As the Apex Mk2 hovered over the battlefield, a Mark drone unit descended from above, carrying the plasma gun. It released the weapon mid-air, and the moment Zack caught it, the gun automatically locked into place on the armor's forearm, integrating seamlessly with the system.
The timing couldn't have been better. The two BEC entities were already rushing at him again—faster than before. The thick concrete barely slowed them down as they phased through walls, closing in on him from opposite directions. Before they could strike, the plasma cannon on Apex Mk2's arm whirred to life, internal components spinning rapidly as it drew in energy. "Ego, calculate their attack trajectory." Zack had only one shot.
The plasma cannon required a three-second buffer between shots—if he missed, he'd be vulnerable. "Trajectory calculated, sir! Predictive battle simulation is complete—high probability of a successful hit!" The moment the targeting data appeared, Zack pulled back slightly—then fired.
The high-energy plasma shot forward, flooding the space around the muzzle with heat—the temperature jumped nearly ten degrees instantly. A BEC entity emerged directly in front of him, phasing through a hospital wall. It didn't even have time to react. The plasma blast swallowed it whole. What followed was an immediate, violent reaction. The sudden clash of extreme cold and intense heat triggered a violent thermal expansion and contraction effect. The air pressure fluctuated erratically, and in a split second— Boom!
An explosion shockwave erupted from the point of impact, spanning nearly ten meters in diameter. The sheer force ripped through the surrounding walls, floors, and ceiling, vaporizing everything in its radius. Even Zack himself was blown backward by the shockwave, only managing to stabilize his position by activating his thrusters at full power. "Damn…" Zack muttered, shaking off the recoil. "That packed way more punch than I expected."
The second entity didn't hesitate. After witnessing its companion's destruction, it immediately turned and phased into the ground, vanishing from sight. "Oh no, you don't." Zack pursued instantly, diving after it.
Thermal imaging allowed him to track its movement underground, even as it moved with incredible speed—weaving through the earth like a fish in water. "Sir, three-second cooldown has ended! You can fire again!"
"Hold off." Zack ordered. "I want to see where it's running to." These creatures weren't natural phenomena. They were created by someone. And if they were returning to a specific location— That meant there was a source.
"Sir! Six additional entities detected!" Ego's alert flashed on his HUD. Zack glanced around and saw them immediately. The remaining six BEC entities had moved in, surrounding him in a perfect encirclement. They weren't acting like mindless beasts. They were coordinated.
Zack quickly issued new orders."Ego, deploy a drone. Track the one I just injured." A small, high-speed drone ejected from Apex Mk2's back, immediately locking onto the escaping entity.
Meanwhile, Zack didn't waste time. He kicked his thrusters into overdrive, shooting straight into the sky at max speed. The BEC entities pursued instantly, moving like phantoms, their near-zero mass allowing them to accelerate effortlessly through the air. Zack smirked. "Alright, let's see if you can keep up."
As he ascended, he gave a simple command. "Maximum power output to the plasma cannon."
Instantly, the Apex Mk2's chest reactor shifted, rerouting all excess energy into the weapon. The temperature skyrocketed. The plasma gun, previously operating at controlled levels, tripled its charge output. Ego immediately issued a warning. "Sir! Plasma cannon power at 32%! If you don't fire soon, it may cause an overload backlash!"
Zack remained calm. "Relax. I've got this." He continued rising. Then, just as he reached the peak of his ascent… He stopped suddenly. The BEC entities surged forward, too fast to react in time.
Zack's eyes gleamed. He flipped his body a full 360 degrees— And fired. The fully charged plasma cannon erupted, unleashing a wave of destructive energy. The surrounding air distorted violently, bending under the sheer heat output. The BEC entities had no chance to dodge.
In an instant, The impact generated a massive electromagnetic field storm. The ultra-cold BEC entities collided with the intense plasma blast, and exploded.
Boom!
The sky lit up in a massive shockwave, nearly 100 meters wide. At the center of the explosion, an immediate vacuum zone formed, the sheer force of the reaction sucking the surrounding air outward. Ego's status update came through instantly. "Sir! Five entities eliminated! One has survived but is destabilized—escaping the battlefield."
Zack's eyes locked onto the fleeing figure, still glowing in his thermal vision. "Follow it." Instead of chasing directly, he deployed another drone, letting it track the injured entity from a safe distance.
The damaged BEC entity moved fast, but it wasn't running aimlessly. It had a destination. The drone followed from 2,000 meters behind, remaining undetectable. Zack watched the feed closely. The entity reached a high-rise building, phasing through the concrete foundation and disappearing into the depths below. At the top of the skyscraper, a sign glowed faintly in the night sky. "Airui Technology Co., Ltd."
Ego processed the data. "Tracking ended. Target has disappeared beneath the facility."
Zack's expression darkened. "Looks like we found our factory." Zack arrived at the location where the ghost had disappeared, scanning the area with thermal imaging. His sensors quickly picked up something underground, moving a hundred meters below the surface at an alarming speed. "Ego, scan the surroundings! Any signs of survivors?" Zack asked.
"Sir! Scan complete!" Ego responded. "No human life detected, only zombies. However, there is an automatic power supply plant in the vicinity."
Zack frowned. An automatic power supply plant? That was unexpected. The entire area was in ruins, and there hadn't been any active electricity here since the start of the apocalypse. The power grid had long been disabled. Which means the power source is underground. That had to be the place Zack was looking for.
Without hesitation, he blasted through the concrete beneath him and plummeted downward. The reinforced cement offered no resistance against his suit. Following the thermal trail, Zack fired his palm cannon, blasting open a path. After ten seconds, he landed in a brightly lit underground facility. His eyes widened slightly. The contrast between this place and the ruins above was jarring. Unlike the crumbling buildings on the surface, the underground structure was highly advanced. The smooth, curved walls gleamed with artificial lighting, and the entire space had a futuristic design. It was clear—this was the power plant supplying energy to something below. This is suspicious as hell.
A fully functional, high-tech facility buried a hundred meters underground, completely inaccessible to ordinary people. Without Apex Mk2 and thermal imaging, Zack would never have found it. He activated his scanners. "Deploy the drones."