The person standing before him chuckled with dignity. He wore glasses for vision, his long, smooth hair combed back, and was dressed in a white shirt and black jeans. He had black eyes and calm, Asian features that denoted sagacity, intelligence, and quick-wittedness. In a sarcastic tone, he said:
"Do not be afraid, Yassin. I’m not going to kill you. I’m here to save you. Don’t you remember me?"
Yassin stared at him intently. Then recognition dawned. His expression relaxed slightly.
"Ah... you’re Kento, or Keano, or Kilo, I think. You were with me in the competitions. I remember now—you got first place."
Keno smiled and shrugged dismissively. "Kilo, you say? You’re amusing. It’s Keno. Remember it well."
Yassin studied Keno’s face for a few seconds. He looked older than he remembered—now sporting a light beard and a thin mustache.
Keno extended a hand. Yassin hesitated, then took it. Keno pulled him to his feet.
"It seems you’ve gotten older since I last saw you," Keno said, scanning the road ahead. "Your silver hair’s longer, and your features are more mature. But what happened here? Why were you running?"
Yassin’s eyes widened slightly as he recalled the metal hunter.
"We have to get out of here," he urged. "This place isn’t safe at all."
"Don’t worry," Keno replied calmly, still scanning. "Just tell me everything—and leave the rest to me."
Yassin looked at him, stunned. "Leave the rest to you?" he said, almost laughing. "Do you even know what you’re up against? It’ll kill you!"
"It won’t," Keno said with quiet certainty. "Just tell me what happened."
"Believe me, this is beyond anything we can handle in our current state. We need to run."
Keno met his eyes. He didn’t blink. Then he smiled again—colder this time.
"I told you not to worry. Just tell me everything, and it will be over quickly."
Yassin hesitated. Then, rubbing the silver stubble on his chin, he said, "Fine. I’ll tell you. But I’ll give you a quick summary—before that thing comes back."
Keno sighed, a bit impatient. "Don’t bother. He’s already here."
Yassin’s breath caught. He looked around frantically. "Here? Where?"
"Behind that wall," Keno said, pointing to a children’s toy store on their left. "He’ll break through in a few moments."
Yassin stared at the toy store, his body tense with anticipation. He opened his mouth to speak—but it was too late. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
The wall exploded. Debris rained down. The store was reduced to rubble and dust.
Keno turned to Yassin, now deadly serious. "Can you fight with me?"
Yassin hesitated, then responded flatly, "I can fight with you, but my energy is depleted. My body hasn’t fully recovered. I feel like I’ve been asleep for years."
"Then get out of here," Keno instructed, pointing to the exit at the far end of the corridor. "Wait for me there. This place is about to become a battlefield."
Yassin adjusted his stance, preparing to run. But before he left, he turned back.
"What about you? You’re going to face that thing alone?"
Keno adjusted his glasses. "Don’t worry. I’ll catch up later. Now go."
Yassin paused, doubting him. Keno’s confidence seemed blind. But then he remembered Keno’s legendary fight against Ivanov—and how Keno’s body resembled that of a machine. Maybe he could win. Yassin turned and ran, glancing back to see what would happen.
From behind the dust of the shattered toy store, Keno could already see it approaching—thanks to his ability to see through any wall. He stepped back and slipped one hand into his trouser pocket.
Its cold, expressionless face scanned the area. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Keno, its glowing power cores pulsing with intensity. Slowly, it advanced, until only three feet separated them.
Yassin stopped running, entranced by the surreal scene. Why isn’t the metal thing attacking him? he wondered. Are they connected somehow?
The robot paused, scanning Keno with beams of red light from its eyes, analyzing his entire form.
A strange mechanical sound vibrated from the robot’s chest—then Keno lunged.
His fist slammed into the robot’s chest. The impact hurled it backward like a missile, smashing through toy shelves and rubble. It flew out of the mall entirely and crashed outside.
Yassin’s jaw dropped. "He... he punched that iron thing so easily!"
Before he could say more, another projectile shot toward Keno. He tilted his head slightly. The missile missed, striking the store behind him.
A deafening explosion echoed through the mall. Flames roared to life, licking the ceiling. The fire alarm screamed, followed by the sprinkler system, which sprayed water down in thick streams.
Keno stood tall as the robot re-entered the mall, unfazed.
It raced forward, slipped on the water-slick tiles, and crashed into a wall. But it quickly recovered, twisting unnaturally on the wet ground, then sprinted up the side of the wall with inhuman agility.
Water poured between them as the two closed in. The robot leapt, fist raised. Keno charged, mirroring the motion. Their fists collided mid-air.
The clash sent shockwaves through the mall—but Keno held firm. The robot staggered back several feet.
Then, its palm bent back unnaturally. From its wrist to shoulder, a massive cannon unfolded—its arm transformed into a weapon of destruction.
It aimed directly at Keno.
Yassin, still watching from the exit, froze. He couldn’t look away. He didn’t know why—but he couldn’t move. All he could do was watch.