The power armor’s new upgrades brought its weight up to an impressive 1.3 tons. To offset the added bulk, Zastalled auxiliary thrusters on the bad legs, ensuring the suit could still fly despite the increase i. After running the final tests, he stepped back, admiring his handiwork.

  “This isn’t just the MV-02 anymore,” he said with a smirk. “From now on, it’s the MV-02W.”

  With the help of his meical assistant, Zack climbed into the armor and moved toward the garage exit. As the thrusters roared to life, he unched into the sky, the sound eg around him. Once airborne, he decided to test the suit’s top speed. Even with the extra weight and bulkier frame, the armor mao hit Mach 1.1—not quite the inal MV-02’s Mach 1.3, but the trade-off for better durability and firepower seemed worth it.

  H high above the ground, Zack spotted a group of zombies shambling below. “Let’s see what this thing really do,” he muttered before diving toward them. Ten mier, he returo the mansion, the st of gunpowder ging to the armor. As the robotic arm helped him out of the suit, a satisfied grin spread across his face.

  “Not bad,” he said to himself. “But it could really use armor-pierg rounds.”

  After downing a gss of chlorophyll juice offered by the robotic arm, Zack headed back to his workbenext up were upgrades for his meical dog and spider. Both had performed well in initial tests, but Zack wasn’t satisfied until everything erfect. He decided to start with the spider.

  “Wait… where’s the spider bot?” he asked, sing the room.

  “Sir, the spider bot prototype is currently in Annie’s b,” Ego, his AI assistant, replied.

  “Aook it?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  Zack walked over to the room Annie had cimed as her b. As he approached, he heard her muttering nervously to herself. “Okay… just breathe… you do this. It’s just like building a little robot. If I get it right, Zack will be so proud…”

  He couldn’t help but smile as he quietly pushed the door open. Annie jumped, letting out a startled squeak, and quickly threw a cloth over the disassembled spider bot on her workbench. She kept her head down, avoiding his gaze.

  “Annie,” Zack said teasingly, “you wouldn’t happen to know where my spider bot is, would you? It’s just a prototype, but if it’s missing, that could be a real pain…”

  Her hands trembled, and she looked up with wide, tear-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry, Zack…” she whispered. “I didn’t realize it was so important. I just… I just wao make it better.”

  Zack’s teasing smirk softened as he noticed the bck cloth draped over the workbench. Gently, he lifted it, revealing the spider bot in pieces and a stack of hand-drawches. His expression shifted to surprise as he examihe detailed designs.

  “Did you draw these?” he asked, holding one up.

  The sketches showed a bold vision for the spider bot. Annie had reimagi as a wearable, spider-shaped exoskeleton. She’d kept the hydrogen fuel cell, likely because a full reactor’s power demand would have been too much. The design was creative, unique, and promising.

  “This is amazing!” Zack said, genuinely impressed.

  Annie blinked, staring at him in disbelief. “You’re… not mad?”

  Realizing his earlier tone had scared her, Zack felt a pang of guilt. He reached out, ruffling her hair gently. “Mad? Why would I be mad? It’s just a prototype. You mess with it as much as you want.”

  “Really?” Annie’s face lit up with relief, her lips curving into a bright smile. “I promise I won’t mess it up this time!”

  “I know you won’t,” Zack said with a nod. “If you need help, just let me know.”

  “Okay!” she replied, her earlier nervousness repced by determination.

  With a final pat on her shoulder, Zack left her b auro his workshop.

  Once alone, Zack let out a deep breath and g the meical arms surrounding his workbench. “Ego, you know the drill, right?”

  “Of course,” Ego replied.

  The robotic arms sprang into a, grabbing materials from nearby shelves and assembling parts with precise movements under Ego’s guidance. Zack joined in, w tirelessly on produg more meical dogs and spiders to prepare for the battles ahead.

  Two days flew by as Zack buried himself in work. Most of his time ent crafting hydrogen fuel cells, pushing both his skills and his dwindling resources to their limits. The materials he’d salvaged from the nuclear pnt were nearly gone, but by the end of the sed day, he stood baire the fruits of his bor.

  Before him were seven meical dogs and fourteen spiders, each meticulously crafted for maximum efficy. One of the dogs had already beeo the steel pnt to maintain order, leaving him with a small but formidable meical army.

  “Looks like the spiders are easier to mass-produce,” Zack muttered. Their simpler design and lower material requirements made them perfect for quick assembly.

  Turning to Ego, he asked, “How’s the steel pnt holding up? Any issues?”

  “The workers are cooperating so far. No problems to report,” Ego replied smoothly.

  Zaodded, relieved. To maintain order, he’d stationed a meical dog equipped with advanced ons at the pnt. These new models were far more powerful than the old ones.

  The meical dogs now featured 7.62mm heavy mae guns mounted on their backs, grenade unchers on their rear legs, and mini missile unchers on their shoulders. Their optics were fiuned for precise targeting, making them highly effective walking turrets.

  The spiders, though simpler, were equally lethal. Each was armed with four 5.56mm light mae guns mounted on their optical lenses, allowing them to atta multiple dires. As a st resort, they had a self-destruct fun: if critically damaged or ahe hydrogen fuel cell would detonate, clearing a 500-meter radius.

  “Ego, power them up,” Zaanded.

  One by ohe maes came to life, their low hum filling the room as they synized. Zack watched with a surge of pride. “Perfect,” he murmured. “A real meical army—loyal, fearless, and unstoppable.”

  He turo a nearby monitor. “Ego, show me the zombie situation.”

  The satellite feed flickered on, revealing endless swarms of zombies moving across the nd. Zack’s jaw tightened as he studied the s, already brag himself for what was ing.