The monster charged.
The air behind it exploded.
A crushing pressure slammed into their backs midair.
The girl in white armor reacted almost on instinct.
She spun sharply.
A massive claw swept through the space they had occupied a split second earlier.
The air tore apart.
The ground below exploded into a deep trench.
At the same time—
her body twisted hard.
Lam Huy Trường was flipped over her shoulder.
The world turned upside down.
His glasses slipped off his nose—
vanishing into the empty sky behind them.
A weapon compartment opened beneath her leg armor.
Red light gathered.
Click.
A laser fired straight out.
She muttered coldly,
"Die."
The beam pierced through smoke and dust.
It struck the monster's head.
A small explosion flashed.
Then—
only a faint scorch mark remained.
Not deep.
No real damage.
Like scratching an itch.
The girl froze for half a beat.
"…Impossible."
Even Lam Huy Trường wanted to swear.
What kind of defense is that?!
The monster didn't even slow down.
It landed.
BOOM!
The ground split apart.
She immediately pushed the engine harder.
"Maximum speed."
Her voice dropped.
"Professor… please endure this."
The engines flared brighter.
They tore through the air.
Wind screamed past his ears.
But behind them—
the monster turned instantly.
Its gaze locked onto its target.
It ignored the battlefield.
Ignored every other soldier.
Only—
him.
Its mouth slowly opened.
The air began to twist.
A pressure vortex formed between its massive jaws.
Lam Huy Trường sensed the danger.
Too late.
BOOM—!!
It wasn't an explosion.
It was a shockwave.
Space itself seemed to warp.
The sonic blast struck the mech midair.
The entire frame shook violently.
The HUD flashed red.
Energy crystals rattled uncontrollably.
One beat.
Two beats.
Then—
shutdown.
"…Not good!"
The engine died.
The mech lost balance.
They dropped straight down.
Like something shot out of the sky.
The girl gritted her teeth.
At the exact moment of free fall—
she twisted midair.
Using her own armored body as a shield beneath him.
Holding Lam Huy Trường tightly.
BOOM!!!
Impact.
Metal tore across the ground.
A piercing grinding sound dragged on.
A deep trench carved forward for dozens of meters.
Finally—
everything stopped.
Dust and smoke swallowed their vision.
Lam Huy Trường's ears rang violently.
A distorted mechanical voice crackled through the cockpit.
Severe mech damage detected.
Propulsion system offline.
Combat capability unavailable.
The girl tried to move.
Nothing responded.
"…Damn it."
In the distance—
the ground trembled again.
Heavy footsteps.
Getting closer.
The monster.
Slow.
Confident.
As if it already knew its prey had nowhere left to run.
Lam Huy Trường pushed himself upright.
His head spun.
Then—
Beep.
A faint sound echoed inside the cockpit.
A screen that had already gone dark—
lit up again.
Not the combat system.
Not rescue protocols.
A completely different interface.
Data streamed rapidly across the display.
The red warnings disappeared.
Replaced by a cold line of text.
Verifying biological identity…
Lam Huy Trường froze.
"…What?"
One second later—
the system voice rang out clearly.
Verification complete.
Highest-level access granted.
The girl in white armor went rigid.
"…Wait."
The AI continued.
Calm.
Emotionless.
Welcome back, Professor.
Far ahead—
the advancing monster suddenly stopped.