CapĂtulo 1032: What Kind of Rocket Turns Around Mid-Air?
The moment Ethan appeared, the snipers locked on and pulled their triggers.
But he vanished in a blink, reappearing over thirty feet ahead, dodging every bullet cleanly. Without slowing, he sprinted downhill toward the enemy. The distance was still too far for a direct [Teleportation], so he had to close the gap manually.
Down below, the attackers werenât giving up. Another AT-4 was hoisted onto a shoulder, aimed straight at the dirt wall Garrick had raised.
Whooshâ
The rocket screamed through the air, heading straight for the squad.
But halfway up, it suddenly veered off courseâagainâand turned back toward the attackers.
âGoddammit!â Caleb Harlan cursed, nearly choking on his own rage.
âGet down!â
The crowd scattered, diving for cover.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion rocked the hillside. A fresh crater tore open the ground, and dozens more were blown to pieces.
âHoly shit! Did Mayor Marks give us defective gear?!â someone shouted in panic.
Caleb was losing it. âWhat the hell kind of rocket turns around mid-air?!â
Meanwhile, Ethan had paused for a split second to redirect the rocketâand that moment cost him.
Bang! Bang!
Two sniper rounds slammed into him.
These werenât standard roundsâthey were high-caliber, armor-piercing sniper shots. Even Ethan couldnât shrug those off.
One hit his shoulder. The other punched into his chest.
Both rounds buried deep, pain flaring like fire through his body. Ethan gritted his teeth hard enough to crack enamel.
But this wasnât the time to flinch.
He pushed forward, weaving through the gunfire, closing the distance. When he was about 300 feet from the enemy line, he activated [Teleportation] again.
In an instant, he appeared in the middle of the enemy formation.
The barbell bar in his hands spun like a storm.
Bodies dropped.
âShit! Heâs down here! Kill him!â Caleb shouted, but there was no fear in his voiceâjust cold command.
Heavy machine guns were dragged out and opened fire, spraying bullets wildly, not caring who else got caught in the crossfire.
âDamn, you guys really donât care about friendly fire,â Ethan muttered.
Then he vanished again.
He reappeared right in the middle of the machine gunners.
That earlier decisionâto wait until he was within 300 feet before teleportingâhad paid off. If heâd used all his mental energy on a long-range jump, he wouldnât have had enough left for this second one.
Now, with just enough juice left, he made it count.
He struck fast and hard, taking out every gunner in seconds. Then he turned his barbell bar on the weapons themselves, smashing the barrels until they bent like pretzels.
âFuck!â Caleb roared, then shouted over his shoulder, âMove in!â
Dozens of Tier 5 Enhanced soldiers surged forward, combat knives flashing.
Theyâd come prepared. No question.
But they still underestimated the Fallen Star Squad.
Dozens of Tier 5s was no jokeâbut they were up against Ethan, whose overall power had already surpassed the peak of Tier 6.
He swung the barbell bar in a wide arc. The first few Enhanced who charged him were sent flying like rag dolls.
He didnât stop.
The weapon spun and slammed, a blur of steel and blood. The Tier 5s couldnât even get close.
And the Tier 4s? They might as well have been paper dolls. One hit was all it took.
Elsewhere, Chris had already locked onto the snipers.
Moving fast under the cover of invisibility, he crept up behind the first one. A quick slash of his daggerâclean, silent, lethal.
The sniper dropped without a sound.
Chris didnât pause. He was already moving to the next.
One by one, the snipers fellânever seeing it coming, never feeling a thing.
With the sniper threat fading, Garrick and the others charged down the hill.
And this time, the Fallen Star Squad showed the world what real terror looked like.
Sean stopped holding back. His arms morphed into solid metal, and he charged into the crowd, swinging wildly. Every blow landed with a sickening crunchâblood sprayed, bones shattered, bodies burst apart like overripe fruit. Anyone who got hit was done for.
His current ability was a far cry from what Ray used to have. Even if someone recognized the resemblance, it had been so long that no one would connect the dots.
Elsewhere, the ground suddenly gave way beneath a group of enemiesâover a dozen of them dropped into a pit. Before they could react, a massive boulder slammed down from above, sealing the hole shut.
âDamn, thatâs pro-level,â someone muttered, watching Garrickâs move with wide eyes.
Henry, whoâd always been the teamâs healer, was finally cutting loose with his new offensive ability. Black beams of energy shot from his hands, piercing through skulls like paper. His [Void Beam] had insane penetrationâone shot could take out multiple enemies in a line.
He was having the time of his life.
Big Mike wasnât holding back either. Fireballs flew in every direction, lighting up the battlefield. Now that he finally had an ability, he was going all in. In no time, the area around him looked like a wildfire had broken out.
Only Skinny Pete looked a little frustrated. His charm ability wasnât exactly ideal for a full-on brawl.
Still, it wasnât useless. Every time someone rushed at him with a weapon, one glance from him would leave them dazed and frozen in placeâeasy pickings.
Caleb stood frozen, watching the chaos unfold, completely dumbfounded.
Werenât there supposed to be only three Awakened? And just one Tier 6?
What the hell was this?
Every single one of them was Awakenedâand most of them were Tier 6 or higher.
âFuck this! What are we even doing here?! This is a goddamn suicide mission!â
He finally realized the truth: this squadâs strength was way beyond anything theyâd been told. There was no way they could win.
Caleb mentally cursed out the entire intelligence team and their ancestors, then gritted his teeth.
âRetreat!â
The enemy forces didnât need to be told twice. They bolted, scattering in every direction like terrified rats.
Theyâd come in thinking they were the hunters. Now they realized they were the preyâlambs tossed into a den of wolves.
Ethanâs voice rang out, cold and sharp. âWhat, you think you can just show up and leave like this is your backyard?â
âKill them all!â
The squad surged forward, chasing down the fleeing enemies without mercy.
This time, they werenât letting anyone off easy.
âGarrick, hold up a sec.â
Garrick was in the middle of smashing someoneâs face in when he heard Ethan call out. He jogged over, still catching his breath. âWhatâs up, boss?â
âDig a pit. Weâre burying those heavy machine guns and the two AT-4s. Weâll come back and haul them home later.â
âOn it!â Garrick nodded, slapped a hand to the ground, and the earth caved in, forming a deep pit.
The two of them quickly tossed the heavy machine guns and AT-4 launchers inside.
Just then, Chris ran over, lugging a few Barrett M82 sniper rifles on his back. âAdd these too. These babies hit like a truck.â
âHell yeah,â Ethan said, eyes lighting up.
Once everything was stashed, Garrick pressed his hand to the ground again. The pit sealed up like it had never been there.
âMan, your abilityâs crazy useful,â Ethan said, impressed.
âHaha, I think so too.â
âAlright, letâs move. Time to show these bastards weâre not the kind of people you mess with.â
âHell yeah!â
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