Chapter 427
Chapter 427
Marcus took one last look at the bustling activity around him, then began striding across the compound. He was headed toward the fabricator that was manufacturing various mech parts, eager to check the status of the process. It was going to be their first mech, and he planned to test it himself once it was fully assembled.
He was halfway across the base when he heard a shout from behind him, “We’re under attack!”
Just as he spun around, he spotted a huge winged creature soaring over the base. It was pitch-black, with large blue eyes that instantly reminded him of the morphus. For a fleeting heartbeat, he wondered if the mutant had simply transformed into a new, more menacing form.
That thought vanished when, moments later, several more winged shapes streaked across the perimeter walls. They joined the first, circling together in the skies above the base.
Those winged monstrosities were clearly the creations of the morphus. Back in the mines of the Los Demonios main base, Marcus had already encountered the massive arachnids Jake had summoned to assist him in taking control over the underground stronghold. As it now turned out, those enormous arachnids were not the only combat units under Jake’s command.
High above the base, massive winged monstrosities glided in slow, predatory circles, their passing silhouettes casting dark shadows over the ground. Everyone within the compound stopped what they had been doing and stared upward at the flying creatures. Most of them retrieved their weapons, and some even aimed at the winged beasts, but so far, nobody fired a single shot.
That was when realization struck Marcus. The turrets were silent! They had yet to open fire on the intruders. Normally, any creature attempting to force its way through the gates or scale the perimeter walls would have been met with a storm of gunfire.
But now, all the turrets remained quiet. Sure, the winged creatures hadn’t made any overtly aggressive moves yet, but even so, the moment they soared over the walls, the turrets should have not only locked onto them but opened fire. But for some strange reason, that hadn’t happened yet.
The absence of gunfire was more than just strange. It was unsettling.
Marcus turned his head toward the nearest turret. That was when all four automated machine gun turrets finally opened fire. But to his shock, their barrels didn’t track the winged creatures wheeling in the sky. Instead, the turrets swiveled toward one another, spraying streams of bullets.
For a moment, he struggled to comprehend what was going on. As he stood rooted to the spot, the chaos kept unfolding. The heavy-caliber rounds, fired relentlessly by the turrets, drilled into one another, each impact sending sprays of sparks flying.
It wasn’t long before the turrets blew up, sending charred pieces of metal spiraling through the air like deadly confetti. Panicked screams filled the air as his people scrambled to get out of the way, their movements frantic as debris rained down all around them. Three of the turrets were reduced to charred, smoking wreckage, nothing more than twisted, smoldering fragments scattered across the ground.
The only surviving turret was heavily damaged, its barrel jerking from side to side. Its computer and targeting system were likely compromised, causing it to malfunction. Bluish mist drifted from the bullet holes scattered across its body, seeping out from the mana crystal that served as the weapon’s power source.
Then, the mana crystal must have destabilized because in the next instant, the turret erupted in a violent blast, hurling razor-sharp shards of metal in every direction.
Marcus wheeled toward the HQ. He was sure Samantha was aware of what was happening, watching the strange events unfold within the base through the surveillance cameras. Still, he needed to reach her so they could put their heads together and figure out what was going on and what they should do about it.
He had barely taken a few steps when movement above caught his eye. A pitch-black figure emerged on the flat rooftop of HQ, its form a shadow against the sky. His breath froze. It was the morphus. The sudden recognition made him skid to a halt, adrenaline spiking. What was he doing up there? And how, in hell, had he managed to infiltrate the base and reach the headquarters completely unnoticed by anyone?
Before he could do anything, Jake leapt from the roof of the two‑story building, sinking into a crouch to absorb the impact. As the mutant rose to his feet, the winged creatures suddenly dove, plummeting through the air like falling rocks.
“Open fire!” Marcus yelled at the top of his lungs.
Gunfire crackled sporadically through the compound, echoing off steel and concrete. Marcus sprinted toward HQ, his heart pounding. Not from exertion, but rather from the gnawing fear for Samantha’s safety. The morphus had breached the base’s main structure, filling Marcus with worry for her.
However, he never made it to HQ. Just as he started running, the morphus burst into a sprint to intercept him. The mutant slammed into him with tremendous force, sending Marcus tumbling to the ground. Before he could recover and stand, the mutant was already on top of him, pressing him into the dirt.
However, the morphus didn’t attack. He simply pinned Marcus to the ground while casually glancing around. Marcus struggled to break free, but his strength was no match for the mutant’s. It was like trying to push a mountain.
Gunfire and panicked screams echoed across the base. Marcus turned his head to look around. From his position on the ground, his view was limited, but what he could see was far from encouraging. His people were still engaged in a desperate fight against the winged creatures swooping down on them, but they were clearly losing the battle.
Suddenly, something strange occurred. From every pore of the morphus’ body, what appeared to be pitch-black smoke began to erupt. It quickly enveloped the entire compound in a shroud of darkness. Within mere seconds, visibility was reduced to almost nothing. Marcus, his heart racing, could barely see two inches in front of him, his surroundings now just a void of darkness.
Judging by the screams of his people, they were overwhelmed with panic. The sounds of gunfire began to fade, becoming less prominent as more and more of them fell. Apparently, unlike humans, those winged creatures could either see through the pitch-black smoke or rely on other senses to locate their targets within it.
Suddenly, the weight pinning him down vanished. However, before he could take advantage of it, the heavy flapping of massive wings reached his ears. A split second later, the weight slammed down once more, pinning him mercilessly against the ground. Just like the morphus before it, the winged creature that had landed on him didn’t attack. He tried once more to break free, but his efforts were in vain.
The screams and gunfire gradually faded until all fell silent.
Moments later, the pitch-black darkness that had enveloped the area dissipated. Marcus jerked his head frantically from side to side, trying to take in the scene. He braced himself for the sight of his people’s dead bodies, but to his immense relief, he saw something different.
The other winged creatures had his people pinned firmly to the ground. Some of his fellow survivors were struggling, their faces contorted with effort as they tried to wrestle free from the iron grip of their captors. Others lay still, their expressions resigned, having seemingly accepted their inability to escape. But from what Marcus could see from his position, every one of his people was still alive.
From somewhere to his side came a crashing sound. He jerked his head in that direction. What he saw made him both angry and devastated. The morphus was hitting one of the machines with fists that were much larger than they should have been. Almost every single punch he delivered caused a small explosion at the point of impact. It wasn’t long before the machine was reduced to unrecognizable rubble. The morphus then moved on to the next piece of machinery.
Marcus couldn’t bear the sight of everything they had worked so hard to build being destroyed in mere seconds.
“No!” he yelled. “What are you doing?! Stop!”
Sure enough, the morphus completely ignored him. After obliterating one machine, he immediately moved on to another. Moreover, the huge arachnids the morphus had summoned back in the mines had arrived as well, joining in on the destruction of the base. They spewed torrents of acid from their mouths at the machines, turning them into melted mounds of metal in mere seconds.
Soon, every piece of machinery lay in ruins, twisted metal and shattered components scattered across the ground. The morphus and his horde of monsters didn’t stop there, though. They moved on to crush the perimeter walls and guard towers into dust. Within mere minutes, every structure and wall was reduced to rubble.
Marcus couldn’t believe his eyes. They had all worked so hard to establish this stronghold, and now it was completely destroyed in a matter of minutes. The sight was utterly devastating. As he surveyed the rubble that once was their fortress, tears welled up, blurring his vision.
However, the morphus hadn’t destroyed everything. The main structure of the base, the headquarters, was still standing, towering above the piles of wreckage and rubble that surrounded it. The arachnids remained where they were, while the winged creatures kept his people pinned to the ground.
Without sparing a single glance at the destruction he had caused, the morphus began to jog toward HQ.