ã€ŠThe Third Warsã€‹


 Death From Above

    "Justice and fairness are all created by humans, mother nature doesn''t care if a lion kills a deer."

    12:30 AM, somewhere in Afghanistan.

    A squad of eight soldiers is scouting an abandoned village with a clear mission: Secure the town, find and capture as many enemy troops as possible. Despite the oppressiveness of the mission, their scouting was more like a vacation with no signs of humans or any potential existential threat.

    "This place is god damn silent Sir." a soldier said.

    "Watch your mouth, private Beck." The sergeant who is leading the squad replied in a whisper.

    "Sorry Sir, it''s just that we have never gone scouting at late night like this. Why can''t we wait until the day?"

    "If this were just regular reconnaissance then we wouldn''t have to go during midnight. The commander told me that this place is where the enemy tests the new weapons, some of them are powerful enough to wipe out the entire platoon of 30 elite soldiers.

    That''s why we wait until the night when they are all going to sleep and dark enough for us not to be discovered."

    "Well, let''s hope that they are not sending us to die first then." Beck responded with a worried smile.

    "I hope not."

    The squad then continues to move on, searching for the house by house, building by building until they find something suspicious. It took them a while to realize that there was a strange building, a three-story structure that was unlike any other in the area.

    Every house, store, and even toilet in the area is identical to each other since either they are all destroyed by bombers or are full of bullet holes. But this building, not only appears to be brand new with no damage or holes but it is also fully closed. There was no reason to close all doors, even windows, when no one was inside and there was nothing to hide, especially in this no-man place.

    The sergeant was the first one to recognize, he gave a signal to others.

    "On my mark" He whispers.

    And then, using all of his leg force, he kicked the door violently, so strong that the door swung open instantly and exposed everything inside.

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    "GET DOWN!!!"

    He yelled right after the moment the door got kicked off, ordering anyone inside to surrender.

    ...

    But to their surprise, instead of a group of terrorists planning their sinister plans, they see nothing. The room is surrounded by darkness, with the cold and dusty air showing that it had been abandoned for more than a week.

    The sergeant split the squad into groups, five men go upstairs while he, Beck, and another soldier go check the ground floor. All of them are moving with high alerts, keeping in mind that someone might be waiting for them to come and ambush them.

    The group led by the sergeant searches every single room on the floor, pulling up every bed and opening every closet, and yet they can''t find a single bug. After five minutes, the sergeant confirmed that they didn''t find anything valuable on this floor, he decided to sit down on a chair in the living room and wait for others to finish their job.

    Finally, they hear the footsteps from the staircase, the last couple has completed their search and is on their way down. The sergeant approaches them.

    "Tell me what you found, kid." He asked.

    "Aside from the trash and dust, nothing important, Sir." The soldier responded with a disappointed voice.

    "But we did find this." He takes something out of his pocket and hands it to the sergeant.

    "Huh. This looks weird, Beck can you check this?"

    Beck takes a look at the device, and he instantly recognizes it.

    "I''ve seen this before Sir, it''s a radio transmitter, used to send rescue signals in emergency situations, this thing has been forgotten since smartphones were created."

    "Okay, so do you know who it''s communicating with?"

    "I don''t think it can Sir, this thing is a one-way transmitter, meaning that it can only send radio signals but not receive them."

    While others are still focusing on investigating the suspicious device, a man notices something weird, there''s a bright spark in the sky out of the window. A very, very bright spark, akin to a beacon. Knowing that something was wrong, he called the sergeant: "Sir, I think you need to see this."

    "What?" The sergeant answers the call of the soldier and comes near the window to have a look.

    "What the hell is that?" He continued to look in the light as it began to get bigger and brighter.

    The spark looks like it originated from a distant hill. Fifteen seconds ago, the spark was just dimly bright similar to a small star in a dark night shrouded by city lights, but now that star is big enough to be seen during the day.

    It takes only a second for the sergeant to understand the seriousness of the situation.

    "Oh shit! EVERYONE TAKE COVER!!!!" He screamed to everyone and started running by himself.

    The others are also shocked by what he said, it happens so fast that their bodies don''t have time to move.

    The room went from gloomy black to blindingly bright and white in an instant. The entire area was wiped out by an explosion and blazing in a giant fire.

    <hr>

    Author''s Note:

    In case you guys are expecting World War 3 right away, I have to disappoint you.

    World War 3 really begins in Volume 2 of this novel.

    But before that, we need a good backstory and a reason for this big of an event to happen, that''s what Volume 1 is for.

    By the way, in this world Nuclear Weapons don''t exist.

 A Discovery

    "BOOM! Explosion!

    The star has reached its final stage, it emits all the stuff inside in the form of a supernova and turns into a white dwarf. See guys, even an enormous object like a star that seems to exist forever will die at some point. When the core is full of iron and fusion reaction can no longer take place."

    As the teacher is giving the conclusion for his lecture about Star Cycle, the school bells ring, announcing that it''s time to go home.

    "OK guys, that''s the end of the class today, hope you enjoyed the lesson, next week we will learn about the formation of Black Holes caused by gravity acting upon a star so make sure to check it out. And remember to prepare for our field trip tomorrow."

    Finally, the class ended with exhaustion on every student''s face, it seemed that Physics was a little bit too difficult and boring for them. They walked out the door with a style as if they were being freed from slavery after the American Civil War, the difference is that they are mostly white kids.

    The entire class now only hopes they can get home as soon as possible, to probably take a nap or play Fortnite.

    However, there is a kid, who''s not excited to go home but to show someone what he is holding in his hands.

    "Mister Neil!! Mister Neil! I did the calculations, and my hypothesis was correct!!"

    The teenager gives the paper that he''s holding to Mr.Neil, his teacher.

    "There is some mass that has been lost in the atomic structure, the protons and electrons mass add up does not match with the mass of the whole atom. Meaning that the missing mass must have gone somewhere, it could be a new particle!!"

    The boy screamed in happiness, he couldn''t hold his excitement to his discovery.

    "Hmm. Interesting, I didn''t think that you could go this far, tell me when you found the answer to your hypothesis."

    Neil handed the paper back to his student.

    "By the way, how has your dad been lately?" He asked.

    The student thinks for a while."He hasn''t talked to me for a few weeks so I was worried about him. But yesterday, he called me and said that he will be home this weekend."

    "That man finally finished his military service, the time I worked with him he was a really serious man, always focused on missions and goals over pleasure and joy, unlike other soldiers."

    "Yeah I know right, sometimes he''s scaringly strict at home, so much that I even don''t want to make eye contact with him. Anyway, I think I should go home now. Bye, Mister Neil! And I told you I was right!".

    "Bye, Chad! Remember to do the homework!"

    Right when Chad hears the word "Homework", he immediately runs out of the class and covers his ears like he heard nothing. Neil stands in the room and smiles as he already knows how Chad will react to his reminder.

    The room is now empty, he should be going home now, but instead, he just stands there thinking, recalling his memories during his military service with Chad''s father. The sound of gunfire, explosions, and the voices of the enemies are terrifying, yet nostalgic. After enough of reminiscing, he packed his stuff and started to go home.

    <hr>

    Walking on the streets of New York City, he has an overview of the city''s magnificent light shining on the night sky. He has nothing to say about this as it is what he has seen from day to day.

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    Although his house is only a few blocks from the school, he decided to visit another location before returning home. After all, he still has plenty of time to go to his favorite bar and have a drink with his friend.

    "§±§â§Ú§Ó§Ö§ä §Õ§Ö§ä§Ü§Ñ (Hey babe), where are you going? Wanna have some fun?". The voice of a Russian man passes through his ear.

    A strange man tries to hook up with a beautiful girl that walks past him. She''s so hot that she got the man''s attention. Neil tried to ignore them by walking through, however, the more the girl refused, the more he tried to flirt with her.

    So much so that Neil can no longer hold his anger. But what''s strange is why is there a Soviet citizen right in the middle of New York?

    Since the 1990s, the Soviet Union has been negotiating with the Alliances to sign a treaty allowing their citizens to freely transit between the two factions. They claimed that this was one of the first steps toward establishing a new world order, with two superpowers shaking hands in the hopes of making the world a better place.

    This treaty is a way to end the Cold War once and for all, as they have been tired of spying and fighting each other for more than 50 years.

    They expected the public to accept their decision, but the majority of the population did not. Rather than seeing it as an opportunity for peace, the people of the Alliances saw the Soviet immigrants as intruders, always intrigued to seize their homeland.

    This is why there are sometimes fights between people on both sides, as they insult each other just to express their hatred for the other, but this could be an issue, as the death of one man could spark an entire war. So the government has decided to adjust their legislation from a year in prison for killing a Soviet to life in prison for injuring a citizen of the USSR and vice versa.

    While this sounds really good to the Soviet immigrants, for people that come from anti-Soviet families like Neil, it makes him pretty uncomfortable. While the Russian guy was forcing the girl to go with him, a man approached them.

    "Hey! Get the f*ck out of here!!" Neil yelled.

    The Russian guy was surprised to see Neil, a stranger trying to get in his way.

    "What''s the matter, dude?"

    "Just want to have some fun with this lady." The man replied with his Russian accent.

    "I said, leave her alone!!" Neil used all the strength of his vocal cords to give that bastard a final warning.

    "CYKA BLYAT! I will beat the hell out of...". Before finishing the line he puts his hand in his pocket like he is about to get something, but right before he does it, the woman grabs his jacket.

    He turns back and looks at her face, she shakes her head and gives him a signal of something, and he immediately stops.

    "Fine! I don''t want to get into any trouble anyway!" He turned around and walked away, putting both his hands back in his pockets and whispering some curse words to Neil.

    "Are you all right?" Neil approaches the woman and inquires. He was waiting for a response, but she didn''t seem to be opening her mouth any time soon.

    "Where do you live?" He continued to ask.

    "I don''t live in this city," she said.

    Wait, What? Neil assumed he couldn''t hear well and asked again, but received the same answer: "I said I don''t live in this city!".

    He could no longer keep the confusion on his face. What the hell? If you don''t live in this city then where do you live?

    It would be normal if she said, "I don''t live here." implying that she doesn''t live in this part of New York, so she could be living in New Jersey or somewhere else. That''s what he thought when he first heard her reply, but after asking twice and not receiving any proper address, he decided to shut up and remain silent in confusion.

    Aside from that, he also feels awkward because asking a strange woman where she lives makes him sound like a pervert, and if she doesn''t want to talk about it, he won''t ask again.

    Seconds passed and the silence continued, he thought she would walk away like any kind of woman after he interfered in her affairs. But she continued to be with him, which made him think that:

    "This girl is still here; why isn''t she leaving?'' Why is she still standing there? Could it be that she likes me? Or is she really doesn''t have anywhere to go? What the hell am I thinking?!"

    His thoughts started to make him shy, his face turned red and his eyes averted to avoid making eye contact with her. So much so that this started to look like a typical romance novel. However, he must find a way to break the silence. a way to solve this awkward situation that he got himself in. Finally, he came up with a solution.

    "I''m going to a bar to have some drink; want to come and talk for a while?" That was the only thing he could think of.

    He could simply walk away as if nothing had happened, but doing so would be even more embarrassing, so he decided to invite her to the bar he was on his way to.

    He could talk until she got bored and then go home on herself, but it''s also because he''s interested in this woman.

    His heart is racing faster than usual as he waits for a response, possibly a rejection.

    Surprisingly, she nodded her head and accepted his invitation; he knew what to do next and began walking as she followed; they were on their way to a nearby bar.

 An Advice

    Neil''s face is filled with worry as they walk to the location.

    ''What have I done?'' Why wouldn''t I just run away, what have I gotten myself into? I don''t know how to talk to women; the only women I''ve ever met before are my mother and my students. I can''t talk to her the same way I talk to them.''

    As his thoughts continue, he notices her looking down at her foot while walking, but when she realizes he''s staring at her, she looks up and he looks away. He then tries to ease the awkward situation by asking her a few questions about herself, but she doesn''t say a word, not even her name.

    The silence lasts until they arrive at Neil''s favorite pub, the "Safe" Bar. The name sounds ridiculous, but this place that Neil''s familiar with is very secure, no fight has ever taken place and no one could rob the bar.

    The reason for this is that this bar does not welcome Russians or anyone from the Soviet Union, and the owner is allowed to keep weapons and guns for self-defense so that no "outsiders" would dare to visit. Military officers and anti-Soviet people like Neil enjoyed it, it made them feel relaxed and comfortable after a long time fighting on the battlefield.

    Neil decided to be a gentleman and opened the door for her, however, she showed no acceptance of his kindness, she immediately stopped the moment he opened the door and waited for her to go first. It took him a while to realize what was going on; this woman was demanding gender equality, showing that she didn''t want to be complimented just because she was a woman.

    He understood what he needed to do and decided to go first.

    "Like always Nick!"

    As they sat in the chair, Neil requested a usual drink from the Bartender.

    "Okay sir, then how about this lady?" Nick turned to ask the woman who came with Neil.

    She looked around for a while, and it seemed like this place wasn''t anything special compared to what Neil had said, so she ordered a Beer. Nick took the orders and began to move his hands.

    While she was talking to Nick, Neil stared at her with a feeling of frustration.

    ''What the hell?! She doesn''t say anything to me the whole way here, and now she''s chatting with Nick like they''re best friends, what does she even want?''

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    Neil took a drink to clear his mind and stopped thinking about the bothersome woman. He makes an "Ahhh" sound as he tastes the slurpiness of the alcohol. The woman turned to face him.

    "Hey!"

    "Huh?"

    "Why did you save me?" She asked.

    "Is there even a reason to do that?" Neil took another sip while talking.

    "That was none of your business, I could help myself out of it."

    "If you could do that then why do I have to help you in the first place? Besides, if I just ignore a poor woman like that in trouble then I wouldn''t be a gentleman."

    She returned to enjoy her beverage. Thinking about Neil''s words

    "So where were you going?"

    "Huh?" She wondered.

    "I mean, why would a woman go to a dark and narrow place like that? Especially at night?"

    "I have some business with my boss and you don''t need to know what."

    "Your boss works in that dark place? Creepy..."

    "So where do you live?" As he continues to ask that question the third time, the woman gets upset.

    "Haven''t I told you? I don''t live here!" She responded angrily, hoping it would be the last time she heard the question.

    "Okay okay don''t need to be mad! But if you''re having something to do with your boss, should you be here?"

    "Wait. You''re right; I have to leave now." She answered after checking her watch.

    But, before she walked out the door, she turned back to Neil: "You''re a good man, and I''ll give you some advice, get out of here before tomorrow, and... thanks for the drink." She quickly leaves after she has finished speaking, leaving Neil alone.

    "Is that even advice?" He wondered.

    "What a strange woman, am I right? Who is she by the way?" Nick thought Neil had been dumped so he turned to comfort him.

    "Just a weird lady I''ve met earlier, I would probably not want to meet her again."

    Finishing his conversation with Neil, Nick went on to serve other customers, and Neil was about to drink his drink while watching the news on TV when he noticed something.

    "It''s September already?"

    The news was talking about the preparations for the President''s visit to the 9/11 Memorial site tomorrow. Police are erecting fences and detecting bombs, and agents are securing the area to ensure that no criminals or suspects attend the event.

    Although 9/11 was a tragedy for many Americans, Neil feels normal about it because he has no relatives who were killed in the attack. Not only that, but he finds it inconvenient as the roads will become more crowded and narrow tomorrow, making it more difficult to travel.

    That''s all he cares about.

    After licking the last drop of wine, he realized that it was time for him to go home. He put the money and tip on the table and left. Nick, however, called him before he reached the door.

    "Hey, where are you going?" He said

    "What? I have already paid for the drink."

    "I know but you also have to pay for her too!"

    "WHAT?!? She didn''t pay?!!"

    "Yeah! And she ordered the most expensive drink here. Sorry man but that''s the business."

    "Aww, Man!!"

    Neil had no choice but to pay the bill; he didn''t want to flee like a coward, so he accepted to lose his money for something he didn''t order. Leaving the bar with tears in his wallet, he promised to never see that annoying woman again and would never get involved in any trouble he encounters on the street.

    He finally understands why she followed him, just like any slutty bitches make money out of poor rich guys.

 His Actions

    Walking on the stairs with exhaustion on every step, the person takes a deep breath and opens the door.

    "Oh home sweet dorm!"

    It was Chad, he was making a Pun to announce to his roommate that he had returned from school. His roommate is sitting on the bed, writing something in his diary; despite hearing Chad''s voice, he says nothing.

    "How was your injury today, Roy?"

    Roy, the roommate is getting a rest for a few days and is unable to attend school because he was injured in an accident on the school''s stairs.

    Nobody knows what actually happened, but Roy himself said that he had accidentally slipped and fallen down the stairs.

    The fall was so hard that it broke his arm and nearly broke his neck.

    "Nah, I don''t feel any better it''s still hard to move." He replied.

    "Don''t worry, you just got out of the hospital yesterday, and remember what the doctor said? No sports or working with your arm for a few weeks so don''t worry if you can''t move it now."

    "Yeah, you''re right... Hey!"

    "What?"

    "What do you plan to study at University?"

    "University?"

    "We''re in 12th grade now you know. I don''t have any clear plan yet so how about you?"

    Chad put his finger on his chin and looked outside the window while thinking about the answer.

    "I want to major in... Engineering."

    "Engineering? What branch?" Roy asked.

    "I don''t know yet, but I want to become an engineer who builds satellites, robots, medical devices, or even someone who can help and change the world.

    I know that it seems impossible for a mere teenager like me, but my mom used to say that if I believe in myself, I could do anything."

    "That sounds... very cheesy."

    "I know right?"

    "But don''t worry, no matter what you do, I will follow you to the end... What are you doing?"

    Without hearing the whole sentence, Chad walked directly toward the PC that was left in Sleep Mode. He opened Chrome and started to surf Facebook while reading Tweets.

    "Damn there are a lot of criminals with guns these days," He says in response to a BBC news article.

    The article talks about the number of guns and explosives that the police have found in the last week. They have captured many suspects and confiscated their weapons, what''s strange is the model and the design of those weapons wasn''t on any black market.

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    The authorities are unable to trace the sources or determine the reason why these types of things continue to be discovered.

    "Well, that''s really fucked up."

    Chad was startled, he almost fell off his chair when he heard someone''s voice behind him. It was Roy who was reading with him the entire time without noticing and scaring him.

    "Chill man, I''m not a ghost, although I will be someday."

    "You''re freaking me out, Roy! At least tell me if you''re behind!" Chad talking in a panicked voice.

    "Bro you''re so focused on reading that you even forgot about my existence, that means I shouldn''t bother you when you''re commenting right?"

    "Wait, speaking about comments, Let me see what do people said about my post."

    He is referring to a scientific report he uploaded to an online forum yesterday, which talks about his hypothesis and research in recent weeks about a new type of particle that exists in the nucleus of the atom and has no charge at all.

    Until now, scientists have only discovered protons and electrons, if his theory is correct, it shows that there is a third particle aside from these two, and will change not only the world but also how we perceive it.

    However, he was still researching and looking for evidence that would prove the hypothesis, so far he conducted some experiments with alpha particles even though his hands-on experience was only in the double-slit experiment, every else was studied theoretically.

    With the enthusiasm of a child, he eagerly waited for positive feedback.

    However, what he received was:

    - [Are you stupid? Hasn''t this theory been rejected by Einstein?]

    - [How many times do I have to say? The missing mass that physicists found wasn''t any new particle, it was claimed to be the energy of the Strong Force and Electromagnetic Force.]

    - [What are you? A professor with a Ph.D. or just some teenagers behind the screens?]

    etc.

    People are criticizing him, calling him stupid for not understanding Science and Quantum Physics the same way as they do.

    Too shocked before this, Chad was stunned and disappointed, he''s now doubting himself, wondering what he did wrong. He can not handle what he has read; as all his efforts, years of study, and research have gone to waste and his brainchild was called trash!

    Being criticized is one of the worst things that can happen, even for an adult. Roy was also appalled as his friend had been insulted, humiliated, and rejected, he felt terrible even though he was not the victim.

    "Don''t listen to them Chad! They don''t know who they''re talking to!" Roy put his hand on Chad''s shoulder and started to appease him.

    "But..."

    "Hear me out, you are one of the smartest kids at our school, probably the whole area! You have even found a clue to the answer to one of Physics''s greatest mysteries of the century! There''s nothing bad if you''re wrong, you just need to retry!"

    "Yeah, that''s right..."

    "Besides, these guys are just some Internet nerds, not real scientists, so why do you have to worry about them?"

    "You, you''re right! I shouldn''t be sad because I''ve failed once! I just need to keep moving forward!"

    His mood has returned to normal, as he speaks with confidence and courage.

    "That''s the spirit! Now let''s go to have dinner, on the way we can even ask Selena out."

    Hearing the name ''Selena'', Chad immediately responded with a nervous tone:

    "Selena?! No no no, I can''t ask her out! She would think that I like her or something."

    "But you really like her, do you?" Roy said it ironically.

    "No, I''m not... Why would I like her? I mean, she''s intelligent, pretty, and probably the best girl in the class, why would somebody like me have an interest in her?!"

    Chad has always been a smart kid; he has a sharp mind and always does things the correct way; he also has the ability to remain calm in stressful and difficult times. However, when it comes to love, specifically the girl he likes, Selena, his mind automatically turns into slime, making him unable to think reasonably and always in a state of panic.

    When Roy sees his best friend''s pathetic side, he can''t stop laughing. So much so that the gloomy atmosphere has become funny.

    "Okay okay, I understand, so shall we go now?"

    "Aw, man! Please don''t tease me anymore!"

    They got out of the room, shut the lights, closed the door, and left for dinner. However, Chad forgot to shut down the computer.

    As they leave with the computer still on, the number of likes on Chad''s post has gone up to one.

 The First Shot

    A new day has come, the sun is rising, the birds are chirping, and the street is fucking suffocating!

    Neil''s thoughts appear as he walks among the tens of thousands of people who have gathered at the 9/11 Memorial Site, The landscape is akin to a public park where there are a lot of trees and open-aired, in the middle, there are two square-shaped and fountain-like monuments. Today, he is going to take his students to the New York Museum for a visit, but since he doesn''t have a car so he asked the School''s Bus Driver to transport them.

    But first, he must get to the school, which he must do by walking the entire distance. On his way there, he saw a line separated by fences to clear the way for the president to go through.

    But that''s not what Neil has to worry about right now because he''s been late for ten minutes and the kids are surely upset and will go ahead of him.

    Meanwhile, the kids are already gathered at the school''s entrance, waiting for the teacher.

    "Look, Chad!" Roy is calling Chad.

    "WHAT?!"

    "Is she the one?"

    Roy is pointing at Selena, who is standing in the middle of a group of three girls. Next to her are Jenny and Sally, her best friends since she came here, they are talking about the things they will go to see at the museum, whether they''re going to see dinosaurs or not.

    "Haven''t I told you? She''s not my crush!" Chad angrily refused.

    "Huh? I didn''t say anything about crushes."

    It was at this moment that he knew... he fucked up. He had unintentionally confirmed his feelings without anyone saying, causing him to become shy and look away. However, he continues to stare at her anyway.

    Selena is wearing a white sweater with a blue mini skirt and black stockings on her legs, the sweater embracing tight revealing her curves. Her outfit and the gleaming brown hair made Chad think she was a descended angel. She appears to be quite seductive and gorgeous, and even other boys are drawn to her.

    That''s why when Selena is talking to Jenny and Sally, a group of three boys approaches them. When Chad realized this, he became enraged as those boys were the most terrible ones in the class.

    They are Brent, Saiko, and Ben. They''ve always been a bully at school, using violence and power to make people follow their rules. Especially Brent, who is big and strong, and no one dares to challenge him since it is similar to a death sentence.

    Well, except for one.

    "What are you talking about, girls?" Brent is speaking with the girls.

    "Oh, nothing." Jenny responds, "We just talked about science for a while."

    "Science? That sounds boring. Why don''t we find somewhere private when we get there to have some fun?"

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    Brent puts his arm around Selena''s shoulder, she says nothing but accepts it reluctantly. This makes Chad really really mad, he decides to come over and "have a conversation".

    Roy already knows that this will happen, although Chad is weak in love, he''s absolutely not a coward, he doesn''t even try to stop Chad from doing anything foolish.

    "Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Chad yells to Brent.

    "Oh well well look who is this, the nerd!"

    "Don''t touch her!"

    "Oh... Is she your girlfriend? Sorry, but can I borrow her for a while?" Brent pulls Selena closer to him, and she immediately frowns.

    Chad was extremely angry, he approached and pushed Brent away from Selena, Brent almost fell but he was able to back up and immediately rushed towards Chad and pushed Chad to the ground.

    "The fuck asshole?! Hold him up!" He told the other two to grab Chad and keep him in place.

    "You scumbags, let me go!"

    "You nerd! Haven''t I told you not to meddle with me?"

    Brent made a fist and punched Chad in the abdomen, causing him to spit painfully.

    "You freak!"

    He then continued to punch him in the stomach several times in a row until Selena ran over and stopped him by grabbing his sleeve and begging him to stop.

    "Please stop! You are hurting him!"

    Brent doesn''t care about her, he pushes her away and says "Get out you bitch!" and went back to punching Chad. However, Chad has pushed the other two away when Brent was distracted by Selena and gave him a hard punch in the face.

    "I told you not to touch her!"

    "Motherfuck..!"

    The fight was so intense that no one dared to breathe heavily and intervene, even Roy was afraid to jump in to stop his friend. They then rush towards each other, both making the fist hand and ready to fight to the death. But right before they are about to do it, someone stops them, a man who stands in the middle holds their hands, preventing them from injuring each other.

    "Have I told you not to fight in my class?"

    It''s Neil, and he''s arrived just in time to put an end to the menace.

    "Hah? Why should I have to forgive this jerk?" Brent decided not to obey Neil''s order and proceeded to punch Chad.

    However, Neil locked his hand and cracked his knuckles, making Brent resist in pain, and forcing him to stop. After a while, he let Brent go and gave a warning to both of them.

    "You are lucky this time!" Brent cursed Chad a few more times before he finally got on the bus.

    Neil turned to Chad: "So what happened?"

    "Brent was bothering Selena and I stopped him." With a scowl on his face, he replied.

    "Is that so?" He looked at Selena for confirmation. She nodded her head.

    "Okay I will talk about this later, but for now just get on the bus."

    They could finally begin the trip after a while of waiting for Neil, but before Chad stepped on the bus, Selena pulled his shirt.

    "Thanks..."

    "Ahhh... It''s nothing! That''s what anyone would do if they were in that situation! Anyway, see you later!!" He immediately ran to find a seat to avoid her, hiding his shy expression.

    However, when Chad and his class are enjoying the trip, something else is happening at the old World Trade Center site.

    The President of the United States has finally arrived; he will be the first to visit, then the people. The whole place is in silence as the president is praying and remembering the unfortunate victims of the tragedy.

    Others also pray with him, hoping that the souls of the unlucky ones could ascend to heaven.

    Suddenly, everyone heard a loud whoosh in the air, it sounded like someone was slashing through the air with a really long sword. They thought that it could just be wind, however, something happened at the president''s place.

    One of his bodyguards collapsed to the ground and didn''t seem to move.

    "Hey, are you all right?" The president asks the bodyguard what is wrong with him, he looks worried about the current situation.

    People are whispering to each other about what''s happening. A second later, the bodyguard is lying on the ground and the president calls his men for help.

    One man who was with him had medical experiences have came to take a look. When the medic holds the bodyguard in his hand, he notices something liquid coming out from the back of him.

    "This... is blood!" He continues to check his heartbeat and breath.

    Others are anxiously waiting for a conclusion, something has gone really wrong.

    "He''s... he''s dead!!"

 How It All Started

    "He''s dead, right?"

    "What makes you think it''s a he? It could be a female you know?"

    "Yeah, but he must be dead, right? Stuck inside that thing for like millions of years, how could the organs still function?"

    The debate between the girls went on intensely as they were discussing an ancient fossil of a fly that got trapped in tree sap. The fly looked dead so their assumption was reasonable.

    "Okay everyone, let''s focus here!" Neil, the host and also the guide of the trip summoned every student.

    There are roughly 15 students in the middle of the hall.

    "So, we have finished the Ancient Dinosaurs'' Area, we''ve seen a lot of giant animals from the Cretaceous Era, I told you about their fossils, the names of the dinos, how they were discovered along with some fun facts."

    While he was speaking, some students weren''t paying attention, they whispered to each other about the giant T-Rex''s Bone Fossil in the middle of the Hall. It looked so majestic that they couldn''t avert their eyes away from it.

    "I know that you don''t like me talking a lot, so we''re gonna have a break for about 10 minutes, in that time you can go wherever you want, see whatever you want but don''t touch anything! And after that, we will continue the visit. Understand?!"

    "Yes..." They responded with excitement despite their tone, they seemed to be tired of following him every single step.

    "Good, now I need to go pee-pee."

    Everyone now can do anything they want, some go to the toilet like Neil, and others go to observe artifacts and read fact posters, but most of them focus on the T-Rex Fossil. Before they were only able to see dinosaurs through movies and shows like Jurassic Park but never thought to be this massive.

    They were all overwhelmed with the greatness and magnificence of that skeleton. Some even attempted to climb in to get a closer look. Meanwhile, Brent got bored of the crowd and decided to go somewhere else.

    In general, the atmosphere at the museum is very bustling, but no one is aware of the chaos happening outside. At that place, people have finally understood that something terrible is coming. When the doctor told the president his assumption when he checked the bodyguard''s state.

    "No, you are joking, right? Is this a prank?" The president appears not to believe in what the doctor says regardless of what he has seen.

    The doctor was panting, and shaking, he was really panicked but trying his best to stay calm.

    "How can this be a joke? Can''t you see that he''s bleeding?!!"

    "Sir, we need to go now!" The bodyguard''s experiences told him that something had gone wrong, really wrong, as a result, he asked the president to leave with them to a safe location.

    "Wait a minute..."

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    He decided not to leave yet because of his doubt about a sound he heard a few seconds ago. But just as he finished his sentence, another ''whoosh'' emerged. The President turned back only to realize that the doctor gained a hole in his head, bleeding from the skull.

    "Oh no... There''s... There''s a sniper!!" He shouted to the people.

    Everyone began to panic as they realized they were in a very dangerous situation, and they started rushing for safety.

    The crowd turned into chaos in a matter of seconds, with people running in all directions. Some people even fell when they tried to run, but others didn''t care about them, they just kept running even if they had to step on these people.

    When everyone is running for their lives, the cops and bodyguards remain calm and do their job. The police were armed with firearms and had helicopter support to help locate the sniper, while the president''s bodyguards escorted him to a safe location, covering him with their bodies and loading him into the car.

    But even with the highest defense, they couldn''t protect the president from him, the man who started this. The sniper, who is hiding on the rooftop of a building, still aiming at the president and ready to take another shot. His body is covered with a camouflage barrier, a high-tech tool that creates a field that bends light and makes him invisible.

    So even with the assistance of a helicopter, the police are still unable to locate him.

    "Two." As he''s counting for the kills.

    The sniper keeps aiming his target, holds the sniper rifle tightly, and then pulls the trigger. The muzzle exploded a small blue spark, the bullet came out at 5 times the speed of sound, traveled in silence before hitting the target, and made another "whoosh".

    Another bodyguard has been shot, the ones left with the president are his driver and his secretary. Things have gone very bad since they cannot determine the location of the sniper and are unable to protect the president even though they have put their lives on the line.

    Luckily, the president got into the car before the sniper could take another shot. They can finally take him to safety.

    "That''s enough Kosho! We will take care from here."

    Kosho, the sniper, slowly puts the sniper rifle on his back and stands up. He looks up into the blue sky, takes a deep breath, and sighs.

    "The world is changing."

    The president''s escort car is driving away from the square, followed by police cars leading up to and behind the convoy to provide coverage. Things became even more difficult when they had to avoid civilian vehicles as well. But for now, they can finally sigh in relief...

    At least, that''s what they think.

    From behind them, running out from the intersection are multiple mini trucks that were loaded with armed men. A guy standing on one of the trucks, holding an RPG on his shoulder, aiming at the police cars, and pulling the trigger, an orange glow flashes from the muzzle before the rocket launches and creates shockwaves that shake the ground.

    The rocket exploded below a police car, shooting it into the air, spinning, falling, and crashing with another police car.

    Some officers attempted to retaliate by leaning against the car windows and using their pistols. But it was no use; the chasers'' rifles were so powerful that some officers were shot before they could even fire back.

    The reason why their weapon is so dangerous is that it doesn''t make a loud noise, but silently hits your body and kills you. One by one, the defense around the president''s car got weaker as every single man who try to protect him got killed brutally.

    They even tried to cut their tails by turning left and right many times, but to the terrorists, it was like a cat chasing a hopeless mouse. They fought back in vain as every police car got blown up and turned upside down until the president''s car was the only one left.

    The president''s driver is starting to anxious, he was wondering why there is no air support at all, shouldn''t armed helicopters have arrived by now? But it was just a thought that came to his mind, now he needed to refocus on getting the president to a safe place first. He looks at the things in front of him to see what he can do to help themself out of this hopeless circumstance. But it seems impossible to survive...

    "I have an idea!"

    He''s pointing to an under-construction building, specifically to the scaffolding. The president and the secretary in the back row have no idea what he''s talking about, but they know that he has come up with a plan.

 A Trapped Escape

    In the midst of a high-speed chase in which the president''s life is on the line, the driver shows his professionalism by staying focused and thinking of a plan as soon as he sees something. He slows down the car just a little to give the chasers a chance to get near, then accelerates straight towards the scaffolding. The vehicle runs straight through the scaffolding structure, destroying it and causing the entire structure to collapse behind them.

    The debris of the scaffolding has completely blocked the street, making a large barrier that the chasers are unable to pass.

    The president is so stunned by his brilliant plan that he has to give applause: "So that was your idea, great job!"

    "Nothing Sir, it''s my duty, we''re lucky that that thing is there."

    The secretary breathes a sigh of relief, the president smiles, and the driver keeps rolling the steering wheel. They have completely defeated them, however...

    "Report, report, we lost them, they are heading East, send in the Gorbath."

    "Copy!"

    The driver is making a call to the military, requesting an armed helicopter to rescue them. When the nation''s fate is in their hands, they must act quickly. The military commander told the driver that he could send a team to save them, but they had to assemble somewhere with no high buildings.

    "How about the Central Park?" The secretary offers a suggestion.

    "The Central Park? Isn''t that place like a forest?"

    "Not the whole Park. I have been there before and there''s a flat area with no trees or obstacles, The Sheep Meadow, wide enough to hold ten choppers. I can show you the way."

    "OK... you hear that?" He asks the commander.

    "Got it, Sir! We are on our way." He responds.

    The driver puts the phone away and then focuses on listening to the secretary''s instructions, constantly turning left and right, speeding and drifting like an F1. During the run, the driver was wondering why they hadn''t seen any chasers for a while after they escaped, maybe they had given up or they had failed, or...

    "Turn right onto West 67th Street and continue straight; we''ll be there soon."

    "Got it. Get out of the way people!!"

    He yells to anyone he''s about to hit, and they all panic and flee as if their lives were in danger because of his "professional" driving skills. He got so fast that some people were just a second away from becoming his victim. After a while, they heard the sound of the blades, an armed Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk had arrived and was hovering above the Sheep Meadow. As its name suggests, The Sheep Meadow was previously used to herd sheep in the 1800s.

    A 61,000-square-meter field, free of trees and obstructions, is often used as a gathering place for the public, but it will now be used as a helipad.

    "Look! That''s our flight!"

    The driver points to the hovering chopper, telling the other two that they are about to be rescued and they only need to get through the crossing to be safe. But I wish life was that easy, from the left of the intersection a truck with an armed front CRASHED their car with all force. The car gets thrown away by inertia, spinning multiple times before landing upside down.

    ...

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    The president was unconscious for a moment, he woke up with dizziness and severe headache. After he regained consciousness, he discovered that the driver had stopped breathing and also had a piece of glass lodged in his forehead.

    He was dead.

    "Run..."

    From his side, a weak, fading voice spoke up, it was the secretary and blood was all over her body, she seemed unable to move and open her eyes.

    "Run..." She whispers weakly.

    "No no! You can''t die now, we are almost there!" He said with a hoarse voice.

    They heard footsteps nearby, getting closer and closer to them, their instinct told them that danger was coming and they needed to flee now.

    "Don''t worry, our men will take care of those bastards."

    The hovering UH-60 Black Hawk carries out its machine guns and rockets, aimed toward the enemy and ready to fire. The man who came out from the truck and was walking to the president''s car turned to the Black Hawk, he raised his arm up to do something.

    The Black Hawk pilots are unconcerned about him because he has just made himself an enemy of the United States. They opened fire and the machine gun started spinning, each rotation they fired dozens of bullets traveling faster than the speed of sound, and were capable of instantaneously killing a normal person with only one bullet.

    The machine gun makes such a loud noise that everyone in the area panics and flees for safety. No one could hide from their demise with such a strong armory...

    "WHAT?!!"

    To their surprise, the machine guns, however, do no damage to the man. A curved hexagonal magnetic shield deflect all the bullets in other directions, originating from a metallic hand band on his forearm, the shield protected him from the firepower coming from the UH-60.

    When they learned that machine guns are useless, they decided to switch to rockets. But before they can do so, the man quickly draws an RPG from his back and fires it at the Black Hawk, blowing the entire vehicle up.

    The pilots are panicking as their vehicle has lost control and flying everywhere, they have no idea what happened because they were just distracted for a single second.

    "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!"

    But no matter what they do, it''s useless when the Uh-60 keeps spinning and finally crashes into the ground and explodes, burning in a fire. The man deactivated the shield and proceeded to confront the president''s SUV. Inside the automobile, the president is so astonished by what he has witnessed that he has no choice but to run with the secretary.

    "Oh no, come on we have to run, let me help you."

    "Take...this..." She pulls a handgun from the drawer and hands it to him. "Now go..."

    "No no I can''t leave you here, we have to run."

    "I won''t make it, please just leave me here..."

    "No, I''m not going to do that I''ll..."

    "GOOO!!! Please...just...go...!" She takes her arm to cover her eyes, trying to hide her tears and emotions.

    The President didn''t want to follow, but due to the sincerity of the secretary, he had to grit his teeth and obey. He unbuckles his seat belt and falls to the car''s ceiling under gravity, crawling out through the broken window. It was hard to stand up and walk normally when he was injured, but he managed to take the first steps and started running.

    The president of the United States, a man with all powers, who has the most powerful military arsenal, the strongest and largest army in the world to protect him, is now running for his life. He feels helpless to be unable to do anything and watch every single person important to him die. He wanted to cry but he couldn''t, he couldn''t let his people see the pathetic face of the most powerful man in the world.

    The man had arrived at the car wreck, he heard nothing, no voice, no sounds, there were some small fires on the car bottom but they were not an issue, he kneeled down to look inside the car through the window and saw...

    "Eat this!"

    The secretary is holding an unlatched grenade in her hand, in a matter of seconds he is startled and immediately turns on the shield to cover himself, but the grenade detonates right before he does it and explodes the car! The secretary sacrificed herself to give the president more time to run. The man was blown away and collided with a car on the same street; the shield activated just in time to protect his body, but not quickly enough to cover his face.

    Stands up with a burned and deformed face, he''s enraged. After being pushed off by the blast from the explosion, the president collapsed and dropped his handgun. He becomes so weak that he can''t stand up straight, yet he keeps moving, crawling toward the handgun.

    A foot stepped on his hand as he was about to touch it, crushing it cruelly. With a low voice, he screamed.

    He raised his eyes to see the man with the burned face staring at him furiously, and he moved his other hand to grasp the pistol but was stopped by the man''s other leg. He continued to move, but was brutally kicked in the face and passed out.

    The man cooled down by spitting at the president and began pulling him away. Another man stepped out of an armed truck with the Eagle Symbol and came to see what had happened, he confirmed that the president was completely unconscious before turning on the radio.

    "Report! We got him."

 Hostages

    At the Natural History Museum, where Chad and his class are visiting, the people were curious when they heard a big boom from afar, so they all went outside to take a look, and what they saw was horrifying. There are fires in Central Park, with smoke rising high into the sky; a few moments later, they heard another explosion, but this one was a little smaller, like a tiny little bomb.

    The people are both intrigued and terrified, they are concerned about their own safety. They may, however, breathe a sigh of relief when they see police cars and firefighters approaching the site.

    "Nah it''s nothing important, maybe some idiots forgot to put down their lighter." Chad reassured Roy.

    Upon hearing this, Roy becomes less concerned about the problem because it could be an accident that the firefighters will be able to fix.

    With nothing else to see, they decide to return inside while others remain outside chattering about the fire. Selena approached Chad when she saw him walking back into the hall, to inquire about the outside incident. "Hey, do you know what''s going on out there?".

    He''s anxious because she''s never approached him this close before, she''s gazing at him in the eyes like a puppy and waiting for a response. So he replies nervously: "Ah nothing just a forest fire! But don''t worry though, firefighters are coming and I''m sure they gonna..."

    Chad is discontinued when he hears loud footsteps coming from outside, everyone''s attention is drawn to the main gate, where they see others fleeing in panic as if they are being followed by something sinister. Behind them is a group of four people holding AKs with their bodies covered by armor, they are making their way up the stairwell and all of them are wearing masks and one of them has a metal armband in their hand.

    "Alright listen up people." The man in the center of the group, holding a pistol, shouts to anyone in the main hall.

    But no one pays attention to him; instead, they continue to flee in all directions. Frustrated by the people''s attitude, the man pointed his pistol at the ceiling, firing a warning shot.

    BANG!

    The shrilling sound from the gunfire catches everyone''s attention, they all crouch in fear and cover their ears.

    "OK let''s get into business, from now on this place will be under our surveillance and all of you are hostages.

    You may not speak, run, or phone anyone without my permission until we receive new orders." From what he said, he will be in charge of monitoring this museum, which means he will be their "boss" until there are orders from their superiors.

    Being confused, a random dude in the corner of the hall stands up and asks: "Sir what do you mean we are hostages-"

    BANG!!

    Before he could finish the question, he was shot in the chest by the "Boss" with the pistol, who replied, "I said no talking."

    He turns to the terrified people bowing before him and looks them in the eyes. "That''s your reward if you don''t follow our rules, now anyone got any questions?"

    No one dared to respond because they were all afraid of sharing the same fate as the unlucky dude in the corner. After a few seconds with no reply, he fires another shot at the ceiling.

    "GOT IT?!"

    They are terrified to the point of screaming, and without saying anything, they all nod their heads.

    "Good"

    The terrorist gathers everybody in the middle of the hall and lets them sit down with their hands in front of them, no one dares to put their hands inside their pocket for fear of being suspected and murdered. The terrorists then separated into two groups, with two remaining to guard the hostages and the other two searching the museum for other people.

    Roy, Chad, Selena, and their classmates are no different from others, terrified and worried about their own lives. But they''re all wondering, where is Mister Neil? In their group, he is the only one who is missing.

    Meanwhile, it took Neil a while to find the restroom because it had been relocated since the last time he was there. When he arrived, he noticed a chubby black man who appeared to be waiting for someone.

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    "Hey, do you mind?"

    He asks the man to stay out so he can open the restroom door.

    "Oh, you are going in? Sure no problem!"

    Neil walks inside the restroom and the black guy also follows him, he is wondering why there is no one inside and the black man continues to wait outside till he arrives. Despite the man''s unusual actions, Neil chose to ignore him. He takes one of the urinals and opens the zipper; unexpectedly, the black man uses the one next to him, despite its distance from the door. He seemed nervous and anxious and started talking to Neil.

    "Do you know that the majority of toilet accidents occur when the victims are alone? Will it be safer if you bring someone with you, even if they are not your friends?"

    "I''m not saying that restrooms are unsafe, but in most horror movies, the lonely character always dies first, know what I''m saying? What I''m trying to say is..."

    Neil understood what was going on; this man was scared of going to the toilet alone, so he waited outside until Neil arrived, which was his chance. Neil feels disturbed by the black man''s unstoppable mouth so he decides to use the toilet instead.

    After he closes the toilet door, the black guy is still talking, as if he''s trying to distract himself from the fact that he''s annoying, whether is because of his behavior or his skin. To him, it was emotional damage. Neil unzipped the zipper and started peeing. The water came out as Niagara Falls with each second shooting farther, it shows how satisfying it feels to be released.

    Neil had been holding it since this morning, he woke up late since he went out with the mysterious woman last night and he had no time to take a bath so he was simply brushing his teeth, ate a loaf of bread for breakfast, and left. After the long-standing repression was finally released comfortably, he pulled the zipper up and opened the toilet door to get out.

    "Hey, man! I don''t wanna get into trouble."

    But, before he touches the locker, he hears the black man''s panicked voice and appears to be speaking to someone.

    "GET OUT! NOW!"

    The accent sounds to be somewhat familiar as if Neil has heard it before. Before doing anything, he chose to stay inside and listen.

    "Okay okay, I''m going out, I don''t wanna mess with that thing."

    Neil is bewildered; what is this "thing" he''s talking about?

    "Woah Woah don''t pull the trigger please." The black guy continues to beg.

    "Trigger? What exactly do you mean?"

    Neil speculates that it could be a gun or something similar because it has a trigger, but who the hell would bring a gun to such a peaceful place?

    Suddenly the toilet lid falls with a loud sound, startling Neil and putting the guy with the gun on high alert.

    "Who''s there?!!"

    The mysterious man with the rifle turns his attention to the toilets, quietly pushing the doors open, checking each room one by one, and slowly getting to Neil''s room at the end. When the black man realized Neil was in one of those rooms, he felt anxious as well, but he couldn''t do anything about it.

    Neil became agitated as the footsteps became louder, he looked in every direction for a way out. The man arrived at Neil''s cabin, he pointed the AK at the door and slowly approached it, but just as he was about to knock, the door burst open and slammed into his head, being stunned by the hit, he backed away.

    Neil immediately leaps onto the man and drags him down; he uses his knuckle to repeatedly hit the man in the face, attempting to put him to sleep; and last, he takes the rifle from the man and uses the heel to knock him out. Neil used his bare hands and a door to disable an armed person in a matter of seconds.

    "Damn, that was freaking awesome man? Where did you learn to do that?" The black guy was stunned by Neil''s awesome performance.

    Neil stood up and brushed away all the stains off his clothes.: "Who is this guy?" He asks.

    The black guy stares at him in confusion: "How should I know? I''m thinking the same thing!"

    Neil had an indescribable feeling of insecurity but he didn''t know what it was: "What is going on?"

    He examined the body of the masked gunman, he didn''t look like anyone who lives in the US and appeared to be quite young. Without hesitation, he snatched the man''s AK and the handgun, leaving the poor black man with nothing. Then he dashed out of the restroom in search of police.

    "Hey, hey, where are you going? Don''t leave me like that, man!" Fearing being alone again, the black guy decided to follow Neil just to be safe.

    As they jog down the hall, they see nothing but the terrifying silence of the floor. Neil has a daunting and uneasy feeling of something really dangerous with every step he takes, even though he''s carrying a weapon as if his instincts and experiences are warning him.

    When they were about to reach the main lobby, Neil abruptly came to a halt and moved slowly and quietly toward the corner to observe. He looked around the main hall that had T-Rex skeletons in the middle and noticed that people were sitting on their knees with their hands raised.

    There are three men with guns and masks on their faces, similar to the guy he just fought. A man is sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, he has a very relaxed and comfortable demeanor. Even though Neil didn''t know who these people were, he was pretty sure that that guy was the leader.

    "Hey! Take that girl here! She looks good." Other twos are being asked to carry Selena up to the man in the chair.

    He appears to be interested in her and wants to have a "taste." While everyone sat in terror, Chad stood up to protest right away. "What are you doing? Don''t you say that we just need to remain silent and do nothing-" He got punched very hard in the face and the abs and instantly collapsed and writhed in anguish.

    Selena can''t stand seeing her friend suffering, she begs the man to forgive him and in return, she will do anything he wants. Not only does he show no mercy, but also laughs in a cruel and sadistic manner.

    "Heh? So he''s your boyfriend? It seems like we are going to have some fun."

    As Neil watched his students being abused and injured, he became furious and raged, but then he calmed down by taking deep breaths. He closed his eyes for a moment, pondering something in his head, before reopening them with determination.

 Try Not To Be A Hero

    As Neil closed his eyes to focus on his thoughts and block out any distractions, the black guy who had witnessed the terror was so terrified to speak that he could only ask Neil for help with a sweaty face.

    Despite the black guy''s urgent call, Neil remains completely concentrated on his brainstorming. In his mind, he''s considering every possibility, from one that could kill everyone to one that would only require one person''s sacrifice. However, he cannot avoid casualties and the chance of losing his life in any scenario. The moment Neil reopened his eyes, they were bright and sharp.

    The black guy saw in Neil''s eyes determination and bravery to do anything to save his students and innocent people, but he knows whatever Neil tries to do, it won''t be good. Neil looks at the surroundings and spots a balcony above.

    "Woah Woah what are you think you''re doing?" The black guy inquired when he saw Neil smile sinisterly.

    Neil dragged him back into the corridor and handed him the AK rifle he was carrying.

    "Listen, this is our plan: I will try to distract them and you go up there and aim at one of those guys, then wait for my signal, OK?"

    "No, no man, that''s too dangerous! You see how many of them are there, I don''t want to die, man! And I don''t want to kill anyone!"

    Neil clicked his tongue: "Do you want to change places with me?"

    "But..."

    Then he takes a deep breath and, with both hands and sympathetic eyes, strokes the black man''s shoulders: "What''s your name?"

    "Mike, Mike Dameron."

    "Ok, listen up Mike! These guys are holding other people as hostages, innocent and good people. Besides, they are terrorists, they won''t care whether we live or not, and if we don''t do anything, many people will die you understand? It''s them or us!"

    Mike is frowning and hesitatingly looking at Neil, he still can''t work against his conscience, so Neil draws closer.

    "I know you have to make hard decisions, Mike. But sometimes, with the right choices, you can save more people than the ones you''ve killed!"

    Finally, Mike agreed with a shake of his head and began running upstairs while still thinking it was a bad idea. Apart from the pistol that Neil seized from the man in the restroom, he is left unarmed. But even if he did, he can''t just bring it out and confront them; it would be suicide, and they could even kill hostages to get him to give up.

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    As a result, he decided to hide the pistol in his pocket until he had the chance to use it. Neil leaned against the wall, inhaled deeply, and made a slow, deliberate step outside, both hands raised up: "Hello?"

    In the room, he saw the hostages sitting on the ground with their hands in the air, Selena on the leader''s lap with his hand on her thigh, and Chad still clutching his writhing stomach. All of the attention is turned to him, and the two guards with the AKs aim at him with safe mode off. He has to say something without offending them or he will meet his grandparents 50 years sooner.

    "Sorry, I was actually finding the toilet but I think I was lost."

    "You. Come here."

    "Ok..." Neil hesitantly answers.

    "Do you know who we are?"

    Neil gave everyone a quick glance before turning around to respond to him.

    "I don''t know who you are, and why you are here but it''s not cool to capture people as hostages and bully a girl."

    "Oh her? No, we were not bullying her, we are just having fun, it''s all her own will."

    However, Neil saw in Selena''s eyes a plea for help and sadness, showing that everything is of her ''own will''.

    "Well, her face doesn''t seem like that."

    The leader is wondering who this weirdo is and seems not to be afraid of anything and even goes up to ask him as if they were acquaintances.

    "Who are you?"

    "Neil. Neil Phildom."

    "Neil, huh?"

    He gets out of his chair and pushes Selena aside, then gently approaches Neil, who is still unsure what he''s going to do. The leader put his left hand on Neil''s shoulder and looked at him lovingly before punching his abdomen with his right fist.

    Neil immediately fell to his knees and writhed, the pain making him queasy, and it was becoming worse by the second.

    "Neil, the first rule in this place is not to talk to me when you are not allowed."

    Then the leader walks behind Neil and uses his right leg to kick his back, forcing him to lie on the ground. People are horrified, and some of them cover their faces to avoid watching the torture happening in front of them; they can only bow their heads in dread and do nothing.

    "Second, you can not stand up or run nor walk without my permission."

    The leader grabs Neil''s collar and drags him all the way to the front so that everyone can see him, then kicks the backs of his knees, causing him to kneel.

    "And finally, do not resist my orders."

    He signals his guards to bring Chad here by shaking his head in Chad''s direction. Chad was set to kneel next to Neil, and for the first time, both teacher and student all thought the same thing in "class time", anxiety and the fear of death.

    "Mr...Neil...I''m...Sorry..." Chad says with a hoarse voice, indicating that he hasn''t fully recovered from his injury.

    "Don''t! It''s not your fault." In this hopeless circumstance, Neil tries to placate Chad, and those words surely reassure him.

    They both put their hands on their naps and kneel still, showing that they won''t do anything foolish.

    "Can I execute them?" One of his guards asked.

    Even though the guard knows what he has to do next but still waits for the leader''s permission.

    "You? With the gun? No way that''s too inhumane!"

    Neil was perplexed by the leader''s words; he thought he would be shot in the head and die right away without suffering, but instead, the leader brought something even more brutal and somewhat "benevolent". Neil has the feeling of being a fish on the cutting board waiting to be slaughtered.

 The Execution

    The soldier''s eyes widened in bewilderment as he digested what the leader had just said. Is it even humane to shoot someone in the head? And why is it that he has to consider humane in the first place? The leader then pulls a tool from his pocket that is quite common to all of us, but nonetheless very lethal if not used carefully; the shininess of it makes everybody instantly recognize it.

    "Let''s use knives, use less ammo."

    He''s holding a 20-inch-long silver knife with wide and incredibly sharp edges as if created by a professional blacksmith. It''s composed of 90% silver, clean and sterile, at least for the moment.

    So that''s what he''s suggesting, it''s true that wasting bullets is awful, especially when these fellows can''t even fight back, but using a knife designed to kill is much better, and they should try to save ammo for just the most necessary situations. What a frugal man, everyone should learn from him.

    The leader points the knife at Neil and Chad who are still putting their hands in the nape, only Neil is raising his hands up and making high-fives while turning to face the hostages.

    "These two guys will be an example, a model for you to follow to know what will happen if you don''t obey the rules. And you will always, always, have to keep that in mind, you hear me? Let''s thank these guys, and be grateful for their sacrifice to teach us a valuable lesson."

    The leader gets up, his hands pushing the thigh, and lifts the long knife in the air, aiming at Neil''s neck and ready to slash it off with both hands. This is it, this is the end for them, to anyone who''s witnessing, and to the story of Neil Phildom. The leader began counting from five, giving Neil some time to prepare for his death.

    "Five..."

    "Four..."

    The leader takes one last look at Neil, who appears to be closing his eyes and inhaling deeply as if he has finally accepted his fate and is ready to receive the penalty. He smiles a little.

    "Three..."

    "Two..."

    "One-"

    Neil clenched his fist in the surprise of the leader, seemingly out of nowhere, a bullet went straight through in front of his eyes, it hit the knife and pushed it away. It was Mike who had been hiding behind the balcony the whole time, following Neil''s order he aimed at one of the three terrorists, his target was the leader since he was the most dangerous, but due to his lack of experience, he missed. When he realized that, he quickly turned around and hid:

    "Oh shit!".

    Although Mike failed it, it created an opportunity for Neil. When the terrorists were focused on firing their guns at the place where the bullet appeared, Neil used his fist, turns 90 degrees to the left, and punched the leader in the stomach, he bowed his head and spat all over.

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    He then twisted like a professional ballerina to stand up while pulling out the pistol he had hidden in his pocket earlier and aimed it at one of the terrorists. The terrorists who were finally undistracted returned to Neil, but he had already fired five shots at one of them.

    The terrorist who was shot collapsed and dropped the AK with blood all over him, the other terrorist who wasn''t Neil''s target got time to refocus and aimed the rifle at Neil, but Neil used the leader''s body as a shield by grabbing his collar to protect his own.

    When the leader saw the bullet fly across his eyes, he had no idea what was going on, and now he was being shot by his own comrade, the shocks from the gunshots made his body unable to move and now he could only continue to become Neil''s shield.

    Neil sprints toward the column on the left of the main gate, firing the handgun at the terrorist and shielding himself with the leader''s body. When he reaches the column, he drops the "shield" and slides towards it to take cover. But he made a mistake; he should have killed the terrorist when he had the chance; instead, the terrorist took one of the hostages and used it against Neil.

    "COME OUT HERE OR I WILL KILL THIS KID!!" He yells towards the column that Neil is hiding behind while holding one of Neil''s students in his arms. Ordering him to drop his weapon and immediately surrender.

    Neil was still hiding, thinking of a new plan, his face looks more nervous despite the fact he had a weapon, but a second before when he was still shooting while running, he realized that the last shot he took, didn''t work. He''s out of ammo, and the weapon he''s holding is now useless, and the AK that the terrorist he killed dropped is too far away.

    "COME OUT NOW!!"

    The terrorist continues to call for Neil''s surrender, not knowing that Neil is now completely defenseless. Neil surveys his surroundings, he notices the knife that had been shot away by Mike seconds ago, then returns his eyes to the pistol. An idea popped up in his head.

    "I WILL COUNT TO THREE!"

    Another threat from the terrorist, the student being detained by the terrorist is crying, he doesn''t want to die when he still has dreams and ambitions ahead. Chad and others have laid down the floor to prevent being hit by gunshots, but they are still afraid of what will happen to that unlucky student.

    "ONE!"

    If Neil wanted to do something, then he have to do it now!

    "TWO!!"

    "THREE-"

    Neil throws the pistol outside, the terrorist is startled by the flying gun, which he keeps shooting at.

    Then he sprints outside, rushing toward the knife on the ground while the terrorist is distracted, sliding to get it, then jumping horizontally. Seizing the opportunity while the terrorist is distracted, he swings the knife toward him with all of his strength while in the air. The terrorist watches the knife''s head becoming bigger and bigger in less than a quarter of a second.

    Neil closed his eyes again, not to focus but to relief, he wouldn''t dare to observe whether the knife had hit the target or not, this was his only chance to save everyone, and the last chance to save himself, and if he failed, he will accept his fate. He landed on the floor with his arm and still tightly closed his eyes waiting for the result.

    ...

    After seconds of silence and he''s still alive, Neil wonders what happened, did he really get him? When Neil turned around while still on the floor, he saw the terrorist standing there with the knife deep into his forehead, then the terrorist collapsed, releasing the hostage he was holding.

    Neil slowly rises to his feet, while the rest of the room turns back to see what has happened. He can''t believe what he''s witnessed; he fought three strongly armed terrorists without armor, fearing he wouldn''t make it and may die foolishly while attempting to be a hero. And in the end, he won.

 Dont Think Its Over

    "Chad! Chad!! Wake Up!!"

    "Huh?"

    Chad slowly regains his consciousness when he feels a hand placed on his back. He recognized the voice but instead of relief, he felt shocked for no reason, but that feeling slowly faded away as he got sober.

    "What happened?" He asked.

    "You passed out! They almost killed you, but don''t worry, Mister Neil took care of them."

    "...What?"

    When he looked around, he saw Neil standing alone in the middle of the room, surrounded by 3 men in black suits lying on the ground. His hands are coated with a viscous red fluid, his shirt has dark red paint splattered across it.

    Chad knows that those red liquids are blood, and he sits in shock when he witnesses his teacher being covered in human blood. Even though he has seen blood before, but never out of a dead body. He looks into Neil, his eyes aren''t normal, they resemble the eyes of a cobra trying to devour its prey, in a moment he doesn''t feel like the typical kind Neil his students have seen, but someone who has been familiar with taking a human''s life.

    However, when Neil saw Chad was still fine, his eyes returned to normal and showed a feeling of worry.

    "Are you OK?"

    Chad shakes his head, washing away all of his thoughts. "Yeah, I''m fine."

    "Good, where are the others?"

    People were racing outdoors in fear, each heading in a different direction, but they were all looking for a safe place to go or trying to return to their homes. Some students fled with the crowds, but most stayed with Neil because they felt they could be safe with him.

    "OK, so I need everyone to stay calm."

    Despite what he said, the students appeared to be anxious. Of course, having leaking blood corpses around him couldn''t make anyone feel comfortable.

    "Selena! Can you lead everyone to that truck?"

    He order Selena to gather all of the students to the truck that the terrorists left when they arrived, he had intended to ask Chad to do it instead, but he appears to be in need of rest. Even Brent and Saiko, the most stubborn members of the group, follow his orders. Not sure why?

    "Yes, Mister Neil!" she replied.

    "You guys go ahead, I have to do something first."

    Neil walks to the bodies of the three terrorists, but as he does so, he sees Mike running down the stairs toward him with the AK. He looks delighted.

    "Hey, man. That was fucking impressive, you defeated all of them! Where did you learn to do that?"

    "Nothing. Just some old experiences, by the way, I need you to protect my students til I come, can you do that?"

    "Sure, you''re the boss."

    "Thanks."

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    Mike smiled as if he had put his trust in him after witnessing Neil''s outstanding performance.

    "How did all these dudes come here?" ''How'' means that how are these terrorists were able to bring such dangerous weapons in daylight without being arrested by the police.

    But even with so much suspicion, there''s no clue for answers. Neil searches the body of one of the terrorists for anything useful; thus far, he''s discovered a metal armband, a grenade, a walkie-talkie, and another handgun.

    He takes them all; he takes only a pistol, but he takes every magazine he could find. While looting, he heard footsteps from behind, it was an old woman running with her handbag, and the sound was her heels scratching on the floor, but it wasn''t the only sound he heard.

    Something else is going on; it sounds like something, or someone is crawling. He looks around and sees the body in the middle is moving, the terrorist''s leader is still alive, he moves his hand into his chest pocket and pulls out a curved device in the shape of a rounded bell, he attaches it to the floor by smashing it.

    He crawled closer to the device and pressed the button on the top, the rounded bell-shaped device had multiple small holes that emits blue light, but as he touched it, it began switching simultaneously between red and blue. With each second passing by, the device started to tick faster the sound of the ticking became louder, the leader turns to stare at Neil and grins sinisterly at him with a bloody mouth.

    "Oh no."

    Neil immediately recognizes the imminent threat that the device brings based on his experiences. He began to rush towards the old lady, who was still running with the annoying heels as she ran to the main gate.

    "RUN!!!!"

    Neil leaps and hugs the old lady, the device detonates and explodes, the shockwave from the explosion blows them off the ground outside the main gate, and the fire starts to burst from inside into a giant orange cloud in milliseconds. Reflexively, he raises his arm up to cover his face despite the fact that the explosion would burn him to dust.

    Suddenly, the metal armband activated, creating a curved blue barrier between him, the old lady, and the fire. Neil saw a peek of a blue hexagonal field in front of him, shielding him and the lady from the blast in a fraction of a second, it happens so fast that no one but Neil can see it.

    The shield deactivated as soon as it activated, and even though they were protected from the explosion, the blast''s force blew them away. So far that they hit the stairs outside the main gate, Neil used his body to absorb all the force of the impact for the lady, and they inertially rolled until they smashed their face into the last step of the staircase.

    "Aww! My back!!"

    His back wasn''t badly injured, but the collision caused him to develop some spine issues that will need a trip to the doctor. The lady rises to her feet, thanks him for saving her, and then flees without any worry about Neil''s injury.

    "Oh My God! What happened?!" Mike runs towards Neil after seeing them crash down the stairs. Neil appeared to be in a lot of pain and was having a hard time getting up, so he decided to give him a hand.

    "Oh, man...It hurts! Those guys, they tried to kill me...with their lives."

    "I think you should see the doctor."

    "Yeah, I should! Are there enough?"

    There are about 9 students, they are all standing next to the military pickup truck that the terrorists left. Neil counts the numbers, so seven students ran away.

    "What are we supposed to do with this, we don''t have the keys!" Chad, who is laying his shoulder on Roy to support him standing, said.

    "Don''t worry." Neil reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a key, then climbed into the truck in the driver''s seat.

    "OK, get on the truck everyone, I''ll get you to your houses, the trip is canceled, sorry."

    "Can I come with you?" Mike asked.

    "Didn''t you go with someone else?" Neil reply.

    "Nah man, I lived alone, just got the free ticket from my colleagues so..."

    "Fine. Get on!"

    "I''ll take the front seat then."

    Neil isn''t sure if what he said is true or not, but he knows that Mike is a scaredy cat, so he can''t be too concerned. The students climb on the pickup box of the truck while Mike sits in the front with Neil.

    He initiated the engine and started driving the truck away from the chaotic area. Driving for only a few distances, he heard a knocking from the glass window behind him.

    "Mister Neil, what is that?" Selena''s voice occurs.

    Neil turns around and takes a look in the direction that Selena had indicated. That thing is flying closer to their vehicle, the propellers making a loud noise that even anyone within half a mile could hear, and the "thing" is opening the containers on both of its sides and pulling out 2 big machines with double holes on each aiming at them.

    As that thing gets closer, Neil is getting more frightened than ever; that thing... is a killer drone with machine guns.

 Run from the Bee

    When everyone had found a place to sit on the truck. Opposing Chad is Brent who is looking at him scornfully.

    "Look at our cripple Chad."

    Chad responded with a bored tone. "What do you want?" He only wanted to rest after an awful day at the museum, but Brent wouldn''t let him.

    "Oh, I just want to help our fellow Chad recover faster."

    Brent has a talent, unlike other people who can dance or play piano, his talent is that he can motivate anyone by provoking them to the point that they would stand up and punch him in the face. Chad holds his fist firmly and grimaces toward Brent.

    "Besides, your little girlfriend is here too. Why don''t you try to please him with your whore hands..."

    At this point, Chad just wants to kick his ass, he wouldn''t lay a hand on Brent if he simply just offended him only, but he insulted Selena when she had done nothing wrong. Chad slaps the truck''s floor, crawls toward Brent, and raises his fist in the air. "You motherfuck-"

    "Two of you stop it!! Isn''t this day worse enough already? People have been killed, and injured and the police don''t even come! It''s lucky that we are still safe and alive and now you two want to fight because you don''t like each other? What''s wrong with you?!"

    Selena yells in the face of Chad and Brent, lecturing the two "kids" about their shallow and stupid behavior. As a result, Chad carefully lowers his fist and returns to his seat, while Brent smirks at him.

    "Coward."

    Even though Chad was furious, he decided to ignore Brent for the sake of Selena. As the truck started driving, he began to forget about Brent and start reminiscing about the thing he saw earlier.

    "Those eyes, he''s not Mister Neil..."

    The dead bodies on the floor, the sound of people screaming and fleeing in terror, the rusty uncanny smell of blood, and Neil''s deadly eyes are all things he sees for the first time in his life. Those images have been haunting him for a while, and he won''t be able to look at Neil the same way he did before.

    "Uh... hey Chad?"

    "Huh?"

    Responding to Roy''s call, he looks up into the sky in the direction Roy is pointing, he sees a silver ball with propellers on the top slowly approaching them with a suspicious aura. Everyone is looking at it curiously, they know that it''s a drone, but not sure what kind of drone is.

    "Mister Neil, what is that?"

    "Yes?"

    The drone with the rounded shape opens the containers on the left and right and pulls out a machine gun as soon as Neil turns his head back.

    "Oh, shit!! Everyone take cover!!"

    The drone began firing hundreds of bullets per minute at their truck, Neil took advantage of a few milliseconds before the drone fired to hit the brakes as hard as he could. The drone misses the targets due to the sudden change in motion, but one bullet does manage to pass through the glass between the driver''s cabin and the pickup box.

    "OH MY GOD!!" Mike screams in terror as a bullet passes in front of his eyes and hits the radio box.

    When they hear gunshots, the students instantly bow down to avoid being hit by bullets, cowering close to the side panels with their hands over their heads. Their backs, however, are completely exposed. If Neil slowed down just a bit, the drone could easily kill every one of them in an instant. Knowing this, Neil speeds up to the limit, driving as fast as a roller coaster. The drone accelerates as well, trying to catch up to the truck.

    Neil isn''t going to let the Drone get close to them; he''s continually steering left and right, drifting like a racer at speeds that would make even a normal person nauseous.

    "Oh my god! Oh my GOD!! Slow down Neil, Slow down!!!"

    Mike screams "Oh my god!" every time Neil takes a curve and his face hits the car''s side window. He only wanted to have a day off, and now he''s become one of driver Neil''s unfortunate victims.

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    "Shut up and fasten the seat belt!!"

    Listening to Neil''s command, he fastened his seat belt, but because of his enormous figure and the force of each curve, the seat belt tightened, even more, making it difficult for him to breathe. "Oh... Mike...god!"

    The drone following the truck isn''t just trying to catch up with it; but is getting closer and closer, as if it''s being powered by a diesel engine instead of an electric engine like normal drones.

    "This thing is fast." Neil''s remark on the killer drone''s astounding and terrifying speed.

    The drone attempted to shoot them numerous times, but each time it did, Neil took another drift to avoid the bullets; he did a great job keeping everyone safe, but the drone caught up to him no matter how hard he tried to escape. Meanwhile, Chad was observing the drone from the back of the truck, until he saw a tiny detail on the drone that gave him an idea.

    "Mister Neil!! Give me the gun!"

    "What?" With too much noise, he''s unable to hear it clearly, Chad shouts: "I said give me the gun!" in response.

    "What are you going to do?!"

    "I have an idea!"

    Neil was skeptical of Chad''s plan, but in this circumstance, he couldn''t do anything than continue driving because he was stuck in the driver''s cabin, and Chad''s face seemed to be full of certainty, so Neil decided to give it a shot, he handed over the AK to Chad and concentrating on driving.

    When Chad is given the AK through the glass door between the cabin and the back of the truck, Neil abruptly takes another turn and makes Chad drop the AK on the floor due to inertia. Seeing the rifle on the floor, Brent looked at it eagerly, but he chose not to touch it. Chad picks up the rifle again, he didn''t know that it was so heavy that he struggles to keep balance, he leans on his knee for support and points the rifle at the drone, as the others stare at him.

    "What are you doing?!" Roy asked.

    "THIS!"

    He pulls the trigger and fires. The center of the rifle instantly glows blue, the bullet exits the barrel at a high speed like every time, and despite the truck''s shaking, Chad manages to hit his target. The bullet pierced a cylindrical glass container on the back of the drone that was glowing blue light, causing it to leak.

    In the blink of an eye, the drone begins to shake violently due to the pressure caused by the weird blue neon gas inside the glass container. The blue gas leaks outside, and the drone''s motion at high velocity with the tremendous heat from the engine generated friction, igniting the gas and making it burn from the outside in.

    The ignition process took less than a second, the reaction inside the glass container made the gas molecules decay and release an enormous amount of energy, and heat combined with the oxygen expansion, generated an explosion that completely destroyed the drone. The burning cloud grew as big as a balloon, and the shockwave from the blast gave their truck a little push.

    The blast also helped "refresh" their mind as the massive and blindly bright light and shrilling sound passing by blew away all of their thoughts and worries, the side effects are tinnitus and temporal blindness. Hearing the shockwave and the sound of the shattering glass behind him, Neil looked around to check if any of them were safe. Luckily, no one was hurt, although they were still suffering from tinnitus, none of them were injured, he smiled and then continued to drive, but at a relaxed and slower pace.

    Chad, the hero who had saved the entire gang from the wicked drone, instead of feeling proud of himself was stunned and shocked. "This is strange! This thing is not a normal gun or any type of gun out there." While glancing at the AK weapon, he said it with a perplexed and curious tone.

    "Are you out of your goddamn mind?!! Are you trying to kill us?!!"

    Sally, one of Selena''s friends, yelled at Chad because her tinnitus was still affecting her hearing. With her hair flowing in the wind, she scolded him for not thinking twice about blowing the drone at such a close range.

    "If you wanted to die, don''t bring us with you!" She said furiously.

    "I''m...sorry..."

    "Sally, don''t say that! At least he saved us!"

    "Selena..."

    "Yeah, by risking our lives! Fuck it! I just want to get out of this as soon as possible!" Sally''s anger was near her limit, but instead of continuing her rage, she retreated to a corner and held a frustrated expression.

    Everyone else is speechless; they want the same thing as Sally does, but it appears that they will not be able to escape without a scratch in this circumstance. They all remained silent after that. Neil continues to drive through the New York streets while sightseeing, Mike, has blacked out due to panic, constant screaming, and the intense pressure the seat belt put on his belly.

    Sally, Selena, Jenny, Brent, Ben, and Saiko all sit with their backs to the side panels, holding their heads while Roy looks after the curious Chad, who is still perplexed by the AK''s mystery. Everyone has something to focus on that will temporarily distract them from their dread and anxiety. They do, after all, deserve a break.

    "Hey, guys?" All of a sudden, Ben called for everyone''s attention.

    "I think we have company."

    Coming out from all the intersections that their truck has passed by are the friends of the drone that they have destroyed before. A swarm of flying machines trying to catch them at all costs. They''re all the same in terms of design and functionality, they are here to kill and avenge their fallen comrade a few minutes ago.

    Simultaneously, the drones drew their miniguns at began aiming at them, there were so many of them that by the time you finished counting, you were dead.

    "Oh My God Mister Neil GO FASTER!!!" Roy screams.

    Neil already knew what was going on when he saw the drones through the mirror, without any word or hesitation he immediately sped up again to the maximum. The death of one bee seemed to have outraged the entire hive. The manhunting system as a whole has been activated. Let the hunt begin.

 Run from the Beehive

    "HIDE!!!"

    Screaming with all of his might, Ben tells his friends to immediately seek cover as the bullets start raining down. As soon as the drones started to open fire, they lowered their heads and kneeled close to the floor while Neil spun the steering wheel all the way to the left end.

    "I don''t wanna die, I don''t wanna die!!" Sally muttered.

    Feeling annoyed by the constant noises that Sally makes, Ben yelled: "Why don''t you talk when you have the chance?"

    "I''m TALKING!"

    "Then why don''t you keep silent when we are in a GODDAMN DANGEROUS SITUATION!?!"

    "I DON''T KNOW! I SPEAK WHENEVER I''M PANIC!!"

    "WHY?!!"

    "BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!!" Chad shouted to order Ben and Sally, to keep quiet so that he could focus on shooting down as many drones as possible.

    Struggling to drive and keep his pupils safe at the same time. But no matter how talented he was, Neil couldn''t keep dodging the bullets without being hit at least once. In a moment he made a mistake by driving into a street that was too narrow to shake the truck. The drones have taken their chance and hit their first target, a bullet that went straight through Sally''s shoulder.

    "Sally!!" Selena screams for her friend. Sally feels nothing at first, but then she slowly notices the drops of blood splattered from a huge hole in her shoulder. "Oh my god, I''m hit, I''M HIT!!"

    The shot was a little bit numb at first, but slowly it turned into an unending burn, like a flame that could not be extinguished. Being shot for the first time in her life, Sally is so terrified to the point that she could faint at any time.

    "Calm down, breath slowly, and stop it bleeding!" Hearing Chad''s advice, Selena approached Sally and laid her down, she used her hands to press on Sally''s shoulder with a napkin to stop the blood from bleeding.

    "Mister Neil we have to get out of here!"

    The current situation right now is very bad, Chad orders Neil to find another way to get them out of here or they are all dead, Neil hesitates at first, but then he eventually says: "I have another plan, there''s a place where we can stay safe, but you won''t be able to get home anymore."

    Chad looks around at his classmates, one is shot, others are terrified, and some even cry in silence. To get everyone to a safe place, he can not just think about himself and risk their lives anymore.

    "Do it!"

    As soon as Neil hears this, he immediately takes a different path that is not where they want to go, as he keeps driving the streets are getting more familiar with what he has seen at night. Until now, it''s a miracle that Neil can dodge that many bullets from those drones. But hearing so many loud booms from behind, Mike is woken up.

    "Oh my god!"

    Waking up with a drowsy face, Mike felt dizzy and he was confused about the circumstance.

    "Oh my god! What just happened? I''m still alive!! Neil! Neil! What happened?!"

    "It''s nothing, you passed out when we were chased by a killer drone and when you woke up we are being chased by A TON OF THEM!!!"

    "Okay, I think I will go back to sleep."

    "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

    Mike returned to his dream world of serenity and courteous drivers. Neil quickly forgets about him and refocuses on driving. He approaches a three-way crossroads and orders everybody to hold on to the right-side panel. Except for Mike, who was still in his dreams, the kids grabbed onto the right-side panel. Chad didn''t grip onto it since he was too busy shooting down drones, but he moved closer to it. Even if it''s a little crowded, they''re all on the "same side" now.

    They''re all wondering what Neil is going to do, and without knowing the plan, they''re pondering the truck''s increased speed. The truck has achieved its top velocity of roughly 80 km/h, and if they do not slow down, it will CRASH into the end of the street.

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    Neil does not appear to be interested in driving slower or turning left or right. With each passing second, their truck came closer and closer to collision, and the swift drones are now flying faster than before. They''re putting everything they''ve got into chasing down the fleeing truck. Everyone could see the building at the end of the street becoming closer and closer despite the fact that it was so far away only a second before, and their faces were filled with fear as they embraced each other tightly, grabbing the panel as tightly as they could, and waited for impact.

    Neil is still entirely focused on the building he is going to crash into, his palms sweaty, and he grabs the steering wheel as firmly as he can, hoping that his plan will be done correctly. As they are about to smash into a building only 25 meters away, he slams on the brakes and steers right before the collision; he drifts so strong that the truck almost flips over to the left.

    ...

    However, because Neil had prepared before, the weight of eight people on the right side of the truck prevented it from overturning into a catastrophe. Meanwhile, the drones that were chasing them flew so fast that they could not stop due to inertia. They immediately initiated their reverse engines when they spotted huge walls in front of them right after Neil''s truck drifted right.

    Their reverse engine took too much time to start making them impossible to halt mid-air. The drones were lined up one by one, but the farthest one couldn''t recognize the enormous wall in front of them, so it clashed with other drones pushing the line up, and they all collided with the building at the end of the road all at once.

    The building was made of brick so the pile of drones easily penetrated through, but they were deformed as they were slammed against the brick wall, and the fuel tank, which was made of glass, cracked and ignited with the air. In a matter of milliseconds, the whole building exploded, the gigantic flame burned the entire 2nd floor of the building, the blast shattered every single window panel in the area and the shock wave traveled for kilometers.

    "What just happened?"

    When they were about to crash, Chad closed his eyes tightly to avoid witnessing what was about to happen, he felt nothing but a sense of a brutal force and the loud sound of an explosion, making him believe that they were dead and the lightweight feeling he was experiencing right now in Heaven. Thankfully, they aren''t.

    They opened their eyes to find the building they were about to crash into a moment ago was engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing high into the sky and a suffocating odor. Neil stopped the car for a second before returning to push the pedal, leaving the others perplexed. Back in the box, the girls are the ones who are scared the most, they keep their eyes shut and clasp each other closely, head to head and ears to ears in the final moments, but for now, it may not be the last.

    "I think we escaped." Selena wondered.

    "Mister Neil that was awesome!! Did you plan on it?" Once again Neil made an outstanding move that made everyone impressed, even Brent.

    Neil turned his head around while holding the steering wheel and replied through the little window panel to Chad''s question, which may seem obvious to someone who has "witnessed" the once-in-a-lifetime drift: "No, it wasn''t. It was a gamble. Luckily I did it correctly, but if I didn''t..."

    Chad was anticipating something like "he has a plan as they approach the three-way intersection" or "he was considering luring them to a corner and letting them collide,", but instead the answer he got scared him and he backed down. It also means that even if he has the slightest chance of success, Neil wouldn''t hesitate to risk their lives.

    "Weird."

    Commenting on the streets of New York, Neil wonders why there is no one at all; he notices abandoned cars, vacant streets, and buildings with all lights turned on but no one inside. Just about a minute ago he even meets a few other cars that are on the way run.

    His unease grew worse until it was interrupted by a sense of danger from behind him; the window panel exploded in an instant, and a bullet pierced it; the bullet then continued to destroy the windshield in front of it, creating a giant hole that would make the truck''s owner cry on their bills.

    "What was that?!!"

    Sally yelled when the bullet was just about to hit her before piercing through the glass panel, even being injured in the shoulder still can''t make her give up her hobby of gossiping during emergencies. Neil slows down the car to take a look at the direction where the bullet originated, he heard the vrooming sounds of engines and the friction sound with the road of the wheels. However, his vision is limited due to his position on the truck, Ben helps him by moving closer to the back of the truck and squints his eyes to see more clearly.

    "Uhhh...Mister Neil? I think drones are just supports."

    From far away, he observes three trucks with the same model as the one they are sitting on coming towards them at high speed. Each of them has a guy standing on the pickup box and holding an AK that is the same as theirs. On the truck which is taking the lead, the terrorist who is standing aims the rifle at them.

    "SHIT!!"

    Neil is so sick of this unending chase, but this will be the last time he slowed down to take a rest. He decided that if he didn''t come to the place he needed to, he wouldn''t take his leg out of the pedal. The terrorist started to fire, but the distance between their truck and the terrorist kept them from being hit, but centimeters away from instant death.

    "Do you know how to drive?!!"

    So sick of Neil''s careless driving, Sally scolded him.

    "Sorry! I forgot that humans do not suck at shooting."

    Once again they are on the run, but this time their destination is near, a few blocks away from the safety that Neil promises. However, they have to defeat their enemy, this time a conscious one, which won''t leave until they are all killed.

 Safe Is Not An Option

    Looking in every direction and moving his eyes quickly in an attempt to find something useful in this situation. Behind them, three "hounds" approach slowly and with a predatory attitude.

    While in the pickup box, the students bowed their heads lower than the height of the side panels to avoid being hit. Doing the same thing, Chad stopped shooting and mimicking his friends not because he was feared of being shot or out of ammo, but because he did not want to kill anybody even if they were dangerous terrorists who wanted him and his friends dead.

    Right now, their fate and survival lie in the hands of Neil. Before making a decision that he might come to regret, he considers thousands of options and possibilities in his head. Time passed, and he continued to peer into the mirror to see how long it took the terrorists to reach them at this speed and to wonder why they hadn''t fired another shot since breaking the windshield.

    He had no idea that they were all highly trained soldiers who would not waste a single bullet on a pointless casualty. Instead, they aim for the driver, who, if killed, will make their truck immobile. So they believed they spotted Neil when he was looking in the mirror, and the person standing in the pickup box with the AK was authorized to fire.

    Neil''s instincts sent an electrical signal into his reptile brain in 0.0001 seconds, igniting fear and alerting him about a threat coming from behind. Instantly he moved his head away from the mirror right before a bullet flew by and pierced the mirror into pieces. A piece unluckily flew by his cheek and made a long cut with its sharp edges.

    "That''s IT!!"

    He was so enraged that he resolved to fight them face-to-face in retaliation for the bloody cut on his cheek. He spins the steering wheel to the left numerous times while gradually releasing the pedal, turning the vehicle 180 degrees behind him.

    "WOOAAHH!!" As Neil turns the truck around, the students sense a powerful force tugging them to the right. Chad, however, fell on Brent''s stomach while holding the rifle. "Fuck off, Nerd!"

    Now that Neil is directly in front of them, they immediately recognize their opportunity, reload their guns, and are ready to fire with everything they have. Neil, on the other hand, wouldn''t gamble if he hadn''t prepared to win; he already pulled out his handgun before turning his truck directly at the terrorists.

    Neil fired the terrorists'' driver five times in the forehead, but only three of them managed to penetrate through his skull, blowing up his brains and exiting with a hole splattered with blood all around, as he was ready to use his arm as cover. His body gradually dislodges from the seat, lulling him into an eternal slumber. Losing control of the truck, The terrorist standing on the pickup box misses Neil by inches due to the truck''s violent shaking.

    Worse, the driver is gone, and the truck is slowly losing its balance; it shakes gently at first, but standing on the truck feels like you''re in the middle of a 6-Richter earthquake. The two terrorist trucks behind it were completely unaware of what was going on until the truck in front of them hit a rock and began whirling violently and uncontrollably.

    It begins to roll sideways perpendicular to the road, flipping numerous times on itself and only stops when it has completely blocked the entire road, preventing other trucks from moving forward. After finishing his job, Neil rotates the steering wheel to the right and turns 180 degrees back to continue driving forward.

    "Here we go AGAIN!!!" Again they haven''t prepared anything for this roller coaster game, so they cling to one another to keep from falling out of the vehicle.

    "Huh?!" Looking into each other''s eyes, Selena accidentally fell onto Chad, they were confused at first, and Chad even tried to push her away to avoid any misunderstanding. But then eventually, they stopped resisting. They ignore everything around them, including the strong wind is blowing, the gossiping of others, and continue to stare at each other passionately.

    "Sorry to disturb but it''s not time to do it."

    By telling Chad to refocus on the current situation, Roy intentionally disrupts their moment. Selena pushed herself out of his body, causing Chad''s cheek to flush red. But he tries to hide it by changing the subject.

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    "Hey, how''s thing back there?" Neil inquired Chad about their status.

    "Yeah we are fine, Sally was hurt but we are treating her well." Sally grimaces ironically as she looks at Chad.

    "Good."

    They could finally relax because they were only a little distance from their destination, which, according to Neil, was only at the end of the left turn they were going to make. Chad decided to take one more last look around the streets before hiding until it was safe to walk outside.

    "He defeated them, again, I think." Chad praised Neil with Roy.

    "Can''t believe that someone like that is our annoying teacher isn''t it?"

    "What''s going on anyway?"

    "I don''t know. Yesterday we started playing Call of Duty, and now we are in... ''duty''. So ironic."

    "Do you ever think that this whole thing was planned? How could those guys come here without any problems, where''s the NYPD by the way?"

    "I think, from their perspective, they would never do anything like this without planning, it''s like suicide."

    "Yeah right."

    "..."

    The silence continued, none of them felt needed to speak after what had happened; they simply wanted to chill for a while. Seconds by second, the silence has gradually transformed into something incredibly chilling and frightening, making Chad uneasy and aware that something must be definitely wrong.

    "Wait! Why aren''t they chasing us anymore?"

    He turned around, suspicious of the Terrorists'' inaction, to find out why they were not doing anything, despite the fact that their escape could cause them trouble. From far away, he noticed a black tall figure standing on the road, holding something shaped like a long huge tube on its shoulder. With a serious expression on their face, they inspected their vehicle.

    It takes Chad no longer than a second to realize that the big long tube is the famous Russian RPG, a rocket launcher used to eliminate tanks is now being pointed directly at them.

    "Mister Neil GO FASTER!!!" Shouting through the small window panel, Chad warned Neil to get out of the RPG''s projectile as soon as possible.

    "What?!"

    It was too late; the black figure had already pulled the trigger, and the rocket had exited the muzzle with a bright flash behind it, traveling at half the speed of sound and flying halfway to their truck within two seconds.

    "GET DOWN!!!" Chad''s desperate attempt to save everyone before everything turns into a horrific bloodbath has gone unheard.

    The rocket makes contact with the truck''s bottom and blasts, destroying the entire engine, blowing the wheels off the vehicle, and propelling the truck vertically into the sky, with the front near the ground and the back parallel to the surrounding buildings. The vertical flip produced by the explosion threw Chad and Roy out of the truck, they realized they were only a few meters away from smashing their face into the ground.

    "ROYYY!!!" Before they violently strike the surface, Chad embraces Roy as he pleads for rescue.

    Roy, on the other hand, remains silent the entire time they are in the air, but he quietly lays his arm behind Chad''s head. Meanwhile, Chad was trying to create a pose that would assist him in landing safely, and he struck a decent one right before contact.

    His head was about to hit the ground when it was rescued by something soft, but his back was nearly broken in half as he came into contact with it. He rotates his body many times to release the energy that could have been used on crushing his body during impact, and he lands with only a few scratches.

    "Oh my Gawd! So this is what it felt like." After seeing Neil protect an old lady at the museum with his bare body, Chad thinks he could be like him and accomplish heroic things, but he now realizes that everything has a price, and his fee for a spine diagnosis is no exception. Trying to get up while slightly cracking his back, Chad approaches their flipped truck, checking to see if anyone is still "alive."

    Everything is a complete mess, with debris all around, the street ablaze, and people lying on the ground. He notices Roy holding his right arm in anguish and runs over to him.

    "Roy! Roy! Are you OK?"

    "I''m...Fine..."

    Whisper weakly, Roy gritted his teeth and Chad pulled him up and put his right arm around his shoulder. He tried to walk Roy with him even though he was still recovering from his earlier injuries and the fall.

    "Where are the others?"

    With a limp movement, he walks Roy toward the truck that has been turned upside down. Brent and his gang had already stood up after their fall, and it seemed that their "training" had helped them to survive the damage caused by the fall. They were scratched in a few places, and Ben slammed his head against a street lamp, but they are still better than Roy at the moment.

    While walking, he noticed the AK before was lying on the street and moved Roy closer to the rifle, picking it up with his right hand, even though he was "out of hand" at the time. Yet, holding the rifle makes him feel safe.

    Meanwhile, Neil was struggling to get out of the driver''s Cabin through the window, and Mike finally awoke from his slumber, coughing from the dusty air around him: "What the hell just happened?"

    Without getting a decent answer he decided to follow Neil to get outside the truck. Seeing Chad and Roy are still fine, Neil sighs in relief and continues to find out if anyone else was hurt.

    "Sally?!"

    The worst has finally happened to them, his retina widens as he witnesses the horrific scene in front of him. Sally is trapped beneath the truck, and her legs have been crushed.

 The Feeling of Powerless

    "Hey, Sally!"

    "Huh?!"

    "Why are you so enthusiastic about everything?"

    "What do you mean??"

    "I mean, how could you be so active, so positive about everything despite how boring and negative it is? Like why would you sign up for tomorrow''s trip to the museum when you don''t even like museums?"

    "Huh??!!" She speaks in an ironic tone.

    "Why do you have to question my every decision? I do what I want."

    "Oh... Sorry..."

    Jenny remained silent after that, sipping the delicious Pepsi she was holding. Jenny and Sally hung out with a gang at a skateboard field the night before the disastrous visit to the Natural History Museum, while Selena stayed at home because she was ''busy.''

    "Nah... I''m kidding."

    "What?"

    "It''s because of my dad."

    "Your dad?"

    "Yeh."

    "What does he have to do with what we were talking about? And I thought you said he died years ago?!"

    "Yes. But what I haven''t told you was that he was a doctor."

    "???"

    "Well, he''s a private doctor at a small town where we used to live before I moved to New York for high school."

    She sighs. "A great doctor he is, he graduated from Yale University, worked as a private doctor a few years before I was born, he worked day and night, sometimes he didn''t even sleep just to ensure the health of his patients. And eventually, he died of a stroke because of overworking."

    "Oh... So sad to hear, condolences to you."

    "I... don''t want to be like him. I don''t want to live a boring life of doing the same thing every single day with just writing profiles, giving prescriptions, and dying because of sleep deprivation."

    "I wanted a life full of the unexpected, to always experience new things. I want to climb the mountains, swim the oceans.."

    "Hehe... Swim the oceans."

    "*Eh hem!* As I was saying, I wanted to live my life to the fullest so that when I took my last breath, I wouldn''t regret anything."

    "But I gotta say, my dad was so enthusiastic at his job, that I think I could learn from him. He used to promise me that he would take me to a local museum at the weekend to take a break from work, a day that would never come because he chose to prioritize work over his daughter."

    "So even if I hate museums, I would like to see what the place that my damn father promised to take me to looks like. I just want to enjoy my life before I die."

    As their truck is about to roll over, Jenny''s flashbacks of yesterday''s conversation with Sally surface, and what she''s witnessing right now is Sally''s horrified face as she pushes her out of the truck. Their near position to the driver''s cabin on the pickup box prevented them from being ejected by the truck''s flipping force.

    They must respond quickly or face being stuck under the pickup box. Without hesitation, Sally pushed Jenny out of the truck''s pickup box. Things unfold so quickly that she can only watch helplessly as the truck flips over upside down, dragging Sally with it, and she lands with her hands covering her neck, rolling numerous times like Chad.

    "SALLY!!!"

    She leaps to her feet and sprints for Sally as soon as she lands, bruised and scratched, with no regard for her own safety. Sally is struggling to get out of the truck, and the more she tries and fails, the more fear and panic she feels. She didn''t realize her knee bone was fractured, that she was unable to move and nearly half of her body was trapped under the flipped truck, crushed by the side panels.

    Her elbow frictioned with the asphalt when she made contact with the surface so much that the skin of her elbow had been peeled and blood began to swell. She hasn''t experienced any pain yet because her body hasn''t yet realized what''s going on to itself. Jenny arrived and attempted to pull Sally out of the vehicle with both hands. Her approach, however, fails miserably because she is far too weak in contrast to the vehicle''s weight.

    "Sally?"

    When Neil and the others also stood up after falling to the ground, they were all astonished over what had happened to Sally, and they were stunned for some moment. It took their brain a while to load because it was the first time they had ever seen someone injured like this. Selena looked at Chad intuitively, and he did the same. They both felt relief that the other wasn''t hurt, even though Selena was a little bit injured like Roy.

    "What the hell are you waiting for? Come here and help me!"

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    Jenny criticized Neil for his lack of response when his student is in danger; Neil quickly smashes his face with his palms to refocus and then confronts them. He attempted to pull the truck up with both hands while Jenny dragged Sally out.

    "UGGHHHH!!"

    Straining himself, Neil used all his power to pull the truck up by grabbing the side panels. As they were about to rise to make room to pull Sally out, Neil suddenly dropped the panels and backed down.

    "What are you doing?!!"

    Neil holds his arm in anguish when he hears Jenny yell. He discovered that his arm had been dislocated when their truck crashed. Neil now finds himself in a terrible situation, holding his injured arm and writhing in agony, but with no time to consider, he swiftly ignores that arm and redirects his attention to saving his student.

    Seeing this, Chad intended to help him and leave Roy and the others on their own but it didn''t seem like his assistance was necessary as Neil once again stood up, using the other hand combined with the shoulder and with all of his force to pull up!

    "GGAAHHHH!!!!" Slowly but steadily, the truck raised a little higher, providing more space and making Jenny''s job easier.

    "Almost there!"

    As they were about to succeed, Sally was pulled out an inch, Neil suddenly released the side panel he was holding again and it fell back on Sally''s legs, he leaped for Jenny and pushed her to the ground as the terrorists'' rounds shattered the truck like rain.

    After she hears the sound of bullets, she understands what Neil is trying to do; he drags her behind the vehicle while others go along with them. Sally on the other hand stays on the ground, grabbing her head and hoping she wouldn''t be hit.

    "Those fuckers wouldn''t let us do anything!"

    Of course, Neil wasn''t going to sit there and do nothing; he was continuously brainstorming ways to get them and Sally out of this place safely, which he found was nearly impossible. As he continues to think, Sally feels more threatened as the terrorists become more precise with their shooting, to the point where she would be hit multiple times if she wasn''t on the ground.

    "Guys? Help Me!"

    "Neil, what do we do now? Neil! NEIL!!!"

    Jenny urges him to act as soon as possible, but as seconds go by, using all of his brain cells and grey matter, he has come to the conclusion:

    "I... have no idea."

    "What do you mean you have no idea?!!" Grabbing Neil''s collar with anger, Jenny frowns and interrogates him.

    Neil has always saved them from countless life-threatening situations, ensuring that no one falls even while they are walking on thin ice. This time, though, she became enraged when she heard that he was unable to save Sally. But Neil''s statements made sense; he couldn''t save Sally by himself, but if he came out with someone else, they''d have to risk being fired at, which implies that if they saved Sally without first dealing with the terrorists, they''d end up like her.

    When Neil is at a loss for what to do to ensure that everything is safe, he glances at the metal armband on his right arm and recalls something.

    "Maybe... I could-"

    "Wait! What''s that smell?"

    Brent, who is standing behind him, smells something strange and dangerous, he calls them to turn around and check for the source of the odor and the sound of the gushing liquid.

    "The... the fuel is leaking!!"

    The explosion blew a hole in the fuel tank, allowing gasoline to flow outside, which they didn''t discover until it was about to meet with a blazing metal piece on the ground. On the other hand, the terrorists have found a way to get off the road and are now chasing them even faster; with two threats on each side, they are even more panicked than they were before, and someone has finally chosen to screw it all.

    "Fuck this shit..."

    Immediately, Brent flees outside and runs far away from the truck and the terrorists, heading for the other street.

    "Wait!! Come BACK HERE!!!"

    But despite Neil''s shouting, he continues to run cowardly, ducking his head to avoid gunshots and abandoning his friends for his own life.

    "Neil, we have to do something now!" Mike also begs Neil to take action.

    Instead of responding, Neil put his hand on his forehead and grimaced, indicating that he was also struggling to come up with an idea. But, after a short moment of reflection on the events, particularly the horrific things he witnessed in his past, he has made a decision.

    "Neil? Neil!!"

    With a face full of regret, he looked at Jenny.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Heh?"

    Without giving her any chance to respond, he throws Jenny over his shoulder and dashes outside, while turning and winking at Mike. As soon as he realized what Neil was up to, Mike wrapped his right arm around Chad, his left one around Roy, and grabbed Selena''s hand, dragging them outside without their permission.

    Because he knows that this trio wouldn''t flee cowardly without risking their lives to save their friend first.

    "What are you doing?! We have to help her!"

    As Jenny orders Neil to stop, he continues to run, leaving Ben and Saiko speechless. They wanted to do something, but instead, they just stood there motionless, and until Mike also left, they realized that they couldn''t do anything for her and had no choice but to follow Neil.

    "Wait what are you guys doing? Why are you running?!"

    Sally lies in shock as she sees her friends running away without her.

    "Mister Neil why are you doing this?!"

    Chad demanded an explanation for Neil''s actions, but when he just saw a face that was only staring forward, with no little glance back at Sally, he became infuriated.

    "Drop me down you NIGGA!!" And request Mike drop him.

    "I''m sorry, I just do what your teacher says."

    "NEIL YOU FUCKER! DROP ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!!" Jenny was so enraged that she didn''t even consider courtesy, repeatedly pushing and punching Neil''s back in an attempt to free herself, but she couldn''t due to the strength difference.

    "PLEASE DON''T LEAVE ME HERE!! PLEASE!!!!!"

    Sally gave up trying to break out and instead raised her hand in their direction with tears streaming down her eyes as she wondered why they had betrayed her.

    "DON''T LEAVE ME BEHIND, PLEASE!! PLEASE!!!!"

    Jenny and Selena feel powerless when they see their friend is left behind them; Selena can''t take seeing any longer, so she closes her eyes and turns away from her; Jenny, on the other hand, doesn''t dare to blink for a second and continues to stare at her stuck friend.

    "Why? ...Why are you doing this to me..? I thought we were friends!"

    "Why do you leave me alone?! Why-"

    BOOOMMM!!!

    The leaking oil has reached the flaming metal piece, ignites in an instant, and goes in the opposite direction of the flow toward the gasoline tank, burning the whole tank in less than a microsecond, blasting the entire truck away, and blowing Sally''s entire body up.

    The explosion sends a shockwave through Neil''s already fatigued body, knocking him to the ground and dragging Jenny down with him. She closed her eyes as the shockwave hit her, and rubbed them before reopening them. And she, sat in shock the moment she reopened her eyes and saw what was happening in front of her.

    The vehicle is on fire, the black smoke is billowing high into the sky; the air around the smoke is tinged with red color. But the most noticeable thing was an arm lying on the ground in front of her just a few meters away, had been ripped apart from the body, the skin had been burnt black by the explosion, and she could see the bones and red meat within.

    She immediately knew it was Sally''s arm, the one she used to hug and shake hands with now lying in front of her apart from the body, as it was the only body part that survived the blast when Sally raised his hand and begged for help.

 True Nature

    In a dark room, a middle-aged man sits on a bench, sipping a martini in his left hand while munching on Lay''s chips and watching Netflix.

    "PFFFF!!! This tastes terrible."

    He''s absorbed in the show *Peaky Blinders*, completely oblivious to the chaotic noises outside his pub. He decides to close the bar today due to some minor "issues" with New York City''s security, starting his binge-watching from the first season.

    "Nick!!!"

    Suddenly, he stands up and strides to the main entrance to open the door for whoever is calling him.

    "NICK, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!!"

    He feels irritated by the voice constantly yelling at him. "Who the hell is this?" He mutters. Though the voice sounds familiar, he wants to see who it is and why this guy is at his door at this hour. He quickly unlocks three of the door''s preinstalled locks and pulls the door open.

    "Neil? What are you doing here?"

    Neil, his friend, stands in front of him, flanked by a few others, most of them kids. However, Nick is taken aback by the sight of a teenage girl with blood smeared across her face. She stands there, speechless, looking almost soulless. Nick has no idea what has happened to Neil and his companions since he last saw him yesterday, but he soon understands that something terrible has occurred. It feels impolite to ask for details and deny them shelter.

    "Come in."

    With that, he steps aside to let them inside. As soon as he says this, Neil pulls Jenny and the others in with him. Nick scans the group and realizes there are about nine people in total, not counting himself. Once everyone is inside, he swiftly closes and locks the door with the three locks. The newcomers look around, unfamiliar with the dim interior since he has turned off all the lights and closed the curtains, likely to avoid any "unnecessary attention."

    But first, he peeks out the window and spots a small shadow emerging from a right turn.

    "Everyone, get down here!"

    Without a doubt, he knows they are being pursued by terrorists, and someone hasn¡¯t made it out alive. He gives them an order they don''t initially understand, but his gesture quickly makes his intentions clear. Everyone follows him, dragging each other forward to sit on the floor with their heads tucked under the windows, while Nick strangely opens the curtains and turns off the TV.

    "Why did you open the curtains?" One of them ask.

    Without answering, Nick rushes to his bartender''s table and pulls out a shotgun from beneath it. Now Neil finally understands the "safety" of the Safe Bar.

    Finally, they settle in to wait... for whatever comes next.

    ...

    VROOM VROOM!!

    Slowly but steadily, the rumbling engines of the terrorists'' military trucks thunder past, followed by the footsteps of some who have opted to get off the trucks and hunt down the fugitives themselves. They use any clues they can find¡ªfootprints, sounds, and even blood drips. A freshly recruited terrorist spots something suspicious in a small restaurant called "Safe Bar."

    While all the surrounding buildings are tightly curtained to keep people out, this one stands out. He can look straight inside through the windows and see the wines, chairs, and a bench facing the wall-mounted TV. It appears abandoned, but his gut tells him that even though no one is inside, the pub feels so packed that they could throw a party.

    "Hey, what did you find?" Someone behind him asks in an unfamiliar language. Before responding, the terrorist takes another look at the bar.

    "Nothing, just some thoughts in my head." He replies in the same language. No matter what language they are speaking, it¡¯s clearly not English.

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    "So what do we do now?"

    "I have no idea, but no matter where they go, they¡¯re good at hiding. I suggest we go back before the commander scolds us."

    "And let them go?! Don¡¯t you think they''ll take revenge on us for killing their friend?"

    "Don''t worry. If they''re running away, it means they don''t want to fight us. Our forces are all around this city; they wouldn¡¯t dare do anything stupid. Capturing them would just waste our time and ammunition."

    "Oh, can I grab some vodka? There''s a bar nearby."

    "Nope, we''re only here for a short time, and I don''t want to become a thief over that."

    With that, they all pile into their vehicles and drive away from the street, heading back to their headquarters, which is only a mile away.

    ...

    Inside the bar, everyone sits tight, waiting anxiously. They do their best to stay quiet, some covering their mouths to stifle any sounds. Meanwhile, Nick and Neil take defensive stances, rifles raised, ready to take down anyone who opens the door. Finally, a collective sigh of relief washes over them as the terrorists decide to leave in their vehicles. However, Jenny feels stunned, frustrated, and anguished.

    "Sally is dead..."

    As she speaks, everyone¡¯s eyes shift to her.

    "Sally is dead. She asked for help, screamed for her life, begging to be saved. She could have escaped with us if you hadn¡¯t stood there and done nothing! All you did was run like a coward, leaving a seventeen-year-old girl to die at the hands of those BASTARDS!!"

    To everyone¡¯s shock, Jenny strides up and grabs Neil''s collar, yelling in his face, "Why didn¡¯t you help her?! Why did you leave her to die?! Tell me! TELL ME!!!"

    As Jenny screams at him, the tension reaches its breaking point. Chad realizes things are spiraling out of control and decides to step in.

    "Jenny, stop! He did all he could! We¡¯re still alive; isn¡¯t that enough?"

    "Enough? So as long as you and the others survive, sacrificing people like Sally is acceptable, isn¡¯t it?"

    "No, I mean... what I was trying to say is¡ª"

    "Just minutes ago, she was still talking to me, and yesterday she told me her dream. She wanted to enjoy life and live it to the fullest. She was a good person, an ambitious girl, and... my best friend! You¡¯re no different from him! You¡¯re just a useless, puny, weak scaredy-cat! I witnessed Sally die! I saw her arm get blown off in the explosion because you guys were too useless!!"

    As Jenny criticized and insulted him, Chad didn¡¯t feel anger; instead, he felt helpless, an overwhelming sense of guilt swelling in his chest. He imagined that if he had been decisive and helped Neil and Jenny instead of just standing there, Sally would still be with them. With nothing more to say, he conceded and allowed Jenny to continue her confrontation with Neil.

    "Now tell me. Why did you leave her?" Neil remains silent.

    "Why didn¡¯t you fight those guys?! Why did you run?!" He still stays silent.

    "What did she do to deserve this?!" Jenny''s irritation grows as Neil repeatedly avoids making eye contact and dodges her questions. However, she begins to sense something else entirely.

    "Wait... Why aren¡¯t you crying?"

    Neil stands there, shoulders back and head held high. He shows no regret or sorrow on his face; instead, he wears the same expression he has every day.

    "Why does it feel like you¡¯re familiar with this? Don¡¯t you feel any guilt or remorse at all?!" She fires another question at him, but this time, his only response is to look at the ground and sigh. Jenny''s rage reaches its breaking point as she finally understands Neil''s true nature.

    "You... you are a HEARTLESS, EVIL, BRUTAL MONSTER!"

    "Monster?"

    Jenny begins to punch Neil in the chest with her fists, cursing him mercilessly as tears well up in her eyes. However, as she starts to feel more sorrow than anger, her attacks grow weaker and slower. Eventually, she drops to her knees and begins to cry. Neil finally turns to look directly at Jenny, but instead of saying anything, he sighs once more.

    Everyone stands in shock, immobile as they witness a girl mourning over her dead friend. They feel sympathy for her, but what can they do? Selena, however, walks over to Jenny and sits down beside her. Without saying a word, she comforts Jenny, wrapping her in a full-body hug as tears slowly begin to well up in her own eyes.

    "It''s okay, Jenny. It''s okay."

    She gently coaxes Jenny, leading her toward the stairs, leaving everything else to the boys.

    "Huh! Girls." Brent scorns.

    "What do we do now?"

    "Today is 9/11, and we''re being attacked by terrorists. I never expected history to repeat itself in the worst way possible." Chad says ironically.

    As the others remain unsure of what to say, Saiko suddenly speaks up. "Everyone, check the news."

    At this, they all pull out their phones and other internet-connected devices, checking Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and even Reddit. However, before they can find the information they need, they have to sift through some irrelevant news.

    "Jada Smith broke up with Will Smith? NASDAQ rose by 1%? The Empire State Building is being reconstructed? What the hell is this?"

    "Keep looking!"

    After a moment of swiping up and down, they finally find the latest news.

    ''Men in black suits attack the city. Could this be ISIS?''

    ''Terrorists attack in New York; Wall Street is falling apart.''

    ''Crazy drones with machine guns are chasing down anyone who runs from them.''

    That¡¯s all the information they manage to gather. However, another headline catches their attention, and perhaps the attention of the entire world:

    ''BREAKING NEWS: The President of the United States has been kidnapped.''

 We Wont Come Unprepared

    In a dark, ominous room, the man feels tight and confused. His hands cannot move, and his eyes struggle to catch any light.

    "Ughhhh..."

    "Oh, you''re awake."

    As he wakes from his slumber, he tries to move his body slightly, gradually regaining consciousness. A strange voice, sounding like a middle-aged man, breaks the silence.

    "What? What''s going on? Where am I?"

    Once he is fully awake, an Asian man with a beard stands before him, wearing a vertically striped white shirt. Despite his Asian features, he resembles an Arabian man more than a Chinese one.

    "I don''t need to tell you anything because, even if you knew, you could do nothing about it. But see for yourself, Mister President. You''re in one of the most notorious places in New York."

    "What?! Why am I here?! My secretary! My driver! Where are they¡ª" The President abruptly stops, memories flooding back to him.

    "They''re dead, right?"

    "We checked the car, nothing but two burnt and mangled bodies."

    "You MURDERER!!! YOU BASTARDS!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!!!" The President tries to attack the man with his hands, but the handcuffs binding him to the chair render him powerless against the man who only smirks in response.

    "Whoa, hey, why am I the guilty one here? Look, I get that you''re angry, but that''s not very presidential language. Calm down, I''ll explain everything, so don''t worry."

    The man glances around the room, searching for a seat. He grabs a chair similar to the one the President is restrained in, pulls it over, and sits backward on it, smiling sweetly as he faces the President.

    "So, as you can see, we''ve taken you, and the entire city of New York, hostage." The President''s jaw drops, his eyes widening at this first sentence.

    "No way, that''s impossible! How could terrorists get into the United States? We''ve strengthened security to the max since 2001!"

    "Let''s just say we had some help from the inside."

    "Inside? You mean spies? That''s absurd! What kind of spy has high enough authority to stage an attack on this scale?!"

    "You don''t need to know, Mister President. In fact, you might not even make it out of here to find out."

    The President has many questions, but he realizes that speaking too freely could put him in even more danger. He decides to focus on the most critical ones.

    "Who sent you here? Who are you taking orders from?"

    "No one. We all volunteered to be here."

    "What? Who on earth would volunteer for this? I''m not kidding, who''s backing you?"

    The man steps out of his chair and walks over to the window, drawing back the curtains slightly to glance outside. The President notices something else, a sharp, gray ax lying on the table, its blade gleaming as sunlight hits it, catching his eyes. Fear grips him as the man stands silently beside the ax, saying nothing.

    "Like I said, no one. We planned this operation ourselves, gathered the weapons, and didn''t ask anyone''s permission."

    "Why are you doing this? What did those innocent people do to deserve any of this?"

    The man turns to face the President, his expression now deadly serious and filled with anger.

    "Innocent, huh?"

    "???"

    "Let me ask you a question, Mister President: What did the people of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan do to deserve the death, destruction, and division the U.S. brought upon them? Answer me that."

    "We¡ªwe did it to stop Soviet expansion, to protect global democracy from Communists and Terrorists! To maintain peace and security!"

    "By sending in troops to kill and interrogate their people? By bombing their schools and hospitals? By forcing them to betray their friends and homeland? By tearing their countries apart? By making a man lose his son and his WIFE?!"

    With the ax in one hand, the man grabs the President''s collar, yelling in his face. But he quickly realizes he''s losing control and takes a step back. Though the President can''t fully grasp his words, he can see the agony and suffering behind the man''s fierce expression. The man continues, his voice steady but charged:

    "If someone could give those people a chance to return everything America did to them, I bet they wouldn''t hesitate to say yes."

    "That''s why we''re all volunteers, volunteers to teach the United States a lesson. We''ll bring the terror of war right to your homeland. All the death, suffering, and destruction you unleashed upon us, your people will know it, and you''ll finally understand what war truly is!"

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "You¡ªyou won''t get away with this! Even if I''m not in charge, the U.S. and its people will hunt you and your group down to the last man!"

    "We''ll see. Do you really think we''d come here without preparation?"

    "What?"

    "You''ll see. This is only the beginning. Oh, and if you somehow get out of here alive, take a look at Europe in two months. Then you''ll understand what I mean. For now, let me show you the greatest weapon we brought for this operation."

    <hr>

    Times Square - 10:40 AM

    Less than an hour after the President was abducted, the terrorists flooded the city, attacking anyone who dared to stand in their way. The NYPD gathered in Times Square, preparing to engage them in combat in an effort to push them back. However, they quickly realize they are outmatched by the terrorists'' firepower. The attackers wield AKs, RPGs, and military vehicles, while the police are equipped only with small firearms and patrol cars that can''t withstand gunfire.

    "They''re hitting us hard! They''re pushing us back!" a police officer shouts to his colleagues as they take cover under a police car, trying to shield themselves from the hail of bullets. Rounds litter the ground, bodies are scattered everywhere, and chaos reigns.

    "When will our reinforcements arrive? Where is the military?!"

    "I bet they have no idea what''s going on!" He stands up and fires a few rounds from his revolver at the terrorists before quickly ducking back into cover. His shots seem ineffective; the terrorists remain unharmed, using machine guns to suppress him.

    "This is going to take forever!"

    "RPG!!!"

    SHOOSHH¡­ BOOM!

    The terrorists launch an RPG, the rocket streaking toward a police car, blowing it up and shoving it aside, breaching the police line of defense.

    "Shit! If reinforcements don''t arrive now, we''re all dead!"

    The explosion claims the life of one officer, but the others have no time to mourn. They continue firing desperately at the attackers.

    <hr>

    White House - 10:45 AM

    When the Vice President hears the news, he jumps out of bed and starts jogging to the Situation Room, changing into a suit as he goes. He takes a seat in the middle of the room, facing his generals, the Secretary of Defense, and other officials. They exchange anxious glances but hesitate to speak.

    "What is our current situation?" He asks an advisor standing in the corner with a notepad.

    "The police have been dispatched to confront the attackers, but they seem to be getting pushed back due to a lack of firepower."

    "Do we have any information about the terrorists? Their origin or their commander?"

    "They strike suddenly and quickly, making it difficult for our agents to gather any intelligence. All we know is that they wear full-body suits to conceal their identities and don''t appear to speak English."

    "Okay, I want every available aircraft in the sky¡ªnow! Tell them to send in fighters and some A-10s."

    "Fighters? What if they have anti-air missiles? Reports indicate that the helicopters we sent to rescue the President were all shot down!" A man in a dark green uniform stands up to object.

    "The reports also mentioned that those helicopters were flying low before they were hit, right?" The Vice President''s question prompts the man in the green uniform to sit back down and listen.

    "Yes?"

    "RPGs can also target any helicopter flying low within their range, and we''ve confirmed that the terrorists are using RPGs."

    "But..."

    "Okay, if you''re still concerned, we''ll send in F-35s, all right?"

    The man silently nods in agreement.

    "Good. Now, how is our force handling things?"

    "Orders have already been given to the Air Force to get fighters and support aircraft in the air, and the Army is dispatching multiple units toward the city."

    "You guys work fast, huh?"

    "Thank you, Sir."

    "Okay, so when was the last time we saw our President?"

    "About that..."

    The advisor turns on the TV mounted on the wall, displaying CCTV footage of a New York crossroads in color, though the images are blurry and pixelated.

    "At 9:30 AM Eastern Time, President Mikeal Norman was attacked by a sniper that we have been unable to locate." The Vice President nods, absorbing the information.

    "Next, a police convoy was organized to escort the President, but somehow, the convoy was completely obliterated, and there were no survivors."

    "Get me a macchiato." the Vice President tells his secretary.

    "Get to the point!"

    "Okay, so¡­ Next, the chopper we sent arrived at the meeting location in Sheep Meadow, Central Park, at 9:47 AM, which is shown on the screen. The President''s limo arrived at the same time."

    The advisor continues narrating the events captured in the video, detailing how the limousine was struck by a truck, how the terrorists destroyed an armed military helicopter, and how the President was brutally injured and taken captive. The footage ends with the vehicle carrying the President disappearing from view, leaving the limo that was supposed to ensure his safety engulfed in flames. A heavy silence falls over the room as everyone processes what they''ve just witnessed.

    "That was the last time we saw the President. We were unable to trace the truck because it immediately swapped places with other identical trucks right after it left the street. There are hundreds of them around the city; it seems like they want to play hide and seek with us."

    "These guys can''t just show up and attack out of nowhere. There has to be a spy among us, and who''s better at spying on us than those damn Soviets? I believe they''re backing these terrorists to provide enough manpower and armament for this attack. Those Communists want to cripple our nation! I''ve told you we can''t trust them!"

    The Vice President, a veteran anti-Communist, consistently directs his remarks and actions against the Soviet Union, often wearing on people''s patience. He lost the presidential race after declaring that, if elected, he would completely annihilate the Soviets. However, his claims can''t be dismissed entirely in this context; it''s a possibility that can''t be ignored. As they continue discussing the situation, a woman enters the room carrying a macchiato and¡­

    "Sir! Sir! We''ve got a situation!" A man rushes into the room, inadvertently bumping into the woman and causing her to drop the hot macchiato on the floor and splatter it onto the Vice President''s shoes.

    "What the hell? Who are you?!" The Vice President demands, but the man doesn''t respond. Instead, he grabs the TV remote and switches to a news channel, displaying a helicopter view of New York City.

    "Hey, can''t you listen? I asked who the hell you are!"

    "Look!" The man insists.

    "Not until you answer my question. This is an important meeting¡ª" He halts suddenly, staring at the screen.

    "What is that?"

    A blue, transparent sphere suddenly appears in the sky above New York City, gradually descending from 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) above the ground. It slowly engulfs Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of New Jersey. Everyone in the room, and indeed, the entire city, turns their attention to the sphere. As it envelops Manhattan, the sky takes on a darker hue, yet it still feels like daylight, creating an atmosphere that seems straight out of science fiction.

 The Shields

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    The vice president stares at the unfolding events on the television, his eyes wide with disbelief. He¡¯s as stunned as everyone else in the room, unable to process what he¡¯s seeing.

    ¡°Sir, our aircraft have reached New York City¡¯s airspace.¡±

    The assistant¡¯s voice is calm, but there¡¯s a hint of tension. The squadron of F-35s has arrived, ready to engage. But as the massive blue sphere continues to expand on the screen, a deep sense of unease settles over him.

    ¡°No, no, tell them to pull back.¡±

    The assistant¡¯s brow furrows, confused. ¡°What, sir?¡±

    ¡°Pull back! I said pull back!¡± the vice president repeats, his voice rising in urgency.

    In the cockpit of one of the F-35s, the pilot is still heading toward the city, despite the ominous blue sphere filling the horizon. A warning light flashes across his dashboard as the order to abort the mission crackles in his earpiece.

    ¡°Mission canceled? What the hell?¡± he mutters under his breath, his hands hovering over the controls. But just as he begins to veer off course, the blue sphere strikes his aircraft. It slices through the F-35 with terrifying precision, tearing it in half. The pilot is trapped, his seatbelt and harness holding him firmly in place as the plane plummets to the ground below.

    ¡°What the?!¡± The pilot¡¯s voice is full of panic, but there¡¯s nothing he can do.

    ¡°Pull up! PULL UP!!¡±

    The remaining F-35 pilots react in sheer panic, signaling to each other, desperately trying to climb and avoid the massive blue sphere. But it¡¯s too late. One pilot, caught off guard by the speed of the event, is too slow. His aircraft collides head-on with the sphere, exploding in a fiery crash.

    ¡°This is bad,¡± one of the surviving pilots mutters, his voice cracking with fear.

    The blue sphere has now engulfed the entire city, stretching across the skyline, trapping everyone inside. No one can leave. No one can enter.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡±

    Back at the building where Neil and his group are holed up, Chad hears an explosion in the distance. He jumps to his feet, moving toward the window, his eyes widening in shock as he watches the sky slowly being swallowed by the massive blue sphere. It seems to be dimming the very light of the sun, casting a shadow over everything below.

    ¡°It looks like... Don¡¯t tell me...¡± Chad¡¯s voice trails off, his words faltering as he watches the phenomenon unfold. He recognizes it. He¡¯s seen something like it a hundred times in science fiction movies. But this is real¡ªthis is actually happening.

    As the phenomenon passes over their building, Neil¡¯s armband begins to glow faintly.

    ¡°Guys?¡±

    Neil stands up and calls to the group, but only a few of them respond. Most are lost in their own thoughts, consumed by their own worries. Brent and his friends are deep in conversation, and Selena is sitting with Jenny, who seems to be in a foul mood. But Chad, Roy, Nick, and Mike look up at Neil, their attention captured.

    Chad moves closer to Neil, his curiosity piqued by the blue light flickering from the armband. He reaches out, taking it from Neil¡¯s arm and examining it closely. As he inspects the device, a thought crosses his mind¡ªbefore he presses a random button on the metal surface.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The moment his fingers press the button, the entire group¡¯s attention shifts. A shimmering blue spherical field bursts to life behind Chad, expanding outward from a hole in the armband. The field pulses with energy, expanding and contracting like something out of a science fiction story. But Chad is the only one who seems truly excited.

    ¡°Oh my God! This is a force field!! How¡ªhow did you get this?¡±

    Neil¡¯s voice cracks as he answers, still stunned. ¡°I... I don¡¯t know. I got it from one of the terrorists at the museum and¡ª¡±

    Overcome with exhilaration, Chad can hardly contain himself. He holds the armband tighter, his eyes practically glowing with excitement. ¡°This is impossible! These things only exist in science fiction! They don¡¯t exist in real life!¡±

    As Chad reaches out to touch the field, the space behind him solidifies, transforming into a warm, solid wall. His heart races as he runs his hand along the surface, amazed by its sheer reality.

    ¡°Oh my God! This is real! THIS IS REAL!!!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Jenny¡¯s voice cuts through the moment, loud and irritated. She¡¯s startled by Chad¡¯s outburst.

    ¡°Sorry! Wait, how about¡ª¡±

    Neil, sensing that things could get out of hand, presses the button again, turning the armband off. But Chad is too intrigued by what he¡¯s just discovered to let it go. He turns his attention to the AK rifle resting nearby. His hands shake slightly as he detaches the weapon, a sense of awe overtaking him. When he pulls it apart, his jaw drops in disbelief.

    ¡°Oh my God! This is a mini railgun!¡±

    The rifle, which looks like an AK-47 but with a distinctly different design, has two parallel metal rods inside, connected to a power source near the buttstock. The entire mechanism seems far more advanced than anything he¡¯s ever seen. There¡¯s a system built into the rifle that allows it to auto-reload without the need for a gas tube or spring, making it incredibly efficient. Despite its complexity, the rifle still has the familiar shape of the weapon everyone knows.

    ¡°Uhhh... so what does all of this mean?!¡± Roy asks, voicing what everyone else is probably thinking.

    ¡°Well, a railgun is a weapon that fires projectiles at incredibly high speeds using electromagnetic force. It works by creating a powerful magnetic field between two parallel metal rods that accelerates the projectile...¡± Chad begins to explain, his voice full of enthusiasm.

    ¡°No one cares! Just get to the point!¡± Brent snaps, clearly impatient.

    Realizing he¡¯s lost his audience, Chad pauses, takes a deep breath, and refocuses.

    ¡°Okay, so it means... whoever made these devices, whoever created these weapons, they¡¯re either a once-in-a-lifetime genius, or this is some secret, top-level project¡ªlike something straight out of Area 51. Or... or maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªthey¡¯re from another planet.¡±

    A heavy silence blankets the room after Chad¡¯s shocking revelation. The weight of his words settles on everyone, and the room feels like it¡¯s holding its breath. It¡¯s clear now¡ªwhatever is behind all of this, whatever forces are at play, it¡¯s bigger than any of them could have imagined. Their world is about to change forever.

    For several long moments, no one speaks, the gravity of the situation sinking in. The silence is broken only when...

    BEEP!!

    The walkie-talkie that Neil carries suddenly crackles to life, the sharp beep followed by a continuous buzzing sound. Then, a voice breaks through the static.

    "Report! Report! We¡¯ve got fugitives. Word is they¡¯re mostly kids, with a few adults."

    ¡°What the?¡±

    ¡°Shhh!!¡±

    Nick motions for Mike to be quiet, a worried look crossing his face. The others, realizing what¡¯s happening, stay perfectly still, holding their breath. They¡¯re all afraid that the person on the other end of the walkie-talkie might somehow hear them.

    "They attacked our men, stole our truck, and took our weapons." The tension in the room thickens as they listen closely.

    "And they might even be listening to us through the walkie-talkie they stole."

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Shhh!!!!¡±

    Mike can¡¯t help himself¡ªhis reaction is understandable, but his outburst only serves to heighten the tension. They all feel like the man on the other end of the walkie-talkie could be standing right there in the room with them, staring them down.

    ¡°To the ones running from us, you will not be safe. We will hunt you down to the last one and kill every single one of your friends and comrades! And for those who wish to join us, you will be treated with care and mercy. But for those who defy us... your death is imminent¡ª¡±

    In a flash, Neil switches off the walkie-talkie, cutting the transmission. The group sits in stunned silence, the weight of the threat hanging heavy in the air. They came here seeking protection, hoping to escape the dangers outside, but now they realize that they are in even more danger than before.

    Brent, however, seems to have a different reaction. His eyes light up with a strange intensity, his face twisted into a thoughtful expression as a new plan begins to form in his mind. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s found a way out¡ªhis way out¡ªand this time, it¡¯s on his own terms.

 The Decision to Change

    Everyone sits frozen, eyes wide with horror after hearing the voice on the walkie-talkie. The fear grips them tightly, and no one speaks. Chad, who had been silently thinking, finally breaks the silence.

    "We need to do something! We can''t just sit here and wait!"

    "Do something? What can we do? Are we supposed to go out there and fight them, live-streaming it on Facebook? We''re just kids, and we don''t even know how to use guns!"

    "Actually, using a gun isn''t that hard."

    "Are you insane? We''ll die if we go out there!"

    "So what? Are we just going to sit here and wait for them to find us and kill us all? Haven''t you heard what the guy said on the walkie-talkie?"

    "Yeah, I heard. But what are we supposed to do? I''d rather surrender than get killed trying to escape."

    "They killed Sally! Our friend! Are you just going to let them get away with it? Are you okay with letting innocent people die for nothing? Is that really what you''re saying?"

    "..."

    When Chad mentions Sally, everyone falls silent. He''s right¡ªthose people can''t escape without facing justice for what they did, but none of them want to go out there and end up like her. Chad continues:

    "I have a plan."

    "And I''m not letting any of that happen."

    "Huh?"

    Finally, Neil speaks up, immediately shutting down Chad''s attempt to get everyone on board with his plan.

    "They''re right. Whatever you''re thinking, it''s suicide. The terrorists have guns, RPGs, and drones patrolling the city. We barely made it here, and now you want to go out there again?!"

    "But Sally¡ª"

    "Sally''s death wasn''t in vain. She''s the reason we''re here. She saved us, not me! She died to get us to safety, and now you want to go after the terrorists for revenge and get yourself killed? That would make her death meaningless."

    "... You''re right."

    "Great. Now don''t let me hear any¡ª"

    "That''s why I''ll go alone."

    "What?!"

    "What the?!"

    "Are you nuts?!"

    "Oh, I''ve got Nutella in the fridge. Anyone want a sandwich?"

    "Now''s not the time."

    "Okay..."

    As everyone voices their disbelief at Chad''s shocking announcement, most of them criticize him for being insane, stupid, and naive. After taking a deep breath, Chad looks at Neil and begins speaking:

    "My dad is a soldier, you probably already know that. But before that, he was a police officer. Every day, he went out, fighting for innocent people, protecting the peace of our country without ever thinking about himself. I know this probably sounds hypocritical, but... I can''t stand watching good people die. Just like my dad risks his life every day to protect this country, I want to protect people with my own life."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    "This isn''t something you can just do because you want to. This is life and death! It''s something a kid like you can''t possibly understand!"

    "Have you seen what happened at the museum? I saw someone get killed for no reason. Those terrorists... they don''t care about us. If we don''t do anything, more innocent people will die, and I can''t live with that on my conscience."

    He turns to face the others: "We might be the only group who could actually fight back against the terrorists, and most of us have no defense skills. We could be the only ones who can save New York right now, with the entire city isolated by that massive forcefield in the sky. Think about it! This could be our only chance to do something meaningful with our lives! An opportunity! Instead of just being another ''survivor.''"

    "What you''re trying to do will get us all killed!"

    "Either we die trying to do something, or we get slaughtered when the terrorists find us. It''s all the same."

    Chad''s final words leave Neil speechless, his mouth shut and eyes wide. There''s no longer any reason for Neil to argue, but Chad continues, trying to reassure everyone: "I don''t want to force anyone to join me. If you''re scared for your life, that''s fine! I suggested this, and I''ll take responsibility for it."

    Neil sits down, still processing everything in his mind. As he watches Chad speak with such enthusiasm, it reminds him of someone he met during his time serving, someone with the same determination, even in the face of a hopeless situation.

    "You sound just like him."

    "Huh?"

    With a hand on his forehead, Neil feels a headache coming on from the conversation with Chad. He can''t deny the logic behind Chad''s arguments, but he''s terrified of the potential consequences.

    In the end, he makes his decision: "I can''t believe I''m saying this, but fine! I''ll help you. But if things start getting out of control, we stop immediately. No questions, okay?"

    That it''s better to take a chance at something that might lead to a happy ending, rather than waiting for a certain bad one.

    "Don''t worry. You won''t regret this."

    "I already regret it."

    "What''s your plan, anyway?" Nick asks.

    "Well, it''s quite simple."

    Chad points out the window.

    "As far as I know, the military is gathering outside. Fighters are doing reconnaissance around the area, soldiers are getting armed, and choppers are ready to engage. But they can''t get in because the force field is isolating us from them. From what I''ve observed, there''s a pillar connected to the force field, meaning it all comes from one source."

    "What do you mean?"

    "What I''m suggesting is, if we can find and destroy the machine generating the force field, the military will be able to get in and handle the rest."

    "Oh, I thought it would be more complicated, but... that sounds simpler than I expected."

    "What about the president? Isn''t he kidnapped?" Mike wonders.

    "The president is just one man. Our goal is to save the entire city. When the military gets in, there will be bloodshed¡ªit''s inevitable."

    As Chad discusses his plan with Neil and Nick, Ben curiously approaches Roy, who is sitting in the corner, writing in his diary.

    "Hey."

    "???"

    Ben sits down next to Roy.

    "I just want to ask, why are you always writing in your diary?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I''ve seen you writing in it at the museum, on the truck, and now. I don''t get it. You could wait and write at the end of the day, but instead, you do it anywhere, anytime. Why?"

    "Umm... I could say it''s my coping mechanism. Chad taught me."

    "Chad?"

    "Yeah, he saw me writing and drawing in my notebook when I was stressed, like when I was bullied by... you know, Brent?"

    Ben looks away, his gaze shifting.

    "So, he gave me a diary and told me that whenever I feel sad or overwhelmed, I should just write it down. Even when I feel happy, I write it down. The next day, I start with a new page, leaving behind yesterday''s sadness and starting fresh. But I can always look back at the pages to remember the good times and see how far I''ve come, overcoming the bad memories. That''s what he said."

    "That''s... amazing!"

    "Yeah, I was surprised at first, too. Anyway, would you mind if I asked you a question¡ª"

    "How do we know where the machine is and how to even get to it?" Roy abruptly stops as Neil speaks. It seems like they''ve planned out everything except for the most crucial part¡ªidentifying the gaps in the plan.

    "Yeah, that''s right. We lack information. I need more details for the plan to actually be complete."

    "How are we gonna do that?"

    Nick stands up from the chair and stares at the ceiling for a moment. "Hey, who do you think would know where the machine is?"

    "Who? I think it''s the terrorists since they''re the ones who planned all of this. What do you mean by the... Ohhh!!"

    "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?"

    Nick turns around with a grin, while Neil nods sinisterly.

    "Let''s go kidnap some terrorists."

 Interrogation

    As a terrorist drives a truck on his way to a headquarters somewhere in New York, he notices something suspicious in a small alley he passes.

    "Did I just see someone run through?"

    He stops the truck, grabs his rifle, and cautiously steps out, making his way toward the alley.

    "Is anyone there?"

    In response, only the eerie silence of the dark alley greets him. He decides to push forward, venturing deeper into the shadows until visibility becomes a challenge. Turning left into another alley within the first, he spots a shadow moving swiftly.

    "HEY, STOP!!"

    He begins to chase the shadow, but it moves too fast for him to catch up. The darkness thickens, and the surrounding buildings block out the sunlight, leaving him unable to see anything clearly. Realizing he can''t catch up, the terrorist fires a warning shot.

    "Don''t shoot! Don''t shoot!"

    At the sound of the gunshot, the shadow stops, turns around, and the terrorist finally sees the face of the figure.

    "I''m just a kid." The shadow turns out to be a teenager, around 17, looking like a high school student.

    "Why are you running?"

    "I''m just... scared. I can''t find my friends, and there are people with guns on the streets. Are you one of them?"

    "Come here, kiddo, and put your hands in the air!"

    The teenager walks toward him slowly, tears in his eyes.

    "That''s right, just like tha¡ª"

    BAM!!!

    The terrorist collapses, dropping his rifle as he falls to the ground, slowly losing consciousness. Someone had struck him in the head with a gun so hard that he immediately dropped to his knees. In a brief moment, he catches a glimpse of the high schooler stopping, glancing at him with a look of relief or joy. That is the last thing he sees before everything goes black.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

    "Trust me. This will work. If it doesn''t, we can still capture another one."

    "What the..."

    He slowly regains consciousness, feeling the cold against his bare skin. Before he can fully process what''s happening, he realizes he''s tied to a chair, wearing nothing but his boxers. The chill and the tightness of the ropes make him feel trapped.

    "Hello there!"

    "Where am I?"

    The first thing his eyes focus on is the glaring light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room has no windows, with a single staircase leading up. It''s dirty and has the feel of a basement. In front of him, three adults stand, menacingly watching him.

    "Oh, so you can speak English, though not fluently."

    "Who the hell are you?"

    "Me? Just a regular guy. You can call me Neil, by the way."

    The man, Neil, grabs a chair and sits across from him.

    "Let''s keep this simple. You tell us where the machine is, how to deactivate it, and maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªwe''ll let you walk out of here in one piece after we''re done."

    "What machine? And why should I tell you?"

    "You know exactly what I''m talking about¡ªthe machine that''s causing that thing in the sky. Oh, and while we''re at it, where''s your headquarters?"

    "You really think you can kidnap me, strip me, tie me up, and I''ll just spill everything?"

    "Yes, I do. Because you definitely don''t want to find out what happens if you don''t."

    "Hah! Go ahead, try me."

    "You''re going to regret this."

    Neil rises from the chair and leans toward Nick, whispering, "Well, I gave him a chance. Time to take some... professional measures."

    "What do you mean?"The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Neil grins darkly. "Oh, this is going to be absolutely dreadful."

    While Neil continues his "interrogation," the students wait anxiously on the ground floor. They''re horrified, imagining the terrible things that might be happening to cause the terrorist to scream so loudly. Then, an unexpected sound drifts up from the basement:

    "Wait... is he laughing?"

    "HAHAHAHA! STOP! PLEASE! HAHAHAHA!"

    "Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

    "What the hell?" Mike blurts out.

    "I was expecting something brutal," he adds, shaking his head. "But this...?"

    Down in the basement, Neil holds a feather, mercilessly tickling the terrorist''s stomach, armpits, and feet. It turns out the man is surprisingly susceptible to tickling.

    "Come on, guys! There are kids here!"

    "STOP! HAHAHA! PLEASE, STOP!"

    Neil pauses for a moment. "Well, that should be enough. Are you ready to talk now?"

    "NEVER!"

    "Alright."

    "No, no, please! Stop!"

    "NONONONOOOOO! HAHAHAHA!"

    After another failed attempt at negotiation, Neil resumes the relentless tickling. For 30 straight minutes, he keeps at it, leaving the terrorist utterly exhausted. Yet, despite the torment, the man stays stubbornly silent.

    "Damn, this guy''s like an iron man."

    "Is that all you''ve got? I''ve been tickled for so long, I don''t feel anything anymore!"

    "Hmmm, maybe we need a different approach. Nick, do you have a bucket or barrel?"

    "Of course I do. I''m a bartender! But why?"

    "Do you know about Chinese water torture?"

    "...Ahh... I''ll get a bucket."

    ...

    A little while later, Neil returns with a bucket that''s clearly leaking water. Neil drags the still-bound terrorist to the ground, forcing him to lie flat. He then secures the leaky bucket on a frame above the man''s head, letting the water slowly drip onto his forehead.

    "What... what is this?" The terrorist asks, a mix of confusion and unease in his voice.

    "Oh, don''t worry about it." Neil replies casually. "It''s just water." He leans in close to Mike and Nick, lowering his voice to a whisper. "For the next 12 hours, no one talks to him. Leave him here, alone in the dark. Let the water do its work. Now, let''s get some rest."

    With that, Neil straightens up, and the three of them¡ªNeil, Mike, and Nick¡ªstart walking back upstairs. They switch off the lights, leaving the terrorist alone in the dark, where the water will deliver its slow torment.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Chad climbs the steps to the bar''s roof. A few minutes ago, he''d asked Nick about Selena, whom he hadn''t seen in a while. Nick told him to check the roof. Following Nick''s instructions, Chad unlocks the door and pushes it open, stepping out onto the roof. The first thing he notices is Selena sitting alone on the concrete floor, her eyes fixed intently on the sky.

    "... Hi!"

    "Hey!"

    He sits down beside her.

    "What are you doing out here?"

    "Well, Mister Nick said I could go to the roof, so here I am."

    "I know, but why?"

    "I don''t know... it just feels good."

    "OK..."

    After that, neither of them says a word. Chad wonders what she''s staring at, though he, too, keeps his eyes on the sky. Both of them are captivated by the moon, enormous, bright, and mesmerizing.

    He takes a quick glance at the moon and is struck by its terrifying beauty, especially in a New York City shrouded in darkness, caused by the terrorists. For a moment, he forgets about the girl sitting next to him, so captivated by the moonlight. Then:

    "Hey!"

    "Hah???"

    "I used to hear a story."

    "What story?"

    "It was about a princess who came from the moon. Want to hear it?"

    "Sure, why not?"

    Selena turns her gaze back to the moon, and her lips begin to move slowly.

    "... Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was an old but kind woodcutter who worked in the forest every day. One day, he found a tiny baby, the size of a finger, inside a bamboo tree. The old man took the baby home and named her Kaguya. When he brought her home, his wife fed her milk, and she grew really fast.

    Kaguya made friends with the poor kids in the neighborhood. Every day, they ran along the mountainside, picked flowers, sang with the birds, chased frogs, and stole melons."

    Selena continues her story with excitement, and Chad can''t take his eyes off her.

    "Later, Kaguya seemed to have magical powers, and she brought the family good luck, including a lot of money. As she grew into a beautiful woman, five princes, and even the Emperor, came to ask for her hand in marriage. But Kaguya turned them all down. She started spending a lot of time staring at the moon, looking sad.

    The family then realized Kaguya wasn''t from this world and that she had to go back someday. She wrote goodbye letters to her friends and family and left with the people who came to take her back to the moon. The Emperor, heartbroken, went up the mountain to burn a letter for his lost love."

    "That''s... a good story. Seriously, where did you read about it? I''d love to read the whole thing!"

    "My sister told me about it. It was a fairy tale, I suppose. Ever since then, I''ve developed a habit of looking at the moon, just observing and contemplating it. Soon, the moon became my companion during moments of loneliness, sadness, and even happiness. It never turned away, it was always facing me. I also hoped that someday I might meet Kaguya. Then I learned that NASA landed Apollo on the moon''s surface and found nothing but dust and rocks. That''s when I realized, the moon was just a bunch of rocks pulled together by gravity. Kaguya was a fictional character, and I had been talking to myself all along."

    "... Oh... sorry to hear that. I didn''t expect you to say that..."

    "No, it''s fine. I wanted to tell you. It''s the reason I came up here, to gaze at the moon, for the sake of sightseeing, my old habit, and just to relax a little."

    "Yeah, me too..."

    ...

    ...

    "Hey."

    "?"

    After a while of awkward silence, Selena breaks it, and her words puzzle Chad.

    "Promise me."

    "... Promise what?"

    "That you would never betray me, like the moon did. That you''ll always be by my side and promise that I can trust you."

    Chad is confused by what she says, not fully understanding some parts. What does she mean by "always be on my side" and "I can trust you"? But he accepts it anyway, like a real SIMP.

    "Of course! I''ll always be here if you need me, and I would never betray you, not at all!"

    "Good. After this, I''d love to show you my hometown. Where I came from."

    "New Jersey?"

    "Do I look like I''m from New Jersey?"

    "You look pretty American to me."

    "Heh heh."

    "Hahaha."

    The two of them laugh together, and it''s the first time they''ve had fun after spending the entire day fleeing from terrorists. Before today, Chad and Selena rarely spoke to each other, keeping their interactions at the level of classmates. Even though they both wanted to get closer, they always felt uneasy talking for long periods.

    But today, they''ve opened up to each other, enjoying a great conversation about the moon and other topics like real friends. Selena smiles as if she''s accomplished something, and Chad feels like he''s made some progress.

    "Aishiteru."

    "Huh?"

    "Nothing. Anyway, we better head back."

    Chad follows Selena as she walks back up the stairs toward the bar, reflecting on what she said and thinking, What a strange girl.

 The Reason for Everything

    Meanwhile, in the Situation Room, the Vice President is discussing the crisis with his assistants and generals. After several hours, they pause, as no one has any new ideas to resolve the situation.

    The atmosphere feels grey and hopeless.

    "What should we do?" A general asks the Vice President.

    "I have no idea. We tried bombing it, but that didn''t work. We sent troops to swim across the Hudson River, but the field even reached the waters. We tried to communicate with the inside, but something seems to be jamming our signals. How about we try digging a tunnel?"

    "That wouldn''t work. It would take a whole company just to build the tunnel. It would be so loud and large that the terrorists would notice, and they''d ambush us before we even get close. Using the sewage system isn''t feasible either, as we can only transport small, light weapons." The intelligence analyst says.

    "See? So, to answer your question about ''What should we do?'' We''ve already done everything, and none of it worked."

    "So, are we just going to wait for some miracle to happen?"

    "Right now, yes. The terrorists must have planned this carefully. They wouldn''t capture an entire city for nothing, knowing they''ll soon run out of food and fuel and eventually be eliminated by us. They''ll ask for something in return for the city''s freedom."

    "Something? Like what? What could we possibly have that''s so valuable that they would take an international city and our President hostage?"

    "I don''t know. Whatever they ask for, we have to consider it carefully¡ªwhether it''s money, revenge, or something else. But for now, we wait¡­ at least until they make contact with us."

    As soon as the Vice President finishes speaking, the assistant standing beside him touches his shoulder. "Sir, we''ve received an incoming video call to the White House. Our agents have answered, and they say they are the ones holding the city hostage. Their leader wants to speak with you. They''re waiting for our response."

    "... Well, things are moving quickly, aren''t they? Show it on the screen."

    "Yes, sir." The assistant nods and, following the Vice President''s order, the TV screen at the end of the room automatically switches to a new display, controlled by the technicians. At first, the screen is a bit laggy and static-filled, but after a few seconds, the signal stabilizes. A man appears on the screen, with features suggesting he is Arabic.

    "Hello, Mister Vice President, Generals, Ministers, and everyone else in the room. I assume you''ve figured out everything by now?" The Arabic man greets the Vice President.

    "Yes, and may I ask who you are?"

    The man leans closer to the screen, resting his forearms on the desk, parallel to each other.

    "Well, let''s skip the small talk and get to the point. As you all know, we are holding your president and the lives of millions of New York City civilians in our hands¡ª"

    "Nope." The Vice President cuts him off.

    "I''m sorry?"

    "First, prove that you''re holding President Mikael captive."

    "... If you say so..."

    The man stands up from his chair and walks away from the camera. The people in the Situation Room watch the screen, their curiosity and anxiety mounting. They sit in stunned disbelief when he returns with the "proof". As he reappears on the screen, his right hand drags another chair with him.

    "Oh my God!"

    "Mmmhhh! MMMHHH!!"

    President Mikael is bound to a chair, his mouth and eyes taped shut, preventing him from screaming for help or finding a way out.

    "Is this good enough? Oh, and as a bonus, I''ll give you a warning. If you do anything suspicious or dare to fight against us, get ready to prepare a box for your president... No, actually, make that two boxes. I''ll be preparing him with this."

    The man pulls out an axe, its blade gleaming with an eerie, almost menacing shine. Yet, what terrifies them even more is his threat to use it against the President. To prevent the situation from escalating further, everyone composes themselves and pays close attention.

    "Alright, let''s hear your demands." One of them says cautiously.

    The man shoves the President''s chair out of view of the webcam and sits back down, resuming his earlier posture.

    "First, we demand the immediate withdrawal of all your troops from Afghanistan and the unconditional removal of sanctions on Cuba."

    The Vice President nods, signaling for the man to continue.

    "Second, hand over West Germany to the control of East Germany''s gover¡ª"

    "I''m sorry, what?" The Vice President interjects, caught off guard.

    "Oh, sorry for my bad English. Ahem, let me repeat: hand over West Germany to the control of the Soviet Union. Is there a problem?" The man asks, his tone sharp.

    The Vice President straightens, his voice measured but firm. "I''m sorry to say we can''t agree to that. Withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and lifting sanctions on Cuba, those are acceptable. We''ve been discussing those for years. But giving up a major allied territory, especially Germany? That would plunge us into chaos, and it could even lead to war."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Before the Vice President can finish his sentence, the man drags the President back into view of the webcam and raises the gleaming axe. "Well, I guess we have no choice but to..."

    "Whoa! WHOA! OKAY, OKAY! Just give us a week, and we''ll consider¡ª"

    The man''s response is swift and brutal. He brings the axe down, slicing into the President''s leg.

    "AAAHHHHHHHHMM!!!!"

    The President''s scream fills the room, muffled but agonizing, as blood pools beneath him. The President screams helplessly, his mouth and eyes taped shut. He doesn''t even know what''s been done to him, unable to ask for help. His muffled cries are either swallowed by the soundproof room or fall on deaf ears, with no one available to save him.

    "Okay, TWO DAYS! Give us two days, and we''ll consider it! But if you hurt him, we can''t give you what you want!" The Vice President pleads, his voice trembling.

    Fortunately, the cut isn''t deep enough to cause lasting damage. With proper treatment, the President''s leg could fully heal. The man, however, remains emotionless as he lowers the axe, his demeanor cold and calculated. The way he executed the act makes it clear, it was deliberate, a chilling message that he isn''t bluffing.

    "Hmm... Well, I suppose there''s no point in continuing this conversation. I''ll give you two days to decide." The man says, his tone cold and final. "And if you reject our demands at that time, well, prepare the boxes. Choose wisely, Mister Vice President."

    With that, the man ends the video call. The room falls into a heavy silence, the weight of the situation sinking in. Everyone realizes they are facing a threat potentially more devastating to America than 9/11, one that might leave scars impossible to heal, even once it''s over.

    "Does anyone know who that man is?" The Vice President asks, his voice strained.

    An intelligence officer steps forward, her face grim. "According to our sources, he calls himself Gabriel. He''s one of the Taliban commanders we attempted to assassinate. The mission failed, though. Instead, we accidentally killed a woman and her child."

    "What?! How did that happen?"

    "The assassin we sent misfired." The intelligence officer replies, her tone subdued, and then, a collective sigh echoes through the room.

    "Maybe this is about revenge?" Someone in the room suggests.

    The vice president shakes his head. "He''s making political demands. If it were revenge, that''s not what he''d be asking for."

    "Then why on earth is he asking for these things?"

    "I don''t know." The Vice President admits, his face clouding with unease. He rests his hands under his chin. "But I have a very bad feeling about this."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "Seven hours... I think that''s enough." Neil mutters to himself.

    Seven long hours have passed since Neil used the water torture technique on the defiant terrorist. Deciding that waiting any longer would be pointless, he heads back down to the basement, Mike and Nick trailing behind him. The students remain upstairs on the ground floor, anxiously waiting.

    "Hello there again!"

    Neil steps into the basement, greeting the terrorist as he flicks on the light, revealing the man staring down at his own feet with a strange, unsettling intensity.

    "Daddy toes, daddy toes, where are you? Here I am, here I am, how do you do? Eheheh." The terrorist mutters.

    Unable to see his fingers because they are tied behind him, he resorts to using his toes, almost as if performing a twisted game.

    "What have you done?" Mike yells. "You''ve turned him into a lunatic! Now, instead of talking, he just sings nursery rhymes."

    "Oh, you''re back!" The terrorist, who had been lying on the floor, gazes up at Neil with an unsettling mix of happiness and excitement.

    Neil raises an eyebrow. "How do you feel right now?"

    "I feel lightheaded," the terrorist responds with a giggle. "I haven''t moved for hours, so I can''t feel my body anymore, but I can still see everything, even in the darkness! I talked to a spider in the corner. What a cute little spider! I told him to bring me some food, but he just stood there."

    Neil ignores the rambling, his voice sharp as he cuts to the chase. "Where is your headquarters?"

    "..."

    The terrorist remains silent, his defiance clear. With a heavy sigh, Neil turns around, signaling Mike and Nick to follow him as he starts heading toward the stairs. It''s clear that he''s willing to leave the terrorist alone in the basement for a few more hours.

    "No, no! I''ll talk!" The terrorist yells, his voice filled with desperation, the thought of enduring more time in the dark, with only the sounds of insects and dripping water, finally breaking him.

    "That''s more like it." Neil responds coolly.

    "But first, take this water piece of shit out of me!!" The terrorist demands, his voice shaking with frustration.

    "As soon as you tell us everything, we''ll take it out." Neil replies, unwavering.

    The terrorist has no choice but to grit his teeth, his resolve cracking as he continues to endure the suffocating discomfort, knowing that his only hope for relief lies in giving them the information they want.

    "Okay, so..." The terrorist hesitates for a moment, then finally speaks up, "Our headquarters is the Empire State. A few weeks ago, we got men to rebuild the entire building and place a machine on top. I don¡¯t know how it works, nor how to deactivate it."

    "Why the Empire State?" Neil presses.

    "I have no idea. But the leader said we got help from inside the US government, and the Empire State is the only place that agreed to help us."

    "WHAT?!" Neil exclaims. "You mean there¡¯s a traitor? Right inside the US government? Someone with that kind of authority, able to operate without being caught?"

    "I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s just a rumor." The terrorist shrugs as Neil¡¯s gaze hardens. "How many of you are there? And how did you all plan this operation?"

    "There¡¯s about a hundred of us. All volunteered, of course. About 30 are guarding the headquarters, while the rest are patrolling, holding hostages. The leaders planned everything, so I don¡¯t know anything about the drones, or how the weapon was transported."

    "Why hold hostages when you already have control of the whole city?" Neil asks with skepticism.

    "The hostages represent the fate of everyone in this city." The terrorist explains. "The US government won¡¯t do anything stupid if they know what we could do to their citizens."

    "... Final question. What''s the purpose of all this?"

    "To ignite a war."

    ...

    "What?!"

    "I said, to ignite war!" The terrorist¡¯s voice grows more intense. "A war between the US and the Soviets. Do you really think we would risk our lives just to kidnap people for no reason? We¡¯re going to execute the US President, broadcast it to the world, and before we leave, we¡¯ll cover the entire capitalistic New York City with Soviet flags. That¡¯s more than enough to provoke the US government into declaring war on the Soviet Union and its allies!"

    With fury in his eyes, Neil grabs the terrorist by the neck, pulling him close, their faces mere inches apart. "Do you even understand what war means? It means the death of millions of innocent people because of your nonsense!"

    The terrorist smirks, unfazed. "Yeah, a lot of people will die, but that¡¯s what the US deserves. For what they¡¯ve done to the nations that don¡¯t follow their orders. And there¡¯s no way the Soviet Red Army would lose; they¡¯ve been preparing for this the whole time."

    Neil¡¯s eyes narrow. "The Soviet government knew about this? Are they the ones behind all of this?"

    "Of course! Where do you think we get our funding from?"

    SLAM!

    Neil¡¯s anger erupts, and he throws the terrorist back onto the floor with a brutal force.

    "So the whole goddamn ''Peace Treaty'' that lets Russians live here was their plan all along! Fuck!!" Neil curses, his fists clenching in rage.

    "Chad was right. We have to stop this at all costs!"

 The Plan

    "So¡­ you''re saying this whole terrorist attack was just to create a reason and start a war between the Soviet Union and the United States?"

    "Yes..."

    Chad stands there, stunned, after hearing the information Neil got from the terrorist. He groans and rubs his forehead.

    "I thought what happened to us was the worst of it, but it turns out the situation is way more complicated, and much worse than we could ever imagine."

    "What should we do?" Someone asks.

    "As I said before, our plan was to do whatever we could to save the city and the innocent people from the terrorists. But after what Mister Neil said, we now have more than enough reason to stop their plan at all costs. However, this will be extremely dangerous, so I won''t force anyone to join if they don''t want to."

    As Chad finishes speaking, Neil turns back and locks eyes with everyone: "Anyone who wants to go, raise your hand."

    The first hands raised are Chad''s, Nick''s, and Neil''s. As Chad watches his friends make their decisions in silence, his heart races when no one else raises their hand. He starts to worry that his plan will fail at the first step.

    ...

    But as soon as Roy, his best friend, raises his hand, Chad''s anxiety disappears. Even though he knows he''s leading his friend into danger, he feels relieved and happy to have him along, even if his face doesn''t show it. What''s even more surprising is the three others who raise their hands after Roy.

    "Brent, Ben, and Saiko? You guys are coming too?" Brent frowns at Chad''s strange question. "What? You asked if we wanted to go, and when we said yes, now you''re questioning our decision?!"

    "No, it just feels odd that you guys would want to do something like this."

    "I''m not staying here with the girls like a loser."

    "Alright then, anyone else?"

    ...

    Despite the silence, Chad notices that Mike seems a little hesitant. What he doesn''t know is that Mike is struggling with himself inside.

    ''Come on, nigga, you can do this! You''ve been a coward your whole life. This is your chance to do something meaningful, to be someone who can help others! You can do it! YOU CAN DO IT!!''

    Mike slowly, but steadily, raises his hand, trembling so violently and sweating so much that others might think he''s being forced: "I... want... to... join... too."

    Mike immediately regrets his decision to join, but he can''t take it back because of his fear of humiliation. Chad, however, isn''t sure if it''s a good idea to let Mike go, even though he gathered the courage to say it out loud.

    Mike is the last one to join the team, leaving only Selena and Jenny at the bar as a result of their decision to stay. This gives Chad another reason to reject Mike, he feels it wouldn''t be right to leave two girls alone, unable to protect themselves, but he has to go because he is the one leading the operation.

    After some time of thinking, he came up with a solution: "Mike, how about you stay here with Selena and Jenny?" He reasons that this is the best option, as it keeps the girls safe with a man there to protect them, and it also increases the chances of success because "shy Mike" won''t slow them down.

    But Mike''s face shows disbelief, unable to process what he''s hearing: "But didn''t I say I wanted to go?"

    "I know, I know, but if you go too, who would protect Selena and Jenny? Who''s good enough to keep them safe without risking the operation? That''s why I think you should stay with them. That way, you''ll be an even bigger help to us... and to me." Chad inexplicably looks away.

    "But I don''t know what to do."

    "Don''t worry. All you need to do is close all the doors and windows after we leave. Until we return or the mission is successful, keep a rifle with you at all times. And if anyone comes to the bar, except us, you might have to shoot. Got it?"

    "Okay, I guess that makes sense." Mike puts on a dissatisfied face, but inside, he''s sighing with relief. He steps back, letting the "squad members" focus on their mission planning.

    "Alright, so we know where the force field machine is, we know how many of them are there, and we''ve got 7 people on the team."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Yep."

    "The problem is, how do we get in? How do we deactivate the machine, and how do we get out safely once they know what we''ve done?"

    ...

    Chad pauses, giving himself and the group a moment to think. After a brief silence, Neil speaks up: "What if... we disguise ourselves as them?"

    "???"

    "The terrorists I''ve seen, whether they''re strong or weak, leaders or soldiers, all wear the same kind of uniform and mask, covering their faces except for their eyes and nose. It''s the same as the one we captured."

    "So, you''re suggesting we dress like them to sneak inside and get the job done?"

    "Yes, it''s actually not that hard. We just need to... capture 6 more of them to get enough suits. And from what I''ve observed, the terrorists don''t stay in one place all the time. They can move around the city as long as they don''t disrupt their mission or raise suspicion. Like the guy in the basement, he was driving somewhere with the truck before we captured him."

    "What do you guys think?" Chad looks around at the team to see if they''re on board with Neil''s idea.

    "I agree with Neil," Nick says. "Attacking them head-on would be suicide, so sneaking in by disguising ourselves is probably the best and most practical option."

    "Yeah, I think so."

    "Me too."

    "Same."

    As everyone else agrees with Nick, Chad decides to go ahead with Neil''s plan.

    "Alright, so now we know what we''ll do, but we still need to figure out how to disable the force field machine."

    "Why don''t we just attach a timed bomb and blow it up?" Nick suggests.

    "I thought of that too, but you''ve got to remember, this machine might be something out of science fiction. It could use materials or physics that humanity hasn''t even discovered yet. What if it''s radioactive? Blowing it up could make things worse, killing millions with cancer while we were trying to save them."

    "¡­"

    Nick falls silent, processing what Chad said. The others are equally quiet, as they have no other plan. Without knowing how the machine works, they can''t figure out how to disable it without causing more harm.

    "How about this?" Chad suggests. "Let me approach the machine with a timed bomb. I''ll analyze it to see if it''s safe to blow up. If it is, we''ll set the bomb. If not, I''ll find another way to disable it."

    "But what if that doesn''t work either?"

    "Then I''ll blow up the power source. Without power, the machine won''t have the energy to sustain the field."

    "Why don''t we just do that from the start?"

    "Because some machines could malfunction and cause something worse, like¡­ radiation, if we force them to shut down abruptly. Like I said, I need to analyze whether it''s safe to destroy the power source. Clear?"

    They nod.

    "And finally... once we''ve finished our job, we''ll blend in with the terrorists by acting like we don''t know what happened. Or, if we end up blowing up the machine, we''ll get out of the building before the timer goes off, leaving the sky open and letting the military handle the rest. Sound good?"

    They nod again.

    "Now let''s¡ª"

    "I think there''s a flaw in your plan," Saiko suddenly speaks up.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You said we''d capture 6 more terrorists just to get their suits, but don''t you think that''s risky? What if their comrades get suspicious? Worse, what if they manage to escape? We clearly can''t bring them with us, and we can''t just tie them up in another building, they could escape and report back to their base, making our mission even harder."

    "But we also can''t imprison them here. Six unarmed but highly skilled terrorists, plus the one under the basement, would be more than enough to defeat Mike, even if he has a gun and manages to escape the bar. So... unless you can come up with a different plan, we''ll have to kill them."

    Saiko''s bold argument leaves everyone, including Chad, speechless. It''s true, they can''t afford to treat the terrorists humanely, fearing they''ll retaliate. But they don''t have a better solution. Chad, however, makes the decision not to follow Saiko''s advice.

    "No... No! I won''t kill them!"

    "But they''re terrorists! They''ve killed many people and caused so much suffering. Why should we spare them?"

    "I know, but if we kill them the same way they tried to kill us, we''re no better than them. We''d be no more than brutal, heartless monsters."

    Neil feels a bit offended.

    "They are criminals, and criminals deserve to be punished by the law. But you''re right, we can''t just capture 6 more terrorists and expect them to behave. So, what do we do?"

    "What if we don''t have to?" Chad gives Saiko a bewildered look.

    "I mean, we only need to deactivate the machine, right? That would take no more than 3 people. The others can hide somewhere and serve as backup."

    "Yeah... why didn''t I think of that? I didn''t realize I could count on you like this, Saiko. Honestly, I almost forgot you were the second smartest in the class."

    "Heh, second smartest..." Saiko murmurs with irony.

    "Okay, so does anyone have any other opinions?"

    Ben raises his hand.

    "Yeah?"

    "Uh... the terrorists have guns and bombs, we have nothing. Aside from the rifle we took from them, we barely have anything to protect ourselves."

    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that." Neil shakes his head as he speaks.

    "Nick?" He calls out to Nick.

    "I thought you''d never ask."

    Nick moves slowly behind the bar, while the others are still unsure about what''s going on. On the side of the wall, which serves as a shelf for wines and other alcoholic beverages, there''s something that looks like a calculator. Nick approaches it and presses a few buttons that seem to be part of a password. The whole scene begins to feel like something out of a spy movie as he presses the red button. The wall starts to rotate 180 degrees with loud mechanical creaks.

    By the time it''s halfway turned, the bottles and wines are gone, replaced by something else, something dark, long, and menacing, slowly emerging. When the wall finally stops, revealing what''s on the other side, all of them are left speechless, their jaws dropped.

    "Oh my God."

    The wall is lined with M4 shotguns, AR-15 rifles, G17 pistols... all displayed with their corresponding magazines and cartridges, arranged like works of art. The number of weapons could easily be double the number of people in the room, and the ammo supply would be enough to take down all the terrorists, with at least 15 rounds each.

    Nick grins as everyone continues to stare in astonishment."Told you there was no need to worry."

 Theres No Turning Back

    Any issues that they could think of have already been solved. Now, the only thing left is to carry out the plan. First, each person takes a handgun of their choosing, and anyone who can handle a rifle picks one up as well.

    Chad, Nick, and Neil are among them. Brent also tries to take an AR-15 but is advised against it by both Neil and Chad. They claim it''s too risky for someone inexperienced like him, but the real reason is their concern that Brent might turn the weapon on them. To their surprise, Brent agrees.

    The ones staying behind feel a bit worried as they watch the squad members excitedly gear up with their new "toys." Some are nervous because they''ll be alone for hours, or even days, while others fear this might be the last time they see their friends. After what happened to Sally, they couldn''t afford to underestimate the situation any longer. There would be no more chances for mistakes, and once they began their plan, there would be no turning back.

    "You want to use my backpack to carry the bomb?" Ben asks, looking at Nick.

    "Yes."

    "But how? We don''t even have a bomb."

    "Oh, I forgot to mention this part. The terrorists have a bunch of bombs. We''ll steal some, and we need your backpack because we''ll be carrying more than one," Neil explains.

    "Okay... but..."

    "If you''re worried about the backpack, I''ll buy you a new, better one later," Neil suggests.

    "..."

    When Ben pulled the zipper on his plain yellow backpack, the contents inside shocked them, despite the backpack itself being nothing special.

    "What the hell? Why are there snacks in here? I thought the museum didn''t allow people to bring food. And I even thought you brought your backpack to keep books," Neil sighed in disappointment.

    "Even worse, why''d you bring Lays? Who the hell wants to eat air?" Chad added.

    Roy, standing to the side, noticed something small, square-shaped, with a circular convex line on it, tucked away in one of the pockets inside the backpack. Meanwhile, Ben, who was sweating heavily, was being scrutinized by the others. He decided to pull it out of the backpack.

    "What is this?"

    "Oh hell no."

    "What in the actual fuck..."

    Ben pulled out a condom from his backpack. When Neil saw one of his well-behaved, obedient students bring a condom on a school trip, he almost passed out.

    "This isn''t mine!! Brent told me to buy all this stuff for him, and if I didn''t, he''d beat me up! I swear it''s not mine!"

    "Hey! I told you to keep it a secret!" Brent yelled.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    "Oh, so it''s true, huh?"

    "Uh... no! I mean... the snacks! Yes, I told him to buy snacks! Only the snacks!"

    "You can''t hide from it, Brent," Chad commented.

    "Dammit!"

    "Holy Christ."

    "Can we just... forget about this? Isn''t the mission more important?" Brent pleads for Neil''s forgiveness.

    "Fine. We''ll talk about this later."

    "Sure!" Both Ben and Brent say at the same time.

    "Okay, I think we should start now. Are we all set, Chad?"

    "Let me check..." Chad takes a moment to look around.

    "Yep, we''re all set."

    "Good, now let''s move out. We can''t waste another second."

    The entire team gave a unified nod and moved toward the back door. As they reached it, Nick began to unlock it, while Chad took one last look around the bar, particularly at Selena. Unbeknownst to him, Selena was quickly approaching. As soon as she reached him, she grabbed his hand and pulled it up near her chest.

    "Chad... Good luck... and please don''t die."

    Instantly, Chad''s face turned bright red, completely losing his usual composure.

    "Sure, sure, yeah, yeah! HEHEHE..."

    But as soon as he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he quickly calmed down, realizing that this wasn''t something to joke about. It was serious. Since there would be no turning back once they left to begin their operation, the risk of death was ever-present, with armed terrorists waiting for them.

    Selena wasn''t flirting; she was bidding him farewell from the heart, like a wife sending her husband off to battle, even though they weren''t real lovers... yet. Chad tightly grasped her hands and drew closer, finally understanding the depth of her emotions.

    "Don''t worry, I will save you, I will save everyone, and I won''t die until we''re all safe. I promise." Selena''s pupils widened as she heard those sweet words, ones she had never heard before, stirring her complex yet deep feelings for Chad. She wanted to say more, to spend more time with him, but ultimately, she felt it was enough.

    "I believe in you," Selena said, then retracted her hands, finishing her goodbyes before descending.

    "Lucky bastard." Brent whispered.

    "Eh hem!" Chad coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

    Everyone had already said their farewells to those staying behind. Neil stepped forward, taking his place by the now-unlocked back door. He grabbed the handle and took a deep breath.

    "Has everyone remembered the plan?"

    "Yes!" They all exclaimed.

    "What are we going to do?"

    "We''ll get closer to their building to have a look."

    "Then we''ll sneak inside and pretend to be one of them."

    "Next, we''ll find and locate the machine."

    "Finally, we''ll place a timed bomb and get out before it explodes."

    Each of them, starting with Chad, explained a portion of the plan in chronological order. After each person spoke, Neil confirmed that no one had missed anything or misinterpreted any part. Everyone now had a clear understanding of the plan. With relief, Neil nodded.

    "Remember, once I open this door and we step outside, you''ll be putting your lives on the line for millions of people in New York. I cannot guarantee your safety once we''re out there. Are you still determined to do this?!"

    "Yes!" They shouted without hesitation.

    "ARE YOU GUYS READY?!"

    "YES!!!"

    "...Good. Now, let''s go!"

    Neil began to turn the handle. In that brief moment, the anxiety levels of everyone shot up, and their hearts raced faster than ever. Despite holding powerful weapons, the fear of what awaited them beyond that door still gripped them.

    But they didn''t have to wait long. As soon as the door opened, a gust of freezing wind rushed in, sending goosebumps over their skin and frostbite deep into their bones. Even before it truly begins, the mission is already overwhelming and full of challenges, but none of them have chosen to back out. Without thinking, they start moving, one by one, stepping outside.

    Mike, Jenny, and Selena watch anxiously, unable to do anything but silently wave, hoping for the best. At the end of the line, Nick grabs the back door handle as soon as everyone is outside and looks back at the three of them.

    "Good luck."

    "You too." Mike replies.

    Nick smiles, then shuts the door. With that, they part ways, each saying their farewells, and the operation begins.

 First Casualties

    The streets are eerily quiet, the lights flickering faintly, and since they left the bar, nearly ten minutes have passed without a sight of the terrorists. Rather than moving with the focus of an elite team, the group starts to relax, almost treating it like a casual walk as they head toward the Empire State Building. They stick to shadowy alleyways to avoid detection by either the terrorists or the recon drones.

    "Honestly, this doesn''t feel like a life-or-death mission. It feels more like a hang-out." Brent comments.

    "Don''t let your guard down, Brent. Bad things happen to those who aren''t prepared for them." Neil says, his voice calm but carrying the weight of experience.

    "But seriously, if we keep hiding in dark alleys like this, there''s no way they could find us. What could possibly go wrong?" Brent grins, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

    "Yeah, keep bragging," Chad retorts. "Let''s see how confident you are when you''re face-to-face with the terrorists."

    "Remember, guys, we''re going to disguise ourselves as them and avoid engagement unless we''re exposed or attacked, alright?"

    "Yes, sir..." The others mutter in agreement.

    ...

    "Wait!"

    "What''s going on?"

    "Shhhhh!!"

    Although none of them fully understood what was happening, the entire squad fell silent at Neil''s command, instinctively lowering their heads, trying to remain hidden. With everyone holding their breath, the sounds around them grew sharper. Besides the wind''s howling, there was another, far more ominous noise. The engine roared, and the tires scraped against the pavement, sending chills down their spines.

    It didn''t take long for them to realize: a terrorist truck was driving by. Every one of them tensed up, caught between fight and flight. Summoning all his courage, Neil slowly peeked outside to assess the vehicle. From his vantage point, Neil noticed that the truck was slowing down, about to stop near the alley. He instinctively wanted to step further out to see the driver''s face when it came to a halt.

    However, as the truck''s headlights suddenly flashed into their alley, Neil quickly retreated back into the shadows, his face narrowly escaping the light. After a few moments, the truck''s lights shut off, and Neil could hear the unmistakable sounds of footsteps crunching on the ground, mixing with the low rumble of the vehicle.

    "Are you sure there''s something in this alley?" One of the terrorists asked.

    "Absolutely! I''m telling you, I heard laughter coming from here."

    It seemed like only two terrorists were approaching. Although the squad could hear the terrorists'' conversation, most of them couldn''t understand it, as none of them spoke English. However, judging by their intonation and accent, it sounded somewhat like Russian.

    Nick, however, had taught himself Russian for unexpected "emergency" situations. As he listens, his expression darkens, and he glares at Brent, because it was Brent''s laughing and talking that drew the terrorists to this alley in the first place. Brent, noticing Nick''s intense stare, grimaces. ''WTF man?''

    "Come on, man, we''re wasting time here. The leader''s gonna beat our asses if we don''t get him fed on time."

    The terrorist who stopped the truck did so out of pure curiosity: who in the world would dare to laugh and wander outside this late, especially with the city under curfew? However, after hearing what his companion said, he pictured their leader''s furious face if they didn''t bring him his food on time.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Fine... let''s get back in the truck." Changing his mind, he turned away, and both of them climbed back into the vehicle.

    Neil''s squad couldn''t understand their Russian, but from the sound of footsteps fading into the distance, they could tell the terrorists were leaving. As if by instinct, they all exhaled in relief. But just as the tension eased, Ben shifted his stance, and his foot landed in a small muddy puddle. He slipped sideways, crashing into the water, sending a loud splash echoing through the alley.

    "Who''s there?!" The terrorists, now certain that someone was hiding in the alley, switched to English, demanding whoever was inside to come out.

    Everyone froze in terror, their minds racing over what would happen next. Ben, his face full of regret, clamped a hand over his mouth, he had messed up big time. But while the others panicked, Neil and Nick snapped into action, their training kicking in as they prepared to engage.

    Despite their best efforts to avoid a fight, it was all in vain. The two terrorists, growing impatient, decided to stop waiting and rushed into the alley. Neil raised his rifle, ready to engage. The terrorists, assuming they were dealing with unarmed civilians, let their guard down, a fatal mistake. The moment Neil saw a head emerge in front of him, he swiftly adjusted his aim and pulled the trigger twice. Two shots in less than a second.

    It all happened so fast that the terrorist didn''t even register what was going on. The bullets tore through his face, one entering through his mouth, the other through his nose, before blasting out the back of his skull, leaving two gaping holes. He was dead before he hit the ground.

    The moment the second terrorist heard gunfire and saw his comrade collapse in front of him, he froze. Despite his training for situations like this, he was too slow to react. Fresh off his first kill, Neil instinctively sprang from cover in less than a second. The shocked terrorist barely had time to process what was happening before Neil pulled the trigger again, without hesitation.

    This time, a burst of three rounds drilled straight through the man''s forehead. In less than five seconds, the first terrorist was dead. The second followed right after. After confirming that the terrorists are dead and that he hasn''t missed, Neil calmly dusts off his suit and stands up.

    "Everyone okay?" His voice is calm and focused, as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

    "... Yes..." The students respond hesitantly. After everything they''ve witnessed the day before, they still haven''t gotten used to things like this. Seeing it unfold right before their eyes just seconds ago makes them realize it will take a long time for them to adjust to this new reality.

    "Good. Then let''s keep moving. And you." Neil points at Brent.

    "Shut up."

    Brent nods frantically, terrified both by what he just witnessed and by Neil''s cold demeanor. With everything now settled, they continue toward the Empire State Building. From now on, silence falls over the group.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Half an hour later, they arrive at the Empire State Building. However, the squad stays near the building and decides not to enter just yet. If they do, they''ll be killed immediately by the dozens of terrorists guarding every door. Instead, they find a nearby building where they can do recon before carrying out stage 2, which includes disguising themselves and infiltrating.

    "Nick, what do you see?"

    "They have four guards at the main entrance, a couple more inside the building, about five of them. And based on this kind of formation, there could be snipers around."

    "Good. Guess your skills didn''t rot after spending years mastering the art of making beverages, huh?"

    "Is that a compliment or something?"

    Neil and Nick lie low, spying from the rooftop of a nearby building, while Chad and his friends wait on the ground floor for the two men to finish their recon.

    "Honestly, I don''t like this. Sticking my head out just to count how many of them are there is freaking scary," Nick complains.

    "Why?"

    "Isn''t it obvious? The second I make eye contact with just one of them, we''re dead."

    "Didn''t you tell me you''re a master at playing hide and seek with the enemy?"

    "That was a long time ago, back in Afghanistan. I never said I liked it."

    "Me neither."

    "So... how do we get inside?"

    "Hmm... Look at that, isn''t that the underground parking?"

    "Yeah, I didn''t notice. Look! There''s a truck coming out from inside." Neil moves closer to the balcony for a better look, but he also risks exposing his head.

    "Get your head down!" Nick slaps Neil''s back, pulling him back to safety.

    "Sorry."

    "The truck seems to be loaded with food, water, and other necessities."

    "Look. There''s another truck coming too, but it''s loaded with... nothing?!"

    "Oh, I get it. Trucks come in empty and leave with food and water. If I remember correctly, the terrorist we killed earlier did mention he was heading to the State to do something before stopping for us."

    "So that''s what the trucks are for. They''re bringing supplies to the areas where they''re holding hostages."

    "Wait. If you look closely, it seems like no one''s bothering to check who the driver is, or even what''s being carried on the trucks. Probably too many trucks coming and going for anyone to keep track."

    "I think... I know what to do."