Leo grabbed a solid yellow pool ball from the table. It was heavy and hard. He did not know how to throw a baseball. He did not have strong arms. But the HUD did not need him to be strong. It just needed him to be perfectly accurate. A blue line shot out from Leo’s hand. The line did not go toward the men. The line went toward the hard brick wall on his left. [Calculate Kinetic Bounce.][Angle of Incidence: 32 Degrees.][Required Force: 65%.]Leo pulled his arm back and threw the yellow ball exactly where the blue line told him to. CRACK! The heavy yellow ball hit the solid brick wall with a loud bang. It bounced off the wall with incredible speed, flying sideways across the room. The ball slammed perfectly into the side of the larger mechanic's head, right on his temple. "Ahhhhh!" the large mechanic screamed. The heavy ball knocked him completely off his feet. He crashed to the ground, grabbing his bleeding head. He rolled around in pain, completely out of the fight. The secon

Leo stared at the men. His eyes were wide and cold. He pointed his finger toward the back door. "Leave," Leo commanded. His voice was hoarse, but it carried a deadly serious tone. The men did not hesitate. They dropped their weapons. They turned around and ran toward the back door of the bar, slipping and sliding on the spilled alcohol, desperate to escape the demon boy. They pushed each other out of the way, bursting through the back door and running out into the dark alley. In seconds, the large bar was completely empty, except for Leo, the unconscious thugs on the floor, and Raphael, who was groaning under the iron light. [Combat Encounter Concluded.][Threat Neutralized.][Reward: +50% Experience to Intelligence. +20% Experience to Perception.][New Skill Unlocked: Environmental Mapping.]Leo read the golden text floating in his vision, but he was too tired to care. He dropped the broken green bottle. His hands were bleeding slightly from gripping the sharp glass. His legs fi

Maya did not hesitate. She raised both of her pistols and began firing rapidly. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! The bullets flew across the room, striking the mercenaries in the chest. But the bullets did not pierce their armor. The heavy Kevlar plates absorbed the impacts with dull thuds. The lead mercenary raised a heavy shotgun and fired back. Maya dived behind a heavy wooden table as the shotgun blast destroyed the wall behind her. "Covering fire is useless!" Maya shouted to Leo, who was crouching behind the sticky bar counter. "Their armor is too thick! We have to hit the weak points! Joints or the head!"Leo peeked over the top of the bar. His HUD locked onto the three mercenaries. The system immediately recognized the danger. These were trained killers. They were not going to slip on beer or fall for simple tricks. One of the mercenaries—a huge man with a scarred chin visible beneath his helmet—pointed a submachine gun toward the bar where Leo was hiding. Leo ducked down just a

Leo looked at Raphael coldly. He did not answer. He tossed the pool cue onto the broken table. Maya walked over to Leo. She holstered her smoking pistols. She reached up and grabbed the edge of her dark hood. She pulled it back, revealing her face in the dim light. She was young, maybe a year or two older than Leo. She had sharp, beautiful features, pale skin, and short, dark hair. But her most striking feature was her left eye. It was not human. It was a complex mechanical eye, glowing with a faint, pulsing blue light. Silver metal lines ran down her cheek, connecting the eye to her jaw. "You learn fast," Maya said, offering Leo her hand. "The system chose well.""Who are you people?" Leo asked, ignoring her hand. He was exhausted. The serum was starting to wear off. The burning heat in his veins was turning into a cold, heavy ache. "We are the mistakes," Maya said smoothly. "We are the test subjects of Project Prometheus. Years ago, a company paid poor, desperate people to take