The owner of the cold voice stepped out from the shadows.

  He was a titan of a man, standing over two point two meters tall, completely encased in matte-black, military-grade exoskeleton plating. This was an entirely different league from the patrol squads they had encountered before.

  The exterior of the exoskeleton was devoid of unnecessary ornamentation; every armor plate was precisely calculated, and the hydraulic units at the joints emitted a low, rhythmic hum.

  Most prominent was the chest piece—a rotating red thermal scanner that looked like an eye that never closed.

  Karl wore a semi-enclosed mask, leaving only the lower half of his face exposed. His lips curled into a cruel smirk.

  "Andrew said you were good at running," Karl’s voice, filtered through the exoskeleton’s speakers, carried a jarring metallic resonance. "But in front of my thermal tracking, you’re just a rat trapped in a cage."

  Six elite squad members followed behind him. Each was equipped with standard-issue rifles, tactical armor, and high-explosive grenades hanging from their belts.

  Kane didn't waste words.

  He activated [ Kinetic Boost ]. The Cyclone snapped up instantly, aiming for the thermal scanner on Karl’s chest.

  He pulled the trigger.

  Bang—!

  Karl’s reaction speed was staggering. The exoskeleton’s thrusters ignited instantly, shifting his massive frame three meters to the side. The bullet whistled past his shoulder, striking the wall behind him.

  Karl let out a cold laugh. "That’s it?"

  He raised his right arm.

  A miniature missile launcher mounted on his forearm locked onto Kane.

  Kane’s pupils constricted.

  He activated [ Aerial Step ].

  His body pulled a jagged, unnatural angle mid-air, barely clearing the missile’s path.

  Boom—!!

  The missile slammed into the tunnel wall, blasting a massive crater and sending shards of stone and rebar flying.

  The moment Kane landed, his right leg gave out.

  He collapsed violently onto the floor.

  Agony shot like an electric current from his spine to his brain. The Neural Suppressor had completely worn off.

  The dark red arcs on the surface of The Predator began to pulse erratically, looking like a bomb on the verge of detonation. Kane gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his face like rain.

  Seeing this, Karl’s laughter became even more derisive.

  "New gear hasn't been broken in yet?"

  He walked forward with agonizing slowness.

  "Tsk, tsk. Kunlun Corp’s intel was right after all. You’re nothing but a half-finished product."

  Karl raised a hand in a signal.

  The six elite members leveled their rifles and began to close in from the flanks.

  Crag let out a roar.

  His massive frame shifted to stand in front of Kane, his metal shield raised high.

  "Kid, don't move," Crag’s voice was a low rumble. "I’ve got this."

  All six squad members opened fire simultaneously.

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  A torrential rain of lead hammered against the shield, igniting a dense spray of sparks. Crag endured the concentrated fire, forcing himself forward step by step toward the enemy.

  One operative tried to flank behind Crag.

  But Crag whipped around, his shield performing a brutal horizontal sweep. The man was swatted away, smashing into the wall and losing consciousness instantly.

  Karl stood in the rear, arms crossed over his chest, watching with detached interest.

  "A Stoneborn giant?"

  His tone was like a merchant appraising merchandise.

  "Interesting, but that’s about it."

  Kane pressed one hand against the ground, forcing himself to calm down. He pulled the last Neural Suppressor from his vest.

  He stared at the transparent syringe.

  This was the final dose. If his neural load spiked again after using this, he would be completely paralyzed.

  Kane didn't hesitate.

  He jammed it into his thigh.

  As the cold fluid entered his system, the agonizing pain receded slightly. But he knew this was just drinking poison to quench a thirst.

  Kane’s gaze swept across the battlefield.

  Crag was fighting one-against-six, but the squad’s coordination was flawless. Crag’s stamina was draining rapidly. Meanwhile, Karl remained in the back, the exoskeleton's thermal scanner firmly locked onto Kane.

  That red scanner spun continuously—an eye that never blinked.

  Kane realized he had to take Karl out first. Otherwise, both he and Crag would die here.

  He activated [ Phase Burrow ].

  His body began to sink into the ground.

  But just as he was about to submerge completely—

  The thermal scanner on Karl's chest emitted a piercing alarm.

  "Found you."

  Karl raised his left arm.

  A high-temperature beam erupted from the arm-mounted device, slamming precisely into the spot where Kane was submerging.

  The ground was instantly incinerated.

  Kane was forced to eject from the earth, a charred hole burned into his hood.

  Karl mocked him:

  "I told you, in front of me, you’re just a rat trapped in a cage."

  He walked toward Kane with slow, deliberate steps.

  "Andrew paid a fortune to equip me with this thermal tracking system specifically to deal with vermin like you who think they can hide underground."

  On the other side, Crag’s shield finally reached its limit.

  It shattered with a deafening bang.

  The six elite members seized the opening to concentrate their fire. Crag was hit multiple times in the shoulder and thigh, his massive frame dropping to one knee.

  Only then did Karl slowly close the distance to Kane.

  Every step of the exoskeleton produced a heavy, metallic thud. He looked down at Kane with pure condescension.

  "Andrew said you killed 'Iron Fist' Buck and 'Chainsaw' Morris."

  Karl’s voice was thick with ridicule.

  "I thought you’d actually be formidable. Now I see it was nothing more than dumb luck."

  Kane didn't offer a rebuttal.

  Instead, he suddenly spoke:

  "Did Felix tell you I’d be at Exit 3?"

  Karl blinked, momentary confusion flickering across his face.

  Then he let out a cold sneer.

  "Felix? That black market rat?"

  He shook his head.

  "He’s a nobody. He isn't worthy of collaborating with Kunlun Corp."

  Kane narrowed his eyes.

  A thought flashed through his mind.

  Felix’s intel was real.

  But Felix hadn't lured him here to kill him.

  He was testing him.

  Karl, oblivious to Kane’s internal deductions, continued:

  "It was Andrew’s own intelligence network that locked onto your movements."

  He paused.

  "A small-time player like Felix isn't even a blip on our radar."

  Kane suddenly laughed.

  It was a cold, sharp sound.

  "You talk too much."

  Karl’s expression darkened.

  "What did you say?"

  Kane pressed on.

  "Out of Andrew’s three aces, where do you rank?"

  He paused for effect.

  "Third?"

  Karl’s mechanical ocular implant flared with a sinister red light.

  His voice turned low and menacing.

  "You’re begging for death."

  The corner of Kane’s mouth twitched upward.

  "I just find it strange."

  He stared directly into Karl’s optics.

  "If you’re really that strong, why didn't you strike from the very beginning?"

  Kane paused again.

  "Is it because... you’re afraid of my gun, too?"

  Enraged, Karl engaged the exoskeleton’s thrusters at full power.

  He launched himself at Kane like a cannonball.

  An alloy blade snapped out from his right forearm, its tip glinting with a lethal chill.

  Kane didn't dodge.

  Instead, he leveled The Cyclone at Karl’s chest.

  He pulled the trigger.

  Bang—!

  But Karl was ready.

  The exoskeleton’s energy shield deployed instantly. The bullet struck the barrier, causing nothing more than a ripple across its surface.

  Karl grinned savagely, swinging the blade.

  He aimed a decapitating strike at Kane’s throat.

  Kane’s pupils constricted.

  At the exact microsecond before the blade bit into his neck—

  He activated [ Aerial Step ].

  His body jerked into a sharp mid-air angle, narrowly evading the steel.

  But the neural load spiked again.

  The spasms in his right leg became violent.

  As Kane hit the ground, he lost his balance entirely and crashed heavily onto the floor.

  Karl spun around, charging again.

  This time, he gave Kane no room to react.

  The blade lunged straight for Kane’s heart.

  At that moment—

  Crag erupted from the flank.

  His massive frame slammed into Karl with the force of a falling mountain.

  Karl was sent tumbling, his exoskeleton grinding against the floor in a long trail of sparks.

  Crag dropped to one knee in front of Kane, his body covered in blood.

  "Kid..."

  Crag’s voice was faint and ragged.

  "Go... now..."

  Kane stared at Crag’s back.

  The stone giant's face was a map of deep fissures and weeping wounds.

  Karl pushed himself up from the ground.

  Several new dents marred the armor plates of his exoskeleton.

  He cracked his neck, the metal joints emitting a harsh, grating sound.

  "Interesting."

  Karl raised his right arm.

  The missile launcher locked onto Crag once more.

  "But this is where it ends."

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