Bonfire

[Two hellhounds in sight…]

[Three hellhounds at 4 o'clock, one at 9.]

The windshield lit up with red lines, targeting the hellhound in sight. A warning sign blinked on the edges of the windshield. It seemed the truck, Rampage Rex, was panicking more than its passengers.

[Target Lock]

The truck suddenly trembled as the rifle machine in the open trunk moved into position. Lucky smirked in satisfaction and amusement.

"This is cool."

"Mr. Lucky!" Rita yelled in panic, gripping Nero tightly, aware this wouldn't be a smooth ride. "Are you out of your mind!? Again, what are you doing!? Please don't do this! It's dangerous!"

The mute woman with them also showed worry, glancing between Rita and their reckless driver. If only she could talk, she would probably be whining like Rita.

"Sadly, I'm not out of my mind," Lucky glanced back at them and smirked. "You said you and Nero were scouting the area. That's why you're here. I think you can't go back to your base without any useful data. Hold him tight, little girl."

"You're just saying that to justify your recklessness, aren't you?"

"If you know that, then shut up." Lucky grinned while Rita clenched her teeth.

Once again, she couldn't help but question her judgment about this man. She might believe Lucky wasn't a bad guy, but she didn't consider his sanity when judging him. The main purpose of this truck was to keep their problems during transport to a minimum.

What was the use of the warning if he wouldn't follow it?!

"Does this have a voice command?" Lucky asked, glancing at the warnings cluttering the windshield.

Rita kept her lips sealed until she caught him looking at her through the rearview mirror. "It does, but only if you have a license can you access it."

"Oh?" Lucky frowned. "You guys need a license? In this situation? That's weird."

"It's more like — kyah!" Rita almost bit her tongue when their truck suddenly drifted to the right, forcing them against the left side of the vehicle. If not for their safety belts, she would've been tossed to the other side where the mute was.

"Oopsie." Lucky whistled as he regained balance on the steering wheel. "Alright, Rampage Rex. Burn them —"

Rita winced in pain, struggling to reposition herself. "You can't just fire that because if you do, the hellhounds in the area will know an intruder entered their turf."

"Oh?" Lucky looked back at her, blinking innocently. "Is that so?"

The moment those words left Lucky's mouth, a deafening explosion echoed, like a clap of thunder. Rita and the woman instinctively jolted, covering their ears.

[6 hellhounds down. Detecting a new wave approaching.]

The machine rifle on the back of the truck moved in a circular motion while the screen scanned. After a few seconds, red dots appeared on a circular map, revealing the enemies' location, quantity, and distance.

Lucky moved the control panel closer to him, planting a passionate kiss on it.

"It's your turn, Rampage Rex," he said to the button panels as if he were cheering on his son. "Kill them all."

Lucky activated the automatic mode, causing the truck to shake. They bounced, and Rita immediately knew this would be a rougher ride. She glanced at the mute, sporting an apologetic frown.

"Please use that belt and strap it around Nero," the little girl instructed. "This is not going to go well."

The woman pursed her lips and efficiently helped the little girl secure Nero. She then tightly fastened Rita's seatbelt before securing hers. Despite Nero being strapped in, both of them held onto him, just to be sure.

Meanwhile, when the truck stabilized, Lucky slapped another button. Loud music boomed inside the truck, making his passengers jump in surprise.

"A road trip without music is not a road trip," he grinned, though all he heard were screaming voices from the radio. "Let's go, Rampage Rex."

With that, Lucky stomped on the pedal harder. The texts and warnings on the windshield mirrored in his eyes.

Little did they know, the little imp who tagged along with them was standing on top of the machine rifle.

"Ke!" the little imp squeaked, pointing in a direction. "Ke!"

Sparks flew in every direction as ammos mechanically moved in to supply the rampage. The sound of gunfire echoed in the air, disturbing the peaceful turf of the hounds. Aggravated, loud howls harmonized with the noise.

But this only brought adrenaline and excitement to Lucky.

"Let's go," he muttered under his breath, sliding his eyes to the corner. 

There, sprinting to his right, were three big angry hounds. Lucky set his eyes on the windshield once more, barely skimming through the notes on the screen. 

[WARNING: HIGH LEVEL HOUNDS APPROACHING!]

[System Recommendation: Use Bonfire to take down the hounds. Press the RED button to activate.]

[Reminder: Bonfire has a short range. Maximum range is five meters.]

"Not a problem!" Lucky mused, twisting the steering wheel to the right.

The vehicle drifted, leaving tire tracks on the concrete. Smoke and dirt ascended around them. Rita and the mute bounced against their seats as they suddenly stopped. Rita gasped for air, looking at the driver's seat. But before she could say anything, she held her breath as the force pulled her body back.

Lucky sped once more, this time heading straight to the three big hounds. His mouth stretched wider, licking his lips in anticipation. He heard some short whimpers in the backseat the closer they collided with the hounds, but he didn't care.

"Mr. Lucky…?" Rita's voice shook, her complexion turning pale. "Uh, Mr. Lucky? The hounds… they're gonna — kyah!"

The first hound that reached them landed on the roof, imprinting its paws and claws. The truck shook as another hound crashed onto the rear, making them spin uncontrollably. The last hound went for the rifle machine, biting its muzzle with razor-sharp teeth.

"Is this close enough?" he gazed at the huge warning sign on the windshield, pressing the red button.

[Bonfire Activated. Generating Energy… 3… 2… 1.]