Dust coated the concrete staging floor. Iharu pumped his scatter-gun, and the heavy clack rang off the walls.
Three mechanical Crawlers scrambled over artificial brick barriers. Steel claws scraped against mortar.
Iharu fired. Kinetic slugs hit the lead Crawler in the thorax, but the thick front plating took the impact. The Crawler buzzed, lost half a step, and kept its balance.
He pumped the weapon again.
Another shot dented the armor.
It kept moving.
Iharu backpedaled, caught his boot on exposed rebar, and hit the dirt. The Crawler pinned him, metal jaws snapping near his visor.
A buzzer blared. Red strobe lights washed the kill house.
"Simulation failed," the automated voice cut over the speakers.
Kikaru marched into the lane in standard white armor. A carbon-fiber brace locked her left leg straight.
"You lack precision, Furuhashi." She raised her plasma rifle. "You rely on volume. A combat asset requires discipline."
