Chapter 68: Air Fortress
"How was I supposed to know he had robots?" Old Dog muttered, despair clear in his voice.
Still, complaints gave way to desperate labor as they hurried to unload the helicopter's cargo. Once everything was cleared, the six began transporting the materials into Mansion No. 13, guided and supervised by the spiders. Each item was placed meticulously into its designated area, no mistakes allowed.
In the basement, the six couldn't help but notice the transformation taking place. Rows of cells were being constructed—cold, confined spaces that left no doubt about their purpose. "These aren't rooms... they're cages," one of them whispered, a chill running down their spine.
Before they could make a move to escape, they turned and saw one of the mechanical spiders silently blocking the exit. Its glowing eyes were locked onto them. "Pick a cell," Zack said flatly, walking in. He glanced at the six incomplete cells, calculating how much longer it would take for the mechanical Ants to finish. "You'll each have one in less than half an hour."
"Wait! Sir!" one of them cried, dropping to their knees. "We're loyal to you! We'll do anything for you! Please, don't lock us up!" One by one, they groveled, their pride long abandoned. These were people who had once worked under Dr. Samson, kidnapping survivors and conducting cruel experiments. They knew better than anyone how monstrous those actions were. Their pleas were desperate, but Zack remained unmoved.
"Enough," Zack said, his voice cold and firm. "This is the best you can hope for."
With a wave of his hand, the spiders sprang into action. Despite the cells still being unfinished, they herded the six into their assigned spaces, sharp legs glinting under the dim lights.
"Watch them." Zack instructed the spider to guard the six captives before leaving Mansion No. 13. It was getting late, and the laboratory renovations still hadn't been completed. Naturally, Zack wasn't going to waste time waiting around. With the situation under control, he planned to focus on what came next—starting the development of the Superhuman Serum the following day.
Back at Mansion No. 9, Zack headed straight to the basement and approached his workbench. "Ego, pull up the files on the Air Fortress and the Air Defense System," he commanded.