8:32am.

Rex didn't think, he didn't do a damage analysis first, his body simply moved on instinct as he charged towards the Tiger.

Whoosh!

Only when he moved did the others react, but they only looked at him in a daze, wondering what exactly he had in mind to do.

They were still frozen in fear.

When Rex moved and started charging towards the gigantic Tiger, the beast reacted as its predatory brown eyes moved and glared at him with malice.

Whereas any other person would be petrified after being subjected to that gaze, like a mad man, Rex was unfazed as he noticed something entirely different. 'He didn't move his head, just his eyes!'

'That means he can't even move his head!'

'He's really not adapted to the new body yet!'

Rex didn't know exactly why this was the case.

Unlike Leon, he still didn't make the connection that the enemy's struggles were related to how Parasite took a few seconds to fully adapt to his new bodies after taking over his blood slaves.

To him, he felt that it was likely related to the damage that being at the center of the bomb dealt to Parasite.

Even for a D Rank Gene Augur, regenerating from such damage was not something trivial.

Rex didn't know if he was right or wrong, all he knew was that he had to do something before this D Rank monster fully adapted to his new body.

'I need to do something or else everybody is going to die!'

'I can't be a freeloader every time, for once in my life I need to be assertive!'

'Let me save everyone for once!'

In that moment, Rex was anxious and impulsive and in his zeal he completely forgot what fear meant.

This was because he knew that he couldn't rely on them this time.

Talia's ADE was depleted, she couldn't even move. And even if she could, Rex did not see what an exhausted E Rank NetRunner like her could do in the face of a bonafide D Rank Gene Augur.

Talia would just be killed.

As for the others, Daren, Brick, Gary, and Mary were all frozen in fear, this was because they already realized that in front of this existence, their meagre strength and abilities as F Rank Ascended meant nothing.

This was why Rex was anxious, this was why he was desperate to do something.

Last year, since the very first day that he joined this crew, he realized that despite the fact that he already left his home Town, his life remained the same.

Still, all he had to do here was the bare minimum, all he had to do was fix anything that got bad in the crew.

It got to the extent that Leon even decided to call him Fixerman.

He didn't need to do too much, he didn't even need to know how to do much, all he needed was the ability to fix and maintain minor things and gadgets that developed faults in the crew as a Mechanist.

He wasn't recruited for his amazing combat powers nor for his genius and inventive brain as a Mechanist. No, he was recruited as a support mechanic.

Just like his whole life, all he had to do was the bare minimum.

They had a capable leader in Talia. She was strong, she was brave, and most importantly she was intelligent.

Within the past year since joining the crew, they've taken on a few missions and every single time, he was being carried by his crewmates.

In the battle department, Talia, Daren, and Brick always played a clutch role, carrying the crew as they always faced the strongest enemies, saving the other members of the crew again and again. They showed their importance to the crew.

But Rex… his role was still undefined and abstract.

Even in the maintenance aspect which was supposed to be his department, he was second fiddle to Kain. His role was inconsequential.

Kain was the main Mechanist of the team, he took care of most repairs and maintenance. Even if there are big plans like the defense grid during the siege, Kain was still the one who did most of the work without his help.

Kain simply recruited him because he needed an assistant.

For almost all his life, he was used to other people taking the initiative while he played a supportive role. Even after he left home, he fell into the same never-ending circle, but he never complained.

At age 8, his mother developed ADE-corruptive cancer.

To survive, she needed surgery and the only place she could get it was in the Cities of the Geneforge Clans. Any of the main hospitals in Leviathan Quay, Sprawl Delta, and Verdanthold could easily treat cancer with a high recovery success rate.

All they needed was money for the surgery.

Rex grew up in a nameless Town at the outskirts of Leviathan Quay, a Town where the standard of living was just marginally better than the Wastes.

As an 8-year-old who grew up under the love and protection of his caring mother, Rex was yet to face the harsh reality of the world.

He'd never had any reason to work and make his own money, so of course to get the money for his mother's surgery he and his little sister of just 5 years looked up to their father to take charge.

But Rex's father was an alcoholic.

Despite that, Rex respected and believed in his father.

He repeatedly reminded the burly Geneform who had reddish-brown hair that looked just like his own about his mother's condition, yet every day, his father said the same thing. "There's no money".

And yet, every evening when Rex snuck out, he saw his father in the tavern drinking with his alcoholic friends.

Rex didn't confront his father, he stayed patient and humble like his mother taught him, being the good boy and believing that his father would return home one day with the money required to treat his mother.

Yet, it never happened.

His mother died after 2 months of suffering, a period of time in which he saw his once healthy and vibrant mother regress into a husk of her former self- sunken cheek bones, a pale complexion like a corpse, and a dry and skinny body.

Even after many years later, those memories of his mother's last moments remained engraved in his head. Rex never forgot; it was a memory and trauma that lasted and lived with him.

2 years later after his mother died, his sister was kidnapped.

Rex could still remember crying to meet his father, telling him about the tragedy and the man nonchalantly waved a hand, saying he'd tell the police.

Rex was skeptical and anxious but he didn't say a word, instead to reduce his anxiety he locked himself in, reading any book and novel that he could get his hands on as he stayed optimistic and kept faith in his father.

Afterall, he was the quiet and humble boy that his mother trained.

He was not rude, he was a good boy.

In most of those books that he read, the main character always had a good end and lived happily ever after. "I wonder if I'll have my own happily ever after".

A few days later, the Daily News virtual channel reported that the local police stormed a base of kidnappers in the forest, killing most of the kidnappers and arresting the others.

A lot of girls were rescued from the den of the kidnappers but others died, including Rex's sister.

That day, Rex felt like a part of him died with her.

He changed but he didn't change to become more assertive, instead, he changed and learned to always hide his emotions behind a mask.

He fully retreated into his mind, his little safe world.

When he spoke with others, he was vibrant and cheerful but inside, he was still the same Rex who was too scared to ever take the initiative, the same Rex who always saw himself as the side character with a boring forgettable story.

His father died a few years later of drug abuse and for the first time in his life, Rex faced the world alone.

Then, Rex was 15.

Still, his life didn't change much. He lived in the house that his parents left for him, doing anything to survive.

Later, he got admitted into the local school of the small cathedral of the Reclaimer Church in his Town where he learned to read and write.

There, he proved his excellence and gained a scholarship to Leviathan Quay's Reclaimer Church Cathedral where after years of learning and service he got the required knowledge and became an Ascended, a Mechanist.

He became an Ascended at the age of 17.

3 years later, he met Kain and through him he joined the crew.

Rex was 21 now and for the first time in his life, he felt the need to take action, he felt the yearning to be assertive.

One glance at Talia, Daren, and the others told him all he needed to know. They were already at their wit's end, they had no more cards to play, they were done, they were spent.

They won't be saving him today.

'So why not save them?' The thought sounded simple enough, but in practice, it screamed suicide.

Rex didn't stop though, and he wasn't just charging towards the Tiger.

He charged forward with a plan.

Thud… thud… thud…

Rex charged forward with a determined expression on his face, and his eyes were fixated on a pair of partially damaged molten red chains at the side of the towering 5-meter tall Tiger.

The ADE Nullification Shackles!

The shackles were Rex's only plan to save his crewmates at this moment before this Tiger adapted and could finally move.

When the bomb exploded, the high-temperature flames directly roasted Parasite's body, melting the bus, damaging the blood-red pendant, and also dealing a lot of damage to the shackles.

The only reason why the shackles didn't directly melt was Force Durability, the core system of the weapon.

The ADE Nullification Shackles was crafted from a great combination of metal and alloys, including carbon-titanium steel which made it extremely durable to all forms of damage.

This was the reason why the shackles barely survived.

And now, Rex arrived.

From the moment Tiger took a step out to Rex thinking, then charging out, then arriving in front of the chains, less than 2 seconds had passed.

Finally, the Tiger regained more autonomy over his new body as he turned his head and fixed his predatory eyes on the puny F Rank Ascended.

His body still couldn't move but this was enough.

BZZZ!

The full aura of a D Rank Ascended slammed into Rex and he shuddered, his thoughts scattering like he just suffered a mental attack.

His heart constricted in fear but despite his fear, he didn't stop. He bent down to pick the molten red chain and cuffs as their red-hot surface burnt his hand.

Rex hissed but he didn't let go because he knew he didn't have time; he moved and finally closed the distance to the majestic beast.

Rex held the chains tight even as his skin made sizzling sounds, peeling and falling off, still he didn't avert his gaze.

As the creator of the blueprint, Rex knew the limitations of the ADE Nullification Shackles more than anyone. It was a powerful weapon meant to restrain leviathans, but it drained ADE like a water tap.

Even Talia, an E Rank Ascended could only use it twice.

Rex knew that to restrain a D Rank Ascended for even a second, his ADE would definitely not be enough. Maybe he was going to sacrifice more than he intended, maybe he would have to sacrifice his own vitality, his life.

As an Ascended, his body was already partially synchronized with ADE so he could actually drain his own vitality to replace ADE.

But doing this was like selling his soul to the devil, he would definitely die.

Rex didn't care though.

He was not even sure if this was going to restrain the beast, but even if it did, this was definitely not going to kill the Tiger.

So, he briefly turned his head and looked at Leon, the one man he saw as a true mentor in this world, the man he'd met for only about a week but he felt like he'd spent years with.

The man that told him the words that changed his life. 'A Mechanist must think outside the box!'

He knew he would understand him, and he was right.

The moment Rex looked at him, Leon understood but he shuddered, his tired eyes turning red.

Rex saw his hesitation, then he growled. "Do it!"

At the same time, his grayish white ADE flared as he threw the ADE Nullification Shackles at the majestic beast.

By now, the Beastframe was beginning to gain full control of his new body, but it was too late as the shackles lashed into one of his front limbs.

BZZZ!

Weight Modulator!

ADE Nullification!

The gigantic Tiger froze.

And then, Rex shuddered as his body started visibly breaking down. His face started aging, his reddish brown hair beginning to fall off as he gave everything to keep the Beast in one place.

In that moment, Leon shuddered but he didn't hesitate. Hesitating would be undermining Rex's determination.

He picked up his leather bag, dipped his hand inside and brought out a slightly circular object with an uneven surface, another jury-rigged bomb!

Leon sprinted, stretched, and then he threw the bomb at the Tiger.

When Rex saw Leon throw the bomb, he finally smiled as his whole body relaxed. He didn't even try to let go of the shackles, he was not sure if the Beast would be able to break free immediately if he let go, so he stayed there with him.

He looked into the Beast's intelligent eyes, then he grinned. "Thank you for making me bold".

'I wish I was more assertive to save my mother'. He thought as tears flowed down his eyes.

He looked at Daren one last time.

The bomb tumbled through the air, and then…

KABOOM!

It detonated right in front of the gigantic Beast!

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