AGAINST THE RULES: their scentless omega-Chapter 66: Danger zone
(Red Team – Forest Route)
A heavy thud echoed through the trees as Bulldozer’s fist collided with a red member’s helmet. The rider spun sideways and tumbled off the bike, rolling across the dirt in a cloud of dust and leaves. Hunter swerved instinctively, narrowly dodging the fallen body without losing speed, his tires carving a sharp line through the soil as he continued the pursuit.
Bulldozer glanced over his shoulder, broad frame steady despite the high velocity.
"Enjoying the show, huh, Hunter?" he boomed, laughter rumbling from his chest like distant thunder "well it is soon going to be more interesting "
Hunter didn’t answer. His eyes narrowed behind the visor, gaze fixed, calculating. The only response Bulldozer got was the rising growl of Hunter’s engine as he closed the distance by a fraction.
(Control Room )
Lucian’s fingers danced across the tablet, zooming in on the terrain layout. Contour lines, elevation marks, narrow passes
, everything unfolded like a living puzzle in his hands. His ramen sat forgotten beside him, steam long gone cold.
"Hunter, listen carefully," Lucian said through the earpiece, voice steady despite the chaos on the screen. "Right up ahead there’s a fork , block the left route and force him to take the right."
He paused, eyes flicking between Bulldozer’s blue marker and Hunter’s red one.
"The right path is longer. Narrower. Less visibility. He’ll lose momentum trying to maneuver."
We have to delay him from reaching his spawnpoint
"Loud and clear Chiqqutinn " Hunter leaned forward slightly, weight shifting with precision as the fork in the road came into view , two diverging trails cutting through the forest like split veins. Bulldozer was heading straight for the left, the shorter and cleaner path back toward blue territory.
Not happening.
Hunter veered sharply, sliding into the left lane just ahead of Bulldozer’s trajectory. Gravel sprayed outward as his bike angled sideways, effectively sealing the route like a steel gate.
Bulldozer clicked his tongue. "Tch."
With no time to brake, he twisted right, his bike roaring as it plunged into the longer trail. Branches whipped against his shoulders, the terrain uneven and riddled with roots. Speed dropped ,just slightly , but enough to matter.
Hunter straightened and followed, the gap no longer widening.
In the control room, Lucian exhaled quietly, tension easing from his shoulders for a brief second.
Good... he thought. Now he just needs to keep him there.
"The game is getting more interesting, ladies and gentlemen!" the presenter’s voice boomed through the speakers, vibrating the glass panels of the holding rooms. "Both flags ,the red and the purple are now in the hands of the blue team! What a disastrous turn of events for two major teams!"
Lucian’s eyes snapped back to the main screen.
"Both...?" he murmured under his breath, fingers tightening slightly around the edge of his tablet. "Even Timothy’s team?"
The camera angle shifted.
On the giant display, a blue rider could be seen gripping the purple flag tightly, its fabric whipping violently in the wind as his bike skidded to a halt near a rocky clearing. Around him, purple members circled like wolves ,engines revving, tires grinding against the dirt, forming a loose ring that tightened by the second.
Lucian leaned forward in his chair.
"They surrounded him..." he whispered, analyzing the formation. "But why isn’t he moving?"
The blue rider didn’t look panicked. If anything, he looked patient , almost relaxed. His posture remained upright, shoulders squared, as if the encirclement was expected.
On another corner of the split screen, Bulldozer still barreled through the longer forest route with the red flag secured to his back, Hunter relentlessly tailing him like a shadow that refused to fade.
Lucian’s gaze flickered between both scenes, mind racing.
"If purple collapses here," he muttered, "blue team gains full momentum... and once momentum swings, morale follows."
He zoomed into the purple cluster again. The purple riders hesitated , that single second of uncertainty stretching like rubber. No one wanted to be the first to charge. No one wanted to be the one sent flying.
And that hesitation... was exactly what the blue team thrived on.
Lucian tapped his pen lightly against the tablet.
"Come on..." he breathed. "Who’s making the call over there... Timothy or Ryven?... wait a second"
Lucian stood motionless for a second, his eyes narrowing as he zoomed further into the screen, fingers dancing across the tablet with sharp precision. Numbers, dots, and thin glowing lines reflected on his pupils as if the entire battlefield had shrunk and trapped itself inside his gaze.
"I got a plan," he finally said, voice low but certain. "But it would only work... if I don’t tell you about it."
Through the earpiece, Hunter let out a short scoff.
"Oh wow, chiqqutinn... now I’m starting to question this whole partnership thing," he teased, though there was a faint edge of curiosity underneath his sarcasm.
A small smile tugged at Lucian’s lips. He rolled his eyes, leaning back slightly.
"Well, it’s ok—"
His sentence died halfway.
The tracker blinked.
A new blue dot appeared on the map.
Fast.
Too fast.
It wasn’t just moving ,it was cutting through the terrain, slicing across the grid like a blade tearing paper. The speed was unnatural compared to the other riders, the trajectory direct and merciless. It didn’t weave. It didn’t hesitate. It hunted.
Lucian’s smile faded.
His breath hitched.
No one else moved like that.
Only one person treated the road like it owed him obedience.
Only one rider accelerated like gravity itself had loosened its grip.
"...Spike," Lucian whispered.
The blue dot was closing in from behind Hunter , rapidly ,the distance shrinking with terrifying efficiency. Trees, turns, elevation... none of it slowed him down. It was like watching a storm converge on a single point.
Lucian’s chair screeched loudly against the floor as he sprang to his feet, tablet nearly slipping from his hands. His heart slammed against his ribs, adrenaline flooding his veins faster than his thoughts could form.
"Hunter—!" he shouted into the mic, voice cracking with urgency.
"Hunter, watch out!"
On the screen, Hunter’s bike leaned into a turn, still focused on Bulldozer ahead ,completely unaware of the blue streak tearing toward him from the rear.
The distance counter blinked.
20 meters
16 meters
15 meters
Lucian’s fingers tightened around the tablet until his knuckles whitened.
"Hunter! "
