Sanjay picked up the weapon with one hand, testing its weight. As he did, Maya's eyes narrowed, her expression tightening with suspicion.
"Wait… did you go through augmentation?"
Sanjay glanced at her, then back at the gun. "Yes. Didn't you tell me to do it?"
Her lips parted slightly in disbelief. "Which one?"
"The best one from Nova Technologies. They gave me a good deal."
Maya's breath hitched. "Wait. Are you saying you went through the latest X700 augmentation?"
Sanjay thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that's the name they had on their website."
Maya's eyes widened. "Then why are you acting like you can't fight? By now, you should be a damn killing machine!"
Sanjay frowned. "What are you talking about?"
She studied him for a moment, then sighed. "You really don't know, do you? No wonder. Why don't you ask your AI if there's a combat feature?"
Taking her advice, Sanjay reached out to Iris. "Is there anything in my augmentation that could help me in a fight?"
[Affirmative. Combat Assistance is available.
Combat Assistance – Engages AI-driven tactical analysis, predicts enemy movements, and recommends optimal strategies during combat. Additionally, it temporarily enhances reflexes and motor coordination by stimulating neural pathways for precision-based actions. ]
Sanjay blinked. "What? Why didn't you tell me this before?"
[Host, there are over 10,000 features available.]
So… basically, this was his fault for not checking.
[Do you want me to activate it?]
"Yes, do it."
The moment the system engaged, a surge of clarity flooded Sanjay's mind. His vision sharpened, transforming into a scanning overlay that mapped everything within a five-kilometer radius. Markers appeared in blue, signifying neutral targets. If he wanted, he could change them to red for hostiles.
Even the gun in his hand felt… familiar. As if he had trained with it his entire life. He looked at Maya. She was marked in blue—no danger. Yet, deep down, an instinct whispered that if she so much as twitched with killing intent, he wouldn't hesitate. His body, now guided by the AI, could eliminate her in an instant.
Maya stiffened, her breath hitching. The air between them grew heavy, her instincts screaming that she was standing in front of something inhuman.
Sanjay exhaled sharply. "Deactivate it for now."
The system complied, and the eerie clarity faded. His vision returned to normal, and the overwhelming sense of control slipped away. He looked at Maya, who visibly relaxed, exhaling a shaky breath.
"Did they really make this for civilians?" he asked, still processing what had just happened.
Maya shook her head. "No. The X700 should only be available to elites. Even if you had the money, you shouldn't have been able to buy it."
Sanjay frowned. "Then why did Nova Technologies allow it? They could've rejected me. Seventy million quarks isn't a fortune for a company that size."
A troubling thought settled in his mind—was he part of something bigger? Had he unknowingly walked into a conspiracy?
"Can you check if there's anything wrong with it?" he asked.
Maya hesitated. "Sorry, this is beyond me. I'd advise you not to mess with it too much. This is cutting-edge tech. Outside of Nova's top scientists, no one understands it."
Sanjay's jaw tightened. He should've consulted Maya before going through with it. But what was done was done. Now, all he could do was accept it.
He took a deep breath. "Forget it. Let's go."
---
Nova nodded, loading weapons into a trunk. Since Sanjay now knew how to use them, she handed him a few more before closing it shut.
"Take these. Just in case," she said.
Sanjay took them without a word, his fingers tightening around the cool metal. The weight felt oddly natural in his hands now. He had barely scratched the surface of what his augmentation could do, but there was no turning back.
With everything set, they walked to the car. Sanjay placed the trunk in the backseat and slid into the passenger side. Moments later, Maya started the engine, and the car shot out of the garage, the tires screeching against the pavement.
Maya drove in focused silence, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. Sanjay, on the other hand, stared at the digital map on his interface, analyzing the area where the ambush would take place. His stomach tensed. This was his first real engagement. Even if he was staying in the background, the thought of combat unsettled him.
Hours passed, the city gradually fading behind them. The towering skyscrapers gave way to barren lands, and soon, they were surrounded by hills. The road stretched ahead, empty and silent. Maya finally slowed the car and pulled up behind a rocky outcrop.
"We're here," she said.
They stepped out. The air was dry, carrying the scent of dust and gravel. Sanjay activated his combat assistance, and instantly, his vision sharpened. A vast, detailed map overlaid his sight, marking every rock, every movement within five kilometers. His mind processed the information effortlessly, as if he had always been capable of this.
"The convoy isn't within range yet," he noted, scanning the perimeter. "We still have time."
Maya sighed, crossing her arms. "That augmentation of yours is seriously overpowered," she muttered, jealousy clear in her voice.
She shook off her frustration and got to work, pulling a few gadgets from a compartment in the car. Carefully, she buried them along the roadside, her fingers moving with practiced precision. Then, she tapped a sleek screen attached to her wrist, making final adjustments.
Minutes passed.
Suddenly, Iris's voice echoed in Sanjay's mind.
[ The convoy is approaching. Estimated arrival: three minutes. ]
"They're here," he relayed.
Maya nodded. "Got it. Stay sharp."
She grabbed an automatic rifle and crouched behind a boulder. Both of them donned skull-faced masks—specially designed to block digital facial recognition. Sanjay took position atop the hill, his sniper rifle resting steadily against his shoulder.
Then, he saw them.
Five armored police trucks thundered down the road, their engines roaring. At the center of the formation was a heavily reinforced transport van—their target. Inside was the prisoner they had come to extract.
Iris highlighted the enemy soldiers in red, leaving their target unmarked. Despite the tension, Sanjay's augmented body maintained perfect calm, his heart beating at a steady rhythm.
The convoy closed in.
1km… 500m… 200m… 100m… 50m…
Maya exhaled sharply, then pressed a button on her wrist.
BOOM.
A shockwave rippled through the area as an EMP detonated, shutting down every vehicle within a 100-meter radius. Sparks flew, and the convoy skidded to an abrupt halt. A shimmering energy barrier flickered to life around them, trapping them in a battlefield of their own making.
The soldiers reacted instantly, pouring out of the vehicles, their weapons drawn. Their sleek, futuristic armor reflected the dim sunlight. Maya wasted no time—she opened fire, her shots precise and unrelenting.
Sanjay steadied his aim. The moment his crosshairs locked onto a soldier, his body moved on its own. He pulled the trigger.
A sharp crack echoed through the air.
One soldier collapsed. Then another.
His combat assistance kicked in fully, guiding his shots with inhuman precision. Each movement felt calculated, flawless. There was no hesitation. No doubt.
One by one, the soldiers fell under his sniper fire.
And for the first time, Sanjay realized—he was no longer just an observer. He was a part of this fight.
---
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" a voice rang out from the convoy.
Then, with a loud mechanical hiss, three heavily armed combat droids emerged from the lead truck. Their metal frames gleamed under the sun, joints whirring as they locked onto Maya's position. Without hesitation, they raised their multi barrel machine guns and unleashed a storm of bullets.
Sanjay's eyes narrowed. He adjusted his aim and fired.
A sharp crack echoed as his bullet struck the first robot's chest, forcing it back several meters. But instead of falling, it recalibrated and resumed its advance, completely unfazed.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, shifting targets. He fired again—this time at the second and third droids. The bullets hit dead center, but their thick armor held. The machines barely flinched.
Realizing Sanjay's position was still concealed, the droids ignored him and concentrated their fire on Maya.
Pinned under the relentless barrage, Maya gritted her teeth and activated a gadget on her belt. A glowing energy shield materialized in front of her, absorbing the bullets, but cracks quickly spread across its surface.
"Damn it!" she cursed. A second later, a stray bullet punched through, embedding itself deep in her leg.
She let out a sharp cry and collapsed, her rifle clattering to the ground.
Sanjay's breath caught.
"Maya!" Without thinking, he leaped from the 20-meter-high hill, his body moving before his mind could catch up. He landed hard in front of her, the impact sending a small shockwave through the dirt.
For a brief moment, the droids hesitated, recalibrating to assess the new threat. Then their targeting systems locked onto him, and they opened fire.
Bullets rained down, striking him across the chest, arms, and legs—but the nanobots in his bloodstream kicked in instantly. His body healed itself at an unnatural speed, wounds closing almost as fast as they formed.
He glanced down at himself, watching the shredded fabric of his clothes, but his skin remained untouched. A grin spread across his face.
"Now it's payback time."
P.S.: Thank you, everyone, for your comments on the last chapter! Please leave your comments on the novel as well if you liked it. And as always, your writer is working very hard—please send power stones to keep me motivated!
Let me know if you have any ideas for the story!