Victor shook his head bitterly. "It's no use, Chuck. From the moment that plane appeared, this was already over. We never stood a chance. Everything I've done... it's meaningless. We're just ants beneath their boots."
"No, sir!" Chuck protested, clutching his pistol with trembling hands. "As long as the backup data is sent, you can return. Lord Immortal Fox will save you!"
Victor let out a hollow laugh. "And how exactly do you plan to transmit it? Look around. We're done."
BOOM!
A deafening crash shook the room as something burst through the wall. Victor and Chuck froze. "So this 'backup'... is it consciousness or desperation?"
The voice was calm yet mocking. From the dust and rubble stepped Zack, still clad in the gleaming Apex Mk-2. "I'll hold him off! Sir, go now!" Chuck shouted, raising his pistol.
BOOM!
A flash of white light filled the room.
Before Chuck could even pull the trigger, the top half of his head evaporated, leaving only a smoldering stump where his skull had been. His body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
Plop. With a dull thud, Chuck's lifeless body hit the ground, the top half of his head completely gone.
Victor's eyelids twitched, a flicker of sadness crossing his face before he suppressed it."Zack," Victor said, his voice steady despite the carnage.
The name had become infamous within the Vanguard Organization after several past confrontations. Zack's reputation had reached every department, spreading like wildfire. "You know, it's polite to introduce yourself first," Zack replied, stepping over Chuck's corpse casually and pulling out a chair. He sat down as if he were meeting an old friend for coffee.
"Victor... Lakhan Victor, head of the Biological Research Department under Lady Immortal Fox." To Zack's surprise, Victor didn't follow the typical Vanguard soldier protocol of committing suicide to protect secrets. Instead, he introduced himself with unnerving composure, almost like he had already accepted his fate.
"You do realize you've just spilled a lot about your organization, right?" Zack remarked with a sly grin. Victor's brief introduction revealed the existence of a leader called "Immortal Fox" and hinted at multiple divisions within the Vanguard Organization.
"I know," Victor said, pointing to his chest. "The chip's already flagged me for leaking classified information." Zack chuckled, finding Victor's cooperation both amusing and suspicious. This was the first time he'd had a calm conversation with someone from the Vanguard Organization, and the other party seemed unusually forthcoming.
"That thing I fought earlier... Biological Weapon No. 01. Was that your work?" Zack asked casually. He didn't expect a straight answer. But to his surprise, Victor responded without hesitation. "No," Victor replied, shaking his head. "01 was personally overseen by Lady Immortal Fox. It was sent to our base two months ago as a genetic reference for our work on the changers."
Zack was silent for a moment. The Apex Mk-2's scanning system indicated Victor wasn't lying. Still, Zack couldn't shake his suspicion. Why would someone from the Vanguard Organization be so cooperative? "Sir…" Ego's voice cut through his thoughts, delivering a report directly to Zack's helmet.
Hearing the AI's analysis, Zack relaxed slightly. "Alright, next question," Zack said, his tone sharp. "How much do you know about Zeta and Ancient Zeta?"
Victor froze. His calm demeanor faltered, his pupils narrowing slightly as if Zack had struck a nerve. "If you refuse to answer—or lie—I'll check out that 'secret room' behind you myself," Zack warned, his voice low and menacing.
Victor's face turned pale. His panic was palpable. "How... How do you know about that?"
"I noticed it the moment I walked in," Zack said nonchalantly, gesturing for Victor to sit. "Now, answer the question."
Victor hesitated but eventually sat down. His confidence was shaken, and his expression betrayed his unease. "I've heard of Ancient Zeta, but I've never had direct access to it, so I can't tell you much," Victor began, exhaling deeply. "As for Zeta... It was first discovered in the Antarctic ice sheet in the 1990s. The remains of an ancient creature were retrieved and publicly displayed at the New York Museum back then."
The revelation stunned Zack. "That's impossible," Zack said, narrowing his eyes. "Didn't Zeta infect anyone?"
"No," Victor replied calmly. "Because Zeta isn't a disease at all."
The words hung in the air like a bombshell. But before Zack could press further, Victor's expression contorted in pain. He clutched his chest, his face twisting with agony as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. "What about the rest?" Zack demanded, his tone growing cold.
Victor gritted his teeth, forcing a twisted smile. "Ha! Zack, do you think I'll tell you anything more?"
Victor's breathing grew ragged as he forced out his words. "My goal has been achieved... The countdown to the nuclear bomb is over!" His voice rose into maniacal laughter, a mad grin spreading across his face despite the pain. "No matter what you know, it's useless now. You won't escape!"
"Is this the nuclear bomb you're talking about?" Zack's voice was calm, but it carried a mocking edge. A holographic projection flickered to life from the Apex Mk-2's visor, displaying a round device with a countdown timer frozen mid-sequence.
Victor's laughter stopped abruptly. His eyes widened in horror as he recognized the device on the display. "You were planning to take the entire area down with you?" Zack muttered, his voice laced with disdain.
Victor's face twisted in despair. He looked at Zack as if he were a demon incarnate. "You… You knew all along, didn't you?" Victor stammered. His voice cracked, the realization dawning too late.
"Of course I knew," Zack sneered. "What kind of amateur do you take me for?"
Victor let out a hollow, defeated laugh before lunging toward the wall behind him. "Lady Immortal Fox, I've protected you—"
KA-BOOM!
A burst of red light erupted from Victor's chest. His body exploded, splitting cleanly in two and scattering blood and viscera across the room. Zack stood unfazed, watching the gruesome display with a detached expression. "This thing again..." Zack muttered, shaking his head. The heart-implanted explosives were a common failsafe in Vanguard agents, something Zack had encountered before.
"Ego, have the mechanical dogs bring a few people to clean this place up," Zack instructed, frowning as he eyed the bloodstains on the ground. He wanted the room spotless before investigating further.
Within moments, two mechanical dogs herded a group of frightened, fur-covered bear survivors into the room. Driven by fear, the survivors worked with surprising efficiency, scrubbing the command room clean in mere minutes. Once the survivors had scurried out, Zack stood up, his gaze fixed on the spot Victor had desperately tried to reach before his death. Without hesitation, he approached the wall.
"Sir, an encryption program has been detected… cracking now…" Ego's voice echoed in Zack's ears.
A second later, Ego announced, "Crack successful." The seemingly smooth, mirror-like wall parted with a faint hiss, revealing a narrow, brightly lit passageway.