Screeeech—
The harsh sound of braking rang out as the car came to a dead stop not far from the clinic's street corner.
"Miss Hyacine... maybe... we should head back first?"
The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly. His eyes were fixed on the ten figures standing near the clinic entrance—massive, heavy-armored forms that looked like walking steel fortresses. His voice was laced with anxiety.
"No need," Hyacine replied with complete composure.
"Genesis Tech..." Her fingertips lightly tapped the edge of the car window as her gaze swept over the armored warriors in the distance. Then, a slight arc curled at the corner of her lips. "They finally lost their patience."
Along the way, Hyacine had been wondering when Genesis Tech would finally show up to trash the place. To her surprise, they were faster than expected.
I wonder how much Stellar Jade I'll get this time.
With that thought, Hyacine reached for the door handle to get out, but the door remained locked. She turned to the driver.
"Driver, unlock the door. I'm going to go talk to them. You should leave this area immediately."
"But Miss Hyacine! They clearly didn't come for a chat. Shouldn't we go back and—"
"They've already spotted us." Hyacine shook her head slightly. Her voice was gentle, as if she were comforting the man. "Trust me. I can handle this alone. Having another person here will only distract me."
Before her words even faded, ten cold gazes locked onto the vehicle simultaneously. An invisible pressure began to permeate the air. Feeling the sudden tension, the driver's Adam's apple rolled as he struggled to swallow.
"Miss Hyacine, are you sure? If we run now... there might still be time?"
"I'm sure."
Through the rearview mirror, the driver saw Hyacine's calm and tender eyes. He bit his lip and pressed the button for the central locking system.
With a soft click, the lock opened. Hyacine opened the door and stepped out.
"Miss Hyacine, I'm going back right now to get help! Hang in there!" The driver shouted as the car roared to life. After a quick 180-degree turn, the vehicle sped away from the area.
"Doctor Hyacine," a crisp holographic projection expanded in front of her, showing the likeness of a man. It was Xu Zhe.
A hint of regret touched his face, but his eyes remained sharp. "I thought you would be more cautious. If you hadn't come to the clinic, perhaps there would still be room for negotiation."
"Negotiation?" A faint smile played on Hyacine's lips as she crossed her arms over her chest in an "X" shape. "I have many patients waiting for treatment. It was impossible for me not to come."
Xu Zhe shook his head, the last trace of warmth fading from his expression. "...Stubborn to the end. A31 to A40, execute elimination protocol."
Hummm—
As soon as Xu Zhe finished speaking, the ten heavy armored warriors surged into motion. Their heavy footsteps thundered as they charged toward Hyacine. In the blink of an eye, the lead armored man reached her.
He swung a massive heavy hammer high, the weapon screaming as it tore through the air, hurtling toward Hyacine. Mid-swing, a jet of brilliant white flame erupted from the rear of the hammerhead, boosting its downward velocity to another level.
BOOM—!
A dull roar echoed, but the hammer didn't strike Hyacine. Instead, it was repelled by a protective barrier that looked like a pink soap bubble. The massive impact sent ripples racing across the shield's surface, and the ground surrounding the barrier began to crack and splinter.
"Fall back! Ranged suppression! Concentrate fire to break the shield!" Xu Zhe's command rang out coldly through the comms channel.
Xu Zhe wasn't surprised by the barrier. After the death of B149, he had extracted the combat footage. From those records, he had learned part of Hyacine's capabilities, and this pink bubble shield was one of them.
Upon receiving the order, the armored warriors' formation shifted instantly.
The front-line warriors used thrusters to leap backward and create distance, while the armor on the rear warriors' arms slid open, revealing honeycomb-like missile launchers.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!
Dozens of smart-tracking missiles streaked out, trailing white smoke as they slammed precisely into the pink shield. The explosions of fire and thick smoke instantly engulfed the spot where Hyacine stood.
Immediately following, the shoulder armor of four warriors flipped up, extending thick electromagnetic acceleration cannons. Blue-white electric arcs began to dance and flicker at the muzzles.
Zzz-vroom—! Zzz-vroom—!
Dense Gauss slugs tore through the air, forming a lethal metal storm that poured continuously into the smoke-shrouded area. Meanwhile, the other four warriors quickly deployed massive folding composite shields. Energy patterns flowed across the shield surfaces, forming a solid defensive wall as they remained vigilant for any counterattack from Hyacine.
Watching the scene, Hyacine frowned. While her shield wouldn't be easily broken, staying in a stalemate wasn't a solution. She looked down at the little creature in her arms.
"Little Ica, go!"
"Doo-doo—!"
Little Ica responded with an excited cry. Its body instantly erupted with a dazzling seven-colored radiance. Trailing a rainbow tail, Little Ica burst through the smoke screen, heading straight for the nearest armored warrior.
"Prepare for defense! Block it!" Seeing this, Xu Zhe reacted instantly, his warning exploding in the comms.
The nearest shield-bearing warrior heard the command and pivoted his massive composite shield. The energy circuits on the shield flared with blinding light as he braced with all his might against Little Ica's path.
BOOM—!!!!!
A horrific explosion, far exceeding the previous blasts, rocked the area. The shield-bearing warrior looked as if he had been struck by a falling meteor. The once-sturdy Deflection Field Composite Shield shattered inch by inch like fragile glass, disintegrating entirely!
The armored warrior, along with the remains of his shield, turned into a blurred afterimage as he was sent flying. He crashed through the walls of two buildings in succession before embedding himself deep into the steel skeleton of a third. Shield fragments and armor wreckage rained down everywhere.
Meanwhile, at the Genesis Tech branch combat command center...
On the tactical screen in front of Xu Zhe, the signal representing A26 instantly turned a piercing blood-red. A sharp alarm wailed throughout the command room.
[Warning! Warning! Severe damage! Pilot of unit A26 confirmed deceased!]
"Impossible!" Xu Zhe's face was filled with disbelief. He slammed his fist onto the console, eyes wide with shock. "How could a Deflection Field Composite Shield be destroyed in a single hit?!"
"Check cause of death!"
[Analyzing...] [Analysis complete! Detected peak instantaneous impact force on target: 999 tons. Exceeded shield design threshold (300 tons) by 333%. Energy structure completely collapsed. Pilot sustained lethal overload.]
"Nine hundred and ninety-nine tons?!" Xu Zhe gasped, his pupils shrinking. "In such a short time, its strength has increased tenfold?! The previous combat data clearly showed the impact force was around the hundred-ton level!"
Looking at the real-time feeds from the remaining nine units and the pink-haired figure faintly visible through the dust, a look of ferocity flashed in Xu Zhe's eyes.
"The company's plan must be carried out. Even if you have S-rank strength, you won't stop us!"
He rapidly typed authorization codes into his tactical terminal. A confirmation box with a red warning label popped up: [Enable Emergency Repair Protocol? Y/N].
Xu Zhe slammed his finger onto [Y].
"Activate Armor Repair Units! Cost is no object! Even if it's a war of attrition, wear her down until she breaks!"