Chapter 206: The Arrival of the Augmented
The disk-shaped vessel or the Dominion hovered above...
Its circular body even seemed like it was faintly glowing because of the moonlight.
But this time, it wasn’t alone. Two Impulse gunships flanked it, their engines roaring like thunder.
Kai frowned as he felt something was off...
After all, there weren’t any more Swarmers or Drones that came to check on them.
’This is cheating... The system didn’t mention the Impulse being here as well.’ Kai muttered, but he couldn’t really do anything about it but complain.
He remembered the last Impulse they had faced, and it had carried Sentinels.
This time, however, the hatches beneath the gunships opened, and mechanical Hounds poured out!
Twenty from the left Impulse. Twenty from the right.
Forty in total, descending like a storm.
"Steelbreakers forward!" Kai commanded. "Carbines, suppress the drop zones!"
The survivors scrambled into formation. The front liners gripped their Steelbreaker Swords, while the ten riflemen raised their carbines and fired at the descending Hounds.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bullets weren’t enough to penetrate the armor of the Hounds, but it was doing well suppressing them.
Furthermore, if they got lucky, they’d hit the scanners and joints of the Hounds that were a lot softer compared to their armor. Thanks to that, it was slowing their advance but not stopping them.
As the Hounds charged, Kai was worried that they would receive some enhancements, like a new weapon or combat patterns.
After all, it would normally be expected when fighting against A.I. Units.
However, it seemed that these low-grade Hounds weren’t even connected to Anima. They seemed to be running in autonomous mode, and they were falling into the same traps.
"Alright! They’re close! Stop firing!" Mei said as she dashed forward...
Her Steelbreaker swung fast!
Bam!
The crushing force dented a Hound’s skull, sending it to the back.
’Tsk... Am I getting tired already?’
Mei frowned at the thought.
She then turned quickly, striking another across the chest... Since her strength wasn’t enough for a one-hit kill, she compensated with her speed.
She was moving so swiftly as if she had an eye at the back of her head.
Aurora fired her rifle in bursts, targeting the Hounds that tried to flank the formation. Each shot weakened their balance, allowing the Steelbreaker Squad to finish them off.
"They’re already getting used to it..." Kai muttered to himself as he saw how everyone was fighting so well.
He didn’t even have to act as they easily dismantled the Hounds and stopped their momentum.
He just remained at the rear, watching carefully. However, as soon as the Dominion made its move, Kai immediately acted.
After all, he was the best person to deal with the Bombers.
With his Specter Step and Spirit Pulse, he’d be able to detonate the bombs before they could reach their target.
Meanwhile, the Impulses started their offensive.
Plasma bolts streaked down, scorching the barricades.
The survivors ducked for cover, but they had already expected this.
"Hold the line! Focus on the Hounds first!"
"Yes! Atom will suppress the vessels above!"
Just like that, Atom acted, and the Steelbreaker Squad swung again and again, crushing the Hounds before.
The carbines also fired in bursts, showering the battlefield with suppressive fire.
With so many enemies being eliminated, the others couldn’t help but celebrate after feeling a familiar sensation.
"I think I leveled up just now!"
"Haha! It feels so good! I’m sure I also reached Level 6!"
Indeed, during this time, everyone was gaining Experience Points!
[ Enemy Unit Destroyed: Hounds (D) ]
[ Experience Points distributed among all participants. ]
[ +200 Experience Points ]
The notifications flashed continuously, but the battle was far from over.
Aurora reloaded quickly...
She fired again, taking down a Hound that pounced on a worker.
"Keep pushing!" she shouted.
Mei’s blade smashed into another Hound...
She breathed heavily, sweat dripping down her brow, but she knew that she couldn’t just rest yet.
At this time, Amer’s Spirit Sense was triggered...
He looked up just in time to see another wave of Hounds leaping from the Impulse hatches. "Incoming!" he warned.
The survivors braced themselves as twenty more mechanical dogs hit the ground.
Kai knew that he had to help them now...
"Second wave!"
Just like that, the survivors fought desperately, but their teamwork held.
’It’s a good thing I prepared many extra magazines, and we added more traps for these Hounds.’ Kai mused as he destroyed all the bombers in the air...
At this time, he couldn’t imagine how the other shelters would actually fare against this level of assault.
After all, if not for his infinite gift pack, they wouldn’t have enough firepower to deal with these enemies. They were also very lucky with Atom’s presence on their side.
’There might be a lot of casualties in this event...’
Well, there were probably a lot of names that would definitely disappear in the World Chat after this.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last Hound was struck down. Its body collapsed with a metallic thud, and silence fell over the battlefield once more.
The survivors panted heavily...
"Urgh... When will this end?"
"It’s tiring..."
"Hey! This isn’t over yet!"
"Drink the potions if needed!"
They had faced so many mechanical Hounds and lived. However, the two Impulse Vessels and the Dominion Vessel weren’t eliminated just yet...
***
The survivors braced themselves, ready to turn their focus on the three vessels hovering above. Soon, the Dominion’s hatches glowed ominously, and the Impulses circled in the sky, preparing for another strike.
Then, without warning, a projectile streaked across the sky. It moved faster than any carbine round, faster than any plasma bolt!
In an instant, it pierced through the air and struck the engines of all three vessels.
Boom!
The Dominion shuddered violently, its anti‑gravity field collapsed instantly!
As if the barrier wasn’t there at all!
The two Impulses also spun out of control with flames trailing from their rotors.
One by one, the massive machines crashed to the ground!
Boom! Boom!
Kai’s eyes widened. He turned sharply toward the source of the shot.
Standing not too far from their shelter was a muscular man in his thirties, clad in striking clothes that Kai recognized immediately.
They were similar to the uniforms he had seen before... the mark of Augmented Humans!
This man was no ordinary survivor. He was definitely an Augmented Human...
Then Kai noticed something that made him stunned.
’Wait... did he just throw those stones?’