As Leon's team closed in, the truck finally reacted.
The rear cargo door cracked open just enough for a gun barrel to slide out — black, heavy, and already spitting fire.
Ratatatatat!
A brutal spray of bullets cut through the air, easily fifty or sixty rounds per second. The stream of muzzle flashes looked like a solid tongue of flame.
Any normal car would've been shredded instantly. Driver gone. Mission over.
But Leon's ride wasn't "normal."
Momo's voice chimed through the system:
"Activating body hardening."
The Diomas's frame pulsed faintly, its soft metallic exterior morphing into diamond-hard armor. Bullets clanged harmlessly off the reinforced glass and hull, leaving not even a scratch.
The others could only watch in shock — Leon driving straight through the gunfire without flinching.
Dom's crew behind him were speechless. Even a high-end armored car couldn't take that kind of sustained fire and stay intact. But Leon's machine… it looked indestructible.
"Shaw, Tobey — get ahead of him and block the truck. Don't let it build speed!" Leon barked.
"Hattie, Gisele, Elena — fire your grapples! Hook that rig and hold it down!"
"On it!"
The two lead cars — the Black Bat and the Star Cruiser — surged forward, cutting across the truck's path and forcing it to slow.
Three cables shot out simultaneously. Two hooks pierced the truck's flanks; Hattie's cable punched straight through the rear container door.
"Brake — now!" Leon shouted.
The three women slammed their pedals. Tires screamed, smoke curling up from the asphalt. The combined pull yanked the truck hard, slowing it down like a sprinter being grabbed from behind.
Inside, the men guarding the cargo were thrown off their feet. The machine-gun fire stopped abruptly.
Even so, the truck still lumbered forward at about fifty kilometers an hour — its massive torque dragging the smaller cars along.
"Reverse — hard!" Leon commanded.
All three drivers shifted gears; engines roared as they reversed in unison, amplifying the counter-pull. The truck's frame groaned under the strain, metal twisting audibly.
"Oh hell no…" Hattie's eyes widened.
The container doors they'd hooked were bulging outward, screws popping one by one.
CRACK!
Bolts exploded free, and the heavy steel door blasted loose — hurtling straight toward Hattie's car!
Her heart froze. She slammed the brakes but there was no time. The massive door spun through the air like a guillotine. She shut her eyes—
BANG!
A flash of silver — Leon's Diomas swerved across her path, ramming her car sideways and taking the hit head-on.
The impact sent sparks flying; the Diomas's right side lifted briefly off the ground before slamming back down. The steel door ricocheted off its armor, spinning high into the sky before crashing into the dirt with a thunderous BOOM that split the ground.
Silence.
Everyone stared, stunned. If that had hit Hattie, she'd be dead.
"You okay?" Leon's calm voice came through the comm.
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine," Hattie managed, still shaking. Her pulse was hammering. That was too close — way too close.
Dom's team let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Even Shaw's jaw tightened — if his little sister had been hurt, there'd be hell to pay.
Leon nodded once, refocused, and floored it again — the Diomas leaping forward to catch up to the slowing truck.
Now, through the shattered rear doors, they could see the hostage inside — a woman with curly hair, struggling against her captor.
Ramsey.
Got her.
"Momo, switch to auto-pilot. Stay locked on that truck," Leon ordered.
"Acknowledged," Momo replied sweetly. "Vehicle control fully transferred. External mic active. You may issue commands at any time."
Leon popped the door open and climbed out, gripping the roof rail. One breath — and then he jumped.
He landed on the moving truck with a solid thud, momentum barely breaking his balance.
Inside was a towering Thai fighter — Jatoni, muscles coiled like steel cables.
"I'm here for the girl," Leon said evenly, pointing toward the exit. "Step aside and you walk away."
Ramsey's eyes went wide with hope.
Then she moved — stomping hard on Jatoni's foot.
"AARGH!"
He screamed, grip loosening. Ramsey broke free, diving out the truck's side and into Leon's waiting Diomas.
Jatoni lunged after her — but Leon stepped in his way.
"Don't."
Jatoni roared, launching a flying knee that could've shattered Dom's ribs. Leon caught it mid-strike, his palm slamming into the man's leg.
A crack echoed. Pain shot through Jatoni's body; he staggered back, clutching his knee and howling, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Leon was about to finish him —
—when the low rumble of engines filled the air.
From the valley below, the roar of twenty-plus superbikes thundered upward.
The intercept squad had arrived.
~~----------------------
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