At the sound, Luka spun around quickly.
Behind the convenience store counter, two burly, bald Black men glared menacingly from cover.
One of them pointed an unidentifiable pistol straight at Luka's chest.
"Bastard! What the hell are you staring at?! I said get out of here! You're gonna lead those freaks to us!"
The other, brandishing a knife, leaned forward and barked a hushed warning, trying hard to keep his voice down while making threatening gestures.
But his obvious fear drained most of the intimidation from his act.
It was only then that Luka noticed—
Lying in a pool of blood by the counter was a young woman in a convenience store uniform, stabbed multiple times.
A quick deduction was all it took: these two cowards hadn't tried to escape. They'd murdered the clerk and holed up here to wait things out.
Noticing Luka's gaze, the gun-wielding man grew more confident and raised his voice.
"I said GET OUT! Or I'll—"
Before he could finish, Luka raised his gun and fired.
A pale blue laser bolt slammed into the man's chest, charring it black as he flew backward into the shelves behind him.
Before the knife-wielder could react, a second laser fired.
BOOM.
The same result—he was blasted back in an instant.
"Idiots. Didn't see I've got a gun too?"
Luka approached and, not bothering to check if they were still breathing, gave each of them a final headshot for good measure.
Only then did he stretch out his sore back from crashing into the store and turn to leave.
But as he reached the entrance, he spotted something troubling.
Whether due to the explosion above or the commotion from killing the two men, several Chitauri soldiers with energy rifles were now slowly encircling the store.
And as Luka noticed them—they noticed him too.
No time to think.
He hooked a nearby soda can with his right foot and launched it with a high-speed kick.
At the same time, he fired his folding beam rifle, finger snapping the trigger.
The can spun through the air like a bullet, and several lasers followed.
The can struck dead center—slamming into a Chitauri's head and knocking it out cold.
But the lasers, rushed and poorly aimed, only hit one target.
The remaining Chitauri immediately turned their guns on Luka.
He barely had time to duck for cover—
When a familiar red-and-gold figure spiraled from the sky, crashing down like a bowling ball and knocking down four or five Chitauri in succession before slamming into the ground.
The first enemy it hit literally exploded, its head rolling right to Luka's feet.
Third time… Is movie Tony always this clumsy?
Seeing Iron Man crash down in front of him once again, Luka couldn't help but laugh to himself.
"Soccer kid?"
Tony, struggling to his feet, had also noticed Luka.
But before he could ask why the kid wasn't safely hiding at home—
More Chitauri swarmed in, recognizing a priority target.
Laser blasts slammed into his armor, knocking him back and forcing him to rely on weaker repulsor blasts just to hold his ground.
Wait… Isn't this the scene right before Iron Man flies off to intercept the nuke?
The familiar setup jolted Luka—he had to act fast.
If Tony launched off for the missile, Luka wouldn't stand a chance alone against this many Chitauri.
Without hesitation, Luka raised his weapon and fired, taking out two soldiers attacking Stark.
But his intervention also drew their attention.
Several Chitauri turned and fired at him.
Thankfully, Luka was already moving, dodging from his spot in the nick of time.
Meanwhile, with a brief window, Stark blasted three more enemies with his repulsors.
But as Luka finished a roll and tried to rise for another counterattack—
Two rifles locked on him.
Damn it!
"Kid! Get down!"
Stark lunged forward, tackling one Chitauri while firing a blast from his right palm that sent another flying.
But the second enemy had already pulled the trigger.
A pale blue bolt streaked toward Luka.
Shit…
He tried to dodge—but crouched from his recent roll, he couldn't fully utilize his [Power-Enhancing Sneakers]. His evasive move was sluggish.
All he could do was throw up his right arm in defense.
BOOM!
A loud blast.
Sparks burst from Luka's arm as the shot hit, flinging him backward into a car.
The brutal impact sent pain shooting through his back. His vision went black—nearly knocking him out cold.
The blast and crash left his ears ringing.
The taste of iron filled his mouth. Blood trickled from his lips.
He slid slowly off the dented car door.
But his right leg—still powered by level-one electric stimulation—held firm, keeping him from collapsing completely.
Damn… my body really is out of shape.
Blinking through blurred vision, Luka glanced at his now-ruined prosthetic arm.
Then, grinning through bloodstained teeth, he chuckled darkly.
"Ha… good thing I'm right-handed!"