While Alam and Zion were busy with their little game of cat and mouse, Hazel and Panji were fighting for survival in a brutal winter war on the other side of the world. Meanwhile, near the Gulf of Mexico, a group with two off-road vehicles was kicking up dust in a barren desert. They rolled into a ghost town near a port and piled out. Their gear was a real mix—everything from gas masks to a guy decked out in a bright blue Napoleonic-era getup.

This "Napoleon," who was actually a guy named Baker, immediately started checking every corner of the street with his bolt-action rifle. A woman named Sarah, wearing a black vest and sporting a scar on her cheek, casually leaned against one of the vehicles, an anti-material rifle—a huge sniper rifle with a massive barrel—resting easily in her hands. She was clearly strong, thanks to some kind of genetic mutation. “Relax, Baker,” she said, glancing at the small, infected robot she held in her palm. "Nobody's here."

Baker, still on edge, rubbed his yellow beard. "I know, but just in case." He had a thermal imaging scope attached to his rifle.

A short-haired man in military pants, Vance, checked his watch and fidgeted with the SMG in his hands. “When’s La Buse’s escort arriving?” he muttered. “They’re late… typical pirates.”

Sarah’s expression turned serious. “What if they ditch us?”

Baker shrugged, resting his rifle on his shoulder. “Then they don’t get the money, or our trust.”

They headed over to an old bank. Baker, a nostalgic glint in his eye, remarked, "This place used to belong to the Russian mafia, back before the war. They even tried to switch our currency to some gold-backed credit system."

Inside, stacks of old bills lay piled high, four or five stacks at least. Sarah picked up a handful, shaking her head. "It's crazy to think this used to be worth something. Now it's just…nothing."

Baker chuckled. "Yeah, they used to buy up palaces and everything. But in the end, they didn't even get to enjoy it. They're all dust now."

Sarah dropped the bills like they were hot. "They bought the whole bank?"

Baker ran a hand through his hair. "Not just banks. Shops, hotels… They weren't just gangsters with guns, they were businessmen too."

Vance’s eyes darted around the room. "Enough with the history lesson. We’ve got company. Let's fortify this place. Move it!"

They scrambled to set up defenses. A dusty old table became cover, and they rigged a tripwire with a grenade at the main entrance.

While they waited, Sarah took to the rooftop, finding a good vantage point. But her mind was still stuck on the whole mobster thing. “But… how did people from Russia even end up all the way over here in America?” she wondered aloud.

Baker rolled his eyes, his voice crackling through the radio. "People traveled a lot back then. Long story short, they were…armed traffickers, agents, something like that. Now keep the radio chatter to a minimum, Sarah."

They waited, the ghost town eerily quiet. Then, a scout’s voice broke the silence. "Armed convoy, twelve o'clock!"

vance then reply “they pirate or not?”

The scout sounded annoyed. “how i suppose to know?, they are 3 trucks. these guys is armed to the teeth”

Sarah, on the rooftop, quickly scans the trucks in the distance. She squints through her scope as she tries to get a better look at the vehicles.

"Armed to the teeth, huh? That doesn't sound like typical pirate behavior. They usually prefer stealth and speed over brute force."

vance shake his head “they must zion contractor who chasing us, we must hold position until la buse arrive”

all group member tense, then 3 truck is stop just in outskirt of the town. then they release their drone for their eyes. baker and sarah then quickly shot the drone with ease, “good shot!” vance praise.

then people on trucks start dismount. they are wear a black fullface helmet. their insignia is red color. they are the red nation army.

then they move in file. a dozens soldier surround the town. and move slowly with their rifle ready to shot.

sarah who observe their movement with her insect robot, then pick them off one by one. one of soldier trying cover on the walls. but sarah rifle able to penetrate both the wall and their armor.

Baker and the others tried to flank them, hit 'em from the side, but they were outnumbered. The ghost town turned into a straight-up firefight. They started falling back to the fortified bank, some red soldier trigger the traps. and explosion erupted. but that not enough to stop them. their armor is strong enough to stop the shrapnell.

baker then bark to sarah “its look like only your rifle who can stop them”

sarah then reload her rifle. while take cover “yeah.. but im low ammo”

baker then turn to vance who check his ammo too “any briliant idea again chief?”

Vance, his face grim, turned to Baker. “Just aim for their visors. Crack ‘em, and they’re blind.”

Baker smirked, adjusting his grip. “Easier said than done, especially when they’ve got the better hardware.”

Vance reloaded, a quick glance at his watch. “Damn it… where is he?”

Sarah scanned the advancing soldiers, her brow furrowed, mentally counting heads. A knot tightened in her stomach. Too many. Way too many. She checked her magazine; it was empty. “We’re outnumbered, and I’m down to my last few,” she muttered through gritted teeth, the empty magazine a cold weight in her hand.

Then, as if a switch had flipped, the gunfire stopped. The Red Nation soldiers cautiously entered the bank, spreading out, searching. But the group had vanished.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

More soldiers poured into the bank, heading for the stairs to secure the second floor. That’s when Vance yelled, “Now!” A cascade of old bills, packed into large boxes, rained down on the first floor, the air instantly thick with the pungent smell of gasoline. The room was now a chaotic mess of paper money.

The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then opened fire on the second floor. “Think some paper’s gonna stop us, fools? Go die!” one snarled between shots.

Vance ducked behind the second-floor railing. “Crap. The money’s not lighting,” he muttered, hoping the stray bullets would do the trick.

Baker held up a battered old lighter. “This will.” He flicked the wheel, the flame catching, and tossed it down onto the money-strewn floor. The gasoline ignited with a whoosh, turning the room into an inferno. Smoke billowed upwards, choking the air.

The group, already on the bank’s roof, clipped onto a zipline strung to a neighboring building. The smoke provided a perfect screen. Baker stayed behind, laying down covering fire through the thick smoke, his thermal scope cutting through the haze.

Once everyone else was across, Sarah yelled, “"Hurry up, Baker!" she calls out, anxiously looking back at him.!”

Baker jumped onto the zipline, but a soldier he’d shot at earlier had recovered and opened fire. A bullet grazed Baker’s shoulder, the sudden jolt sending him tumbling downwards. He landed with a bone-jarring thud in a rusty dumpster, a sharp pain shooting up his back. “Aghhh!” he groaned.

Just then, Vance’s intercom crackled to life. It was La Buse’s submarine, already near the docks, ready for extraction.

Sarah looked down at Baker, sprawled in the dumpster. “We can’t leave him!”

Vance gritted his teeth, watching the soldiers emerge from the bank, guns raised, firing towards their position.

they trying to pick up baker. from street fight. but its too hard. bullet are everywhere.

Bullets whizzed past Sarah’s ears, kicking up dust from the cracked pavement. “Gotta get to Baker,” she gasped, ducking behind a crumbling wall. He was down, somewhere in that crossfire, and leaving him wasn’t an option. She risked a peek, scanning the chaotic scene. Gunfire echoed off the buildings, explosions rocked the ground – it was a mess.

Suddenly, Vance’s comm crackled to life, a tinny burst of J-Pop blasting in the background. “Took you long enough, buddy,” a voice drawled – La Buse.

“We’re pinned down!” Vance gritted out.

Inside his dimly lit submarine, La Buse spun in his chair, nodding to his crew. Back on the surface, the situation was going south fast. They were bogged down trying to reach Baker, surrounded again. Both sides were running low on ammo.

Desperate, the group holed up in a nearby apartment complex started scavenging. Frying pans, random bits of junk – anything they could throw or use as a makeshift weapon.Sarah, frustrated with their lack of weapons, grabbed a frying pan and held it tightly in her hand.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "We're fighting off an army with kitchen equipment."

meanwhile enemy start become bolder seeing the group start running out their ammunation. they using dumpster for moving closer to the apartment building. including dumpster which baker are fall into. they unaware baker just laying there unconscious

"Damnit, they're getting closer," Sarah said, her grip tightening on the frying pan. "We need to think of something quick."

but then a missle from sky hit most of soldier. its was la buse missile, they shot a small missile from their submarine, its was danger close, but the missile accuration is extremely precise, hit them into piece. the soldier then go scattered from the missile impact. vance then quickly use this to pick up baker. amids the barrage of missile "we got it!. now go to dock" vance said with heavy breath while he take cover inside the building

Sarah’s eyes widened as the missile struck. This was their chance. “Move!” she yelled, sprinting after Vance, the others close behind. Smoke and dust choked the air, but they pushed on, desperate to reach the waiting submarine.

Two small, heavily armed boats waited for them at the crumbling docks. “Quick!” a pirate barked, spraying a hail of bullets towards the remaining enemy soldiers, pinning them down. They scrambled into the boats, engines roaring to life.

The group spotted the pirate boats waiting at the port and picked up their pace. With the enemy hot on their heels, they knew they had no time to waste.

"Hurry!" Sarah yelled, pushing herself to run faster. They were almost there.

the pirate start spray and pray at soldier direction. their bullet smash at cretes and cargo. the soldier then forced to pinned down. soon. the group manage to get the small boat. all alive. they then go to the sea

Sarah collapsed onto the small boat, her body soaked in sweat and her breath coming in short gasps. She looked back at the port they'd just escaped from, now overrun with enemy soldiers.

"We made it," she murmured, taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. "We actually made it..."

vance then throw away his wooden rolling pin from his hip to the sea. he take a breath. while put baker "yeah.. that is near miss"

Sarah let out a shaky laugh, still high on adrenaline.

"Just 'near miss'?" she replied, "More like a narrow escape. If it weren't for those pirates, I don't know what would've happened."

then one of pirate grin while his hand on the boat driver wheel "do its make us be your savior then? give us kiss"

Sarah rolled her eyes but couldn't help but crack a small smile. She glanced at Vance and then back at the pirate.

"Oh, so now you want a reward for saving us?" she replied, feigning annoyance.

the pirate continue to grin. showing his gold teeth "3d woman is sometimes better"

Sarah chuckled at the pirate's comment, then playfully shot back,

"Oh please, you're just after free entertainment, aren't you?"

after that jarring flirting attempt. they arrive on the submarine who popping out to the surface., the small boat then dock at top of the submarine flat deck. then they are flattening the small boat, and just roll it. and store it on surprisingly a small box like,

Once onboard the submarine, Sarah marveled at the small boat storage. "How do they fit all these things in such a tiny space?" she wondered aloud. As they were led inside, she couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer size and complexity of the vessel.

. when at inside the submarine. they start diving away. baker and other wounded crew are in med room. while vance and sarah are in control room . with anime background music, and some monitor show a anime girl dancing.. La Buse then appeared, his grin wide, and greeted them.

vance now nod at la buse. man with blonde long hair tied in back. on his cloak there is some random kanji appear "so.. here is what you want" vance then give the pirate with box of full data chips " you will give us ride to horn africa like you promise before...dont you? “ vance said with hint of uncertainty on his voice, he know deal with pirates will often messy

La Buse let out a hearty laugh, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Don't worry, my friend. We're pirates, not liars. We'll take you to Horn Africa, just as promised."

He took the box of data chips and flicked through them, his expression shifting to one of curiosity

La Buse's eyebrows raised in interest. "The memories of the deceased, you say? You have my attention."

He leaned casually against the wall, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "You know, I've seen a lot of strange things during my time at sea. But memories, stolen and stored on data chips? Now that's unusual even for a pirate like me."

vance nodded “

i see, in sort. they are .. a little film of important moment of person. that why its very valuable piece of information.. "vance pause" do that enough for payment?

La Buse's smile widened, his eyes sparkling with greed. He twirled the box of data chips in his hand as he spoke.

"Important moments...filmed and stored on these little chips. Not just memories, but the essence of a person's life."

He leaned closer to Vance, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Payment? My friend, you've just given us something truly priceless. A glimpse into the lives of those who have passed on. That's more than enough for our services."

then in separate room cabin., couldn’t help but be a bit skeptical. She trusted Vance and Baker, but La Buse seemed a bit shady.

"Can we really trust him?" she whispered to Vance, her eyes darting skeptically towards the pirate captain.

"we already on their submarine. die is cast" vance sigh

Sarah nodded reluctantly, her arms crossed and her foot tapping anxiously. "I guess you have a point," she admitted. "It's too late to back out now. We'll just have to hope the pirates keep their word."