Lekox 127 watched Zoldic with wide-eyed awe. His movements were precise, his combat skills nearly flawless. Narrowing his eyes, Lekox muttered,
"I thought this mission was impossible… but after seeing you in action, I'm convinced we deserve better materials—especially for a girl as beautiful as her."
Zoldic frowned, confused.
Why the sudden change of heart? he thought.
"I suggest you look for a higher-grade material," Lekox continued. "There's one that's incredibly rare: X-Generation Admantium."
"That material… could it fix Zereka's body?" Zoldic asked with hopeful urgency.
"Not just fix," Lekox replied in a hushed, mysterious tone. "It's capable of super-regeneration. I once had it, but I traded it for a Deutron L robot… in exchange for nuclear energy to extend my life."
"X-Generation Admantium? Isn't that what global elite robots are made of?" Zereka interjected.
"Correct," Lekox said. "Even the leader of Protem Bexxton uses it."
"Bostok?" Zoldic said the name aloud, and Lekox instantly paled.
"Y-You know who he is? You're being hunted by him?!"
Zereka looked straight into the old robot's eyes. "We already killed him."
Lekox froze. "T-That's impossible… Y-You're fugitives from Protem Bexxton?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Zereka replied flatly.
"Get out! I want nothing to do with you!" Lekox panicked.
"Too late," Zoldic said, his voice calm as steel.
Zereka drew her laser sword and pressed it gently against Lekox's neck.
"Now tell us the real information about that material."
"Hey, hey! We can settle this without violence!" Zoldic tried to de-escalate.
"He's using us," Zereka hissed. "That Woxert 127 material—he wanted it for himself. It's a personal regeneration code. His name's Lekox 127. That's not a coincidence. It's the same code."
"You tricked me?" Zoldic turned to the old robot.
"F-Fine! But I really do know something about X-Generation Admantium! You can find it in Deutron L!"
Zereka narrowed her eyes. "That brutal pirate gang? You want us to steal back the materials and energy they looted from you?"
Lekox only nodded, trembling.
"Then let's go take it," Zoldic said suddenly, standing tall.
"WHAT?!" Zereka and Lekox shouted at once.
"Brilliant idea, right? We get the Admantium, the nuclear core, and teach those pirates a lesson."
"That's suicide!" Lekox whimpered.
"We'll sneak in. I'll be the decoy," Zoldic grinned.
Zereka and Lekox exchanged glances—unsure whether he was insane or a genius.
"Do we need a ship?" Zoldic asked.
"It's only five miles east of the city. We can walk," Lekox replied.
"Five miles?! Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Zoldic snapped.
They prepared to head toward the Deutron L hideout—the most ruthless pirate stronghold in all of Mobreti.
The Mobreti black market was buzzing with activity, crowded with damaged bots, illegal spare parts, and shadowy deals. Some robots looked like relics from the early AI era. Others were failed prototypes.
"Just a hundred years after humans ruled the world… and now it's all turned into a scrapyard," Zoldic muttered.
"AI didn't destroy everything," Zereka said. "Humans did. They were slaves to the system they built."
"But they survived. That's something, isn't it?" Zoldic replied.
"Only a few deserve to be called fighters. The rest… just followed the flow."
Zoldic sighed. "Strangely, I feel more alive in this world…"
Zereka frowned. "What? How?"
"My old world was dull. When I became a robot, I felt more human. But when I was human… I felt like a robot."
Lekox 127 interrupted with his squeaky voice,
"So, you're either a robot made human, a human turned robot… or a toy from a Happy Meal?"
Zoldic burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You crazy old bot… still got jokes, huh?"
"He's being serious," Zereka said flatly. "His brain doesn't even process humor. All he thinks about are spare parts and lubricant."
"Hey! I have feelings too, you know! Even if they're in binary code!" Lekox retorted.
The night sky above Mobreti was pitch black, lit only by the flicker of broken lights and twisted power lines that spread out like the web of a giant spider. In the distance, a massive megastructure loomed like a rotting fortress—this was Deutron L's nest. Feared and despised, the pirate gang's headquarters was where law and hope went to die.
Zoldic lowered his head, blue lights flickering gently in his eyes. From the core beneath his chest plate, a new energy glow began to pulse. He had absorbed every blueprint Lekox had given him—including the old schematics of the fortress.
"The plan is simple," Zoldic said quietly. "I'll enter through the western waste ducts. You two wait for my beacon signal. Once it's activated, infiltrate the second level."
"This is insane," Zereka muttered, concern deep in her voice. "That base is guarded by heavy-class droids. If they have a Sentinel Scavenger, you'll be blown to bits in two seconds."
Zoldic smirked. "Then I'll try to stay intact for at least one and a half."
Lekox just trembled. "Why did I agree to join this suicide mission…?"
Without another word, Zoldic dove into the corroded waste tunnel. The sound of metal clattering and hissing steam echoed as he slithered through with impossible agility. In the darkness, he wasn't just a hunter—he was the shadow itself.
Inside the fortress, the roar of machines and the pounding of steel boots never ceased. Deutron L's guards patrolled every hallway, swinging plasma rifles and flame torches. No room for jokes here—only unrelenting vigilance, like knights guarding a king.
The alarm blared.
BUUUP! BUUUP! BUUUP!
"Intruder!" one of the guards shouted in a shrill, metallic voice.
Before they could even regroup, Zoldic dropped from above—plunging down from a giant pipe. He spun mid-air and hurled two energy blades at the front-line guards. A flash of sparks erupted, and their bodies collapsed in burning wreckage.
"Who is that?!"
Zoldic responded by activating his hand generator. A sonic blast erupted toward the squad approaching from the right, slamming them into the wall.
No time to waste. Zoldic dashed forward, slipping underneath the legs of a mid-class tank robot. He planted a micro-bomb beneath its chassis, then vaulted onto the head of another machine.
The next second—BOOOM!
The entire floor where the guards had gathered partially caved in.
Zoldic stood amid the smoldering rubble, his gaze cold and unwavering.
"It's time," he muttered, transmitting a beacon signal to Zereka and Lekox.
Zereka and Lekox entered from the eastern side, sneaking through the lower tunnels.
"Told you he's extraordinary," Zereka murmured, though his expression remained stone-cold.
"Extraordinarily terrifying... he might even have a program to blow us up," Lekox whispered anxiously.
They found an open route and rushed into the main storage chamber. There, inside a transparent container labeled ADMX-11X, lay a shimmering, purple-silver substance—Generation X Admantium. Beside it, two nuclear energy capsules still blinked with life.
"There it is," said Zereka.
But then—a loud boom.
From within the smoke and debris, a towering robot emerged—three eyes glowing, its body shaped like a mining shredder.
It was Bruteron, Deutron L's final guardian.
Before they could mount a defense, Zoldic reappeared—shooting down from the ceiling, both arms ignited in red light.
"One-on-one," he said, staring Bruteron down.
Bruteron deployed two heavy weapons from his back, but Zoldic zig-zagged forward, dodging each blast and slicing through the main cable on his opponent's back.
A small explosion halted Bruteron briefly, but the giant quickly recovered.
Zoldic leapt onto its shoulder, plunged his hand into the core, and discharged a blast of plasma straight from his arm.
ZZZZZT! KRAAAAK!
Bruteron collapsed—and the entire base rumbled.
"Quick! Grab the materials!" Zoldic shouted.
Zereka was ready. He scooped up the Admantium and the capsules.
Outside, the three of them walked away from the compound, which had begun to detonate from within. The skies of Mobreti welcomed them with dust and a crimson shimmer in the distance.
"You're... pretty incredible, Zoldic," said Zereka with a subtle nod.
"I know… but don't say it too often. I might start asking for a salary. Or maybe a ransom? Are you worth anything? Can we sell you?" Zoldic replied with a smirk.
"I'm not worth anything anymore. But… it feels like we're a real organization now. We don't even have a base! We need to think this through. The enemy will come for us, right?" Lekox protested.
"True. But for now, let's call this a successful partnership. And if we pull another job like Deutron L, we'll sell the loot at top price, build our base, and I get myself a pair of jet wings. Deal?" Zoldic laughed.
"And I want a new pair of knees. The best kind—the kind that doesn't tremble," added Lekox in his squeaky voice.
"Deal. Seems like you two are already planning another heist," Zereka said dryly. "We might need a new brain for you both. Buying one's too expensive. We'll steal one next time."
They all chuckled softly, vanishing once more into the shadows of Mobreti, carrying with them a super-material and a glimmer of hope—hope that Zereka's robotic body would finally be restored.