Uhe armor, Avalon didn’t e equipped with a built-in buffer system. In simpler terms, every ounce of G-force from the rapid acceleration hit Zack directly and without mercy. “Man, this G-force is no joke…” Even with the prote of his nanosuit, Zack couldn’t help but feel a little queasy.

  "Wait a minute, are all future pilots built like mutant?" he muttered, genuinely impressed.

  If even he, someone used to high-pressure situations, was feeling the strain, wouldn’t an ordinary person have passed out by now? "Sir, the flight manual specifically states that acceleration should be gradual when taking off," Ego chimed in, its tone ced with what Zack could only describe as subtle exasperation.

  "Manual? ht, that thing." Zack scratched his head awkwardly. "I might’ve skimmed over that part."

  Shrugging it off, he switched the Avalon to autopilot, reing in his seat to admire the view. The sight of the Earth below, stretched out in all its vastness, offered a perspective few got to see. After a tense half-hour flight, the Avalon approached the mountainous area that housed the Armory.

  As the destination came into view, Zack toggled off autopilot, gripping the trols.Vertical take-off and nding made flying the Avalon ridiculously user-friendly, even for a rookie like him. "Alright, switch to flight mode for nding..." Zack muttered to himself as he followed the manual’s instrus. Slowly but surely, Avalon began a smooth vertical dest.

  The height dropped gradually, and soon the weed-covered parking lot outside the abandoned factory was in sight. But in the shadows of the dense forest nearby, a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes tracked the desding aircraft. "Sir! I’ve detected signs of a rge mutated creature nearby!" Ego’s voice cut through the cockpit, its tone carrying an urgent warning.

  Zack frowned. "You said the same thing st time," he replied skeptically, leaning forward to peer out of the cockpit window. From what he could see, the parking lot was empty, save for weeds and rusted debris.

  "Sir, please observe the data," Ego insisted, projeg the s results onto the dispy.Zack’s eyes narrowed. A series of massive footprints, each measuring 56 timeters in diameter, appeared on the s. Their distinct ‘plum petal’ patter no doubt—this beloo a feline predator, and a colossal o that.

  “Big guy, huh…” Zack’s expression turned serious. Judging by the size of those prints, the creature had to be at least five meters tall. "Keep Avalon h. Don’t nd until I figure out what’s out there," Zack ordered.

  "Uood, Sir," Ego replied.

  Without another word, Zack grabbed his sword, slung it over his shoulder, and headed to the cargo hold. He opehe rear hatch, letting the r wind fill the interior. "Hey, Ego, what’s our altitude?" Zack asked.

  "165 meters," the AI replied promptly.

  "Lower it to 50 meters." Avalon smoothly desded until it hovered at a height equivalent to an 18-story building. "Alright, this is going to be fun," Zack said with a grin, gng down at the ground far below. Then, without hesitation, he jumped. The wind howled past his ears as he plummeted, the rush of air making his nanosuit vibrate slightly.

  Boom!

  Zaded in a cssic superhero pose, his knee smming into the t and crag the already rown surface. A small crater formed beh him. "Still looks cool, still wrecks my knees," he muttered, brushing off the dust as he stood, sword in hand.After making sure there was no immediate threat, Zack looked back at the Avalon h above. "Alright, release the bugs."

  Following his and, ten meical Ants leapt from Avalon. However, their lightweight design made them proo damage, and Zaew the drop might be too much for them. "Gotcha! And you! And you too!" Zack shouted as he dashed forward, catg each bug mid-air with precision.

  Despite their awkward tumbles, all ten nded safely in his hands. "Alright, let’s go," he said, waving his hand as he led the way toward the Armory. The meical Ants skittered behind him like obedies.

  A week had passed since Zack st visited, and the Armory looked even more abahan before. Rust had spread over the tunnel doors, and the surrounding area was eerily quiet. Standing at the tunrance, Zack’s gaze nded on a pile of gnawed animal bones scattered inside. His voice turned cold. "Looks like something made itself fortable here."

  The st time he and Erza were here, the tunnels had been choked with vines, deterring any mutant creatures. Now, with the vines cleared out, the area seemed to have bee a hunting ground. Zack stepped cautiously into the tuhe sound of his boots eg off the walls. Along the way, he passed tless shattered bones, each bearing the marks of powerful jaws.

  "Whoever’s been staying here has some serious bite strength," Zack mused, shaking his head. The tunually led to the steelmaking pnt, where everything was just as they’d left it. The rusted door was slightly ajar, and the truck Zack had pushed into position st time remained untouched.

  "It’s pitch b here. Ego, switch to night vision," Zastructed.

  The green-tinged dispy illuminated his surroundings, revealing the factory’s dipidated state in stark detail. "Man, I really o i in full-cht vision," Zack muttered, making his way deeper into the pnt.

  In the dense forest outside the tunnel, a massive creature, nearly five meters tall, moved forward with a chilling stealth. It barely made a sound as its enormous body blended seamlessly with the shadows of the trees. Unless someone ecifically looking for it, they’d never notice its presence.

  “Rrrr...” The beast’s guttural breath carried the metallig of blood as it exhaled.When it he Armory, it suddenly halted, its cruel eyes sing the area. First, it g the Air Fortress h above the treetops. Then, it turs attention to the tunnel Zack had entered earlier. Finally, after a tense pause, it made its decision—choosing its prey carefully.

  Ihe Armory, Zaspected the factory yout. Everything was just as he remembered. His expression eased. “Looks like the mutated creatures didn’t mao get in here,” he muttered, walking around to ehere were no surprises. Satisfied it was safe, he turo the ten meical Ants behind him.

  “Alright, dismahe produ lines I marked ahe parts shipped out!” As he spoke, Zack highlighted a few specific ses of the Armory on his HUD. Most of the marked lines were for produg high-demand ammunition, like armor-pierg rounds and indiary bombs.

  “We ’t afford to keep these operations so far out,” Zack said to himself. “Even with a supersonic jet, it takes an hour and a half to make a round trip. In the middle of a war, that’s just not going to cut it. Supplies would never keep up.” His pn was simple: relocate the key produ lio a factory closer to his steelmaking pnt. That area was quickly being his base of operations, and food reason.

  First, the proximity meant supplies could be replenished swiftly. Sed, if there was ever a problem, Zack could respond within mihe steelmaking pnt was shaping up to be the bae of his future pns, a hub for industry and innovation.