The underground lab shook from the explosion behind them, but X had no time to focus on the destruction.
Agent Z was coming.
The enhanced assassin moved like a phantom, his speed and precision far beyond anything X had ever faced.
X barely had time to raise the metal pipe before Z struck.
A blindingly fast punch cracked into X's ribs, followed by a knee to the gut.
Pain shot through him. Ribs fractured. Breath stolen.
But X had felt worse.
He gritted his teeth and swung the pipe.
Z dodged effortlessly, twisting around and delivering a brutal kick to X's shoulder.
CRACK.
X hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Raven struggling to get up, her pistol still clutched in her hands.
Kessler was on the floor, groaning, his broken arm hanging uselessly.
They wouldn't last against Z.
Not in a fair fight.
Z took a step forward, his visor reflecting the flickering flames of the burning lab.
X coughed, wiping blood from his mouth. "You're fast."
Z tilted his head. Silent. Unshaken.
X forced himself up. His body screamed in protest.
I can't outmatch him physically.
But maybe he didn't have to.
X took a step back, subtly adjusting his grip on the pipe.
Waiting.
Z moved forward again, faster than the eye could track.
And that's when X made his move.
Outsmarting the Predator
Instead of trying to block, X dropped to the ground, sweeping the pipe at Z's legs.
The strike connected.
For the first time, Z stumbled.
X sprang up, using the momentum to drive the pipe into Z's visor.
CRACK!
The reinforced glass fractured, spiderwebbing across the surface.
Z recoiled, disoriented for a fraction of a second.
That was all X needed.
Raven fired.
Three shots—not to the chest, but the exposed joints of Z's armor.
One bullet tore into his shoulder.
Z flinched.
X didn't hesitate.
He grabbed a shattered piece of rebar from the debris and drove it into Z's side.
The assassin let out a sharp, inhuman grunt.
Blood leaked from the wound.
X grabbed Raven's arm and yanked her toward the exit. "Move!"
Z was injured but not out. Even as he staggered, his body was already adapting.
He wasn't just enhanced. He was something else.
X shoved Kessler forward. "Where's the tunnel?"
The scientist, still clutching his broken arm, gasped, "This way!"
They sprinted toward a reinforced door at the far end of the chamber.
Behind them, Z pulled the rebar from his side and stood.
His visor was cracked, but his stare was still deadly.
He took a step forward—then stopped.
His hand went to his ear.
A message from Graves.
X didn't need to hear it to know what it meant.
Z had another mission.
And next time, he wouldn't hold back.
X turned and disappeared into the tunnel.