One-Man Army

"Soldier: 76 transformation time remaining: 3:00."

After hesitating for a moment, the burly man swung a punch at William. William swayed aside to dodge it, grabbed the man's arm with both hands, and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground.

The countdown had started the moment he transformed into Soldier: 76. He had less than three minutes. Once the time ran out, he would become an ordinary person again.

Fortunately, only this one man had discovered him. He had to take the opportunity to hurry to the control room.

But the man he had just knocked down hadn't passed out. In a daze, he raised his pistol and fired at William with a bang.

Soldier: 76 reacted instantly. The bullet grazed past him, and William rushed over and kicked the man unconscious.

But the gunshot had still given away his position, drawing the attention of the Skull Gang's guards.

"Gunshot!"

A patrolling guard heard the shot and immediately ran over. Clutching a cleaver, he warily scanned his surroundings.

Just then, a man with camouflage painted on his face stepped out of the shadows. Startled, the guard hurriedly swung his cleaver at him. William nimbly dodged the attack, then swept the man's legs out from under him.

"Archer! The archer's here!"

More guards heard the gunshot and called for their comrades. The Skull Gang had been on the lookout for the archer for days, but they had waited and waited without the enemy ever showing up.

Now that an enemy had suddenly appeared, they mistook William for the archer, even though his weapon wasn't a bow and arrows.

"He's over here!"

The Skull Gang's guards spotted Soldier: 76 in the distance. Their eyes gleamed with excitement. If they captured the archer, they'd get a five-million-dollar reward. That kind of money could make them rich overnight—enough to drive them wild.

Two guards spotted William and were just about to open fire when he tossed a flashbang he'd prepared earlier. A blinding white light burst out. In an instant, their vision turned completely white, and a piercing ringing filled their ears.

Blinded by the flashbang, Soldier: 76 dashed toward them in a sprint and knocked them unconscious.

"Get him!" Four or five guards closed in. William sneered and charged at them with his bare hands. The guards immediately opened fire.

William sprinted like an illusory ghost, weaving through the dense hail of bullets. Even when a bullet occasionally struck him, his body armor stopped it.

The excitement in the guards' eyes gave way to panic. How could this man be faster than bullets?

The Skull Gang members weren't stupid. Once they realized how strong their enemy was, they stopped acting alone. The guards gathered together and gradually surrounded William, all raising their guns. The dense web of gunfire forced him to dodge frantically.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from beneath their feet, as though something had rolled across the ground.

Their faces changed at once. There was a grenade on the ground, its pin already pulled!

"Watch out! Grenade!"

With a deafening boom, the high-explosive grenade detonated. One enemy after another was knocked to the ground by William:

He punched one man in the chest, breaking several of his ribs.

He struck another in the neck with a knife-hand blow, knocking him out instantly.

He stabbed another in the thigh with his sharp combat knife. Blood spurted everywhere as the man howled in pain.

He grabbed someone by the head and slammed it against the wall, knocking him unconscious...

The guards stood no chance against Soldier: 76. He was only one man, yet he was enough to take on an entire army!

William fought his way toward the control room, knocking down every enemy in his path.

At last, he reached the control room door. The guards blocking his way were quickly knocked down, and he kicked the door open with a mighty blow!

"Don't move! You're under arrest!"

As the door flew open, a magnificent heavy pulse rifle appeared in William's hands. He'd meant to deliver a cool entrance line, but the control room was completely empty. It seemed everyone had already fled.

He could tell someone had been here recently. A cup of coffee sat on the table, still steaming. In other words, they'd only just left.

William checked the Overwatch System's map and saw that the Golden Question Mark that had been in the control room was gone.

He hurriedly looked around and spotted the Golden Question Mark outside the Abandoned Factory. It was moving, too, which puzzled him. What exactly was he looking for?

Under the vast night sky, the Skull Gang Leader carried a silver briefcase as he led his men toward the Parking Lot. They stopped there. The Skull Gang Leader checked his watch, then glanced up at the sky, as if waiting for someone.

Before long, a whirring sound came from the distance—the sound of rotor blades slicing through the sky. Everyone looked up and saw the silhouette of a black helicopter against the night.

"Finally." The Skull Gang Leader smiled faintly as he watched the helicopter circling overhead.

But before long, his smile froze. From a distance, he saw the helicopter's cabin door open, revealing a black heavy machine gun trained on them.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."

The heavy machine gun opened fire with a roar, and the Skull Gang Leader's expression changed at once.

It was the melody of death.

Terrifying bullets rained down, riddling the two cars in front of them with holes. One car's fuel tank was hit and exploded, turning it into a giant fireball amid a deafening roar!

"Danger! Run!" The Skull Gang members fled in terror. The helicopter roared after them, bullets whizzing past their ears and striking the ground in showers of golden sparks.

One man was a little too slow. A string of bullets caught up with him, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a cloud of blood.

The helicopter circled overhead and dropped a rope ladder. More than ten mysterious soldiers rapidly rappelled down to the ground.

The mysterious soldiers wore bulletproof helmets and night-vision goggles, and were dressed in body armor. They gripped tactical rifles... They were armed to the teeth, with nearly all their gear black, and exuded a murderous aura.

The Skull Gang Leader stared in astonishment. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. This wasn't what they'd agreed on. He recognized the gear as the kind worn by special forces, but who were these people?

These special forces soldiers were clearly well trained. They stood in a line, moved in unison, and loaded their weapons.

The squad leader stood before them and issued a cold command:

"Find our target item. Kill everyone!"