《Rainfall》


 Prologue

    The sound of heavy raindrops slamming down on the worn-out asphalt of the deserted street filled the air, creating a symphony of natural music that echoed throughout the empty surroundings. Amidst this eerie atmosphere, the only light within the dark streets were soldiers carrying flashlights. A patch could be seen on the soldiers that depicted two handguns across each other and a knife in the middle.


    Within the darkness, there was a hard-to-read sign with the words,


    "District 8 Checkpoint."


    At the checkpoint, two guards were seen standing, one engrossed in reading a magazine, while the other trembled uncontrollably. A closer look at the second guard revealed that he was a recruit, still new to the job.


    The guard, with his nose buried in the magazine, looked up and noticed the recruit''s nervousness. "Chill out, rookie. You''re going to end up firing that gun off," he said, his tone slightly mocking.


    The loud yell startled the recruit, and he almost dropped his gun. However, he managed to regain his grip before anything bad could happen.


    "Look, go rest up. I''ll take watch for the night," the senior guard said kindly, noticing the recruit''s discomfort.


    The recruit hesitated for a moment and commented on the fact that he was too busy reading a pointless magazine, but ultimately decided to follow orders and went inside a small room that the two could use for warmth and shelter.


    The room had a single flickering light bulb, and the walls were covered with graffiti with the words ¡°Follow the Crow," giving it a desolate and unwelcoming feel. As the rookie laid down his gun, a sound of thunder roared in the night sky, which was followed by the sound of a crow squawking in the distance.


    At first, the rookie didn''t think much of the sound but remembered one key piece of information he was told by his superiors.


    "Remember, if you hear the sound of a crow, be alert, as who knows where he''s hiding?"


    The rookie grabbed his gun and ran outside, asking if the other guard heard the crow too.


    The other guard laughed off the rookie''s concern and asked if he was hearing things, as he didn''t hear a crow. While laughing, a crow squawked again, and this time the senior guard heard it and immediately got on his radio and called for backup.


    "This is Shaun Howard! District 8 Checkpoint! He''s here! I repeat, he''s here!"


    Howard instructed the rookie to point his gun at where he heard the crow.


    The night for the two guards got even worse as the sound of a guitar rift got closer and closer. Howard got on his radio again and said, "It''s him! Get here right now and help me! Argh!"


    A knife was thrown into Howard¡¯s right leg, causing him to fall to the floor in pain. Looking back at the darkness, the rookie was able to see a white mask get closer, frozen in place. The rookie couldn¡¯t do anything but watch the man get closer to him.


    "Having a nice evening, gentleman? Oh, what do we have here?" The stranger picked up the magazine. "Let''s see... Oh, what would your mother say if she saw you looking at this filth?" The stranger noticed the rookie pointing his gun at him. "What are you going to do, boy? Shoot me? I hate to tell you this, but bullets don''t affect me in the slightest."


    Howard quietly reached for his gun and started firing all the bullets in the clip at the stranger. The stranger fell to the floor before getting back up, proving that what he said earlier was true: bullets have no effect on him. Howard reloaded his gun and started firing it until he ran out of bullets. The stranger had had enough of Howard and proceeded to disarm him before grabbing Howard¡¯s right arm and snapping it in half.


    The bone-crushing sound was enough for the rookie to drop his gun, now petrified of the stranger.


    But the stranger wasn¡¯t finished with Howard as he pulled out a knife; he kept him under his arm.


    "Now you''ve had your fun taking shots at me. Now let me return the fun."


    The screams produced by Howard were enough to cause birds to fly away; the rookie was unable to look away, and once finished, the stranger turned around, showing his once-white mask was now covered in Howard¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Don''t worry, boy. You get the privilege to walk away, Ha-Ha.¡±


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    The stranger begins playing his guitar as he walks back into the darkness, leaving the rookie all alone.


    14 months ago.


    ¡°3...2...1...Happy Birthday Jack!¡±


    Jack blew out the single candle on his cake with the number 22. His brother Jamie presented him with an old-school cassette tape player loaded with music that Jack liked. Jack''s mother, Diana, gifted him a silver necklace with a sapphire crystal in the center, while his father, Harry, handed him a first-class plane ticket to Japan.


    As Jack was still processing this gift, his father announced a surprise decision: they were moving to Japan. Harry had recently decided to take the company he founded in a new direction, and he thought moving to Japan would be the best way to do that.


    Diana immediately hugged Harry, congratulating him on his decision. Meanwhile, Jamie and Jack were thrilled to live and work alongside their father in Japan and excitedly ran to pack their bags.


    However, their excitement was short-lived. In just five months, Japan had fallen to a new threat called the Jackels. As a result, the government ordered the country to be split into eight separate districts, each with a key figure in charge of the people in that district.


    As for Harry, he decided to create Project BloodDragon, a special task force designed to combat Jackels, and his two sons, Jamie and Jack, would be leading the group.


    Their first mission is to locate the supposed leader of Jackels Stallone and kill him. Their intelligence suggests that Stallone is giving a speech in District 4.


    The two brothers arrived at District 4 by helicopter and were ready to jump out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out where Stallone is having his speech,¡± Jamie said.


    Jack replied, ¡°And I''ll provide the distraction. Let''s show them how the Crawford brothers get this done.¡±


    ¡°Crawford Style Mother Fucker!¡±


    They shook hands before Jamie jumped out of the helicopter while Jack waited for the helicopter to land. Once the chopper flew away, Jack opened his bag, which contained a pistol, an assault rifle, some throwing knives with electrical powers, and an earpiece so he could keep in contact with Jamie.


    Jack moved from cover to cover, not wanting to be seen by Jackel members, continuing through the streets of District 4. Jack eavesdropped on a conversation between two Jackel members.


    ¡°You think that Stallone is losing his mind. I mean, I get hating the royal family, but is it wise to attack District 1?¡±


    ¡°I hear you, man. But look at how much damage the royals have done to us. It''s bad enough that they don''t even care about District 8; all they care about is the rich people. They couldn''t give a fuck about us common people.¡±


    Jack silently took care of the two by throwing two electric knives at them, shocking them in place before killing them. Jack got on his radio and wanted to know Jamie¡¯s location so he could provide the distraction. Jamie gave Jack the go-ahead for causing a distraction. Jack drew out his assault rifle and started firing in the air, allowing Jamie to sneak into the building where the speech was taking place. Jamie managed to arrive at the speech by crawling through a vent that allowed him to hear what Stallone was saying. Stallone was in the middle of giving a powerful yet inspiring speech to his soldiers.


    ¡°And I promise you that we will get revenge on the people who did this to us. Those scumbags in District 1 may think they''re safe in their mansions and high-class security systems, but they will crumble like ash when I arrive.¡±


    Jamie whispers to himself, ¡°What the heck is Stallone planning?¡± Jamie continues to listen to Stallone¡¯s speech.


    ¡°The Royal Family. They say that you chose this lifestyle, but the truth is that you never had a choice. Once you were born in the slums of District 8, you had no choice but to hate the Royal Family.¡± An explosion could be heard outside. ¡°It seems we have some guests... More specifically, the one in the vent right there,¡± Stallone pointed at the vent Jamie was in.


    Jamie got on the radio and informed Jack that his cover was blown and that they needed to leave ASAP. Jack agreed, as he was running low on ammo, and the two made their way to the location where they planned to escape.


    Jack was the first to arrive and started asking Jamie where he was, but all he got in response was silence. He tried again and again, but there was no response. Jack had to make a choice: either leave his brother to die or find Jamie before Stallone finds him. Before he could make a decision, he heard a voice in his earpiece.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid your friend isn¡¯t in the best shape to answer the radio, so I have taken the liberty of answering for him.¡±


    Jack recognized whose voice he was talking to: "Stallone! you son of a bitch; if you¡¯ve done anything to him, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    "Now, that¡¯s not a nice thing to say.¡±


    Jack demanded to know where Stallone was hiding.


    ¡°Closer than you think,¡± A door flies off its hinges, announcing the arrival of Stallone, a muscular black-haired man who was wearing his old military uniform, had a robotic right hand, and was carrying a shotgun on his back. He was dragging Jamie across the floor, who had blood coming out of his nose and his eyes bruised and swollen. Stallone smiled before throwing Jamie¡¯s body across the floor. Jack rushed over to his brother and checked to see if he was still alive, which, thankfully, he was.


    Stallone interrupted the brother''s reunion and kicked Jack in the head before punching him in the face repeatedly. Jack grabbed one of his knives and stabbed Stallone in the stomach, but this only angered Stallone. He headbutted Jack, causing him to fall to the ground. Stallone pulled out his shotgun and blew Jack¡¯s left arm off completely. Blood began spewing out of Jack¡¯s body, and he was quickly losing consciousness. Stallone turned his attention to Jamie, but instead of using the shotgun, Stallone removed Jack¡¯s knife that was still in his stomach and stabbed Jamie¡¯s right eye. The high-pitched screams coming from Jamie were haunting and deafening; Jack couldn¡¯t do anything but watch.


    As Stallone is about to kill the two of them, a helicopter comes towards them and starts opening fire, causing Stallone to run away, leaving the Crawford brothers on the floor bleeding out. The people from the helicopter pick up Jack and Jamie¡¯s bodies and take them away.

 Episode 1

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 Episode 2

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 Episode 3

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 Episode 4

    They quickly called for an extraction, not wanting to risk another confrontation with a GM Hunter. As they were flying back to their headquarters in a helicopter, Harry''s hologram appeared before them.


    "Report!" Harry demanded.


    Jack began to recount the events that had taken place. "The area we investigated was completely deserted, and the GMs had taken over. We managed to take care of them, but we came across a GM Hunter. We''re currently on route back to HQ."


    Harry looked worried. "A GM Hunter? Well, I''m glad to see that you all made it out alive. But I have a new mission for you. Some of our soldiers are trapped at the checkpoint in District 6 by Jackel¡¯s and desperately need backup."


    Troy, one of the team members, perked up with enthusiasm. "This is what I''ve been waiting for! Fighting against Jackel¡¯s is what I live for!"


    The helicopter had taken a sudden turn and was headed towards the checkpoint in District 6. As they approached the checkpoint, the sound of gunfire grew louder and louder until it became deafening.


    It was clear that the Jackels had detected them, and they were now firing at the helicopter. Jack knew that they needed a plan, but before he could even think of one, Troy had already jumped out of the helicopter and was making quick work of the Jackel soldiers.


    Without any other option, Jack and the rest of the Rainfall team also jumped out of the helicopter and engaged in a fierce battle against the Jackel soldiers. Jack was using both his energy sword and pistol to take down the Jackel soldiers, while Anakin focused solely on using his energy sword. The twins, Asuka and Kairi, on the other hand, opted for dual-wield energy daggers. But it was Ellie who brought the robot into the fight against the Jackels.


    The battle was brutal, but Jack and his team proved to be too much for the Jackel forces. As the fight continued, they managed to push Jackel¡¯s back, giving themselves a much-needed break. Jack approached one of the Rainfall soldiers and asked him what had happened.


    "It was so sudden. One moment we were at the checkpoint, and the next, Jackel¡¯s had outnumbered us. We thought we had lost the checkpoint until you guys showed up. Thank you for saving us," the commanding officer said.


    Jack then asked if they had any idea where the Jackel soldiers might have gone. The commanding officer suggested that they might have retreated to No Man''s Land or the forest between Districts 7 and 8.


    Kairi, eager to pursue the Jackel¡¯s, asked if they were going after them. Jack paused for a moment, thinking about his next move, before confirming that they would indeed go after them. He wanted to get his hands on Stallone, for what he had done not only to him but also to his brother.


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    The commanding officer agreed to join Jack, but they had to take care of the wounded first before setting out. Jack then instructed Viper and Zero to take point, and the group set out for the forest between Districts 7 and 8.


    As they made their way through the forest, they kept their senses sharp, anticipating any ambush that might come their way.


    Just then, the sound of a twig being snapped in half caught the group''s attention, and they looked over to where they heard the sound. Jack told Anakin to go and check it out, but Troy intervened, claiming that since Jack was the leader, he should check it out. Anakin was adamant that he¡¯d check it out and told Jack to just ignore Troy.


    Troy whispered, "Coward,¡± under his breath. Jack heard this but didn''t call him out.


    Anakin slowly and carefully approached the sound of the twig being snapped. Looking at the floor, he saw the twig snapped in half. However, the way that the twig was snapped raised a red flag.


    ¡°Someone snapped in half!¡± Anakin yelled out,


    The group was confused about who was following them and why they would snap a twig. One of these questions would be answered as Anakin was rugby-tackled to the floor by a strange man wearing a white mask.


    The stranger got up and looked at the group with evil intent.


    Jack ordered the group to attack the stranger, but this wasn''t the best move as the strange man was a lot faster and stronger than the group.


    Troy was the first to attack the stranger by jumping in the air and thrusting his energy sword towards the stranger. But the stranger catches the blade with his right hand, pulls Troy towards him, and delivers a strong elbow in the face.


    Asuka and Kairi tried to attack the stranger at the same time, but the stranger quickly disarmed the two and pushed them to the floor.


    Ellie sends out her robot that was quickly destroyed, its arms snapped in half, the head twisted around, and the left leg broken. Ellie could only watch as her robot was completely decimated by the strange man.


    Jack was the only one left who hadn''t fought the strange man. He pulled out his energy sword, looked at the stranger, and rushed towards him. The stranger dodged all of Jack¡¯s attacks before grabbing Jack by the head and slamming his face to the floor, knocking him out cold.


    As the strange man grabs Jack¡¯s energy sword, ready to kill him, he''s stopped by the commanding officer, who opens fire on the strange man, causing him to flee.


    The commanding officer ran over to the group and started helping everyone up; he noticed Jack. Lying on the floor, face down, not moving. Kairi and Anakin rushed towards him and started trying to wake him up, but with no success. The only good news that the group had was that Jack was still breathing.


    Jack opened his eyes, picked himself up off the floor, and proceeded to look around the area. The area was covered in darkness, the only light coming from the pathway he was lying on. With no other choice, Jack started to walk along the walkway, wondering where it would take him.


    As he continues walking, he notices that the pathway isn''t ending. Jack stops walking and looks off into the distance, confused about where he is and why he''s here. The last thing he remembers is fighting the strange man in a white mask. In the midst of him standing there, Jack felt a presence behind him, causing him to turn around.


    Jack turns around, shocked by who is there standing behind him.

 Episode 5

    It was his brother Jamie standing before him, alive and well. The last time he saw Jamie was when he was attacked by Stallone. Stunned, Jack asked Jamie what he was doing there.


    Jamie smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, brother.¡±


    Unable to believe what he was seeing, Jack said, ¡°No. No, you''re not real; I saw you die.¡±


    Jamie smiled again and explained, ¡°Well, yes and no. Yes, I did die, but I was also brought here, and as you can see, I''m alive and well, albeit this isn¡¯t real.¡±


    Jack was perplexed and asked Jamie where "here" was.


    Jamie ignored Jack¡¯s question and replied, ¡°You lost the fight.¡±


    Jack denied losing the fight and claimed that he was only knocked out cold.


    Jamie retorted, ¡°Face it, brother. You lost. You were never leadership material; even when I was still alive, it was always me looking after you.¡±


    Jack was confused and asked Jamie what he was getting at. Jamie then asked Jack to draw out his sword, saying that it was time for his next lesson.


    Jack, still confused, asked, ¡°A lesson in what?¡±


    Jamie then drew out an energy sword of his own, which was glowing red.


    ¡°Live or die,¡± Jamie demanded.


    Jack realized what was going on and said, ¡°I''m not going to fight you.¡±


    Jamie brushed aside Jack¡¯s comment, claiming, "Yeah, you said that before,¡± before swinging his sword at his brother.


    Jack quickly pulled out his energy sword to block the attack. The two brothers looked each other in the eyes as they clashed swords, and then Jamie added more pressure to his blade, causing Jack to move back.


    The two engaged in a fight. Jamie looked past the fact that he was fighting against his brother and used ruthless methods that constantly had Jack defending his life. Jack knew that Jamie had to slip up in his attacks, and this did happen, leaving a gap for Jack to land a swift elbow in the face, connecting his brother''s face.


    Jamie clenched his jaw and smiled.


    ¡°It seems you need to be taught a lesson,¡± Jack said.


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    Jamie, with a smile on his face, replied, ¡°Oh Jack, the lesson hasn¡¯t even started.¡±


    Jack was confused but couldn''t react in time as Jamie sliced the walkway that the two brothers were standing on, causing Jack to fall deeper into the void.


    Back with Anakin and the rest of Rainfall, they were taking a rest alongside the commanding officer, who was in the process of checking Jack¡¯s vital signs.


    Troy¡¯s ever-growing frustrations with having to wait for Jack to fully recover had reached boiling point, and he said to Anakin and the rest of the group, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this! Harry''s so-called golden boy is off in pixie land while we¡¯re sitting here waiting for him to wake up! I¡¯m going after that white-masked freak, and there¡¯s nothing that you can do to stop me.¡±


    Just then, Anakin gets an incoming from Harry on his wristwatch.


    ¡°Mr. Crawford,¡± Anakin said.


    ¡°Anakin. How is he?¡±


    Anakin told Harry that Jack was alive, that he was in a coma, and that they were waiting for him to wake up.


    In the background, Troy could be heard. ¡°Is that Harry?¡± Troy took Anakin¡¯s wristwatch and said, "Harry, this is bullshit! Let me go after that masked freak!¡±


    "Troy, you aren¡¯t in charge; you will follow whatever orders you are given,¡± Harry said, keeping his calm.


    Troy had enough of waiting around and laid down what was going to happen if he wasn''t given the order: ¡°If you don''t let me go after that white-masked fuck! Then I want out of Rainfall!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Troy! Your orders are to wait for Jack to wake up. Am I making myself clear?¡± Harry replied, demanding that Troy show him the respect he deserves.


    Troy yelled out, ¡°Fuck!¡± before walking away from the group to catch his breath.


    Anakin takes back his wristwatch and apologizes to Harry about Troy¡¯s attitude. Harry tells Anakin that he will oversee the group while Jack is in a coma. Anakin thanked Harry for letting him take charge of the group.


    Returning to Jack, he picked himself up off the ground and noticed that he was back outside the checkpoint to District 6, but before he could process what was going on, he heard his brother¡¯s voice behind him yelling out, ¡°Charge! We won''t let these Jackel bastards take District 6!¡±


    Jack stopped his brother and asked him, ¡°Hang on! I¡¯ve already done this!¡±


    Jamie looked back at his brother and said, ¡°I know, but this time you''re going to learn your lesson.¡±


    The battle against the Jackels went completely different than how it originally went; instead of the Jackels having the chance to retreat, here they were all brutally killed. After the battle, Jamie spoke to the commanding officer and asked him if he had any intel on where the Jackels came from, as he wanted to launch a counterattack while the Jackels were vulnerable.


    The commanding officer told Jamie that the Jackels most likely came from the forest between Districts 7 and 8.


    Jamie thanked the commanding officer for the information and even said that he would speak to his father to see him get a promotion before asking if he would be interested in joining them for the counterattack.


    The commanding officer accepted Jamie¡¯s offer.


    Jack¡¯s brain finally clicked on the lesson that Jamie was teaching him.


    ¡°I understand what I was meant to do. I wasn¡¯t to let the Jackel soldiers run away. They should have died right there, but I was too slow.¡± Jack said this to Jamie.


    Jamie was happy that Jack finally understood what he was trying to show him. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this. If it wasn''t for that regeneration system, you and your friends would have been killed by the man in the mask. Jack, you need to man the fuck up and take charge. Don''t let Troy or Anakin persuade you. I think it''s time you wake up, Jack. Wake Up!¡±

 Episode 6

    Jack fell off the bed he was resting on, generating a massive noise. Anakin rushed to investigate the noise and looked at Jack on the floor.


    ¡°Jack!¡± Anakin helps Jack to his feet and asks, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ve been out for quite some time.¡±


    Jack snapped at Anakin, ¡°I said I''m fine! ... Sorry.¡±


    Anakin suggested to Jack that they should head back to HQ and get some rest, but Jack turned around, looked at Anakin, and said to him, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the group?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking that we should.¡±


    Jack stopped Anakin mid-sentence, "Well, next time don¡¯t! We¡¯re going after Jackel¡¯s!¡±


    Jack told the rest of the group to grab their things as they were going after the retreating Jackels. Troy, for the first and only time, said something positive about Jack. ¡°It seems that coma put some sense into you.¡±


    The group made their way back to the forest, but this time they managed to reach a campsite that was inhabited by Jackels.


    ¡°You have a plan, Jack?¡± Asuka asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we go in and kill them all.¡±


    They walked closer to the camp and gained the attention of a watchman, who was quickly shot in the head by Jack. The sound of the gunshot caught the Jackels off guard, and as they scrambled to grab their guns, they were slaughtered by Jack and the rest of Rainfall.


    Jack wasted no time, got to work with his energy sword, and finally used his new robotic arm by slamming a Jackel soldier into the ground, causing his head to explode. Once finished, there was one last remaining Jackel soldier, but rather than kill him, Jack leaned in and gave him a message.


    ¡°Tell Stallone the following: Jack Crawford sends his regards.¡±


    The Jackel soldier started running and didn¡¯t stop until he returned to Stallone. With their mission finished, Jack called for a helicopter pick-up to take them back to HQ.


    As the helicopter left, the surviving Jackel managed to make his way back to the Jackel HQ and frantically searched for Stallone. Opening each door, he managed to find Stallone, and with him was the man in the white mask listening to music and Harrison, Stallone''s right-hand man.


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    Out of breath, the soldier starts stumbling over their words before Stallone calmly asks the soldier to take a deep breath and then speak.


    The soldier took a deep breath and then told Stallone everything that had happened to them as well as what Jack said to him.


    Stallone looked at the man in the white mask and signaled for him to remove his earbuds.


    The man in the white mask removed his earbuds and looked at Stallone.


    ¡°Rainfall¡¯s still alive? You didn¡¯t kill them?¡±


    The masked man¡¯s eyes were fixated on Stallone¡¯s: ¡°It¡¯s more fun messing with them than killing them.¡±


    Harrison, who was sitting quietly, piped up and commented, ¡°What you mean to say is you chickened out of killing them.¡±


    The man in the white mask shifted his eyes on Harrison and said, ¡°Oh no, I could have killed them right then and there, but I felt as though it would be more fitting if they stayed alive. Besides, it¡¯s too early to end this war. Also, I find it ironic that you used the word ¡°chickened out,¡± seeing as though you were meant to lead the attack on District 6, but you couldn''t as you were too busy with a prostitute.¡±


    Harrison shot up and was about to go for the masked man before being stopped by Stallone.


    ¡°Enough! You two out of my office!¡±


    Harrison kicked over his chair before exiting the room, while the man in the white laughed before putting his earbuds back in and leaving the room, leaving Stallone all on his own.


    ¡°Soo, Jack¡¯s still alive. Mhm ha-ha. It seems this war is getting interesting now.¡±


    We shift our attention back to Rainfall HQ, where Jack was busy recapping his father but left out key details, such as what happened to him while he was in a coma. Jack then asked his father what he knew about the man in the white mask.


    Harry told his son that if he wanted to learn more about the white-masked man, he should check his computer, as there will be a file on every enemy that they have encountered so far. Before they went off on their separate ways, Harry embraced his son, saying how happy he was that Jack had made it back in one piece.


    Jack walked into the armory and proceeded to place his energy sword and other pieces of equipment he used back in his locker. Once finished, he noticed Ellie was in the process of repairing her robot. Jack wanted to start up a conversation with her, but he never got the chance as Doctor Lily entered and asked Jack to meet with her in the infirmary as there were some tests that she needed to conduct on him.


    With no other option, Jack followed Lily to the infirmary. Lily instructed Jack to lie down on the bed, and she wanted to check that the regeneration system in Jack¡¯s chest was working.


    ¡°Take your shirt off, please,¡± Lili instructed.


    ¡°Uhh...Okayy.¡± Jack replied before removing his shirt.


    Lily took a scan of Jack''s chest and confirmed that the regeneration system in his chest was indeed working, but at a much slower rate.


    ¡°Odd,¡± Lily grabbed a scalpel and sliced Jack on his chest.


    ¡°Ow! What the fuck are you doing?¡± Jack said, demanding to know what Lily was doing and slicing him across his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not warning you, but I need to see if this regeneration system that is in your chest is working properly.¡±


    The wound on Jack¡¯s chest began to slowly heal, the blood pouring out of the cut going back into the wound before the cut itself disappeared, leaving no trace of a cut on Jack¡¯s body.


    Jack looked at where the cut once was and was stunned to see that the cut had disappeared, almost as if the cut never happened in the first place.

 Episode 7

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    Lily explained, ¡°The regeneration system that is currently in your chest is designed to heal you from any sort of damage, whether it''s a gunshot wound or a knife wound; the device will heal the wound, nullifying any pain you would feel.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m invincible?¡±


    Lily continued, "Well, metaphorically speaking, yes. You will recover any wounds you sustain in a fight, but you will still feel the pain. The only concern we have is how much pain will be too much for your body to handle.¡±


    Jack proceeds to ask if everyone on the team has one of the regeneration systems. Lily could only say that she doesn¡¯t decide who can have the regeneration system put in their chest. That decision is up to Harry. She did reassure Jack that it was only a matter of time before Ellie, Asuka, Kairi, Troy, and Anakin all had the regeneration placed in their chests.


    Before Jack could leave, Lily had one last question she needed to ask, and that was about Jack¡¯s coma. More specifically, where he was during it.


    Confused, Jack asked if Lily could be more descriptive and explain what she meant. Lily explained, ¡°Normally people would relive past moments or find themselves walking in a field or on a beach. I just want to know what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°All I remember was nothing but darkness, and then, poof, I woke up in a bed before falling off. That''s when Anakin came to check up on me.¡±


    After Jack explained what happened to him, Lily was happy enough to let Jack head back to his quarters. They said goodbye to each other, and Jack headed for his room for some much-needed sleep.


    Once inside, Jack remembered that his computer would have information on the masked man who attacked them in the forest and decided to read that before going to bed.


    Opening up his computer, he searched for a file labeled White Mask. Opening the file, he found a text document that went into detail about the information Rainfall and the rest of the team had on the strange man in a white mask.


    Entry Log, 21/03/27


    "A few days ago, we had our first encounter with a strange man who appeared out of nowhere and attacked an entire platoon. It was a brutal assault, and we were all taken aback by his sudden appearance and viciousness. Upon further investigation, we discovered that this man was working in cahoots with Stallone. Stallone was already a dangerous individual, but with the addition of this masked man, his power and influence seemed to have grown exponentially. It''s as if Stallone has become invincible with this new partnership."


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    Entry Log 24/03/27


    "I''m still in shock, to be honest. It''s unbelievable that those two individuals joined forces and launched a brutal attack on District 7. The motive behind their attack was to send a message to the royal family, but their actions put countless innocent lives in danger. Thankfully, a squad was able to intervene and prevent a catastrophic outcome, but not before they were ambushed by a swarm of GMs. It''s difficult to admit, but given the resources and power of our opponents, it''s only a matter of time before we find ourselves outnumbered and outmatched."


    Entry Log: 28/03/27


    "My team just had their first encounter with the masked man, and unfortunately, they were completely outmatched and overwhelmed by his superior tactics, intelligence, and ruthlessness. It was not surprising that they struggled against him, as he is a formidable opponent who knows how to exploit his strengths and the weaknesses of others. While I have confidence in my team''s ability to defeat Stallone, who operates purely on anger, this masked man is a different story altogether. He is more dangerous, unpredictable, and careless, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even if it means taking countless lives in the process."


    After reading the latest entry log, Jack felt a sense of confidence flow through him; he knew that he was the key factor in stopping Stallone and the masked man from entering not only Japan but the entire world. With this new sense of confidence, he headed for bed for some much-needed sleep.


    ¡°Good morning, Jack... It¡¯s currently 9:38 am with warm skies outside.¡±


    Jack pulled himself up off the bed and commented on the AI voice being back in his room.


    ¡°I thought I told you to get out.¡±


    ¡°My apologies. But I¡¯m programmed to greet you every time you wake up or call out my name.¡± SAM responded.


    With no other choice but to accept the AI, Jack continued with his day, first by getting in a shower before getting dressed and heading for the control room. Exiting the lift, Jack walked to the armory, where he found Ellie still working on repairing her robot.


    He asked if Ellie even went to bed at all last night, and she replied by saying how sleep is for the weak. Jack brushed aside that comment before opening his locker, grabbing his energy sword, and igniting the blade.


    Ellie started yelling at Jack, saying, ¡°What are you doing? If you want to practice with your sword, then you use a stick."


    Jack apologized, went to grab a stick, entered the training room, and started practicing his moves. As he stood with a stick in his hand, he focused on his training, determined to sharpen his skills. In his mind, he thought back to his younger days, when he and his brother would pretend to be knights, playfully wielding fake swords against one another.


    Suddenly, he felt a sharp knock on his stick, causing it to fly out of his hand. He instinctively opened his eyes, only to find Asuka and Kairi standing before him, their sticks pointed at him menacingly. Jack acted quickly, pushing Kairi''s stick away from his face and ducking under Asuka''s stick. He then reached for his stick, ready to fight back.


    The three of them engaged in a fast and furious battle; each strike was quick and smooth. Their movements were almost choreographed; each strike met an equally effective block. Jack felt invigorated by the challenge, his heart racing as he fought against the twins. Despite their skill, Jack was determined to come out on top; he knew that if he was going to defeat both Stallone and the masked man, he needed to be at the top of his game.

 Episode 8

    Back at Jackel HQ, Stallone was busy planning his next attack. While looking at a map of all eight districts, he pinpointed where the next attack would take place.


    ¡°How about we attack District Eight and blow open the gates?¡±


    Harrison approved of the plan, but the masked man didn¡¯t. He claimed that it was too stupid and that it was getting boring to attack the same district over and over again.


    Harrison yelled out, ¡°Who do you think you are? Are you the leader of this group? No! You''re not, so be a good lap dog and sit down!¡±


    The masked man retaliated, ¡°And you¡¯re nothing but yes man.¡±


    Stallone yelled out, stopping the two from starting an augment, ¡°Enough! I swear you two are going to be the death of me.¡± Stallone left the office, leaving the two on their own.


    It would be the masked man who would interrupt the silence, taking a dig at Harrison, saying, ¡°Tell me, Harrison. Stallone¡¯s penis. Is it more of a salty taste or a creamy taste? Or do you just get on with it?¡±


    Harrison¡¯s eyes widen in anger. ¡°What did you just fucking say to me?¡±


    The masked man got closer to Harrison and said, ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°Know your place, boy,¡± Harrison said, demanding that the masked man show him the respect he deserved.


    ¡°What if I don''t like my place? What if I think I deserve to be higher up in the food chain? Say second!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my position!¡± Harrison said he was demanding authority.


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t mind defending it... On the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Name the time and the place.¡±


    The two looked at each other for a second before the masked man left the room. All alone, Harrison picked up a chair and threw it at the door before punching the wall rapidly, each punch letting out every piece of anger he had against the masked man.


    As the masked man is leaving Jackel¡¯s headquarters, he is stopped by a group of Jackel members. One of them tells the masked man, ¡°Hey! We just wanted to let you know that we would be honored to work with you.¡±


    The masked man was confused, saying how they had already worked with him.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The Jackel member knew he had to be more specific on what he meant and told the masked man, ¡°What we mean is forget about Stallone and Harrison. Start your group. You''re the only one around here who seems to have a clear motive... And another thing: what''s your name? Surely you don''t enjoy being called the masked man or the man in the white mask.¡±


    The masked man looked at the member before walking away, only looking back at the group and revealing what his name was.


    ¡°Call me, The Crow.¡±


    As the Crow leaves the group, Harrison is franticly searching for Stallone as something that he needs to get off his chest about the Crow. Harrison found Stallone working on his weapons.


    ¡°Stallone, we need to talk about something.¡±


    Stallone stopped his work and waited for Harrison to continue speaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s about that masked freak. There¡¯s something about him that I don''t like.¡±


    Stallone sat up and said, ¡°I know you two are constantly bickering like teenage girls.¡±


    ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡±


    Harrison took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and spoke about how he felt about the Crow: ¡°I think he might betray us at some point. Stallone, he¡¯s wanting to take my place.¡±


    Stallone reassured Harrison that his place within the group was secure, and if the Crow tried to betray them, he would be making a grave mistake.


    With Stallone¡¯s encouraging words, Harrison, with a grim determination, begins to devise a plan to eliminate the Crow once and for all. He knows he has to strike at the very heart of the Crow''s identity, the one thing that he values above all else: his mask.


    No one has ever seen the Crow''s face without his mask, and there are various speculations about what it could be hiding. Some conjecture that he has ghastly scars on his face, while others believe that he wears the mask to conceal his true identity. Harrison realizes that he has to expose the Crow''s true identity to bring him down.


    To execute his plan, Harrison needs support. He cannot rely on Stallone for help, as it would be too risky. Instead, he decides to enlist the aid of some Jackel soldiers by promising them a promotion. Scanning the area for potential recruits, he notices a group of soldiers playing cards by themselves. Their relaxed demeanor and apparent camaraderie make him think that they might be willing to help him out.


    Harrison begins formulating a plan to kill the Crow once and for all. He starts by targeting the one thing that the Crow values more than anything: his mask. No one has ever seen what he looks like without the mask. Some have guessed that he has horrendous scars on his face, and he¡¯s self-conscious about them. Others have speculated that he wears the mask to hide his identity. Whatever the reason, Harrison was going to expose the Crow for what he truly is.


    With the plan in motion, Harrison needed support; it would be too risky to ask Stallone for help, so Harrison opted for getting some Jackel soldiers to help him out with the promise of a promotion. He noticed a group sitting by themselves, playing with a deck of cards. He approached them and offered them a promotion, but it would cost them.


    ¡°The next time you see that white-masked freak, I want you to capture him and bring him to the basement. Once you''ve done that, come and tell me, as I have a score to settle with the son of a bitch.¡± One of them set down his hand of cards and asked Harrison, ¡°What would Stallone think about this?¡±


    Harrison knew he needed to think of something convincing and fast. ¡°It was him that gave the order in the first place. But keep the mission to yourselves! Don''t let anyone else get involved.¡±


    It was obvious that the members were hesitant to agree with Harrison¡¯s mission, but if it came from Stallone, they had no choice but to accept the job.

 Episode 9

    Several days had elapsed since the Jackels and Rainfall forces last engaged in a fight. This pause in the ongoing war between the two factions was quite surprising.


    The last time the two groups fought was in No Man''s Land, where they engaged in a brief battle over some weapons that could have turned the tide of the war. Despite their best efforts, neither side could obtain the weapons, as the noise generated by the Jackels and Rainfall was enough to attract a swarm of both GMs and GM Hunters. The ensuing chaos forced both factions to retreat.


    As the sun began to set, Harry approached Jack and his team and informed them that they had received an invitation to attend a dinner at the royal palace. Jack, who wasn''t aware of the royal family, asked Asuka for more information about them.


    Asuka explained, ¡°Since Japan was split into eight districts, district one is home to the royal family, and the key figure of the royal family is Yusuke Takahashi. From there, you have his son Hiro, who is next in line for the throne. Districts two and three are inhabited by rich people. Districts four, five, and six are populated by the working class. And districts seven and eight are covered in poverty.¡±


    ¡°So why doesn''t he run District One then?¡±


    Anakin yelled out, ¡°That responsibility falls to Yuki Shinobu.¡±


    Jack had heard that name before: ¡°Didn¡¯t he not advertise for soda drinks?¡±


    Anakin corrected him: "No, you''re thinking of Yu Shine... Funnily enough, Yuki did hire him as a body double at one point but people mostly recognized Yu than Yuki so he decided to fire him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like how things work in Britain. You¡¯ve got a royal family who couldn''t give a shit about the country, and you¡¯ve got prime ministers who fuck up the country. The only difference here is that we¡¯ve got eight different prime ministers. Each one got a contract on their head.¡± Troy yelled out.


    Troy continued, saying, ¡°You do know what this means?¡±


    The group looked at him, waiting for his response.


    ¡°It means that something''s going down tonight. Think about it: all eight PMs and all members of the royal family are in the same room. It''s the perfect scenario for Stallone and the rest of his gang, so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that we are only there for projection.¡±


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    As the group separated, Troy stayed behind, opened his locker, and grabbed a small plastic tube that contained blue powder inside. Troy popped open the lid, put it under his right nostril, and proceeded to inhale the powder into his nose. Once the powder was inhaled, it caused Troy to fall back into the lockers. It¡¯s clear that he was in discomfort and pain.


    After picking himself up off the ground, he dusted himself off, but before going back to his quarters, Troy made a quick stop at Doctor Lily¡¯s office.


    He opened the door, approached Lily, handed her the now-empty container, and asked for more.


    Lily was hesitant to hand more of the blue powder to Troy, saying, ¡°You know that this stuff can kill you.¡±


    Troy snapped in anger, ¡°Yeah! And I am dead without it! So, give me the fucking drug!¡±


    Troy knew that he had hurt Lily by yelling right in her face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... It''s just that... You know I... forget it."


    The two didn¡¯t say anything as Lily handed over the drug. Before he left, he turned back to Lily, and for a split second, he wanted to say something but struggled to get the words out and decided to leave.


    The group had dressed up for the occasion, as Harry had planned a special evening for them. He had ordered a private helicopter to take them to District One, and as they flew over the area, they were greeted with a breathtaking view. The district was filled with massive mansions, each with personal gardeners managing the lawn and hedges and fancy sports cars parked in the driveways.


    As the helicopter approached its destination, the group could see a massive palace that was occupied by the royal family. The helicopter landed outside the palace, and they walked inside. The interior of the palace was clean and well-kept, with paintings of the family plastered all over the walls. The floors were spotless, and you could even see your reflection in them.


    Everyone who had attended the dinner at the royal palace was dressed in either silk smooth suits or fancy sparkling dresses. Troy was the first one to grab a glass of champagne, but Harry had other plans. He took the glass from Troy and finally revealed to the group why they were given an invitation to the palace.


    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, but you''re here to protect everyone here,¡± Harry revealed.


    Troy¡¯s earlier suspicion was proven to be correct: ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Jack asked his father if there was any information he could give them to work with. The only information that Harry could give to Jack and the rest of Rainfall was the fact that all prime ministers and the royal family were in the same building.


    Harry went to talk to some of the guests, leaving Jack and the rest on their own. Anakin asked what the plan was, but Jack didn¡¯t have any idea what to do as he thought that they were invited for dinner, not for projection. The only one there who had any idea about what they should be doing was Ellie; her idea was to mingle with everyone else, and when the need arose, they could call on their robots and let them do the fighting.


    Everyone agreed with Ellie¡¯s plan and began blending in with everyone else at the place. Troy got his hands on a glass of champagne only to spit it out once he tasted it. Asuka and Kairi were interested in the family paintings. Ellie, Jack, and Anakin were having small conversations with some of the guests.

 Episode 10

    All was going well so far, but that was all to change as the massive glass window smashed to pieces, signaling the arrival of Stallone. Accompanying him were Harrison as well as some Jackel soldiers.


    ¡°Mr. Takahashi! It¡¯s time for you to die!¡± Stallone opened fire, causing everyone to panic and start running in different directions.


    Jack was the first to respond by hanging from the chandelier and delivering a powerful kick to the face. The rest of Jack¡¯s team rushed over to help him, first by taking care of Harrison and the Jackel soldiers.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your white-masked friend?¡± Jack asked.


    Stallone chuckled manically, ¡°Jack Crawford! It¡¯s been far, far too long since we last spoke! Are you sure you want to face me one-on-one again? How¡¯s your brother, by the way? I haven¡¯t seen him since I stabbed him in the eye and left him to die.¡±


    The anger was building inside of Jack. ¡°Fuck you! You asshole.¡± Jack let his anger get the better of him, and he started swinging punches at Stallone, each one not having any effect on him.


    Stallone grabbed Jack by the head and headbutted him right in the head, causing Jack to stumble back. Thankfully, Asuka and Kairi had stepped in and started using their speed against Stallone, managing to get a few good hits on him.


    Meanwhile, Ellie, Anakin, and Troy all called for the robots to come in and assist them in the fight against Harrison and the Jackel soldiers. The robots made their appearance by crashing through the ceiling and starting to lay waste to the Jackel soldiers.


    The robots did most of the work, allowing Ellie, Anakin, and Troy to start fighting Harrison. The constant pressure Harrison was under caused him to run away and leave the fighting to the soldiers.


    Harrison rushed to the aid of Stallone and helped him take care of Asuka and Kairi by pushing them away from Stallone, but this allowed him to be on the receiving end of a spin kick by Jack. This worked in Stallone¡¯s favor; while Harrison was taking care of both Jack and the twins, it allowed Stallone to aim for Takahashi.


    Jack saw this and rushed towards Stallone, opting to take the bullet. Thankfully, Jack placed his left arm in front of the gun barrel, and the bullet hit his mechanical arm, stopping the bullet. Jack looked at his arm and smiled. Not only did it save Takahashi¡¯s life, but also Jack¡¯s. Stallone¡¯s eyes widened in both shock and anger, spraying across with the intention to hit someone.


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    Jack managed to deflect the majority of the bullets, but an ear-shattering scream could be heard grabbing the attention of Jack. He turned his head and saw someone lying on the floor, bleeding from the chest.


    Stallone smiled and ordered Harrison to retreat, as their work was over. Jack rushed over to the body and tried to stop the bleeding. Kairi noticed who was lying on the floor and shot in the chest; it was Yuki Shinobu bleeding out on the marble floor.


    People started calling for ambulances to come and help them; others didn¡¯t know what to do and just watched in horror.


    Harry ran over and asked Jack what had happened. Jack recapped what had happened and asked if they had the green light to go after Stallone and Harrison, but Harry declined Jack¡¯s request and ordered him to stay here and watch over everyone, as who knows what could happen next.


    Hours passed and everyone who attended dinner had started to leave. The only people who were left were Harry, Jack, the rest of Rainfall, and the family and friends of Yuki Shinobu.


    Jack looked at the now shattered window, looked out into the distance and contemplated where Stallone could have gone. While contemplating Anakin yelled out to Jack to inform him that they would be staying the night here and that the ambulance had arrived. Jack thanked Anakin for the information and continued to look out into the distance.


    While everyone was shown their rooms for the night Troy¡¯s left hand began shaking rapidly, he tried to compose himself and ignore the hand, but the shaking got to the point where pain made its appearance. Troy rushed over to his bag and franticly searched for the blue powder.


    He managed to find the container and popped open the lid, as he put it closer to his nose, he remembered what Lily said to him. ¡°You know that this stuff can kill you.¡± Troy has adiment that he can overcome this is he keeps his mind focused on something else. He ran into the bathroom, turned on the cold tap and started splashing his face with the cold water but that wasn''t working.


    ¡°Come on Troy just one little sniff and the pain is gone...¡±


    He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed his eyes were bloodshot with tears forming. A knock could be heard at the door, attracting his attention.


    ¡°Troy! You okay in there? You''re making a lot of noise in there.¡±


    Troy started taking deep long breaths before responding, ¡°I''m fine. I... I uh.... I fell over and cut my arm.¡±


    ¡°Okayy...Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°No!...I mean no I¡¯m fine but thanks for the concern.¡±


    Troy waited until he felt as though the person had left the door before continuing to splash his face with cold water, but it wasn''t working. He looked at the container that was almost demanding him to take the blue powder. He kept trying to not give in to the drug, but each attempt was met with failuer and a much more growing urge to take the drug.


    ¡°Fuck it.¡±


    He grabbed the container and inhaled the blue power, once it was inhaled Troy fell to the floor with the cold water now flowing onto the floor.

 Episode 11

    Upon returning to their hideout, Stallone and Harrison were brimming with joy and satisfaction over their successful attack on the royal family and the prime ministers.


    As they settled in, Harrison was interrupted by a group of soldiers he had recruited to capture the Crow. They informed him that they had successfully captured the crow and that he was currently tied up in the basement.


    Harrison''s face twisted into a sinister smile as he praised the soldiers for their work and promised them great compensation.


    He then left to meet with Stallone, eager to discuss their next move. Inside Stallone''s office, the whiteboard detailing their plan to attack the royal family and prime ministers was covered in sticky notes, but one note stood out: "Main Targets: Yuki Shinobu, Yusuke Takahashi, and Makoto Neji." Stallone crossed out Yuki''s name with a smile, feeling confident in their success.


    ¡°Today... Well, today is a great day. You know what, Harrison? I¡¯m in the mood for a party tonight. I¡¯ll let the troops know that we are celebrating our success tonight.¡±


    Harrison agreed with Stallone on having a party but claimed that he had something to do before going to the party. Stallone was suspicious and asked Harrison what could be more important than coming to the party.


    ¡°It¡¯s just something involving our next attack we have planned. Don''t worry, it''s nothing to be worried about.¡± Harrison responded, trying his hardest to sound as though he wasn¡¯t lying.


    Stallone instructed Harrison to get to work with whatever it was he needed to do.


    Harrison left the room and went back to the soldiers, who were still waiting for him, and instructed them to take him to the Crow. As they descended the stairs, the light grew dimmer and dimmer until it was almost completely dark.


    When they reached the bottom, one of the soldiers opened a metal door, revealing the Crow tied up with his arms wide and his legs free to move within a limited range.


    Harrison entered the room, forcing the Crow to look at him. He taunted and mocked the crow, claiming he was no longer so tough now that he was tied up.


    The Crow laughed in response, ¡°I knew you were nothing more than a coward who couldn''t face me man to man.¡±


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    In a fit of rage, Harrison landed a powerful right hook to the Crow''s face, but the Crow laughed again and asked if that was the best Harrison had to offer.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die here, you masked fuck. And I''m going to enjoy killing you, but let this be known. You are going to have a slow and painful death, so go ahead and make your shit jokes. You are nothing more than a walking, talking corpse.¡±


    ¡°So go ahead! Kill me.¡± The crow yelled.


    ¡°Not yet. It''s more fun watching you suffer.¡± Harrison claimed.


    Harrison started throwing lefts and rights. Harrison enjoyed each shot more and more. But the fun had to be cut short as one of the soldiers informed Harrison that Stallone was looking for him. Harrison said to the Crow before leaving, ¡°Enjoy the last moments you have alive.¡±


    The metal door slammed shut as Harrison left the room and reunited with Stallone.


    ¡°Where the fuck did you go? You weren''t in your room.¡± Stallone asked Harrison, demanding to know why he lied to him.


    Harrison explained that he was trying to find where the Crow went, as they hadn''t seen him in some time. Stallone wondered where the Crow was but pushed that thought aside as he was more focused on the party and announced that he would be leaving, and that Harrison should finish up with whatever it was he was doing.


    However, a Jackel soldier yelled out across the bass, demanding that both Stallone and Harrison come and see this. The two rushed to where they heard the voice and noticed everyone gathered around a TV screen. On the screen was a news report detailing the attack on the royal palace.


    Stallone smiled, but his smile would disappear once the reporter began talking about who was responsible for the attack.


    ¡°And for the first time, we are able to reveal who the man who orchestrated the attack is. The man is revealed to be former United States Marine, Stallone Jenson. The former US Marine is believed to be the leader of the Jackel group, who were the ones who attacked the royal family.¡±


    Stallone was shocked. People only knew that Jackel was responsible for the attacks, but nobody knew that Stallone oversaw the group. Stallone¡¯s once happy smile now turned to anger; he demanded to know who it was that revealed that Stallone was in charge of the Jackels.


    ¡°Which one ratted me out to the press? Speak now, or so help me, God, I will kill every single one of you!¡±


    Everyone was silent. Stallone grabbed the television and threw it across the wall. Harrison grabbed Stallone and told him to calm down, and they would find out who it was that ratted Stallone out.


    Harrison ran back down to the basement, slammed open the metal door, and saw the crow laughing.


    ¡°What are you laughing at, you mask fuck? Huh? Answer me!¡±


    The Crow looked up at Harrison and mocked the fact that Stallone had been exposed to the public. Harrison grabbed the Crow by the throat and started squeezing, demanding to reveal who it was that sold Stallone out, but the Crow couldn¡¯t speak until Harrison let go of his throat. Harrison eventually let go of the crow¡¯s throat and started to punch him in the face, each punch getting more powerful each time.


    The Crow, now covered in his blood, looked up at Harrison and spat his blood into his face. Harrison wiped the blood off his face, turned his back on the Crow, and left the room again, but this time stating that once he returned, he would kill him without any hesitation.

 Episode 12

    Harrison had a look of concern on his face as he ran back up the stairs and entered Stallone''s office. He was worried about the snitch and wanted to know what they were going to do about it. Stallone, on the other hand, seemed calmer than a second ago and was busy looking at the whiteboard.


    After a moment, he turned back to Harrison and spoke reassuringly, "We''ll deal with that tomorrow. For now, let''s just go home and enjoy the night. You finished yet?"


    Harrison nodded and replied, "Yes, I''ve finished with what I needed to do."


    The two men left the Jackel HQ and headed for Stallone''s private mansion, which was located in a strange place called No Man''s Land. Upon arriving at the mansion, they were struck by how clean and well-maintained it was. The only downside was its isolated location in No Man''s Land.


    As they entered the house, Stallone flipped on the generator, and the entire house was illuminated with bright lights. The sudden light attracted some GMs, but Stallone had anticipated this and had installed motion-sensing turrets outside to nullify any potential danger.


    "Now let''s get this party started," Stallone said, grinning. "I''ll inform some of the soldiers and get some guests to come over, while you go ahead and look out for drinks and snacks for everyone."


    Harrison smiled and headed off to the kitchen, while Stallone started making phone calls to invite guests over. The night promised to be fun-filled and exciting, and they were both looking forward to it. Besides, it would help them both to get their minds off dealing with both rainfall and the public.


    As the party was in motion, people were having a good time. Some soldiers were competing in drinking competitions, somewhere chatting up with some of the women who attended, and others were having fun on the karaoke machine.


    Stallone and Harrison watched on in joy; they were happy to see so many people having a good time and not worrying about the fact that they were in No Man¡¯s Land.


    ¡°What happens now?¡± Harrison asked,


    ¡°Now we find that mole, and we¡¯ll kill them... Did you find our masked friend, by the way?¡±


    Harrison had to lie to Stallone yet again: ¡°No. If I may stand alone, I think it was him who betrayed us.¡±


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    Stallone began thinking about it and could understand where Harrison was coming from, but took it with a grain of salt as he knew that the two hated each other and felt as though Harrison had placed the blame on the Crow without any evidence to suggest that he was the one who betrayed him.


    As the night continued, things weren''t looking good back at the Jackel base. In the basement, the soldiers who were watching over the Crow strangle disappeared, and the once-tied-up Crow was now free and ready to get his revenge on Harrison.


    8 hours earlier


    The Crow returned to the Jackel base, where he was held at gunpoint by the same men whom Harrison ordered to capture the Crow and who also suggested that the Crow start his group.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing? Did Harrison put you up to this?¡±


    The soldier with the gun looked hesitant to continue with his orders; he apologized and stated that he was ordered to capture him by Harrison.


    The Crow smiled under his mask and said, ¡°Good. Do what you need to do.¡± The Crow spread his arms out, not putting up a fight against the Jackel soldiers. They led him to the basement, opened the metal door, and showed him the room that they were meant to place him in.


    The Crow walked around the room, commenting on the dirty walls and floors and nothing more than generic, the two handcuffs a strange kink that Harrison has and one he wasn''t willing to fulfill but ultimately had no choice. He handcuffed his right arm on his own before asking for one of the soldiers to get his left arm for him. They obliged and helped the crow with his left arm.


    Once the Crow was handcuffed, one of the soldiers asked the Crow why he was willing to put himself in this situation.


    ¡°Simple. It¡¯s best to let your enemy think that they have the advantage when in reality you¡¯ll have the advantage.¡± The Crow explained.


    The Jackel soldier was confused. ¡°What do you mean by ¡°you¡¯ll have the advantage.¡± you''re tied up?¡±


    ¡°I could see in your eyes that you didn¡¯t want to follow Harrison¡¯s orders. I know that you would rather follow my orders than follow that fucking yes, man Harison. So, I¡¯ll give you a choice; you can either follow my orders and play along, or you could follow Harrison''s orders.¡±


    The group of soldiers looked at each other and agreed that they would be better off working with the Crow than Harrison.


    After Harrison finished with the Crow for the first time, a Jackel soldier asked if he was alright and how long was. He planned to let Harrison beat him up.


    *Cough * *Cough* ¡°It¡¯s going to get a lot worse. So, if I were you, I would be ready to hold Harrison back.¡± *Cough*


    The second round with Harrison finished, and this time the Crow had had enough and asked to be let out of his chains. The soldier ran over and released him from the chains. The crow fell to the floor, causing his mask to fall off. The Jackel soldier grabbed the mask and handed it back over to the Crow, who instantly thanked him.


    ¡°How many are willing to join me?¡± The crow asked.


    ¡°Only us, I¡¯m afraid. The rest are too busy at the party taking place at Stallone¡¯s private house.¡±


    ¡°A party you say...interesting...¡±

 Episode 13

    After being freed from his chains, one of the Jackal soldiers gave his sidearm to the Crow, who then asked how many soldiers were still in the Jackal HQ and not at the party. The Jackal soldier counted carefully and said, ¡°Uhh, remove us five; then there should be around fifteen at a push, seventeen soldiers.¡±


    The Crow smiled underneath his mask, ¡°Excellent... If I were you, I would prepare yourselves as things are about to get bloody.¡±


    The group moved up the metal staircase to the top of the base, and the Crow opened fire on the unsuspecting soldiers, each shot landing precisely where the Crow was aiming. He moved through the base, clearing each room with ease. Any soldiers who surrendered were instantly shot, as the Crow saw it as a sign of weakness. The crow was ruthless in his actions, as he felt that it was necessary to take revenge.


    After completely destroying the base, the Crow turned his attention to Harrison and Stallone. He asked his new followers where the party was being held. Some of the members didn''t know the exact location, but they had a rough idea that the party could be taking place in No Man''s Land. They had heard Stallone talking about a mansion out there.


    The Crow immediately set his sights on the location and began planning his next move, determined to take down Harrison and Stallone and make them pay for what they had done.


    As they leave the Jackel HQ, a now bloody abandoned mess, we find Jack and the other members of Rainfall anxiously waiting at the royal family''s palace for updates on Yuki Shinobu''s condition. Jack, who is eager to know more, approaches his father, Harry, and asks about Yuki''s health.


    Unfortunately, Harry doesn''t have any new information beyond what everyone else already knows¡ªthat Yuki is receiving medical attention at the hospital.


    Despite the lack of news, Harry takes a moment to check in on his son and asks how he''s doing. Jack assures him that he''s fine, but Harry wants to make sure that his son is still committed to being a part of Rainfall.


    He poses the question directly: "Do you still want to be a part of Rainfall? Because if you want to leave, that''s fine. I''ll arrange for a flight back to the States."


    Jack, however, is determined. "I''m this far into quitting now. I need to avenge Jamie," he replies firmly. After a brief embrace between father and son, they both go their separate ways, with Jack determined to see his mission through to the end.


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    On the walk back to his room, Jack stepped into a fresh puddle of water. Intrigued, Jack located the source of the water and revealed that it was coming from the room that Troy was staying in.


    Jack knew that Troy didn¡¯t like him, but Jack wanted to make sure that he was okay. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He tried again and again, but there wasn''t any response coming from Troy.


    Feeling a sense of worry, Jack started calling Troy out.


    ¡°Troy! Are you okay in there?! Troy! Open the door!¡±


    At this point, Jack gained the attention of Kairi, who was curious about why Jack was shouting at Troy. Jack filled Kairi in on the situation and suspected that Troy had done something stupid and, as a result, had knocked himself out cold.


    Kairi tried getting Troy to open the door but with no luck. With no other option, Jack asked Kairi to move out of the way, as he was going to punch the door.


    He readied his left arm, put all of his power into the arm, and punched the door, causing it to swing open. Jack and Kairi rushed inside and opened the door to the bathroom. Jack noticed both the left tap running and Troy lying on the floor, not moving.


    ¡°Shit! Kairi, help him up! I¡¯m going to call a doctor.¡± Jack said while rushing to switch the left tap off.


    Kairi followed Jack''s instructions and proceeded to lift Troy sat him in a nearby chair and began checking to see if Troy had a pulse. After a while of searching, Kairi was able to find Troy¡¯s pulse, which confirmed that Troy was still alive. Jack managed to reach a doctor, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to come and help as they were already busy attending to Yuki Shinobu.


    Jack decided to call Lily and ask her to come and help, but she never came with them to the royal palace. Jack frantically explained the situation to Troy and asked what they could do to wake him up.


    Lily looked over her notes and started to ask questions such as. Where is he right now? Does he have a pulse? Is he bleeding? And how long has he been like this?


    Jack was only able to answer three of the four questions: ¡°He¡¯s currently sitting on a chair; he has a pulse; there are no signs of blood; and we have no idea how long he¡¯s been like this; my guess is a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Right, here¡¯s what I want you to do. Go into his bag and find a yellow inhaler. Once you¡¯ve found it, you''re going to have to stab it into Troy¡¯s chest.¡± Lily instructed.


    Jack was nervous about doing that; he asked if that was even safe, but a quick reassurance from Lily gave Jack the courage. He lifted the inhaler into the air and slammed it into Troy¡¯s chest.


    The effects of the inhaler worked rapidly as Troy¡¯s eyes shot open as he frantically gathered his breath.


    ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± Troy saw Jack and Kairi watching over him. ¡°What the fuck are you two doing here? Get out!¡±


    He started pushing both Jack and Kairi out of the room, and all the while Jack was asking if Troy was okay, but he just ignored Jack. Before he slammed the door in Jack and Kairi¡¯s faces, he claimed that he was fine and that they were overreacting.

 Episode 14

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 Episode 15

    Troy left Lily¡¯s office shortly after handing back the drug; however, Lily wasn''t finished, as following Troy was Jack, who wanted to ask Lily about Troy and what was going on with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Jack. Is there a reason you are here? Or are you here to nose around in other people''s business?¡±


    As a matter of fact, Jack¡¯s robotic arm had an issue, specifically his ring finger not moving. He demonstrated to Lily that every other finger works, but his ring finger wouldn''t move. He suspected that the problem started when he punched the door last night.


    ¡°Okay, it should be a quick fix. Please place your arm on the table, and I''ll take a look at it.¡±


    Jack followed Lily¡¯s instructions and watched as Lily started checking each finger. Lily took the ring finger and, with all her might, tried bending it, but it wasn¡¯t budging. She opened a drawer labeled equipment and pulled out a slab of wood as well as an elastic band. She placed the slab of wood underneath Jack¡¯s ring finger while sliding the elastic band onto the finger.


    ¡°Now I must warn you that this may hurt, but don''t worry, it will pass. I''m going to take the elastic band in and bring your finger toward us. Ready?¡±


    Jack took a deep breath and gave Lily the green light to continue. Lily, with one foot on the table, started pulling Jack¡¯s ring finger back until eventually a loud crack could be heard. Jack instantly shot up, screaming in pain. But, like Lily said, the pain was quick and disappeared in an instant.


    He started moving his fingers and was relieved to see the ring finger working as intended. He thanked Lily for helping him, but before he could leave her office, Lily said to Jack:


    ¡°Thank you for last night. If you and Kairi weren¡¯t there then, Troy would have died.¡±


    He smiled before leaving Lily¡¯s office. He started making his way to the elevator, where he spotted Troy, who was waiting for the elevator. The two get in the elevator, look at each other, and agree not to speak about what happened last night.


    In the main hub, Harry, Anakin, and Ellie are gathered around a large monitor, watching the CCTV footage of the fight at the royal palace. Harry, the leader of the group, turns to Anakin, seeking his opinion on the events they''re witnessing. "Your thoughts, Anakin?" he asks. Anakin, a skilled and experienced fighter, responds promptly, "There was no doubt about it; they knew something was going on in the palace. The only concern I have is. Where is the man with the white mask?"


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    Harry then turns to Ellie, a young and talented member of the team, and asks for her input. "I feel the same as Anakin, sir," she says, echoing his sentiments.


    However, Harry notices something off about Ellie''s demeanor and decides to probe further. "Something is bothering you, Ellie. Please speak your thoughts," he says gently.


    Ellie takes a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking up. "I just feel as though we''re being played. We know how dangerous our masked friend is, and I fear that he was doing something else while we were dealing with Stallone and his lackeys," she says, her voice tinged with concern.


    Harry nods in agreement, acknowledging the validity of Ellie''s fears. He too senses that there may be more to the situation than what they''ve observed so far.


    As they continue to discuss their observations, the elevator doors slide open, and both Jack and Troy emerge. Troy heads to his locker, while Jack walks over to his father.


    Harry turns to his son and asks for his opinion on the fight with Stallone. Jack, who has been silent until now, speaks up. "I agree with Anakin and Ellie. Something feels off like we were being played," he says, his brow furrowed in thought.


    The group falls silent, lost in thought, as they contemplate the events of the night. Harry was instructed by Ellie to turn the news on as there had been an announcement. Harry quickly switched the news channel on and noticed that it was a broadcast announcing the death of Yuki Shinobu.


    Turning up the volume, they listened in to Yusuke Takahashi, who was in the middle of addressing the general public:


    ¡°This isn''t easy to take, but I assure you, the people responsible for this will be punished. Because of this, there will be a general election to elect a new prime minister for District 1. There will be more details on who will be running in the election, but I can proudly reveal that someone who will be participating in the election is my son, Hiro Takahashi.¡± Yusuke moved away from the podium, allowing his son to speak to the public.


    ¡°I only have one thing to say, and that is a message to the killers. We will find you, and we will kill you as once a citizen of New Tokyo, I say we end this war with the Jackels!¡±


    The crowd in attendance started clapping and cheering after Hiro¡¯s speech.


    Harry smiled, commenting that it was a good move Yusuke had made. A rainy soldier ran out of the elevator and started telling Harry that a GM attack was going on at the university in District 4 and that they needed help; otherwise, they would lose the university.


    Harry instructed Jack, Anakin, Ellie, and the rest to get their gear and assist the struggling soldiers.

 Episode 16

    As the helicopter approached the university, the devastation caused by the oncoming wave of GMs became increasingly evident. The campus was heavily surrounded, and the Rainfall soldiers were struggling to hold their ground.


    ¡°Hold the line! Hold the line!¡± The sergeant yelled, ¡°We cannot afford to lose the university.¡±


    The soldiers holding the line were getting decimated one by one; it was only a matter of time before they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the line, causing the university to get overrun by the GMs.


    At that moment, Troy climbed onto the helicopter''s minigun and started firing at the GMs, providing a much-needed respite to the beleaguered soldiers.


    ¡°Ah, ha-ha! Take that, your genetic cunts!¡±


    Despite his heroic efforts, however, the fight was far from over. In the distance, more GMs were spotted, rushing towards the university with alarming speed.


    Jack split the team up into two groups. He, Anakin, and Kairi would be on the ground, while the rest would be providing air support.


    The helicopter got close enough to the ground, allowing the three to jump off the helicopter and rescue the soldiers. The trio ran towards the soldiers and took cover next to the sergeant.


    ¡°Sergeant. Jack Crawford, Rainfall Elite Division.¡±


    ¡°Sergeant Kyle Killgrave, Delta Squad.¡±


    ¡°Sergeant! I need you to get your squad back inside the university; let my squad handle the GMs,¡± Jack said.


    Kyle didn¡¯t like Jack¡¯s order: ¡°No offense, kid. But you¡¯re not in a position to tell me what to do. We have the situation under control.¡±


    Jack looked around and noticed some of the soldiers who were killed by the GMs.


    ¡°Sergeant, look at your men there who are wounded and need medical attention. Let my team take care of the GMs for a while.¡±


    Kyle looked at his men before looking at the GM¡¯s. ¡°Fuck!¡± Kyle said this before ordering his squad to get back inside the university, leaving Jack and his team to deal with the GMs.


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    The trio drew out their energy swords and began slicing the GMs to pieces. It wasn''t long until the sheer number of GMs started overwhelming the trio, needing a way to even the odd Jack called for his robot, who arrived on short notice and started going crazy on the GMs. Kairi and Anakin followed Jack in calling in their robots.


    The robots gave the ground team a much-needed breather. Meanwhile, in the helicopter, Ellie and Asuka were using their assault rifles to assist the ground team in taking care of the GMs who hadn''t reached the university''s main gate, but they weren''t doing the same amount of damage Troy was doing with the minigun, who enjoyed every second tearing the GMs to bits.


    Seeing a massive group approaching them Jack looked at both Kairi and Anakin, who were still gathering their breath before looking, and at his mechanical arm, giving him an idiotic yet smart idea. Jack started running to the group before putting all his power into his left arm and delivering a huge punch to the GM. The punch caused an electric spark to shoot out of Jack¡¯s arm, shocking all the GMs and causing them to explode into black goo.


    Jack examined his arm and noticed that it was now coated in a thick layer of black goo. He quickly wiped it off and then signaled for the helicopter to transport the rest of the group to safety. However, Ellie was adamant about staying in the helicopter, claiming that she needed to keep watch for any more genetically modified creatures approaching the university.


    Jack agreed to let Ellie remain in the helicopter to serve as a lookout while the rest of the team entered the university to ensure the safety and security of everyone inside.


    Inside the university, the once bustling and lively atrium had transformed into a makeshift medical center, tending to the wounded soldiers from the recent GM attacks. In the midst of the chaos, Jack spotted Sergeant Killgrave talking to the medics. Jack rushed over to deliver some much-needed good news.


    "Sergeant, I''ve managed to secure a window of time for you and your squad. I strongly advise you to relocate to a safer area," Jack urged.


    As the sergeant turned to acknowledge Jack''s message, he caught sight of Troy in the background, diligently assessing the number of casualties.


    "Well, I''ll be. Troy Heyward? Sergeant Kyle Killgrave. It''s a privilege to finally make your acquaintance," the sergeant remarked, extending his hand in greeting.


    After exchanging a firm handshake, the sergeant inquired, "Pardon my curiosity, but you''re from Australia, aren''t you?"


    "No, I''m English, mate," Troy replied with a wry smile.


    ¡°Say if you''re not too busy. Could you say some encouraging words to the squad? It''s just that they''re struggling with morals since the attack, and a quick pep talk should motivate them.¡±


    ¡°I would sergeant.¡±


    ¡°Call me Kyle.¡± Killgrave insisted


    ¡°Okay. Kyle, I would, but I''m not the leader of the group. Jack would be better off motivating your tropes.¡±


    Jack told Troy that he was fine with Troy delivering a speech to the troops, just as long as he didn¡¯t get carried away.


    Troy followed the sergeant to where the rest of his squad were.


    ¡°Men. This is the famous Troy Heyward, and he¡¯s here to deliver some motivating words,¡± the sergeant said.


    One of the sergeant¡¯s soldiers questioned what motivating words were going to do given the situation that they were in.

 Episode 17

    "Jack? Jack, do you read me?"


    "I read you, Ellie. What''s going on?"


    "Scanners are picking up a major swarm of GMs approaching your area. I''ll keep you updated on how long you''ve got until they arrive."


    "Thanks, Ellie; make sure you''re ready with the minigun, as I have a feeling that we''re going to be fighting our way out of here."


    Jack hurried over to the sergeant, trying to remain calm despite the urgency of the situation, and requested a private conversation. The sergeant, visibly hesitant, reluctantly agreed, and the two entered one of the few intact classrooms.


    "Sergeant, I have received word from my team that a swarm of GMs has been detected and is approaching our location. I would like to ask that your squad evacuate the area."


    Killgrave''s lips curled into a sly smile. "Not happening. With all due respect, kid. You don''t have the right to ask me or my men what to do. We''ve seen far more action in our lives than you." ¡°Jack? Jack, do you read me?¡±


    ¡°I read you, Ellie. What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Scanners are picking up a major swarm of GMs approaching your area. I''ll keep you updated on how long you''ve got until they arrive.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ellie; make sure you''re ready with the minigun, as I have a feeling that we¡¯re going to be fighting our way out of here.¡±


    Jack walked to the sergeant and asked to speak to him privately. The sergeant was reluctant but knew he did have a choice. The two entered one of the classrooms that wasn''t torn to pieces.


    ¡°Sergent, I have received word from my team that a swarm of GMs has been detected and is approaching our location. I would like to ask that your squad evacuate the area.¡±


    Killgrave smiled. ¡°Not happing. With all due respect, kid. You don''t have the right to ask me or my men what to do. We''ve seen far more action in our lives than you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You¡®re right, I haven''t seen more action than you, but I have died and come back to life. I¡¯ve been face-to-face with our greatest enemy multiple times; hell, I lost my damm brother, and I¡¯m still standing.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve not descended to madness, have you? You¡¯ve still got your squad in one piece. You haven''t been ordered to shoot a fellow American in the back of the head just because he went awol! You weren¡¯t part of Operation Bloodcrave¡±


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    The two looked each other in the eyes; no one knew what to say next. On the one hand, Kyle was right; Jack hadn''t fought in the wars that Kyle was in. He hasn¡¯t been given the order to kill one of his own. Whereas Kyle had only been in contact with Jackel soldiers and GMs, he¡¯d never been face-to-face with the Crow or Stallone.


    The door to the classroom creaked open as a member of Kyle¡¯s squad cautiously entered. "I just thought you should know that we can hear everything that¡¯s going on from the atrium. Is everything alright, sergeant?"


    Killgrave instructed his lieutenant to swiftly organize defensive positions as they anticipated an imminent attack by a swarm of GMs. The lieutenant wasted no time in relaying the urgent message to the rest of the squad, rallying them to prepare for the impending assault. Kyle exchanged a determined glance with Jack and entrusted him with the crucial task of tending to the injured soldiers.


    Before the two joined back their respective groups Killgrave gave Jack a keycard and told him that he would need it to enter the basement. Jack swiftly rejoined his group and delivered a comprehensive briefing on the gravity of the situation. He outlined their mission: to ensure the safe evacuation of the injured from the university premises.


    With a sense of urgency, everyone sprang into action, strategically placing boxes next to the door, carefully planting claymores in the hallway, and meticulously checking their ammunition supplies to ensure they could withstand the onslaught of GMs.


    ¡°Ellie. How¡¯s it looking? ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got less than five minutes. Jack, your father is calling you; I''ll pass him on to you.¡±


    ¡°Jack? What¡¯s the situation? ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve met up with Sergeant Killgrave, and we¡¯re instructed to evacuate the injured soldiers while the sergeant and his team hold off the swarm of GMs.¡±


    ¡°Good. Take it easy on Killgrave. He¡¯s one tough son of a bitch.¡±


    In the background of the conversation, Killgrave yells out to Jack, ¡°Oi Crawford! Get your ass over here!¡±


    Jack ended his conversation with his father, rejoined Killgrave, took his position at the door, and drew out his energy sword and his handgun.


    The atmosphere was thick with tension as the soldiers, their faces taut with anxiety, nervously fidgeted with their gear. Their hands trembled as they awaited the impending breach of the door, knowing that the GMs would soon storm into the university.


    Outside, the sound of the minigun opening fire on the GMs could be heard inside the university, giving the impression that the GMs were about to burst through the door any second.


    Both doors flew open, and Killgrave yelled out at the top of his lungs to open fire. Everyone started unloading all of their ammo on the GMs. Explosions could be heard coming from the hallways, indicating that the GMs had entered the university from a different direction. This gave Jack and the rest of his team permission to start slicing GMs to black goo.


    "Crawford! Get my injured men out of here! Take the basement; it has a secret exit that we use.¡± Killgrave yelled.


    Jack decided to split his team up into two: Kairi and Asuka would be in charge of clearing a pathway to the basement, while Anakin, Jack, and Troy would watch over the injured.

 Episode 18

    The two courageous sisters swiftly sprang into action, swiftly clearing the hallway to create a safe passage for the injured soldiers. Their movements were rapid and efficient, preventing the enemy GMs from getting a chance to strike. Meanwhile, Anakin and Troy provided cover for the injured soldiers by fending off the pursuing GMs with precise shots from behind.


    As the group approached a locked door requiring a key card for entry, Jack rushed to the keycard reader and swiftly inserted the keycard provided by Killgrave. While lying down and providing covering fire, Jack urgently urged everyone to enter the room.


    After everyone made it inside, Jack closed the door, granting them a much-needed respite. "Take a moment to catch your breath; we''ll need it," Jack advised before attempting to establish contact with Killgrave.


    "Can you hear me, Sergeant? Sergeant, please respond," Jack called out over the comms.


    Amidst the sounds of struggle, Killgrave''s voice crackled through the coms. "Argh, son of a bitch. Crawford, what''s your status?"


    Glancing back to ensure everyone''s safety, Jack reassured Killgrave, "We''re holding up. Take a breather before we move on. How about your team?"


    Gunfire echoed through the coms before Killgrave''s response came: "Don''t worry about us; just focus on getting my men out of here."


    The communication abruptly ceased, leaving Jack and the group to prepare for the next phase of their mission.


    ¡°Make sure you¡¯ve got enough ammo, as things could get even more messy.¡±


    As the team prepared to make their escape using a manhole cover, Ellie radioed Jack to inform him that the helicopter was ready for him and the injured outside. In response, Jack instructed Ellie to be prepared with the minigun in case they encountered any resistance from the GMs while leaving the university.


    "Alright, here''s the plan," Jack began. "Asuka, Kairi, you two will take point once again, while the rest of us will focus on safeguarding the injured."


    One by one, they descended the ladder that led them into the dark and odorous sewers. The overwhelming stench of rotting sewage and mold assaulted their senses, causing some of the injured soldiers to gag and others to cover their noses.


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    "This isn''t what I signed up for," Troy muttered, struggling to cope with the noxious odor.


    Undeterred, the group pressed on through the murky sewers, remaining vigilant for any potential ambushes from the GMs. In the distance, the sound of the water splashing became rapid, getting closer and closer.


    Asuka and Kairi readied themselves and waited for whatever was approaching them to attack. But what was chasing them was a GM hunter.


    Everyone kept still not wanting to alert the GM Hunter; everyone waited for the right moment for the GM Hunter to walk away. Very quietly, Jack aimed his gun at the head of the GM before looking at Asuka and Kairi, giving them the signal to attack the GM Hunter as soon as the bullet connected with the hunter.


    He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the bullet being fired caused the hunter to turn and hit his head, only to receive the bullet in the head, which stunned the hunter before getting its legs and arms sliced off by Asuka and Kairi.


    As the hunter was lying on the floor, jumping around in the water, something strange happened: the GM started growing its arms and legs back. Noticing this, Jack sliced the head of the hunter before instructing everyone to continue through the tunnels.


    Checking their backs, they were stunned to see that not only had the GM hunter regrown his head, but the once-decapitated head had grown arms, legs, and a body.


    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Jack said this before unloading all of the bullets in the current ammo clip, slowing down the GM hunters.


    Reaching the metal gate that led to the outside, Anakin and Troy used all of their strengths to push open the gate, but it wasn''t budging. With no other option, the two drew out their swords and carefully sliced open the gate, allowing them to escape the sewers.


    The helicopter landed and started taking the injured soldiers, while Jack and the rest of his team lay down, covering fire, before getting in the helicopter.


    ¡°Wait! Killgrave, we can''t leave him.¡± Jack said.


    Jack got on the radio and got in contact with Killgrave. "Killgrave, what¡¯s your status? We¡¯re ready to leave.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here, Crawford. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t leaving without you.¡±


    Killgrave insisted that Jack leave him behind, but Jack wasn¡¯t letting that happen. Jack left the helicopter and ran to the front entrance, powered his left arm, and delivered the same punch that eliminated the swarm of GMs. However, this took all of the strength that Jack had, causing him to lose consciousness and pass out on the ground.


    Jack woke up in a familiar hospital bed. Lily noticed Jack and asked how he was feeling.


    ¡°I''m fine. Argh, my head, what happened?¡±


    ¡°It seems your left arm has the capability of generating electrical power, and according to Kairi, you punched the GMs, causing a burst of electricity that caused all GMs to explode into a black goo, and this took everything out of your body.¡±


    The door to Lily¡¯s office opened, and in walked Killgrave. Lily took this as her cue to leave the two alone.


    ¡°You doing well, kid?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What about you? You doing fine?¡±


    ¡°I''m good. Uh, thanks, by the way, for coming back for us.¡±


    Before Kyle left, Jack stopped him and asked him about his past, more specifically Operation Bloodcrave.

 Operation Bloodcrave

    It was the year 21, and my squad and I were stationed in a remote base in the Middle East. One day, I was summoned to an office where I met with a CIA agent named Joseph Benjamin. He was a stern-looking man with a no-nonsense attitude.


    "Sergeant Kyle, the CIA needs your help with a major issue," Joseph said as he handed me a file. "Meet Asmid Hasan. You are tasked with eliminating him, as we have intelligence suggesting he has chemical weapons and plans to launch an attack on America. We have a contact that you will be meeting in the town. He wears a blue shirt and black pants and has a gold watch on his right arm. Once you see the man, he will show you where to find Asmid."


    I felt a surge of mixed emotions¡ªduty, responsibility, and a tinge of anxiety. I accepted the contract, knowing that my country''s safety was at stake. As I left the office, my mind raced with thoughts of the mission ahead and the safety of my squad.


    I quickly gathered my team, who were scattered around the base, occupied with various activities to pass the time.


    "Drop the magazine. Brad, we¡¯ve got a job to do," I said, scanning the area and realizing that one of my squad members was missing. "Where¡¯s that prick, Axel?" I asked.


    "We haven''t seen him since breakfast," Brad responded, his brow furrowed in confusion.


    "What the fuck do you mean none of you have seen him!?"


    There was an uneasy silence among the squad. I quickly briefed my team on our mission to locate a contact who would lead us to our target, now codenamed Objective False Future.


    Just as I finished briefing the squad, I heard the distinct sound of Axel''s footsteps approaching. I recognized his gait by the confident rhythm of his movement.


    "Ah, Axel, where the fuck have you been!?" I struggled to contain my frustration, eager for an explanation.


    "I was helping the recruits with target practice. It''s no big deal," Axel replied nonchalantly, unaware of the tension his absence had caused.


    I laughed before losing control and punched Axel in the face, sending him to the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever pull that shit or I will put you in the fucking ground! Understand?¡±


    Axel, who was clenching his bloody nose, nodded his head in fear, not wanting to get on my bad side again.


    We grabbed our gear and moved into the town, where it wasn''t long before we were met with gunfire. The truck we were sitting in was rained down by bullets from the terrorists. We got off the truck and started to return fire.


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    ¡°Brad! Jason! Take the left side! The rest of you with me!¡±


    We moved from building to building, eliminating any terrorists we saw; some took the high ground, and that''s where Ben and Erik would come in. They managed to get on the roof and took care of any terrorists that we could see or couldn¡¯t get a clean shot of.


    ¡°Search these buildings. Our contact should be here.¡±


    I opened the door to a small shop where civilians were hiding in the corner, scared for their lives. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them and focused on finding our contact. I opened a door that led into an upstairs part of the shop. Walking up the stairs, I could see the man who fit the description given to me. Blue shirt, gold watch, and black pants.


    I got on the radio and informed my team where our contact was. ¡°Found our guy! He¡¯s in a shop north from where we separated.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, pal, you''re going to help us with a little terrorist problem.¡±


    Our contact was cooperative but demanded things that made me want to smash his fucking skull in.


    ¡°I want a mansion in Miami, a Ferrari, and also a loving wife.¡±


    "Buddy, you ain¡¯t getting any of that shit. You''d be lucky if you got relocated to America. Now would you tell me where that son of a bitch is hiding?¡±


    Our contact pointed out on the map where we would find Asmid Hasan. It was northeast of the city on a hilltop. Before we left the shop, I did something that I felt was the right choice. I shot our contact in the head. The reason why I did this was A) he was a liability and B) I could tell by his eyes that he was going to rat us out.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing, Kyle!?¡± Brad yelled out.


    ¡°He was a rat.¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t! If he was a rat, why help us out?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, Brad. A free ticket to America and the opportunity to capture some Americans for info. He was planning to sell us out.¡±


    We moved past that and continued with the mission. We arrived at the location; it was a massive mansion on a hilltop that looked over the entire city.


    We stormed through the gate and started killing every single soldier that Asmid Hasan had. Moving through the mansion, we reached an office where we found the son of a bitch hiding under a desk. I punched him in the face before unloading punches on his face until he was unrecognizable.


    It wasn¡¯t until some of my soldiers grabbed me off of Asmid that I released that I had beaten him to death.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Kyle!? We could have learned something from him.¡± Axel said.


    I didn''t appreciate Axel¡¯s tone, and to this day I don¡¯t regret what I did. Without hesitating, I shot Axel in the head. I looked at my squad and told them that no one, and I mean no one, speaks about what happened here.


    After that, we went back to base and told the CIA representative what happened, and me and what was left of my team were transported out of the Middle East and given a new assignment.


    A soldier who was gathering their breath busted through the medical room''s door and asked Jack to get to the main hub as his father needed to see him.


    Jack quickly followed the soldier to the main hub, where he saw his father tapping his right foot rapidly.


    ¡°Dad? What is it?¡±


    Harry asked Jack to look at the monitor, which started playing the last words from the guard who was on the lookout at the District 8 checkpoint.


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Jack asked


    ¡°Around five minutes ago, I need you and your team to go to the checkpoint and investigate who is behind this.¡±

 Episode 19

    Jack and a few members of Rainfall arrived at District 8¡¯s checkpoint and noticed a guard shocked to the core. Jack looked around and saw a dead guard with knife wounds all across their face, the right leg covered in blood.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    A coroner who was looking inspecting the dead guard responded to Jack. ¡°He¡¯s been dead a while. The cause of death could be blood loss; judging by the number of knife wounds, it seems whoever did this is a master with a knife and knows how to keep someone alive.¡±


    Jack looked at the shell-shocked guard. ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything since we arrived. Poor fellow, it must be tough seeing someone get killed in this sort of manner. Jack! Go easy on the fella.¡±


    Jack approached the rookie guard and asked him if he was okay, but he didn¡¯t respond. Jack noticed the rookie badge and asked if this was his first major job; the rookie nodded his head.


    A quiet ¡°shit.¡± escaped Jack¡¯s mouth. He reassured the rookie that he was safe and that everything would be okay.


    ¡°Jack! You might want to see this.¡± Anakin yelled.


    ¡°Look.¡± Anakin pointed at the graffiti on the wall inside a small room. ¡°I do believe our masked friend is back, as he¡¯s no longer working with Stallone.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! If he¡¯s gone rogue, that¡¯s another issue we need to worry about.¡±


    Anakin approached Jack in an intense state of curiosity, eager to discuss their next course of action. Jack, however, was deeply engrossed in contemplation, puzzling over the motives behind the masked man''s betrayal of Stallone and the potential danger of their current predicament. After a rapid return to the rookie, Jack probed him for details on the recent events.


    The rookie summoned his courage and disclosed that the masked man had spared his life and even entertained him with a guitar performance while departing.


    Although the rookie''s revelation did little to assist Jack, who found the guitar detail insignificant, it did lead him to the chilling realization that the masked man was not only sending a message but also taking pleasure in toying with them.


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    Jack asked where the masked man walked to. The rookie pointed at the trees that were covered in darkness.


    ¡°Perfect hiding spot.¡±


    ¡°That masked cunt is probably watching us right now! Let¡¯s fucking get him!¡± Troy yelled out.


    ¡°Ease up, Troy. I need to let my father know what''s going on.¡±


    Jack got on the hologram and contacted his father to inform him of the situation.


    "Jack? What''s the situation?" Harry''s voice crackled through the hologram.


    "Bad, I mean really bad," Jack replied urgently.


    "How come?" Harry''s concern was palpable.


    "The man who¡¯s responsible for this attack is our old mask friend," Jack explained, his voice tense.


    Harry''s tone changed to a more concerning one. "Do you know if he¡¯s still there? If so, get back to base ASAP!"


    "From what we¡¯ve gathered, he¡¯s retreated to the tree in the distance; we¡¯re about to go and check it out. Don''t worry, Dad, I¡¯ll be fine," Jack reassured his father.


    "You better be," Harry replied sternly.


    The hologram link between the two ended. Jack gathered everyone and instructed them to be ready, as they were about to head out to see if the masked man had left any clues for them to work with.


    Entering the woods, everyone had one hand held tightly on their swords; others drew out their pistols and were looking around, waiting to see if the masked man would jump out and attack them.


    SNAP!


    Everyone turned around; it was the same scenario that they found themselves in the first time they encountered the masked man.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Anakin asked.


    ¡°We wait... If our friend thinks we¡¯re falling for the same trap again, he¡¯s dead wrong.¡±


    Another snap could be heard this time coming from their right.


    Jack instructed Ellie to go and check out the noise while they followed close behind. Walking ever so closer to the noise, they were relieved to find out what caused the noise.


    ¡°Oh, thank God. It''s just some GMs,¡± Ellie said.


    Jack walked over to one of the GMs and sliced their heads off, gaining the attention of the other GMs. They rushed towards the group; Troy sliced two GMs with one single swing while Anakin sliced one GM head off before unloading all of the bullets in the pistol into the other.


    Ellie picked off the rest of the GMs with her rifle. Once finished, they looked around and concluded that the masked man was completely gone, thinking that they were done and ready to leave, but they weren''t. The black goo that came from the dead GMs started to merge, creating a tall, massive GM.


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Jack yelled out.


    ¡°Don''t know, just fucking kill the cunt!¡± Troy said before creating a vertical beam from his blade that did not affect the GM.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be shiting me,¡± Troy said stunned that the beam did not affect the monster.


    The new GM variation started walking slowly toward them, ignoring any attacks that the group had on the GM. Any ideas that the four had didn''t work, bullets didn¡¯t affect the new variation, and any attacks with their swords they did didn''t work as well.


    Jack looked at his left arm and had the idea of using his electric powers to see if that had any effect on this new GM.


    He sprinted at full speed before jumping up, putting all of his power into his left arm, and punching the GM on the left side of its face.

 Episode 20

    The force of Jack''s punch tore a gaping hole into the left side of the towering GM. "Oh, you¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me," Jack muttered as the GM lunged at him in a fit of rage.


    With lightning speed, the GM clenched its massive fists and brought them crashing down. Jack managed to evade the attack by rolling away, and he quickly urged everyone to evacuate the forest and head back to the checkpoint.


    As they sprinted through the thick undergrowth, Jack glanced over his shoulder and was relieved to see that the GM wasn''t pursuing them.


    Once they reached safety, the group caught their breath, and the coroner inquired about the harrowing encounter. "We were attacked by a seven-foot-tall GM," Jack explained between breaths.


    Perplexed, the coroner pressed for more details. "Where did this GM come from?"


    Struggling to regain his composure, Jack gasped, "The goo... the black goo from dead GMs fused together, giving rise to that monstrous entity. We tried everything, but nothing seems to damage it."


    The coroner noticed how pale Jack¡¯s skin was and asked him to sit down and take deep breaths, but there wasn''t any time for rest as Jack¡¯s wristwatch started beeping, indicating he was getting a call.


    ¡°What is it Kairi?¡±


    Kairi, who sounded as though she was in trouble, replied, ¡°Jack! We''re needed at District Five; Jackles and civilians are fighting each other.¡±


    ¡°What!? Is Stallone or Harrison there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so. Just hurry up and get here.¡±


    The call between the two ended after Kairi finished her sentence. Jack asked to commandeer one of the soldier''s vehicles, who was more than happy to let Jack borrow their truck. He instructed Anakin, Troy, and Ellie to get in as they were needed at District Five.


    While driving to District Five, Jack not only told the three why they were heading there and that this time to gather their breaths as once they arrived it would be nonstop chaos but also called his father to let him know what happened in the forest.


    Jack: ¡°Dad! We''re currently en route to District Five to help Kairi and Asuka.¡±


    Harry: ¡°Good. I take it Kairi called you?¡±


    Jack: "Yes, but there is something that you need to know.¡±


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    Harry: ¡°What is it, Jack?¡±


    Jack: ¡°We¡¯ve encountered a new variation of the GMs; this one is formed by the black goo from dead GMs. It created this tall, massive GM that isn¡¯t affected by our swords or our guns, but I was able to punch a hole in the left side of its face with my left arm.¡±


    Harry: "Right, I''ll get people reaching this. Once you''re finished with District Five, you¡¯re all needed back at base.¡±


    In District Five, the scene was one of utter chaos and destruction. The once orderly streets were now a battleground, with overturned and burning cars adding to the apocalyptic atmosphere.


    Broken windows and the sounds of gunfire filled the air as a fierce battle raged between the Jackels and the local civilians. Both sides seemed evenly matched, with the Jackels utilizing firearms against the unarmed civilians, who, in turn, showed remarkable resilience and ferocity in fighting back.


    The civilians, driven by desperation and courage, charged at the Jackel soldiers, engaging them in physical combat.


    Some of them managed to disarm the soldiers, bravely turning the tables and using the seized weapons to return fire. It was a harrowing and intense struggle as the civilians refused to yield, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them.


    ¡°Crap that civi¡¯s got my weap." One of the Jackel soldiers said before getting shot in the head.


    ¡°You''re fucking with the wrong people, you fucking terrorist assholes,¡± a brave civilian said while punching a Jackel soldier who was on the ground.


    Asuka and Kairi were very busy helping the civilians who weren¡¯t looking for a fight and were hiding from the Jackel soldiers, then fighting the Jackel.


    As the sound of the approaching truck commanded by Jack grew louder, the twin''s spirits lifted. When the truck finally arrived, Jack, Troy, Anakin, and the others disembarked and immediately began urging civilians to seek safety.


    With no time to lose, Jack, Troy, and Anakin swiftly engaged the Jackel soldiers in combat. Troy deftly wielded his energy sword and handgun, punctuating each victory with a quick-witted remark, while Anakin focused on using his sword to take down the Jackels. Jack, utilizing both his sword and his powerful left arm, effortlessly subdued the Jackel soldiers with forceful takedowns.


    Soon, Asuka, Kairi, and Ellie entered the fray, providing crucial support to the boys. Ellie maintained a distance, picking off Jackel soldiers from afar, while Kairi and Asuka combined their speed and teamwork to swiftly dispatch their opponents, ensuring that the Jackel soldiers had no chance to regroup or counterattack.


    However, the fight wasn''t over yet, as the civilians who were fighting the Jackels didn¡¯t appreciate the assistance and claimed.


    ¡°We had it covered!¡± One yelled.


    "Look, we¡¯re just helping out, that¡¯s all,¡± Jack replied.


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t ask for your help, did we?¡±


    "Listen, we had a job to do, that¡¯s all.¡±


    A very familiar voice made its appearance. ¡°And they said they didn''t need your help.¡±


    Jack turned around, looked up, and said, ¡°You!¡±


    The stranger on the roof was none other than Crow. ¡°Me!¡±


    He jumped to the ground before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve got to give credit where credit¡¯s due. These people show so much courage; it''s amazing. Express yourself, sir! Yes, you in the Metallica t-shirt, you have one hell of a right hook.¡±


    The man in the Metallica smiled at Crow¡¯s comments.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve showing up here. You masked cunt!¡±


    Crow laughed at Troy¡¯s comment, ¡°Oh-ho-ho, please call me Crow. Now are we going to fight, as it was pretty obvious that last time, we fought I was holding back. I trust that you''re going to give me your all.¡±

 Episode 21

    The tension hung heavy in the air, a palpable feeling that electrified the atmosphere. Every member of the group seemed ready to square off against Crow, except for Jack. He vividly recalled the ease with which Crow had defeated them in their last encounter.


    "No, we''re not," Jack declared, stunning everyone with his unexpected statement.


    "What do you mean we''re not? Let''s take him down!" Troy demanded; his voice filled with frustration.


    "Think about what happened last time. We can''t afford to underestimate him again. Besides, we have other urgent duties back at base," Jack reasoned quietly to Troy.


    Crow chuckled mockingly, "Go on, heed your leader''s words."


    Troy hesitated, conflicted, before finally taking Jack''s lead and boarding the waiting truck. Crow smirked as he watched the truck depart from District Five and then casually strolled over to the courageous civilians who had confronted him.


    "You all showed remarkable courage. How would you like to join forces with me?" Crow inquired, a smile playing at the edges of the white mask concealing his face.


    Back at Rainfall HQ, Troy stormed into the command center with a determined look on his face and demanded an explanation from Harry about the decision to return to base. He was visibly upset and didn''t seem willing to accept any vague answers.


    "I understand your desire for revenge, but it''s too risky," Harry began, but before he could finish, Troy cut him off, his frustration boiling over.


    "That guy is nothing special! Just a cocky punk. Why can''t I take him down?" he shouted.


    Harry held up his hand to calm Troy down before continuing, "I was about to explain that we have found a solution. You will all have regenerative powers installed in your bodies."


    Anakin, who was listening intently, interjected, "Like the machine that''s inside Jack?"


    Harry nodded. "Exactly. It will take some time, but we need all the help we can get when facing Stallone and Crow. If anyone is reluctant to undergo the procedure, now is the time to speak up."


    The room fell silent as everyone exchanged hesitant glances, silently weighing the potential benefits and risks of the new technology.


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    ¡°I''m in!¡± Both Asuka and Kairi said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask me twice,¡± Troy claimed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with the group since the start. I¡¯m in.¡± Anakin said.


    ¡°Ellie? What about you?¡±


    Ellie looked at everyone else before making her decision. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to, but there¡¯s something inside of me that doesn¡¯t want this.¡±


    Harry assured her that even if she didn¡¯t want the device, she''d still have a part in the team, albeit not one of Jack¡¯s team. With this, Ellie made her decision, ¡°I¡¯ll take the device.¡±


    Harry smiled, ¡°Good! Follow me, and we¡¯ll get this device installed into your body.¡±


    Everyone followed Harry to the medical center, where elite surgeons were ready before the surgery, and alongside them was Lily, who was watching on.


    ¡°Ah. Mr. Crawford, we¡¯re all ready to begin.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Doctor Hale; excuse me a second.¡±


    Harry went to introduce himself to all of the surgeons who would be performing the operations. Everyone aside Jack and Lily went to prepare themselves for surgery. Jack and Lily walked into a small, dimly lit room adjacent to the operating theater. Inside, a bank of monitors lined the walls, displaying the vital signs and heart rates of everyone involved in the surgeries. In the center, a large screen broadcasted live camera footage of the ongoing procedure,


    ¡°You okay, Jack? You look rather pale.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I''m fine; it¡¯s nothing. Don''t worry about it.¡±


    Lily looked and noticed that Jack was sweating more than he should be, and he was taking long, deep breaths.


    ¡°You sure? Why don¡¯t you sit down for a while?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lily. Seriously.¡±


    Jack sat down on a nearby chair, gathering his breath. Lily opened her lab coat, pulled out a small flashlight, and shone the light into Jack¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve used your left arm again.¡± She said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major to be worried about. I''m not going to pass out if that''s what you''re worried about.¡±


    Harry walked into the room and asked what was going on. He was both worried and confused about what was going on.


    ¡°Is everything all right in here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just that Jack was looking rather tired, and I wanted to check to see if everything was okay.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Harry asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, just tired as his left arm drains all of his energy once used. But it''s not like the first time when he passed out.¡± Lily explained.


    Harry was happy about the news of Jack¡¯s condition and told both of them that the surgery was about to begin. He gave the green light and let the surgeons begin the operation.


    Hours pass of agonizing stress and concern until the surgeons give the green light to Harry that all five surgeries were a success. Harry quickly praised all the surgeons present and told them that their work would be heavily compensated.


    One of the surgeons told Harry, ¡°Just like Jack, they will need some rest before returning to action. At the most, they should be ready in three days.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have three days. What¡¯s the quickest time you can give me?¡±


    ¡°It depends on how the bodies react to the implants. My best guess would be Troy. His body was easy for us to operate with, and his heart rate was at a steady rate through the process. My best guess is that he¡¯ll be ready in a day. The longest? It would be Ellie. Her heart rate was unstable; there were some points where we needed to stop at the risk of her dying,¡± the surgeon explained.


    ¡°Thank you for your feedback, doctor.¡± Harry said to the doctor.

 Episode 22

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 Episode 23

    Stallone, feeling the pressure from Crow''s elusive tactics, became increasingly desperate and ordered his soldiers to intensify their search for any traces left behind by Crow. He urged them to be more ruthless in their attacks, hoping to gain an upper hand.


    However, Crow proved to be a crafty enemy, concocting elaborate ruses to mislead Stallone. Fake decoys planted by Crow led the soldiers astray, resulting in deadly consequences as the decoys were rigged with explosives. As the relentless pursuit took its toll on Stallone, he found himself veering away from the counsel of his trusted advisor, Harrison.


    Ignoring the warnings, Stallone made a grave error in judgment. Determined to regain the advantage, he devised a plan that endangered all eight districts.


    His scheme involved planting a devastating bomb on the walls of No Man''s Land, intending to create a diversion that would allow a swarm of GMs to infiltrate all eight districts. The reckless decision could have catastrophic repercussions, putting not only his life but innocent lives in jeopardy. But if it meant he could get one step closer to killing Crow, then he was willing to do it.


    Returning to Rainfall HQ, everyone apart from Jack was still training to get their strength and speed back, but their training had to be put on hold as Harry arrived to tell the team of a mission they needed to do.


    ¡°We¡¯ve located Jackel soldiers. Your goal is to find and stop them. If, and I mean if. Stallone or Crow is there; you are free to attack them.¡±


    Everyone put down the training equipment they were using and made their way to their respective lockers and started gearing up; once finished, they made their way to the helipad, where there was a helicopter ready to take them to the destination. During the helicopter trip, Troy was rather excited; he was hoping that Crow was there, as he couldn''t wait to get his hands on him.


    ¡°If that Crow freak is here, I get first dibs on fighting him,¡± Troy said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, man! What if he isn''t there and it¡¯s just a bunch of his goons?¡± Anakin asked.


    Troy laughed, ¡°Anyway to hurt that Crow cunt is good enough for me.¡±


    The helicopter descended into the heart of District 8, its whirring blades slowing to a stop as it landed on the uneven ground. The pilot turned to Jack and explained that they had to venture deep into the dilapidated slums of District 8. With a nod, the pilot left, leaving Jack and his team alone in the midst of the desolate landscape.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    As they strolled through the slums, they were met with the sight of decrepit houses, their wooden doors and walls rotting away, windows devoid of any framing, and roofs riddled with holes. A putrid stench emanated from the dwellings, adding to the grim atmosphere of the area.


    "Hard to imagine that this used to be a nice area. What the hell caused this?"


    ¡°No idea. Reports suggest that it was the government''s fault. They claimed they tried their hardest, but in truth, they didn¡¯t care; they mostly helped the rich and made them even richer and made the poor even poorer. Because of that, people rebelled against the government, but it would take a certain Stallone to make the government understand what they have done.¡± Anakin explained.


    Going deeper into the slums, the group started hearing something coming from the collapsed buildings. Jack instructed Asuka to go and check it out, feeling as though a fight was about to happen as the team readied their weapons. Jack, Troy, Asuka, and Kairi opted for their energy swords. While Anakin and Elie used their firearms.


    Asuka checked the building; the thing responsible for creating the noise was a rat. The group ignored the rat and continued with their mission. The group ends up finding a dead Jackel soldier; moving further on, they reach a building with the door open and inside are more dead Jackel soldiers, and the building is completely ransacked.


    ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re too slow. It seems whatever happened here happened days ago.¡± Jack explained before getting a call from Harry.


    ¡°Jack... Do you read me?¡±


    "Dad... you''re breaking up; we can''t hear you.¡±


    Coms between Jack and Harry were cut before Harry could speak.


    ¡°Coms are dead. Come on, let''s get out of here.¡±


    Before the team could leave the slums, they were attacked by GMs who were wandering the area.


    ¡°Oh, great, just the sort of thing we needed,¡± Troy said before continuing with, ¡°Let¡¯s make this quick.¡±


    Troy rushed forward and sliced one of the GMs in half before moving on to another. He was followed behind by the twins, who quickly worked together, clearing the GMs with precision and speed. Anakin and Ellie used their rifles to take care of any GMs that were in the distance. Jack, on the other hand, looked and his left arm and ran forward before jumping in the air and slamming his left arm on the floor.


    This created an electric shock wave that disintegrated all of the GMs in the area. He looked at his arm and smiled; he couldn''t believe how effective his left arm was in taking out GMs.


    ¡°You always got to have the spotlight, don''t you?¡± Troy annoyingly said before leaving the slums.


    ¡°Ignore him. He''s just being a dick.¡± Kairi said to Jack.


    After the GM encounter, the group made their way out of the slums. Once out, Jack got on the coms and tried to call his father, thinking that it was the slums that caused the poor connection.


    ¡°Dad... are you there?¡±


    ¡°Jack! Jack! Do you read me?¡±


    ¡°I read you, Dad. We checked out the area, and it was the work of Crow and his group as we found dead Jackel soldiers. But the thing is, they¡¯ve been dead for days.¡±


    ¡°Forget about the fucking slums! Get your team over to District 1 now!¡±

 Episode 24

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 Episode 25

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 Episode 26

    The team arrived back at HQ and started unloading their equipment. Jack, on the other hand, went to speak to his father and tell him of everything that happened. He explained that Stallone had lost his mind and that he did in fact have a bomb, but thankfully it never detonated. Jack would then talk about the group''s encounter with Crow.


    Harry was concerned, but Jack assured him that everyone on the team was fine, with minor injuries that would heal over time. Jack also mentioned that if Harry didn''t give everyone the same upgrades that Jack has, then he would be the sole survivor.


    Harry smiled at that news and told the group to get some sleep as in the morning the hunt for Stallone begins.


    As the team left the meeting room, they made their way to the quaint diner nestled in the headquarters for a well-deserved meal before retiring for the night. Walking into the diner, the aroma of sizzling, freshly prepared dishes enveloped the air, creating an inviting atmosphere.


    Anakin drew in a deep breath and exclaimed, "Ah, isn''t that the most delightful scent?"


    The menu for the evening featured an array of delicious options, including succulent steak, flavorful beef ramen, and zesty spicy chicken kababs, each accompanied by a vegan alternative for those who require it.


    Eagerly, the group began savoring their chosen dishes. Jack, Kairi, and Troy indulged in the spicy chicken kababs, savoring the fiery flavors, while Asuka and Anakin relished the comforting warmth of the beef ramen. Ellie delighted in a satisfying vegan steak.


    After finishing their meals, Ellie excused herself to head to the gun range to spend some time practicing with her weapons. Meanwhile, Asuka and Anakin retired to their respective rooms for the night. While they were doing this, Jack approached Kairi with a question.


    "Are you up for a quick sparring session?" Jack asked.


    Kairi agreed, and the two made their way to the training room. They each selected a wooden sword and prepared themselves for the sparring session. As they began to clash swords with lightning speed, mirroring each other''s moves, an unusual tension started to build between them. In the midst of their clash, Jack unexpectedly leaned in for a kiss.


    This took Kairi by surprise, and Jack immediately began apologizing for his actions. Still taken aback, Kairi reassured Jack that everything was okay and promised not to tell anyone about what had just occurred. Putting back the wooden sword, Kairi left Jack alone in the training room, her mind grappling with the sudden turn of events.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Nice work, idiot.¡± He said to himself before leaving the training room.


    While all of this was happening, Troy decided to pay a visit to Lily. He opened the door to her office and walked inside.


    Lily didn''t have to turn around to see who entered her office. ¡°What is it, Troy? Here for your precious drug again?¡±


    ¡°You know what? Forget it! I was only checking to see how you were.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never checked up on anyone. Why the change?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Goodnight doctor.¡± Troy said as he left Lily¡¯s office.


    As Troy walked to his room, he barged shoulders with Jack.


    ¡°Watch it, golden boy.¡± He said.


    Jack was confused by the nickname and questioned Troy about it.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jack asked.


    Troy looked annoyed. ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious. Leader of the team gets whatever he wants, and mustn''t we forget about his lowlife father?¡±


    ¡°Keep my father¡¯s name out of your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Why? It''s no wonder your mother left him. Also, how can someone quickly forget about their son, who was clearly his favorite?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face changed. ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°You heard.¡±


    The two locked eyes for a second. In that moment, Jack was fighting back the urge to punch Troy in the face, but he knew that now wasn''t the best time for the team to be at each other¡¯s throats.


    ¡°What are you going to do? Hit me? You haven''t got the balls.¡±


    Jack calmed himself down and said to Troy, ¡°Good night, Troy.¡± Before going to his room.


    Before stepping inside the room, Jack found himself unable to shake off the curious thoughts swirling in his mind about the recent tension between his parents. Driven by a growing curiosity, he made his way back to the control room to speak with his father and seek some answers. Upon entering the room, Jack approached his father with a sense of urgency, pulling him aside to pose the burning question that had been consuming him.


    "Dad, what''s going on with mom?"


    Harry, taken aback by the sudden inquiry, replied with genuine confusion, "What do you mean? She''s absolutely fine. Why do you ask?"


    Sensing his father''s sincere confusion, Jack quickly brushed it off, deciding not to delve further into the matter. "Oh, it''s nothing, just some random thoughts that crossed my mind."


    Harry, still perplexed by the exchange, encouraged Jack to rest, reminding him of the busy day ahead.


    Jack, letting the matter rest for the time being, retreated to his room, and despite the swirling emotions, he soon succumbed to sleep. However, his rest was interrupted as he found himself once again in that black void that he had been before.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why am I here again?¡± Jack asked while looking around.


    A familiar voice said, ¡°So, Troy, what''s the deal with him?¡±


    Jack turned to the sound of the voice only to see his brother playing with a knife.


    ¡°No... No... No! I''m not doing this again.¡±


    ¡°So, you''re going to let that bitch talk shit about me! Our father! And even our mother.¡± Jamie asked.


    "No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you punch him? If I was in that scenario, I would have beat the crap out of him until he understood that there would be severe consequences for disrespecting my family.¡±


    ¡°Why am I here again? I thought I was done with this place.¡±


    Jamie smiled, ¡°Think of this is a family catch-up.¡±


    ¡°No! No! I want out of here. I don''t want to deal with this crap again.¡±


    ¡°If you want out, you¡¯ve got to wake up. But if you do you would be missing the chance to talk to your brother.¡±

 Episode 27

    Jack woke up the next morning, his sheets damp with sweat from the terrifying nightmare that had jolted him from his sleep.


    Desperate to rid himself of the lingering fear, he eagerly made his way to the bathroom and stepped into the hot, steaming shower, letting the water cascade over him and wash away the remnants of his distressing dream. As he emerged from the shower, the familiar voice of SAM greeted him, emanating from the speakers of his computer.


    "Good morning, Mr. Crawford. Today is Thursday the 17th of June 2042. You are requested to report to the control room at your earliest convenience."


    Annoyed by SAM''s intrusion, Jack retorted, "I thought I made it clear that I don''t want you entering my personal space."


    SAM responded calmly, "While I respect your privacy, part of my role is to keep you updated on your daily schedule."


    Reluctantly conceding, Jack asked, "Is there anything else I need to be aware of?"


    SAM took a moment to gather and organize the most recent information.


    "Just a moment," SAM paused while collecting the latest weather data and relevant news updates. "The current temperature outside is 20 degrees, and there''s a 34% chance of rain. Moreover, there''s an announcement scheduled for three o''clock regarding the candidates running for prime minister in district one. Is there anything else you''d like to know?"


    ¡°That¡¯s all SAM.¡±


    Once the AI disappeared from Jack¡¯s monitor, he got himself dressed and made his way to the control room. Exiting the elevator, Jack met up with the rest of his team and eagerly inquired about the plan.


    Harry, with a confident gesture, suggested that Killgrave should take the lead in devising the plan. Killgrave then displayed an image of the bomb that Ellie had skillfully defused. "We''ll follow the bomb," he announced. Some of the team members appeared puzzled by this strategy.


    Killgrave then revealed the identity of the bomb''s creator, displaying the name "Miguel Rojas" on the screen.


    Jack admitted that he had never heard of him, to which Killgrave responded, "You know him by his nickname, Miguel The Green."


    Anakin suddenly made the connection and realized who Killgrave was referring to. "Reports suggest that he¡¯s been dead for three years," Anakin questioned.


    "Well, our intel suggests that he''s active again," Killgrave confirmed before outlining the mission. "We''ve identified two locations that Miguel uses as a workshop. Our objective will be to search these workshops for any clues. If we happen to encounter Miguel, it''s imperative that we capture him. I¡¯ll lead a team to this workshop here." Killgrave pointed at a location situated on the outskirts of District Four.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Jack, your team will head to this location," he added, pointing at the other workshop situated in No Man''s Land.


    With the meeting concluded, everyone dispersed to prepare for the mission, gearing up and ensuring they had their energy swords ready. Once the team was geared up and went to the helipad, Jack and his team got in their helicopter while Killgrave and his team got in the other.


    Before taking off, Killgrave told Jack to keep on coms and told him how important it was to make sure Miguel was alive.


    Both helicopters lifted off the ground, their rotors creating a rhythmic thumping sound. Jack gazed out of the window, taking in the sprawling landscape below as the choppers veered off in different directions. Inside, the atmosphere was calm; other members of the team were engaged in hushed conversations, while others meticulously checked their weapons.


    As they approached No Man''s Land, the pilot''s voice crackled over the intercom, indicating that they couldn''t risk landing and would have to disembark mid-air. Jack swiftly kicked down a thick rope, and one by one, the team members descended to the ground below.


    Stepping onto the barren terrain of No Man''s Land, each member of the group maintained a steely grip on their weapons, acutely aware of the looming threat of a potential attack by the enemy forces known as GMs.


    Jack got on coms with Killgrave, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at No Man¡¯s Land. What¡¯s your situation?¡±


    ¡°Copy that, Crawford. We¡¯re currently under fire from some Jackel soldier; nothing we can''t handle.¡±


    The connection between the two was lost a few seconds later.


    ¡°Killgrave? Killgrave, come in?.. Damm it. Signals gone.¡±


    ¡°If the signals are gone, then there are GMs in the area,¡± Ellie said.


    In the abandoned buildings, a sudden swarm of GMs burst forth and launched a frenzied attack on the group. Without hesitation, everyone drew their energy swords, activating the pulsating beams of light, and fiercely began cutting down the oncoming creatures. Each strike caused the GMs to disintegrate into a viscous black substance, but to their dismay, for every creature felled, another seemingly took its place.


    "How many of these things are there!?" Anakin exclaimed, grappling with the overwhelming onslaught of GMs.


    ¡°Just shut up and kill these cunts!¡± Troy yelled out.


    Jack, as he surveyed the dwindling number of GMs, formulated a daring strategy. With a determined look on his face, he tightened his grip on his powerful robotic arm, focusing all of his energy into it. With a swift and forceful motion, he slammed his arm into the ground, unleashing a powerful surge of electricity that surged through the floor, swiftly neutralizing the surrounding GMs.


    He grinned with satisfaction at the impact of his punch before inquiring about everyone''s well-being following the intense battle. After receiving assurance from the team that they were all okay, they pressed on towards Miguel Rojas¡¯s hideout.


    As they traversed through the debris of collapsed buildings and deserted homes in what used to be a bustling neighborhood.


    ¡°Poor people.¡± Ellie said


    ¡°That¡¯s war for you. It''s rough and unforgiving.¡± Troy responded without any care for the people who used to live here.


    The team continued until they caught sight of a bright light coming from an open bunker door at the rear of one of the houses. It dawned on them that this was the location of the hideout.

 Episode 28

    Shining a flashlight down the dimly lit staircase, Troy felt a sense of foreboding as the cold, damp air wrapped around him. The bunker seemed eerily silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing against the concrete walls.


    Ignoring his unease, Troy pushed forward, his resolve propelling him deeper into the unknown. The winding staircase seemed to descend endlessly, each step steeped in darkness, but eventually, the team reached the bottom, their breaths clouding in the chill.


    As they stepped off the final stair, an overwhelming and acrid scent assaulted their senses¡ªa thick, smoky odor reminiscent of something that had recently been set ablaze. Glancing around the cavernous space, Jack noticed the stark contrast between the shadows and the flickering lights from his flashlight. The air felt heavy with tension as we moved cautiously through the dimly illuminated rooms.


    Jack swung his light toward one of the rooms, flipping on the switch. The fluorescent bulbs buzzed to life, revealing grim images lining the far wall: photographs of various buildings, each one ominously marked with dark ink and circles. They were targets¡ªdestined for destruction. His stomach sank at the implications.


    Nearby, a cluttered desk bore remnants of sinister preparations: scattered tools, wires, and materials arranged haphazardly, all unmistakably used for bomb-making. While Jack continued his cautious exploration, Anakin had shifted his focus to a small corner where a forgotten recording device lay half-obscured by dust and debris. Intrigued, he picked it up, careful not to disturb the settling grime. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he pressed play, and the device whirred quietly to life.


    As the tape began to roll, a quiet voice emerged, low yet clear, cutting through the eerie silence of the bunker.


    ¡°It¡¯s Wednesday, the 9th. Stallone has instructed me to develop a gas bomb that has the capacity to both kill and destroy. *Deep breath* He¡¯s losing his mind; I don''t know if it''s the war with the government that''s causing this or if he¡¯s off his medication. He¡¯s promised that he¡¯ll pay well for the bombs, but I don''t believe him. I''m still waiting for my payment for the last time he ordered me to create some bombs."


    In the background of the recording, the sounds of Miguel the Green rummaging through his equipment before the ear-shattering sound of a saw cutting metal could be heard.


    "Okay, so what I¡¯m planning for the custom bomb is combining the gunpowder that I use in my H Bomb with the fuse and hardware of The Quick Bang."


    Anakin fast-forwards the tape until Miguel the Green starts talking again.


    ¡°Uh... This is a very bad idea; I just used my device that calculates how dangerous a bomb can be, and this is an A-grade bomb. For context, the H bomb is an A-grade bomb, and nuclear bombs are A+ grade."


    ¡°Thank God we managed to stop the bomb from going off,¡± Ellie said, interrupting the tape.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    The group turned their attention back to the tape.


    ¡°This is going to be the last thing I¡¯ll say on this tape. If the government or Stallone finds this bunker, I''m going to have a bomb rigged to blow. I¡¯ll do this to protect myself."


    This news shocked the group.


    ¡°Shit! How long ago was this tape made?¡± Troy asked.


    ¡°About eight days ago,¡± Anakin replied before asking if there was a possibility a bomb was ready to blow.


    Ellie turned on her bomb sweeper and searched the room. She found nothing that suggested that there was a bomb ready to blow. The only thing she was able to find was a crate that had a lot of bomb material inside.


    Jack cautiously opened the crate, and inside were bombs and missiles that were ready to be disassembled. Looking deeper in the crate, there was a note inside that read:


    Miguel, I need you to create a nuclear bomb. Your last bomb failed and has been sized by Rainfall. I don''t care how you do it; just do it. You have three weeks. Don''t disappoint me.


    -Stallone


    After scanning the note with a furrowed brow, Jack turned to Troy and Anakin, his tone urgent. ¡°I need your help lifting that crate out of the bunker. Once we get it out, we¡¯ll mark it for extraction.¡± The three of them quickly gathered around the heavy crate, their muscles straining as they maneuvered it out of the dimly lit bunker.


    As they worked to secure the missiles inside, Kairi, positioned a short distance away, noticed an unusual shape lurking in the deeper shadows of the room.


    Curiosity piqued, she moved cautiously closer, her heart racing as she spotted a slightly battered cardboard box nestled against the wall. Straining to hear any sounds from within, she instinctively reached for one of her knives, her fingers wrapping around the cool handle.


    With a steady breath, she gripped the flaps of the box and peeled them open, ready for whatever might be concealed inside.


    To her shock, a young man with scruffy brown hair burst forth from the confines of the box. Panic flashed in his eyes as he immediately scrambled towards the exit, desperation driving his movements.


    However, his escape was abruptly thwarted when Asuka, quick and agile, swept her leg in a swift motion, causing him to trip and crash to the floor.


    ¡°Who are you, and why were you hiding in that box?!¡± Asuka demanded, her voice firm and unwavering.


    The young man, stunned and gasping for breath, remained silent, his composure shaken.


    Meanwhile, Ellie, standing nearby, activated her arm-mounted monitor. She rapidly compared the image on the screen to a file of a man named Miguel they had been searching for. Her gaze narrowed as she observed the similarities; both figures bore strikingly identical features¡ªa burn scar on the lower lip, a birthmark on the upper right eye, and a distinctive mole on the right nostril.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s Miguel,¡± Ellie exclaimed, her voice rising with disbelief and relief.


    The sudden commotion of the young man hitting the ground, coupled with Asuka''s authoritative shout, echoed through the bunker, prompting Jack, Troy, and Anakin to rush back down the corridor to investigate the noise.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jack asked, concern etched on his face. His eyes quickly settled on the stranger sprawled on the floor. ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± he probed.


    Ellie stepped forward, her voice urgent as she informed Jack, ¡°It¡¯s Miguel.¡±


    Jack approached Miguel cautiously, his expression shifting from confusion to determination. ¡°You have intelligence that we need, and you¡¯re going to share it with us,¡± he stated firmly, leaning in closer, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.


    At last, Miguel gathered his thoughts and spoke, his voice low but steady. ¡°If I agree to help, I have some demands that need to be met first.¡±


    ¡°Name them,¡± Jack insisted, unwavering in his resolve.