Chapter 354: Got To Make It Big
Laz didn’t know how many people were watching him. But like every time in the past where this had come up, he wouldn’t have cared even if he did. Right now, Laz was focused on there here and now and what exactly that would mean. After all, even if he ran away and got to the mountains, considering what kind of tail he had, they would never let him go. So what was he suppose to do?
As Laz ducked to the side, a blast of energy hit the ground next to him and he was forced to change direction once again. This time though, he ended up face to face with two of the weird things that were chasing him. They had masks over their faces, making it impossible to see the face that was hidden. Although this didn’t hinder Laz in terms of fighting them, it did give him pause for other reasons.
’They have tinted goggles on in the dark and rain? Are they not using their eyes to see at all?’ Laz couldn’t help but think. Honestly, Laz could walk along at a brisk pace with his eyes closed if he needed to. But to flat out run in a wooded area at high speed? Even Laz’s brain couldn’t process his senses fast enough to do that. Maybe with a bit of work it would be doable, but how long would these people have had to practice to do this? And even more importantly, for all of them to be this skilled and coordinated? Laz had trouble believing it.
They weren’t century old masters here as no one could live that long. At least not yet.
As such, there had to be something else about them.
One of his attackers, apparently male, swung forward with his fists as though to attack head on while the smaller and most likely female based on body shape and breast size, aimed and fired off a few rounds at close range.
Laz dodged the shots and slipped under the punch, attempting to leave them behind just like he had done a couple of times now.
But this time was different. Instead of the attackers falling back after the attack failed, they instead tried again. This time the female with a number 4 on the front of her outfit which looked like a mixed between a body suit and tight fitted armor, swung around with a kick aimed at his stomach. The male, number 3, aimed a kick at his head.
Neither attack was going to connect as Laz could just jump back and avoid the blows entirely, his agility being several times better than either of them. But he quickly noticed that even if he did, there were already two more waiting behind him to intercept him if he did that.
This would cause him to have two in front and two behind and that would make things ever harder.
Instead of backing off, Laz charged forward, bringing his arms up in an attempt to ward off the blows while plowing through.
It worked, but the strength of those kicks wasn’t weak and for the first time since leaving the grounds of the club, Laz took a direct attack.
It hurt, but not enough to slow him.
Unfortunately, it seemed that after this one encounter, his attacks became far smarter than before. There were many times were he suffered direct blows, energy blasts and once when his attention was diverted, he was almost blown up from a missile from one of the drones trailing along.
That was bad enough, but as he kept getting caught up, he was slowed down enough for the military and chosen pursuers to close in and they started taking whatever shots they could as well.
...
Tommy was grinning from ear to ear. While they had still failed to take Laz down, he was getting slowed more and more, allowing for even more fire power to be brought to bare. Apparently, the choice of using a ’strategist’ was a good one, even though Tommy would never admit to it. Even if there was very little of his influence in this mission, since he was on the ground and technically in charge, it would still make him look good in the end.
Even more than that, the higher ups watching this obviously liked the result of the alpha squad and their performance. Everything else aside, Jesse would be very pleased about the value that would now be put on his super solders.
’At least this will get him off my back for a while,’ Tommy thought to himself, happy if that was the only perk he gained out of this.
’Now those things just need to wrap this up and we’ll be good to go.’
Tommy watched the screen happily.
...
Laz couldn’t help but lament how much he hated flat ground. And while he was trying to stick to areas with more foliage, as he drew closer to the mountains, it was getting a little bit hard since they were still in the rather sparse flatlands.
Even still, Laz kept pace, never faltering and trying his best not to lose his cool. Just like his fight with the raccoon god, Laz knew he had to wait for the right time.
Even knowing that though, he was getting worn out as well as confused. Laz knew he was strong when compared to others. This wasn’t a boast either, rather he had always tried to weigh himself carefully so that he never got too big in the head. Just because someone might think they are bullet proof, doesn’t mean they can’t die. With the strength Laz had, he still wanted to make sure he remembered that fact.
But despite his strength and stamina, these warriors attacking him didn’t seem to ever tire. In fact, what’s more insane was that while they still continued going at the same pace, they seemed to be injuring themselves by pushing their bodies too hard. Laz could tell that some strikes seemed to lack the same strength that they once did. And as far as Laz could tell, the reason behind that is because the muscles, tendons and bones of those attacking him seemed to be breaking down. Just like a hammer with a rotted handle, how was it suppose to hold up to constant strikes?
But why the hell would anyone do this to their own bodies?
Even if this news was good for Laz, there were a total of eight of them and only one of him. Even if they were starting to break down, Laz was going to fall long before they did.
"And these fucking drones!!!" Laz said, as another one flew by, the sounds it made was like a buzzing in Laz’s ear.
The drones had long since ran out of ammo, but Laz could see the camera on them that was keeping tabs on him.
At this moment, one of them seemed to have ran out of energy, died and fell to the earth.
’Why don’t they call them back, replace the battery and rearm them? Their base vehicle is right there isn’t it?’
Just as this question flew through Laz’s mind, an answer suddenly hit like a sledge hammer.
’They are treating this like a fucking game... and a game needs a camera angle. If that’s true then... these mother fuckers... what the fuck is up with this?’
If what Laz was thinking was right, then that meant this situation was even more fucked up that he thought.
’They are either undead... or they are being controlled by something. Either way, they won’t stop until they can’t move. And as long as their camera system holds up, they can be remote controlled.’
Laz used to play a lot of games when he was younger, so this was actually pretty easy to swallow, even if it wasn’t completely right.
’The only way I am getting out of this is if they think I died or I go somewhere they can’t follow. Fuck me... Ok... I need to make this big...’
Perhaps one would think that a human couldn’t run all the way from Texas to Colorado? Well, first off, Laz isn’t exactly human. And second, when your being pursued by an undead like army squad and a rich, crazy man wants you dead at all costs, it’s amazing how the miles fly by. After cutting across the edge of New Mexico, Laz knew he was close.
Now all he needed was a chance.
...
"Look at him go. I’m surprised he has gotten this far."
"But look at the unit. Based on their vitals, their bodies are going to start breaking apart soon."
"If they can’t even keep up with one infected, how much use will they be to us?"
"Ladies and gentlemen. Let me reassure you on two different points. Number one, this unit is actually one of our first, fully functional prototype units. They are out in the field for endurance testing and research but only because we have already manufactured an improved version of them. That’s right, these are yesterday’s models. But with these information, we can take leaps and bound with improving the newest batch and all future batches so rest assured," Jesse said calmly, causing all of those excited voices to quiet down.
"You said you had two points?" One of the more senior watches asked.
"The other point is to remember who they are hunting. You’ve already seen this kid several times now and I can promise you that there are likely no infected stronger than this one before us. While these creatures take time to build up their own strength, we can do so with just the push of a button and the right combination of ingredients. Keep that in mind when we again vote to move forward with our plans for additional funding," Jesse finished off in a sales pitch manner. Although the ones watching didn’t say anything, many of them seemed to express agreement with the idea. After all, they had read the same info on Laz that Jesse did and knew he spoke the truth.
"What your asking for... will happen."
After that was said, everyone else went completely silent. While their images were blurred out so that they couldn’t see one another, no one on here was an idiot. Once those words were spoken, it meant it would happen. As for everything else from here on out, this was all a show that none of them would miss.
After all, if that person was going to support it, it meant that they would to. None of them would be will to fall behind on support.
"Coming up sir. There is a massive cliff edge into a rocky ravine. The height is estimated at almost three hundred feet. Orders?" One of the drone fliers called out, alerting everyone to this upcoming obstacle. While the person controlling the movements also had terrain info, this kind of thing would need to be called out so that they could start planning things now.
"Remain on target. Once the target is boxed in on the ledge, we will have plenty of time to take him down," Jesse said, not even waiting for Tommy’s response. Although no one knew who Jesse was using as the commander, if he gave orders, they were to follow.
Agent Wallace had nothing to say anymore. As far as he was concerned, everything that he knew or was skilled in was useless right now.
All the pursuing squads were called back to encircle the target while the alpha squad of super solders kept right on Laz.
He knew about the cliff edge as it was his goal.
He just didn’t know if this really was the smartest idea.
Since he only had one direction left to run, all eight of the pursuers were right on his ass.
"Got him," Jesse said, as though everything was within his calculation.
Just as everyone was wondering how long Laz could hold on in a close combat fight with the eight units on the edge of the cliff, they suddenly heard a loud shout that was amplified by Laz’s core energy.
"HEY! YOU ALL! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW. THIS IS THE GREAT ME SAYING GOOD NIGHT AND FUCK YOU!!!"
Laz held up both middle fingers as he jumped backwards off the cliff, the eight super solders following close on his heels.
...
