chapter 55

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.. Four Seconds....

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Karl panted heavily, feeling the warmth of blood trickling down his forehead. He was alive, and for now, that was enough.

He had anticipated the ACPA driver firing at him and dodged in advance. That decision saved his life. However, the sharp shards of stone scattered by the 20mm bullets had injured him, leaving a gash on his head.

Tearing off the inner shirt beneath his bulletproof vest, Karl quickly wiped the blood from his forehead and wrapped a strip of cloth around his head to stop the bleeding. He couldn't afford to have his vision compromised in what was to come.

"This time, it's really life or death," Karl muttered to himself.

The clock was ticking. Karl had only eight minutes to complete his mission. By his count, less than seven minutes remained. In that short span, he needed to take down the ACPA and deliver the target to the Blue Green Building.

A pipe dream.

Karl took stock of his gear: a monomolecular wire, a Kenshin tech pistol, and a handful of grenades. Against an ACPA over two meters tall, with armor as thick as a main battle tank, these tools felt laughable.

This is starting to feel like one of those impossible speed runs—no injuries, no retries.

As he mentally strategized, Karl heard movement below. The ACPA driver, momentarily stunned by the earlier grenade blast, was back on his feet. The sound of his heavy footsteps was unmistakable, but then—

Silence.

The sudden quietness put Karl on edge. The cries of fleeing receptionists echoed faintly, but the ACPA's footsteps had stopped entirely.

Something's wrong.

Karl quickly understood why. The ACPA driver didn't need to come to him. He had other means.

From below, the ACPA driver smiled grimly within his helmet. He had no intention of climbing to the second floor again. His machine's advanced sensors had already pinpointed Karl's approximate location. All he had to do was surgically destroy that area.

The machine gun roared to life, firing with terrifying precision. Bullets tore through the floor beneath Karl, cutting a circular swath around him. He didn't have time to react before the floor gave way, and he plummeted to the ground.

The good news? Not a single bullet hit him directly.

The bad news? The concentrated fire left Karl no room to escape, and he fell with the debris.

Lucky bastard, the ACPA driver thought, annoyed that Karl had avoided the direct fire. Still, Karl had fallen into his trap.

The gap between their capabilities was insurmountable. The ACPA was a marvel of technology and power, and Karl's crude resistance felt like a mosquito challenging a lion.

Your struggle is over, mouse, the ACPA driver thought, aiming his machine gun at Karl.

But Karl wasn't finished yet. As the ACPA driver prepared to fire, Karl's hand flicked out, releasing a monomolecular wire.

The wire wrapped around the ACPA's armored wrist. It was sharp enough to cut most materials, but not the reinforced armor of the ACPA, which could withstand tank rounds. Karl tried to pull, but the mecha's strength made his effort futile.

Guess this is it.

Karl smiled despite himself, his face bloodied and bruised.

The ACPA driver hesitated. That smile unsettled him. He wanted to see fear, anger, or despair—anything but calm defiance.

Thank you for underestimating me, Karl whispered, his grip tightening on the monomolecular wire.

With a sudden surge, the wire began to glow.

Karl activated its charge. Electricity surged through the monomolecular wire, heating it until it became sharp enough to cut deeper into the ACPA's armor. Sparks flew as the wire dug ten centimeters into the metal, exposing human flesh beneath.

For the first time, the ACPA driver felt pain—real, searing pain.

It wasn't just the physical agony; it was the psychological blow. The armor that made him feel godlike had been breached by a mere mortal.

Karl pulled the wire again, cutting further into the ACPA's wrist. Blood spurted from the exposed flesh, and the driver howled in agony.

The pain disoriented him, but Karl wasn't done. With a final, desperate pull, he severed the ACPA's hand completely.

The severed hand dangled, still wrapped in the monomolecular wire, as Karl staggered backward. But it wasn't just the hand that fell.

Inside the palm of the severed hand were two grenades.

Grenades that Karl had primed before throwing the wire.

The ACPA driver stared in horror as the realization hit.

How many seconds does it take for a grenade to explode after being armed?

Four to five seconds.

How many seconds have passed?

Four seconds.

The explosion was deafening.

Boom!

The grenades detonated, sending shrapnel and fire ripping through the ACPA's cockpit. The driver screamed as the force of the blast tore through his body.

Karl, bloodied and battered, fell to the ground. He lay still, staring upward at the light streaming through the shattered ceiling.

For a brief moment, it looked like the clear sky.

Then, darkness.

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