Chapter 1: The Rebirth of Kane Voss
The last thing Kane Voss remembered was the explosion.
It had been a routine mission—or as routine as any mission could be when you were a mercenary with a reputation like his. The target was a high-value arms dealer holed up in a fortified compound in the mountains of Eastern Europe. Kane's team had been hired to extract him, dead or alive. They'd chosen dead.
The mission had gone sideways fast. Intel had been wrong—again. The compound wasn't just guarded by a handful of thugs with AKs. It was a fortress, manned by a private army equipped with drones, armored vehicles, and enough firepower to level a small city. Kane's team had fought valiantly, but they were outgunned, outmanned, and out of time.
Kane had been leading the charge, as always. He'd always been the first one in, the last one out. It was why his clients paid top dollar for his services. It was why he'd survived this long in a business where most men didn't last a year.
But even Kane Voss couldn't cheat death forever.
The explosion had come out of nowhere. One moment, he was sprinting across the courtyard, his rifle barking as he picked off targets with lethal precision. The next, the world had turned to fire and noise. He'd felt the heat first, searing his skin, followed by the concussive force that lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the ground like a ragdoll. Then, nothing.
Darkness.
Silence.
Death.
Or so he'd thought.
---
Kane awoke with a gasp, his body jerking upright as if jolted by a defibrillator. His heart pounded in his chest, his lungs burning as he sucked in air like a drowning man breaking the surface. His vision was blurry, his senses overwhelmed by a cacophony of unfamiliar sounds and smells.
Where the hell was he?
The last thing he remembered was the explosion. He should be dead. He *was* dead. He'd felt his body being torn apart, his consciousness slipping away. And yet, here he was, alive—or at least, something close to it.
Kane blinked, his vision slowly clearing. He was in a room—no, a cell. The walls were made of rough-hewn stone, the floor cold and damp beneath him. A single flickering bulb hung from the ceiling, casting long shadows across the room. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and something else—something metallic, like blood.
He looked down at himself, half-expecting to see his body riddled with shrapnel or missing limbs. But to his surprise, he was intact. More than intact. His body felt… different. Stronger. Faster. His muscles were taut, his skin unblemished. Even the scars he'd accumulated over years of combat were gone, replaced by smooth, unbroken flesh.
What the hell was going on?
Before he could ponder the question further, a voice echoed in his mind—a cold, mechanical voice that sent a shiver down his spine.
**[Supreme Mercenary System Initialized.]**
Kane froze. The voice wasn't coming from outside his head. It was inside, reverberating through his skull like a thought that wasn't his own.
**[Welcome, Kane Voss. You have been selected as the host of the Supreme Mercenary System. Your new life begins now.]**
"What the—" Kane started to say, but the voice cut him off.
**[Scanning host parameters…]**
**[Name: Kane Voss]**
**[Age: 32]**
**[Status: Reanimated]**
**[Primary Skills: Combat Tactics, Marksmanship, Close-Quarters Combat, Survivalism]**
**[Secondary Skills: Leadership, Strategy, Weapon Maintenance]**
**[System Compatibility: 98.7%]**
**[Initializing Mission Protocol…]**
Kane shook his head, trying to clear the voice from his mind. "What the hell is this? Some kind of joke?"
**[This is not a joke, Kane Voss. You have been granted a second chance at life. The Supreme Mercenary System will guide you, enhance you, and provide you with the tools necessary to become the ultimate mercenary. However, failure to comply with system directives will result in severe consequences.]**
Kane clenched his fists, his mind racing. He'd heard of experimental tech—neural implants, AI systems—but nothing like this. This was… different. This was something else entirely.
"Who's behind this?" he demanded. "Who brought me back?"
**[The Supreme Mercenary System does not disclose its creators. Your focus should be on your first mission.]**
"Mission? What mission?"
**[Mission: Escape and Survive.]**
**[Objective: Exit the cell and neutralize all hostiles in the vicinity.]**
**[Rewards: Equipment Package from 3025.]**
**[Failure: Termination.]**
Kane's eyes narrowed. "Termination? You mean death?"
**[Correct. Failure to complete the mission will result in the deactivation of your reanimated status. You will cease to exist.]**
Kane smirked, despite the absurdity of the situation. "Well, that's motivation enough."
He stood, testing his new body. It felt… incredible. His movements were fluid, his reflexes sharper than ever. He felt like he could take on an army single-handedly.
The cell door was heavy, reinforced with steel bars. Kane gripped the handle and pulled, expecting resistance. To his surprise, the door swung open with ease, the hinges groaning in protest.
"Guess I'm stronger than I thought," he muttered.
The corridor outside was dimly lit, the walls lined with rusted pipes and flickering lights. The air was thick with the smell of oil and gunpowder. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear voices—gruff, angry voices speaking a language he didn't recognize.
Kane moved silently, his instincts taking over. He'd spent years honing his skills in the field, and even in this strange new body, they came naturally to him. He pressed himself against the wall, peering around the corner.
Two guards stood at the end of the corridor, their backs to him. They were armed with assault rifles, their uniforms patched and worn. Mercenaries, by the look of them. Cannon fodder.
Kane's lips curled into a grim smile. Time to get to work.
He moved like a shadow, closing the distance between himself and the guards in seconds. The first guard didn't even have time to turn before Kane's hand snapped out, crushing his windpipe. The second guard managed to raise his rifle, but Kane was faster. He disarmed the man with a swift, brutal motion, then drove the butt of the rifle into his skull.
Both guards were down in less than five seconds.
Kane picked up one of the rifles, checking the magazine. It was fully loaded. He slung it over his shoulder and grabbed a spare magazine from the fallen guard's belt.
**[Hostiles Neutralized: 2/100]**
The system's voice echoed in his mind, reminding him of the mission. Ten hostiles. He had eight more to go.
Kane moved deeper into the facility, his senses on high alert. The place was a maze of corridors and rooms, each one more decrepit than the last. It looked like an old military bunker, long abandoned and repurposed by whoever had brought him here.
He encountered two more guards in the next room, both of them caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Kane dispatched them with ruthless efficiency, his movements precise and deadly.
**[Hostiles Neutralized: 4/100]**
The system updated his progress, but Kane didn't need the reminder. He was in his element now, the adrenaline pumping through his veins. This was what he lived for—what he *died* for.
By the time he reached the facility's main chamber, he'd taken out six more guards, each one falling to his superior skills and newfound strength. The final two were waiting for him, their weapons trained on the door as he stepped inside.
"Drop the weapon!" one of them barked, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Kane didn't hesitate. He raised the rifle and fired two shots, each one finding its mark. The guards crumpled to the ground, their weapons clattering uselessly at their sides.
**[Hostiles Neutralized: 10/100]**
**[Mission checkpoint reached.]**
**[Rewards: Basic Equipment Package.]**
Kane lowered the rifle, his chest heaving as he surveyed the room. It was a command center of sorts, filled with monitors and communication equipment. A map of the region was pinned to one wall, marked with red circles and annotations.
He didn't have time to study it. The system's voice interrupted his thoughts.
**[Basic Equipment Package Delivered.]**
A panel in the wall slid open, revealing a duffel bag filled with gear. Kane opened it, finding a tactical vest, a pistol, ammunition, and a combat knife. There was also a strange device—a small, rectangular object that looked like a cross between a smartphone and a GPS unit.
**[This is your System Interface. It will provide mission details, maps, and other essential information. Keep it with you at all times.]**
Kane picked up the device, turning it over in his hands. The screen lit up, displaying a map of the facility and his current location. A blinking red dot indicated an exit point.
"Convenient," he muttered.
He quickly donned the tactical vest and holstered the pistol. The knife went into his boot, and he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder. He was ready to move.
But before he could leave, the system spoke again.
**[New Mission Received: Investigate the Facility.]**
**[Objective: Gather intel on the organization that brought you here.]**
**[Rewards: 1000 System Points .]**
**[Failure: Termination.]**
Kane sighed. "Of course. Nothing's ever simple."
He turned back to the command center, his eyes scanning the monitors and documents. Whoever had brought him back to life—whoever had given him this system—had a purpose. And Kane intended to find out what it was.
---
To Be Continued