In an instant, the burly man transformed into a nearly three-meter-tall giant. His abilities seemed related to those of Gamma warriors, but his skin didn't change color like the red, blue, or green hulks often seen in fiction.
"Bang!" With a muffled sound, the burly man's massive fist struck the door of the safe house. However, much to his surprise, instead of shattering or breaking through, the door only bore a shallow dent from his powerful punch.
"He didn't break through the door. Maybe we still have a chance to survive…" A trembling voice emerged from one of the refugees inside the safe house as they observed the scene through a monitor. Despite his words of reassurance, it was clear he didn't truly believe them.
"We can't just sit here and wait for death! If they break in, we'll have no chance! I have a gun, and I refuse to believe these guys are completely bulletproof!" The middle-aged man who had earlier declared he had a firearm gritted his teeth and stepped forward, ignoring his companions' attempts to dissuade him.
The feeling of awaiting inevitable death was unbearable. It gnawed at him until he could no longer endure it. Doing nothing felt foolish, especially when they had weapons. A glimmer of resistance seemed better than passively waiting for their demise.
"You're right! I wouldn't have been confident about our old firearms working against them, but with these new laser weapons, we might actually have a chance to fight back!" Another man, the one who had shattered the ice barrier earlier, stepped forward as well, clenching his jaw.
"Waiting for someone to rescue us might take too long. If we unite and use our firepower, we can at least threaten them!"
None of them pretended their decision to act was altruistic. They openly admitted their desperation to survive, emphasizing that relying on anyone else was futile. This honest approach spared them from any moral obligation to protect or save others.
Several others, clutching energy-based firearms, joined the two men. Nervousness and fear were evident in their eyes, but desperation drove them forward. They aimed their weapons at the door, watching as the once-impenetrable barrier showed increasingly deep marks.
"Wow, this thing is pretty sturdy! Even though it's not made of vibranium, it must have cost a fortune. Looks like the government isn't as stingy as we thought," the burly man outside remarked with a mix of surprise and annoyance after several failed attempts to break the door.
Under normal circumstances, he could easily punch through even reinforced walls. That this door held firm was unexpected.
"If the door won't open, why don't you just hit the wall?" suggested a nearby man—a towering Black giant whose physique grew even larger than the burly man's. Judging by their similar transformations, it seemed they shared the same type of ability, though their power wasn't stable enough to consistently appear among their comrades in the Black Robed Vanguard.
"Bang!" The Black giant punched the wall beside the door, sending a dull echo reverberating through the air. To his surprise, the wall revealed metallic layers beneath the surface as he cleared away bits of stone.
"Ah!" the Black giant exclaimed, "No wonder this door is so tough—it's part of a retractable structure. This wall seems to have less metal reinforcement, though."
"Bang!" Another heavy punch followed, and the wall buckled under his assault, revealing further damage on the inside. Pieces of stone from the other side tumbled down, creating an opening.
"You two are taking forever. Let me just blow it up," a man surrounded by flames, the "Fire Man," called out impatiently.
"No rush. Let them stew in fear," the man with reconnaissance goggles said calmly. "Besides, we're confined to this space too. If you start tossing explosives around recklessly, you'll hurt us as well."
"What about that back door? It doesn't seem as sturdy," Fire Man asked.
"We don't need it to hold anything off. It's the problem of those who came here for shelter, not ours," the "Ice Man" replied nonchalantly, shrugging.
"Fair enough," Fire Man said, turning his gaze to the increasingly warped wall. "Just don't get in my way once I start blasting."
Inside the safe house, the atmosphere grew tense as the attackers worked their way in. Energy weapons aimed at the compromised wall, ready to unleash volleys at the intruders.
As the wall finally gave way, two massive figures—the Black giant and the burly man—stepped through. Confident in their invincibility, they dismissed the laser weapons held by the desperate defenders.
"Open fire!"
"Shoot!"
"Attack!"
The commands overlapped as the defenders unleashed a torrent of laser blasts.
"Zing!"
"Zing!"
"Thud!"
The energy weapons proved far superior to traditional firearms. While normal bullets couldn't penetrate the intruders' defenses, these laser weapons inflicted real damage. The Black giant and burly man were forced to dodge frantically as the weapons showed their effectiveness.
Despite their efforts, the Black giant was struck in the side, creating a gruesome, gaping wound that threatened his life.
"You're asking for it!" the Black giant roared, charging toward one of the defenders.
But he failed to notice another figure cowering in the corner. Shaking, the man aimed his weapon and fired.
"Zing!"
"Thud!"
The shot pierced the Black giant's head, obliterating it in an explosion of energy that continued through the opposite wall. The Black giant collapsed instantly.
"Black Giant?!" the burly man cried out in shock. He never expected this seemingly one-sided massacre to begin with the death of his comrade.
"Zing!"
"Zing!"
Laser blasts continued to rain down, emboldening the defenders. Even if they couldn't kill the burly man outright, their attacks forced him to retreat, buying precious time.
"Idiots! Let me handle this!" Fire Man growled, annoyed. Instead of charging in, he hurled a ball of fire through the gap.
"Boom!" The explosion tore through the safe house, killing several defenders instantly and leaving others dazed. Smoke filled the room, halting the laser assault as visibility plummeted.
"It's our turn now!" Ice Man said as he led a group of superhumans into the safe house, with Fire Man reluctantly following. The reconnaissance goggles-wearing man stayed behind, observing the situation.
"What are you waiting for? Did you spot something?" Fire Man asked suspiciously.
"Time is running out," the man with the goggles replied gravely. "We've wasted too much time, and reinforcements are coming. Get in there and finish it quickly."
Fire Man hesitated, but before he could act, the sound of shattering echoed from behind them. A figure broke through the outer door.
"Crash!"
"What now?!" Fire Man turned, only to see the man with the goggles sigh.
"It's too late," he murmured. "We wasted too much time, and those robotic soldiers didn't delay them nearly enough…"
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