekado?
"This smells fishy. Now I know why," Peter muttered under his breath.
"You have no idea how important you are to the evolution of our species!" Hall shouted like a lunatic. "Capture him now!"
"You're insane," Peter said, shaking his head. "Did you really think you could touch my people and get away with it?"
Hall clearly hadn't expected Peter to reach the offshore base so fast. That fatal miscalculation would be his downfall.
The modified soldiers closed in, shrinking the circle around Peter.
Then they charged.
Peter didn't flinch. Didn't dodge.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
He swung his fists with terrifying precision. Each hit turned the attackers into nothing more than blood mist—torn apart by sheer force.
Within seconds, the scene was drenched in red. Screams rang out, only to be silenced one after another.
The soldiers kept coming, but they may as well have been walking into a meat grinder.
---