(Extra long chapter due to some battle scene. 3.6k)
In a hidden corner of the street, Adam spy at the building feeling doubtful.
For a villain, Ayn Rand sure isn't keeping anyone by his side to protect him. From what he remembers in the story, he isn't a combatant. He is very weak in combat. The timing for him to send out his only Initiator by his side to do an investigation, felt too convenient that he suspected an ambush. Granted he has an element of surprise as an outsider of this world, Ayn Rand cannot anticipate him. But it still felt too suspiciously convenient that he hesitated.
Adam hopes he is just overthinking this.
"Let's go." Adam ordered the team once Eric did the reconnaissance and secured an entrance while Destroyer hacked the surveillance to loop the footage.
Executioner and Destroyer nod and follow behind Adam as they infiltrate the building undetected to the eyes of the passerby.
Few minutes later, they found their way into an underground parking lot and entered the building through the emergency stairway previously scouted by Eric in advance. With their infiltrations successful, Adam led the team forward following a predetermined route to evade the heavily armed securities and patrols within the building. No camera can see them either with Destroyer hacking them on demand to lessen the suspicion of the looping footage.
Everything went well. A little too well that the closer he get to his destination, the more he felt anxious and restless, half expecting the next corridor he turned to will have a well prepared ambush waiting for him.
"Master, the research lab is directly above us and the only way into that floor is through a special elevator hidden behind a contraption on that wall." Destroyer stopped before a corner and said.
Adam half started when he hyper focused on the corridors and his minimap when Destroyer broke the silence.
"Oh… Okay. Let's go." Adam nods and thanks himself for not pulling the trigger on Destroyer with how jumpy he was a moment ago.
They silently approached the contraption Destroyer mentioned which is an nondescript wall on the corridor with nothing that can serve as a trigger nearby to activate it. Destroyer stepped forward and stepped on one of the tiles before a retina and handprint scanner popped out which she hacked with ease as an futuristic android that put everything she encountered so far as antique or nearly obsolete piece of technology by her standards.
After all that, an elevator appeared from behind the wall but Destroyer suddenly frowned with her eyes widened up immediately after.
"Master, the target was sneaky and included a program that warned him whenever this elevator was activated. I am afraid the target is already aware of us and he disabled the elevator but I intercepted that command." She informed and quickly urged the two to enter the elevator as a red alarm had been triggered on the entire building to warn about unwanted intruders.
They entered the elevator and it quickly closed and moved up as the Destroyer manually controlled it.
Adam silently looked with anticipation as the few second ride on the elevator quickly came to an end when a 'Ding' sound alerted him and the door of the elevator opened up.
Once the elevator opened up, he trained his shotgun up and aimed down to his sight as he scanned the room. Together, the three enter a dark hallway. The darkness poses no problem for them as they can see through it with night vision and so does Executioner and Destroyer.
Wordlessly, the trio advanced into the hallway. Adam with his shotgun aimed at the front and Executioner with her blade ready next to him, ready to slash down anything that appears. Meanwhile Destroyer constantly monitors the electronics around them, making sure nothing can catch them by surprise.
At the end of the hallway is a door which Adam found no knob or switches. He tried kicking it down only to find it to be a thick metal door that only dented instead of falling apart. He tried once more and using even more strength than his previous attempt before the metal door ripped out of the frame.
Immediately he peek inside. What he saw next was a research room that seems to be Ayn personal lab with an operation table with a girl still lying on it and is under anesthetic with her body cut open. It seems that he caught him in the middle of his experimentations.
*Ding*
A sound of the elevator alerted Adam and his team as they looked around and saw on a wall an elevator door opening up. Meaning someone called it and true to his assumptions, from under the table, a man wearing a lab coat fled into the elevator before frantically tapping the buttons while making a myriad of curses for the elevator being slow.
Adam, with his inhuman reflexes, raised and aimed his shotgun at the elevator before taking potshots as he vaulted over the table, knocking down all sorts of chemicals, jars with human parts, etc. But the door was already almost fully closed by the time he reached it.
Suddenly, a sword flew like an arrow and stabbed through the elevator door, halting the elevator for a moment as he ripped the doors open again as he met face to face with Ayn Rand. Ayn in his last moment of defiance, pulled out a pistol that looked like Glock 19 and proceeded to empty the entire magazine on Adam's face. Each shot produces a distinct 'ping' sound which indicates its Varanium bullet he is shooting.
"Die! Die! Die!" Ayn Rand shouts with a feral grin as he confidently empties all the bullet on Adam's face thinking he is going to die after this. He is shooting at his head after all.
*Click* *Click* *Click*
The panicked firing stopped when a few dry clicks were heard. Ayn Rand finally felt relieved before he fell to his back and to his butt on the floor, thinking the assassin had died. But when his eyes looked at the floor, he noticed the lack of bloodstain and noticed all 15 dented bullets on the floor.
Before Ayn could even raise his head to confirm that the assassin was in fact still alive, a metal gloved hand gripped his neck and choked him.
"Gah- AHHH!" He choked and screamed.
He looks at the assassin while using both hands to try to free himself. The assassin was wearing an unknown army special force tactical gear. His face was covered by a gas mask which only allowed him to see the light blue gleaming orb behind the lense peering into the depth of his soul. Cold and filled with anger, the eyes stared at him as the assassin dragged him out of the elevator like a chicken by its neck.
"What shall we do about him, Master?" Executioner appears next to the elevator, retrieving her blade while looking at the renegade Sage.
"Keep him from doing anything stupid for now. I will patch up the girl first." Adam drops Ayn to Executioner who look slightly disappointed thinking her Master will brutally mutilate this trash.
Meanwhile Adam looked at the state of the girl on the operation table and saw how many of her organs were being removed and placed on the nearby stainless steel trays next to the operation table. Her entire abdomen cavity is empty. Only her lungs and heart remain untouched but everything else is removed.
He basically knows almost next to nothing about surgery. There is no way he can place everything back in place. But he remembers his First Aid skill, creating disposable Nanites capable of even regenerating limbs much less reattaching organs.
Adam removes his glove and asks Destroyer for help as he sanitizes his hands and puts on sterile gloves before he puts every organs back in place. The intestines are a little tricky but nothing impossible as he arranges everything back together and then uses First Aid repeatedly on the girl until she is fully healed, not even any cut mark left.
The girl is still under anesthetic but other than that, she is perfectly healthy.
"Fuih…" Adam sighed in relief and wiped his proverbial sweat on his forehead.
"Master, we need to e-"
*Boom* x3
Demolition charges explode from above. It seems the security is trying to enter from above.
There is no need to speak anymore, he knows what the Destroyer is trying to say. He orders Executioner to carry the girl while he drag Ayn Rand by his neck while he thrashing around trying to futilely break free.
Adam already has a guess on what his true objectives were. The red dot on his minimap is pointing at the building which. Which means the Contractor was supposed to be here but when the girl he just saved didn't fulfill the requirement. Then there is only one other candidate, Tina Sprout.
The reason for it is because he knew Tina served Ayn reluctantly because she had no other purpose to stay living. She needs something, a purpose to justify all the suffering she's been through. But she wished for freedom. She wished to be saved. He remembers that much from the anime. She matches the description of the contractor.
Adam discarded the idea of using the elevator they previously used. The security definitely made an ambush there waiting for them. Instead, Adam lifts his right leg up and stomp the floor with a powerful force that immediately cracks the floor as he falls to the floor beneath.
He found himself in a hallway behind the ambush set up by the security. Adam already took out two Cryo Grenades and tossed them at them which exploded and released a dense cloud of freezing air, turning them temporarily into ice statues.
"Let's go!" Adam shouted at the two above after he cleared the route.
The three immediately trace back their steps through the route they used.
When they were almost out. At the emergency stairway, they encountered five armed security personnel wearing black combat fatigue and body plate, wearing balaclavas on their heads and armed with M4A1 assault rifles.
"Halt! Stop before we shoot!" The security ordered and hesitated to shoot because their boss was being used as a human shield by the intruder.
Adam however didn't really care and shot them dead using only two shots as his gun tore through their plate armor like nothing even though it was not supposed to normally. However, he failed to prevent one of them from informing the location of him and his team.
Once the obstacles were dispatched, Adam kicked down the back entrance and they ran into the alley but immediately another group of armed security caught up behind them and were now hot on their tails. But Destroyer shot a grenade using her grenade launcher and immediately incapacitated all of them as they ran into the street.
They ran straight to the slum area and back into the sewer to reach the ruined city outside.
They continue to encounter resistance as the military was alerted about Ayn Rand being kidnapped. Their greatest asset against Gastrea. They are unwilling to let Adam run free and the whole military basically chases down Adam and his team.
Half the city turns into a warzone as the urban area becomes a brutal meat grinder for the soldiers unaware about the strength of Adam who is literally a man worth an army. The destruction he can unleash alone is devastating. Too devastating that the Civil Officers have to get involved.
———
"HaAAH!" Another idiot tried to ambush Adam from above but without even lifting his head to see, he simply raised his shotgun and released a shot which tore through his body like it's made of tofu and his blood splatter and drenched Adam's already bloody cloak even more.
The slum area is already in front of their eyes. Soon, they will escape this place. But the pursuer behind them will not let them escape that easily. Adam is worried that the girl on Executioner's back will get caught by the battle. After all, there isn't much place for them to dodge firearms in a narrow tunnel.
Thus, Adam had made his decision. "Executioner, you go ahead and escape with the girl first. We will hold the enemies until you escape successfully." He said as he turned his head to look at her expression which shows unwillingness.
Executioner simply blamed her luck. Even this time l, her weapon of choice isn't as useful as Destroyer's grenade launcher which can dish out AOE attacks.
"Yes, Master." Executioner swallowed her bitterness and increased her pace and crossed over to the slum area.
Meanwhile Adam and Destroyer paused just by the border separated by tall fences.
"You just try your best to stay safe and defeat those that tried to go after the Executioner."
"Alright, Master!" Destroyer replied excitedly with both her grenade launchers aimed at the enemies swarming up to them.
*Boom!* x10
Destroyer went wild for once and it felt exhilarating to let loose.
"Die! Die! All of you. Hahaha!"
Incendiary and explosive grenades wreck hell for the enemies that tried to advance and force them to hide behind cover and shoot at them two.
Meanwhile Adam takes on any willing challenger that dares to advance. Either they die to his shotgun or punched with force equivalent to 5 tonnes and have their body splat like a swatted fly or straight up evaporate into a bloody mist.
Just as all hope seems lost for them, the military battle tank arrived to suppress Adam. People part way and let the tank advance but before it could even reach Adam. An unknown Artillery Strike took it out and they thought it's Destroyer.
"Nah, fuck this I'm out." Someone can't take this bullshit and leave quickly when seeing the reward do not justify the risk they have to face. "I'm not paid enough for this shit."
Many left but most of them are the weak and opportunistic Civil Officers hoping to make a fortune from this emergency recruitment. They aren't eager to throw their lives away.
But, while many of the weak left. The strong remains and one of them stepped forward to the challenge.
"Just one human. How did you trash fail to take care of him." A cocky man emerged from behind the cover and casually cracked his neck and stretched his shoulder before he instantaneously appeared before Adam. "He is probably a Mechanical Soldier. But so what? I am one too!"
"HaAH!" He throws a powerful right hook in a boxer stance.
"Master!" Destroyer tried to protect Adam because she managed to swiftly analyze the opponent.
Martinez Suers, Rank 1001. Strongest Promoter of America.
Normally, the IPC Ranking is determined by the combined strength of the Promoter and Initiator and their combat merit. But there are irregularities that dominate the Ranking as a solo. Such as Tina and all other HYBRIDs as Ayn Rand have zero combat ability. They are the true monsters in this ruined world with power to personally deal with Stage 4 Gastrea alone which could decimate cities alone.
Martinez Suers is such a person, an Irregular that needs no Initiator and gained the Rank 1001 with his own strength. A Mechanical Soldier famed for his immense CQC ability and monstrous strength to decimate a Stage 4 Gastrea with a single punch that turns it into a bloody mess, the One Punch Man.
(Definitely a coincidence.)
His fist connected to Adam's chest before he could even react and punched a hole through it, annihilating even his heart along the entire left side of his chest.
*Cough* x2
Adam felt a powerful blow reverberating through his body as blood gushed out his mouth and seeped through his gas mask and flowed down his chin.
"Hah! At the end of the day, he is just a nobody. He is no match to me." Martinez arrogantly declared. At least he has the strength to back his arrogance.
"You! How dare you! AHHH! I will not let you die that easily! I will avenge my Master!" Destroyer's eyes turned red as she flew into a rage and attacked Martinez mercilessly with an endless barrage of explosives.
"I will turn your corpse into ashes!" Destroyer jumps down and confronts the human face to face without a hint of fear. Instead, she is exuding overwhelming bloodlust and raising carnage befitting of her namesake.
"Hmph, another Mechanical Soldier. So what. I am the strongest created by Professor Rand." The man punched the incoming explosive bullet with his hand and only gained a slight redness on his fist instead of bleeding.
He used his movement technique again and skillfully evade all the bullets and closed the range with Destroyer and threw his signature punch again which generated a powerful shockwave, piercing through the sound barrier and punched Destroyer.
But unfortunately, Destroyer isn't a human. She is an android created for battle, a Tactical Doll. In her eyes, supersonic speed isn't something praiseworthy at all as she can keep up with the fist and effortlessly dodged with minimal movement and caught the fist with her hands. Her movements remain efficient despite the intense emotions she felt. Once she sealed his movement, both of the grenade launchers already aimed at the sinner who killed her beloved Master.
"Die." She ordered before her grenade launcher shot at Martinez's body and the bullet exploded on impact.
However, she felt slight unease because her opponent didn't look like a dying man at all. People will normally show some reaction no matter how experienced the person is. At least a look of resignation or unwillingness. But the man instead smirked.
Destroyer looked at the place she shot. A blue ripple of energy appeared.
"Force field!" Destroyer exclaimed and immediately tried to disengage but was instead caught by the neck in a choke hold.
"Not bad. Not bad. I like my women to be feisty. Breaking them is the most entertaining thing to watch." Martinez laughed as he stared lustfully at Destroyer until he examined her body and realized something he didn't earlier. A frown appears on his face before it turns into disinterest. "Aren't you just a pipsqueak? Tch, what a waste of my time."
Vein popped on Destroyer's forehead. "You dare olge my body that belongs to my Master!" She suddenly regained her strength and landed a punch squarely on his face, causing a nosebleed.
*Snort*
Martinez cleared his bloody nose and fixed it with a readjustment before he squeezed his hand tighter, causing Destroyer's neck to almost pop off.
"Belong to your Master? Hahaha. Why would he be interested in a pipsqueak like you? Unless, he is compensating for his small dick!" Martinez laughed and turned his head to the corpse of the man he just killed only to find a pool of blood and the body missing.
"Huh? Where did he go?" He looked around but couldn't find the man.
Then he felt someone tap his shoulder. "It couldn't be! He is sti-"
*Bang*
"FUCK! AHHHH! HE SHOT MY BALLS!" Martinez felt a sharp and unimaginable pain flooded his brain causing his entire body to turn weak and pissing his pants.
"Hmn. Thanks to that guy, I realized Mechanical Soldiers are basically immune to damage because their skeleton and organ are replaced with Varanium." Adam appears behind Martinez with his chest healed and vest repaired like he was never injured. "But you can't replace your reproductive organs with Varanium. It will remain your sole weakness."
Martinez didn't hear what Adam said as he is overwhelmed by pain and agony that he wishes to kill himself. But Adam isn't done. He purposely stomps at the bloody crotch, further antagonizing the injury while he looks at the crowd of people still thinking about pursuing him.
"Take one more step further and I will make you suffer the same as him." Adam stomped again and caused a hoarse and agonizing wail from the Rank 1001, America strongest human.
No one dares. Their strength had been reduced to such a state. None dare to challenge Adam again as he not only survived a fatal injury, he is also very vicious! This is a fate worse than death! Not even something they wished upon their enemies! It's that vicious.
After the intimidated crowd disperse, Destroyer jumps into his arms. "As expected of Master! I knew you wouldn't die that easily! I did my job well to buy you time, right?" She is beaming with smiles asking to be praised for her effort.
"Hmn. Yes, you did well. Now let's leave before they send more people." Adam gave her the praise she deserves and together with her, they ran into the slum and into the sewer.
—————
(Idk how I should feel for justifying Adam targeting people's balls and sticks. But it happens, so might as well make it official.
Anyway, the main obstacle had been removed. Time to free Tina and add her to Adam's group.)
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