Chapter 17: Crossfire

Li Chuan and Suna exchanged a brief glance, the pain in their eyes barely hidden. He Lian's shadow lingered over them, but they knew now wasn't the time to dwell on their grief. Action was pressing.

Lao Zhao nodded solemnly. "We need to move quickly. Noah’s betrayal has given us an opening. The Administration was forced to shut down all their Replicator robots. The base’s defenses are significantly weakened."

Xiao Bai clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "This time, we will avenge He Lian!"

Zhang Nan stepped forward, placing a hand on both Li Chuan and Xiao Bai's shoulders. "We've contacted He Lian’s squad. The Administration sent their special forces to storm the command post, and He Lian led the soldiers in a fierce defense, holding the base to the last breath."

Lao Zhao let out a deep sigh, his expression complicated. He mentioned that Noah had once been the Administration’s strongest Replicator robot, equipped with the ability to upload human consciousness, a cold, emotionless war machine.

But in one mission, Noah accidentally fused with the mind of an Awakened, gaining self-awareness. Though he remained incredibly powerful, he was no longer under the full control of the Administration. In response, they decided to shut down and destroy all the Replicators for safety.

Lao Zhao’s face grew more serious. Noah’s awakening stemmed from absorbing the mind of an Awakened, giving him free will. But the most shocking event was when, during the final battle, He Lian was gravely wounded, and Noah chose to merge with her consciousness, completing what he called an "evolution."

The surrounding silence deepened, with only the cold wind stirring. Li Chuan's heart filled with questions. He needed to know: was He Lian still alive in some form?

Lao Zhao’s expression grew even more complex. He explained that they weren’t sure. He Lian’s body was gone, but her mind might remain inside Noah’s core. This, he suggested, could be Noah’s idea of "immortality."

Suna whispered to herself, struggling to comprehend the concept of Noah and He Lian’s supposed "evolution," her voice tinged with unease and confusion.

Li Chuan, however, furrowed his brow, concerned about the people under the Administration’s control. Would they regain their memories if the sun’s light returned to normal?

Zhang Nan sighed, admitting that while the Administration’s grip might loosen, it was still unclear whether they could recover their memories of the past.

At that moment, Gao Qiang fiddled with a mechanical part, spitting on the ground before growling, “Those bastards at the Administration are going to learn what real firepower feels like this time!”

Zhang Nan stood on a high vantage point, scanning the area with a furrowed brow. "We don’t have much time. Intelligence suggests they’ll be here in 30 minutes." His voice was calm but carried an urgency that couldn’t be ignored.

The smell of scorched metal hung in the air, and an eerie stillness settled over the battlefield, as if even the wind had ceased. The Awakened quickly set their traps.

Li Chuan moved silently across the collapsed metal plates, his voice low. "The terrain here is too ideal. They won’t fall for it so easily. We need to adjust the ambush points."

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The Administration’s forces arrived as expected. Leading them was a mysterious man, his thin frame radiating a cold, sharp presence. He stood atop an armored vehicle, squinting as he surveyed the surroundings, the delay in their arrival clearly souring his mood.

“They’ve wasted too much time,” he muttered to himself, his face dark. He knew the internal disputes within the Administration had already squandered valuable time for the search. If they had arrived earlier, they wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

The convoy stopped 200 meters from the ambush site. The commander issued careful orders, and the scouting dogs were deployed, fanning out across the area to scan their surroundings thoroughly.

“Their reconnaissance is thorough,” Zhang Nan whispered, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Good thing we adjusted our ambush points; otherwise, they would have spotted us by now.”

No anomalies were detected, but the commander frowned, waving his hand to expand the search. Silent infrared scans spread out across the battlefield.

The Awakened held their breath. Although their equipment shielded them from detection, each footstep felt like it was pressing directly onto their nerves, the weight of the situation crushing down like iron.

Suddenly, one of the scout dogs stopped directly above Gao Qiang, its mechanical claws furiously scratching at the ground, the metallic screech piercing the air. Sand and debris flew as the ground beneath Gao Qiang began to shift.

“Damn dog!” Gao Qiang cursed under his breath, sweat dripping down his back. He couldn’t hesitate. Concentrating his will, his Awakening force surged into the dog’s control system.

The mechanical beast froze, letting out a short, sharp "woof" before turning away as if nothing had happened, calmly strolling off.

“Clear!” reported one of the scouts, firing three shots into the ground where the dog had been scratching.

The commander remained standing on the roof of the vehicle, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the distant wreckage, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through the battlefield. “Stay alert,” he commanded coldly. “The black box’s signal is near. We can’t afford to let our guard down.”

As the Administration’s forces entered the pre-set trap, Zhang Nan decisively gave the order. The Rupert bombs soared silently into the air. Their crystalline shells sparkled in the sunlight, deceptively harmless in appearance.

In an instant, the stress points of the bombs were triggered with precision. The internal high-pressure stress released at the speed of light. There was no blinding flash, only rippling waves of energy distorting the space around them as they radiated from the core.

The air trembled violently, followed by a low, resounding rumble. The shockwave swept across the battlefield at supersonic speed, hurling dust and metal fragments into the sky.

Shrapnel, like a rain of high-velocity particles, pierced through the enemy’s shields, tearing apart their formations. The entire battlefield was turned upside down in this silent, deadly devastation.

Suna quickly squeezed the trigger, and the bullets from her Rupert rifle sliced through the shields with precision, ripping through the enemy ranks. Flames flickered across the battlefield, her heartbeat synchronizing with the rhythm of her shots, though her composure never faltered.

But just as the Awakened began to suppress the enemy, the Administration’s commander remained unfazed. He swiftly regrouped his forces, wasting no time. With a sharp wave of his hand, the remnants of his troops formed a defensive triangle.

“Concentrate fire, triangle formation!” His voice cut through the chaos like a blade. The surviving soldiers quickly gathered, using the terrain to form three layers of defensive lines. From three angles, their concentrated firepower pushed the Awakened back.

The barrage of fire formed a deadly grid in an instant. Suna ducked behind cover, her chest tightening. The enemy’s firepower was seamless, every inch of the battlefield meticulously guarded. She analyzed the enemy’s layout, rapidly formulating her next move.

The enemy’s command was precise, disrupting the Awakened’s momentum.

Li Chuan crouched behind the wreckage, his eyes locked on the distant commander. He observed the enemy’s tactics, his heart racing. “His counterattack… it’s too fast.” Li Chuan clenched his fists, realizing they needed a breakthrough, or the tide would turn completely against them.

As the enemy's firepower intensified, the Awakened's offensive was steadily being pushed back. Zhang Nan, hidden behind the ruins, scanned the battlefield like a hawk. He didn’t panic, instead calmly analyzing the enemy’s deployment and fire points. Every explosion, every flash of fire, was carefully noted in his mind.

“Their formation is staggered,” Zhang Nan’s eyes narrowed with sharp focus. He quickly calculated the gaps in their defenses, knowing that continuing a blind assault would only lead to deeper entrapment. They needed to strike decisively.