Chapter 21: Second Amplification

The mechanical squids were slowly tightening their encirclement, their tentacles poised and ready to strike, with only a few bullets left.

Seeing the team in dire straits, Alex realized there was no choice but to use his remaining two amplifications of air power to eliminate them.

However, there was a problem—he had to keep the others in the dark. No one could know about this power.

Quietly, Alex asked his smartwatch:

"Ray, is there any way to get everyone out of here first?"

The smartwatch immediately replied:

"You can use the sand on the ground to confuse the mechanical units and delay them."

Alex looked down at the dust and instantly came up with an idea. He quickly harnessed his air power and sent the sand flying into the air, creating a small dust storm.

The swirling dust cloud enveloped the entire area, reducing visibility. Although Alex's current abilities only allowed for this, it was exactly the effect he needed.

In the confusion, Alex found Chad and grabbed him, saying:

"Now's your chance! Get everyone out of here!"

Though Chad had no idea why a sandstorm had suddenly appeared, he understood this was their only chance to escape. He quickly motioned for the others to head in a specific direction.

"Move, move, move! Get to safety while the dust storm covers us!"

With the dust storm as cover, everyone ran at full speed, heading several kilometers into the forest to hide. Breathless and shaken, they stopped to catch their breath. Chad calmed himself and asked:

"Who... is anyone missing?"

At that moment, Anna realized two people were missing.

"I don’t see Alex or Leo!"

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Meanwhile, Alex, seeing that the others had escaped, knew he no longer needed to maintain the dust storm. As the dust settled, he found himself alone, facing the towering mechanical squids that were now swinging their countless tentacles at him.

He asked his smartwatch:

"Ray, what do I do now?"

He waited for a plan, but after a brief pause, Ray only responded with one word:

"Run."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Alex widened his eyes.

"Wait, are you kidding? You don’t have any further suggestions?"

To his surprise, the smartwatch gave no additional guidance, but the tentacles were already closing in on him. He had no choice but to dodge with his air power.

Then Ray replied:

"I’ll give you instructions in a moment, but for now, you need to deal with another problem."

Curious, Alex continued to fight while asking:

"Is there anything more problematic than what I’m facing right now?"

The smartwatch responded:

"There's still one person you haven’t dealt with."

Alex quickly turned to search, and to his shock, he spotted someone across from him, battling the mechanical squids' tentacles alone—Leo.

"...It’s him!?"

Anyone could have been in trouble, but Leo—he was the last person Alex wanted to help. Leo, the stubborn and annoying "heroic rival."

But given the situation, Alex had no choice. Reluctantly, he knew he had to help Leo.

"Forget it... can't think about that right now!"

Rolling his eyes and dodging tentacle attacks, Alex ran toward Leo. He saw Leo fighting fiercely, shooting his gun while trying to dodge every thrust of the mechanical squid's tentacles.

Though Leo had destroyed a few tentacles with his skill, he was still only human. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and in a moment of carelessness, a tentacle wrapped around his neck, tightening quickly.

"I sent everyone else off... but it looks like I'm gonna die here."

In that moment, Leo sank into despair. He had stayed behind to buy time for the others to escape, but now, it seemed he wouldn't make it out alive.

Just when Leo thought it was over, a figure jumped in front of him, grabbing the tentacle around his neck. The tentacle, as if losing control, loosened its grip.

"...You?!"

Leo looked up in shock, and there stood Alex. He couldn't believe it—Alex was still here, and it looked like he was using some invisible power to fight back against the mechanical squid's tentacles.

"What are you staring at?! Run, now!"

Alex used his air power to tangle several tentacles, creating a gap in their assault. He grabbed Leo and pulled him into a run.

The two of them sprinted down a narrow path, with several mechanical squids hot on their heels, their tentacles stretching out to attack.

"How are you able to fight them off? Aren't you weak? How did you get so strong in just a few days?!"

While running, Leo kept bombarding Alex with questions, but Alex couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.

"Trust me, that was all just your imagination!"

Alex denied it, acting as if nothing was unusual. Just then, the smartwatch spoke up again.

"It's time to initiate the amplification."

This was the moment Alex had been waiting for. He suddenly stopped, and Leo followed suit, confused.

"What’s going on? Why are we stopping?!"

Leo asked, his voice tense, and Alex, with a serious look, turned to him and said:

"To knock you out."

Before Leo could even process Alex's words, Alex unexpectedly punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Turning back to face the approaching mechanical squids, Alex spoke to his smartwatch:

"Here we go, activate the amplification!"

The smartwatch's blue light flickered once again.

The mechanical squids finally arrived, their countless tentacles sweeping toward the two of them.

Alex raised his right hand, and what was once invisible air instantly turned into a sandstorm-like haze. A massive air wall formed, blocking all the tentacles, holding them tightly in place.

The mechanical squids seemed stunned, struggling desperately to break free, but the air wall only grew stronger, almost like a prelude to a devastating attack.

With sharp eyes, Alex looked at the machines and said:

"Come on... let's show you what humanity’s new power looks like!"