Chapter 52: Life Hanging by a Thread

In David’s vision, countless fine threads stretched through the darkness, each one ending on the silhouette of an enemy.

With that, the fight became straightforward.

In the pitch black, precise bullets—or grenades rolling straight to their feet—cut them down one by one. The shots were so accurate only because David fired at point-blank range, waiting until he was practically on top of them.

Once Lucy had locked onto their positions, it didn’t matter if they panicked and severed their neural links. By then, it was already too late.

Soon, just one enemy remained. David pressed his pistol to the back of the man’s head and pulled the trigger without a word.

As the body collapsed, a faint metallic click reached his ears.

He knew that sound all too well—the pin of a thermobaric grenade being pulled.

David instantly triggered his Sandevistan, his body jerking backward in a blur. But before he could retreat more than a few steps, his heel hit something—a pressure mine.

The bastard had laid traps.

No time to think. David dove sideways, slamming into the ground hard.

Two explosions ripped through the air—one behind, one in front. The shockwave rattled his bones, the ringing in his ears nearly bursting his skull.

“David... David...”

Lucy’s voice echoed in his mind, cutting through the deafening buzz with a sliver of clarity.

“I...” He forced himself to his knees, shaking his scrambled head.
“I’m... not dead.”

As he sat up, he saw his legs—or what was left of them. Shredded, bloody wrecks. He bared his teeth.
“But... I’m not walking out of here.”

Through their neural link, Lucy saw everything. Tears welled in her eyes.

She glanced at Jackie, who was keeping his focus on the hoist device, making sure it ran smoothly.

Stumbling to her feet, Lucy pushed toward the exit.
“David’s down. Shrapnel tore his legs. I’m going to him.”

Jackie turned, shouting after her as her thin frame disappeared into the dark.
“Kid! Your body—”

“Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

“Then take David and head for the truck. We’ll catch up soon—”

Before he could finish, the hoist rope from the shaft snapped with a sharp crack. The line went slack, recoiling upward.

“¡Vaya! Damn it!”

Jackie lunged to the edge of the shaft, peering down.
“What the hell happened?”

He barked into comms, but Arthur’s reply came back warped by echoes, impossible to make out.

Lucy froze mid-step, her gut tightening.
“What’s going on?”

“Not sure yet.”

Jackie yanked on the rope, only to find nothing at the other end. He quickly checked the hoist itself. It wasn’t damaged—at least that was a relief.

“Lucy!” Jackie snapped, forcing calm into his voice.
“Find David. Get him out first.”

David couldn’t move on his own. If reinforcements followed the trail of battle and found him, he was done for.

“If danger comes, hide. We’ll come for you as soon as we can.”

...

Below, two massive black blades—each over two meters long—sliced through the hoist rope, then slashed toward Arthur.

Arthur ignored the fall, eyes locked on the monster above.

He ducked. The blade meant for his chest missed, cutting through the space above his shoulders instead.

The knives bit deep into the shaft wall, sliding in like butter. The monster’s weight slammed him against the concrete.

“Fall back—out of the shaft! We’ve gotta... hff... deal with this girl first.”

Pinned against the wall, Arthur finally got a good look.

The face was gone, replaced by two rows of glowing red cybereyes, stitched into place. From her elbows down, her arms had been replaced entirely with massive blades, pressing against Arthur’s shoulders, ready to cut him in half.

The torso, though mutilated, still bore traces of a woman’s frame. That was why he called it a girl.

But her abdomen had been gutted and rebuilt—a spinning metal core exposed where her organs should’ve been. A gyroscope, endlessly whirring inside her.

Arthur’s hands strained against the blades. For once, he was thankful for the brutal boxing drills Jackie had put him through. Without that recovery, he’d already be in three pieces.

“Ughh...”

Suspended, his feet kicking free of the wall, Arthur grunted through clenched teeth. He coiled his legs, power surging through them. He could kick her off.

But first, he checked below. Their scuffle had dragged him down, leaving him barely five meters from the bottom. V and Rebecca had already scrambled out of the shaft.

Close enough.

He drove both feet into her abdomen and let himself fall.

Thud!

His shoulder smashed into the top of the elevator car. Pain shot through him, but he dragged himself toward the opening.

V and Rebecca were waiting. The moment his head appeared, they hauled him out.

The instant he cleared the hatch, two long blades punched through the car roof, hanging inches from them.

“What the hell is that?”

Rebecca yanked Arthur clear, her eyes wide at the sight of steel cutting through. She’d been too low before to see the thing.

Arthur rolled, pulling Achilles tight against his chest. Luckily, the rifle had slipped under his arm during the climb. Otherwise, when the monster slammed him against the wall, his spine would’ve snapped.

He forced himself up as the blades carved through the car like paper, leaving a gaping hole.

“What it is, I don’t know,” Arthur rasped.
“But it’s a goddamn monster.”

A slab of metal clattered to the floor. Red light spilled from the shaft, framing the twisted form above. Like a massive insect, it crawled along the ceiling, limbs twisting.

Eight glowing eyes swept the space, locking onto them.

...

Up top, Jackie barely caught his breath before Lucy’s voice hit his feed.
“More are coming your way. They didn’t even bother checking David’s trail. I can’t count them, but it’s a lot.”

“Hide!” Jackie snapped. His eyes flicked to the hoist on the ground, then he turned toward the oncoming troops.

If they took control of the shaft, it was over for all of them.

He cocked both pistols, muttering under his breath.
“Guess this ain’t going smooth after all.”

The moonlight was blocked by the massive fermentation tanks, leaving only scraps of light.

Jackie spotted shadows shifting ahead.

No hesitation. He raised both guns and opened fire, a wall of bullets damming the flood.

The sudden barrage tore through the first row of soldiers, dropping them before they knew what hit.

“Enemy contact! Goddamn fools brought it on themselves!
Guns up—tear that bastard apart!”

Muzzles flashed in reply, lighting the dark. Jackie ducked behind cover, slamming fresh magazines into place.

Their fire was heavy, pushing him back—but it bought precious seconds.

Arthur’s voice crackled over comms.
“Jackie, we’ve got a very... eager lady blocking the way. Might take some time.”

The screech of metal tore through the channel. Jackie emptied a magazine in a sweeping burst before growling back:
“Funny. I’ve got my own mess up here. If you don’t finish yours fast, we’re all screwed.”