The energy blast from the Zenith unit grazed the side of Si Xin’s head, leaving a searing pain in its wake. He could smell the faint scent of burnt hair as he dove behind the disabled caterpillar, his heart pounding like a drum. The blaster slipped from his hands, clattering to the ground just out of reach.

“Crap, crap, crap!” he hissed, pressing a hand to the side of his head. His fingers came away singed, and he winced at the pain. That had been too close. If he’d been a fraction of a second slower, he’d be dead.

The Zenith unit advanced, its mechanical footsteps crunching against the ground. Si Xin’s mind raced as he tried to figure out his next move. The blaster was just a few feet away, but reaching it would mean exposing himself to the Zenith’s fire. He couldn’t risk it—not with that thing’s aim.

He glanced around, his Mind Map flickering in his vision. The battlefield was still a chaotic mess, with Calamity Hounds, Shades, and Zenith units locked in brutal combat. Mia and her group were somewhere in the fray, but they were too far away to help him now. He was on his own.

The Zenith unit rounded the corner of the caterpillar, its weapon trained on him. Si Xin’s breath hitched as he pressed himself against the cargo compartment, his mind scrambling for a plan. He couldn’t fight it head-on—he didn’t have the firepower or the skill. But maybe he didn’t need to.

His eyes landed on the control panel he’d used to open the cargo compartment. It was still active, its screen glowing faintly. An idea sparked in his mind, desperate and risky, but it was all he had.

“Alright, you overgrown toaster,” Si Xin whispered, his voice shaking. “Let’s see how you like this.”

As the Zenith unit stepped closer, Si Xin lunged for the control panel, slamming his hand against the buttons. The compartment hissed as it began to close, but not fast enough. The Zenith unit raised its weapon, preparing to fire.

Si Xin grabbed the nearest crate—a heavy metal box filled with supplies—and hurled it at the Zenith unit with all his strength. The crate struck the robot’s arm, knocking its weapon off-target. The energy blast went wide, scorching the ground nearby.

The Zenith unit staggered, its glowing blue eyes flickering as it recalibrated. Si Xin didn’t wait for it to recover. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing the fallen blaster and diving behind the caterpillar again. His hands trembled as he fumbled with the weapon, trying to find the trigger.

The Zenith unit rounded the corner again, its movements slower now. Si Xin activated his Weakness Detection, and a red glowing circle appeared on the robot’s chest. He took aim, his finger hovering over the trigger.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered, his voice shaking. “Just… work!”

The Zenith unit raised its weapon, and Si Xin fired. The blaster crackled with energy, and a beam of light shot out, striking the robot’s chest. The red circle flared brightly, and the Zenith unit staggered back, its systems sparking and fizzing. For a moment, it seemed to freeze in place, its glowing blue eyes dimming.

Then, with a final shudder, it collapsed to the ground, its body going still.

Si Xin let out a shaky breath, his legs giving out beneath him. He slumped against the caterpillar, the blaster slipping from his hands.

Si Xin let out a shaky breath, his hands still trembling. “Holy shit, That… that actually worked.”

Si Xin stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. His hands were shaking, and his hair was singed, but he was alive. He’d done it.

But there was no time to celebrate. The battlefield was still raging around him, and the other caterpillars were still moving. He turned his attention to the remaining Zenith transports, which were positioned further back. They were distracted by a swarm of smaller monsters—twisted, screeching creatures that were trying to overwhelm the caterpillars’ defenses.

The caterpillars’ turrets were firing rapidly, but they were struggling to keep up with the sheer number of monsters. Some of the Zenith escorts were busy fighting off the larger monsters nearby.

Each escort looked different from the last, their designs tailored to specific combat roles. One resembled a massive bear, its claws crackling with energy. Another looked like a bird of prey, its wings slicing through the air as it dive-bombed its enemies.

Si Xin’s Mind Map showed the chaos in vivid detail. The caterpillars at the back were marked in gray, their positions highlighted by the glowing blue lines on their bodies. They hadn’t noticed him yet, too preoccupied with the monsters swarming them.

This was his chance.

He grabbed the Zenith rifle and moved cautiously toward the caterpillars, keeping low to avoid drawing attention.

Si Xin took aim, his hands steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He fired the rifle, feeling recoil but the energy blast struck the caterpillar’s weak point.

The neon blue lines flickered and dimmed, and the turret stopped firing. One down.

Hiding behind cover, the monster swarming that caterpillar turns to the others rushing in.

He repeated the process with the next caterpillar. The monsters moved to swarming the rest of the transports, their. Si Xin knew he had to act cautious.

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If the monsters win he would be next same goes for the Zenith so he needs to pick out his targets carefully.

So he looked to see which monster is dangerous and sees a monster a mix of a lions body with a horns of a ram fighting five Zenith.

Activating weakness detection he tries to steady his breathing before firing.

He slowly and surely moved picking off the most dangerous targets of each side, praying to not mess up and aim for him.

Taking cover toward a caterpillar, he noticed something strange. One of the crates inside the cargo compartment was glowing faintly, its light pulsing in time with the caterpillar’s neon lines. Si Xin’s curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the compartment to investigate.

Inside was a device unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was small, about the size of a football, and covered in intricate patterns that glowed with the same neon blue light as the rest of the Zenith . The device hummed softly, and Si Xin could feel a faint vibration in the air around it.

“What is this thing?” he muttered, reaching out to touch it.

Before he could, a loud roar echoed through the battlefield. Si Xin turned to see a massive monster—a Calamity Shade—emerging from his field of vision. Its ghostly form shimmered in the sunlight, and its gaping mouth let out a deafening screech.

The Calamity Shade loomed over Si Xin, its ghostly form shimmering like a mirage. Its gaping maw stretched wide, revealing rows of jagged, translucent teeth. Si Xin froze, his mind screaming at him to move, but his body refused to obey. He clutched the strange glowing device tightly, his knuckles white. This was it. He was going to die.

Then, a loud bang echoed through the battlefield.

The Shade’s head snapped to the side as a high-caliber round tore through its ghostly form. For a moment, it stood there, its glowing eyes wide with shock. Then, with a final, ear-piercing screech, it collapsed into a puddle of inky black liquid that evaporated into the air.

Si Xin blinked, his heart still racing. He turned to see Mia and her group approaching, their weapons drawn and their expressions grim. The man in a cowboy hat lowered his sniper rifle, smoke curling from the barrel. Lena was nursing a bruised arm, and Garth looked like he’d just gone toe-to-toe with a tank. Even Mia, usually composed, had a few scratches and a torn sleeve.

“You,” Mia said, her voice sharp as she pointed a clawed finger at Si Xin. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Si Xin opened his mouth to explain, but before he could get a word out, Garth stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar. The giant man’s grip was like iron, and Si Xin felt his feet leave the ground as he was hoisted into the air.

“Hey! Wait! I can explain!” Si Xin protested, kicking his legs uselessly.

Mia’s tail flicked angrily. “Save it. I saw you stealing some of the loot."

“I wasn’t stealing!” Si Xin lied, clutching the glowing device tighter. “I was just… uh… securing it for you!”

Mia raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Right. And I’m the queen of Pangea. Tie him up.”

Before Si Xin could argue further, Lena stepped forward with a length of rope. Garth set him down, but not gently, and within moments, Si Xin found himself tied to a tree, his arms pinned behind him.

“This is a misunderstanding!” Si Xin said, struggling against the ropes. “I was trying to help!”

“Help?” Mia repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “By nearly getting yourself killed and drawing more monsters and Zenith to us? Yeah, real helpful.”

Si Xin winced. “Okay, maybe I didn’t think things through. But I did take out a few caterpillars! That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Kai snorted, leaning against his rifle. “Kid’s got guts, I’ll give him that. But guts don’t mean much when you’re dead.”

Si Xin sighed, realizing that arguing wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He decided to try a different approach. “Look, I get it. You don’t trust me. But we’re all trying to survive here, right? Why not work together?”

Mia crossed her arms, her tail swishing behind her. “Work together? With you? What exactly do you bring to the table, besides trouble?”

Si Xin hesitated, then held up the glowing device he’d taken from the caterpillar. “How about this? I don’t know what it is, but it looks important. Maybe it’s worth something.”

Mia’s eyes narrowed as she studied the device. She reached out to take it, but Si Xin pulled it back. “Uh-uh. Not until you untie me.”

Mia’s claws twitched, and for a moment, Si Xin thought she might just take it by force. But then she sighed and nodded to Garth. “Untie him. But if he tries anything…”

Garth grunted, his massive hands making quick work of the ropes. Si Xin rubbed his wrists, relieved to be free, but still wary of the group’s hostile glares.

“Alright,” Mia said, holding out her hand. “Hand it over.”

Si Xin hesitated, then reluctantly gave her the device. Mia turned it over in her hands, her expression unreadable. “This is Zenith tech,” she said finally. “High-end stuff. Where did you find it?”

“In one of the caterpillars,” Si Xin said. “I thought it might be useful.”

Mia glanced at Kai and Lena, who both nodded. “It could be,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been a liability. If you want to stick around, you’re going to have to prove you’re worth the trouble.”

Si Xin nodded quickly. “I can do that. Just tell me what you need.”

Mia smirked, her tail flicking. “Good. First, you’re going to help us secure the rest of the cargo. Then, we’ll see.”

Hours had passed since Si Xin had been “recruited” into Mia’s group. They’d spent the time hauling the Zenith cargo away from the battlefield, but not toward the settlement. Instead, they were heading somewhere Si Xin didn’t recognize—a remote area deep in the forest. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the trees, and the group had finally come to a stop.

Mia turned to Si Xin, her expression unreadable. “You’re going first,” she said, gesturing toward a narrow path ahead.

Si Xin frowned. “Why me?”

“Because we need to make sure the area’s clear,” Mia replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Don’t worry. We’ll be right behind you.”

Si Xin hesitated, but he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He nodded and started down the path, his senses on high alert. The forest was eerily quiet, the only sound the crunch of leaves under his feet. His Mind Map was active, but it showed nothing unusual—just the usual gray dots of unidentified creatures.

As he rounded a bend in the path, he froze. Ahead of him, a group of bandits emerged from the trees, their weapons drawn. There were at least a dozen of them, and they looked anything but friendly.

“Well, well,” one of the bandits said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little rat.”

Si Xin’s heart sank as he realized what had happened. Mia had sent him ahead as a distraction—a sacrificial lamb to draw the bandits’ attention. He turned to run, but the bandits were already closing in.

“Mia!” he shouted, hoping she and her group were close enough to hear. “It’s an ambush!”

But there was no response. The bandits laughed, their leader stepping forward. “No one’s coming to save you, kid. You’re all alone.”

Si Xin clenched his fists, his mind racing. He had no weapons, no backup, and no way out. But he wasn’t going down without a fight.

<> ∆ <>

Mia and her group moved quickly through the forest, their pace brisk but cautious. The Zenith cargo was heavy, but they were making good progress. As they walked, Mia couldn’t help but think about the boy they’d left behind.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” Lena asked, breaking the silence.

Mia shrugged. “Does it matter? He was a liability. If he survives, good for him. If not… well, that’s not our problem.”

Kai glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “You’re cold, you know that?”

Mia smirked. “It’s called survival. You should try it sometime.”

Garth grunted, shifting the weight of the cargo on his shoulders. “The boy had guts. Wasted potential.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Enough about the kid. We need to focus on getting this cargo to the ship. Once we’re off Pangea, none of this will matter.”

As they walked, Mia reached into her satchel to check on the glowing device she’d taken from Si Xin. But to her surprise, it wasn’t there. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing as she searched the bag again.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asked, noticing her sudden pause.

“The device,” Mia said, her voice tight. “It’s gone.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “You lost it?”

Mia’s eye twitched in frustration. “No, I didn’t lose it. That little brat must have taken it when we untied him.”

Lena groaned. “Great. So now we’ve got no device, and the kid’s probably dead. This day just keeps getting better.”

Mia took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “It doesn’t matter. The device was a bonus, not the priority. We’ve got the cargo, and that’s what’s important. Let’s keep moving.”

The group continued on, but Mia couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. The boy had been more resourceful than she’d given him credit for, and now he was out there somewhere—possibly with the device. She didn’t like loose ends, and Si Xin was definitely a loose end.

But there was no time to dwell on it. The ship was waiting, and their window of opportunity was closing. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Mia pushed the thought of the boy out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

<> × <>

A/N: since its the tenth chapter what are your current thoughts I would greatly appreciate if I did something wrong or I made it a bit complicated make sure to respectful in your criticism and hope you all have a wonderful day