With speed and agility, Adam ran as fast as his nimble legs could take him. Deep down, he was elated. He could still remember the promises and rewards awaiting him. Even if he was the last in the sixteen, getting on the list would transform his life completely.
The smoke was denser as one approached the safe haven, but not enough to deter Adam. However, the smoke did serve to diminish visibility, and the bushes obscured the view.
As such, Adam did not see the blockade. However, his movements did not go unnoticed. From inside the haven, one ranger noticed a man moving at high speeds through the fire land. With a brilliant smile, he immediately raised the alarm, signalling the nearby teammates of the incoming prey.
Like the trained professionals they were, the group instantly hid themselves. From their positions, they had blocked any path of advancement for Adam. The moment he entered the safe haven, they would move to encircle him, cutting off any escape paths.
50 meters... 30... 5...
Adam quickly closed the distance, before finally reaching the safe haven. With joy, he looked around, checking to see where he was supposed to take the flag and be rid of it. The longer he held onto it, the more danger it would attract.
Just as he was about to advance, ten burly men jumped out of their various hiding spots. In mere moments, Adam was completely surrounded, without any escape.
"Hand over the flag, and we will let you leave with your life," A huge mountain of a man said as he drew near to the wary Adam.
"I don't have it, I came here to sneak up on anyone coming to submit the flag," Adam thought quickly. When Adam first saw the flag, it had been huge, requiring him to carry it on his back. It would have been very visible and easy to target.
Perhaps the competition designers had thought of that, which was why they came up with the idea of placing the flag in a miniature bead. The bead was the size of a palm, which made it easy to conceal and carry. Adam was hoping these people had never seen the flag. In that case, they couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.
"Trying to be clever?" The burly man asked vehemently. Without even giving Adam a chance to retaliate, he swung his massive fist at Adam.
Adam was no simple man. To be recruited by a gigantic corporation like the Nexus, he had quite some skills on him. Watching the man's fist approach, he moved as though to dodge the attack.
However, the man's attack was not that simple. While it looked slow, the fist was actually moving very fast. Moreover, he was agile enough to shift his attack direction midair, tracking Adam's body like a heat seeking missile.
Slam!
With a thud, the fist connected with Adam's shoulder, sending him sprawling on the ground, several yards from the man. Before he could recover, he saw another fist, this time from someone else, growing bigger in his field of view. The last thing he felt was the sudden shock as the fist connected with his temple.
"Did you kill him?" the burly man asked. The second guy took some time to feel the purse, before shaking his head while saying, "No, he's just taking a nap."
"Good, search his person. Find the flag." The command did not need to be given, since the group was already doing just that. After rummaging through many of the man's pockets, they managed to pull out a clear bead with a flag.
"Interesting, what is that?" the burly man asked.
"I think this is it," The man rummaging through Adam's pockets answered as he examined the bead. He could see the white flag inside. Haven't found anything else of value here.
"Good, send that to the leader. The rest of us, we have some more flies to catch," he said, as he shifted his eyes back to the arena grounds. The more flags he claimed for the corporation, the higher his position would be. He couldn't help wishing that more people would choose to pass through his section of the blockade.
While the group had been busy with their actions, they had not noticed the two rangers who had been surveilling them. From their hideouts, the two men saw the trap that had been laid by the super powers, and Adam's unfortunate fate. Quickly, the two ran back to report to their teammates.
One of the rangers was from Iresal corporation, sent by Haiser to scout the safe haven. At first, Brenner, the ranger, had not understood the need to go and scout. In his opinion, they should have immediately ran to the safe haven before the other powers and secured a place. Only now did he see the wisdom in Haiser's decision.
The other ranger, coincidentally, belonged to the Laventine corporation. They too had managed to obtain a flag, which was why he was sent to scout ahead. He ran fast to people and reported what he saw. Soon, the two corporations, each on their own, devised ways to bypass the blockade.
From the stands, the spectators saw everything. The blockade that had been formed, and the true powers behind the blockade. They also saw the teams which had discovered the flag, and their actions of scouting ahead. Clearly, a fight was about to go down.
Phanas, who was standing in one of the viewing galleries, had his eyes glued on Haiser. So far, the man had produced several miracles and through them, he had enhanced both men's interest.
To some extent, Phanas viewed Haiser as his mascot, his lucky charm. This time though, the former could clearly see that the deck was stacked against the latter. Even then, he still made a silent prayer. He hoped that somehow, Haiser could produce another miracle.
He didn't dare voice it, or even admit it, scared that if he did, the hope would be instantly dashed. All he could do was cross his fingers, sweat cascading down his back.