The fierce man kept his hard, unblinking eyes fixed on Scott and Elena, who were standing across the ruined pool deck.
Looking both calm and a bit smug, Scott started clapping slowly, nodding like he'd just seen an impressive show.
"I take it you're the one who blew the doors off t heir hinges? Nice job, man. Very thorough."
The man narrowed his eyes, struggling to keep his irritation in check. Slowly, he lifted his cybernetic arm, which started to hum with a dangerous crackle of electricity running through his fingers.
The dim room lit up with a sharp, violet glow as arcs of energy twisted through the complex circuits of his cybernetic arm like a restless beast ready to break free.
"Shockstrike… I'm one of the heavy hitters for the big dogs of the Black Mechanica Gang. When they want something done right, I'm the one who does it."
The man's voice was so rough and fierce that Scott instantly realized he was on a completely different level from the street thugs usually controlled by Black Mechanica.
But as soon as Scott heard the name [Black Mechanica], his eyes narrowed and a focused look settled on his face.
Just then, a notification from the System flashed at the edge of his vision.
[System Alert: New Mission — Protect the Target!]
Scott frowned.
"Target?"
He murmured, glancing around.
But before he could piece it together, Shockstrike's hand stretched out to point directly at Elena.
"I want that woman."
"Get in line, buddy…" Scott shrugged.
"You fool!"
Shockstrike's eyes spiked like a triggered serpent.
"Name: Elena Vargas. Alias: Night Witch. Age: 24. Race: Terran subspecies. Charged with theft from Black Mechanica and illegal distribution of our weapons. I will be taking her off your hands now… or terminating both you and her here if you decide to be foolish."
Scott raised a brow, barely hiding his amusement.
"So, you're saying she's illegally selling stolen weapons that were already… what, illegally acquired?"
"Y-, Yes…"
The growling man did well to hide the momentary confusion he experienced from Scott's words.
Scott's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Elena.
She gave a sheepish smile, toying with a loose strand of her hair as she averted her gaze.
『I should've known she was trouble the moment I saw her—but I didn't expect this much trouble. Sigh~ I don't have my gear with me, but there's no way I can just walk away and leave her to this Shockstrike guy, even if she totally deserves it. Plus, the System gave me a job to do. And more than that… if she's actually Night Witch, then she probably has some really good answers that could lead me straight to Black Mechanica's main base.』
After a short pause, Scott sighed.
"Look, buddy, sorry, but I can't just let you have her. Two wrongs don't make a right, so, as the only sane person here, I'll be calling the shots here."
Shockstrike's mouth spread into a freakish smile.
"That's if you live long enough to make that decision…"
His arm charged up once more.
In one quick move, his cybernetic arm lit up with a wild surge of lightning. The built-up energy exploded outward, a crackling wave that shot through the air, instantly evaporating the pool water and blasting through the walls in a blinding flash as the room split in two!
When the smoke and steam cleared, Shockstrike scanned the scorched remains of the pool room.
Scott and Elena were gone… and so were their clothes.
A wave of frustration twisted his tattooed face as he inspected his arm and gritted his teeth.
"Damn recoil! I still can't get this piece of crap to aim properly for fuck sake!"
The place went silent as he angrily fumbled to recalibrate the settings of his cybernetic arm.
The five men standing beside him remained completely motionless.
They were waiting for instructions.
Shockstrike shot them an impatient glare.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"
He barked with gritted teeth.
"Get after her — unless you're planning on dying tonight!"
Without saying a word, the five men pulled out black metallic hilts from their sides. With a synchronized hum, they flipped the switches, causing green plasma blades to ignite and buzz menacingly in their hands.
In an instant, they vanished like shadows.
━ ━ ━ ━
Scott sprinted through the chaos of the Rusted Hook Club as the dull lights of the interior flickered under strobe lights and the echo of thumping bass reverberating through the walls.
He cradled Elena in his arms as she protested, but her voice was barely audible over the booming music.
They finally burst through a doorway into the adjoining lounge, where people were rushing to escape the scene.
"Are you serious right now?"
Scott panted as his grip tightened on her round waist.
Quickly, he dodged a table filled with half-empty drinks.
"You're Night Witch, selling weapons to criminals! Do you have any idea how dangerous that makes you?"
Elena glared at him with wide and fierce eyes.
"And you think it's your job to save everyone? Who do you think you are? The police or something? This is none of your fuckin' business!"
"Yeah, well, it just became my business!"
He shot back then pivoted sharply to avoid a pair of clubgoers obliviously trying to dance.
"I can't just let you get sliced up by that cyborg psycho!"
"Then stop running and let me go!"
Elena shouted, trying to wriggle free, but the sudden clattering of boots behind them made her reconsider.
"Ugh, fine! Just… move faster!"
They burst into the next room, a mildly dark corridor lined with old posters of long-forgotten bands.
Scott skidded to a halt and quickly searched for anything he could use.
His eyes landed on a pair of metal trash cans.
He quickly grabbed one and hurled it back down the hall just as the five plasma-wielding henchmen rounded the corner.
The crash of the trash can rattled the gang's momentum, and they stumbled momentarily as their eyes darted toward the noise.
"Go!"
Scott urged as he darted to the right and dragged Elena with him.
"We need to keep moving!"
As they raced through the club, Elena's smirk returned, though her breath was quick.
"I didn't know you had it in you! You're not half bad at this, David Blane."
"Don't get used to it!"
A quick response from Scott as their feet pounded heavily against the worn wooden floor.
"I'm just not about to let you get caught by that freak. You may deserve it, but I don't have time to debate your life choices right now!"
They swung into the kitchen, where servers ducked and dodged, barely avoiding the chaos behind them.
Scott looked at his high-tech wristwatch but bit his lower lip and decided against using it.
『I can't use it now… I have only two darts and they're already reserved for the others.』
Soon after, he spotted a row of hanging pans and quickly snatched two off the rack.
"Perfect!"
He easily sighted two henchmen coming, one running faster than the other, and hurled the first frying pan at the faster one, who easily sliced it in half only to receive another frying pan square in the face and collapse.
It seemed Scott didn't waste a second throwing the second one, and it left him fist-pumping with joy.
Elena then pointed forward. "Another one!"
Immediately, Scott shoved his hands down Elena's pants and grabbed her lace panties, tearing them out with force, which gave Elena a momentary wedgie and left her shrieking in mild pain as her cheeks went red.
She held her butt tightly as she felt a stinging red paint up her ass and in her special place.
… Ahhhhnnn~ ♡♡!
Oddly, she enjoyed how rough he was with her.
… Mmffhnnn ♡ Ahhhmnn~ ♡♡!
She couldn't suppress her moan.
If only he'd done this earlier.
Finally, she snapped out of it.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! WHY DID Y──!!"
"You'll thank me later…"
Scott quickly tore her lace panties until they were like a ragged rope and tied together the remaining seven frying pans so they were like some sort of ring.
After that, Scott tossed it to the floor just as the second henchman appeared in the doorway.
The henchman slipped on the ring of pans, and his plasma sword flared wildly as he flailed to regain his balance.
Scott took the opportunity to bolt past him, dragging Elena behind him.
He made sure to stomp-crush their plasma swords to reduce the threat level as much as possible.
"That's two down! We need to keep moving!"
"Wow, look at you, a real tactical genius~"
Elena teased, but her eyes darted around nervously.
Scott frowned at her.
"Talk and your bra's next…"
"EEEEK──!"
"Good girl…"
He spotted a couple of old cables coiled on the counter.
With a quick flick of his wrist, he snagged them and fashioned a makeshift tripwire across the kitchen entrance just as the third henchman charged in. The man tripped, crashing to the ground as his plasma sword flew out of his grip.
"Three down!"
Scott shouted like an old man watching football.
"How many of these idiots are there?"
Elena glanced over her shoulder as they ducked into a storage room filled with dusty boxes.
"Five, obviously! You're doing great, but if you're planning to beat all of them with a frying pan, it's not going to end well!"
She gripped her fists tightly.
『I might have to take them out myself… and ensure they're also dead!』
Her canine teeth sharpened for a moment.
"Just shut up and keep moving!"
Scott finally shot back and her killing intent waned.
『Did he just tell me to shut up? Before that he tore my panties straight out of my ass and even called me a good girl… I'm older than this son of a bitch, he doesn't get to…!』
Elena realized that Scott was already gone.
"David!"
She quickly ran after him.
The young man's focus sharpened as they stumbled into the club's back alley. The narrow passage was dark, littered with broken bottles and remnants of discarded party supplies.
As they reached the end, a flickering neon sign above them sparked and dimmed which sent dangerous arcs of electricity dancing along the walls.
Scott's eyes lit up with inspiration.
"Hold on!"
He tapped the screen of his watch, and a small holographic computer appeared. He scrolled through the settings until he switched the wristwatch to Flash Mode.
"Let's see how they handle this."
With a quick tap, a bright flash of light burst from the watch to blind the henchmen.
They instinctively covered their eyes and stumbled back.
"ARRRRGHHHH!"
"MY EYEEEEEESSSSS!!"
The light felt almost like it was burning their eyes, especially after being in such a shaded place for so long.
Scott seized the moment and vaulted over a stack of crates with Elena now in his arms.
"Are you going to keep talking, or are we actually going to get out of this?"
Scott grunted as he landed on the other side with a thud.
"I'm just saying, it's impressive!"
Elena shouted then braced herself as they dodged past a dumpster.
"But we're not out of the woods yet!"
As if summoned by her words, the remaining henchmen shook off their daze and reignited their plasma swords.
"Oh great, you just HAD to talk…" Scott complained.
Elena immediately squeezed her face. "Don't talk to me like that, Mister No Respect For Personal Space!"
"You didn't seem to mind personal space when you were forcing yourself on me!"
"OHHHH, FORCING MYSELF I SEE! If I remember correctly, you were the one who couldn't stop staring at my damn breasts like a horny so──!"
"Shut it. Fucking shut it! We're distracted!"
"Oh, so now we're distracted?!" Elena fired more.
All for Scott to ignore her.
He looked around desperately.
『Man, we really wasted a lot of time arguing, and now those guys have caught up to us. Lesson learned: Carry your friggin' gear with you everywhere, or at least your damn utility belt! I could've used the EMP Mode on this new watch I got from the special reward package of the System, but those plasma swords aren't just electronic.
… Sigh~ fuck me…
『They probably use that glowing green core to focus the energy into a plasma blade, not to mention the containment field that keeps the plasma particles together.』
Before long, he spotted a fire alarm on the wall.
"I have an idea!"
Scott sprinted toward it, reached for the handle, then yanked it down.
Alarms blared, red lights flashed, and a torrent of water burst from the ceiling. The henchmen slipped and stumbled as their weapons shorted out under the heavy downpour.
Scott pulled Elena to the side as the men fought to regain their footing.
"Now!"
When Elena got the signal, she executed three impressive backflips to distance herself from the danger.
Meanwhile, Scott held out his watch and quickly tapped the screen. A taser wire shot out and connected to the flooded ground, delivering a jolt of electricity that left the henchmen unconscious and barely breathing.
"Oh my…"
Elena licked her lips slowly.
She was holding back the excitement of working with a man so strong, but she did well to hide it.
━ ━ ━ ━
The chaos of the club was fairly gone by now, and all she could focus on was the man in front of her—the man who'd just saved her life.
『I didn't need it… but still…』
A sudden rush of hunger surged within her.
Without a word, she pulled him in, and her lips crashed against his with pure fire.
… Mwah~ ♡ Mmm-hmmm ♡♡!
It was a passionate kiss, with her tongue dancing against his own, while his hands slowly reached for her butt again, reminding her of his squeeze last time, which had her all excited.
… Humph!
Just as quickly, Scott's instincts kicked in, and he pushed her away, breathing heavily.
"Okay, enough of that!"
He wiped his lips, but also licked it at the same time as he enjoyed the strawberry taste of her hot mouth.
"You're going to tell me what's going on. Why the fuck are you Night Witch, and why the hell are you affiliated with Black Mechanica?"
Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on. Can't a lady get a hot, passionate kiss without being interrogated?"
She smirked like a mischievous fox.
Scott's brows furrowed. "You kissed me! I'm just saying… you know… context."
"Context is overrated…" Elena replied playfully as she sensually licked her lips.
But the teasing faded as seriousness crept back in.
"Fine. Just know that I have my reasons."
"I don't think that's a good enough ans…"
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed through the alley.
Both of them snapped their heads toward the noise just in time to see Shockstrike.
He was just as hot as his cybernetic arm that was sizzling with dangerous amounts of electricity.
"Enough of this nonsense…"
The big man growled.
"You managed to take down my men, but that's it. I won't bother bringing either of you in alive. You're better off termina—"
Before Shockstrike could finish, Scott's reflexes kicked in.
He quickly tapped the screen on his wristwatch, and a dart fired out, hitting Shockstrike in the neck.
The giant man staggered for a moment before falling to the ground, unconscious.
Elena's jaw dropped open in shock.
"What the actual fuck?! You could've done that against those goons!"
"I only had two darts, genius. I was saving them for more important situations."
Scott tapped his high-tech watch as he spoke.
Elena placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head.
"Sure, but if that's the case, what were you keeping the other dart f──?!"
Before her words could get out, Scott tapped his watch again, and another dart flew through the air, hitting her in the neck.
Elena's eyes widened in surprise before she slumped against the wall, out cold.
Scott let out a heavy sigh of relief, hands resting on his waist as he looked between the two unconscious bodies.
"I can't believe the level of danger in this city."
He shook his head like an overworked salaryman.
"I need to get back to Metro City."