Chapter 18: Chapter 18 - A Webshooter

Gunfire erupted from around the plant as the workers seized the advantage. It was a one-sided slaughter. Disoriented by the sudden light, the night stalker couldn’t fight back. They stumbled, scrambling blindly as the workers’ gunshots tore through them.

“Time for my part,” Zack said, drawing the sharp blades from his armor. He charged toward the stalkers, slicing through their ranks. Under the power of his armor, even a piece of blunt metal would cut through flesh and bone with ease.

One night stalker sensed him and tried to swipe, but Zack effortlessly dodged, beheading it in a single swing. He moved from one to the next, dismantling them with ruthless efficiency. Just as he finished, a piercing roar rang out—a cry of anger and defiance. “Sir, I’ve pinpointed the leader!” Ego’s voice cut through his focus.

Zack looked up to see a larger night stalker in the distance, its intense gaze locked onto him. They stared each other down for a tense moment, and the creature let out an enraged howl. The remaining stalkers at the back door and broken wall immediately abandoned their attacks, retreating toward the darkness.

“Oh, so you’re trying to escape?” Zack muttered, his eyes narrowing as he watched the leader. Without hesitation, he left the illuminated area and sprinted after it.

"Roar!" The night stalker leader, seeing him step into the darkness, leaped from the rooftop it had been perched on, landing with a heavy thud.

“So you want a fight?” Zack grinned beneath his armor. “Fine by me.”

He retracted his blade and charged forward, pushing the MV-01 armor’s speed to its limits. The one-ton suit thundered across the ground like a rampaging beast. As he closed in, he extended the blade, preparing to strike with a powerful slash.

What he didn’t expect was the night stalker’s agility. Just as he swung, the leader ducked, sliding under him in a move that resembled a low slide tackle. Its sharp claws scraped across his waist, leaving a series of deep scratches on the armor.

“Did… did I just get hit by a sliding tackle?” Zack thought, astonished. He’d never expected such a move from a night stalker! Before Zack could turn, the Night stalker leader leapt onto his back, clawing at his armor with frenzied strength. Its claws tore into the metal, leaving deep gouges along the armor.

“Warning! Back armor damaged, 30% integrity remaining!”

“I know!” Zack muttered, keeping his focus. He fully extended his arm blade, reaching back in a swift, precise stab. The blade struck true, sinking into the creature’s shoulder blade.

“Roar!” The Night stalker leader screeched in pain, struggling violently to free itself from the blade.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Zack growled, turning to face the creature. With a quick motion, he extended the second blade from his left arm, aiming straight for the Night stalker leader’s head. But at the last second, the creature twisted its body, letting the blade slice through its right arm instead, severing it to free itself.

“Roar…” The leader hit the ground hard but immediately turned and bolted, disappearing into the darkness.

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“Damn it!” Zack cursed, giving chase. The MV-01’s speed was impressive in a straight line, and he quickly closed in. But the Night stalker leader, now one-armed, scrambled up a nearby wall, clawing its way up with surprising speed. Its sharp claws pierced the brick, letting it scale the wall effortlessly.

“Get down here!” Zack yelled, hurling his arm blade like a throwing knife. The blade struck the Night stalker leader’s back, lodging deep, but didn’t bring it down. Instead, the creature climbed to the rooftop and vanished into the night.

“Ego, track it with the satellite!” Zack barked.

“Yes, sir,” Ego replied. The satellite traced the Night stalker leader’s path until it ducked into an underground garage in a nearby factory. Once the location was logged, Zack returned to the steel plant.

Back at the steel plant, the powerful lights were still on, casting the area in a bright, reassuring glow. Not a single Night Stalker was left standing. Charles and the other workers were already clearing the battlefield, loading the bodies onto a truck to be disposed of at dawn.

“Mr. Zack is back!” someone shouted.

“Mr. Zack, we did it! Not a single casualty!” The workers and their families cheered, their expressions filled with relief and gratitude. After the terror they had endured, tonight felt like a miracle.

Charles stepped forward, his face showing a mixture of apology and admiration. “Mr. Zack…I misjudged you. If it weren’t for you, we’d still be living in fear, and tonight would have been a disaster.”

Zack gave a nod, his gaze calm. Charles had been skeptical, but now he and everyone else here fully understood the value of Zack’s presence.

“Thank you, Mr. Zack!” A young worker grinned, showing the gap where he’d lost a few teeth in a fall, but he didn’t seem to care.

Before the cheers could continue, Zack’s voice cut through the noise. “Don’t celebrate too early. Some of the night stalkers managed to escape.”

The smiles faded, and the workers exchanged uneasy looks. The reminder was sobering; the Night stalkers hadn’t been fully eradicated and could still lurk in the dark corners of the industrial area. “But we should be safe for the rest of the night,” he added. “Charles, set up a rotation for night watch. Make sure these lights stay on until dawn.”

“Understood, Mr. Zack!” Charles said, quickly arranging shifts among the workers.

After confirming the arrangements, Zack returned to the office. Once inside, he enabled Ego’s alert mode, which would scan for any approaching creatures and sound an alarm at the first sign of hostility. He then removed his armor, placing it to charge.

“MV-01 is still too limited in its attack capabilities,” he muttered as he sank into an armchair, his expression thoughtful.

Tonight’s battle had revealed critical weaknesses in the armor: a lack of ranged weaponry and limited flexibility. Even with the improvements to its transmission system, the heavy plating of the MV-01 restricted his movement. If only he had access to stronger alloys like titanium, he could improve both defense and agility.

“Guess I’ll save those ideas for the MV-02,” he mused, letting himself rest for a moment.

Zack shook his head, dismissing thoughts of different materials from the MV-01 armor. The resources simply weren’t available, and it was better to focus on improving his tactics against the Night stalkers.

"Let’s work on a way to slow them down," he murmured. Years of experience in moba had taught him that controlling the enemy’s speed could create an advantage, making it easier to maneuver around them.”

“Sir, would you like to equip the MV-01 with high-powered lighting?” Ego suggested.

“Lights?” Zack imagined himself walking around with a blinding spotlight on his head and immediately shook his head. “No, Ego. I don’t want to be a walking sun.’ High-power lights would drain the armor’s battery life too quickly.” He paused, deep in thought, then suddenly his eyes lit up. “Wait! I’ve got it!”

“What is it, sir?”

“A net shooter—like the one fisherman use to capture fish, but make it sticky and portable!” Zack said, his excitement growing. He’d been so focused on the armor itself that he hadn’t thought about this. Despite being avid fan on the movie he really forgot about this.

“Ego, do we have data on this kind of shooters?”

“Processing based on Sir mind, Yes, sir. There are 165 sets of information on similiar device you requested, I suggest we create a web shooter.”

“Perfect!” Zack grinned.