"No good!"

Li Xiaoya was in the control room, working with engineers to recalibrate the command center’s power and systems. Cutting off its electricity had triggered cascading failures, and overriding Wang Wei’s security protocols demanded intense focus. Suddenly, a man burst in, gasping for breath.

"What happened?" Li Xiaoya asked. This was one of the men who’d earlier harassed Lixin—still sporting a swollen bump on his temple.

"Preyas is on the move! They’re clearly trying to finish us off while we’re down!" His voice rasped with panic. If Preyas attacked now, they stood no chance.

"Tch." Li Xiaoya frowned but stayed calm.

Their position near Preyas’s base let them monitor enemy movements with outdated radar—a system Preyas ignored, making it relatively safe. But they were powerless to strike back. They couldn’t even reach the surface. The command center lacked flight-capable Ability Users. They were scrambling to assemble a makeshift team to dig an escape tunnel.

"Can we contact the frontline troops guarding the city?" Li Xiaoya pressed.

"No way…" The man sighed. "We’re too deep underground. Our low-grade equipment can barely send signals to the surface, let alone kilometers beyond."

"Damn it." Li Xiaoya turned to the engineers. "Keep working. I’m stepping out."

"Understood."

"Get that tunnel open—fast. I don’t care how loud it gets. Prioritize speed!"

"Got it!"

They desperately needed backup. Even if every defender fought, Preyas could overrun their weakened command center in ten minutes. The frontline troops, unaware of the attack, would charge in unprepared. Preyas had held back its sole Battleship until now—likely deeming this theater unworthy of its massive energy drain. But this assault felt different. They were all-in. That Battleship *would* deploy. Only reinforcements could counter it.

And they couldn’t call for help.

Li Xiaoya was near breaking point.

"Report! Enemy forces mobilizing! Unprecedented scale! This is an all-out assault!"

The news of Preyas’s final push finally crackled over the comms.

"Oh my god…!!"

Another mind snapped…

……………………………………………………………

Early morning. Three figures walked down a quiet street toward breakfast.

"Stop being mad, okay?"

"…………"

Lixin ignored Qin Fan’s pleading.

"You apologize too."

"Hey! She almost killed me last night!" Cleyna’s protest lacked conviction. She’d started it, ignoring Lixin’s strict "no pranks" rule. Anger was justified.

"Ugh…………"

After an internal struggle, Cleyna relented. No need to ruin everything over this.

"Fine. It was my idea. Sorry. Apology accepted?"

It sounded half-hearted, but Cleyna rarely apologized to anyone.

"………………"

Lixin still wouldn’t look at them.

*This guy…*

A "#"-shaped vein throbbed on Cleyna’s temple.

"Hey…" Qin Fan stopped abruptly.

"What now?" Cleyna snapped, irritation flaring.

"What… is *that*?" He pointed ahead.

"Huh?"

Cleyna followed his gaze. Government fighter jets swarmed in the distance—a dark, growing cluster.

"What’s going on?" she echoed, though Qin Fan had already asked.

**EMERGENCY ALERT! ALL CITIZENS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY UNDER MILITARY GUIDANCE! PREYAS FORCES ARE 3 KM FROM CITY LIMITS! EVACUATE NOW!**

The city-wide broadcast boomed, jolting sleepers awake.

"No way?!"

Panic erupted. People surged backward. Hotel guests spilled onto streets—cars, motorcycles, bare feet—all merging into a chaotic river. Military evacuation vehicles jammed the roads, paralyzed.

The trio was swept into the current.

"Damn it! Don’t they drill evacuations in frontline cities?!" Cleyna growled, shoved violently. She nearly activated her ability to shove back.

"Command probably fled already. That’s why Lapthesis exists. And our temporary HQ is crippled. Remember?"

*Right. HQ’s gone.*

Cleyna activated her power, forcing a path against the tide. As Ability Users, they needed to reach the battlefield.

"Follow me! Huh? Where’s Lixin?"

She’d vanished.

"Forget her. She’s a Superman-type. She’ll catch up!" No time to search. They had to reach the troops.

Qin Fan contacted Elwin.

"Qin Fan? What’s wrong?" Elwin’s voice crackled through.

"I can only reach you—spread the word! Preyas is at the city gates!"

"*What?!*" Elwin wondered if these three carried cursed luck. Trouble followed them everywhere.

As for Lixin… she’d gone to find a target for the fury simmering since last night.