Annie grabbed the paper and tried to tear it. She yanked on it several times, but despite her efforts, it didn’t budge. The thin yer of nano-alloy gel c it was far strohan it appeared.

  “Here, let me try,” Zack said, taking the paper from her. He pulled with all his strength, and after a moment of struggle, mao create a small tear.

  “Looks like it worked,” he said, satisfied. He picked up a utility knife and scraped the surface, which made a sharp, metallic sound.

  “Perfect!” Zack murmured, a pleased smile on his face. After several failed attempts, he’d finally succeeded iing a reliable nano-alloy gel.

  “Is this for the armor?” Annie asked, her curiosity piqued.

  “Not quite,” Zack replied, grinning. “The armor’s already strong enough. This gel is actually for reinf the Mansion’s defenses.” He paused, the grin fading slightly. “It’ll make the entire pce a lot harder to break into.”

  “Got it. You’ve gone over all the blueprints, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I think I’m good,” she said, nodding.

  “Good. Let’s start with the transmission meism,” Zack said, leading her over to the workbend gathering the necessary materials.

  For the wo days, Zad Annie worked nonstop in the basement, assembling the plex parts of the new armor. While Zack was eager to keep going, he made sure Aur breaks. He khat if she worked too long without rest, she’d wear herself out.

  When Aook her breaks, Zack didn’t sit idle. He used the time to spray the nano-alloy gel over the Mansioerior walls and around the perimeter of the unity. The treated walls became incredibly smooth and practically impossible to climb. He also reinforced the gate, turning it into aritry system with facial reition, courtesy of Ego. Only authorized individuals could enter now—zombies or intruders would be stopped iracks.

  Mansion No. 9, where Zack lived, had bee a fortress. High-voltage rods lined every meter of the courtyard wall, capable of delivering tens of thousands of volts to anyone who tried to get over. To power this massive setup, Zack also upgraded the Mansion’s power supply.

  He didn’t stop there—he installed several automatic turrets along the perimeter, each ected to cameras that would deted engage any threats. While most of the turrets were empty for now, he equipped a few with his homemade nail guns, ideal for silently taking down small groups of zombies. After all the upgrades, the Mansion ractically imperable—except for one big problem: power. If the electricity went out, all the defenses would be useless.

  “Time is running out,” Zack muttered, looking at the nearly finished MV-02 armor. With a sigh, he picked up a welding tord went back to work.

  By the third m, as sunlight streamed through the basement window, Zapleted the final pos of MV-02.

  “Sir, you haven’t slept for 52 hours,” Ego’s voice gently reminded him.

  “Rex, Ego,” Zack replied with a chuckle. “I’m wide awake.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the gleaming armor in front of him. MV-02—his first true steel bat suit—was the start of his vision for a powerful new age.

  “This baby would be eveer with a Gatling gun,” he mused, running his hand over the armor. As impressive as it was, Zack’s ultimate goal was to turn it into a real war mae, something truly ready for the challenges of a post-apocalyptic world.

  Although the armor was missing the old Fusioor, it was still ready for a. Eight detachable high-energy grapheteries were installed on its back, providing enough power for 48 hours—a huge improvement over his previous designs.

  pared to the MV-01, MV-02 had an arm bde and a web shooter for close bat. The suit ted in e-titanium alloy, with arc pulse ons in each palm that also acted as stabilizers for flight. Foot jets were in pce, ready for the addition of the Cold Fusioor, which would unlock the suit’s full potential. For now, Zack could s out the batteries, but ohe reactor was installed, everything would ge.

  To prepare for his uping mission, he’d applied three yers of anti-radiation coating on the armor. This would shield both him and the suit from nuclear exposure, which was essential for his prip to the nuclear pnt.

  “Sir, please take some rest for your health,” Eged again, this time with more insistence.

  “Alright, alright,” Zack replied, relutly tearing his gaze from the MV-02. He made his stairs and finally allowed himself to sleep.

  He awoke hours ter, feeling fully refreshed despite having pushed his body to its limits. W nonstop had bee sed nature to him, and his body had adapted.

  Feeling rejuvenated, Zack took a deep breath, knowing that he was oep closer to making his vision a reality. The real journey was about to begin. Sihe virus outbreak, Zack rarely felt tired—he was always full of energy, no matter what he did. Today, he decided to check his physical dition.

  “Ego, s my physical state.”

  A moment ter, Ego reported back. “Sir, your body is in excelleh. All indicators are at peak levels.”

  “How does it pare to the st s?”

  “Your readings have improved by approximately 30% sihe st check.”

  “Anything abnormal?”

  “ected,” Ego replied calmly.

  Feeling reassured, Zaodded. He wasn’t sure what was causing these improvements, but with ive side effects, he wasn’t about to pin.

  “Let’s move fast,” he muttered, cheg the time. “We’ve got one day before the poes out. I o secure the materials for the Cold Fusioor.”

  Zack quickly went downstairs, greeted Sophia, grabbed a few packs of pressed biscuits for the road, and headed back to the basement. Annie was already hard at work, runnis on the MV-02.

  “How’s it going?” Zack asked.

  “Brother?” Annie looked up, surprised. “The main funs are good. I’m w on the ons system now.”

  “No need for that,” Zack said, waving his hand. “Sometimes, you just have to dive into a. Let’s jump straight into a bat test.”

  Annie looked a bit fused, but she helped him suit up. Uhe simple MV-01, the plex MV-02 required assistao wear. Without a robotic arm to help, Annie’s hands were essential.

  Ohe final po clicked into pce, the internal fittings tightened automatically. The suit was on, and Ego synced with it instantly.

  “Excellent, no g,” Zack said, flexing his joints. He jogged around the basement, noting how the suit made him feel even faster than his natural speed.

  The MV-02’s advanerve du let him feel the suit’s immense power as he ched his fists. “This is true exoskeleton armor!” he muttered, grinning.