In the Fifth Gene Squad's defensive formation, Hank forcefully implanted a colossal alloy weapon into the earth. Emily was right on his heels, rapidly integrating his heavy battle armor with the metallic device before them. Meanwhile, two other squad members struggled to haul in enormous equipment boxes, connecting them into the system.

Luca, the squad's sniper, took a brief glance at the Swarm Master emerging from the mutated beetle and discreetly withdrew from the front lines of the defense.

Once all the equipment was fully connected and synchronized, a rotating multi-barreled cannon emerged from the device, its barrels pointing at the advancing ant horde. Hank, with his hands firmly on the control levers, initiated the spinning of the barrels. This was a weapon of extraordinary power: 25mm caliber, eight-barreled rotation, capable of a staggering 6800 rounds per second. Hank, encased in his armor, muscles taut and bulging, unleashed a ferocious roar as the cannon roared to life, unleashing a relentless barrage of fire. This was the epitome of warfare for a heavy armored gene warrior.

In this perilous moment, the gene warriors, seasoned and skilled, showcased their tactical acumen. The remaining eight heavy-armored soldiers opted for similar weaponry, positioning themselves strategically to weave a lethal web of intersecting fire.

In the armory, every soldier, including Raimondo, rallied to the cause, weapons blazing.

The once unstoppable ant swarm was now effectively suppressed.

In the midst of the chaos, a startling scene unfolded: dozens of mutant giant ants were hurled into the air. Colonel Reynolds, now without his right hand, broke free from the swarm and stood tall. With a fierce swing of his arm shield, its razor-sharp edge reaped a deadly toll on the surrounding mutant giants, scattering severed limbs and carapaces.

A cold snort followed, as the figure of the bone-spiked mutant awakened beside the Swarm Master vanished, leaving a blur of afterimages as it lunged towards Colonel Reynolds.

Engaged in battle with the swarm, the Colonel sensed imminent danger and swung his arm in defense. A metallic clang resounded as the bone-spiked mutant brushed past him, leaving a deep gash along the Colonel's right side, blood seeping out. He had parried the first vicious strike but was unable to dodge the second as they crossed paths.

The bone-spiked mutant refrained from further assault, instead allowing the swarm to besiege the Colonel. It circled him, waiting for an opening, then struck again, leaving another wound on the Colonel's battle-scarred armor.

Repeatedly, over a dozen times, the Colonel's dark silver armor was now heavily scarred, bearing the marks of fierce battle.

The raspy laughter echoed once more, as the Swarm Overlord’s voice rang out with mockery: “It’s downright hilarious that your so-called high-tech armor, the pride of your city-states, can't even withstand the bone spurs growing from us, the discarded scum of the wastelands.

You city-state elites, basking in the finest resources and inheriting the zenith of the previous era's technology, have built towering walls to keep us, the dregs of the wastelands, out, leaving us to fend for ourselves.

You've shamelessly plundered our scarce resources, enslaving us to mine your precious ores in perilous mines.

While your noble society has thrived for decades, we have been struggling helplessly in the wastelands for just as long.

And now, your vaunted high-tech proves inferior to our mutated, resilient bodies. Indeed, we own nothing but our cheap, worthless bodies.

But no matter, for we can become the monsters you fear. We can grow fangs, scales, and claws, ready to rip apart your conceited lives encased in metal.”

His lengthy tirade was abruptly cut off by the booming sound of a sniper rifle, jerking his head back.

The sinister laughter resumed, “Hehehe,” as the Swarm Overlord lifted his head, casually wiping his forehead, “That did sting quite a bit, almost broke through my defenses.”

Another “Bang” sounded as the sniper fired again. This time, the Overlord skillfully tilted his head to dodge the bullet, taunting, “Don’t you know the huge difference between the Awakened and the Unawakened?”

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In the meantime, Colonel Reynolds was in a dire situation, with numerous wounds and fatigue severely affecting his strength, visibly slowing down his movements and reactions.

During a swift encounter, a bone-spike mutant brushed past him; his left arm, with a shield maneuver, deflected the opponent’s bone spike, but his right shoulder was slashed anew.

Surveying the battlefield with a determined look, Reynolds understood the gravity of the situation. On the other side of the armory, some battle armors were running out of ammo, and the ant swarm took this opportunity to press forward, some already breaching the frontline.

“Retreat, fall back!” shouted Sky, while reloading, lifting his helmet visor to call out to Raimondo and Arachne. Raimondo, barely familiar with his new rifle, fired a barrage at the ant swarm, then retreated with Arachne.

“Sky!” the usually reserved Arachne called out urgently.

“What is it?” Sky replied, having reloaded and firing off a round, obliterating a mutant spider leaping over the defense line towards the crowd, not looking back.

“You must survive,” Arachne declared loudly, her expression full of resolve. Sky turned, meeting her gaze. Her beautiful eyes, though unclear, were filled with unwavering determination, and she offered Sky a faint, reassuring smile.

In the heart of battle, Colonel Reynolds' determined expression gradually softened as he once again cut down and flung away the approaching ant swarm. His movements appeared to have slowed down even further.

After deflecting two more mutated giants with his left arm's shield, the bone-spike mutant seized its opportunity. With a ghost-like swiftness, it suddenly appeared before the Colonel. Its right-hand bone spike aimed squarely at the Colonel's abdomen and thrust forward abruptly.

To the mutant's surprise, the Colonel did not try to block the attack with his shield as before but instead directly confronted it. The spike, covered in blood, pierced through him, emerging from his lower back.

Caught off guard by the ease of the strike, the bone-spike mutant momentarily froze. In that brief second, the Colonel, now without his right arm, firmly grappled the mutant, quickly bringing it to the ground.

The Colonel coughed violently, spewing a mouthful of blood onto his helmet's visor. A grim, almost savage smile appeared on his face. He lifted his left arm's shield, its blade shimmering with a cold and deadly light.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking someone worthy with me," he declared resolutely, as he heavily brought down the shield.

"Damn it!" cursed the Ant Swarm Overlord, observing from afar. But the bone-spike mutant's decapitated body on the ground spoke volumes of its demise.

"Damn it, damn it all!" the Overlord screamed, his anger igniting the ants' fury. A horde of mutated giants trampled over the entangled corpses of Colonel Reynolds and the mutant, launching a desperate assault on the last-standing gene warriors.

The gene warriors' final defense crumbled amidst screams, roars, gunfire, and the brutal sound of chainsaw swords, creating a symphony of chaos and destruction.

As Sky turned back, his eyes met Arachne's. She bestowed upon him a serene and gentle smile, a beacon of calm amidst the storm. In her hand, she tightly held a metallic syringe, plunging it into her left arm. The liquid, a product of her father's decade-long secret research, slowly entered her bloodstream.

"Be careful!" Raimondo shouted. Before Sky could react, a mutated giant ant sent him and Arachne flying. The potion, only half-injected, slipped from Arachne's grasp due to the impact.

Sky, with effort, rose to his feet, his gaze turning to the girl beside him. Arachne was visibly in distress, her body convulsing, her eyes unfocused, her face expressionless, reminiscent of a fish out of water, twitching intermittently.

The powerful gene potion was taking its toll.

Surrounded, Sky and Arachne found themselves besieged by several mutated ants. Sky drew his chainsaw sword with a swift motion, powering it up. The blade whirred to life, slicing through the air.

Protectively stepping in front of Arachne, Sky unleashed a frenzy of slashes. The leading ants were swiftly cut down, yet more clambered over their fallen kin, their jaws snapping at Sky's shoulder.

As the grotesque creatures swarmed him, they tore into his battle armor with relentless ferocity.

In the vicinity, Raimondo, on the brink of madness, witnessed the scene. In desperation, he tightly gripped the trigger of his firearm, launching an onslaught at the ants swarming around Sky. But suddenly, his gun fell silent, clicking emptily – out of bullets.

Raimondo frantically searched for a spare magazine. His eyes then fixated on a genetic potion syringe that had mysteriously rolled to his feet.

He vividly remembered the first night Arachne arrived at their modest dwelling, the conversation she had with Sky replaying in his mind. He was actually awoken by their conversation that night and thus knew the contents of the syringe before him.

The basic principles of genetic potions, once explained by his brother, echoed in his mind. Injection required a step-by-step approach. To rashly bypass levels without sufficient fusion compatibility meant facing an over 90% risk of genetic breakdown and instant death.

What would occur to an ordinary person who had never injected any genetic potion and abruptly tried to skip several levels to inject an enhancer potion capable of awakening powers?

Even the most audacious scientists wouldn't dare use precious genetic potions for such a risky experiment. Yet, the answer was startlingly simple.

The worst-case scenario? Simply death, right?

With no hesitation, Raimondo grabbed the syringe and injected the remaining potion directly into his bloodstream.