Returning

With that settled, Zack continued his path toward the underground parking lot where the Night Stalker leader had disappeared. As he entered the basement, he immediately felt the air grow colder and the light fade, leaving him surrounded by total darkness. The silence was deafening, thick and oppressive. Zack activated the armor's light, cutting through the darkness and revealing a narrow path ahead. Still, the vast parking lot remained hidden beyond the small beam of light.

"Ego?" he called out.

"Scan mode activated, sir," Ego responded, already anticipating his command. While the scan range was limited, it would at least ensure that no Night Stalkers could sneak up on him.

After finding nothing on the first floor but piles of bones, Zack pressed forward. "Ego, how many floors are there?"

"Two, sir," Ego replied.

"A big facility, with its own underground parking and multiple levels," Zack muttered to himself as he made his way down the ramp to the second floor.

Halfway down, he suddenly heard a familiar twang—the sound of steel wire snapping into place. The next instant, steel pipes and wooden spikes shot out from the corner! Two of the projectiles struck his armor, leaving only harmless white scuffs on the MV-01's surface, but Zack stood there in shock.

"Did... did a Night Stalker set a trap?" he muttered, barely believing it. The trap was almost identical to the ones he'd set up at the steel mill—right down to the mechanism. While the setup was crude, the intent was unmistakable.

"Sir, it seems the Night Stalker's threat level needs to be re-evaluated," Ego remarked.

"This zombie is too dangerous to leave alive," Zack growled, narrowing his eyes. His estimation of the Night Stalker's intelligence had just gone up significantly.

"Let's go, Ego. Not a single one of them escapes today!"

Continuing his descent, the light from his armor finally illuminated a familiar sight—a curled-up, humanoid form in the corner. A Night Stalker, lying dormant on the cold concrete.

As the beam of light hit it, the creature's eyes snapped open. "Roar!" it howled, alerting others. From every corner of the basement, piercing roars echoed, filling the parking lot with a chilling symphony.

Then came a deeper, guttural roar—the distinctive call of the Night Stalker leader, wounded but still alive. The light caught him, showing his missing arm and still-fresh wounds. "Good, no self-healing ability," Zack smirked. He raised his hand, pointing at the Night Stalker leader and crossed his fingers—a universal signal that even the leader seemed to understand.

"Roar!" the leader shrieked back in defiance, and the Night Stalkers rushed at Zack from all directions.

"Enemies at 2 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 15 o'clock…" Ego's report started, but soon the numbers were overwhelming. "Sir! They're everywhere!"

"Take it easy, Ego," Zack said, steadying himself. With the limited light, he'd have to rely on the Night Stalkers' footsteps to gauge their approach. The scurrying sounds grew louder as they closed in on him.

Just as they were about to strike, Zack extended both arm blades. His one-ton armor spun in a tight circle, the blades cutting a deadly arc around him, flashing through the darkness. In seconds, four or five Night Stalkers were cleaved in two, their torsos dropping to the ground.

"Roar!" The surviving Night Stalkers adapted quickly, lunging at him from staggered angles and different times.

"They're learning?" Zack muttered. Now, without the blinding floodlights, he was on their turf. The Night Stalkers were fast, and in this confined space, their numbers were overwhelming.

While a single Night Stalker's claws couldn't break his armor, together, they were wearing it down. Scratches began covering the surface of the armor. For every four or five he killed, they landed dozens of blows, each one weakening the Mark armor bit by bit.

"Sir, I've completed the scan," Ego announced.

"Good," Zack replied, preparing for the next wave. He couldn't afford to slip up now—not with the Night Stalkers proving to be more dangerous than ever.

With Ego's HUD arrows guiding him, the battle became much easier. Arrows appeared in Zack's vision, pointing to each approaching Night Stalker: yellow for approaching threats, and red for active attacks.

"Thanks, Ego!" Zack said, spinning around to slice a Night Stalker sneaking up from behind, cutting it cleanly in half.

As more Night Stalkers fell at his feet, fewer dared to charge at him directly. Eventually, he was nearly surrounded, the bodies of the fallen scattered around him. "Roar!!!" The Night Stalker leader bellowed, signaling the others to retreat. They fled in every direction, abandoning their assault.

"Oh, so now you call them off?" Zack muttered, glaring at the leader. "You let your minions do all the dirty work and run when it gets tough, huh?"

The leader glanced back only once before bolting into the shadows. "Where do you think you're going? This basement isn't that big!" Zack growled, chasing after him.

He fired his web shooter whenever he spotted a Night Stalker, trapping each one in a sticky line before dispatching it with a swift blow. Soon, the entire parking lot was covered in webs, effectively slowing the creatures' movements and allowing Zack to take them down more efficiently.

After a relentless pursuit, only Zack and the one-armed Night Stalker leader remained. Cornered at the exit, the creature froze just before a bright line of sunlight crept into the basement. The floor was sharply divided between light and darkness.

"Sunlight, eh?" Zack smirked, positioning himself at the entrance to block the only escape route.

The leader had no choice but to either charge into the light or fight Zack directly. "Roar!!!" With a final snarl, the leader chose the latter and lunged at Zack. But Zack was ready. He raised his arm, casting a wide web that caught the creature mid-air, followed by a sharp blade to end its life.

Returning to the steel plant, Zack was met with cheers from the workers. After a brief discussion, he assigned Charles to oversee the factory in his absence, giving him a modified communicator in case of emergencies. He left Jacob's weapons with the workers, knowing they'd be sufficient for defense now that the Night Stalkers were gone.

Afterward, Zack loaded up a cart with materials and tools and headed back to Tribeca with Annie beside him. Along the way, he noticed a few zombies wandering the grounds, despite having previously cleared the area.

"It's time to address the Mansion's security," he muttered, driving around to crush any stragglers before heading toward Mansion No. 9.

Hearing the engine, Sophia rushed out, beaming with excitement. She stood at the courtyard gate, watching him approach like a hopeful bride. But as she caught sight of Annie in the passenger seat, her smile faltered, her expression shifting to one of concern and… suspicion?

'She's barely fifteen… Could it be…?' A series of thoughts seemed to flash across her mind, and her eyes widened in realization, her impression of Zack visibly crumbling.

"This girl's thinking all the wrong things," Zack sighed, rolling his eyes as he read her expression from afar. 'Am I really that much of a scoundrel?'