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Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Liam’s Terror
The moment the man’s fingers began to twitch toward the fire controls of the GAU-19, Liam’s instincts kicked in like lightning. His body reacted before his mind even processed the danger. With a sharp intake of breath and eyes locked on the barrel of the monstrous weapon, Liam dove behind the parked vehicle beside him.
BRAAATAAAA!
The GAU-19 thundered to life like the roar of an ancient beast, shredding the silence—and everything else in its path. The man who had driven Liam to the scene, a loyal member of the Black Lotus, wasn’t as lucky. He had tried to follow Liam’s lead, but he was a fraction too late. The bullets ripped through him like wet tissue paper, his body jerking violently before collapsing in a broken mess. Blood splattered across the hood of the car Liam was hiding behind, painting it in violent red.
Inside the base, Lilith watched the feed with her heart clenched in her throat. She had leaned so close to the screen that her breath fogged the glass. Leo, beside her, stared with widened eyes, unable to believe how close Liam had come to death. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Behind the vehicle, Liam’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He clenched his teeth, blood rushing in his ears as he muttered under his breath, "Shit... two more seconds and I’d be a fucking corpse."
His eyes darted around, calculating. The GAU was powerful enough to rip the car apart, and it was already showing signs of collapse. Each bullet that struck made the metal groan and tear. If he tried to run, he’d be torn apart like the man beside him. If he stayed, the car would eventually become nothing more than shrapnel.
Think, Liam. Think!
Then he saw it—the car door. Mangled, slightly bent, but still usable.
His gaze sharpened.
He reached up, grabbed the door by its frame and with a sudden roar of effort, ripped it clean off the hinges. The metal groaned and then screeched as it came loose in his hands like paper. Dust rose from the ground as he stood up fully, still barefoot, his pajama shirt billowing slightly with each subtle breeze.
From inside the Crimson Hand vehicle, the gunner saw Liam appear and didn’t hesitate. His fingers slammed on the trigger again.
But Liam didn’t aim for the gun. He threw the car door like a discus, launching it toward the firing vehicle—not at the weapon itself, but directly at the spot where the gunner’s head would’ve been inside. The sheer force of the throw was monstrous.
The GAU-19 tore the door apart in mid-air—metal exploded into fragments under the onslaught—but the action had served its purpose. The shooter had focused entirely on the incoming projectile. By the time he looked back—Liam was gone.
"Where the hell did he go?" the gunner muttered through the comms, scanning every direction. His fingers were poised, ready to unleash another deadly rain—but there was nothing.
Lilith’s mouth parted slightly as she stared at the screen in disbelief. "Where...?"
Even Leo leaned closer, his eyes narrowed. "No way. He vanished?"
The shadows in the command center stood silent, tension pressing down like a weight. No one could believe what they just saw. Not only had Liam ripped a door off a car like it was a toy, but he had also vanished without a sound, without a trace, like a damn ghost in the chaos.
The Crimson Hand members began scanning the forest edges, waving flashlights and thermal goggles. The other three GAUs resumed their carnage, unleashing brutal firepower on the remaining Black Lotus members, who screamed and dove for cover, outnumbered and outgunned.
Lilith’s heart twisted as more of her people dropped, their cries piercing through the comms. Her fists clenched on the table.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A violent shockwave rocked the battlefield.
One of the GAU-mounted vehicles jolted violently, its metal frame lifting on one side as smoke erupted from its undercarriage. The machine gun atop it twisted off and crashed to the ground, its gears sparking.
Everyone on the field froze for a split second. Even the gunners stopped shooting.
"What the hell was that?" Leo whispered, his voice heavy with disbelief.
Lilith’s eyes flicked across the screen rapidly.
"I don’t know," she said slowly, "but it looks like Liam just made his move."
And still, no one could see him.
The Crimson Hand began shouting orders, their lines breaking just slightly.
Among the trees, something unseen was moving. Fast. Deadly.
The shadows of the night no longer belonged to the Crimson Hand.
They belonged to Liam.
The crunch of metal tore through the battlefield as another one of the mounted vehicles suddenly shifted with a loud groan. All eyes turned to the sound, weapons paused mid-reload, mouths hung open. Every camera back at the Black Lotus base was locked in.
And there he was.
Liam.
His body leaned forward, veins bulging in his forearms as he gritted his teeth. Barefoot, standing on the scarred dirt, his legs planted deep into the soil like the roots of a tree, Liam had both hands under the armored vehicle’s side. His muscles pulsed like coiled steel cables, and with a deep grunt and one final push—
He flipped the damn thing over.
BOOOOOOM!
The vehicle slammed on its roof with a thunderous crash, rolling halfway before landing hard on its side. Metal crunched and glass shattered. And then—absolute silence.
The battlefield froze.
Crimson Hand members, Black Lotus survivors, even those watching remotely—including Lilith and Leo—stared wide-eyed at the young man standing next to the wreckage in nothing but a torn pajama shirt and pants, barefoot, hair tousled, dirt and sweat on his face. His chest rose and fell with each breath, but his blue eyes were locked on the enemy like a predator.
A low murmur ran through the Black Lotus line.
"That’s... That’s Liam."
Then the silence shattered.
BRA TA TA TA TA!
The remaining GAU-19s opened fire all at once, the night sky flashing with bright strobing light as heavy-caliber rounds ripped through the battlefield. But Liam was already gone. He was a blur, ducking and weaving like a ghost, his movements impossibly fast—faster than anything they’d seen before. The Crimson Hand tried to track him, but it was like trying to shoot wind.
He moved through the chaos like the reaper himself.
Then, from a shadow, he leapt—a perfect arc through the air.
He didn’t flip this vehicle over.
Instead, he landed on top of it.
The gunner controlling the GAU barely had time to scream before Liam’s hand shot forward, fingers clamping around the man’s throat. He squeezed—snap—and the body slumped over. No hesitation. No mercy.
Liam shoved the corpse aside, gripped the mounted weapon, and let it roar.
BRAAAAAAA TA TA TA TA TAAA!
A storm of steel ripped through the air, and the two remaining Crimson Hand vehicles didn’t stand a chance. Their gunners tried to swing their weapons, but Liam was faster. He shredded their vehicles in seconds. Armor peeled apart, bullets pierced engines, fuel tanks exploded. The GAU’s recoil vibrated up his arms, but he didn’t stop. He wanted them to feel it—the rage of the fallen Black Lotus members.
The enemy gunners dropped like flies. Their screams were swallowed by the endless thunder of bullets.
Then—
Ping!
A sharp metallic ring snapped Liam back to awareness. Something had hit just where his head had been. He blinked, then looked down.
Crimson Hand soldiers—those who had survived the slaughter—were now trying to take him out from below.
A slow, dangerous smile curled on Liam’s lips.
He turned the GAU downward.
BRAAAAAA!
Blood. Screams. Shattered bodies.
He showed them no mercy.
This wasn’t a fight anymore.
It was punishment.
The remaining Black Lotus members, bloodied and weary, rose from their cover and let out a massive cheer. Their voices echoed across the battlefield like a war chant. They had lost so much, but now they had Liam—their weapon.
At the base, Lilith stood slowly from her chair. Her lips parted into a small, soft smile for the first time that night. "He’s really doing it," she whispered. "He’s tearing them apart..."
Even Leo couldn’t help but mutter, "Damn... he’s a monster."
But then—
Her eyes caught something.
Far in the background, through the smoke and dust, a small group of Crimson Hand soldiers were setting up something. Not a gun.
An RPG.
Lilith’s breath caught. Her pupils dilated as she leaned into the screen. "No... no, no—Liam!"
He didn’t hear her. How would he? He was still standing tall, savoring the moment, unaware of what was coming. The rocket launched with a trail of smoke, cutting through the sky like a fiery snake.
SWOOOOOSH!
Liam turned at the last moment.
His eyes widened.
He jumped.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion tore the vehicle into chunks of flaming metal. The blast lifted Liam off the ground like a ragdoll, flinging him several meters through the air. The force slammed into his chest like a wrecking ball, and the sky spun around him.
He hit the ground hard. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and everything went dark for a second. His ears rang. His vision blurred. He couldn’t tell where the ground ended and the sky began.
Muffled sounds surrounded him—gunfire, yelling, something crackling in his earpiece. His body ached all over, and he could barely move.
Then—nothing.
Only the sound of his shallow breathing and the faint echo of war.
