2026-07-30 18:44:59Maya 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 as a hail of bullets ripped through the wood above his head. Splinters rained down on his hair. Glass shattered all around him.
[Combat Protocol Engaged.]
[Calculating Enemy Positions.] [Warning: Direct confrontation will result in death.]"I need a weapon," Leo said to himself. His eyes darted around the floor behind the bar.
There were no guns. There were no knives. There was only broken glass and empty boxes.
The scarred mercenary stopped shooting. He was reloading. The heavy sound of his boots echoed as he walked slowly toward the bar. He wanted to finish Leo off up close.
Leo looked up at the ceiling, then across the room. His supercharged Perception stat absorbed every detail of the environment in a single second.
Sitting on the floor, about ten feet away from the mercenary, was the solid black eight-ball from the pool table. It had rolled off during the earlier fight and was resting near a thick, metal support pillar.
Leo’s mind raced. In a normal video game, throwing a small ball at an armored soldier would do zero damage. But this was real life. And in real life, a solid resin pool ball weighed exactly one hundred and seventy grams. If it moved fast enough, and hit the right spot, it was deadlier than a rock.
[Skill Activated: Kinetic Prediction.]
The world around Leo slowed down again. The blue lines of the HUD lit up the entire room.
Leo stepped out from behind the bar.
The scarred mercenary looked at him and smiled a cruel, ugly smile. He raised his gun to aim at Leo’s chest.
Leo did not run. He did not hide. He focused his eyes perfectly on the black eight-ball sitting on the floor.
A glowing blue line shot out from Leo’s right hand. It connected perfectly to the eight-ball. But the line did not stop there. The HUD calculated a complex path.
The blue line extended from the eight-ball, traveled upward at a sharp angle to the solid brick wall on the left, bounced off the bricks, traveled directly to the round metal support pillar, bounced again, and ended perfectly on the unprotected side of the mercenary’s head—right on his temple.
[Target Geometry Locked.]
[Trajectory: Double-bank bounce.] [Required Kinetic Force: Maximum.]Leo sprinted forward. His new Agility buff made him move incredibly fast. He slid across the slippery, wet floor on his knees, sliding right past the mercenary’s line of fire.
As he slid, he reached out and scooped the heavy black eight-ball off the floor.
"Die, kid," the mercenary growled, turning his heavy weapon toward Leo.
Leo did not throw the ball at the man. That would be too slow, and the man could dodge it. Instead, Leo twisted his body and hurled the eight-ball directly at the brick wall to his left with every single ounce of strength he had in his supercharged arm.
He threw it so hard that his shoulder popped.
CRACK!
The eight-ball hit the hard brick wall with a sound like a rifle shot.
Because of the perfect angle calculated by the Kinetic Prediction, the ball did not lose any speed. It bounced off the wall and flew across the room like a black comet.
CLANG!
The ball hit the round metal support pillar. The curve of the pillar changed the ball's direction instantly.
The scarred mercenary had no idea what was happening. He was watching Leo. He never saw the ball coming from his blind spot.
SMACK.
The heavy, solid resin ball slammed directly into the side of the mercenary’s head, right between his helmet and his ear. It hit his temple with the force of a swinging hammer.
The mercenary’s eyes rolled back into his head instantly. His brain shut off like a broken light switch. The heavy submachine gun fell from his hands. His massive body collapsed forward, hitting the floor with a loud, heavy thud. He was completely unconscious.
[Target 1 Neutralized.]
[Precision Strike Bonus: +20% Experience.]Maya looked out from behind her table. Her glowing blue mechanical eye spun in its socket as she looked at the fallen mercenary, and then at Leo.
"Incredible," she whispered.
But there was no time to celebrate.
"He killed Davis!" the second mercenary shouted.
This mercenary was even bigger than the first. He was a giant of a man, carrying a massive, heavy iron sledgehammer instead of a gun. He wore thick armor plates on his chest and arms. He looked like a human tank.
The giant let out a furious roar and charged directly at Leo. His heavy boots shook the floorboards.
Leo scrambled backward. He had no more pool balls. The eight-ball had rolled away into the shadows.
The giant raised the heavy iron sledgehammer high into the air. He was going to crush Leo like an insect.
Leo’s HUD flashed a bright yellow warning.
[Lethal Kinetic Energy Detected.]
[Evasion required.]Leo rolled to the right just as the sledgehammer came crashing down.
BOOM!
The hammer hit the wooden floor exactly where Leo had been lying. The force of the blow smashed straight through the thick wood, sending a shower of sharp splinters flying into the air. A massive hole was left in the floor.
Leo jumped to his feet. He backed away, putting the remains of a broken pool table between him and the giant.
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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.
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