ByteZerÖ

Jae-won frantically searched the torn pockets of his battle-worn suit, his movements desperate, as if the object he sought held the key to his survival. His fingers finally closed around something—a sleek, transparent, glass-like device resembling a phone. The screen flickered to life, glowing an ominous red. The words glared back at him: [Initiate ByteZerÖ?]

Without hesitation, he tapped the glowing button.

The ground beneath the towering CyberNotics Headquarters began to rumble, the tremors growing stronger with each passing second.

The earth cracked open in front of the entrance, like a hidden vault being unlocked. From the glowing red abyss, small black particles swarmed upwards, rising like vengeful spirits clawing their way out of hell. They moved with an eerie fluidity, swirling and pulsing as if alive.

Nexus's usually calm demeanor shattered. "So.. this is the reason why you wanted to come here?" his voice laced with disbelief.

Jae-won grinned, his eyes gleaming. "This is the ByteZerÖ unit. Developed under a classified contract between me and the South Korean government for stealth missions and national security. They have been trained on millions of war strategies for 100% mission success." His grin widened. "I told you, Nexus—I'm always a man with a plan."

Nexus went frozen, his mind reeling. Before he could respond, the particles coalesced, morphing into humanoid figures. Their forms were devoid of any human traits—jet-black, metallic, with glowing red streaks running down their bodies like veins of molten steel. They moved with unnerving precision, like shadows brought to life.

One figure stepped forward, its movements fluid yet purposeful, like a soldier marching to the frontlines. It stopped in front of Jae-won and spoke in a mechanical, yet strangely authoritative voice: "Greetings, sir. I am CJ, the ByteZerÖ War Unit Commander. The formation is complete. Awaiting your command."

Jae-won's expression turned cold, his eyes narrowing as he gazed into the distance. Far beyond the shattered ground, the enemy forces began to gather—strange, shadowy figures marching with intent. "Do you see them?" he asked, his voice low and controlled. "Those people… they're coming to kill me. Your mission is simple."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words settle in the air before continuing. "Annihilate every last one of them. Don't risk the safety of civilians —eliminate the threat with precision. I authorize full power. Use whatever means necessary. I want them all dead."

CJ stood tall, its crimson eyes glowing brighter as it processed the command. "Understood, sir. Engaging now."

The robots began to unleash hell on the assassins, their arms morphing into advanced firearms, spraying bullets with lethal precision. Despite the overwhelming firepower, the assassins, crazed fanatics, dodged and deflected the bullets with impossible agility. Their eyes gleamed with insanity, some laughing maniacally even as bullets ripped through their flesh. One assassin, his arm torn clean off, stumbled forward, blood spurting from his wound, yet he cackled like a madman, charging at the nearest bot.

"More! Give me more!" he screamed, only to be mowed down by a barrage of bullets, his body shredded into a crimson mist.

The civilians watching from a distance were paralyzed with fear, some drenched in blood from the splatter of torn bodies.

"W-What the fuck is going on?" one man screamed, pulling his hair as he cowered behind a car. A woman vomited, her hands trembling as she wiped the blood off her face.

"They're fucking monsters!" another bystander shouted, eyes wide with terror as the scene unfolded.

The robots pressed forward with ruthless efficiency. One war unit, its arm reshaping into a massive chain gun, unloaded a stream of bullets that tore through several assassins, their bodies twitching and contorting as the rounds hit. Still, even in death, they grinned, blood-soaked teeth gleaming in the red haze.

"Ha! Is this all you've got?!" an assassin jeered, even as his legs were blown off by a well-placed shot. He tried to crawl toward the robot, leaving a bloody trail behind him. His laughter was cut short when a bot stomped down on his head, splattering his brains across the pavement.

CJ, the commander, scanned the battlefield, his optics locking onto the most dangerous target—the assassin leader. Unlike his fanatical comrades, this brute of a man, towering over the others, didn't engage in the chaos. He was moving with deadly purpose, charging straight toward Jae-won.

CJ recalibrated and launched himself toward the leader, his arm morphing into a high-caliber railgun. He fired, the slug screaming through the air, aimed straight at the assassin's chest. But in a blur of movement, the leader dodged, his speed belying his massive frame. The ground beneath him cracked as he propelled himself forward, unrelenting.

CJ switched tactics, his arm morphing again, this time into a rocket launcher. He fired a missile directly at the leader, but the assassin swatted it aside mid-flight, sending it careening into a nearby building, which exploded in a fiery blaze.

The civilians screamed louder, some fleeing the scene in blind panic, while others huddled together, crying out in desperation. "Where the hell are the cops?!"

On the outside of the battlefield, police units had arrived, trying to breach the weird barrier around the combat zone. They shouted orders, slamming against the unseen force, but there was no way through. "We can't fucking get in! What is this?!" one officer yelled in frustration, pounding his fist against the air where the barrier shimmered.

Meanwhile, CJ closed the gap between himself and the assassin leader, his arm now a massive hammer, swinging it with brutal force. The assassin blocked the blow with his bare hands, his muscles rippling under the strain, but CJ pressed forward, their power clashing in a violent shockwave that sent debris flying in all directions.

The leader grinned, his face twisted with wild delight. "What an interesting piece of tin you've made immortal ?" He twisted his body, landing a devastating punch to CJ's torso. The impact dented the bot's frame, sending him skidding backward across the ground.

CJ recalibrated instantly, his body reconstructing mid-motion, and launched himself at the leader again. This time, he morphed his arms into twin cannons, firing at point-blank range. The explosions sent shockwaves through the area, but when the smoke cleared, the leader was still standing, grinning madly, his skin charred but his resolve unbroken.

Without warning, the leader grabbed CJ by the throat, his hands crushing the robot's neck with impossible strength. With a roar, he hurled CJ across the battlefield like a ragdoll, the robot crashing into a nearby structure with such force that the walls buckled under the impact.

Jae-won watched, his smile disappearing slowly as the assassin leader turned his gaze toward him. Blood dripped from the man's lips, but his eyes were alight with fury and hunger for the kill. He took one step forward, unyielding, as his surviving men fell in a hail of bullets behind him, laughing maniacally even as their bodies were torn apart.

CJ struggled to rise, sparks flying from his damaged form, but the leader was too fast. He closed in on Jae-won, and CJ couldn't stop him in time.

As the assassin leader closed in on Jae-won, his lips curled into a disturbing, almost deranged grin. "So, we finally meet, *Immortal*," he sneered, his voice dripping with eerie satisfaction. "What a pleasure this is. I've waited so long for this moment... I'm so happy that I can die, but oh... I can't. Not before I kill you."

Jae-won's eyes widened in shock, his usual calm facade cracking for the first time. "I-Immortal? How do you know that? Who the hell are you? Did someone send you? How much did they pay you to come after me? I'll double it—no, I'll pay you whatever you want! Just stop this!" His voice wavered with a mix of fear and confusion as he backed away, his mind racing to make sense of the situation.

The assassin's chuckle rumbled like thunder. "Scared, Immortal? Alright! Let's discuss the price." His voice deepened with contempt. "The only *price* you can pay me is your blood... oh, but wait," he paused, flashing a mocking grin. "You don't even have that anymore, do you? No blood, no soul. Just a hollow shell clinging to existence."

Jae-won's mind spun. How could this man know? His heart pounded as he tried to find a way out of this nightmare. But the assassin wasn't done.

"I'll give you two choices, Immortal," the leader continued, his tone darkening. "Kill me today and end my hell... or I'll rip apart your artificial body and this entire world." His gaze burned with an almost unnatural intensity as he stepped forward, every movement a testament to the raw power he wielded. "I'm not a man for long speeches. So why don't we skip to the *fun* part? What do you say?"

ByteZERÖ

Chapter - 5