Yan Pengcheng’s face turned pale instantly. Sweat poured down his forehead like rain, rolling down his cheeks and soaking into the collar of his military uniform, creating a dark stain.
“Someone—” He opened his mouth to shout, but the sound caught in his throat, as if an invisible hand were strangling him.
Su Wan’s mental power had sealed his vocal cords in that instant!
Yan Pengcheng’s eyes widened further, his pupils filled with disbelief.
He desperately pushed his Ability Core, trying to break free from the restraint. His pale-gold armor lit up again, frantically resisting the invasion of mental power!
But the gap between Level 3 Mid Stage and Level 3 Late Stage was laid bare at this moment.
Su Wan’s mental power was like a tide, crashing against his consciousness core wave after wave.
Each wave was stronger, more violent, and more ruthless than the last!
Yan Pengcheng’s body began to tremble violently.
His hands slipped from the armrests, gripping the edge of the desk so hard his knuckles turned a bruised white.
That cold, stern face was now filled with agony and struggle.
His consciousness was being eroded bit by bit.
He resisted frantically.
“Im... impossible...”
Yan Pengcheng squeezed out a few words through his teeth, his voice raspy beyond recognition.
His eyes were bloodshot, his eyeballs bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets!
The pale-gold armor flickered on his body like a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.
His mental power struggled, counterattacked, and bit back wildly.
The collision of the two forces set off monstrous waves on the conscious plane!
Su Wan’s brow furrowed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She hadn't expected Yan Pengcheng’s resistance to be so fierce and tenacious.
This man, who had sat in the position of Vice General Commander of the City Defense Force for many years, had a willpower far more resilient than she had anticipated.
But that was all it was.
Against a Level 3 Late Stage mental power user, the gap for a Level 3 Mid Stage Ability User was absolute.
Su Wan took a deep breath, condensed all her mental power into a single point, and struck with sudden force!
“Break!”
She shouted inwardly.
That invisible sharp sword instantly pierced the final line of defense of the pale-gold armor!
“Argh—!”
Yan Pengcheng let out a low scream. It was short and stifled, quickly suppressed by Su Wan’s mental power.
His body arched violently, like a shrimp with a pierced spine, before slamming back into the chair.
The back of the chair let out a sharp crack, nearly snapping.
His eyes rolled back, his pupils dilated, and his body began to twitch uncontrollably.
Even at this moment, his consciousness still struggled.
That survival instinct, that ruthlessness honed through years of crawling through the apocalypse, allowed him to grasp at the last shred of clarity on the brink of mental collapse.
His hand reached out tremblingly toward the communicator on the desk, his fingertips less than ten centimeters from the button.
If he pressed it, the guards outside would rush in.
If he pressed it, the frontline troops would receive an alarm.
If—
Su Wan’s mental power was like iron pincers, clamping down hard on his wrist.
That powerful hand stopped less than five centimeters from the communicator.
Yan Pengcheng strained with all his might, veins bulging and muscles swelling, but the hand didn't budge.
Five centimeters.
A mere five centimeters became a chasm he could not cross.
His consciousness began to crumble at that moment.
His eyelids grew heavier, his vision blurred, and the sounds in his ears grew distant...
Yan Pengcheng’s lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he only let out a nearly inaudible sigh.
Then, his eyes closed.
His body slumped against the back of the chair, his head tilting to one side, hands hanging limply over the armrests.
That cold face was now nothing but a mask of pallor.
Only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.
A deathly silence returned to the office.
Su Wan slowly withdrew her mental power, leaning against the cold wall and panting heavily.
Her back was soaked with cold sweat.
It was a success.
Yan Pengcheng’s consciousness was suppressed by her, and he had fallen into a deep coma.
He wouldn't wake up for at least a few hours.
The guards outside wouldn't notice anything unusual; to anyone else, their Vice General Commander was simply resting behind closed doors.
The frontline troops would receive no new orders.
That murderous army was now a headless shell.
Su Wan looked up, peering through the narrow ventilation window at the grey horizon outside the city.
The City Defense Force convoy should be entering Area A5 by now.
Without Yan Pengcheng’s command and dispatch, that frontline unit—
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Su Wan’s mouth.
She stepped out from the shadows beneath the ventilation window, flexing her slightly numb fingers.
Yan Pengcheng was dealt with, but the battle had only just begun.
She closed her eyes and contacted the Central Hub via their mental link.
“Central Hub, report the current defense status of the Terminal Station.”
【Report, Master. The defense system upgrade is complete—】
【Four Sentry Machine Gun Turrets (Heavy Version) are in position with ample ammunition.】
【The Roof Deployment Platform expansion is complete. Two Guardian Energy Turrets have been deployed and are charging; they are expected to be operational in three minutes.】
【The Area Energy Shield (Enhanced Version) is activated and currently on standby, ready to be deployed at any time.】
【All entrances and exits are sealed. Non-combat personnel have been evacuated to the main building's basement and the lower floors of the apartment building. The Order Maintenance Team and C-series robots are maintaining order within the building.】
【Current recall rate of outside tenants: 96%. Most of those remaining are hunter teams deep in the Non-Safe Zones; warning messages have been sent via contract.】
Su Wan nodded slightly.
With over two thousand people crowded into the building, as long as they didn't leave, their safety was guaranteed.
The problem now was the army outside.
Four Level 3 Ability Users, six Level 2s, one hundred and twenty elite infantrymen, plus armored vehicles and fire-support vehicles.
Although the Terminal Station's defenses were invincible, the scale of this operation was too large. If the Terminal Station emerged completely unscathed under such an assault, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of major powers.
At that point, the unique nature of the Terminal Station would be exposed. Whether her current strength could protect the station aside, she might even be captured for research.
She couldn't let that happen!
Therefore, the best way was to let this force disintegrate before they could even strike at the Terminal Station!
And dealing with those four Level 3s was the key.
“Central Hub, where is Zhou Hu now?”
【Locating via contract... Location confirmed.】
【Zhou Hu is currently in the southeast of the Outer City, approximately four kilometers from your current position, moving toward Area A5.】
【He is accompanied by another Level 3 Ability User. Identity unknown; energy fluctuations indicate a Level 3 Mid Stage.】
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