Chapter 350.2: The Battle Between Ability Users

Exoskeleton?

Drone?

Those fancy items were worthless against pure strength!

His muscles were the most powerful engine!

Clang!

The clash of metal against metal produced a resounding clang.

However, the person in front of him didn't fly back as he had anticipated.

The steel plate he was holding felt like it had hit a wall, barely even budging.

A hint of surprise crossed Blake's face, quickly replaced by anger.

He forcefully lifted the steel plate, pulling out a Morning Star Mace concealed inside, swinging it toward the exoskeleton's head.

Another clang rang out.

The person wielded a shovel starkly contrasting the high-tech style of their equipment, yet it directly intercepted his blow!

Blake felt a mixture of astonishment and fear, especially as a tingling sensation spread from his hand.

"Haha! Nice one!" The man shouted something incomprehensible as the shovel in his hand traced an arc, swiftly slashing towards Blake's head.

Blake hastily raised his mace to block, and with 2 loud clangs, he was forced back.

The man seemed tireless, swinging the shovel like a windmill.

Even though the steel shovel had been deformed by the impacts, it still continued to relentlessly strike at his face.

Fear emerged on Blake's face. Even if he were slow-witted, he realized at this moment that the man before him was an ability user!

He wasn’t any weaker!

Empowered by the exoskeleton, the combat unit, driven by muscles and motors simultaneously, the attack surged forth like a stormy onslaught.

Far from being tired, the man became more fierce.

However, Blake’s physical functions had reached their limits, unable to hold up any longer. He retreated, falling to his knees, raising both arms in surrender.

"I surrender!"

The few surviving lackeys behind him were stunned, exchanging glances. But seeing their boss surrender, they eventually dropped their weapons.

Watching the boss, Blake, kneeling on the ground, the player named Kidney Warrior slightly frowned, halting the shovel mid air.

He was having such a great time.

Why surrender now? Get up and continue!

Trembling on the ground, Blake was drenched in cold sweat. The gaze of the man in front of him instilled an instinctive sense of unease.

But he couldn't fight anymore.

At that moment, the breathless voices of their teammates came through the earpieces.

"Fuck me, I finally arrived... Support position, which floor are you on? Why did the gunfire stop? Is everyone okay?" Peepo’s voice rang in their ears.

"... It's over, the boss surrendered," Doggo said with a strange expression, "You can come down."

Peepo caught his breath and cursed, "Oh, are you fucking kidding me?!"

...

On the rooftop of a nearby building, a woman covered in alloy armor stood quietly.

Her entire head was concealed by a black visor and helmet, leaving only her gender discernible from her body contour.

At first glance, it seemed she wore an exoskeleton, but upon closer inspection, the helmet and visor were non-removable parts, directly attached to her neck.

She had no name, only an X-16 designation written on her left chest and the processor buried in her chest cavity.

A small, nimble electronic sparrow landed on her shoulder, its lively black eyes flickering with a string of dark green code.

X-16 nodded silently, gazing ahead through the pitch-black visor, speaking with cold electronic tones. "... The bait has been captured. Shall we initiate Plan B?"

A response came through the communication channel. "No need, come back."

X-16 nodded. "Understood."

Shortly after she spoke, the figure on the rooftop had silently departed, as if never there...

...

Meanwhile, Blake and his five crestfallen subordinates, under the escort of 3 exoskeleton-clad players, walked out of the bullet-riddled abandoned building, holding their heads.

Upon seeing the 7 soldiers standing beside the envoy, a hint of despair appeared on Blake's face.

Until a few seconds ago, he naively thought that the three he encountered earlier were the New Alliance envoy's strongest force.

But now, facing the seven warriors clad in exoskeletons in front of him, he could feel that their imposing manner was no less than those 3, especially the one standing in the front, whose strength was unfathomable!

At this moment, he finally realized how foolish it was to accept the mission.

The captured weapons were gathered together.

Looking at the RPG launcher on the ground, Old White's face showed a hint of surprise. "That’s a rocket launcher, where did you get this?"

He spoke in the federation language.

Blake answered cautiously, "The black market in the slums sells these things."

Although Boulder Town's weapon shops had them, they were not prominently displayed, they would usually put a small launcher on the shelves.

Explosives exceeding 50 grams equivalent were not allowed inside the giant walls. After payment, they had to be collected from the trade stations outside the walls.

It seemed like this was the case in all the survivors' settlements in the wasteland.

Luca approached, looking down at Blake crouching with his hands on his head, and spoke in a deep voice. "Who sent you?"

As the plot unfolded, other players around looked over with interest.

"I don't know..." Blake stuttered nervously, then, noticing the gazes of everyone, hurriedly explained, “I really don’t know. I... I just take money and get things done. The person I dealt with is a regular at the Pirate's Bay Tavern. His name is Byte. You can inquire with the bartender there; they all know him.'"

"You took his money?" Luca stared intently, "What did he ask you to do? How much were you paid?"

"My contact just told me to bring people here for an ambush and gave me a chip worth 1000 as an upfront payment," Blake's face wore a fawning and pleading look, "I'm willing to give up everything I have. I just beg for mercy."

Without giving much attention to the bounty hunter's plea, Luca's face turned serious.

Although he anticipated that this journey wouldn't be smooth, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he scheduled the agreement signing to be done so quickly to prevent giving those with ill intentions time to prepare.

Unfortunately, they were still targeted.

Old White glanced at Luca with a raised eyebrow. "How do we handle these captives?"

Luca pondered for a moment before speaking. "Leave it to the administrator."

He then activated his VM, set coordinates on the map, and looked at Old White. "The Guardian Corps will send someone to collect the captives. Can you arrange for 2 people to wait here for a while?"

Old White nodded, looking at 2 agility type players nearby. "You two guard the prisoners. The NPC responsible for taking those captives is on the way here. Wait until the handover is complete before catching up."

Both nodded in unison.

"Got it!"

"Okay!"

...

The captives and spoils of war were left in place, guarded by two individuals, while the group continued on their way.

Retreating due to such difficulties would undoubtedly play into the hands of the other side.

Luca resolved in his heart that no matter what happened, he would bring back that agreement.

At the same time, in a building that gave a strong industrial vibe in the outer city of Boulder Town.

A man in formal attire sat in the office, quietly contemplating the holographic image projected onto the desk.

Although it was an office, there was no sense of simplicity here.

The entire room was designed to the standards of a presidential suite in an inner city hotel.

From the desk in front of him to the bed in the adjoining room, every piece of furniture was an imported luxury from Ideal City.

His name was Eberts, the chairman of Boulder Town Arms Industry.

As the underground emperor of Boulder Town's outer circle, he was the only one in the entire outer city with the financial power to enjoy all of this.

And he was the only one deserving of such luxury.

Standing next to the man, a slightly aged secretary spoke softly, "Their capabilities are astonishing."

Eberts nodded, expressionless. "

Mhm

, they must have mastered some technique that induces awakening."

"And their awakened abilities are not weak either."

Inducing awakening wasn't exactly easy, but it wasn't an insurmountable difficulty either.

When a population faced a crisis of life and death, a few unreasonably strong individuals were bound to emerge.

Coupled with the achievements in genetic engineering during the Federation of People's Era, this particular situation was infinitely magnified, leading to what was commonly known as awakening. This was the most mainstream viewpoint.

Even without relying on any technological means, some survivors in settlements could naturally have an ability user.

And with the use of certain techniques, it was also possible to actively induce awakening in individuals with potential.

Although this came with a series of risks, including reproductive isolation.