Chapter 19: The Fury of Militech

“You’re saying Bosewei is dead?”
Gris asked again, uncertainty flickering in his voice.

“Yes, Mr. Gris. He was killed by a single shot from the enemy’s sniper rifle.”

“I thought he was inside the AV?”

“Yes, sir—but the sniper round penetrated the AV’s armored hull.”

“I see… what a pity.”

Gris sighed and shook his head, then waved the matter aside.
“Continue with the operation. The rest doesn’t concern you.”

After issuing the order, Gris’s expression darkened. He could only hope the team finished the job cleanly—success meant he’d earn credit, not blame. Failure, though... would bring questions from Weis. And with rivals watching his position, he couldn’t afford a misstep.

...

Militech’s drones unleashed a torrent of gunfire as heavily augmented soldiers ripped the factory doors open using their cybernetic arms. The breach succeeded—but what awaited them were heavy machine guns originally belonging to Militech, weapons the Maelstrom gang had mounted earlier. Now... they all belonged to Roland.

The 12.7mm rounds tore through the air in an instant. Several security operatives were shredded before they even had time to scream, their bodies torn apart by the hail of bullets.
The survivors reacted fast, diving behind cover before the auto-targeting system could lock onto them.

Whoosh—Boom!

The netrunner team, knowing the enemy’s netrunning capabilities were beyond ordinary and unable to counter immediately, ordered their drones to fire micro-missiles, blowing apart the turrets guarding the entrance.

“Stay sharp!” the squad leader barked over comms. “The enemy might be using our own Militech gear. Watch for mines and heavy fire!”

From a dark corner, a hidden camera silently watched the squad’s movements. One of the soldiers, sensing something off, turned and shot it down.
Jhin withdrew from that feed, tapped the table twice, then grabbed his weapon and strode toward the door.

If this was a show, the lead actor had to take the stage.

...

Henry clutched his rifle tightly as he crept forward. His cybernetic eyes scanned every shadow, hypervigilant, yet the factory remained silent—except for the haunting echo of music playing somewhere inside.

To be honest, he wanted out. The moment he saw Bosewei’s head explode, he’d wanted to quit. He wasn’t here to die for someone else’s mistake.

They didn’t even know where the target was—just firing blindly into the dark like clowns. If he were the enemy, he’d be laughing his ass off.

“Hey, Henry, relax,” Nick muttered, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Even if the sky falls, the tall guy gets crushed first. Our captain’s got a Sandevistan—if things go bad, he’ll handle it before we even blink.”

“Yeah, but we’re already in here,” Henry shot back. “You really think that guy’s going to show us mercy?”

“If he shows up, just shoot the bastard. He’s not made of iron—uh, well, not that many people are made of flesh these days anyway.”
Nick shrugged, cracking a half-grin.

Henry sighed. “Did you seriously just tell a bad joke right now?”
Still, Nick’s attitude helped. His nerves eased, just a bit.

Suddenly, a blinding red light flared across the hall. Henry’s pupils contracted sharply. “Move!” he shouted.

BOOM!

The explosion ripped through the corridor, launching Henry backward into a wall. Nick vanished without a trace.
The blast triggered a chain reaction—multiple detonations roaring one after another, brilliant bursts blooming like fiery flowers across the factory.

Then, Jhin appeared—descending calmly from the upper level. The music cut off. Only the faint moans of the dying and the steady rhythm of his footsteps filled the air. The scene was grotesquely theatrical.

Whoosh—

With a metallic hiss, Jhin drew his weapon and instantly activated his Sandevistan.

Bang!

For the first time since entering this world, Jhin’s magazine ran dry. That brief pause gave the Militech squad leader—Relton—just enough time to close the gap. His Mantis Blades glowed with heat as he swung for Jhin’s throat.

Clang!

“That was close…” Jhin muttered, staring into the man’s face only inches away. With a burst of strength, he shoved Relton back. Both disengaged from acceleration at the same moment.

Relton steadied himself, glaring at Jhin with grim focus. Jhin retracted his own Mantis Blades, his expression calm.

Then his neck cyberware crackled with a surge of static—his systems were under attack. Netrunners were breaching his interface. He’d pushed his processing to the limit.

Gritting his teeth, Jhin cut off auxiliary functions and redirected power to ICE defense. Relton seized the moment, lunging in and slicing a deep gash across Jhin’s chest.

Three shots fired in response, but Relton dodged each one effortlessly. Jhin frowned—this was getting messy.

He was built for ranged combat. Against a relentless close-quarters brawler like this, things could turn ugly fast. So...

Bang!

Jhin triggered his Sandevistan again. His cyberlegs surged, launching him out of sight.

“Don’t you dare run!” Relton shouted, activating his own accelerator. But repeated use was catching up—blood streamed from his nose.

Boom!

As Relton burst into the next room, Jhin’s fist met him head-on—a brutal punch slamming into his chest, crushing the air from his lungs.

Jhin closed in instantly. His arm flicked, the Monowire snapping free. In one smooth motion, he vaulted up, wrapped the wire around Relton’s neck, and yanked hard.

Slick—

The body dropped with a heavy thud. Jhin retracted the wire and glanced toward the factory’s cameras—the ones he’d temporarily surrendered while fending off the netrunners.

Control—reclaimed.

Bang!

Back at headquarters, Gris’s face turned pale with rage. He slammed a fist into his desk.
“Call in the Counter-Terror Unit—now!”

Boom!

A massive explosion ripped through what was left of the warehouse, flames swallowing half the structure.

As the shockwave faded, a black silhouette leapt from the debris, disappearing into the night.

He wasn’t stupid. With all that noise, waiting around for Militech’s reinforcements would be suicide.