Chapter17: Arrival in Tacoma

"I know we haven't known each other for long, so I can't ask you all to come with me... But I'm going to save a woman I like. I want to impress her. If you think my reason is shallow, that's fine—I’ll go alone..."

Before Alex could finish speaking, Max and Nick eagerly raised their hands. Their immediate support touched Alex deeply—true friends indeed. What moved him even more was that the rest of the team also raised their hands one by one, signaling their agreement.

Seeing everyone stand by him, Alex felt both grateful and surprised.

"Aren't you afraid of the danger?" he asked.

Joey smirked and replied, "Come on... If we go back to Rockhill Valley empty-handed, the others will just look down on us. Rescuing people will shut them up!"

The others nodded in agreement. For these so-called "outcasts," the fear of being captured or killed by intelligent machines wasn’t as strong as the fear of returning as failures. Compared to those who often mocked them but lacked the courage to take on this mission, they were the brave ones.

Chad, pleased to see everyone united in purpose, nodded firmly.

"If we're all in agreement, then let’s move out toward Tacoma!"

And so, Squad 6 set off along the highway, pressing forward despite the lurking dangers and constant need for vigilance against murderous machines. Their spirits remained high—not because the journey was safe, but because they had each other.

Along the way, Chad took the time to drill the rookies on survival tactics and combat strategies against intelligent machines. They absorbed as much as they could—every bit of knowledge could be the difference between life and death.

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That night, the team found shelter in the basement of an abandoned house. Alex noticed that Chad seemed to be in a much better mood compared to when they were in Olympic City. He even joined them for dinner around the fire, which was a good sign.

Then, deep into the night, Alex woke up once again. He made sure Chad was sound asleep before quietly slipping out of the basement.

For the past few nights, he had been sneaking out at midnight to practice Qi. And tonight, his hard work was finally paying off.

"I'm ready, Ray."

Standing in a secluded forest clearing, Alex steadied his stance and spoke with determination.

"Begin," replied Ray, his AI-powered smartwatch.

Alex raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and focused inward. He envisioned himself as a miniature galaxy, with countless stars swirling within him. Slowly, the stars began to shift and align, gathering in his hand like infinite possibilities resting in his grasp.

A transparent vortex of energy formed in his palm—not large, but enough.

Alex didn’t let his excitement distract him. He studied the energy carefully, knowing that mastering the gathering of Qi was just the first step. The real challenge was control.

He turned his gaze to a leaf on a tree nearby and took a deep breath.

"Haah!"

With a swift motion, he flicked his hand forward. The Qi shot out like an invisible tether, extending rapidly toward the leaf.

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In an instant, the energy latched onto the leaf. Feeling the connection, Alex confidently pulled his hand back—and to his amazement, the leaf detached itself and floated in the air for several moments before gently drifting to the ground.

"I did it... I can finally control Qi!"

Being able to manipulate Qi to pluck a leaf from a distance was a breakthrough, and what made it even more significant was that he had done it entirely on his own—without any direct assistance from his smartwatch.

"Congratulations," Ray said. "You’ve taken your first step in Qi control. But you're still a long way from reaching Level 1 and using it for destructive force. Keep training."

Alex smiled. He knew the road ahead was tough, but for the first time, he truly felt he had the power to change his fate.

"Ray, why is my Qi transparent? And what do you mean by 'not yet at Level 1'?" Alex asked, puzzled.

In response, his smartwatch suddenly projected a holographic display, showing an explanation from Dr. Jang Tsering Dorje’s theory:

"According to Dr. Jang’s research, Qi, also known as the torsion field, is divided into seven levels: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and white. Qi capable of attack and defense appears as a dust-like aura, emitting sparks of its corresponding level’s color."

Alex frowned. "Then what about transparent Qi?"

Ray answered, "Zero level. Transparent Qi has no explosive power; it can only manipulate small objects from a distance."

Hearing this, Alex collapsed to his knees, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief. "So, I’m supposed to be a hero and rescue Anna… but all I can do is move tiny rocks? Oh, come on..."

He felt like he had been duped. Slumping to the ground, he let out a helpless sigh, but Ray quickly responded:

"Don’t be ridiculous. Did you think mastering Qi would be easy? Don’t lose heart—you still have those two chances to use my power."

Alex thought for a moment. That was true. He still had two opportunities for a temporary burst of power. As long as he used them wisely, he could definitely save Anna—and maybe even impress her.

"Alright... I’ll keep training. I swear I’ll reach Level 1 as fast as possible!"

With renewed determination, Alex stood up and resumed his Qi practice, training tirelessly until dawn.

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Tacoma Outskirts

By noon, Alex and his squad finally arrived at the outskirts of Tacoma. Looking down from the highway, the city lay in ruins. Collapsed buildings, streets scarred by past battles, and plumes of smoke rising in the distance told the story of destruction. It was clear that the "Nest" had ravaged this place like a hurricane.

"So this is Tacoma?" Alex asked grimly.

The others, who had initially been excited about the mission, now wore serious expressions. From afar, they could see nearly a hundred intelligent machines patrolling the city streets.

"Whoa... This is way more than we faced in Olympia," Gordon muttered, peering through binoculars.

A wave of unease spread through the group.

"How the hell are we supposed to find the trapped resistance fighters in all this?" Brenda asked, frowning.

Realizing the challenge ahead, Chad called everyone together for a strategy meeting.

"If we just charge in, we’ll get captured instantly. We need to create a distraction and draw the machines away from the city. Then, we’ll locate the resistance fighters and get out—fast."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do we lure them away?"

Before anyone could answer, Dillon and John both raised their hands enthusiastically.

"We’ve got an idea! Leave it to us."

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Inside Tacoma City

In the ruined streets of Tacoma, grotesque mechanical spiders scuttled about, scanning their surroundings with red infrared beams. Alongside them, humanoid machines wielding machine guns patrolled coldly, ensuring no survivors escaped their watch.

Hidden beneath a small basement air vent, a pair of sharp eyes observed the scene.

"It looks like the Nest has withdrawn, leaving only these intelligent machines behind... Their search efforts aren’t as aggressive as before. Now’s our chance to escape!" the observer whispered.

It was Leo. He had been carefully studying their movements and realized this was the best moment to make a move. One of their injured members wouldn’t last much longer—they needed to get back to Rockhill Valley for medical help immediately.

Anna wasn’t just sitting idle either. Over the past few days, she had scavenged the basement and found a bow. After crafting several flaming arrows, she had significantly increased her combat effectiveness alongside her firearm.

"Let’s move out!" she said decisively, strapping on her gear.

She and Leo pressed against the door, weapons ready, prepared to fight their way through the enemy lines.

Just as they were about to burst out—

A blaring alarm suddenly shattered the silence.