A sharp whoosh tore through the air.
No one had time to react.
A massive tentacle swept across the battlefield like a scythe.
The mech-knights didn't even have time to raise their energy shields. The blow struck their armor head-on.
Metal shattered.
The bodies inside were nearly crushed to pulp.
The sound of warping steel rang out.
Screams followed.
Chaos echoed across the ruined research facility.
---
Dane sprinted forward.
A knight lay collapsed in front of him. His armor was cracked open, dark blood leaking through the gaps in the plating.
Dane grabbed the front of the soldier's armored collar.
He pulled.
The heavy body dragged across broken concrete.
The man was already unconscious.
Dane gritted his teeth.
With a sharp motion, he hurled the soldier toward the rear of the formation.
"Get him to the back!"
Then he opened the communication channel and shouted:
"Anyone still able to fight—form up!"
"We find an opening and pull out!"
"Now!"
"Move!"
---
A cold surge of anger rose in his mind.
Too passive.
Damn it.
One trap… and the entire formation collapses.
---
Around him, mech-knights gripped light swords and energy spears.
Most of them were young soldiers.
They had never faced anything like this before.
And in front of them—
The monster.
Massive dark-red tentacles, covered in fleshy barbs, lashed wildly through the air like a living storm.
Every time one slammed down—
The ground cracked.
Armor shattered.
Bodies were sent flying.
---
Dane watched the carnage.
He understood it perfectly.
If they tried to fight this thing head-on—
There would only be one outcome.
Total annihilation.
---
We can't fight it.
We need information.
A different plan.
Immediately.
---
But the monster gave him no time.
The tentacles kept coming.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each strike carried the furious rage of a territorial creature.
As if it were venting its fury on the intruders who dared enter its domain.
---
The screaming gradually grew quieter.
Then it stopped altogether.
Across the battlefield—
The bodies of fallen mech-knights lay scattered everywhere.
They had lost.
Lost far too quickly.
So quickly they hadn't even had time to catch their breath.
---
Dane stood in the middle of the wreckage.
His blue knight armor enclosed his entire body.
His jaw was clenched tight.
His eyes burned red.
In the distance, a few knights still charged forward.
One of them hurled a light spear.
The weapon struck a tentacle.
A flash of light burst—
Then faded.
Not even a scratch remained.
---
Dane roared through the comm channel.
"RETREAT NOW!"
"Do you hear me?!"
"You damn kids—"
He stopped.
The communication channel…
was silent.
---
No response.
No signal.
---
An army only functions when it has command.
When orders can be heard.
When everyone moves as one.
But if—
No one can hear anything?
---
Then all that remains…
are isolated individuals.
Fighting on nothing but pure survival instinct.
----------------------------------------
A gravel path stretched through the garden of Sector D.
Lam Huy Truong walked slowly along it.
Under the soles of his shoes, the stones crunched softly.
Not far ahead, beyond a neatly trimmed bed of flowers, stood a display area for ancient ceramic jars. They were arranged in long rows beneath a low canopy. Their aged glaze reflected the faint light of the night.
Lam Huy Truong walked alongside the line of jars.
One.
Two.
Three.
He counted silently in his head.
His gaze swept across each ancient pattern. Each faded brushstroke that time had slowly worn away.
Then he stopped.
In front of him stood a jar that reached his waist.
On its surface was an image of a figure stretching both arms toward the sky, as if trying to grasp the floating crystal shards hovering above its head.
Lam Huy Truong stared at it for a few seconds.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"…This should be the one."
He placed both hands on the body of the jar.
The ceramic glaze felt ice-cold.
Lam Huy Truong drew in a breath, then slowly turned the jar counterclockwise.
Click.
A dry sound echoed in the quiet.
Like a lock finally accepting the right key.
The ground in front of him trembled faintly.
A long brick embedded in the stone floor slid backward, revealing a dark rectangular opening.
A sloped tunnel descended into the earth.
Cold air drifted upward from the darkness below.
At that moment—
The AI's voice came from the watch on his wrist.
"Where is this place?"
"Why does a secret facility like this exist?"
"How does the professor know about it?"
The voice maintained its usual calm tone, but the speed of its speech had noticeably increased.
"There is no record of this location in my database."
"Professor, I require an explanation."
Lam Huy Truong stood at the mouth of the tunnel.
Inside, he felt like screaming.
But outwardly, he only let out a quiet sigh.
The AI continued.
"I feel as though I have missed an important class."
"This gap in my data could cause errors in my future analysis and may place the professor at a disadvantage."
"Professor, are you listening?"
"Why does this area have no records within the system?"
Lam Huy Truong tightened his hand slightly.
Only one thought echoed in his mind.
Not now.
This isn't the time for a lecture.
He replied quietly,
"Time is tight."
"Sorry. I'll explain when we get the chance."
He paused for a moment.
His gaze dropped to the mission panel floating in front of him.
01:59:51
01:59:50
01:59:49
The cold numbers of the countdown continued to tick away, second by second.