One insane punch
I walked to the edge of the field where Irani and Angela were standing. Oh, that baffled face again. I looked around and everyone looked shocked. I like that expression.
"What's wrong?" I asked innocently.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?! How strong are you? You destroyed a combat mecha Mark II without using any weapon. It took three Nova Corps soldiers to take that mecha down with energy guns, and the time taken was 48 minutes. And you did that all by yourself!" She exclaimed incredulously.
I shrugged, "They are weak. As for that mecha, well, the result is before your eyes. So, we done?"
Irani sighed and nodded, "Yes. I'll contact you once I have gathered the necessary evidence. As for the building, I'll contact you tomorrow. And tax-free for you and your family."
I smiled, "Thanks."
Angela guided me out of the training ground and we headed back to the lobby.
"Um... Mr. Jack, if you don't mind, may I ask you a question?" Angela asked hesitantly.
"Sure, go ahead."
"How strong are you exactly? I've never seen anyone who could destroy a combat mecha Mark II so easily," She said curiously.
"There's an old saying... Curiosity killed the cat. Don't be too curious. I've already let your stupid surveillance slide. But let me tell you one thing, don't try to mess up my peaceful life anymore. I don't want anything to do with you guys anymore. I get my promised rewards, and that's it. If I see another drone or any type of surveillance on me or my family, then things will go bad. I know I can't take down Nova Corps, but I sure can promise that I'll take down as many as I can before going down. Tell that to your commander. Got it?"
Angela's face turned pale when she heard my words. She nodded nervously, "I-I understand."
"Good! See you around," I walked toward a hovercar parked outside.
"Ah, wait..."
"What? I'll take this one as compensation for that surveillance and one of our cars got smashed in that incident, so, deal with it, yeah? Now, the keys," I extended my hand forward.
Angela frowned but handed the keys to me nonetheless. "I'll send the necessary papers to your address. Have a safe ride."
"Sure." I got inside the car and flew back home.
----
[3rd person POV] [Training ground]
A team of engineers and technicians arrived at the training ground to collect the broken combat mecha.
Irani stood quietly while the technicians worked to recover the remains of the battle robot. The sun was starting to go down, making long shadows in the courtyard. The Nova Corps soldiers, who had been watching with amazement, gradually left, talking to each other about the incredible show of strength they had just seen. But Irani's thoughts were on one thing: figuring out how Jack had been able to destroy one of their most advanced battle robots with such ease.
She turned to the lead technician, a grizzled veteran named Captain Marlo, who was overseeing the operation. "Captain Marlo, I need a full report on this combat mecha. I want to know every detail of how it was destroyed."
Marlo nodded, his face serious. "Yes, Supreme Commander. We'll pull all the footage from the battle and check the data logs from the mecha. We'll also conduct a thorough examination to see if there were any malfunctions or defects."
"Good. I want the results on my desk by tomorrow morning. If word gets out that a single individual could take down our top combat mecha so easily, it could undermine the Nova Corps' reputation," Irani said, her voice firm. "We need to find what went wrong with it. I refuse to believe that a single human, ripped it apart without any weapons or armor. I need answers if you want to keep the funding coming."
Marlo saluted. "Don't worry, Supreme Commander. We'll figure it out. And I apologize for this situation. It was my responsibility to check everything thoroughly before deployment. I accept full blame for this."
Irani waved off his apology. "Just find out what went wrong." She then went to her office.
She watched them for a moment longer before heading back to her office. The corridors were quiet, the usual hustle and bustle of Nova Corps headquarters subdued in the wake of the day's events. She reached her office and sat down at her desk, staring out the window as the last light of day faded into night.
"Just who are you, Jack?" she muttered to herself, recalling the ease with which he had dismantled the mecha. She had never encountered anyone with such raw power. Even the Kree, known for their strength, would have struggled against the combat mecha. "Are you a mutant? Whatever it is, I'll have you in my Nova Corps someday."
She knew that Jack's power could be a double-edged sword. If he could be persuaded to ally with the Nova Corps, he could be an invaluable asset. But if he chose to oppose them, he could become a formidable enemy.
Irani called the surveillance team.
"Tell me, are you still tracking Jack?" Irani asked.
"Yes, Supreme Commander," came the reply. "He's currently flying home."
"Pull back and make sure no one makes Jack and his family's life difficult," Irani ordered. "Our new target is Eric Enterprise. I want you to look into this matter personally and don't trust anyone in your team or outside. This is an order from me, a special request from the Nova Prime. You have 24 hours."
"Understood, Supreme Commander," the surveillance team captain replied.
Irani ended the call and leaned back in her chair, pondering what to do next. "This is just the beginning," she murmured.
.
Meanwhile, Captain Marlo and his team were hard at work. The combat mecha's remains had been transported to a secure hangar where they could conduct their analysis without prying eyes.
"Alright, team, let's get to work. We need to check every system, every piece of data. Start with the footage from the battle. I want to see exactly how Jack took this thing down," Marlo instructed, his voice echoing in the cavernous hangar.
The technicians got to work, pulling up video footage from the training ground's surveillance cameras. They watched in silence as Jack dodged the mecha's initial attacks with ease, his movements almost a blur on the screen. "Incredible," one of the technicians muttered. "He's moving so fast, it's like he knows where the mecha is going to strike before it even happens."
Marlo nodded, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Silence. I want to see how he manages to get in close and take it down."
As the footage continued, they watched Jack leap onto the mecha's back and tear its head off with his bare hands. The sheer force required to do such a thing was mind-boggling. "Pause it there," Marlo ordered. "Let's check the data logs from the mecha. I want to see if there were any signs of malfunction or if Jack really is that strong."
The technicians pulled up the data logs, combing through the mecha's systems. They checked the power levels, the structural integrity, and the combat algorithms. Everything appeared to be functioning normally up until the moment Jack's hands made contact with the mecha's head.
"No malfunctions detected, Captain. The mecha was operating at peak efficiency right up until the end," one of the technicians reported.
Marlo frowned. "There must be something we're missing. Check again. There has to be an explanation for how Jack was able to rip it apart so easily."
The technicians dutifully ran more tests, scouring the mecha's systems for any sign of a problem. After 12 hours of nonstop work, they finally found something. "Captain, you should look at this," one of the technicians called out.
Marlo hurried over, peering over the technician's shoulder.
"This is the place Jack first punched the mecha and look at this energy stream..." He zoomed in and pointed to a spike in the mecha's power output.
"That looks like a feedback loop," Marlo said, studying the data. "It's like the mecha absorbed Jack's punch and redirected the energy back into itself, damaging the inner structure. Check the AI matrix."
The technician pulled up the mecha's artificial intelligence matrix, scrolling through the code. They found nothing unusual until they reached the section responsible for combat decision-making.
"Here it is, Captain. This line of code allows the mecha to adapt to different combat situations and adjust accordingly. When Jack struck the mecha, it interpreted his punch as an attack and adapted by absorbing the energy and redirecting it back to the attacker, but the thing is the energy seemed to be bounced from Jack's fist straight into the mecha, creating feedback loop that damaged it from the inside," the technician explained.
Marlo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So you are telling me that, a human did all that in a flicker second? He absorbed the energy and redirected it back into the mecha and removed his fist before the mecha could redirect it back, causing it to overload internally?"
The technician nodded. "That's correct, Captain. Oh, I've also found a little signature of unknown energy. It's very little, but... I think we should add it to the report."
Marlo shook his head in disbelief. "This is insane! How am I going to explain this to the Supreme Commander? This goes beyond anything we've ever seen before."
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