Intervention of the Ark Unit.Even just seeing their gasping figures showed how urgently they had rushed over.Thanks to that, the scales of balance began to return to the center.Because the entities were tangled together, not many managed to break free.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!“Left side clear!”“First row, reload! Focus on the front!”Then came the deployment of combat mechs.Thud!Ziiiing! Boom!Two-and-a-half-meter-tall units began joining the battle one after another.“Combat unit pilots, form the front line!”““Yes, sir—!!””Apparently, quite a few machines had been repaired in time—five [Armored Machines] and three [Weapons Machines] took their positions.The heavily armored Armored Machines became the squad’s mobile cover and barricades,while the Weapons Machines stationed right behind them unleashed heavy fire.In moments, the corridor they’d barely held was choked with wreckage.Amidst it all stood Eli Wayris, firm and unshaken.She had little real shooting experience,but she calmly covered the riflemen in front of her.‘That must be an Engineer Arm.’From her shoulder extended a silver prosthetic arm—likely why she could maintain steady fire without suffering from recoil.Watching her, one couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of pride.The growth of both the Ark Unit and Eli Wayless stirred something deep within.But—before long, they too would realize it.This was not a problem they could solve on their own.As expected, a faint sigh escaped Benjamin’s lips.“Captain! We’re running low on ammo!”That was the issue—not tactics, but ammunition.There were far more enemies than bullets.‘We can’t hold out much longer like this.’Each reload carried the risk of disaster.No one could predict how the situation would turn next.“……Chief of Staff.”The captain’s voice, calling Benjamin, was grave.“Yes, Captain!”“If there’s a way, will you follow it?”“If it’s an order, I’ll follow without question.”A slow, steady breath.His mind cooled, hard as steel.‘There’s only one way to end this quickly… the reactor.’The miniature generator—if they detonated that massive energy source…they might not wipe out all the creatures,but they could collapse this place and seal it for good.‘If the Ark Unit arrived first, that means… something happened to that man.’So now, they had to retrieve both the reactor and Gamma.But leaving this position was a huge risk.If anything happened while he was gone, there’d be no way to respond.So he came up with a more extreme plan.“I’ll break through one more time myself.”“You, Captain?!”“And seal off the subway entrance as tightly as possible.”“Understood!”“If we put the Armored Machines in front, we can form an impenetrable line.”“I’ll see to it.”‘I can still move… barely.’In truth, his whole body ached, and his heart felt ready to burst.But while he still could move even a little,he gritted his teeth and raised his blade, wringing out the last of his strength.“I’ll take point! Cover the combat mechs—!!”All eyes were on him.He couldn’t afford to move like some broken old man—that would crush morale.If he was going to give everything, he’d squeeze out every last drop.[Flash Strike LV.5]Slash!With a gleaming arc, he charged forward to lead.Though his appearance was sudden, the troops responded as if they’d been waiting for it.“The Captain’s with us—!! Forward!!”Their morale roared back to life with his bold advance.The steps that carried their hopes almost felt light.“A little more—!! Get that line in order!!”““Yes, sir—!!””The blocked corridor burst open again,and countless entities surged out at once—but it didn’t matter.Once the momentum was lit, it wouldn’t die easily.‘Twenty more steps.’Just twenty paces to the target point.He threw himself into the blade’s motion,and as he followed the phantom path of the sword in his mind,the cheers behind him grew louder still.“Krraaaaah!!”[Cleave LV.4]With every step forward, his body grew heavier,as if submerged in water.[Status Effect: Very Fatigued → Exhausted]He felt like he might collapse at any moment,but the supporting gunfire took down the enemies that slipped through.[Trait: ‘Humanity’s Strongest Weapon’ activated][Adjusted stat calculation in progress]Ding![Status Effect: Exhausted → Runner’s High]“This is….”Was this his cue to burn everything he had left?Runner’s High.A state of heightened awakening triggered under special conditions—when the brain detects extreme fatigue and pain,it releases hormones that induce a temporary trance-like state.His senses dulled,yet euphoria flooded in—a rapture that made him feel like he could swing endlessly.‘I have to stay calm.’But to lose control now would be fatal.“Huuup—!!”Slash—!!At last, he reached the final point.“Benjamin! Now—!!”“Commence full-volley fire—!!”Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Boom! Thud!A storm of bullets pounded the debris ahead.“Use the Armored Machines to shield the Captain!”The mechs surrounded him, guarding against any mishap.From within that encirclement, he assessed the situation—and it was far from ideal.‘Not enough….’The firepower wasn’t sufficient to collapse the subway entrance.Even with the Weapons Machines firing explosive rounds, it wasn’t enough.But then—he heard a voice, one that hadn’t arrived yet.And he couldn’t help but smile faintly.—I’m late, sir—!!!“Yevgeniya!!! We need to bring down the entrance—!!!”Did his words reach her up in the sky?It didn’t take long to find out.—Captain!! Get your head down—!!!“Everyone down!!”True to Yevgeniya’s brash tone,an oval sphere plummeted from above.It landed squarely at the entrance,bounced once—then embedded deep within.And then—KWA-AAAAAAM!!!!The deafening blast left his ears ringing and the world numb.Biiiiiiiiiip—A high-pitched ringing.The world’s sounds were gone—only that sharp metallic whine remained.Biiiiiip—‘I can’t afford to stay down.’Someone was shouting something urgently,but he couldn’t make out the words.He could only guess from their lips.‘Get… down?’Biiiiip—Biii…Then suddenly, the muted world snapped back into sound.“Get down, Captain—!!”KROOOOAAAAARRR—!!!He froze, watching in disbelief.The blast had collapsed the entrance with tons of debris—yet one mutant had survived and charged through the wreckage.He swung his blade on reflex.The sheer weight behind the clash told him this was no ordinary foe.“Ghhk!”BOOM—!!‘What the hell…?’He couldn’t easily make sense of it.Had this thing been hiding all along?The creature’s body glowed red all over—but fortunately—‘Second stage.’It was only a Stage 2 entity.And so—[Flash Strike LV.5]He lunged like a streak of lightning.Slash—!“Everyone, calm down and reorganize the line.”“C-Captain! Are you alright?”“As you can see.”He forced himself to look fine,though inside, he was utterly wrecked.Ding![Status Effect: Runner’s High → Exhaustion II]Ding![(Warning) Stress Level: 65]His mind was hazy.No matter how he tried,his body wouldn’t respond.‘We’ll have to fall back for now.’The entrance was sealed off,so at least they had bought themselves a little time. If they retreated now, they could always return to finish the job later.“Haa…”A faint sigh escaped as someone caught him by the arm, helping him stay upright.But then—a sudden commotion broke out nearby.“He said to bring this!”A familiar voice.Soon, another spoke up, sounding uncertain.“An unidentified man in his mid-twenties claims he was acting on the Captain’s request. He brought something… What should we do?”Did I ask someone to do that?The exhaustion clouded his memory, leaving everything hazy.“What… did he bring?”The answer that followed snapped his foggy mind back to focus.“He said it’s a black coat and something like a small generator…”The mention alone jolted him awake.“C-Captain!”Blood trickled from his lips.He bit his tongue to force his consciousness back—he couldn’t afford to waste it now.“Bring that young man… here.”“Ah, understood!”“The Captain wants to see him—bring him here!”Just a little longer.He only needed to hold out a bit more.This was truly the final moment.The young man rushed in—then froze, horrified at the sight of the blood-soaked figure before him.“A-are you sure you’re alright?”He couldn’t answer—because he wasn’t.When he reached out his hand, his body wavered,and only with someone’s help did he manage to stay standing.In his grasp lay a black coat.+[Plasma Armor: Gamma]The second item handed over was a small reactor.+[Hydro Reactor (A)]“You did well. You’ve saved me a great deal of work.”The young man didn’t respond—he stumbled back, tripped, and fell.That was how terrible he must have looked.“Remove my exosuit… and get Yevgeniya—”“I’m here, Captain.”Yevgeniya’s voice was low and steady.Her figure was blurred, her expression unreadable.“I plan to use this to wipe out every last creature still inside.Can you do it?”Yevgeniya hesitated briefly,then nodded with firm resolve.“I’ll get it done, no matter what.”“Good.”Breathing was growing harder and harder,even after the exosuit was removed and his lungs could move freely again.“Benjamin. Where are you?”“Right beside you, Captain.”“All of this… is the work of the Special Forces from Central Command—Transhuman.”“I’ll prepare a retaliation operation.”“No. Not yet.”“But…! …Understood.”Benjamin’s voice trembled with rage—like a beast barely holding back a growl.The captain spoke again, laying out the conclusion he’d reached mid-battle.“The reason the entities gathered here… it’s because of high-frequency waves.”“High-frequency…?”“The ones that lost their sight likely evolved sharper hearing and smell.For some unknown reason, this underground area has been emitting ultrasonic frequencies—too high for humans to detect.That’s probably what drew all those things here.”That should be enough.“…Now I’d like to rest a little.”“Captain…”“Captain!”“God, I’m so damn tired.”“Captain, stay with us! Captain!”“Damn it! Medic! Where’s the medic?! Bring anything—stimulant, sedative—I don’t care, just hurry!!”There was nothing more he could do—he could only leave the rest to them.Yet, strangely, a sense of peace settled over him.They’ll handle it.The reactor detonation operation.The follow-up containment measures.They’d see it all through.He trusted the Ark Unit.He trusted Eli.And yet—for some reason—her voice was the only one he hadn’t heard all this time.A faint anxiety crept in,and he called out once more.“Eli.”“I’m right here.”Relief washed over him.The one who had been supporting him all along—from beginning to end—was none other than Eli Wayless.

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