With the experience and muscle memory accumulated from dozens of cycles, Maine's team once again broke through the defenses of the beachhead and the city of Paris with near-perfect efficiency, plunging straight into the Louvre's underground reservoir like a precise scalpel.
The mimics attacks along the way did not slow them down in the slightest; they took every step precisely on the optimal path.
Entering the dark reservoir passage again, the battle flow was like a script that had been rehearsed a thousand times.
The Iron Guards formed a defensive wall, Dorio and Rita cleaned up any stragglers, and Cage provided precise support. They even predicted the location and timing of each wave of mimics.
"Execute the Alpha capture procedure." Maine's voice remained calm and composed.
The squad members worked together seamlessly, suppressing the enemy with firepower, luring them into a trap, and launching a capture net – a series of actions executed with practiced ease.
The specially designed binding net once again precisely covered an Alpha, and the powerful anesthesia and energy shield were activated instantly, completely severing its connection with the Omega.
The familiar, shrill energy shriek, a mixture of anger and panic, erupted once more from the depths of the reservoir. The entire space began to tremble violently, rocks fell, and the mimics went berserk.
"Omega has entered a berserk state, energy readings are soaring, and it is overloading its core!" David reported quickly.
"Now!" Maine ordered, "Fire the chaff and flares!"
Sasha and Kiwi launched a chaff missile that Osiris had specifically modified. The warhead exploded in the area where Omega was located, and the specific energy frequency released acted like a key, precisely embedding itself into the 0.03-second vulnerable window when Omega activated the ultimate reset protocol.
Omega's violent energy field noticeably paused and flickered.
"Interference effective! Window of opportunity open!" Kiwi shouted.
"Stasis grenade, throw!"
Dorio and Rebecca threw two stasis grenades at Omega almost simultaneously.
The grenade was activated above the target, and an invisible force field expanded instantly, completely enveloping Omega and a small area around it.
Everything within range, including falling rubble and mimics lunging at the team, moved extremely slowly, as if they were encased in viscous amber.
The destructive light of the Omega core condensed halfway, unable to erupt or dissipate.
"Static field activated! Estimated duration: twelve seconds!" Pilar roared. "Dimensional container activated!"
He and Lucy quickly placed the dark silver cube on the ground and activated the interface. The cube's surface lit up with eerie blue patterns and emitted a low hum, beginning to charge.
"Charging in progress... 20%... 40%..."
Although most of the surrounding mimics was blocked by the static field, the individuals on the periphery still surged in frantically. Iron Guard, Dorio, Rita, and Cage formed a tight defensive line, holding off the tidal wave of attacks and buying the technical team a precious five seconds.
"Sixty percent...eighty percent..."
Jackie's Iron Guard was knocked back a step by a ferocious mimic, its armor screeching as it slammed into him. "We can't hold on much longer!"
"One hundred percent! Fully charged!" Lucy shouted.
The dark silver cube burst forth with intense light, and a distorted spatial portal opened in the center of the static field, generating an irresistible suction force.
The stagnant Omega, along with a small area of space around it, was forcibly stripped away, compressed, and dragged into that unstable dimensional space.
The portal closed immediately, and the cube's light quickly dimmed, its surface turning gray, as if it had exhausted all its energy.
The static field disappeared simultaneously, and the frozen pebbles fell down with a clatter.
An eerie silence fell over the reservoir.
The mimics that was attacking frantically just a second ago suddenly stopped moving as if its power had been cut off.
The light in their eyes went out, their massive bodies lost their support, and they crashed to the ground like collapsing building blocks, making a series of dull thuds, eventually turning into motionless metal and organic remains.
"The Omega energy signal has disappeared." Falco's voice carried a calm after confirmation. "All mimics unit life activities have ceased. Threat neutralized."
Pilar cautiously stepped forward, picked up the dimensional container that had turned gray and was no longer responsive to energy, and then checked the confinement unit containing the anesthetized Alpha again: "Sample containment confirmed, stable condition."
Rebecca let out a long breath and lowered the muzzle of the plasma bombardment cannon, but she was still not completely at ease: "Now... it should be completely over, right?"
Dorio and Rita slowly relaxed their back-to-back defensive stance, looking around at the harmless wreckage scattered around them.
Cage collapsed to one knee, exhausted, his exoskeleton joints creaking slightly as he removed his helmet, his face a mixture of fatigue, disbelief, and immense relief at surviving a close call.
Maine's crimson optical lens swept across the entire space, completing the final environmental threat assessment: "Safety confirmed. Take the samples and evacuate immediately."
The team members acted quickly, placing the dimensional container and the Alpha confinement unit in place.
It was only then that Cage and Rita truly realized that this endless cycle seemed to have finally come to an end.
Although they did not fully understand how Maine's team had completely eliminated Omega, the sight of the mimic army collapsing instantly was undoubtedly the best proof.
A heartfelt, profound sense of relief replaced the long-standing fear and despair.
As the team regrouped and prepared to retrace their steps, Cage couldn't help but ask, "Where...are you going next?"
Maine turned to him, his synthesized voice as steady as ever: "Our mission is complete. We will return soon."
There were no further explanations, no words of farewell.
Cage and Rita exchanged a glance, seeing the same understanding in each other's eyes.
They had long recognized that this team was extraordinary, and that its skills and objectives were far beyond their reach.
At this moment, they chose to remain silent, neither asking where "returning" meant nor inquiring about the true origins of these mysterious warriors.
At the exit of the ruins, a dark blue dimensional rift silently unfolded, its stability a stark contrast to the instability that had occurred during the previous equipment teleportation.
The members of Maine's squad stepped into the distorted light and shadow one by one, followed closely by the massive Iron Guard.
Cage and Rita stood silently in place, watching their figures being swallowed up by the rift one by one.
There were no waves, no words, only silent gazes, carrying unspeakable gratitude and farewell.
As the last member disappeared, the dimensional rift quietly closed, as if it had never existed.
The first light of dawn began to seep into the underground space that had once been shrouded in darkness, sprinkling onto the cold, mimicking remains.
Cage and Rita stood in the silence, knowing that an era had ended and that their new future was arriving with the real, unrepeatable dawn.