Ethan stared intensely at the man in the suit, feeling the blood stream down his forehead and the crushing pressure in his chest. His gaze briefly shifted to his overturned BMW. He felt the primal temptation to pull the weapon from his Inventory, driven by rage and pain, but he held back. The situation was tactically untenable.

The eight individuals were carrying tactical rifles. Due to the high caliber of the weapons, Ethan now seriously doubted that his body, though fortified, could withstand a sustained burst of such firepower. He was unwilling to test that theory.

"Who the hell are you, and what is this?" Ethan demanded, glaring furiously at the armed men. "Why are you attacking me? I have no issue with you!"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man in the suit said with a cold smile. "I am Axel Rhodes, the Zone Manager for Celestial. Our organization owns Celestial Garden."

Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Celestial?" he repeated. "What does the owner of my house have to do with this? I paid $150 million; I have no issue with you!"

Rhodes ignored the question. "And since you are wondering why we are here, let me introduce you to someone you see almost every day," Rhodes said. He gestured toward the tactical agent standing closest to him.

The agent, masked and armed, was instantly recognizable from his posture and build. Ethan's blood ran cold. "Alpha," Ethan whispered, the realization sinking in. The guard who always greeted him at the gates.

"Precisely," Rhodes confirmed, seeing the shock on Ethan's face. "He is Alpha, the agent who always assists you when entering your prestigious community. We are the guardians of your home, Mr. Blake, and you have become a threat to the Garden."

Ethan's mind raced, his panic for Cassandra now overriding the pain in his chest. "This can't be! You're the reason I feel exposed! What does this mean?" Ethan shouted.

"It has to do with the way you have chosen to act as a resident," Rhodes said, his tone growing harder. "When we sold you that house, we expected discretion, not trouble. You confronted Congressman Vance; you used your influence publicly and uncontrollably. Now, we have many complaints about your behavior from the other residents, as Congressman Vance has been pressuring us with all his political influence."

"He's the one who started everything!" Ethan said.

"Perhaps," Rhodes admitted with a shrug. "But it's not our problem. Alpha warned you, Mr. Blake. We told you that you had to pay the $25 million fine to Congressman Vance and that you had to disappear or, at least, silence your subordinate. But you were too stubborn."

Rhodes leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a confidential tone. "You have left us no option but to silence you. The problem with politicians is that they are persistent, and silencing a single problematic individual like yourself is far more cost-effective than having to deal with all the political influence Congressman Vance is willing to use. It's cheaper, you see?" Rhodes finished.

Hearing Axel Rhodes' cold calculus, Ethan knew the situation was critical. His heart hammered in his fractured ribs. Slowly, and imperceptibly, he placed his hands behind his back, preparing to summon his weapon from the Inventory, aiming to maintain the element of surprise.

Ethan took a deep, ragged breath, readying himself for battle. Rhodes noticed the raw, untamed fury in Ethan's eyes—eyes that showed no signal of surrender.

"Don't be foolish, Mr. Blake," Rhodes warned, his voice losing its patient facade. "Surrender now. Your car is destroyed; there is no way for you to flee. Come with us quietly. If you beg the Congressman and deliver a sufficient amount of money, you might live. If you don't surrender, you are dead. You have no chance against my unit."

Ethan lifted his right hand—the one that wasn't summoning the weapon—and thrust his middle finger high into the air. "Go screw yourselves, you sons of bitches," Ethan spat, his voice hoarse with exertion and rage.

With every ounce of remaining strength, Ethan propelled himself backward, launching his body toward the overturned BMW. Simultaneously, he activated Harder Than Steel to its maximum capacity.

The eight tactical agents immediately opened fire. The air filled with the deafening CRACK-CRACK-CRACK of automatic rifle fire 7.62mm, and the surrounding brick walls erupted in sprays of dust and fragments.

Ethan used the large, overturned chassis of his BMW as initial cover. The metal groaned and screamed as the high-caliber rounds slammed into it. The velocity of the bullets slowed significantly upon impact with the heavy-duty metal, allowing Ethan to receive the deflected rounds on his hardened back and legs without being instantly shredded. He felt the heavy, brutal punches of the delayed bullets, causing agonizing pain across his already injured body.

Scanning the cluttered alley, Ethan spotted a heavy, unmarked steel door—the entrance to a small warehouse or utility area—about twenty feet away.

Drawing the pistol from his Inventory, Ethan fired twice, aiming at the lock mechanism of the steel door. He didn't waste time exchanging fire; he only had a few rounds, and he was heavily outnumbered. With a roar, he slammed his right foot into the now-damaged lock and shoulder-checked the door open. He scrambled inside just as a fresh burst of rifle fire chewed up the doorframe.

He rolled deeper into the darkness of the warehouse, his chest screaming in agony, the heavy metallic door swinging shut behind him.

Groaning to catch his breath, Ethan ran down the narrow warehouse aisle, throwing piles of boxes and barrels behind him to create obstacles and slow his pursuers.

[Look at you, Champion! Running like a frightened rat in a garbage maze. What a glorious way to use your steel body!] the System mocked in his mind.

"Shut up and tell me if I can jump down a floor," Ethan hissed between his teeth, ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest.

Outside, Axel Rhodes' fury was palpable as he stared at the warehouse. "Damn it! Alpha, if you don't bring him back, I swear I'm going to screw you alive! Or worse, he will screw all of us alive!" Rhodes shouted, pointing at the door.

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