Chapter 123: The Pursuit

David hoisted Jim and Daly onto his shoulders in one swift motion. With his freed hand, he rapidly worked the controls of the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device. Soon, another escape route appeared on his visor, calculated jointly by the medium-sized server and the K2 device.

“You won’t get away!” Kush’s voice came from not far behind him. Kush was far faster than David; if their speed had not been hindered by the confines of the passageway, he would probably have caught up already.

“Brother, you were sent by David, weren’t you? If things get dangerous, just throw us down. Being carried like this is really uncomfortable!” Jim said softly from David’s shoulder.

“Shut up. Who else would be kind enough to do this besides me?” David replied irritably.

“My God, you’re David! How did you end up wearing exoskeleton armor?” Jim had initially assumed David had called in a military armored soldier. Realizing that the armored figure was David himself, he could not help exclaiming in a hushed voice.

“I broke through yesterday evening. Forget that for now. The man behind us is extremely powerful. I’ve already sent out a distress signal. We’ll keep circling through here for a while and wait for reinforcements.”

As he spoke, David leapt over a utility shaft. The shaft had four passage entrances, and Kush would have to make a choice when he reached it.

Because David was wearing exoskeleton armor, the traces he left behind were quite obvious.

But if he could delay Kush even for a little while, David would be able to widen the distance again.

“David, how do you know Kush is so powerful?” Daly still had the presence of mind to wonder. He asked the question aloud.

“I only became an armored soldier yesterday. Any fully trained armored soldier is stronger than I am!” David answered helplessly.

Only after actually putting on the exoskeleton armor had he gained a direct understanding of an armored soldier’s strength.

The tenfold increase in power created an enormous disparity between armored soldiers of different levels.

David had also estimated Kush’s strength by comparing him with Trainer Jeremy. Setting aside how proficient Kush was with a greatsword, if he was anywhere near Trainer Jeremy’s level, David would be unable to gain the slightest advantage. Combined with the difference in physical power, the gap between them was immense.

And if Kush possessed the same secret techniques as Trainer Jeremy, on top of the enhancement provided by exoskeleton armor, David even doubted whether his second-grade weapon could break through Kush’s defenses.

He remembered the armor formed from white light. Back then, it had taken a great many sniper rounds to shatter it.

With Jim and Daly weighing him down as well, David had even less reason to risk his life in a desperate fight.

“David, don’t go rescue them yourself. I’ve already sent people over!” Lieutenant Elmer contacted David the moment he received the videos and situation reports David had transmitted at regular intervals.

“Jim and Daly are both with me now. I’m escaping through the underground utility lines, and Kush is chasing me!” David reported.

“Mark your position. Gilad is in the city with ten armored soldiers, and they’re heading to support you.” Lieutenant Elmer fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice sounded somewhat more relaxed.

“All right!” David replied as he marked his position.

“This is Gilad’s marker. Join up with him when the situation permits.” Lieutenant Elmer sent him another marker.

David watched the marker drawing rapidly closer. It was only about ten kilometers away, and they would soon meet.

He adjusted the controls again, changing direction and having the medium-sized server calculate the optimal escape route once more.

High above the city, a military transport hovercraft was speeding along at an altitude of thirty meters when its control system suddenly sounded an alarm: it had been locked onto by radar.

“Jump!” Gilad roared, clad in exoskeleton armor.

He forcibly tore open the hull of the transport hovercraft and leapt out.

The other ten military armored soldiers followed one after another. As the final two were jumping clear, the transport hovercraft was struck by a missile. Fortunately, their exoskeleton armor provided sufficient protection, and the soldiers who burst from the flames were unharmed.

On the ground, an armored soldier carrying a short-range anti-aircraft missile launcher casually threw away the spent weapon.

“Hold them for half an hour, and our mission is complete!” he said grimly to the five mercenary armored soldiers beside him.

His voice was obviously altered, presumably to conceal his identity. The exoskeleton armor bore no markings whatsoever, and even its identification chip had been blocked.

Clearly, they had come fully prepared. Their purpose was to stop the military armored soldiers sent as reinforcements.

“This is a military operation. Anyone who dares intercept us is an enemy of the military!” Gilad shouted. He transmitted the situation as well, only to discover that the surrounding area had been placed under signal interference.

“I respect soldiers, so please do not resist. As long as you remain here for half an hour, we will not harm you,” the leading mercenary armored soldier said through his altered voice.

“Form ranks. We’ll end this quickly!” Gilad swung the second-grade heavy axe in his hand and shouted.

The eleven military armored soldiers swiftly divided into two groups. The two groups coordinated with each other, forming a battle formation that attacked the enemy from opposing angles.

The six mercenary armored soldiers also closed ranks, forming a piercing formation with their leader at the spearhead.

Gilad’s eyes narrowed. These armored soldiers were entirely different from the civilian armored soldiers they had encountered before. They were professional mercenaries with extraordinarily rich combat experience.

Military armored soldiers were trained primarily to fight the insectoid race. Mercenary armored soldiers, by contrast, specialized in coordinated combat directly against other armored soldiers.

Moreover, the weapon in the leading mercenary’s hands was also a second-grade war hammer. The appearance of such well-equipped mercenaries at this particular moment, with the express purpose of stopping their rescue mission, filled Gilad with mounting anxiety.

“Attack!” Gilad did not want to let the enemy delay them any longer. He roared the order.

The eleven military armored soldiers advanced. Unexpectedly, the piercing formation of the six mercenaries did not charge directly into their ranks. Instead, it kept moving back and forth, using experience to maneuver constantly around the military soldiers.

No matter how anxious Gilad became, his military armored soldiers could not defeat such experienced mercenaries in a short time. Nor could they break away from the engagement quickly.

Throughout Peran City, alarms erupted in countless places. Reports of theft, robbery, and other crimes flooded into the police station, throwing the entire department into chaos.

Signal interference also appeared in various parts of the city, disrupting the SkyNet surveillance system.

All of Peran City was in turmoil—the greatest upheaval since the previous insectoid invasion.

David was still running. He could already hear Kush’s footsteps behind him. At their current distance, Kush would catch up within five breaths.

The coordinates of Gilad’s position suddenly vanished from his visor, causing David’s heart to sink.

He saw an upward passage entrance ahead on the map. His body turned, and he abandoned the route plotted by the medium-sized server.

“Take care of yourselves!”

When David reached the entrance, he swung his second-grade spear upward, smashing through the metal hatch. He then flung the two men from his shoulders and sent them out.

“David!” Jim cried out.

He understood that David was using himself as bait to draw Kush away. Twisting his body, Jim discovered that David had already pulled apart the ropes binding them as he threw them clear.

Jim and Daly sat up, immediately reactivating their identification bracelets and attempting to contact the military.

“I never imagined that you were David. You actually became an armored soldier!” Kush had heard Jim’s shout and immediately understood who was ahead of him. His voice was low and cold.

By then, he could already see David’s figure. As he spoke, white light flashed once more around his legs, accelerating him again.

After throwing Jim and Daly out of the underground passage, David had lost precious time, allowing Kush to close the distance further.

His keen hearing could even make out Kush’s breathing behind him.

“Stop! I’ll give you a fair chance to fight. You can’t escape. I spent ten million credits to capture you. Peran City is in chaos now, and no one can save you!” Kush shouted as he accelerated.

To prepare for today’s operation, Kush had exploited a loophole in the mercenary station’s mission system. He had spent ten million credits posting contracts to intercept the military armored soldiers and create chaos throughout Peran City.