NOVPUB
Chapter 203 - Surrender
Raising his hands, he unleashed a rapid-fire burst from his palm cannons, cutting through the incoming projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky lit up with flames as multiple explosions erupted. The defensive line was shattered in an instant. The surviving fighters scrambled back to their second line of defense. Inside the compound, a younger man rushed up to his leader—a muscular man covered in scars, casually smoking a cigarette. A woman sat beside him, and a group of fighters stood nearby, watching the scene unfold. "Boss, what do we do?" the younger man asked, his voice tense.
The scarred man exhaled a cloud of smoke and smirked. "Heh. This kid thinks he's tough." He flicked his cigarette away and leaned forward. "Tell the boys to use their heavy artillery and blast him to hell."
The younger man hesitated, then nodded and ran off to relay the order. Moments later, two rusted, antique cannons were rolled into place. Zack raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Are they serious? These things belong in a museum."
The cannons fired. "Deploy the force field generator," Zack commanded. A faint energy pulse radiated from Apex Mk2, forming a protective barrier around him.
BOOM!
The cannonballs struck. Smoke and debris filled the air. "Did we get him?!" The younger man ran forward to check. But as the smoke cleared, Zack was still standing there, completely untouched. His armor gleamed under the dim light, not even scratched.
The younger man froze in place. "Boss... that guy's still alive," he whispered, his voice trembling.
The scarred man pushed the woman off his lap and stood up, rolling his shoulders. "Just a punk hiding in a metal shell," he scoffed. "Watch me rip him out of it."
Ego's voice chimed in Zack's helmet. "Sir, ten minutes until the mechanical army arrives."
Zack smirked. "Then I'll play with them for ten minutes." He wasn't here to waste time—he was here to evaluate their worth. If there were any talents in this survivor camp, he'd take them. If not? They were expendable.
"Sir, the leader appears to be a mutant," Ego reported. Zack glanced at the scarred man, who was already stepping out of the fortifications.
The guy radiated arrogance. "Hey, kid!" the man barked. "Why don't you step out of your fancy tin can and fight me like a real man?"
Zack let out a dry laugh. This guy's a clown. "Ego," he said casually, addressing Ego. "This guy's an idiot."
"Sir, that statement is accurate." Before Zack could respond, the scarred man's body suddenly transformed. Metallic plates spread across his skin like living armor. He reached for a nearby wrecked vehicle, effortlessly lifting it over his head. With a grunt, he hurled the entire car straight at Zack.
Zack caught it one-handed and pushed it right back. The mutant stumbled three steps back, but managed to stop it before it crushed him. With a smirk, he jumped onto the wreckage, eyes gleaming with greed. "You rely too much on that suit," the man sneered. "Hand it over, and maybe I'll let you live. Hell, I might even make you my right-hand man."
Zack's expression turned ice-cold. 'This idiot really thinks he's in charge?' Without warning, the mutant lunged forward, his metallic fist swinging toward Zack's helmet. The impact rang out like thunder, sending shockwaves through the ground.
Zack took a single step back. He tilted his head. "Not bad." The fighters behind the mutant erupted in cheers.
"Boss is a beast!"
"Yeah! That guy's scared now!"
They thought Zack's retreat meant he was losing. They couldn't have been more wrong. Zack activated his thrusters, soaring into the air. From above, he gazed down at the mutant and his lackeys, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Alright," he muttered. "Let's see how long you last."
The scarred man smirked, his confidence only growing as he watched Zack hover above. His eyes burned with greed. He wanted that suit. Zack didn't waste time. He raised his hand and fired.
BOOM!
A powerful blast from his palm cannon struck the man head-on. The watching lackeys tensed, eyes wide as smoke and dust filled the air. Then—a shadow emerged. The man stepped out of the smoke, completely unharmed. "Ego, this guy's interesting," Zack muttered.
"Sir," Ego responded, "his body has metalized, allowing him to absorb most of the energy from the blast." Zack narrowed his eyes. So that's his ability.
The mutant let out a booming laugh and patted his metallic chest. "That all you got?" Zack didn't answer. Instead, he fired again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Palm cannon blasts rained down in rapid succession, turning the area into a firestorm. Several unlucky bystanders were caught in the crossfire, their bodies obliterated. The ground cracked and caved in from the sheer force. The dust settled, revealing a devastated battlefield. Yet the mutant still stood tall. "Boy, if that's all you've got, you'd better get on your knees now!" he roared. His lackeys erupted into cheers.
"Boss is unstoppable!"
"Yeah! Show him who's in charge!"
Zack remained calm, studying his opponent. His ability wasn't just absorbing energy—it was dispersing the impact. 'But what about extreme temperatures?' Zack's hands buzzed as a new energy charge built up. "Let's see how long you last against this." Twin beams of searing-hot lasers burst from his palms, striking the mutant in a continuous stream.
The temperature skyrocketed. The mutant's arrogant grin disappeared. At first, his body held up, but then—the metal began to glow red-hot. His skin started to melt. Panic set in. He tried to move, but his joints liquefied, fusing together. His stomach buckled under the heat, and then— "AAAAAAGGHHHH!!!" A horrific scream echoed through the battlefield.
Then—BOOM!
His torso exploded, sending metallic chunks flying in all directions. Silence. The once-boisterous lackeys stood frozen, the words still stuck in their throats. Zack lowered his hands. His voice was cold, cutting through the stunned silence. "Who else wants to challenge me?" Not a single sound came from the crowd.
Then—the rumbling of an approaching convoy broke the tension. Lady Clara's vehicle pulled up, and she immediately stepped forward. "Sir, please have mercy!" She stood firm, placing herself between Zack and the remaining survivors. She wasn't foolish—she had seen enough. The entire first line of defense was annihilated in mere moments.
If they kept resisting, no one would be left alive. From behind the barricade, a tall, thin man stepped forward. He was in charge of the second line of defense. "Lady Clara, you know this guy?" he asked cautiously.
She turned to him, her gaze unwavering. "This is the leader of NYC Base."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The thin man's face paled. NYC Base. Everyone knew the name. If they had realized who they were up against, they never would have fired. The base wasn't just a legend—it was a fortress of steel and machines, a place where humans actually lived without fear of zombies. And the man in front of them He was the one who built it.
The second-in-command hesitated, but the decision had already been made. "Sir," Lady Clara said, her voice clear and firm, "we surrender to you."
