The clash between Richard Blackwood and Marcus Sterling showed no signs of stopping.
Blow after blow.
Fast.
Hard.
Without pause.
Something felt different.
Marcus was no longer relying solely on his "units."
He moved like someone who had been fighting for a long time.
Trained.
Cold.
Calculated.
Richard twisted his body, dodging the attack, then retaliated with a strike to the side of the jaw.
Marcus was pushed back half a step.
He smiled.
"Impressive... just as I heard about you."
Richard did not answer.
His attacks grew faster.
He gave no room for conversation.
Because he knew.
Men like Marcus did not need time to think.
He had already planned everything.
On the other side.
Daniel was still trying to stabilize his device.
The frequency kept fluctuating.
Inconsistent.
"We have to shut down the system completely!" he shouted.
Leonard Graves shot down two units trying to approach.
"If you know how, now is the perfect time!"
The boy stood up with difficulty.
His breathing was unstable.
But his eyes.
Were focused again.
Deeper than before.
"There is... a control center inside his body..."
Daniel turned immediately.
"Marcus?"
The boy nodded slowly.
"He isn't just the controller... he is also part of the system..."
Silence fell.
And in an instant.
Everything made sense.
Leonard exhaled deeply.
"Of course. Why not just make him the final boss while you're at it."
Daniel gritted his teeth.
"Then we have to sever the connection directly from him!"
Richard heard that.
And without hesitation.
He changed the direction of his attack.
No longer aiming to take Marcus down.
But to find an opening.
Marcus noticed it.
His expression shifted slightly.
"Interesting... you are starting to understand."
He stepped back half a step.
Then pressed a small device on his wrist.
The units in the room.
Stopped instantly.
Silent.
Motionless.
Yet not destroyed.
More like... waiting.
Daniel tensed up.
"What is he doing...?"
Marcus looked at them all.
His smile returned.
"You think this was just some random experiment?"
He raised his hand.
"This is evolution."
The boy stepped forward.
"This is not evolution..."
he whispered.
"...this is manipulation."
Marcus laughed softly.
"The difference is merely a matter of perspective."
He stared directly at the boy.
A gaze that was too sharp.
Too intense.
"You... are the most interesting one."
Daniel immediately stepped in front of the boy.
"Stay back."
Marcus did not move.
But the aura around him changed.
Heavier.
More... oppressive.
"With you... I can perfect this system."
The boy shook his head.
"You will get nothing from me."
Marcus smirked.
"We shall see."
Suddenly.
All the units that had been still.
Moved again.
Not to attack.
They formed a circle.
Surrounding the room.
Trapping them.
Leonard immediately raised his weapon.
"I hate this part."
Daniel looked at his device.
"We're trapped!"
Richard remained standing before Marcus.
Unmoving.
"If you think this is enough..."
Marcus cut him off.
"I don't think."
He took a step forward.
One single step.
The effect.
Was felt instantly.
The air vibrated.
Not like before.
Subtler.
And deeper.
The boy collapsed immediately.
His knees hitting the floor.
"The connection... again..."
Daniel panicked.
"He is forcefully pulling it again!"
Ethan.
Inside the network.
Felt that pressure stronger than ever.
"...this isn't just a connection..."
"...this is a takeover..."
The silence broke.
Richard moved instantly.
Attacking again.
But Marcus was ready.
He blocked.
Dodged.
Countered.
The fight grew more brutal.
Closer.
More dangerous.
Meanwhile.
The cables on the boy's body moved wildly.
Uncontrolled.
As if trying to fight something from within.
Marcus watched him.
Fully focused.
"Just a little more..."
he whispered.
Daniel tried to stabilize the frequency.
But it wasn't enough.
"He is too strong!"
Leonard fired toward Marcus.
But the units immediately blocked.
The bullets didn't reach.
"Damn it!"
Suddenly.
Another voice was heard.
Not from the system.
Not from Marcus.
But from Daniel's device.
Faint.
But clear.
"...Daniel..."
Daniel froze.
"Is that Ethan?!"
"...listen..."
The voice was weak.
But urgent.
"...cut... the source..."
Daniel swallowed hard.
"How?!"
"...not from the outside..."
"...from inside him..."
A split second of silence.
But it was enough.
Daniel understood immediately.
"Richard!"
He shouted.
"The device on his body! That is the source!"
Richard didn't answer.
But his movements changed.
More aggressive.
More focused.
He baited Marcus into attacking.
Creating an opening.
One moment.
One second.
That was all that was needed.
Marcus attacked.
Richard dodged.
Closing the distance.
Too close to evade.
And.
He pulled a knife from his waist.
Stabbed.
Directly.
Into the side of Marcus's wrist.
The device.
Destroyed.
In one second.
All units stopped.
Completely.
Silent.
Motionless.
The connection.
Severed.
Marcus froze.
He was genuinely shocked.
The boy fell.
But his breathing returned.
The oppressive connection.
Gone.
Daniel panted.
"We... did it..."
Not entirely.
Marcus slowly looked at his damaged hand.
Then at Richard.
His smile.
Returned.
Colder.
"Good..."
he whispered.
"Now... we move to the next stage."
The silence instantly turned tense.
Because if that.
Was only the beginning...
then what was coming next.
Was far worse.
And outside the building.
The sound of vehicles could be heard.
Many.
Approaching.
Searchlights swept across the walls.
Leonard turned his head.
"Don't tell me..."
Daniel looked at the screen.
His face pale.
"Troops..."
The boy whispered softly.
"...he was never alone..."
Richard stood tall.
Looking at Marcus.
"Then we end this now."
Marcus smiled.
"No."
He stepped back one step.
Then.
Vanished into the shadows behind him.
As if he had planned that route from the very start.
And in the next second.
The building's doors were forced open.
Armed men rushed in.
Not units.
Not machines.
But humans.
And amidst the chaos.
One thing became clear.
This was no longer just an experiment.
This.
Was open war.
The sound of boots hitting the concrete floor shattered the remaining silence.
Not one pair.
Not two.
Dozens.
Rusted iron doors were forced open, echoing loudly, followed by men entering in tight formation—not a random mob, but trained units.
Flashlights cut sharply through the air, sweeping the room.
Searching.
Locking onto targets.
Leonard Graves immediately raised his weapon.
"Alright. Now it officially gets ugly."
Daniel pulled the boy slightly behind him.
"We have to get out of here!"
But Richard Blackwood remained standing in front.
His gaze swept across the entire room.
Counting the enemies.
Assessing exit routes.
Fast.
Efficient.
"Split up in three directions," he said briefly. "Find a gap."
Leonard smirked slightly.
"Finally, I hear a plan I like."
The first shot was not fired by them.
One of the armed men pulled the trigger.
A bullet shot out.
Heading straight for Daniel.
Richard moved.
Fast.
Pulling Daniel to the side.
The bullet hit an old machine behind them.
Sparks flew.
And in one second.
Chaos erupted.
Leonard returned fire.
One enemy fell.
Then another.
But their numbers were too many.
Daniel tried to stay focused.
The device in his hand activated again.
"I can jam their communications... a little!"
"A little is enough!" Leonard replied.
The boy stood up again.
Even though his body was still weak.
His eyes.
Were no longer wavering.
He looked toward the back door.
"That way..."
he whispered.
"There's an exit."
Richard moved immediately.
Shooting as he advanced.
Clearing the path.
Leonard covered the right flank.
Daniel and the boy followed.
The troops.
Gave no room.
They moved in coordination.
Closing off routes.
Pressuring from the front.
From the sides.
From behind.
As if.
They already knew where they were going.
Daniel tensed up.
"They... know our route!"
Leonard cursed.
"Fine. Then we improvise."
Richard stopped briefly.
Looking around.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then.
He turned around.
"Over the top."
Daniel looked confused.
"What—"
Richard was already moving.
Jumping onto a large machine beside them.
Climbing up.
Then onto the pipes above.
Without hesitation.
Leonard laughed shortly.
"Oh, I like this."
He followed.
Rougher.
But still fast.
Daniel swallowed hard.
"Seriously?"
The boy was already climbing.
Without saying much.
Daniel had no choice.
He followed.
Above.
The large pipes became a narrow path.
Giving them an advantage.
Enemies below had difficulty shooting.
Angles were limited.
Visibility was poor.
Richard moved at the front.
Shooting down to hold them back.
Leonard at the back.
Covering the open sides.
Daniel in the middle.
Keeping the boy balanced.
Their steps were fast.
But careful.
Because one mistake.
Meant falling.
And that meant.
Game over.
"Thirty meters more!" Daniel shouted, checking the small map on his device.
But the sound of gunfire continued to follow.
Bullets hit the pipes.
The metal vibrated.
Sparks appeared.
One of the pipes.
Cracked.
Leonard looked back.
"I don't like that sound."
The pipe.
Started to shift.
Slowly.
Then.
It fell.
The rear part of their path collapsed.
Several enemies were crushed beneath it.
It also.
Cut off their way back.
Daniel swallowed hard.
"Now we really have to go forward."
Richard didn't answer.
He had already jumped onto the platform at the end.
Landed.
Immediately shooting toward the exit door.
Clearing the way.
Leonard followed.
Then Daniel and the boy.
They landed in a narrow corridor.
Dark.
Quieter.
For a moment.
"Left," the boy said quickly.
They ran again.
The sound of footsteps behind.
Did not stop.
The troops were still chasing.
Not letting up.
Not losing the trail.
Daniel panted.
"They won't stop..."
Leonard answered while running,
"Yeah, that's usually the main problem."
Richard suddenly stopped.
Turned around.
Shooting down the corridor behind them.
Holding them off for a few seconds.
Enough.
"Out," he said.
In front.
A metal door.
Half open.
Night light visible through the gap.
They burst through.
Outside.
Cold air greeted them.
No time to breathe.
Because other vehicles.
Were already waiting outside.
Lights turned on.
Engines running.
Armed men stepped out.
Even more of them.
Leonard laughed shortly.
"He is dead serious."
Daniel looked around.
"We're surrounded..."
The boy stood in the center.
Looking in all directions.
His eyes narrowed.
As if sensing something.
Then.
He pointed in one direction.
"That way..."
A small path.
Dark.
Narrow.
Almost invisible.
Richard moved immediately.
Without hesitation.
Because right now.
That instinct was worth more than anything.
They ran again.
Entering that narrow alley.
Bullets chased them once more.
Shouts echoed behind.
Footsteps.
Getting closer.
They didn't stop.
Couldn't.
Mustn't.
And behind them.
Amidst it all.
A black car slowed to a halt.
The door opened.
Marcus Sterling stepped out.
Calm.
Unrushed.
His eyes followed the direction where they had disappeared.
His smile appeared again.
Thin.
Satisfied.
"Run..."
he muttered softly.
"...this is just the beginning."
And in the deepening night.
The real hunt.
Had finally begun.