The Juggernaut System

Chapter 7: The Ghost in the Dark

[VIP Lounge - 20 Minutes Later]

The mood in the viewing room had shifted. The laughter was gone.

"He... he’s moving too fast," a wealthy oil tycoon muttered, staring at the screen. "I can't even see him. The camera feeds in Sector F are just capturing shadows and dead bodies."

On the main screen, the heat-signature map showed a terrifying pattern. A single blue dot (Alex) was moving through the jungle. Every red dot (Hunter) that came near it simply vanished.

"Five kills. Six kills. Seven..." The tycoon wiped sweat from his forehead. "Alice, your 'pig' is eating the wolves."

Alice sat on her throne, her knuckles white as she gripped the armrest. She had just lost another three million dollars in side bets.

"He found night vision goggles," Alice hissed through gritted teeth. "It's cheating! A pig shouldn't have military-grade equipment!"

"It's part of the game, Alice," the silver-haired young man—Prince Mateo—smiled lazily. He pushed a stack of high-value chips onto the table. "I’m doubling my bet. Ten million on the Delivery Boy to survive the next hour."

Alice’s eyes flashed with fury. She slammed her hand on the intercom button.

"Butcher!" she screamed into the mic. "Stop playing with your chainsaw! Get to Sector F! I want him in pieces! Now!"

[Dead Man’s Isle - Sector F Jungle]

The jungle at night was pitch black. The canopy of trees blocked out the moon, turning the forest into a blind maze.

For the Hunters without equipment, it was a nightmare.

For Alex, it was a shooting gallery.

Thwip.

A steel bolt flew silently through the dark.

Fifty meters away, a mercenary holding a torch suddenly jerked backward. The bolt had pierced his throat, pinning him to a tree. He didn't even have time to cry out.

[Target Eliminated. +1 Agility.]

"Load," Alex whispered.

Next to him, Sarah fumbled with the quiver. Her hands were shaking less now. She handed Alex a fresh bolt. She couldn't see anything in the dark, but she trusted the man standing next to her.

Alex slotted the bolt into the crossbow, pulled back the string with his enhanced strength, and raised the weapon again.

Through the green lens of the Night Vision Goggles, the world was clear.

He saw two more Hunters crouching behind a fallen log. They were panicked, swinging their flashlights wildly into the trees.

"Where is he?!" one of them shouted, his voice cracking. "I heard the shot! Show yourself, coward!"

"Turn off the light, you idiot!" the other hissed. "He can see the light!"

Alex stood perfectly still on a tree branch three meters above the ground. He felt like a phantom. A ghost.

You called me a pig, Alex thought coldly. Now you're afraid of the dark.

He aimed at the one holding the flashlight.

Thwip.

The flashlight fell to the ground, its beam illuminating a body convulsing in the mud.

"CONTACT! CONTACT RIGHT!" The surviving Hunter opened fire blindly with a pistol. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Muzzle flashes lit up the jungle, but the bullets hit nothing but air and wood. Alex had already moved, jumping silently from the branch to the soft earth.

He flanked the shooter. The Hunter was hyperventilating, reloading his gun with trembling hands.

Alex stepped up behind him.

"Boo."

The Hunter spun around, screaming.

Slash.

The combat knife ended the scream.

[Target Eliminated.]

[Kill Count: 8 / 100]

[Plunder Successful: Basic Firearm Mastery (Pistol)]

[Obtained Item: Glock 17 (Half magazine)]

Alex caught the falling pistol. He checked the mag. Seven bullets.

"Not much," he muttered, tucking the gun into his belt. "But it's loud. Good for a distraction."

Sarah crept out from behind a tree. She looked at the bodies, then at Alex.

"You... you are clearing the path," she whispered.

"We need to move faster," Alex said, checking the map. "We are still too far from the center. And the System keeps warning me..."

VRRRRRRRRR!

A sound cut him off.

It wasn't a gun. It was a mechanical roar. A deep, vibrating noise that shook the leaves on the trees.

It sounded like an engine. A very, very big engine.

[SYSTEM WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]

[BOSS ENCOUNTER IMMINENT]

[The Butcher has arrived.]

Alex whipped his head around.

Through the green vision of his goggles, he saw something massive crashing through the trees about 200 meters away. Trees were falling over. Birds were flying away in terror.

A heat signature twice the size of a normal man was charging towards them.

"Run," Alex said, his voice tense for the first time in an hour.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"RUN!" Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her.

CRASH!

A massive oak tree next to them was sliced in half. Sawdust sprayed everywhere.

Stepping out of the dust was a giant. He stood seven feet tall, wearing a leather apron stained with old blood. On his head was a mask made of stitched human skin.

And in his hands was a modified, industrial-grade chainsaw, revving smoke into the air.

"MEAT!" The Butcher roared, his voice like grinding gravel. "FRESH MEAT FOR ALICE!"

Alex raised his crossbow and fired. The bolt hit the Butcher’s shoulder.

Ping.

The bolt bounced off. The giant was wearing hidden steel plating under his skin mask.

The Butcher laughed. He revved the chainsaw again, the blades spinning so fast they blurred.

"Little pig tickles!" The Butcher charged.

Alex looked at the monster, then at the terrified Sarah. His dagger was useless against that armor. The crossbow was useless.

He had seven bullets and his wits.

"Go to the rocks!" Alex shouted to Sarah, pushing her. "I'll draw him away!"

Alex turned and sprinted into the dark, firing three shots from the Glock to get the monster's attention. BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullets sparked off the Butcher’s chainsaw.

"COME HERE!" The Butcher turned, ignoring the girl, and chased after Alex, tearing down everything in his path.

The real boss fight had begun.

[END OF Chapter 7]