2026-07-28 23:03:36Leo 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 second mechanic stopped running. He looked down at his friend in pure shock. He could not understand what had just happened. The kid had thrown a ball at the wall, and it had magically hit his partner.
"You little freak!" the second mechanic yelled. He pulled a heavy metal wrench out of his pocket and ran at Leo.
Leo was already moving. He ran past the pool table, his worn-out sneakers squeaking on the dirty floor.
[Warning: Stamina dropping.]
[Current Stamina: 40%.]His legs were starting to burn. The nanites were working hard, but he had not eaten a real meal in two days. His body simply did not have the fuel to run forever. He had to end this fast, or his body would shut down.
Leo ran toward the long wooden bar on the right side of the room. The bar was covered in sticky dirt and spilled drinks.
A tall thug with a bald head and a thick neck stepped in front of Leo, blocking his path. The thug raised both of his huge hands, ready to grab Leo and snap him in half.
"I got him, boss!" the bald thug shouted to Raphael.
Leo skidded to a stop. He was trapped between the bar and the bald thug. Raphael and the rest of the men were closing in from behind.
Leo’s eyes darted around. The HUD scanned the floor beneath the bald thug’s feet.
[Surface Analysis Complete.]
[Substance detected: Spilled dark beer.] [Floor material: Polished wood.] [Friction Coefficient: 0.04 (Extremely Slippery).]The floor under the thug was glowing with a bright yellow warning grid. It was a massive puddle of spilled beer, hidden by the dim lighting of the room.
Leo smiled. It was a small, cold smile. He looked directly into the bald thug's eyes.
"You don't have me," Leo said. His voice was quiet, but it was confident.
"What did you say, you little punk?" the bald thug growled. He took a massive, heavy step forward to grab Leo’s shirt.
The thug’s heavy boot planted right into the middle of the glowing yellow grid.
Because the friction was zero point zero four, there was nothing to grip his shoe. The heavy man’s foot shot forward like he was stepping on pure ice.
"Whoa!" the thug yelled. His arms flailed wildly in the air.
He lost his balance completely. His heavy body slammed backward, but Leo was not done. The HUD had already calculated the fall.
[Action: Apply kinetic push to alter fall trajectory.]
Before the huge man hit the ground, Leo stepped forward and shoved the man’s large shoulder with both hands. It was not a strong push, but it was timed perfectly.
The push changed the angle of the bald man's fall. Instead of falling flat on his back, the huge thug spun sideways. He crashed headfirst into a tall, wooden display case filled with expensive glass liquor bottles.
CRASH!
The glass shattered into a thousand pieces. Heavy bottles rained down on the bald thug’s head. The wooden shelves collapsed. The huge man lay in a pile of broken glass and sticky alcohol, completely knocked out.
The rest of the men stopped in their tracks. They stared at the destroyed display case. Three of their strongest fighters were down, and the skinny kid had barely touched them.
"Don't just stand there!" Raphael screamed. He was furious. His silver suit was wrinkled, and his face was red. He waved his switchblade in the air. "He is just a kid! Surround him!"
The remaining seven men spread out. They formed a wide half-circle around Leo, trapping him against the long wooden bar. They moved slowly this time. They were learning. They were starting to realize that attacking him blindly was a mistake.
Leo breathed heavily. His chest moved up and down rapidly.
[Current Stamina: 22%.]
[Heart Rate: 185 BPM.] [Host requires immediate rest. Cellular damage imminent.]"I can't rest," Leo thought to himself. "If I rest, I die."
He backed up until his waist touched the edge of the wooden bar. He reached behind him without looking. His hand grabbed the neck of a heavy, empty green glass bottle.
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Chapter 17
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
Chapter 16
"You can't run forever, little rat," the giant laughed deeply. His voice echoed inside his metal helmet. He pulled the sledgehammer out of the floor and rested it on his massive shoulder. Leo scanned the room. The Adrenaline Override serum was powerful, but it would not last forever. He could feel his heart beating too fast. He needed a heavy weapon, but he was not strong enough to lift anything large. His eyes fell upon a long, solid wooden pool cue lying on the ground near the broken table. Leo reached down and picked it up. It felt light in his hands. The giant mercenary saw Leo holding the thin wooden stick and laughed even louder. "You are going to fight me with a stick?" the giant mocked, taking a heavy step forward. "My armor stops bullets, kid. That stick will break on my chest.""I am not going to hit you with it," Leo said quietly. His HUD shifted. The blue lines began to draw a new diagram. It was not a trajectory line this time. It was a mechanical diagram. The syst
Chapter 15
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
Chapter 14
The loud BANG of the gunshot echoed in the small, dark alleyway. The sound was deafening. It rattled Leo’s teeth. It sent a shockwave of pressure against his chest. Leo kept his eyes tightly closed. He waited for the burning pain. He waited for his life to end. He waited for the glowing purple text of the HUD to tell him that his heart had stopped beating. But the pain never came. Instead, a heavy, wet thud sounded right behind him. Something large had fallen into the muddy puddle on the ground. Leo slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at his own chest. There was no blood. There was no bullet hole. He was still alive. "Move!" the cold, metallic voice commanded. The figure in the dark raincoat stepped forward. They grabbed Leo by the collar of his wet jacket. The figure possessed incredible, unnatural strength. With one single, powerful pull, they yanked Leo backward, dragging him out of the alley and back into the dark, destroyed bar. Leo stumbled over the heavy steel doorfra
Chapter 13
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
Chapter 12
The HUD highlighted the bottle instantly. [Object: Glass Bottle. Weight: 1.2 lbs.][Status: Fragile. Excellent for creating environmental hazards.]Leo looked at the men slowly walking toward him. They were holding pool cues, empty mugs, and chains. They looked like monsters. Leo grabbed a tall, wooden bar stool with his left hand. He pulled it in front of him like a shield. With his right hand, he raised the green glass bottle high in the air and smashed it down hard against the wooden edge of the bar. SHATTER. The bottom half of the bottle broke off, leaving Leo holding a jagged, sharp glass weapon. But Leo did not point the broken bottle at the men. Instead, he turned around and began to wildly smash every single full bottle of alcohol sitting on top of the bar. Smash! Crash! Shatter! He broke whiskey bottles. He broke vodka bottles. He broke rum bottles. Gallons of sticky, strong-smelling alcohol poured over the bar and flooded onto the wooden floor beneath the men’s feet.
