"What the hell? Is someone here?"

The three turned to see a woman in special ops gear frantically waving at them.

"What should we do? Go or not?" Cleyna, ever cautious, still wanted the others’ opinions.

Lixin didn’t care—she could survive without hiding. But Qin Fan hadn’t fully recovered and had overexerted again. He needed rest. No time to hesitate; she’d handle any trouble.

"Alright, move!"

Lixin supported Qin Fan and Cleyna as they ran toward the woman. The area was wide open, few buildings under a gray sky. Only one road cut through crumbling ruins—a frequent battle zone. Why hadn’t they known?

Moving like this was dangerous. They had to escape fast.

"Hurry! Faster!"

The woman rushed over to help carry Qin Fan. All four sprinted to the nearest surprisingly intact bungalow.

Whoosh—

An attack shot straight at them. The woman spun instantly, swatting the laser beam aside with her bare hand.

"This..."

That was impressive. Cleyna wouldn’t dare casually slap away something like that.

No time to marvel—the Preyas were closing in.

"No good," the woman suddenly said.

"What’s wrong?"

"Too many chasing us. We can’t go in there."

"Go in where?"

She didn’t answer. "You go first. I’ll hold them off and catch up."

"Got it!"

She seemed trustworthy, but they barely knew her. Better not pry. Could she really solo a whole Preyas squad? There were twenty or thirty of them.

Survival first. Before entering the bungalow, they stayed alert for traps. If it was safe and she meant to help, this might buy time.

For now, they’d watch her fight. Her confidence suggested she was strong.

Hmm...

She was skilled, but not enough.

Her combat experience showed. One-on-one, she crushed opponents. Weapons were useless—her reflexes were inhumanly fast, swatting lasers before impact. A strange flicker surrounded her, almost like... overclocking? Her martial arts were sharp too. Preyas were twice her size, yet she dodged every close strike, targeting weak points like throats and waists.

But they ganged up. After downing four, her edge vanished. She started bleeding.

"Damn it... not yet..."

Wiping blood from her lip, she glared at the enemies.

"What now? Help her?" Cleyna asked Lixin. The woman was faltering, though killing four under pressure was impressive.

"You go? Aren’t your hands still crippled?" Lixin didn’t turn, watching intently, curious about the woman’s powers.

"You do it!"

"Kidding? With that many enemies?"

With onlookers, Lixin couldn’t unleash full power. She’d broken that government rule before, but Principal had barely covered up the last incident with Melly. Honestly, she was just lazy—the government couldn’t control her anyway.

"Fine. I’ll support from afar."

The woman’s stamina was fading. Dodging one Preyas punch, she missed another’s grab.

Pinned, she was a lamb to slaughter. The holder or the gunmen could finish her.

Crack—

The gripping hands went limp. She broke free just as the others fired.

Pop pop pop...

A black barrier blocked the shots. She glimpsed her captor—neck pierced by a black spear, dead.

Someone was helping?

She spotted Lixin waving urgently from the bungalow.

Over a dozen Preyas remained. Even sprinting, she couldn’t outpace them...

Boom!

A massive black barrier erupted on the ground, fixed and huge—buying her seconds.

She accelerated into a flickering blue streak, dashing to the bungalow and slipping inside.

"You okay?" Cleyna rushed over.

The woman keyed her earpiece: "2591897. No enemies within fifty meters. Open up!"

Whoosh!

The floor split open, revealing a bright stairwell.

"Hurry! Preyas will catch up. This shuts if it scans enemies within fifty meters."

She stepped in immediately, explaining as she went.

So... an underground passage? Were they idiots for thinking they’d fight here?