The battle for the Bio-Research Facility (BRF-7) erupted instantly. Lin Fan stood against four Bio-Sentinels, their translucent forms pulsing with sickly green light, and the air crackled with the energy of imminent chemical warfare.
Having negated the first bio-plasma blast by using his Elemental Manipulation to disrupt its molecular path, Lin Fan knew this fight demanded everything he had. Direct confrontation was suicidal; the Sentinels were Tier 3, immune to cold, and built for siege.
Fire and Ice: The Defensive Dance
The four Sentinels advanced in a coordinated pattern, firing sustained jets of bio-plasma. The projectiles were designed to melt and corrode, not just impact.
Lin Fan executed a swift evasive maneuver, scrambling behind a large, fallen concrete slab.
FZZZZZZZZT. The bio-plasma struck the concrete, instantly dissolving a large crater, the resulting fumes toxic and corrosive.
Lin Fan had no room to maneuver. He raised his left arm, channeling his cryogenic power defensively. He didn't have time to form a complex shield, so he created a thick, hemispheric cloud of intensely super-cooled air directly in front of his position.
The next bio-plasma blast struck the air cushion. The attack wasn't stopped, but it was slowed and destabilized, spreading the corrosive payload into a shower of inert chemical droplets that splashed harmlessly against the Cryo-Armor.
The armor held firm. The specialized hide repelled the chemical agents, preventing corrosion.
My defense is sound, but my attack must be precise, Lin Fan thought, scanning the targets.
He noticed that while the Sentinels' internal machinery was immune to the ambient cold, their outer movements—the heavy joints in their knees and elbows, and the hinges of their bio-plasma cannons—were still governed by conventional, albeit super-strong, mechanics.
"They might be immune to the cold, but their freedom of movement is not."
Tactical Annihilation
Lin Fan initiated his counter-plan. He fired a rapid burst from his AR-15, forcing the Sentinels to briefly pivot. In that micro-second, he focused his Elemental Manipulation.
He didn't aim at their core; he aimed at their structure.
FLASH-CRACK!
A localized, concentrated burst of cryogenic energy hit the knee joint of the first Sentinel. The internal lubricants and hinge mechanism—where metal met metal—were instantly flash-frozen into brittle points of failure.
Before the Sentinel could register the damage, Lin Fan fired a Cryo-Round—a specialized armor-piercing round—directly into the frozen joint. The brittle metal shattered like glass, and the Sentinel's leg buckled, sending the creature crashing to the ground, its bio-plasma cannon misfiring wildly into the sky.
The remaining three Sentinels immediately adapted, increasing the intensity of their bio-plasma attacks and spreading out to flank him.
Lin Fan knew he couldn't take three attacks simultaneously. He abandoned the slab, darting left toward a collapsed maintenance duct.
He targeted the second Sentinel's bio-plasma cannon at the exact moment it charged. He focused his cryogenic energy onto the exit port of the weapon. The sudden, intense cold caused a catastrophic failure of the delicate chemical balance required for the plasma jet.
The cannon imploded. The resulting internal explosion of highly compressed bio-fluid shattered the Sentinel's arm. The creature staggered, venting noxious green vapor.
Two left. They were slower now, moving cautiously, communicating with ultrasonic clicks.
Lin Fan addressed the third Sentinel. He didn't attack the joints this time. He used his power to freeze the ground beneath its feet, not to immobilize it, but to create a massive, unstable, sloping patch of ice. The Sentinel, programmed for efficient horizontal movement, struggled for purchase.
As the creature struggled, Lin Fan fired the rest of his magazine, aiming for the internal cooling vents exposed on its back. The Cryo-Rounds delivered their thermal shock, disrupting the vital flow of the green bio-fluid. The Sentinel seized up, its translucent body turning dark green and opaque as its internal systems shut down.
The final Sentinel, witnessing the systematic destruction of its peers, attempted to retreat toward the main entrance.
Lin Fan would allow no escape. He fired a single, precise shot from his AR-15, targeting the exposed optic sensor of the fleeing automaton. The shot was perfect.
The creature stopped dead, its energy dimming. Lin Fan walked over and delivered the final, executioner's shot to its central head casing.
Annihilation and Breach
Silence returned to the BRF-7 complex, broken only by the hiss of cooling armor and the low hum of the Cryo-Skimmer on overwatch.
Lin Fan stood over the wreckage. The Sentinels were utterly destroyed, their bodies smoking slightly from the catastrophic internal chemical shutdowns.
[Tier 3 Defense Protocols Neutralized.][System Loot Detected: 4x Tier 3 Synthetic Biotic Cores (Unstable).]
These cores were different—not products of natural mutation, but highly refined, chemically stable energy sources. They wouldn't offer personal elemental power, but they would be invaluable for advanced chemical synthesis—precisely what he needed for the Evolution Serums.
Lin Fan quickly processed the cores into his Dimensional Storage.
He turned to the main airlock door. The Sentinels had failed to protect their charge. Lin Fan pulled out his specialized plasma cutter and effortlessly sliced through the hardened steel hinges.
CLANK. The outer door fell inward.
He cycled the inner airlock, stepping into the controlled environment of the BRF-7 complex. The interior was lit by low-level, emergency lighting. It was cold, clean, and dominated by the smell of ozone and ethanol.
Lin Fan moved quickly, following the highest energy signatures on his internal scanner. He bypassed labs containing frozen biological samples and inert chemical storage. He was looking for the most volatile, highest-grade resources.
He found it in the primary containment freezer, an armored chamber marked with chilling warning signs. He sliced the lock and stepped inside.
The sight was breathtaking. Racks of pristine, complex glassware held shimmering, sealed vats of fluids labeled with esoteric chemical formulas: "Primal Growth Agent-BETA,""Mutagenic Stabilizer-R9," and "Crystalline Catalyst-E4."
[Tier 3 Resource Acquired: Advanced Chemical Reagents. Acquisition initiated.]
The resources, enough to synthesize dozens of high-tier Evolution Serums, vanished into his Dimensional Storage. The expedition was already a resounding success.
However, as Lin Fan scanned the map, the System blared a new, urgent warning.
[New Internal Threat Detected: Tier 4 Bio-Subject (Evolved/Unstable). Location: Sub-Level 3, Isolation Chamber.][Target Vector: Converging on Host Position.]
The defense was not over. The Sentinels were just the automated guards. The true danger lay deeper within the facility, likely a failed or successful Tier 4 experiment that had awakened. Lin Fan tightened his grip on his rifle. The Evolution Serums would not be easily won.
(Author's Note: The Sentinels are defeated, and the Evolution Serums are within reach! But the System has detected a Tier 4 Evolved subject moving toward Lin Fan from the depths of the BRF-7! He's facing a high-level biological threat. Drop a Power Stone if you're ready for Lin Fan to face the final subject in Chapter 16!)