Morning sunlight pierced through the holes in the factory roof, striking Murphy's face. He jerked awake, his left hand instinctively grabbing the hilt of his short sword—a habit form living in the slums.
"Easy, bro... It's just me."
Philip sat on a wooden crate in front of him. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes from pulling an all-nighter, but behind his glasses, his eyes sparkled with the excitement of a kid with a new toy.
Murphy moved his right arm tentatively... The agonizing pain from last night was almost gone, replaced by a slight stiffness in the muscles. Philip's special poultice had worked wonders.
"Try this on."
Philip tossed an object to Murphy.
It was a new "Gauntlet", but completely different from the previous one. It was crafted from matte black titanium alloy (salvaged from Butch's truck shocks), layered with heat-resistant plating like dragon scales. Hydraulic pressure tubes ran elegantly along the forearm, looking aggressive and dangerous.
"I call it the 'Titan Gauntlet'," Philip explained proudly. "I completely redesigned the venting system. Instead of just dumping the steam, I created a 'Recycle' system. It redirects some of the kinetic impact back into your punch... Basically, the harder you get hit, the harder you hit back, without wrecking your arm."
Murphy slid his right arm into it. Click! The mechanism locked securely around his wrist. He clenched his fist, feeling the solid weight and the power condensed within.
"Let's go test it out."
...
Afternoon: The Northern Border
The rusted pickup truck left the construction zone, entering a desolate plain littered with fallen high-voltage towers. The atmosphere here was much quieter and eerier than the city.
"We're getting close to the Satellite Valley..." Philip checked the map and the road. "Strange though. My motion sensors are going crazy."
Grrrr...
A low growl emanated from behind a wrecked bus blocking the path ahead.
Dozens of grey shadows leaped out, surrounding their truck. They were "Scrap Wolves"—mutated beasts with shards of metal and barbed wire growing out of their skin like natural armor. Their fangs were long, metallic, and sharp enough to pierce tires with ease.
"Big pack..." Murphy stepped out of the truck. He grinned, rotating his right shoulder to warm up. "Just in time. My hands were getting itchy."
The Alpha wolf, the size of a small cow, lunged at Murphy first. Its razor-sharp claws aimed to rip his gut open.
CLANG!
Murphy raised his right arm to block. The claws sparked against the titanium armor. But this time... there was no shock to his bones. The internal shock absorbers dampened the impact perfectly.
[Charge Level: 20%] The energy gauge on his wrist glowed blue.
"Is that all you got?"
Murphy threw a straight jab directly into the Alpha's face.
BOOM!!
The impact sounded like an explosion. It wasn't just a punch; a burst of compressed air shot from the knuckles. The Alpha wolf's head exploded instantly. Its headless body flew backward, knocking over two other wolves.
"Wow..." Murphy looked at his fist in amazement. "Didn't hurt a bit!"
The rest of the pack hesitated in fear, but their predatory instinct drove five of them to rush in simultaneously.
"Philip! Stay back!"
Murphy stomped the ground and swung his right arm in a wide hook, releasing the stored pressure in a shockwave.
"Shockwave!"
BAM!!
The blast of compressed air swept the five wolves away in different directions. Some had their bones shattered mid-air; others were knocked out cold instantly. Seeing this, the rest of the pack turned tail and fled into the ruins.
Murphy stood amidst the fallen enemies. A small amount of steam vented from the gauntlet's cooling ports. His arm was perfectly fine.
"This is awesome, pipsqueak!" Murphy shouted to his brother. "This thing is a monster!"
Philip smirked from inside the truck. "Told you. Military grade... But let's hurry, bro. Look ahead."
Philip pointed toward the horizon.
There... amidst the thin smog, dozens of "Giant Satellite Dishes" stood tall on the mountains like steel mushrooms. Some were collapsed, others tilted at odd angles.
But one dish, standing on the highest peak, remained upright. And at its tip, a red light was blinking.
"That's it... Our destination."