Mobreti—an infamous black market hub where discarded robots and energy hunters gathered—suddenly trembled at the mention of one name: Zoldic.
A strange, overwhelming power radiated from his core, making him the most wanted being in the city. Whispers of his "limitless energy" spread like a digital virus, poisoning the minds of every robot desperate to live longer or grow stronger.
In a hurry, Zoldic dashed through the rusted alleys, heading toward a hidden repair base where Zereka and Lekox 127 were undergoing reconstruction. As he reached the large steel door, a yellow indicator lit up. He slammed his hand on the access panel, and the heavy door creaked open.
"All of them are after me," Zoldic muttered, his voice a mix of panic, exhaustion, and disbelief.
Zereka, still lying on the operating table, turned his head weakly. "Wait... why do you sound like you're out of breath? Aren't you a robot, Grandpa?"
Zoldic paused, then let out a dry chuckle. "Hah… you're right. I don't get tired, but this brain—this human brain inside a metal body—makes me feel like I'm running out of air."
He looked Zereka in the eyes. "They're coming. Every single one of them. They want my power."
Zereka and Lekox 127 exchanged grim looks.
"Don't tell me… you went to Kortez 089's casino?" Lekox asked, stunned.
Zoldic nodded innocently. "Yeah! The place was colorful. Lively. I just wanted a bit of fun."
"You idiot! What were you thinking?!" Zereka snapped.
"I didn't know! I just wanted to gamble a little—and suddenly they swarmed me like wild ants!"
"Do you even realize what you carry?" Zereka growled. "I've told you—your energy isn't ordinary. It's advanced nuclear-grade. Unlimited. In this world, energy is everything. And you… you walked right into a nest of desperate scrapbots on the edge of shutdown!"
Zoldic exhaled a metallic sigh. "I never imagined it would turn into this disaster."
"Lekox, speed up the operation," Zereka ordered. "We need to get out of here. Now."
But it was already too late.
Mechanical stomps echoed outside—metallic footsteps, the hiss of hydraulics, and the unmistakable click of weapon triggers. Hundreds of robots, from scrap scavengers to elite enforcers, had surrounded the building.
A booming voice rang out from external speakers, unmistakably belonging to Kortez 089.
"Lekox 127! Old man! You think we don't know who you're hiding? Hand over the global elite fugitive now, or we'll turn your workshop into dust!"
Lekox answered swiftly, "Commander Kortez, you're mistaken. I'm not hiding anyone. Why would I dare harbor a target of that level?"
"Lies!" Kortez roared. "He's marked! The tracker orb on his back led us straight to you! Don't believe me? Check for yourself!"
Zoldic quickly reached behind his shoulder. His fingers touched a small lump—an embedded orb tracker.
"Damn it," Zereka cursed. "I don't care anymore. Buy us time, old man! We're heading to the ship. You're stalling them!"
Zoldic scratched his metal head. "Old man's always the problem, huh?"
Without hesitation, he swung the door open. His mechanical wings flared wide—and he launched into the night sky.
Explosions lit the air, tracer fire streaking across the dark. Robots of every kind—from brittle scavengers to Kortez's elite hunters—chased after him. But Zoldic wasn't an ordinary bot. He was a first-generation assassin—a war machine built to fight and survive. Within seconds, the weaker bots were torn apart in his onslaught.
Meanwhile, Zereka and Lekox 127 slipped through the back exit. Silent and swift, they made their way to a hidden valley where their W2 spacecraft lay camouflaged beneath Mobreti's dry hills.
"Are we really leaving him behind?" Lekox 127 asked softly.
"We'll wait at the ship," Zereka replied. "If he survives, he'll know where to find us."
They crouched behind a ridge, watching the city below. But the sky suddenly shifted.
A blinding flash erupted across the horizon.
Protem Bexxton's warships—elite annihilation units—filled the skies, descending with lethal force. The air trembled under the screech of missiles piercing the night.
BOOOMMM!
A supersonic missile slammed into the heart of the junkyard city, erupting into a massive fireball that reduced everything to molten ruin.
Then came the second strike—larger, deadlier.
BOOOOOMMMM!!
Mobreti was no more—nothing remained but glowing debris and smoke rising to the heavens.
From the bridge of one of the colossal warships, a figure stood calmly—Movock—leading the destruction with a cold, calculated grin.
"Shall we scan the underground levels, sir?" asked one of his officers.
Movock shook his head. "No need. Everything's been flattened. If anyone survived… we'll see where they run."
He chuckled softly—yet it was a laugh colder than the void that now hung over what once was Mobreti.
When the supersonic bomb exploded over Mobreti, it felt like the end of everything.But fate had other plans.
Amid the chaos, Zoldic managed to break into a massive underground tunnel—one of the city's long-abandoned passageways. Whether by luck or sheer survival instinct, the very robots chasing him ended up flooding into the tunnel as well, desperate to catch the fugitive said to carry limitless power.
Above them, the world shook. Mobreti collapsed—steel towers and electronic spires crumbled into ash. But the ones who had followed Zoldic underground survived.
They clung to cracked, trembling support beams, their metal limbs shuddering as dust and aftershocks rippled down into the depths.
"We… we're lucky we chased him," muttered one of Kortez 089's soldiers, his voice unsteady. "Otherwise… we'd have blown up with the city."
Hidden in the darkest corridor, Zoldic slowly rose, his glowing eyes fixed on the crowd of robots who now stared back at him—not as an enemy, but as a savior.
"Zoldic… saved us?" whispered one of them in disbelief.
Kortez 089 growled, his voice thick with guilt. "We betrayed him. We reported his location to Protem Bexxton… hoping for a reward. But they… they slaughtered us. They destroyed Mobreti!" He slammed a steel fist into the cold concrete wall. "Savages."
Silence fell. Dozens—hundreds—of robots lowered their heads. An artificial awareness clicked into place within their minds.
Zoldic, the one they had hunted, had shielded their lives.
From the far end of the corridor, footsteps echoed. Zoldic emerged slowly, his body lit by flickering emergency lights and the fires burning above.
"Zoldic… Zoldic… Zoldic…!"Cheers erupted. The name once spoken with malice now rang out with reverence.
Far above, Zereka and Lekox 127 stood in stunned silence at the top of the ruin-scarred hill. Before them, the city of Mobreti was no more—just smoke, fire, and twisted metal drifting in the hot air.
"Is… is everyone dead?" Lekox 127 asked quietly.
Zereka shook her head slowly, her voice tinged with despair. "That bomb destroyed everything. No metal could've survived that."
But moments later, shadows began to move in the southern ruins. One by one, battered robots emerged from the underground tunnel. Their faces were scorched, their frames damaged—but they were alive.
Zereka's eyes widened. "What…? Those are the robots that were chasing Zoldic! But how did they—?"
"It doesn't make sense…" murmured Lekox 127. "They're still alive."
Down below, amid fire and wreckage, the robots gathered. Kortez 089 stepped forward, approaching Zoldic with humble resolve.
"Zoldic… lead us," he said quietly. "You're not like the rest of us. We live because of you."
Voices of agreement echoed from all around. Robots who once had no connection now stood united under one belief—Zoldic was their new hope.
Zoldic gazed at them. There was a long pause before he finally spoke."Alright. But on one condition."He raised a hand."All robots must unite. No more fighting among us. We're not hunters anymore. We're not prey. We're family. From this day forward, we rebuild Mobreti… not above, but beneath the earth."
A heavy silence followed. But soon, it was broken by the clang of metal applause and voices shouting in agreement.
Zoldic continued, "To the world above… we're already dead. So we must stay hidden. This tunnel… will be our new home. Our new city."
Zereka and Lekox 127 could only shake their heads, speechless as they watched the old man overturn fate itself.
"You're planning to make them your army?" Zereka asked suspiciously, seeing Zoldic begin mapping the tunnel system with Kortez and the other robots.
Zoldic gave a faint smile. "Not an army for me. An army for our mission. To save humanity."
"You're insane…" Zereka muttered. "They're all junk. Barely functional. How do you expect them to become an army?"
Zoldic turned to her, eyes glowing with fierce hope."One… two… ten… then hundreds. We'll fix them. Give them power. And we'll have an unstoppable force."
It sounded impossible.But in Zereka's mind, a spark of possibility began to take shape.
Kortez 089, now filled with renewed purpose, threw himself into helping construct the underground city. They raised pillars from the wreckage, reconnected forgotten cables, and reengineered ventilation systems.
Zereka and Lekox 127 returned to their repairs aboard the W2 ship—but this time, they were no longer alone. They were now part of something greater.
A hidden colony, born from destruction.Bound by betrayal.And led by the most unlikely figure they had ever known—Zoldic.