The Hellion relay station burned in the distance, its towering satellite dishes reduced to twisted wreckage. The air was thick with smoke, scorched metal, and the scent of war.
Ryo sat in the back of the stolen transport, his mind still buzzing from the fight.
They had done it.
They had just punched a hole in Hellion's eyes.
But the system wasn't celebrating.
It was warning him.
> [ALERT: HELLION HIGH COMMAND NOTIFIED.]
[RESPONSE FORCE EN ROUTE – ETA: UNKNOWN.]
> "Ohhhh, rookie. You really pissed them off this time."
Ryo exhaled.
Good.
The Aftermath
Serra sat across from him, watching him carefully.
> "You held your own back there."
Ryo smirked. "Didn't plan on dying yet."
Krieg grinned, still wiping blood off his knuckles.
> "You fight like a mad dog. I respect that."
Karin leaned back against the wall. "So, what's next?"
Vos answered before Ryo could. "Next, we run. We took out their relay, but that means they're gonna come down on us hard."
Serra nodded. "He's right. Hellion doesn't take losses lightly. They'll throw everything they have at us."
Ryo cracked his knuckles. "Then we hit them first."
The room went silent.
Krieg let out a deep chuckle. "I like the way you think."
The Hunt Begins
Serra pulled up a holo-map of Hellion's key installations.
> "We need to move fast. If we take out another target before they regroup, we keep them on the back foot."
Three new locations flashed red.
1. A Hellion fuel depot—cut their supply lines.
2. A weapons lab—steal their latest tech.
3. A black-site prison—rescue potential allies.
Karin whistled. "Each one's a death trap."
Vos sighed. "Yeah. And we're walking straight in."
Ryo's eyes locked onto the prison marker.
"We take the black-site first."
Serra raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Ryo's jaw tightened.
> "Because Hellion has been making monsters like me."
"And if there are others like me in that prison..."
"I'm setting them free."
Serra studied him for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
> "Then let's burn the place to the ground."
Hellion's Next Move
As the transport sped off, Ryo checked his system notifications.
One new alert stood out.
> [UNKNOWN TRANSMISSION INTERCEPTED.]
[SENDER: HELLION HIGH COMMAND.]
[MESSAGE: 'SEND IN THE REAPER.']
Ryo's gut twisted.
Hellion wasn't just sending more soldiers.
They were sending something worse.
The hunt was no longer one-sided.
And now?
He was the one being hunted.