From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 616

Chapter 616: The Shield Breaker

When Stephen first learned about the grand, overarching plan that was to take place today, a dark, eager anticipation had settled in his chest. He was sincerely hoping that he would be specifically placed up against Jett during the raid, or at the very least, he prayed he would have the fleeting opportunity to cross paths with him in the chaos.

He had played this exact encounter out in his head a thousand times over the past few weeks. He had meticulously visualized exactly how he was going to systematically dismantle and best the towering monster he had humiliatingly lost to the last time their paths crossed.

He had played the theoretical fight over and over again in his mind’s eye. In his imagination, his speed was always too much; his counters were always perfect, and each time the simulation ran, he had walked away as the undisputed victor. But the harsh, bruising reality of the physical world wasn’t anything like the flawless, choreographed victory he had constructed in his imagination.

It quickly turned out that when they had previously fought against Jett, they had only barely scratched the absolute surface of the man’s true, terrifying strength.

"ARGHH!" Stephen roared, his voice echoing through the debris as he charged aggressively forward.

He planted his front foot and threw a devastating, hydraulic-assisted fist outward. But instead of connecting with flesh, his knuckles slammed brutally into a heavy, reinforced metallic car door that Jett had somehow ripped off its hinges and was utilizing as an improvised riot shield. The sheer kinetic impact of Stephen’s punch rang out like a struck bell, creating a remarkably large, deep dent in the thick steel, but Jett barely even flinched from the heavy blow.

Realizing a direct assault wouldn’t easily break the defense, Stephen quickly moved to his blind side. Utilizing his supernatural speed, he became a sudden blur, repositioning himself at a completely different angle. The moment his boots hit the ground, he stopped on a dime and charged forward again, his fist cocked and entirely ready to attack Jett’s unprotected flank.

But it was almost as if Jett possessed some sort of eerie, supernatural sixth sense. The absolute moment he had successfully blocked the very first attack, Jett had already anticipated the flank. Before Stephen’s blurry form even fully materialized from his high-speed dash, Jett had already leaped backward out of the danger zone.

This flawless evasion caused Stephen to charge blindly forward like an enraged, fast-moving bull, his heavy hydraulic fist sailing through the empty space and hitting absolutely nothing but the cold air.

Then, materializing right in front of him from the shadows, Jett hoisted the heavy steel car door high above his shoulders. With a fierce grunt, Jett brought the hundreds of pounds of jagged metal crashing down, attempting to slam the improvised weapon directly on top of Stephen’s head to crush him.

’I simply can’t afford to use the power of my Vow too much right now,’ Stephen thought rapidly, his tactical mind racing as the shadow of the door fell over him. ’Although I can significantly speed up the cells in my fists and my legs to dodge this, if I use that supernatural acceleration too much, it completely tires out my central nervous system. If I can successfully stop this crushing blow without burning my Vow, then I absolutely should!’

Making a split-second decision, Stephen decided to firmly plant his feet and rely entirely on the raw, mechanical strength of his state-of-the-art Exoskeleton instead.

He raised his arms above his head just in time. His reinforced, armored hands caught the descending steel edge, successfully stopping the heavy car door from completely crunching down and flattening his skull. The hydraulic servos hidden beneath his pristine white lab coat whined in severe protest, and his knees bent slightly under the staggering, immense weight of Jett’s downward force, but the suit held its ground.

"Tense up!" Jett shouted, his voice booming over the grinding metal.

Without warning, Jett completely let go of the heavy car door. Using the momentary distraction as Stephen caught the dead weight, Jett stepped inside his guard and threw a devastating, heavy fist directly toward Stephen’s exposed chest.

Stephen frantically managed to drop the steel door and bring his armored forearms up to guard just as the strike landed. He was hit directly. The heavy, bone-rattling fist pounded against his crossed arms, the sheer kinetic force lifting Stephen off his feet and causing his boots to slide aggressively backward across the rough concrete ground.

The advanced Exoskeleton managed to successfully absorb and distribute the brunt of the kinetic energy, protecting his internal organs from rupturing. But despite the top-tier armor, there was still a deep, aching pain reverberating through Stephen’s entire body just from taking the sheer shockwave of the hit.

"This guy... he’s an absolute monster," Stephen grunted, spitting blood onto the floor as he forced himself to stand up straight and desperately tried to shake off the lingering numbness from the attack.

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