The sky burned.
The wreckage of the Hellion drones smoldered, black smoke curling into the air like a beacon.
But Ryo knew—this wasn't over.
It was just the beginning.
Nowhere Left to Hide
The transport rumbled forward, kicking up dust as Karin pushed the engine to its limit.
Vos was reloading, his expression locked in grim determination.
And Ryo?
Ryo was staring at the horizon.
Because the system hadn't stopped pinging.
> [WARNING: HELLION STRIKE TEAM ETA – 30 MINUTES.]
> [FORCE COMPOSITION: HEAVY INFANTRY, WAR WALKER SUPPORT, ONE ELITE UNIT.]
Karin glanced at him. "You're awful quiet."
Ryo exhaled. "They're sending more."
Vos cursed. "Of course they are."
Karin tightened her grip on the controls. "How many?"
Ryo's jaw tightened. "Enough to kill us."
A Dangerous Proposal
Vos frowned. "Then we keep running. We find a safehouse, regroup, and—"
"No."
Ryo's voice was steady. Cold.
Karin and Vos both turned to him.
He met their gazes. "We don't run."
A beat of silence.
Then Vos let out a short, harsh laugh. "You're joking."
Ryo shook his head. "They're tracking me. No matter where we go, they'll find us."
Karin frowned. "So what's your plan?"
Ryo rolled his shoulders. His body still thrummed with energy, with power.
A new thought had settled into his mind—clear, undeniable.
He wasn't prey.
He was the goddamn predator.
"We turn around," Ryo said.
> "And we hit them first."
Turning the Tide
Vos stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "That's suicide."
Ryo smirked. "Not if we do it right."
He turned to Karin. "How far is the nearest high ground?"
She pulled up the map. "About 15 clicks west. Rocky terrain. We could use it to bottleneck them."
Ryo nodded. "Good. That's where we'll fight."
Vos exhaled sharply. "Kid, you better know what the hell you're doing."
Ryo looked at his hands—hands that weren't fully human anymore.
Then he looked at the system's interface, the pulsing data filling his mind.
His voice was calm.
> "I do now."
The Ambush Begins
They reached the rocky outcrop in less than ten minutes.
Ryo climbed onto a jagged plateau, scanning the incoming Hellion forces.
> [ENEMY UNITS INBOUND.]
[TACTICAL ADVANTAGE: HIGH GROUND SECURED.]
Vos settled in with his sniper rifle, while Karin set charges along the only path through the canyon.
Ryo?
Ryo was waiting.
Waiting for them to come.
Waiting for the war to start.
The first Hellion walkers appeared on the horizon.
The hunt was on.