"Instead of trusting in illusory luck, it's better to rely on your own formidable strength," Leon Black said calmly. He reached forward and tapped a concealed button on the wall, initiating a silent sequence.
With a faint click, a soft light radiated from the panel, and a hidden door began to slide open slowly. It was as if a mechanical beast were awakening in the shadows, revealing its deep, humming core.
Arasaka Giant Black Knight Armored Vehicle—nicknamed The Terminator.
This steel monster measured 7.72 meters long, 3.4 meters wide, and 2.66 meters tall. Weighing eighteen tons, it could transport up to eight fully geared soldiers and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just twelve seconds.
Its 24mm thick armor rendered even armor-piercing rounds ineffective. Its sealed design included a main cannon, two auxiliary guns, an intelligent fire control system, and cutting-edge anti-recon and anti-tracking tech. A war machine, hand-built by Leon Black, Lena Fox, and Lily Cross.
"Wait—this is the Terminator?" Arasaka Yuto and Ethan Cross stared in awe as the vehicle appeared before them.
Leon smirked and patted the matte-black hull. "The true ride of Seventeen Squad."
The rumbling of the beast echoed across the abandoned reconstruction zone. Gangs and passersby alike instinctively cleared out of its path. No one wanted to be grazed by eighteen tons of death barreling down the street at over 100 km/h.
"This is awesome, Captain!" Ethan Cross shouted, watching the surrounding scenery flash past through the vehicle's external feeds.
Leon chuckled. "Of course. This thing's probably worth more than a hundred sets of your entire loadout."
Even someone like Arasaka Yuto, who had seen state-of-the-art tech and secret prototypes, had never felt this kind of pressure from a machine. The drive system, the operating system—everything about the Terminator screamed unique.
Despite the rugged terrain, the interior felt smooth and stable.
"The suspension system... it's incredible," Yuto thought. He'd been with the squad for almost a year, and only now was he starting to see its true capabilities.
"You're off, Yuto," Leon corrected him from the front passenger seat, legs crossed. "Not a hundred. Three hundred."
Three hundred? That was enough to buy an armed AV! Arasaka Yuto was stunned.
Leon narrowed his eyes, watching a plume of fire light up the horizon. "Focus up. We're almost there."
Meanwhile, in the scorched combat zone—
Lily Cross and the bloodied Takemura Goro faced down Sis Weis, who slowly stepped forward, his combat suit torn but his aura overwhelming.
The giant combat robot that once protected them now lay in pieces. It had taken only five minutes for Sis Weis to dismantle it—five minutes to destroy a machine capable of razing a small fortress.
Despite this, Takemura had made him bleed—a long gash still healing on his chest. His regeneration had nearly erased the wound, but the faint scar remained.
Militech's smart squad had triggered their self-destruct protocols, overwhelmed by Biotech forces. Only a few of Sis Weis's men were down.
Takemura groaned, struggling to rise, sword trembling in his grip. "So... this is how it ends?"
But Lily, instead of despairing, beamed with unexpected joy. "No! We're about to be rescued!"
BOOM!
Out of nowhere, The Terminator, now blazing down the street at over 200 mph, rammed straight into Sis Weis, sending him hurtling across the field like a ragdoll.
The rear door of the armored vehicle hissed open, and a familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Big Sis! Your Uber's here!" Ethan Cross grinned through the comms.
Before they could celebrate, a massive shadow surged out of the debris.
Sis Weis, fueled by rage, launched himself forward and threw a punch at the Terminator, the shockwave shattering pavement.
Just before impact, Mike Taylor—towering and silent—appeared like a ghost between the blow and the vehicle. His body radiated heat, red eyes glowing as steam hissed from his reinforced muscles.
Sis Weis blinked in surprise. "You again?"
He hadn't expected anyone in the Seventeen Squad to be strong enough to block his power head-on. Mike had absorbed nearly 70% of the force.
But Sis wasn't done.
"I'll end you here!" he roared, his body bulging as he grew even taller, surpassing five meters in height. His muscles twisted and hardened like steel, and his fist—the size of a boulder—smashed toward Mike again.
Mike's systems instantly ran countless calculations. His left foot dug into the ground, pivoting. With a sudden twist, he dodged to the side and launched into the air, matching Sis Weis's height before slamming a mechanical fist into the man's face.
"Go home and drink milk!" Sis bellowed, tanking the hit. Then his hair snapped forward like a whip, sending Mike flying across the street.
"So... this is Seventeen Squad?" Sis sneered, eyeing the group at the rear of the vehicle. "Saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
"Get Takemura out of here," Leon ordered without hesitation.
"You alone?" Sis mocked, stepping forward with murderous intent. But Mike had already regrouped, reengaging with a thunderous clash of bodies.
Arasaka Yuto sprinted over, grabbing Takemura and dragging him toward the vehicle. Despite his injuries, Takemura managed to keep pace, sheathing his sword and catching his breath.
He recognized Yuto. A direct disciple of Arasaka Kei, future guard of Miss Michiko.
"Did they come... because of her?" Takemura wondered. He hadn't expected someone like Leon Black to intervene without a reason.
Inside, Lily Cross jumped into the driver's seat. As soon as everyone was in, she slammed the accelerator, nearly launching them through the back door.
"Big Sis! Can you not drive like a maniac?!" Ethan shouted, holding onto the ceiling rail.
Lily shouted back, "Are you blind?! If we don't floor it now, we'll be dead meat!"
She activated the nitro booster.
A shrieking missile cut across the sky, glowing red like a falling star.
"Oh hell no—who fired a missile?!" Ethan screamed as it hurtled toward them.
"RUN, CAPTAIN!" he yelled through the door.
Leon didn't flinch. He turned his back to the group and gave a casual wave.
"Stop yelling," Lily rolled her eyes, "Escaping is helping him."
With a growl, the Terminator roared forward, wheels biting into the asphalt.
Back on the battlefield, Sis Weis stopped, watching the fleeing vehicle.
"You're not running?" he asked Leon, curiously calm.
"With you, the deputy head of Biotech, staying behind?" Leon smiled, hands in his pockets. "Even if I die, that's a fair trade."
He nodded toward Mike Taylor, who now stood battered and bruised, his internal systems overloaded.
Leon knew what he was doing. Buying time. Stalling a monster. Playing a high-stakes game against a genetically modified powerhouse who had just crushed an entire Militech unit—and winning by lasting.
Because that's what the Seventeen Squad did.
They endured—then they struck back.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31).