He turned to look at the mech-armor on the platform and took a deep breath. His gaze hardened with resolve as he walked toward it, one step at a time.
Long Ming stepped onto the platform and stood before the mech-armor.
He turned, placing his back against the suit. After taking another deep breath, he took a single step backward.
The entire suit of mech-armor instantly activated. Its sections snapped shut, locking onto every part of Long Ming's body.
CLICK!
Long Ming felt a sharp sting at the nape of his neck as the neural interface needle plunged into his spine.
A savage consciousness instantly flooded his mind.
A dark red user interface materialized before his eyes, a notification flashing into view.
"Gen-2 Biological Mech-Armor: Dark Beast integration complete!"
"Neural link established!"
"Mental state monitoring..."
"Warning: Abnormal mental fluctuations detected. Readings are rising."
...
Long Ming's pupils slowly bled into crimson as the savage consciousness consumed his thoughts.
....
「In the underground base's central control room.」
Qian Luobing stood to the side, coldly watching as Jiang Wen accessed the base's files.
CLANK, CLANK...
Just then, Eric and his men entered the central control room, hauling a large quantity of weapons and equipment.
"Ma'am, we found a load of equipment in the armory, including two sets of Gen-2 exoskeleton armor."
Eric reported to Qian Luobing with excitement.
"Whoa, this gear is awesome!"
"The Faraken Kingdom really had some nice tech."
....
Adika and the others crowded around to look at the two sets of Gen-2 exoskeleton armor Eric had brought back, discussing them with excitement.
"Good work. All primary combat personnel will switch to the exoskeleton personal mech-armor first."
Qian Luobing nodded slightly, issuing the command to Adika and his men.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Adika and the others immediately began to suit up in the new gear.
While this gear couldn't compare to the Gen-2 suits, the performance boost they offered was still excellent.
Just then, a tense-looking Huo Liang burst in, shouting to Qian Luobing.
"Vice Legion Commander, we have a problem!"
"What's the meaning of this panic? What could have happened?"
Adika chastised his subordinate, his own face stern as he took in the man's terrified expression.
"Massive numbers of Blood Breath Beasts have appeared outside the city! Our artillery position was overrun, and Captain Cai Xu was killed in action."
Huo Liang reported frantically.
"What?"
The color drained from the faces of Adika and the others.
Qian Luobing turned to Jiang Huai.
"How much longer do you need?"
"An hour, minimum. And if possible, I'd also like to dismantle and take this equipment with us."
Jiang Huai told Qian Luobing, clearly troubled.
"Run reconnaissance on the situation outside."
Qian Luobing gave the order to Jiang Huai without missing a beat.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Jiang Huai immediately took control of the small drones outside, sending them climbing to get a bird's-eye view of the entire royal city ruins.
He immediately saw a dense, swarming mass of Blood Breath Beasts closing in on them.
"Ma'am, we're completely surrounded!"
Jiang Huai reported, his face grim.
After seeing the feed, Qian Luobing issued her orders in a cold voice.
"Order Bakaen to pull back the tank units and perimeter forces to the outskirts of the palace ruins. He is to establish a new defensive line there and hold against the monster tide with everything he has. Also, have the comms officer call for air support."
"Understood. I'm sending him the orders now."
Jiang Huai immediately used a drone to transmit the orders to Bakaen.
「Within the royal city ruins.」
Upon receiving his orders, Bakaen quickly adjusted his strategy, gathering his forces at the palace ruins.
Shouts echoed nonstop over the radio comms.
"Move!"
...
In an instant, tanks and troops all across the royal city were on the move, rapidly converging on the palace ruins.
「Inside the underground base.」
As Jiang Huai watched Bakaen consolidate his forces, he pivoted a drone's camera toward the incoming tide of Blood Breath Beasts.
His eyes then sharply focused on the leader of the pack, a Xue Li. He kept zooming in the optical feed until the image froze on it. In shock, he reported to Qian Luobing.
"Ma'am, I've spotted a Lord Level Xue Li!"
"Now we're in trouble!"
The expressions on Adika and his men immediately darkened.
They had received detailed intel on the Blood Breath Beasts from the Pomide Clan Leader. The creatures were classified into common ranks: regular, elite, general, and lord.
The difference in power between each tier was exponential.
The Xue Li they had killed earlier was a General-level, but it had been in a weakened state due to its pregnancy. That was the only reason they had been able to dispatch it so easily.
Qian Luobing's expression grew icy. She turned to Jiang Huai and gave her instructions.
"Jiang Huai, take a team and stay here. Keep downloading the data. Once you're done, evacuate the base and rendezvous with the rest of us."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Jiang Huai responded instantly.
"My armor!"
Qian Luobing commanded coldly.
Adika and the others immediately began manually fitting the components of the Gen-2 Exoskeleton Armor, "Wind Shadow," onto Qian Luobing.
Then, Eric and his men respectfully presented a cyan-colored mechanical blade to Qian Luobing.
Qian Luobing reached out and took it.
Adika then looked at the other set of Gen-2 Exoskeleton Mech-Armor, the "Butcher," and asked.
"Who's wearing this one?"
"I'll do it."
Eric said excitedly, cracking his neck.
"Fine!"
Adika and his men wasted no time. They immediately started fitting Eric with the components of the "Butcher" armor. Compared to the agility-focused "Wind Shadow" suit, this heavy-class armor was much more difficult to don manually.
In the end, though, they managed to get him suited up.
Eric excitedly held out his hand and shouted to his subordinates.
"Bring it!"
Four soldiers immediately worked together to bring over an alloy Giant Hammer weighing 200 kilograms.
Empowered by the "Butcher" suit, Eric easily gripped the alloy Giant Hammer and lifted it.
Just then, Qian Luobing spoke, her voice cold.
"Let's move. We'll head out to intercept them. We break through the encirclement as soon as Jiang Huai is done."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Adika and the others responded in unison.
...
「Outside the palace ruins.」
"Earth Bear" tanks were lined up in neat rows, forming a front line of steel.
Soldiers stood in formation behind the Earth Bear tanks, firearms in hand, ready for anything.
Atop the dilapidated palace walls, soldiers set up nests with heavy machine guns and sniper rifles.
In the rear, soldiers rapidly set up portable mortars!
Bakaen stood atop an armored vehicle, binoculars pressed to his eyes as he gazed into the distance.
He soon saw a surging wave of red figures, growing in number, rushing toward them like a tidal wave.
The sight sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers. Their palms grew sweaty, and they couldn't help but tighten their grip on their weapons.
But none of them dared to open fire prematurely. They suppressed their fear and awaited the command.
A dark-skinned man in a military uniform, his eyes bright with tension, spoke nervously to Bakaen.
"Commander Bakaen, the monster tide is here. Do we engage?"
"Hold your fire."
Bakaen replied calmly to Vice-Captain Zhou Yi, his eyes fixed on the approaching horde.
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing Bakaen's command, Zhou Yi had no choice but to comply.
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