One‑Eye tilted his head, the single visible eye narrowing. “Or what?” he asked, stepping closer. His words rode on a gust of hot, foul breath that washed directly into Max’s face.
Max coughed and grimaced, leaning back instinctively. “Huh, DAMN, you’re going to need some Good mouthwash,” he shot back, annoyed. “Because whatever’s dying in there is worse than the zombies.”
The line landed like a spark in a powder keg. Laughter erupted, soldiers and mercenaries alike doubling over. A few slapped their armor, someone whistled, and the teasing turned on One‑Eye instead.
Behind him, another merc fanned the flames, grinning wide. “Hey, One‑Eye, you gonna take that lying down,ei?” he yelled. “If some kid said that to me, I’d break his sound pipe and cripple the b**tard!”
The words spread through the crowd like a chain reaction, each echo nudging One‑Eye a little further toward the edge. His grin disappeared. His breathing grew heavier. The veins in his neck pulsed.
“Say that again,” One‑Eye growled.
Max didn’t bother. He’d already said enough.
Cursing under his breath, One‑Eye’s geno arm flared to life. Blue, glowing veins crawled over the exposed synth‑skin, pulsing with contained power as the augmentation synced with his rage. The air around his fist seemed to hum, the faint ozone tang of active tech mixing with alcohol and sweat.
He lunged.
The punch came fast, backed by gene‑enhanced strength that could crack bone and dent steel. To the watching soldiers, it was a blur of motion, a streak of blue aimed straight at Max’s head.
Max’s hand snapped up.
He caught the punch mid‑swing, fingers closing around One‑Eye’s fist with a meaty smack. For a heartbeat, the two of them were locked together, muscles straining, boots grinding against the greasy floor.
At that exact moment, something else happened.
Goo—previously a formless, inert mass tucked away in Max’s gear—reacted. It sensed the surge of killing intent, the threat directed at its host, and stirred like a living shadow. A cold, slick sensation spilled over Max’s wrist as the substance oozed out, then raced along his skin.
The mercenaries watched, faces shifting from amusement to confusion as the dark material climbed his arm, spreading like encroaching paint. It thickened over his knuckles, hardening, shaping itself into something familiar: a combat glove, its surface patterned with faint circuitry, similar to the type riders wore into high‑risk zones.
“What the hell…?” someone whispered.
One‑Eye felt it too—the sudden resistance, the unnatural firmness of Max’s grip crushing down on his enhanced hand. Pain flashed across his face. He tried to yank his arm back, but Max held him there for a second longer, eyes cold.
“Last warning,” Max said quietly.
Then he moved.
With a twist of his hip and a sharp turn of his shoulder, Max redirected One‑Eye’s weight, using the man’s own momentum against him. The mercenary flew sideways, boots leaving the ground before he crashed hard onto his back, the impact rattling his armor. The circle of onlookers stumbled backward to avoid getting caught.
Silence fell for a beat.
Max straightened, flexing his fingers as the Goo‑formed glove settled snugly around his hand. The faint glow along its seams pulsed once, then dimmed, as if satisfied.
He swept his gaze over the gathered men. “That was me being nice,” he said. “Next time, I won’t just toss you. We’re about to walk into something we don’t understand. So drink later, fight now. And if you’re not up for that, stay out of my way.”
No one had anything clever to say after that. Even the loudmouthed merc at the back kept his eyes down, lips pressed into a thin line.
Max turned to a nearby officer, a junior captain hovering at the edge of the group. “Maintain the rest,” Max ordered. “Get them in line. You can let me know when next you need me.”
The officer nodded quickly and began barking assignments, her voice cutting across the tension. The formation reshaped itself; gear was checked, weapons loaded, and vehicles started. One‑Eye and climbed to his feet, clutching his throbbing hand, but he said nothing. The murderous glare he shot Max’s way promised this wasn’t over, yet even he backed off—for now.
"You heard the man, tell the convoy we set now, "the smirking captain said to the absent-minded cadet, while watching Marc from the corner of her eye with ridicule.
Hmmph..spits*
Sensing her gaze marc scoffed, walking away to prepare. Janee eyed his back as he left through one of the vehicles. only to turn to her side to see the fidgety cadet.
"I SAID GO GET THE CONVOY YOU MITTEN!!"
"Yes...ye..s maam..I, mean Sir!" the poor guy scamblled off,f not bothering with the burning sensation on his neck.
The convoy set out.
The convoy rolled through the desolate outskirts, wheels crunching over broken glass and scorched rubble. The city had once been busy; now it was mostly hollow buildings and the distant echoes of things better left unbothered. Grey clouds hung low, turning the world into a flat smear of colorless decay.
By the time they reached the next location, the sun was only a faint blur behind the haze. The lab complex sat at the edge of what had once been an industrial park, its outer walls half‑collapsed, windows dark. A cold wind slid down the cracked asphalt, carrying the sour stink of old chemicals and something else—something metallic and rotten.
They disembarked cautiously, scanning the surroundings. No moans. No shuffling. No distant screeches.
They didn’t find any intelligent zombies. In fact, they didn’t find much of anything at all.
“Something is wrong,” one of the soldiers murmured, weapon sweeping across the empty street.
Max felt it too. The place was too quiet. There were hardly any stray mutants—no skittering shapes in the alleys, no half‑formed beasts lurking in the shadows. The usual background noise of the wasteland was missing, stripped away, leaving an uneasy stillness.
Then just ahead they manage to sight four zombie Goo men patrolling in a slow, deliberate pattern across the cracked pavement in front of the lab.There wasnt out of place and nothing visible indicated a chang in intelligence,
was it a fuss?" questioned beneath the breath and the frowning soldiers were just about thinking the same thing.pushing down exta thoughts likewise questions, Max chose to study them for a while.
Their skin fused with dark, glossy patches of Goo and slime moved and pulsed as if breathing,The fact to noptice here is there were more human like features on the goo zombie, like the strength type goo battled with when he met the military scouts. its hand were half goo half flesh making it stronger a full goo body making max understand their nature...the more human they look the powerful they get.
They paced around the small periphery of the lab fronts, just beyond the broken security fence, turning at invisible markers only they seemed to know.
Max’s hand tightened slightly inside the living glove.
“Yeah,” he said under his breath. “Definitely not normal.”
Latest Chapter
Tracks and Terror
Siri led the way, but it was really her memories that pulled them forward.With her quiet guidance—and Jane’s steady presence at her side—they began retracing the places where she and Dr. Colosso, now Kran, had once circled each other as an almost-couple. They walked through stretches of the facility and the broken city that were haunted more by ghosts of the past than by anything visibly dangerous.They stopped where he used to wait for her between shifts, at the cracked bench by the outer corridor window where the sun bled orange through dust. They paused in the narrow alley that once served as their shortcut, where the walls seemed to lean together in a conspiratorial hush. Siri’s voice shook as she pointed out the quiet corners where he’d rambled about theories and futures and impossible dreams in place of confessing feelings he never quite dared to say aloud.Jane said little during all of this. She didn’t know the old Colosso, didn’t share these memories, but she understood grie
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Max walked down the base and met up with Jane in her office. As it seems ,she wasn't inn he had to go back to the secretary in charge, then she directed him towards one of the lectures room on camp .Not even bothering to knock max entered the room without much further ado, jane was before a board giving details of the dos and don'ts of the Kraken squad, written vividly on the board. the sound of the door drew the attention of eight eyeballs to the entrance."Max?never thought you had come.."Jane was pleasantly surprised he accepted her request. few would want to risk their lives for the military, though it wasn't for free."its good you could make it," she added"The pleasure is mine." Max smiled turning his view to the three people seated, including Sarah who occupied the last row. she waved at him. So he made sure to send a thumbs up her way, but it was only for a second.Beggars couldn't be choosers. Max wasn't much of a talker, but it was good enough he could join the team.Jane we
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An orb glowed on a ring-shaped plate. A scientist wearing a face shield was reassembling the orb with a picker and spatula for what felt like the ten-thousandth time. He had tried multiple patterns already. Hopefully, this time would be a success."Hey, Lorne, would you hand me the chip of the core? That should be the final piece to this puzzle. Let's pray it doesn't explode." The scientist grimaced, extending a hand toward Lorne, his new assistant, who was holding a chunk of Nest Core worth dozens of lives."Here, Professor," Lorne answered.It had been three days, yet they still hadn’t succeeded in creating what they were after. There wasn’t much time. According to the military, the system might crash the moment the Merc Association obtained a C rank or a New Path.The professor attached the chip of Nest Core to the open part of the core. Immediately, a rainbow wave of energy spread to all corners of the lab and beyond.The scientist, Garfield, flinched as sweat dripped down his for
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“Is that the last one?” Jane said to the secretary, who was tidying up the papers on the table. She, on the other hand, was sipping her morning coffee from her mug.“Yes, Captain, that was the last one,” the secretary said anxiously.“Leave the rest to me, then,” Jane reassured her, her hands picking up the paper on the table before she took her seat and gave the chair a twirl.Sigh...“I sent letters to five different destinations, secretly, to those I found fitting for the Special Squad. Those I could trust, as they would focus more on missions outside the base,” Jane said out loud, though she didn’t seem to be talking to anyone. She had chosen individuals known for their resourcefulness and who had proven their loyalty through past missions. Each had unique qualities: a strategist who could outsmart adversaries, a medic who excelled in high-pressure situations, and a technician with unrivalled skills in hacking and engineering, making them indispensable for missions beyond base bor
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The birds were screeching just beneath the clouds as the sun set on the event of the day.An awarding ceremony for the soldiers who had accomplished the first-ever Rank C mission would be taking place at the sector front. The commander had taken it upon himself to honour the heroes who brought hope back to the last lamplight of humanity.With the apocalypse in full swing, it was hard to make anything feel official, but the military managed, making it at least half as good as ceremonies from the old world.Jane watched the setup. To her, all these were mere formalities that could have been skipped—yet the constant, rapid tempo of her heartbeat said otherwise.Father… little Jane hasn’t let you down.Jane’s cheeks went wet as tears slipped down onto her fist, clenched tightly at her waist.“Is everything fine, Captain? I can’t help but notice that you haven’t dressed up for the ceremony.” At some point, the commander had managed to appear at her side.“Ah, Commander—” Jane flinched, the
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