In the distance—
shadows began moving within the scorched mist.
At first, only a few heavy footsteps crushed across broken metal.
Then another.
Then more.
Pairs of red eyes slowly opened inside the hot smoke still rising from the battlefield.
They gathered.
Silent.
Terrifyingly organized.
The encirclement tightened.
One monster lowered its head, chewing on a blood-stained piece of armor.
The sound of metal grinding echoed horribly between teeth sharp as chainsaws.
Crack.
Crunch.
All around—
soldiers' corpses lay scattered.
Shattered armor.
Bent weapons.
Burned mechanical arms still releasing weak sparks.
There was no escape route left.
The encirclement… had completely closed.
The girl's gaze darted around.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
Red warning alerts flashed nonstop across her HUD.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Her breathing trembled inside the helmet.
Stay calm… stay calm…
But her throat tightened.
Tears welled up.
She bit her lip until it bled, forcing herself not to cry.
System reports appeared.
Flight system: completely destroyed.
Her leg armor emitted only weak sparks.
Fight?
Her eyes instinctively turned—
toward the captain.
The man who had stood against the beast pack just minutes ago.
Now he was nothing more than a motionless suit of armor.
A rookie like her…
How could she possibly survive?
The thought was cold as a blade.
Death already felt inevitable.
Even though the system reported the armor was restructuring itself, she didn't believe miracles existed.
How do we get out of this…?
A dangerous thought flashed through her mind.
What if—
she just let go?
Her body slackened for half a second.
Then—
No.
If she had to die…
she would die as a warrior.
A small room in the orphanage surfaced in her memory.
Children crowding by the doorway.
"Big sis, remember to buy candy!"
Her throat tightened.
A hot tear slid down her cheek before she noticed.
Her hand clenched.
Blue energy ignited along her arm armor.
Fragments of light rapidly formed into an energy blade grid.
She shouted—
ready to charge.
A sudden pull grabbed her wrist.
"Wait."
She spun around.
"…Wait?"
Desperation exploded out of her.
"You think I have any other choice?!"
Lam Huy Trường looked at her.
His expression was cold. Nearly emotionless.
But inside—
his brain was in chaos.
If she rushes in now, she'll aggro the entire map!!
At that moment—
an interface window appeared before his eyes.
Experimental Unit Control Available
Effective Range: 1 km
Controlled Units: 1 / 1
Lam Huy Trường froze.
The nearest monster—
suddenly slowed.
Its steps faltered.
As if an invisible thread had pulled it backward.
But the outer monsters continued closing in.
The distance shrank rapidly.
And then—
another monster charged.
Its jaws stretched wide open.
Hot saliva dripped onto the ground.
Only a few meters away.
"Shit—!"
Almost by reflex, a thought flashed through Lam Huy Trường's mind.
Instantly—
the monster within his control range let out a violent roar.
It twisted sideways.
Then slammed straight into its own kind.
ITS JAWS SNAPPED SHUT.
One bite tore open the other creature's throat.
The two massive bodies crashed and rolled across the ground.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The entire pack froze.
Confused roars erupted in all directions.
They… hesitated.
As if unable to understand what had just happened.
The girl held her breath.
"…It betrayed its own kind?"
Lam Huy Trường stood stiff as well.
"…Maybe… fighting over prey?"
Even he didn't believe that explanation.
A new notification appeared.
Compatible crystal detected.
Armor modification available.
Use reserve energy?
Out of habit, Lam Huy Trường pushed at his glasses.
His hand touched empty air.
…Right. His glasses were gone long ago.
How the hell am I supposed to modify anything?!
In the distance—
the controlled monster was being torn apart by the entire pack.
Its status bar changed color.
Controlled Unit: 0 / 1
He gritted his teeth.
"…Now."
"…Or we die."
"Confirm modification."
The watch on his wrist lit up.
Space in front of him warped—
as if folded inward.
A mechanical toolbox drifted out into midair.
The girl froze.
"…What are you doing?"
"Modifying armor."
"…Which armor?"
Lam Huy Trường looked at her.
A rare trace of pity appeared in his eyes.
"You."
"…Huh?"
"No time."
His hands began moving.
Fast.
Precise.
Each motion flowed unnaturally smoothly.
As if his body remembered more than his mind did.
Even he didn't understand how he was doing it.
He turned her around.
The back plates of her armor automatically opened.
A quadrilateral crystal rose into view.
Streams of glowing runic patterns floated around it like a miniature galaxy.
Lam Huy Trường froze.
"…What the hell is this…"
An upgrade interface appeared.
Modification Options
— Remove safety limits
— Forced crystal overload ⚠
— Rewrite combat AI
— Crystal Evolution (Locked)
"…The armor can evolve too?"
He let out a dry laugh.
"Mad Professor… you really were insane."
Right then—
a roar thundered across the battlefield.
The controlled monster had died.
The entire beast pack turned at once.
Targets locked.
The two of them.
Lam Huy Trường didn't hesitate.
Selection: Crystal Overload.
"We have five minutes."
"…Five minutes for what?"
"Five minutes to break the encirclement."
Thirty seconds passed.
The crystal flared with blinding light.
Energy surged violently.
Overload complete.
Self-destruct countdown initiated.
The girl's eyes widened.
Power rushed through every nerve in her body.
Her armor trembled—
like a living organism awakening.
"…Professor… this power—"
"Finish this fast and run."
"You're about to explode."
The monster horde charged.
The combat HUD activated automatically.
Target markers flooded her vision, locking red one after another.
"Fire!"
BOOM—!!!
Firepower erupted.
Armor-piercing rounds ripped through the air.
The roar sounded like jet engines screaming at full thrust.
Recoil forced her to slide backward dozens of meters.
Sparks blasted beneath her feet like metallic fireworks.
Monsters were pierced one after another.
One exploded midair, its head blown apart.
Another had its chest torn completely open.
She could hardly believe it.
Switch to melee mode.
A blade of light deployed instantly.
One slash.
Blood burst into a crimson mist.
Two slashes.
Three.
A monster was cut clean in half the instant it lunged forward.
One after another.
Again and again.
For the first time—
the beast pack retreated.
Behind her—
Lam Huy Trường stared, mouth slightly open.
Damn… this is straight-up a live-action blockbuster.
Inside his head, he was applauding wildly.
But then—
another roar echoed across the battlefield.
Deep.
Heavy.
Completely different.
Every monster immediately split apart.
Like soldiers clearing a path for their king.
The smile vanished from Lam Huy Trường's face.
He looked down at his watch.
Self-destruct time remaining: 06:13
The ground began to quake.
The fog split open.
One massive head emerged.
Then a second.
Then a third.
A three-headed, four-legged creature stepped forward, towering above the entire horde.
Biological pressure crushed the surrounding air.
The girl's face turned pale.
"…Impossible…"
The creature roared—
and charged straight toward them.
At that moment—
a red warning flashed.
[Warning]
Alpha entity has confirmed identity:
— Creator
Lam Huy Trường froze.
"…Confirmed?"
He still didn't understand what was happening.
The screen continued to change.
High-level control authority unlocking…
Request source:
Alpha Entity.