Assad hurtled through the sky, the wind howling in his ears as the homing missile zoomed toward him like a vengeful dragon. Panic surged in his mind.
"Okay, okay, okay—THINKING IS NOT MY STRONG SUIT! I'm not made for strategy! I punch things! I kick things! I fall off things! WHY is this thing still on my tail?!"
The missile veered again, locking onto him with a relentless hunger. Assad glanced at his trembling hand, still weak.
Forty seconds left.
That was all the time his stolen, fragile body could endure before it burned out and tossed him back into the void.
"Forty seconds?!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO IN FORTY SECONDS? A COOKING SHOW?!"
He twisted in mid-air, searching for anything—debris, metal, even a bird—anything he could use.
Nothing.
Just sky. Endless, merciless sky. The missile shrieked behind him.
Assad took a deep breath, the wind stabbing at his lungs as he straightened his body like a spear.
"Alright—STUPID OPTION IT IS!"
He dove.
Hard.
The air pressure exploded around him, his speed doubling, then tripling, turning him into a falling blur. The missile screamed and matched his acceleration instantly, its engine roaring like a rabid beast on the hunt.
Just as it was about to graze the back of his head, Assad twisted. A juke so sharp it seemed impossible. He rolled into a backflip mid-fall, the missile slicing past his foot by a hair.
"HAA! GOT YOU!"
The missile suddenly banked upward like a possessed hawk.
BeeeeEEEP—LOCKED AGAIN.
Assad's grin vanished.
"you little…"
The missile charged straight up toward him. That's when Assad finally snapped.
"WHY DO YOU NOT LET ME HAVE ONE WIN?!"
His scream dissolved into the wind as he dove again, even faster than before. He glanced down.
Below him were the truck, the escort cars, and the gunners. All exactly where he needed them. A wicked smile spread across his face.
"…my first 900 IQ idea… PLAY."
He crosses his arms tightly against his chest and drops like a bullet, slicing through the clouds and hurtling toward the convoy below. On the black cars: A guard squints up.
"…Huh? Something's falling."
Another guard grabs binoculars—takes a look—and goes pale.
"That's— that's the target!! HE'S COMING DOWN ON US!"
"Kinzau!!" the guard shouts into the radio. "The target— he's DIVE-BOMBING US!!"
Inside the car, Kinzau's eyes widen.
"Everyone—STEP ON IT!"
Tires screech. Engines roar. All the vehicles surge forward in unison. Back in the sky, Assad notices the sudden burst of speed.
"Damn it— you guys caught on!"
His hair whips wildly behind him as he dives even steeper.
"But my 900 IQ play…"
His grin flashes like a predator's.
"…is NOT finished yet."
Assad dives harder, faster, the missile screaming behind him like a demon on a leash.
He twists his body, angling himself toward a random civilian car far from the convoy. A moment passes. A spark of pure madness ignites in his eyes.
"…that's my ticket. Didn't plan this, but hey—free ride is a free ride."
He tilts, drops, and locks onto the little getaway car.
It's the complete opposite of the chaos unfolding in the sky.
Loud music blares.
Alcohol bottles roll across the floor.
A thick cloud of questionable substances hangs in the air.
Four college kids are celebrating like they just hit the jackpot.
Kesore.
Their old school.
They finally broke free from it.
The most intoxicated one slams his cup against the window.
"BROOO— I hated that school. Total waste of time! Zero freedom!"
Another leans back, half-conscious, shouting:
"It felt like PRISON, bro! LOCKDOWN this, lockdown that—"
The third guy howls, flicking ashes out the sunroof:
"YEAH— SCREW THEM! We're FREE now!!"
The fourth raises a bottle like it's a trophy.
"Freedom at last!! Hip hip—!!"
"HOOORAY!!!"
"HOOORAY!!!"
"We're FINALLY FREE!!!"
The car swerves a bit. Laughter erupts. Someone spills their beer. And in the back seat, someone's attempting to twerk for no apparent reason.
Everything feels wild. Noisy. Unrestrained.
Until—
The passenger glances out the front window.
"…hey, why is that truck coming at us like that?"
A massive transport truck and four sleek black escort cars zoom past them like a herd of stampeding animals, barely missing a collision.
"HOLY SHIT— learn how to DRIVE!"
He pounds his fist on the dashboard.
"Seriously, these idiots must've bought their licenses for R200, I swear—!"
Then—
He squints.
"What's that?"
Something is plummeting. Fast. Really fast.
It glimmers. The sunlight catches it. Their eyes go wide—
KA-BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A fiery explosion engulfs the entire road as OG Assad and the missile crash into the asphalt near their vehicle, obliterating the getaway car in a shower of fire, metal, and shrapnel.
The convoy behind them swerves violently.