Chris went invisible and sprinted straight toward the front gate of the compound, while Ethan looped around toward the back.

They'd already agreed—two machine guns each.

Ethan reached the rear gate quickly. The guards hadn't spotted him yet, so he used [Teleportation] and blinked right next to one of the heavy machine gun nests. Without hesitation, he grabbed the barrel and bent it with a sharp twist, then tossed the whole thing off the wall.

"Who's there?!"

The guards finally noticed him. When they saw the destroyed machine gun, they shouted in fury and raised their rifles, opening fire.

Ethan's machete shot out like a bullet, slicing clean through one guard's neck before he could even aim properly.

But the gunfire had already shattered the compound's calm.

Alarms rang out as nearby soldiers rushed toward the commotion.

Ethan didn't stick around. He teleported again, reappearing at the next machine gun nest. Another quick bend, another weapon down. Then he turned and charged straight into the oncoming wave of enemies.

Meanwhile…

Chris had already reached one of the front-facing machine gun positions. Staying cloaked, he walked right up and bent the barrel like it was made of rubber.

A nearby guard stared, eyes wide.

"What the hell? Did that thing just bend on its own?!"

Chris ignored him, casually tossed the ruined gun off the wall, and moved on to the next one.

"Am I seeing things?" the guard muttered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

A few moments later, the second machine gun was down too.

With his job done, Chris climbed to the rooftop of a seven-story building—the tallest in the compound—and crouched low.

If the enemy had snipers, they'd definitely set up on high ground. All he had to do now was wait.

Back on Ethan's side, the fight was already in full swing.

To be fair, the Harlan family had grown fast. Most of the Enhanced inside the compound were already Tier 4, and there were even a decent number of Tier 5s.

But against Ethan, that still wasn't enough.

He swung his barbell bar like a wrecking ball, smashing through anyone who got close. Overhead, his machete spun through the air like a deadly boomerang, slicing down enemies before they could react.

Between the two weapons, no one could even get near him.

Elsewhere, Sean and the others saw the battle erupt and charged in without hesitation.

Sean's arms transformed into gleaming metal, turning him into a walking slaughterhouse as he led the charge.

Garrick followed close behind, burying enemies alive and reshaping the terrain to block reinforcements, preventing the defenders from forming a proper encirclement.

Henry stood further back, firing off beam after beam of [Void Energy], vaporizing anyone who got too close.

No holding back. No hesitation.

Using their abilities freely felt incredible.

Sure, burning through crystal cores to recover energy was a bit extravagant—but hey, it's not like they were short on them.

In the center of the compound, inside a lavishly decorated room, Frank Harlan—the man in charge—was pacing, wondering why Caleb still hadn't returned.

Just then, a frantic knock sounded at the door.

"What is it?" he called out.

"Bad news! Someone's broken into the compound!"

Frank's heart skipped a beat. He yanked the door open. "What happened?!"

"Someone snuck in and took out several of our heavy machine guns. Now they're inside the compound, tearing through our people!"

"Where are they now?"

"By the outer wall!"

"Move!"

Frank and the guard rushed toward the scene.

When they arrived, Frank saw a young man surrounded by what looked like over a thousand people.

No—scratch that.

It was a young man slaughtering over a thousand people.

"It's him!"

Frank's face twisted the moment he got a clear look. That was the guy Caleb had been sent to kill.

If he was here, that meant Caleb and the others had failed.

Frank's stomach sank. All that planning, all that preparation… and it still wasn't enough?

"There are others too," the guard said, voice tight. "We've got them surrounded in a few spots, but they're insanely strong. We think… they're all Tier 6. And Awakened. We can't even get close!"

"What? All Tier 6?!" Frank's eyes went wide.

He already knew this guy was Tier 6—they'd confirmed that before. But the others too? All of them?

"That's what it looks like. Every last one of them is Tier 6 and Awakened. Our Tier 5 Enhanced can't even touch them."

"…"

Frank exhaled slowly, the weight of the situation crashing down on him. "Caleb and his team… they're probably already dead."

"These average Enhanced are useless against them. Get the snipers in position. Use the Barrett M82s with armor-piercing rounds. I don't care how strong they are—if they dare storm our compound, they're not walking out alive!" Frank barked.

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, over a dozen snipers were seen hauling Barrett M82s up to rooftops across the compound.

Two of them headed straight for the tallest building—the seven-story tower.

Up top, Chris was lounging on the roof, watching the chaos below with mild boredom. When he heard footsteps approaching, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Finally. Something fun."

The two snipers reached the rooftop and immediately began assembling their rifles. Judging by how fast and smooth their movements were, these guys were pros.

In no time, the rifles were ready, and they started lining up their shots.

"Nice form, fellas," a voice said casually behind them.

Both men flinched, hands jerking mid-aim.

They turned, trying to see who had spoken—but before they could react, a sharp pain bloomed in their necks, and everything went black.

Chris stepped over their bodies, whistling as he picked up one of the Barretts. He crouched down and peered through the scope, mimicking their posture.

BOOM!

The shot thundered out, the recoil nearly knocking him on his ass. He staggered back a step, barely keeping his balance.

Good thing he was built like a tank.

He hadn't fired just for fun—well, okay, partly for fun—but mostly to send a message to Ethan and the others: the snipers were in play.

Down below, one Enhanced was trying to slip out of the fight when the shot rang out. The armor-piercing round slammed into his backside, blowing a chunk clean off.

"AAAHHH!"

The guy screamed in agony, clutching his ass. "What the hell?! I just wanted to back off a little! You didn't have to shoot me in the ass with a sniper rifle!"

The sound of the Barrett echoed across the battlefield, and Ethan, Sean, and the others immediately went on high alert.

Across the compound, the other snipers heard the shot and frowned.

"What the hell? He just gave away our position," one muttered.

Snipers were all about stealth and precision. You didn't fire unless you had a guaranteed kill. That idiot just blew their cover.

Still, now wasn't the time to complain.

They refocused and lined up their targets.

BOOM!

Another shot rang out.

Sean had been scanning the rooftops when he caught a flash of light from a distant window. His instincts screamed, and he threw his metal arm up in front of his face.

CLANG!

The bullet struck his arm with a burst of sparks, the impact forcing him back a step. His whole arm went numb.

But he was still standing.

"Watch yourselves!" Sean shouted. "These rounds hit hard!"

"Got it!"

...

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