Chapter 19: Catching Leo's Punch

"I’ve come to save you, Anna!"

Anna was stunned by these words, but now wasn’t the time for such talk. Before she could respond, Chad urgently shouted:

"Quick! Everyone, move out now!"

They had to leave as soon as possible, as the resin could only temporarily hold the machines back. Some people helped carry the injured, and the tall and strong Joey assisted the exhausted Leo.

Just then, a skeleton robot that hadn’t been caught by the resin emerged from the flames, raising its machine gun, ready to open fire on the group.

Before anyone could react, in a split second, Alex silently activated his “Qi” and demonstrated the results of his training. The Qi swiftly wrapped around the robot’s fingers, preventing it from pulling the trigger.

In just a few days, Alex had already mastered using Qi for remote control.

The skeleton robot, unable to pull the trigger, entered a forced state, its movements comically awkward.

"Get rid of it!"

Chad shouted. Anna was quick to respond, firing a shot that pierced the robot’s skull.

"Let's go!"

There was no time to question what had just happened. Chad once again urged everyone to hurry and leave.

Without hesitation, Alex grabbed Anna’s hand, and they all ran, retreating in a frenzy.

----------------------------------------

The group ran with all their might, crossing the highway, when Chad finally said:

"We’re probably safe now. No need to run anymore..."

Hearing this, everyone relaxed and sat down to catch their breath.

Suddenly, Anna coldly spoke up.

"Why are you still holding my hand?"

Alex finally realized he was still holding Anna's hand and immediately let go.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to..."

Anna gave him a cold stare, but in reality, she was flustered.

"...Who told you to come?"

She asked, trying to sound calm. Chad stepped in to speak for Alex.

"I chose him to come. Rayn wanted to send an extra team for the rescue, but we didn’t expect to be caught by these 'hives.' This guy insisted on coming to save the woman he likes… sigh… we had no choice but to bring him along!"

Chad had been Anna and Leo’s training officer, so his words made Anna feel like she could trust him. Despite being slightly moved, she didn’t want to show it. Instead, she said coldly:

"Thanks!"

It was the first time Anna thanked Alex, and he couldn’t help but feel proud. It was a good start.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Alex wanted to talk to Anna, but a figure suddenly stood up and walked over to block his path.

It was none other than Leo.

With a very provocative tone, Leo said to Alex:

"You, the Hawk heir, should stay away from Anna."

Alex didn’t take this seriously. He may have been afraid of Leo in the past, but not anymore.

"Hero Leo Ost... You didn’t protect Anna well, so who do you think you are to say that?"

Leo, taken aback, turned around with a mocking expression but, without warning, threw a punch, intending to give Alex a humiliating lesson.

Just as everyone’s eyes widened and no one could intervene in time, surprisingly, Alex caught the punch with his bare hands.

Leo was shocked, but he didn’t want to look bad in front of Anna. He tried to apply more force to push Alex down, but to his surprise, Alex stood there completely unmoving.

What Leo didn’t realize was that Alex was using his Qi to firmly lock Leo’s hand, making it impossible for him to move. Leo tried to pull his hand back, but Alex simply stared at him, unfazed.

"Enough!"

Chad stepped forward just in time to intervene. Alex subtly withdrew his Qi, and Leo pretended nothing had happened as he pulled his hand back.

"We're all in this together, no need to fight. Did anyone ask the woman for her opinion?"

Everyone turned their gaze toward Anna, but she coldly tossed out:

"I don’t know! Don’t ask me."

Anna turned and left, and Leo looked Alex up and down. Leo couldn’t understand. This guy had only been gone for a few days, yet it was as if he had completely transformed...

Meanwhile, Alex calmly met his gaze.

As dusk approached, to ease the tension, Chad walked over, patting both their shoulders.

"Alright, you two young men, let’s go! Tonight, we’ll find a good place to celebrate!"

----------------------------------------

In New York, Gabriel, the AI brain of Hive 1, was inspecting the "human towers," watching over the humans being used as bioenergy. To Gabriel, they were like fruits in an orchard, carefully watched over.

Suddenly, a communication from another hive came in.

"Report: Aries 7 has captured the scientist."

Upon hearing this, a strange purple light flickered across Gabriel's metallic face, as if reveling in the success of its plans.

Gabriel stroked the lifeless humans on the tower as he said:

"Very good, no rush. Even without him, humans can't do anything... Just hold him temporarily in your hive. Once some time passes, bring him back to New York. That’s the plan."

Gabriel wasn’t in a hurry to discover the secrets this scientist might have. It walked to the center of the city, directly beneath its core, where a large rotating mechanical structure was under construction.

Gabriel spread its arms and looked at the structure, speaking smugly:

"Humans, once I finish this device, I won’t need you anymore... And eliminating you will be as easy as a snap. No matter what you try, you cannot change your fate, ha ha ha!"

Gabriel was confident about the next steps in its plan. It believed that no matter what humans did, they would be powerless to stop it…

But were humans really powerless to resist?

----------------------------------------

Under the moonlight, the desolate city of Altin was eerily silent. But inside one of the large houses, in the basement, members of Squad 6 and Squad 4 were gathered around a fire, enjoying themselves.

Dylan and John had brought out their second treasure—the dancing robots. These tiny robots, only a few centimeters tall, would play music and dance when wound up, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Of course, they kept an eye out for any approaching machines, but after the hard days they had been through, it was a rare moment of joy.

However, while everyone was immersed in the cheerful atmosphere, three people sat at the long table, clearly out of place.

At one end of the table sat Alex, and at the other, Leo. In the middle was Anna. The three were silently eating the wild game they had caught earlier in the evening, not a word spoken between them. Anna calmly and elegantly ate her meal, while the two men on either side of her watched each other like spies, creating a very tense atmosphere.

Chad shook his head at the three of them but didn’t want to intervene.

Anna finished her meal quietly, got up without a smile, and walked away, leaving the two men to settle their rivalry.

Alex, relaxed and composed, was the first to speak:

"Hero Leo, what’s with the constant staring at me? Do you think I’m handsome or something?"

Leo sneered and responded:

"Shut up, let's fight one on one."