Ivan's swift action saved the two-year-old boy from drowning. He then administered CPR, reviving the child. Meanwhile, the young child's mother was engrossed in scavenging for loot items in the river, only to find, to her dismay, iron ore rocks the size of watermelons.
Other nearby individuals were more fortunate, uncovering an array of loot: weapons such as swords, firearms, daggers, and bazookas, alongside ores of various minerals, and even simple household items like tables, chairs, and a complete gaming desktop setup.
As Ivan contemplated joining the frantic search, his gaze snagged on tiny hands flailing helplessly in the back seats of two cars stranded on the street. He was appalled by the adults' blatant selfishness, their little ones forgotten in this perilous situation.
He waded through the water's resistance towards the two vehicles, rescuing the helpless children trapped within. Thankfully, he didn't have to administer CPR this time; they were conscious. After placing the last rescued child beside their oblivious parent atop the vehicle, he sighed in profound relief.
Ivan desired to return to his own car. His interest in obtaining loot from the river had evaporated. The parents' disgusting selfishness had dampened his sense of adventure. He simply longed to go home and rest.
He stepped forward with his right leg, and a sharp, searing pain lanced through his shin. He yelped, instinctively reaching for the object embedded in his leg. With a swift tug, he extracted a 1.5-metre-long object with two long, opposing sharp edges that tapered to a lethal point.
'A sword?' he mused, his mind struggling to comprehend.
Ivan rotated the sword in his hand for a closer inspection. Suddenly, his eyes dilated, and his heart skipped a beat. 'Black Riot? Am I truly holding Black Riot?' Ivan wondered in utter disbelief.
He recognised the weapon instantly; he possessed photographs of it and its previous wielder, Merlin_13. The reality of it was almost too much to process.
Suddenly, the sky ignited. An announcement blared across the entire Torn Indigo, echoing three times:
"A new player has possessed the S-rank item, Black Riot."
"A new player has possessed the S-rank item, Black Riot."
"A new player has possessed the S-rank item, Black Riot."
'I have obtained an S-rank item!' Excitement surged through him, a powerful, exhilarating rush. Yet, a flicker of worry lingered, a shadow amidst the elation.
Meanwhile, at the Unds base in Section 3, the high command of the Unds forces seethed with rage over humanity's audacious attack on their central stronghold. They immediately convened a meeting to discuss their next course of action.
They unanimously agreed to launch an immediate counter-attack, especially now that humanity had lost one of their top assets in Merlin_13. This was their chance to strike a decisive blow.
In a matter of minutes, the Unds had more than a dozen bomber aircraft airborne, accompanied by carrier aircraft transporting infantry. Their objective was to overwhelm Section 2 with overwhelming force, crushing its defence and inflicting devastating casualties.
Ivan stood motionless in the river, torn between the exhilaration of his newfound weapon and profound uncertainty about his next move. His smile, wide and unbidden, reflected the thrill of obtaining something he'd long desired.
A system information panel abruptly appeared in his vision:
System Info>>>
Character Name: Nnamani Ivan
Power Rank: 0
Weapon: Sword
Type: Unique
Weapon power: S-rank.
Inventory: Player lacks inventory.
Ivan realised what he was seeing. He had heard people speak of such interfaces. It was a system. He surmised that possessing this sword had granted him access to it.
Two new missions immediately popped up:
New Mission>>>
Slay one thousand (1000) Unds.
Mission type: Mandatory.
New Mission [2] >>>
Obtain 1000 exp.
Mission type: Mandatory.
The sheer gravity of the system's new missions jolted Ivan back to a brutal reality. Just as he was about to question how he would possibly find a thousand Unds to slay, a thunderous explosion rocked a nearby high-rise building.
Ivan's gaze shot skyward, spotting three Unds bomber crafts tearing through the sky with terrifying speed. He heard a rumbling sound behind him and turned to see its source: another bomber craft closing in rapidly.
As the bomber craft flew past the street below, it unleashed a torrent of machine gun fire. Before Ivan could react, blood splattered across his face and body. People wailed in agony and fright, but to Ivan, their anguished cries receded into a mere background hum.
Ivan gazed at the roof of the car and discovered that the child he had just rescued was now nothing more than a horrific splatter of blood.
Ivan's very soul, if it existed in this game, was deeply horrified. His limbs trembled uncontrollably in shock; he simply couldn't believe his eyes. The child he had so recently saved had still died, in the most horrific and helpless manner imaginable.
But the shock he felt now transmuted into a searing, righteous anger. He tore his gaze from the grotesque pool of blood on the car's roof and directed it skyward. He locked onto the bomber crafts rampaging across the various streets, his fury a tangible force.
"You are angry; that is good. That is what you should feel about those heartless beings," a deep voice resonated beside Ivan.
Ivan turned to his left and saw Merlin_13, his gaze also fixed on the bomber crafts. A fresh wave of anger surged through Ivan; he was furious at Merlin_13 for having cheated in the game and, consequently, dying.
Merlin_13 sensed Ivan's raw emotion. He said, "You can be angry at me all you want, but it won't change what I did. I cheated to give all of us a chance. That is why we will have many fighters to help combat the enemies."
"That is why you have been given the opportunity to join this fight." His words were a stark, unyielding truth.
The fury in Ivan's eyes didn't diminish, but he seemed to regain his sense of reason, a cold logic cutting through the rage.
Ivan asked, "Can I stop those bomber crafts?" The question was direct, born of a desperate need for action.
Merlin_13's response was immediate and confident: "Definitely. There is an abundance of mana flowing in this river. Only S-rank items can harness this power. All you have to do is to have the will to act, and your actions shall manifest."
Ivan returned his gaze to the sky, his focus unwavering. He saw one of the bomber crafts circle back, closing in on the street where he was standing, a predator preparing for another pass.
Ivan furrowed his brows, muttering to himself, "All I have to do is to have the will to act." The words were a mantra, a desperate plea for power.
He tightened his grip on Black Riot's hilt. Instantly, fierce flames blazed along the sword's blade, an awesome aura of power. He saw the bomber craft's machine gun nozzle adjust, locking onto targets on the street below.
Ivan leaped diagonally with tremendous acceleration, a human missile locked onto the bomber craft. His ascent was impossibly fast, a blur against the smoke-filled sky.
The Unds bomber craft was shaped like a flat triangle, its pilot seated close to the frontal vertex. Ivan slashed forward vertically, unleashing a blinding sword light that cleaved the aircraft into two precise halves.
The two halves of the aircraft exploded mid-air in a spectacular fireball, raining debris across the street below.