Chapter 55: Zacrota Strike

Location: Marco's Gang Hideout - Hours After the Explosion

The room is filled with tension. Marco is lying on the couch, his arm injured, while Luchini tries to bandage him. Franco and Salvo are eating nonchalantly, while Columbo is sitting at the computer trying to decrypt the Zeros files.

Marco (in pain): "Is it necessary to put so much alcohol on the wound? I feel like you're trying to kill me instead of treating me!"

Lucchini (coldly): "If I wanted to kill you, I would have told you that you'd be dead in five minutes."

Marco: "Oh my god... Why do you have this ability to make things so tense?!"

Franco (while chewing his sandwich): "Maybe because he studied medicine instead of performing arts?"

Lucchini: "Or maybe because you got shot because of a stupid decision?"

Salvo (laughing): "Well, no one's arguing with that."

Marco (grumpy): "I'm the boss of the gang here! Aren't you supposed to have a little respect for me?"

Columbo (focusing on his screen): "If you want respect, you'll have to stop getting shot at first."

Marco: "Okay, okay, I see... What do you have, Columbo? Did you manage to crack the code?"

Columbo (frowning): "Partially... But we have a big problem. It seems Zacrota wasn't kidding about Project Zeros."

Columbo presses a button, and a hologram of war robots appears on the screen, some completed, some still under construction.

Columbo: "These robots aren't complete yet, but the system is starting to connect to the main servers. In other words, Zacrota might be trying to turn them on."

Franco: "Well, that's pretty scary. Isn't there a stop button?"

Columbo: "Theoretically? Yes. Practically? I'd have to be inside the factory's main servers to disable them completely."

Marco: "Great... Do you know what that means?"

Salvo (with a sarcastic smile): "We need to break into an underground factory protected by the best guards?"

Marco (frustrated): "Exactly..."

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At Zakrota's Mansion - Meeting Room

Zakrota was sitting in his luxurious chair, looking at a large screen showing the Zeros factory. Dante, despite being injured, was standing next to him, his face full of anger.

Dante: "They were very bold, but we will make them regret it."

Zakrota (in a calm but frightening voice): "Exactly. They think they escaped unscathed, but I was prepared for this day a long time ago."

Zakrota pressed a button, and the screen showed an image of a retired Russian general named "Ivan Petrenko," a famous mercenary who specializes in running dirty military operations.

Dante (shocked): "Are you going to bring Ivan into the battle?"

Zacrota (smiling): "Of course. Not only that, I'm launching the first phase of Project Zeros. I'm going to give them a glimpse of what this new weapon can do."

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Café Venosa – Hours Before the Attack

Franco and Salvo sat in the café drinking coffee while Marco planned with Columbo how to break into the factory. Everything seemed relatively quiet… until a giant man in a black coat and sunglasses walked in despite it being nighttime.

Salvo (whispering to Franco): "This guy looks like he just stepped out of a Russian spy movie."

Franco (with a chuckle): "Maybe he was in the wrong theater."

But before they could laugh any further, the man pulled out a portable speaker, placed it on the table, and pressed the play button.

Zaccrota's voice came from the device, calm but terrifying:

Zaccrota: "To my friends at Café Venosa… I think you've had a great time these past few days, but the party's over."

The next moment, the lights in the café went out completely, and smoke bombs started falling through the windows.

Marco (screaming): "Damn it! It's Zeros!"

Franco (covering his nose): "Oh, this is not good, not good at all!"

Everyone started choking, and they could barely see. They felt the heat of the gas in their eyes, and they tried to get out, but the doors were locked.

Lucino (screaming from inside the kitchen): "You bastards! Who locked the kitchen door?!"

Luca Ferri (smashing the window glass with his fist): "Everyone, get out of here now!"

They managed to jump out of the café, but they found themselves surrounded by a group of armed men, while the Russian mercenary Ivan Petrenko stood in front of them, smiling confidently.

Ivan (with a heavy Russian accent): "Well, well... You guys were pretty naughty."

Marco (nervously): "Well, this is not the best start to a conversation, is it?"

Ivan: "Zacroutta sent me to end your problems. Do you prefer a quick kill... or a slow one?"

Franco (whispers to Salvo): "Do we have a third option?"

Salvo: "Yes, escape, but the problem is that we are surrounded!"

Before Ivan can give the order to shoot, Columbo blasts a beep through his speaker, causing all the surrounding phones to make a loud noise.

Ivan (grabbing his ear in anger): "What is this?!"

Columbo (smiling): "It's my chaos button!"

Marco and his companions seize the opportunity, and begin a counterattack. A fierce battle breaks out in the streets of the neighborhood, with Marco and his companions using all their weapons and skills to survive.

But as they fight, Columbo receives a serious warning on his device.

Columbo (shocked): "Damn... Zacroutta wasn't just planning to send men! He's running robots now!"

On the horizon, they begin to hear heavy mechanical noises, and red lights flashing in the darkness...

Franco (running towards Marco, screaming): "Marco! We have a new problem!"

Marco: "Oh my god, what now?!"

Franco: "Zeros robots are coming for us!"