Lenny glanced at the soldier on the ground and took a careful look.

It was probably a male because of the lack of breasts and the width of the waist.

The black tactical armor was very simplistic, and it appeared to be a light armor that prioritizes movement and flexibility rather than safety.

As for the helmet, it looked more like a mask than an actual ballistic helmet. Apart from the metallic glow and the Hi-Tech visor, the helmet also had two cans, one on each side, near the mouth, which presumably indicated that it also come with protection against gas.

Seeing the bluish glint that came from the metal used on the armor and helmet, Lenny knew that it was made of Durasteel, which means a Tier 4 armor, something costly that no ragtag outlaw group could afford.

That means the invaders weren't simple outlaws, or they could be but were receiving support from a rich person, or an influential organization, or government.

It doesn't matter for Lenny, be them outlaws supported or may they be from an organization, it wasn't good news for Lenny since it would mean he got himself in big trouble.

Throwing the unnecessary thoughts away, Lenny stood up and hid behind the bed that was in the middle of the room.

He did it because the soldiers outside had stopped speaking and were only making some small noises.

That means they were being careful to not let him know what they were going to do next.

Lenny reached out his left hand for his other revolver and soon was with one in each hand.

One of the invaders outside slightly opened the door until there was only a small opening.

Lenny watched carefully with his guns pointed at the door, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

*Cling*

With a small sound, a round object was thrown inside the room, and the invader immediately closed the door and leaned on the door, using his weight to keep it close.

Lenny recognized the object in an instant.

[GRENADE!] His face immediately changed as he swiftly stood up from his hiding spot and ran towards the door.

Lenny lifted his weapon and aimed at the door.

*Bang, bang, bang*

Lenny's revolvers spat fire as he repeatedly pressed the triggers without hesitation and sent bullets at the door.

While the door was made of metal, it was only regular steel. It couldn't block bullets shot from Lenny's revolvers.

"Urgh..."

Lenny heard a low painful groan coming from outside, but it only made him run even faster for salvation.

*Blam*

Lenny sped up and used his body to tackle at the door.

*BOOM!!!!!!!*

The grenade exploded and sent Lenny flying even faster towards the metal door.

The invader that was hit by the door and sent backward along with it by the momentum Lenny gained from the explosion while the other invader raised his rifle and aimed at Lenny.

*Bang, bang, bang...*

The invader pressed the trigger and sent a barrage of fire at Lenny.

Lenny answered by also shooting at him with his weapons.

*Bang, bang.*

"Urgh."

Both Lenny and the soldier groaned in pain as the bullets penetrated their respective protections.

Crimson blood and yellow plasma sprayed from their injuries as both of them slowly fell on the ground.

The walls and floor were tainted with a mixture of hot, yellow plasma, and warm, red blood.

Before falling, Lenny used one of his hands to support himself while lowering his revolver to shot down the invader that was also falling.

The invader was using a heavy rifle, and he lost his balance after receiving Lenny's bullet.

The world seemed to slow down as the invader could only helplessly stare at the muzzle that was pointed at his head.

*Bang*

Another gunshot sounded in the empty corridors.

Blood sprayed out from the wound in the soldier's head as his body fell lifeless on the previous white floor.

Lenny didn't have time to recover as he felt danger at his side.

He didn't try to stand up. He just rolled to the side towards the invaders he just killed.

*Bang, bang...*

The other invader that was knocked to the ground after Lenny tackled the door had to stand up by now and released a barrage of bullets at Lenny.

"Urgh..." Lenny groaned in pain. Yellow plasma soaked the floor as more bullets hit him.

While his clothes were some kind of light armor, the weapons in the invader's hand were strong enough to effortlessly penetrate his protection.

As soon as he reached the lifeless body on the floor, Lenny lifted it up and used it as a shield.

The soldier couldn't care less about the dead body of his companion; he continued with his finger pressed in the trigger firing at Lenny's meat shield.

*Click, click...*

Lenny's lips lifted in a faint smile as he heard that sound.

Without hesitation, Lenny threw the body at the soldier before he could reload his weapon or switch to the pistol that was on the holster in his waist.

*Blam*

He didn't expect Lenny to make that move, so he fell backward with the body on top of him.

Before he could recover, the soldier's eyes were met with a black muzzle pointed directly at his forehead.

*Bang*

Some droplets of blood ended up in Lenny's face while the ground beneath the invader became soaked in blood in no time.

After ending the man's life, Lenny stood up from the corpse and rested by the corridor's wall.

Plasma was still leaking from his bullet wounds. He had tend them before it got even more severe.

Reaching for something in his neck, Lenny swiftly retrieved an object that was behind his scarf.

It was a simple necklace with a round blue crystal hanged in the middle.

Clutching the crystal, Lenny closed his eyes.

After a bright blue flash, Lenny's wound started to recover at an incredible speed.

Even at naked eye, one could see the tissue slowly closing and stopping the leak as the leaked plasma that was near Lenny fastly moved towards his injuries as if they had life.

As all this happened, there was a faint glow in the mark that was on the back of Lenny's hand, the mark that was written in the Ancient tongue.

In no time, Lenny was completely fine, uninjured. If not for the holes in his clothes, no one would have thought he had been shot a few times already.

Lenny sat on the ground and took a bottle of whiskey from his PIPS.

He opened it and drank a few mouthfuls of the beverage.

After swallowing it, Lenny sadly sighed and stared at the corpses in the ground.

He simply hated using this power he earned in the Ancient Challenge.

What he had gone through inside that place... It wasn't something he wished to remember, but every time he uses the power, he would unconsciously remember everything that happened there, everything he did there.

Alcohol was the best choice he found to deal with these memories and emotions.

[Just a few more shots, and I'm good to go.] Lenny thought as he continued to drink the whiskey.