Delilah instantly tore the gloves off her hands and lunged at Phobos, trying to touch him. Sensing something was wrong, Phobos realized this wouldn’t be a simple touch, but something far more dangerous. He dodged her hands and immediately counterattacked with his katana, but Delilah evaded in return.

  Phobos was not in his best condition the consequences of recent events were catching up with him, and his strikes were noticeably slower than usual.

  On the other side, the remaining members of Samson’s group, together with Namkhai and Dinar, stood surrounded by a tight ring of enemies. They were being ordered to surrender and immediately lay down their weapons. In response, Arthur sharply raised a wall of fire, while Darkblock threw up dark blocks, preventing bullets from reaching either himself or his allies.

  Samson ordered everyone to load into their van immediately, before it was seized and disabled. Arthur turned and looked at him with a serious expression.

  “We’ll ram our way to Delilah,” Samson said.

  Arthur smirked.

  “And here I was thinking…”

  “What, you doubt me?” Samson shot back.

  Under heavy enemy fire, they climbed into the truck one by one, firing as they moved. However, someone had to stay behind at the prison exit someone capable of holding the passage and keeping it from being sealed off. Someone big and strong.

  Dinar turned to Namkhai.

  “Namkhai, help us. I’ve seen you in action you can handle it.”

  “Yeah, so you can just leave me here?” Namkhai scoffed.

  “Don’t talk nonsense. I give you my word. Besides, I owe you my life.”

  “Hm…”

  Samson stepped in.

  “We’re going for our person. We’ll get her and we’ll get you out too.”

  Namkhai nodded silently.

  Rul climbed into the truck and took the driver’s seat, then executed a powerful drift toward Delilah. Namkhai stayed behind to hold the exit as soldiers in massive robotic suits engaged him in combat. At the same time, on the other side, #1991 was also surrounded by them. The soldiers tried to negotiate with him, but without success, he cracked his pelvis, and an explosion thundered through the building.

  The truck was racing toward where Dalila was supposed to be. Chaos still reigned everywhere so much debris was flying at their vehicle, but nothing managed to pierce it.

  Rul climbed into the cab and took her place behind the wheel. With a sharp motion, she twisted the steering wheel, and the truck went into a powerful drift, surging toward Delilah.

  Namkhai remained to cover the exit. Soldiers in massive robo-suits immediately engaged him in battle.

  At the same time, in another part of the building, #1991 was also surrounded. The military tried to negotiate with him, but unsuccessfully. He merely cracked his pelvis, and another explosion rolled through the entire complex.

  The truck sped at full speed toward where Dalila should have been. Chaos was everywhere: debris, gunfire, explosions - everything was flying toward them, but the vehicle’s armor withstood the impacts, preventing anything from breaching the hull.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Delilah was fighting Phobos. The truck rushed past, and they spotted her.

  “There she is!” Arthur exclaimed and was about to move toward the exit, but Darkblock immediately stopped him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Do NOT get out of the vehicle. BOSS’S orders. We’re not planning to have to pull you out too.”

  “What the-” Arthur turned to Samson. Samson was calmly sitting in his seat and said:

  “We’ll turn around and intercept her. Cover your hands with something so you can touch her.”

  Arthur quickly took off his hoodie, wrapped it around his palms, and stood by the truck’s door, preparing to catch Delilah.

  Samson smiled.

  “Good job, Arthur.”

  The vehicle swung sharply around, and Arthur shouted at the top of his lungs:

  “Delilah!!! Get ready!!!”

  Dodging another strike from Phobos, she turned her head toward the truck racing toward her and smiled.

  Phobos gave a cold smirk.

  “What are you hoping for, girl? You think you can just get away from me?”

  In response, Delilah hurled smoke grenades. The space was instantly filled with thick smoke. Phobos froze for a brief moment in surprise, and Delilah, wasting no time, dashed toward the vehicle, pulling out her gloves on the move. She tried to put them on, but Phobos’s blade sliced through the smoke screen and with it the gloves, cutting them in half and nicking her palm.

  Arthur couldn’t hold back when he saw this. His hands flared with fire, and the sweatshirt wrapped around them instantly turned to ash.

  “Damn… no!” escaped from him.

  He frantically tried to find anything to cover his hands, but there was no time left. Arthur stretched out his arm to catch her. Delilah reached for him with her injured hand, but noticing that he was unprotected, she pulled it back at the last moment.

  “Delilah!!!” Arthur screamed.

  He sharply turned to the others.

  “Turn around! One more time!”

  Rul was already about to make the maneuver, but Dinar said harshly:

  “No time! You’ve already wasted too much on this nonsense!”

  “What did you say, bastard?!” Arthur flared up, ready to incinerate him, but Samson stopped him instantly.

  “Cool it, Arthur. We’re turning around anyway and trying again.”

  “What ‘again’? The only exit will be sealed off any moment, and we’ll all be stuck here. Is that what you want?”

  “I don’t abandon my own.”

  “You’re ready to sacrifice everyone for some girl?”

  Samson glanced at the others.

  “What do we do, boss?” Darkblock asked.

  “Save her!” Arthur blurted out.

  Samson shook his head.

  “Next time, Arthur. We’ll come back for her for sure. But not now.”

  “What?! What the hell?!”

  “A leader’s correct decision,” Dinar said coldly.

  Rul kept her course toward the exit in silence.

  “Then I’ll stay here with her,” Arthur said sharply and was already about to jump out of the vehicle, but in the same instant Gendilheim grabbed him and struck him hard on the head. Arthur’s head dropped, and he lost consciousness.

  “Thank you..” Samson whispered quietly, bitterly.

  The truck sped toward the exit. Ahead, they saw Namkhai, surrounded on all sides by military forces and already close to being finished. With his last strength, he lifted his gaze and noticed the approaching vehicle.

  “Oh, finally… Damn it, I need to think of something so I can jump to them on the move…”

  “Get ready, we’re picking up the bald one,” Rul said.

  “No need,” Dinar replied coldly. “He’s trapped. We won’t be able to help him anyway.”

  “You promised him,” Darkblock said sharply.

  “I merely used him. He’s not your man. So leave him.”

  “Boss, are you okay with that?” Rul asked, not taking her eyes off Samson.

  “Assess the situation,” he answered after a pause. “If it’s too risky.. leave him.”

  Rul looked at the surrounded Namkhai and clenched her teeth.

  “Damn it.”

  And she drove the vehicle toward the exit.

  Namkhai stared in shock at the retreating truck.

  “Those bastards, they left me?!”

  Before he could recover from the shock, several armored soldiers piled onto him and restrained him. Almost simultaneously, #1991 was taken down as well. Phobos and Delilah met the same fate.

  Samson’s group managed to escape. The soldiers dragged all four of them to one place. Exhausted and bound, they were forced to their knees, surrounded by armed fighters.

  The warden of the Thirteenth Sector, Andok, approached them. With a satisfied grin, he leaned forward and said:

  “Well then guys, you’re in deep trouble. You’ll spend the rest of your lives in prison. You’ll be broken, tortured, and humiliated. But don’t worry, I’m not such a bad man as to waste people like you. I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourselves…”

  He straightened up.

  “And now - rest.”

  After those words, the soldiers struck them with electric batons. Their bodies jerked, and all four of them collapsed unconscious.