The slaughterhouse freezer reeked of iron and industrial antiseptic. Leo's breath crystallized as he paced the killing floor, steel toes crunching frozen blood puddles. Victor's voice buzzed in his frostbitten earpiece: "Rasputin 2.0 – NiTi alloy bones, cryo-lube joints. PS: Wolfification at 38.5%. Congrats?"
Leo rolled thawing shoulders, watching odds flash on hanging carcasses: 1:15 Against. The bracelet's warmth beneath layers of tape was the only mercy.
The Russian entered like a frostbitten titan – steam rising from heating implants, chains clinking. Crowd cheers filtered through meat locker vents.
Round 1
Nickel-plated fists shattered Leo's face shield. Frozen shards pierced his cheek.
"Soft American mutt." The Russian's breath reeked of antifreeze.
Leo faked a knee strike, shifted into Mongolian hip throw. Burning palms gripped heated joints. The throw barely budged the mountain.
Clang
Alloy knuckles cracked Leo's ribs, azure sparks illuminating frost. Bile froze on his tongue.
Alert: 72% Wolf DNA Match
The notification flared as Leo blocked another strike. Through torn skin, he saw the Russian's mercury blood – same oily shimmer as the bracelet.
"Blind yet?" The Russian's tungsten tongue clicked. "Your witch's potion's gone stale."
Leo's periphery darkened. Irene's injection site throbbed – depth perception failing. He dodged a hydraulic press by smell alone.
Round 2
Nitrogen blades schinked from Russian forearms. "Dance time."
Leo fought via thermal ghosts – red core vs. blue void. A blade nicked his thigh, sealing with black ice.
Crunch
Elbow struck alloy jaw. Claws tore steel like paper.
+0.7 BTC (Pain Conversion)
"Fuck your crypto..." Leo growled as memories glitched – Mom's birthday dissolving into static.
The Russian's spinning backfist broke Leo's collarbone. Agony fueled blockchain validation. Lights died, leaving bioluminescent blood as sole light.
Round 3
Total blindness. Leo tracked by stench and sound. A kick sent him into beef carcasses, frozen hides lacerating skin.
"Playing dead?" The Russian's voice echoed.
Blade pierced Leo's palm, pinning him to meat. Blood sizzled on hot alloy.
Victor screamed: "Memory alloy softens at 40°C! You're at 39.8!"
Leo grinned red.
Ripping the blade free, he stabbed Russian chest. Metal glowed crimson in his grip, warping into hooked claw.
Schlorp
Twisting yanked out three ribs. Russian collapsed, heating system melting concrete.
+42.3 BTC (Gene Royalties)
Leo staggered out, clutching radioactive ribs. Thawing vision revealed etched glacier coordinates.
Irene leaned on meat grinder. "Not dead yet?"
"Your cocktail blinded me."
"His blood vapors reacted with my brew." She tapped her temple. "Smell familiar?"
The alloy stank of Victor's Bitcoin miner.
"Russians built Satoshi rigs." Irene's grin widened. "Cooled by wolf blood."
Victor burst in trailing flares. "Hunters incoming–"
Explosion.
Fire met liquid nitrogen hellstorm. Leo dodged debris as Russian's corpse burst – shrapnel and DNA samples flying.
99.99% Genetic Match (Glacial Origin)
In the crater, a surviving rib pulsed coordinates. Holograms showed wolves on a nuclear icebreaker.
Irene laughed through smoke. "Still think we're enemies?"
SWAT breached as crow-masked figures collected Russian blood into blockchain vials. Their leader's staff held a wolf skull with glowing GPU.
Victor hauled Leo into sewers. "Glacier's a biometric mine! Rothschilds mined Yggdrasil sap!"
"English, Vic."
"Your DNA's the drill bit."
Tunnel flooded with Arctic-cold brine. The bracelet burned through layers, revealing:
PHASE IV INITIATED