"No surprise there. They’ve figured out I have space-based ons. It would be strange if they didn’t try to stop me." Zack wasn’t surprised in the least. He released his grip, activated his thrusters, aached from the rocket. The rocket was still climbing slowly, so he could catch up at any time. "Where’s the interissile?" Zack asked.

  "Coordinates uploaded, sir." Ego responded.

  Every missile unched was immediately shown on the Apex's HUD. "Let’s go. Time to intercept the interceptors!" Zack grinned. With that, he pushed his suit’s thrusters to full power, rocketing off at Mach 8 toward the ining missiles.

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  The sharp sound of missile locks filled Zack’s helmet. Anticipating trouble, he had Ego modify the Apex suit a few days earlier to carry a payload of supersonic micro-interissiles. “Fire!” Zaanded. Several tiny missiles shot out from the suit, accelerating to Mach 5 in seds as they honed in oargets. Moments ter, explosions lit up the sky above the clouds.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  The enemy interissiles were obliterated. “That’s all they’ve got?” Zack chuckled, shaking his head. With his thrusters still at full power, he turned back toward the rocket, which hadn’t yet reached its full speed. Soon, he reattached himself to the vehicle.

  “First stage rocket separating!” “Fairing separation plete!” “Sed-stage engine shutting doroag designated orbit!”

  The automated annous marked each critical step as the multi-stage rocket pushed past the first ic velocity. Zack had officially reached a geostationary orbit, 35,000 kilometers above Earth. This orbit, perfectly synized with the p’s rotation, allowed satellites to hover over a fixed point. From here, oellite could cover over 40% of the p—a single hemisphere.

  However, the apocalypse had left its scars even here. “Damn, this orbit’s a mess,” Zack muttered, his eyes sing the field of space debris.

  Old, abandoned unication satellites floated aimlessly, remnants of a time when humanity maintais global works. Without proper maintehe satellites had stopped w, leaviationary orbit clogged with junk. Normally, obsolete satellites would be moved to a higher “graveyard orbit” to avoid collisions. But post-apocalypse, no one had bothered.

  “Starship separated!” “Satellite module unfolding!”

  Zack watched as the final stage of the rocket detached, revealing the satellite module. Its sor panels unfolded like an enormous umbrel, resembling a jellyfish suspended in the dark void.

  “Positioning plete!” “Orbit corre done!” “Satellite is now operational! Space-based modules detag!” The space-based module separated from the rocket, and the satellite's built-in micro-propulsion system kicked in immediately. It adjusted its position, preparing for dog and instaltion, with the help of space-operating drones.

  However, before the satellite’s main module could be installed, two critical pos had to be deployed: the ser transmitter and the eleagic railgun. These were vital to elimihe looming threat of abandoned satellites and orbital debris that could crash into the system at any moment. “Sir, an abandoned satellite is on a collision course! Impa five minutes—please be ready!” Ego’s voice echoed in Zack’s helmet.

  Zack grimaced. The satellite wasn’t equipped for self-defe. A single impact could obliterate the expensive space-based module that had taken so much effort and resources to build. “Mark its trajectory,” Zack ordered.

  In an instant, the abandoned satellite’s flight path appeared on Zack’s HUD. The proje firmed it—collision was immi. “I’ve got this,” Zack said, activating his thrusters and flying toward the ining satellite. This was exactly why he was here. Proteg the satellite was his top priority.

  “Ego, I see it now,” Zack said as the satellite came into view, hurtling through space at high speed.

  “Sir, push it out of orbit, but do not destroy it!” Ego reminded him, a serious tone in its voice. “If it breaks apart, the debris will create more hazards for the satellite.”

  “Rex, I know what I’m doing,” Zack replied, adjusting his thruster output. He aligned himself with the satellite’s trajectory, carefully matg its speed to stabilize their retive positions. As the two objects flew in tandem, Zack reached out, brag himself against the satellite’s body.

  “Activate the propulsion backpack,” he ahe Apex suit’s propulsion system roared to life, gently nudging the abandoned satellite out of its orbit. Gradually, Zack pushed it higher and higher, maneuvering it past the space-based satellite. Finally, he guided it into a designated “space cemetery,” a region filled with deissioned satellites and orbital debris.

  “Done,” Zack said, watg the satellite drift into its final resting pce. He turned auro the operational satellite, only to repeat the process twice more over the hour. Two additional satellites were removed from the area, ensuring no immediate threats to the system.

  “Sir, the ser transmitter is installed. You take a break now,” Ego informed him. Zack hovered he satellite, which resembled a meical jellyfish suspended in orbit. But now, the harmless-looking satellite began to dispy its true potential.

  Buzz! Buzz!

  A red ser beam shot out from the satellite, cutting through the darkness of space like a crimson thread. Every ser strike hit its target—a piece of orbital debris or an abandoned satellite—and vaporized it entirely. “Nice,” Zack muttered, nodding in satisfa. The system was fully operational. With his mission plete, he set his sights on the blue p below and began his dest.

  Flying back from 35,000 kilometers above Earth wasly a quick trip, but Zaderestimated just how much speed he could gain. Thanks to the Apex suit’s aerodynamic design and the pull of Earth’s gravity, he soon found himself accelerating beyond Mach 8. At this point, Zack wasn’t just desding—he lummeting like a tungsten rod. The intense fri of re-entry heated the suit’s surface to extreme levels. “2,000 degrees Celsius… 2,500… still climbing!” Ego warned as temperatures soared.

  Fortunately, the Apex suit was built for space operations and had advanced heat-resistant and radiation-proof coatings. Despite the blisteri, Zack remained unharmed. “Prepare to slow down,” Zastructed as he hit the upper atmosphere.

  Using precise maneuvers, he reversed his thrusters, gradually bleeding off speed. Slowing down was critical—without it, he’d hit the ground like a meteorite. After a grueling deceleration process, Zack finally reduced his speed to Mach 8. Several thousaers above the ground, he redirected his trajectory and dove toward an artificial ke ribeca.

  Spsh!

  The mome the water, the surrounding area erupted in steam. The ke boiled furiously, and fish floated belly-up to the surface, cooked alive by the intense heat radiating from the Apex suit. After ten seds, Zack activated his thrusters again, propelling himself out of the water. He soared through the air, drawing a graceful arc before nding near his Mansion. “Ego, is the particle accelerator ready?” Zack called out as he ehe basement, removing the Apex suit piece by piece.

  “Yes, sir, the accelerator is finished,” came the response. “But…” Ego’s voice cut in, sounding mildly annoyed. “Sir, aren’t you fetting something?”

  Zack paused, frowning. “What now?”

  “The Vanguard anization base in Japan,” Ego reminded him. “The same people who tried to blow up your rocket?”

  “Eh, fet it,” Zack said, shrugging as he walked toward the b.

  “Sir, this is… out of character for you,” Ego remarked with a hint of sarcasm. “You’re really letting them off the hook after trying to sabotage your unch?”

  “They failed, didn’t they?” Zack replied nontly. “Why waste time?”