Level: 8
⸻
10:17 PM — Text Location
Abandoned train yard.
Wide open.
Rust.
Broken lights.
Too obvious.
Zack read the coordinates twice.
They want him alone.
Which means:
Snipers.
EM fields.
Sedatives.
Net traps.
Not brute force.
Containment.
Good.
He didn't call Kael.
He didn't call anyone.
He went silent.
But he didn't go stupid.
⸻
Preparation
Before leaving—
Zack returned to the parking garage.
Practiced controlled regeneration again.
Delayed healing.
Suppressed visible steel formation.
Slowed breathing.
If they're measuring—
He gives them misleading data.
He took a deep breath.
Then moved.
⸻
Arrival
The train yard was quiet.
Too quiet.
Zack stepped into the open space between two derailed cars.
Hands visible.
Posture calm.
"I'm here," he called.
Silence.
Then—
Red laser dots.
Three.
No.
Five.
Snipers.
High angle.
Good.
He already marked their likely positions.
A voice echoed through speakers mounted on poles.
"Steel Fang."
The female hunter stepped into view.
No disguise now.
Black tactical suit.
Calm eyes.
"You came alone."
Zack shrugged slightly.
"Did I?"
She didn't smile.
"Step forward."
He did.
One step.
Then—
He stopped.
Because the air changed.
Faint hum.
Ground beneath him vibrated slightly.
Trap confirmed.
He looked down.
Thin wires barely visible across the dirt.
Trip activation.
Electromagnetic net likely.
He didn't move.
Instead—
He looked up.
Directly at the sniper on the left rooftop.
The sniper shifted slightly.
Tiny mistake.
Zack smiled.
"Phase Three," the woman said softly.
The ground erupted.
Electromagnetic pulse field activated.
Blue grid snapped upward around Zack.
Electricity surged across his body.
Steel reacted violently.
Locked up.
Pain hit harder than expected.
This wasn't physical damage.
It was interference.
His muscles spasmed.
Vision flickered.
SIGNAL DISRUPTION
SYSTEM RESPONSE DELAYED
He dropped to one knee.
The hunters didn't rush.
They waited.
Measuring.
Zack clenched his jaw.
Good tech.
Very good.
But they made one mistake.
They assumed he'd panic.
He didn't.
He exhaled slowly.
Then—
He stopped fighting the field.
Stopped trying to overpower it.
Instead—
He rolled sideways before the field fully calibrated.
The net lagged for half a second.
Enough.
He dove under one wire before it sealed.
The grid fully formed behind him.
He was outside it.
Snipers adjusted instantly.
Shots fired.
Zack moved.
Not straight.
Zigzag.
Short bursts.
One sniper lined up a perfect shot.
Zack jumped sideways off a rusted rail.
Bullet grazed his shoulder.
He didn't heal immediately.
He let it bleed.
Let them think it stuck.
The female hunter narrowed her eyes.
"He's adapting again."
Zack reached the first sniper's rooftop in seconds.
Didn't break his neck.
Didn't kill him.
He crushed the rifle instead.
Grabbed him by the vest.
"You study me," Zack said calmly.
"Study this."
He threw the sniper into a stack of wooden pallets.
Non-lethal.
But decisive.
Second sniper tried to reposition.
Too slow.
Zack disarmed him the same way.
Down.
Third fired blindly.
Zack reached him before he chambered another round.
He slammed the rifle barrel into concrete.
Bent it.
Left him gasping.
He dropped back to the yard floor.
The female hunter was already gone.
Professional retreat.
Zack stood in the center of the yard.
Breathing controlled.
Shoulder still bleeding.
He let it bleed for ten more seconds.
Then—
He allowed regeneration.
Wound sealed clean.
Message appeared.
SURVIVED CAPTURE ATTEMPT
TACTICAL ADAPTATION SUCCESSFUL
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 9
He exhaled.
Level 9.
Hunters confirmed serious threat.
But they failed.
He wasn't prey anymore.
⸻
Hunter Debrief
Undisclosed location.
The female hunter removed her gloves calmly.
"He escaped."
"Yes," the man replied.
"Casualties?"
"Non-fatal."
She nodded.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yes."
She leaned back.
"He didn't kill any of them."
Silence.
"That confirms control."
She stood up.
"Next phase: escalation."
⸻
Rooftop — Later
Zack looked over the city again.
This time—
No fear.
No hesitation.
"They bleed," he muttered.
Which means—
They're not untouchable.
⸻
Final Notification:
HUMAN THREAT LEVEL: ACTIVE
NEXT ENGAGEMENT PROBABILITY: HIGH
Zack smiled faintly.
"Good."
⸻
End of Episode 11.