The valiant knight and Norio drove through the forest to the west of the city with the police chief behind the wheel. The silence between the two men could be cut with a knife. The two quickly arrived at their destination at almost the exact time James stipulated. The colossal, metallic structure before them was like a rusty-orange castle that stood out in a sea of green plants that stretched out in all directions for at least thirty miles.

  "Here we go," Norio said.

  As Daniel and Norio left the car, they were greeted by two assailants wielding guns at the front gate.

  "Good afternoon. Please follow us inside," The criminal said.

  Norio promptly began walking, following the two criminals inside the factory. Still, Daniel hung back, turning his gaze to some nearby cliffs. However, as the criminals noticed he wasn't walking, they hastily stopped their journey inside.

  "Knight," The criminal shouted, pointing his gun at Norio.

  Daniel finally started walking to the factory, remainig silent as he cracked his knuckles. As the group continued their journey inside, the criminals led them into a large refining chamber that was several thousand square feet wide.

  Inside, a warm, orange glow filled the room as the temperature hurriedly increased and the scent of rusted metal slammed into their noses. Daniel and Norio scanned the room, witnessing that the source of the heat and the glow were multiple vats of molten metal. Norio's eyes narrowed on one vat as he saw someone hanging over it, tied with rope over a chain. It was his beloved wife.

  "Charlotte," Norio shouted.

  As Charlotte screamed at the men with her mouth covered with a rag, Daniel and Norio swiftly broke into a run towards her.

  "Stop, or we drop her in the molten steel," James said.

  James entered the chamber through a door to Daniel's right with five more gangsters following behind him.

  Norio glared at James. "Let my wife go."

  "You're in no position to make demands, Chief Fa," James retorted.

  "Same goes for you, Tyrant." Daniel finally broke his silence.

  James laughed. "Aren't we confident?"

  Daniel gave James a scowl that could be felt even from underneath his helmet. "Last chance."

  "Well, now I'm scared." James laughed again.

  "Let the dame go safely or you will be eating your meals through a straw after this."

  James drew his laser gun, aiming it at Daniel. "You die first, knight. Where would you like it, in your chest or head?"

  "Neither."

  The windows in the chamber shattered as bullets flew through them. The attack from their unseen foe made the gangsters, except for James, run for cover as he kept his weapon aimed at Daniel and the police chief. But his attention was finally drawn away as one bullet ignited a sizeable explosion from hitting a gas tank. And in that moment Daniel made his move, racing towards James.

  "I tried to warn you." Daniel punched James in his mouth.

  As Daniel hit James, he flew across the room and landed on top of three of his gangsters. Daniel moved to subdue the remaining ones, but as he did, a shot from behind grazed his back. As he turned to see what it was, he witnessed the two gangsters that guided them inside the factory with their guns drawn.

  Daniel was blindsided again as another shot from behind sent him crashing into a wall. The gangsters raised their guns to kill Daniel, but Norio intervened. The police chief punched one in his mouth and as the other moved to shoot him, he landed an elbow on his nose. Still, another assailant fired his weapon and hit him in the shoulder.

  Daniel burst from the wall at vast speeds as the criminals were about to kill Norio. He finally quelled the threat as he bombarded them with strikes. Daniel fired a jab to his right, an upper cut to his left, and as he saw one of the enemies regaining consciousness on the floor, he landed a kick to his head.

  Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his foes defeated."Finally." However, more enemies flooded the room, entering through a door on a platform above their heads. As the new enemies aimed their guns at Daniel and Norio, a roar of intense hatred hit their ears. James screamed out loudly as he recovered from Daniel's punch.

  Daniel hurried to subdue James again as he saw that he was on his feet. Still, as he did, James landed the first strike, slapping Daniel and sending him falling atleast ten feet off the platform they were standing on. And as Daniel hit the floor below a deafening crash echoed through the chamber.

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  "Knight," Norio shouted.

  "Kill the chief's wife," James boomed.

  One of the criminals on the higher platform fired his gun, snapping the chain that was suspending Charlotte over the vat. She fell towards the molten metal, screaming in fear. But as Daniel witnessed the act, he gathered his strength and jumped to the falling Charlotte. Daniel became a white blur as he flew to Charlotte, sending up a surge of hot air from the force of his leap. And he caught her as she was about to fall into the fiery liquid, landing on a platform on the other side of the room.

  Daniel ripped off the rag covering Charlotte's mouth. "There."

  "Thank you, Mr.knight."

  Daniel glanced upwards and saw the gangsters readying to continue their assault as they aimed their guns at them. He quickly picked charlotte up in his arms, pulling her out of harm's way as the criminals began shooting. Daniel ran away from the gangsters to the closest exit as his foes continued firing with every step he took.

  As Norio witnessed Daniel carrying his wife away, he ignored the pain in his shoulder and began running too. He pushed himself to try and reach the same exit they were hurrying to. Still, James gave chase after the police chief. And the gangster hastily closed the distance, raising his monsterous fists to crush Norio.

  Daniel saw Norio in peril, and jumped from across the room like a speeding bullet. The young man got a kick on James's face before landing on the other platform, knocking him into some machines. And as his opponent was incapacitated, Daniel put Charlotte on her feet, finally ripping off the ropes restraining her arms.

  Charlotte ran to her husband, crying and tightly hugging him. "Norio."

  "I know, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Norio sobbed.

  James rose from the pile of scrap Daniel kicked him in, fuming.

  "Both of you make tracks," Daniel screamed.

  Norio took his wife's hand with his good arm and started running again as he pulled her along. As the two passed through the exit, the criminals on the higher platform finally stopped chasing them, instead aiming their weapons at Daniel.

  "All of you, go outside and kill the chief and his wife," James screamed.

  The criminals resumed their chase as they heard James and left the chamber.

  "I really don't have the right to throw stones, Tyrant, but I can't help but notice you keep making a lot of mistakes," Daniel said.

  "To error is to be human." James pulled a laser knife from his pocket. "But I made no mistake sending them away. I want to savor killing you myself."

  "Well, let's go."

  James charged at Daniel, slashing and stabbing his blade wildly at his opponent. Daniel evaded his strikes, sneaking two punches to his stomach and an elbow to his face passed his defenses. Still, as Daniel continued his counterattack, James landed a headbutt on him as he prepared a jab. And as Daniel was disoriented from the blow, he finally got a hit off the young man with his knife, cutting across his chest.

  As Daniel staggered back from his injury, James pushed forward with his knife ready to slay his enemy. But as he got close, Daniel scooped a hand full of dust off the floor and threw it in his face, mid-strike. And in the precious few seconds that he stopped the assault to clean his eyes Daniel retaliated. The young man swiftly bent his arm the wrong way, making him drop the knife from the pain and delivered two kicks to his face.

  James, enraged nearly to madness, charged at Daniel again with a scream as his eyes stung from his attacks. He rammed into Daniel, holding him in a vice-like grip. James kept going even as Daniel continuously struck him in the back and head until they fell off the platform, landing in one of the vats of molten steel.

  The two continued their battle even as they sank deeper in the material. James held his breath as he attempted to choke Daniel. However, Daniel kicked him in his throat, making him breathe in the material and begin choking. Daniel broke free from James as he struggled to breathe, swimming to the bottom of the vat. And Daniel shattered it to pieces with two punches.

  As the vat broke, the material poured onto the floor and the two men with it. Daniel quickly found James coughing violently as they landed on the ground and ran over to him to end their conflict. He fired a final roundhouse kick in his face. And as he readied a punch to follow-up he ensured that it was aimed at his mouth, sending him crashing through multiple walls.

  Outside, Norio and Charlotte left the factory, running to the car Daniel and the police chief arrived in. But as they approached the car it was blown to pieces in a fiery inferno from a shot from behind. The shockwaves from the explosion sent the couple hurtling back and as they hit the ground they saw where the bombardment came from. James's gangster had caught up to them and were aiming their guns for the kill.

  Norio moved to use himself as a human shield for his wife as the criminals were about to pull their triggers. But an object with the force of a cannon ball emerged from the factory, capturing everyone's attention. Daniel smashed out of the factory at blurring speed. He landed in the space between the couple and the gangsters, shaking the ground as he made contact. And he subdued the enemies, clapping his hands together, and knocking them down with the resulting shockwave.

  "Lets go," Daniel shouted.

  The group hastily ran away from the factory into the forest.

  "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Knight." Charlotte sobbed. "I thought I would never see my husband again."

  "Don't thank me. Thank my guardian angel."

  The radio in Norio's pocket buzzed and he took it out. "I assume this must be him or her."

  Daniel took the radio from Norio and answered it. "Hello, guardian angel?"

  "Was the mission successful, love. Is Chief Fa's wife well?" Karen asked over the radio.

  "She's fine. And great shooting by the way."

  "I just wish I could have done more, but an enemy patrol came by a—"

  Charlotte stopped running and dropped to her knees, holding her chest.

  "Charlotte," Norio shouted.

  "Love, was that the chief I just heard? Did something happen?"

  "I'm sorry, but I have to go." Daniel hung up the radio. "Is she okay?"

  Norio ran to his wife, cradling her body. "Charlotte, honey, were you hit somewhere?"

  "No, my love. I'm just a little tired." Charlotte laughed weakly. "Too much excitement in one day I'm afraid."

  Daniel took a deep breath. "Maybe we should take a little b—"

  James's enraged roar boomed through the air. And as Daniel and the others glanced at the sky, they witnessed one of the vats from the factory, filled with molten steel, flying at them. The vat swiftly hit the ground, spreading out its contents for ten meters. Norio instinctively readied to use himself as a shield for his wife again as Daniel prepared a different defense. Daniel activated his intangibility, allowing the fiery material to pass harmlessly through them as it incinerated their surroundings.

  "Chief, carry your wife in your arms." Daniel sighed. "We're not going to stop running until we're the hell away from here."