Chapter 427: Capturing the Alpha
Just as the Omega's energy fluctuations reached their peak, several Alpha individuals emerged from the darkness. They were surrounded by blinding deep blue light, their energy tentacles thrashing violently in the air—this was exactly the precursor to initiating a time reset.
"The Alphas are attempting to initiate the reset sequence!" Pilar reported urgently. "Detected abnormal fluctuations in spacetime curvature!"
"Execute jamming protocol!" Maine immediately ordered.
Sasha and Kiwi were already prepared. They quickly fired specially made electromagnetic jamming rounds. These meticulously designed munitions detonated in mid-air within the passage, releasing jamming waves at specific frequencies.
"Jamming rounds effective!" Sasha stared intently at the sensor readings. "The Alphas' signal transmissions are partially shielded!"
The Alpha individuals in the passage clearly fell into confusion. The blue light around them became unstable, and the thrashing of their energy tentacles lost its rhythm. However, this jamming obviously could not last long.
"The jamming effect can only be maintained for thirty seconds!" Kiwi warned. "Their systems are making adaptive adjustments!"
Dorio and Rita seized this opportunity and rapidly advanced. Volkite gauntlets and precise shooting greeted the nearest Alpha individual simultaneously. Under the jammed environment, the Alpha's energy shield was significantly weakened, and a heavy punch from Dorio successfully penetrated its defense.
"First Alpha cleared!" Dorio reported.
But the other Alphas had already begun their counterattack. They abandoned their large-scale reset attempts and instead concentrated their energy on localized defense and attacks. An energy beam grazed Dorio's shoulder armor, leaving a scorching mark.
"Their attack patterns have changed!" Rita shouted while dodging.
Rebecca's plasma cannon roared again, but this time the Alphas were prepared. They nimbly dodged the direct hits from the plasma streams while returning fire with energy beams.
"This isn't going to work if we keep this up!" Jackie shouted, his Iron Guard having just tanked an electromagnetic pulse with its armor.
Maine rapidly analyzed the battlefield situation. The jamming effect was weakening, and the Alphas still held the advantage in numbers. If they couldn't eliminate these Alphas before they regained their reset capabilities, the entire mission would be for nothing.
"Change tactics!" Maine made a decision. "Pilar, Lucy, prepare the capture device! We must capture at least one Alpha alive!"
The technical team acted immediately. The capture device was deployed from the transport platform, and its targeting system locked onto the nearest Alpha.
"Target locked!" Pilar reported. "But its movement trajectory is too difficult to predict!"
Right at this moment, Cage suddenly spoke up: "Let me do it! I know their movement patterns!"
Without waiting for Maine's response, Cage charged out. Relying on his familiarity with Alpha behavior from countless loops, he accurately predicted the target's movement trajectory. His exoskeleton operated at full power, allowing him to perform incredible maneuvers in the narrow space.
"Now!" Cage shouted, simultaneously using precise shooting to force the Alpha to move in his intended direction.
Pilar seized the opportunity and immediately activated the capture device. The specially made containment net accurately hit the target, and the ultra-low temperature coolant took effect instantly, freezing the Alpha in place.
"Capture successful!" Lucy reported excitedly.
But at that very moment, heart-palpitating energy fluctuations emanated from deep within the passage. The Omega seemed to be completely enraged, and the entire underground space began to shake violently.
"Warning! Unprecedented energy reactions detected!" Falco's voice carried a rare tension. "The Omega is making a move itself!"
The joy of a successful capture lasted for only a brief moment. The imprisoned Alpha struggled violently within the energy shielding net, emitting ear-piercing high-frequency shrieks. At the same time, the massive energy source deep within—the Omega—was thoroughly enraged.
The space within the entire underground reservoir began to twist and shudder, and rubble rained down from the dome. A wave of malicious psychic energy, far more powerful than that of an Alpha individual, swept over them like a physical tsunami.
"High-intensity psychic shock detected!" Sasha's voice was filled with pain. "It's trying to directly interfere with our consciousness!"
Dorio and Rita bore the brunt of it. They groaned, their movements noticeably sluggish for a split second. Even the sensor interfaces of the Iron Guards displayed brief moments of static noise.
"It's protecting its core! These Alphas are just bait!" Maine immediately saw through the Omega's tactics. Sacrificing one Alpha to draw their attention, the real killing move was this indiscriminate psychic crushing and the physical destruction that would follow.
Deep within the passage, countless crimson points of light illuminated the formerly dark waters. Those were more awakened Mimic guards, surging forward like a boiling tide. Even more terrifying, the massive shadow of the Omega's main body began to surface in the center of the water. It was no longer hiding, but preparing to personally crush these audacious intruders.
"Pilar! Lucy! Ensure the safety of the sample!" Maine ordered against the psychic pressure. "Valerie, Jackie, covering fire! Dorio, Rita, protect the flanks! Rebecca, blast a path for us!"
The plan had to change. Capturing an Alpha was already an unexpected bonus, but facing the enraged Omega and its swarming army, holding their ground would only lead to a dead end.
"It's going to destroy the entire underground space!" Falco analyzed the structural stress data. "We must evacuate immediately!"
Rebecca's plasma cannon roared once more, a blazing white energy beam shooting toward the Omega's main body in an attempt to interrupt its charging. However, as the energy neared the massive shadow, it was deflected and dissipated by a twisted force field, yielding little effect.
"Conventional attacks are ineffective!" Rebecca shouted.
Maine's processor spun rapidly. The power displayed by the Omega far exceeded their estimates. Continuing to entangle with it would not only fail the mission but might also result in losing the captured Alpha sample.
"Everyone, retreat!" He made the difficult but necessary decision. "Evacuate via predetermined Route B! Ensure the sample is the priority!"
The squad immediately shifted into a defensive retreat formation. The two Iron Guards fired alternately, using a dense barrage to block their pursuers. Dorio and Rita protected the technical team carrying the Alpha sample as they rapidly pulled back, while Cage continuously threw smoke grenades and explosives to disrupt the pursuing Mimic swarm.
The Omega seemed to sense their intentions. The psychic shock became more concentrated and piercing, while the collapse of the entire underground structure began to accelerate.
"Go, hurry!" Maine brought up the rear, his volkite blaster continuously firing short bursts, turning the Mimics attempting to flank them into burning torches.
This was a race against time and destruction. They had successfully captured the critical sample, but had also awakened the slumbering behemoth and triggered its most violent retaliation. Escaping this collapsing nest and safely returning the Alpha sample had become their sole and most important objective at this moment.
(End of Chapter)