Chapter 4 – The Shadow of the Predator

The footsteps of Emmy, Kiki, and Andou echoed faintly in the dark corridors of the Lost City ruins. They had disguised themselves in Tregear uniforms, trying to deceive the patrolling soldiers.

Kiki's breath hitched.

"Calm down… as long as we stay low, they won't get suspicious."

But misfortune arrived uninvited. From behind a pile of rubble, a man in his forties with messy brown hair and gloomy green eyes stared at them sharply. He was Sanchez, a soldier who had previously defected from Trigia.

"Heh… that face. I know it well. You're one of Trigia's pilots, aren't you?"

His voice was bitter, full of hatred.

"What are you doing here, you rotten spies?!"

In a flash, Sanchez pressed the radio in his hand. Dozens of flashlights immediately shone on them.

“FREEZE! HANDS UP!” the Tregear soldiers shouted.

“TRIGIA SPIES!”

Kiki panicked. With a swift movement, she pulled a flashbang from her tactical vest.Pssstt… BAAANG!

A blinding white light filled the entire corridor.

“Kiki, run!” Emmy yelled.

The three of them ran as fast as they could, their steps hurried through the fragile ruins. Suddenly, Emmy stumbled and fell into a narrow gap—crashing into an underground corridor.

When her body hit the floor, Emmy winced.

"A-ah… where am I?"

She looked up. What she saw sent shivers down her spine. The walls of the corridor weren’t dusty; they were clean as if they had just been used. The automatic lights came on one by one, illuminating the long path.

"Impossible… this facility should have been dead 20 years ago…"

The air inside was warm, unlike the dead ruins above. Clearly, something… or someone was maintaining it.

Suddenly, DUUUMM! The sound of a heavy explosion echoed from above. Emmy was startled.

On the surface, the Tregear troops led by Sanchez suddenly went silent. Their radars shook wildly.

“Commander! There's a fast-moving object around this sector!”

"What? Impossible… there are no mechs other than ours."

But before they could react, a black shadow passed between the collapsed buildings. Its red eyes glowed sharply.

The Mecha-Wolf.

“T-that's… the Grim Reaper?!” one of the soldiers screamed.

Sanchez stared, his face deathly pale, but he still tried to hold his ground.

“Don't panic! It’s only one mech! Shoot when it appears!”

But what happened next was a nightmare.

The Mecha-Wolf's red eyes flashed, and all the sensors on its body switched to Predator Mode.

Radar jammed.Radio signal chaotic.The lights around the area flickered and went out.

SYSTEM ONLINE – Predator Mode Activated.

Suddenly, one by one, the soldiers vanished.

CRACK! A bone snapped.

SHHRRAKK! Blood stained the ruin walls.

But no one had a chance to see where the attack came from.

“T-this is… not a fight! This is… a hunt!!” a soldier screamed before his head was split in two by the mech's claw.

BAAANG! A tank mech was pierced from behind, then exploded like an empty can.

Andou, who was still hiding behind rubble, was completely pale.

“I-it's impossible… that's not a human fighting style… it disappears, then reappears, like… a ghost.”

Kiki gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.

“That’s not just the Grim Reaper… he's… a Predator.”

Underground, Emmy, who heard the echoes of explosions and screams from above, felt her blood run cold. But at the same time, she saw something on an old terminal screen in front of her.

The silhouette of the Mecha-Wolf, with its glowing red eyes, moved like a shadow.

Emmy gasped.

“You… you're really here. Grim Reaper…”

🌑 Above the ruins, the Mecha-Wolf stood alone. Its red lights flickered, blood and metal fragments still dripping from its large claws.

In the cockpit, Kyle was silent, his breathing calm. Nexus spoke.

Nexus: “Elimination complete. Sector is secure.”

Kyle: “…No. This is just the beginning. They will keep coming. And I… will keep hunting.”

The black shadow vanished again, leaving a field of blood and burnt metal.

That name echoed once more among the surviving soldiers, whispered with fear.

“The Grim Reaper.” “The Lone Wolf.”