Time gradually resumed its normal flow.
As David's senses caught up, he witnessed the entire sequence of events unfold.
The Arasaka operative had shrugged off David's elbow strike without flinching. He simply cast a glance at David, then resumed his original attack trajectory. As the Mantis Blade descended toward Maine's head, Maine abandoned the half-transformed launcher in his left arm and raised that cyberarm to block the strike.
He sacrificed an entire limb for a brief moment of survival. Though the subdermal armor and integrated launcher in Maine's left arm were sliced through like butter, the effort achieved its purpose.
As his arm was severed, blood erupted in a pressurized spray from the open wound, splashing across the Arasaka soldier's face—blinding him just as he finished his swing, his energy momentarily spent.
The interference only lasted a heartbeat. But if the man had been facing Maine at full strength—uninjured and fully armed—it would've been more than enough time for Maine to end him.
Unfortunately, Maine had lost both his weapon and his left arm in quick succession. At that moment, all he could do was lean his head back.
His right hand gripped the ruined heavy machine gun, still pinned beneath the Arasaka soldier's Mantis Blade. His left arm was gone. His feet were his only remaining support.
In this life-or-death instant, Maine's last remaining weapons were his mind—and his head.
What is intelligence?
It's knowing that if your head is about to be chopped off, you lean it back… and then—
In the blink of an eye, as the Arasaka soldier's vision cleared, he saw a steel-hard forehead crashing toward his face like a meteor.
The frontal bone—the hardest part of the skull—was reinforced in Maine's case by subdermal plating just beneath the skin. That "warhammer" slammed into the unarmored face of the Arasaka operative with bone-crunching force.
"Looks like you didn't get that fancy subdermal work done on your face like the Maelstrom freaks!"
Agonizing pain shot through the operative's nerves. His nose snapped. Blood and tears gushed out involuntarily. His whole body reeled backward.
In his mind, only one thought remained:
"Since when do Militech mercs fight like this? First the kid elbows me, now the old guy headbutts me. Are they animals? Is Militech just hiring anyone off the streets now?!"
Just as he staggered back, David raised his pistol.
Normally, to pierce Arasaka's nano-fiber subdermal armor, tech weapons needed to charge up to deliver a penetrative shot.
But now, Maine had just confirmed something:
This guy didn't have facial armor.
David didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
A single, uncharged bullet flew—straight into the man's face.
With a wet splat, it tore through skin and bone. The Arasaka soldier's body froze mid-fall, then collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
The bullet had entered through the roof of his mouth and shredded his brain from the inside. No matter what was left of his consciousness, there was no coming back from that.
Thud.
Huff... huff…
Maine dropped his ruined machine gun and clutched his bleeding stump, trying to keep the remaining part of his arm pressed tightly against his side to stem the blood flow.
Despite his condition, he let out a breathless laugh and smiled at David:
"Nice one, David… you saved my ass again."
"Maine…"
David stared at the blood spilling from between Maine's clenched fingers, forming thick, wet droplets in the dust. His heart filled with guilt.
It was his fault.
He had hesitated.
That hesitation had cost Maine his arm.
He'd been too young, too inexperienced. When the Arasaka soldiers yelled earlier, he didn't even question why they were so loud—he'd believed them.
His mistake had nearly gotten Maine killed.
"Don't beat yourself up."
Despite being the one who'd just lost a limb, Maine was the one doing the comforting:
"That Arasaka mutt? He's the one lying dead. I traded an arm for a kill—worth it, far as I'm concerned."
He stumbled a few steps, clearly weakened by the blood loss, and slumped down beside the pile of rubble.
He gave a weak chuckle:
"Hell, losing a hand but keeping my life? I call that lucky."
David flinched.
He knew exactly who Maine was referring to.
During one of their old missions—stories which Maine had told over drinks more than once—the comparison was clear. That guy had lived… but lost both arms.
"Save your breath, Maine."
David glanced toward the cave entrance—no one else was coming. Either Arasaka had clashed with Militech, or they really had full faith in their now-dead teammate.
He approached Maine, pulled out a med-syringe, and injected a blood coagulant into his shoulder.
"Let's move deeper inside. I'll patch you up when we're clear."
"Yeah, sounds like a plan…"
David helped Maine to his feet. As they passed the corpse, Maine's eyes fell on the man's uniform badge.
It read:
"Arasaka Security Division – Team Leader"
"No wonder he was so tough," Maine muttered.
"He was probably in charge of guarding an entire floor at Arasaka Tower."
But still—
Maine looked at David beside him, smiling through the pain.
"Still not even close to us."
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