Mia stood atop the hill, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. The wind tugged at her fur, and her tail flicked restlessly behind her. Below, the landscape stretched out in a patchwork of dense forest and open plains. Somewhere out there, the Zenith convoy was on the move, and with it, their best chance at survival.

Kai appeared at her side, his sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. “They’re on route,” he said, his voice low. “Just like we expected. The caterpillar transports are moving slower than we thought, though. They’re heavily loaded.”

Mia nodded, her ears twitching. “Good. That gives us more time to set up the diversion. Is everything in place?”

“Yeah,” Kai replied. “Lena’s got the charges ready, and Garth’s waiting at the choke point. Once the Zenith take the bait, we’ll have a narrow window to hit them hard.”

Mia’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Then let’s get to work. We’ve got one shot at this. No mistakes.”

The two of them moved quickly, descending the hill and joining the rest of the group. Lena was crouched behind a cluster of rocks, her hands busy with a small device. Garth stood nearby, his massive frame casting a long shadow over the ground.

“Ready?” Mia asked, her voice steady.

Lena nodded, holding up the device. “Charges are set. Once I trigger them, the Zenith will think they’re under attack. They’ll reroute straight into the Insurgence point.”

Mia glanced at Garth. “And you?”

He grunted, hefting a massive hammer onto his shoulder. “I’ll handle the stragglers. Once the Zenith and the monsters start fighting, I’ll move in and clean up.”

Mia took a deep breath, her tail swishing. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

...

Si Xin was making his way back to the settlement, his mind map active as he scanned the area for threats. The forest was quiet, the only sounds the rustling of leaves and the occasional chirp of birds. But as he crested a small hill, his mind map lit up with a line of gray dots moving in the distance.

He froze, his heart skipping a beat. Gray dots meant unidentified entities—something he hadn’t encountered before. He toggled off the trees in his mind map, focusing on the dots. They were moving in a straight line, their formation precise and deliberate.

“What the…?” he muttered, crouching low to avoid being seen.

As he watched, the dots began to shift, their movements becoming erratic. A moment later, a series of explosions echoed through the air, the sound distant but unmistakable. Si Xin’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

“That’s the Zenith convoy,” he whispered to himself. “But why are they…?”

His mind raced as he pieced together the situation. Someone was attacking the convoy—or at least trying to divert it. And if the explosions were any indication, they were leading the Zenith straight into the Insurgence point.

Si Xin hesitated, torn between curiosity and caution. He knew he should stay out of it, but something about the situation felt… important. If the Zenith and the monsters started fighting, it could create an opportunity—or a disaster.

“Alright,” he said, steeling himself. “Let’s see what’s going on.”

He moved cautiously, keeping to the shadows as he followed the line of gray dots. The explosions grew louder, and soon he could see the Zenith convoy in the distance. The caterpillar-like transports were massive, their metallic bodies glinting in the sunlight. They were surrounded by robotic guards—Zenith units that moved with eerie precision.

But the convoy wasn’t alone. From the forest, a horde of monsters emerged—Calamity Hounds, Shades and various others, their forms twisted and unnatural. The Zenith units reacted instantly, their weapons firing in a barrage of energy blasts. The monsters charged, their howls and roars filling the air.

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Si Xin ducked behind a tree, his heart pounding. This was bad. Really bad. If the Zenith and the monsters wiped each other out, it might buy the settlement some time. But if one side came out on top, it could spell disaster.

As he watched, a figure emerged from the chaos—a massive man wielding a hammer, his movements slow but devastating. He smashed through both Zenith units and monsters alike, his presence turning the tide of the battle.

“Whoa,” Si Xin whispered, his eyes wide. “That guy’s a one-man army.”

But before he could process what he was seeing, a voice called out behind him.

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

Si Xin spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for his pistol. Standing there was the cat girl—Mia—her eyes narrowed and her claws extended.

“I—I was just—” he stammered, raising his hands in surrender.

Mia’s tail flicked angrily. “You’re that kid from the settlement, aren’t you? The one who’s been following us.”

Si Xin swallowed hard, his mind racing. “Look, I’m not here to cause trouble. I just… I saw the explosions and wanted to see what was going on.”

Mia studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she sighed, lowering her claws. “You’ve got a knack for showing up at the worst possible time, you know that?”

Before Si Xin could respond, a loud roar echoed through the forest. Mia’s ears flattened against her head, and she turned toward the sound.

“We don’t have time for this,” she said, grabbing Si Xin by the arm. “Come on. If you’re going to stick around, you’d better make yourself useful.”

Si Xin didn’t argue. As Mia dragged him toward the battle, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d just gotten himself into.

Reaching the battlefield it was chaos incarnate. The air was thick with the sounds of clashing metal, roaring monsters, and the high-pitched whine of energy weapons. Si Xin crouched behind a fallen tree, his heart pounding as he watched the carnage unfold. Mia had left him with a simple but terrifying task: secure the Zenith cargo. And she hadn’t been subtle about the consequences if he failed—or betrayed them.

“Don’t even think about double-crossing us,” she’d hissed, her claws pressing lightly against his neck. “If you do, you’ll regret it.”

Si Xin had nodded quickly, his throat dry. He didn’t need to be told twice. Mia and her group were clearly not people to mess with, and he had no intention of testing their patience.

Now, as he peered over the log, he saw the battlefield in all its horrifying glory. A Calamity Hound—massive, snarling, and covered in jagged black scales—was locked in combat with four Zenith units. These weren’t like the robotic animals he’d seen before. These were wolf-like, sleek and agile, with three claw-like blasters mounted on their backs. Despite their smaller size—about the size of actual wolves—they moved with terrifying precision, their blasters firing in rapid bursts.

Nearby, a Zenith unit that looked like a gorilla pounded its chest, releasing a shockwave that sent a group of smaller monsters flying. The ground shook with the force of the impact, and Si Xin had to steady himself to avoid falling over.

“This is insane,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the din. “How am I supposed to get to the cargo in the middle of this?”

But he didn’t have a choice. Mia’s threat still echoed in his mind, and he knew he had to at least try. Taking a deep breath, he darted out from behind the log, keeping low to avoid drawing attention. His Mind Map was active, zigzaging around the battlefield as a Zenith wolf was hurled passed him.

The caterpillars were massive, each the size of a pickup truck. Their white bodies were adorned with glowing neon blue lines that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat. They moved slowly, their segmented bodies rippling as they carried their cargo across the battlefield. But as Si Xin approached, one of the caterpillars turned toward him, its front face splitting open to reveal a three-barrel turret. The middle barrel was larger than the other two, and it glowed ominously as it locked onto him.

“Oh, crap,” Si Xin whispered, diving behind a rock just as the turret fired. The energy blast tore through the air, scorching the ground where he’d been standing moments before.

He peeked out from behind the rock, his mind racing. The caterpillar’s top abdomen opened, revealing three smaller turrets that began firing in rapid succession. Si Xin ducked back, his heart pounding. He needed a plan, and fast.

His pistol was useless against the caterpillar’s armored exterior. He tried activating his Weakness Detection, hoping to find a vulnerable spot, but to his dismay, nothing appeared. The caterpillar’s defenses were too strong, or his ability wasn’t advanced enough to penetrate them.

Glancing around, he spotted a fallen Zenith wolf nearby. Its body was mangled, but one of its claw-like blasters was still intact. Si Xin hesitated for a moment before making a run for it. The caterpillar’s turrets tracked him, but he zigzagged erratically, dodging the energy blasts by sheer luck.

He reached the fallen Zenith unit and grabbed the blaster, struggling to pull it free. The weapon was heavier than he expected, and its design was unlike anything he’d ever seen. It had no obvious trigger, and the claw-like appendages made it awkward to hold.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered, fumbling with the blaster. Finally, he found a small button on the side and pressed it. The blaster whirred to life, its claw-like tips glowing with energy.

Si Xin activated his Weakness Detection again, this time focusing on the caterpillar. To his relief, a familiar red glowing circle appeared—right above the three-barrel turret. That had to be its weak point.

He took aim, his hands trembling as he tried to steady the blaster. The caterpillar’s turrets swiveled toward him, and he knew he only had one shot. He pulled the trigger, and the blaster fired with a deafening crack. A beam of energy shot out, striking the caterpillar’s turret dead center.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the caterpillar’s neon blue lines flickered and dimmed. The turrets stopped firing, and the creature’s movements slowed to a halt. It was disabled.

Si Xin let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “It worked,” he whispered, a grin spreading across his face. “It actually worked.”

But his victory was short-lived. The battlefield was still raging around him, and the other caterpillars were still moving. He needed to secure the cargo quickly before more Zenith units or monsters noticed him.

He approached the disabled caterpillar cautiously, his blaster at the ready. The cargo compartment was sealed, but a small control panel on the side caught his eye. He pressed a few buttons, and with a hiss, the compartment opened.

Inside were crates of supplies—food, medicine, and what looked like advanced technology. Si Xin’s eyes widened. This was exactly what Mia and her group needed. But as he reached for one of the crates, a voice called out behind him.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

Si Xin spun around, his heart leaping into his throat. Standing there was a Zenith unit—a humanoid robot with glowing blue eyes and a weapon pointed directly at him.

“Uh… this isn’t what it looks like?” Si Xin said, raising his hands.

The Zenith unit didn’t respond. Instead, it fired.