Chemical Plant in Afghanistan
Gunshots echoed through the factory, sparks flying in every direction. The pungent smell of sulfur filled the air.
"What?!"
A wailing cry cut through the chaos, freezing everyone with a chilling, biting cold.
"Damn it, another brother's dead!" The bearded man hid behind a wall, his eyes wide with fear as he pounded the stone angrily. He had never seen anything like this before—no, it wasn't even human; it was an immortal monster.
Just ten minutes earlier, a man had walked into the factory alone. Security tried to stop him, but he fired without a word. When reinforcements arrived, they tried to encircle him, but it was as if he was invincible. Bullets clanged harmlessly off him like metal against metal.
The stronghold fell one after another, and the remains were scattered, leaving the bearded man struggling to find words to describe the horror. He still had weapons at his disposal, including the 09 Datong near his feet—an American SMAW-D83mm rocket launcher, one of the most powerful infantry anti-tank weapons available.
The bearded man speculated that the monster might be some kind of robot in human skin. The alloy used on it seemed too advanced to withstand a single rocket blast.
Suddenly, the factory fell silent, save for the eerie sound of something sizzling. The bearded man's heart raced. He adjusted his position, trying to stay hidden while nervously holding his submachine gun and the bazooka on his shoulder. It was an exhausting stance, but he knew he had to remain vigilant.
Zizi~
A strange noise reached his ears. He tensed, ready to fire, but then hesitated. The flicker of firelight cast a large shadow on the wall, revealing the monster working at a small blast furnace.
The bearded man crept closer, his heart pounding. The strange, sizzling noise grew louder as the metal in the furnace began to bubble and change.
He edged closer and looked down. What he saw made his pupils contract with shock. The monster's body was riddled with craters, revealing a cold, metallic skeleton underneath. It was indeed a robot in human skin.
The robot stood in front of the blast furnace, methodically tossing items from its backpack into the molten iron. The sizzling noise intensified as the iron bubbled and boiled.
The bearded man carefully pulled out the rocket launcher, aiming it at the robot. He was almost ready to fire but decided to observe a bit longer. The robot seemed intent on something, and he wanted to understand its purpose.
The factory was eerily quiet, except for the occasional hiss of the molten iron. The bearded man waited, his anxiety building.
Finally, the robot added a bottle of silver-gray solvent into the furnace. The molten iron changed color, turning from fiery orange to a viscous, silver-gray liquid. The surface of the liquid began to ripple and solidify, forming a human shape.
The bearded man's heart raced as the metal began to cool and solidify, revealing a human form. The robot retrieved a small black piece and placed it on the emerging figure, which slowly became a complete human body.
The human figure, once formed, began to stir. "TX, wake up, this is an order from the master," the robot said in a deep, commanding voice.
As the command was issued, the figure's eyes flashed red. Waves of ripples swept across its body as its silver-gray skin transformed into flesh and clothing. Within seconds, the figure was fully transformed into a strikingly beautiful, cold woman.
"My name is TX. Follow the master's order," TX said, her voice cold and emotionless.
She turned to face the bearded man. "t800, you are careless."
At that moment, the bearded man realized he had been spotted. He quickly fired his submachine gun.
Dangdang!
The bullets bounced off TX's body, falling harmlessly to the ground. The bearded man was stunned. "No, I can't take this anymore. I need to take you down!"
TX scanned the area, noting the damaged t800 beside the blast furnace. "You are too weak without night metal," she stated bluntly.
The t800 did not react, its expression remaining unchanged. The bearded man, frustrated and desperate, discarded his submachine gun. He steadied himself, gripping the rocket launcher tightly.
"Go to hell, mechanical monster!" he shouted, aiming the bazooka at TX.