Re:Interdimensional Mercenary [IF]

Deep within the labyrinthine corridors of the Orbital Fortress, a sudden flash of blue light pierced the oppressive darkness, briefly illuminating the desolate surroundings. From the glow emerged two figures clad in advanced exoskeleton suits, their presence stark against the eerie silence.

The first was a tall man clad in a dark grey suit with silver accents. In his hands, he held a rifle resembling a sniper in design, its sleek black frame emitting faint green glows across parts of its surface.

Beside him stood a much shorter figure, barely reaching his chest in height. Her bright white exoskeleton suit contrasted sharply with the dim environment, while her long blonde twin tails cascaded down nearly to her ankles. She carried a black assault rifle with silver detailing, faint blue light pulsing along its barrel.

Both figures activated the night vision integrated into their visors, scanning the pitch-black surroundings. After a thorough sweep confirmed no immediate threats, they lowered their firearm barrels slightly. Adam, the tall man, quickly consulted his minimap, recently updated with intelligence Angeline had gathered.

The display highlighted sections of the fortress in red, marking areas infested with Honkai Beasts, while unmarked zones were temporarily deemed safe. Unfortunately, both of their objectives—the engine room and the power generator room—glowed ominously red, deepening Adam's frown.

His mind raced as he plotted the quickest, safest route to their destinations. Yet, navigating the maze-like corridors wasn't the only challenge. The grim reality was that both objectives were already overrun with enemies.

Outside the small room they occupied, faint screeches and heavy stomps of Honkai Beasts echoed ominously through the thick metal doors.

"Ready?" Adam asked, turning to Alice. He reached out to give her head a quick, reassuring rub.

"Yeah!" Alice replied with hushed enthusiasm, her voice low to avoid alerting the creatures outside.

Her eagerness flickered a concern in Adam's mind. The unwavering trust Alice and Angeline placed in him weighed heavily on his shoulders. Even though he was amnesiac, Adam's sharp instincts told him their loyalty was genuine—almost unshakable. But their faith bordered on zealotry. If he claimed he could conquer the world, they would likely believe it without hesitation. This unyielding devotion was both a comfort and a burden, making Adam increasingly curious about his past.

Shaking off these thoughts, Adam approached the door, Alice trailing behind with light footsteps. His mind briefly considered the abilities granted by the ACE Suit, which had partially integrated with his body, making him a cyborg by definition.

The ACE Suit provided him with three categorized skills: Assault, Medic, and Defender. For example, as Adam prepared for combat, the suit activated the [Reactive Forcefield], a pale blue, semi-transparent barrier surrounding his body. This Defender skill absorbed both kinetic and energy-based attacks, recycling the energy to recharge the suit and regenerate the forcefield's durability—or dispersing it as a shockwave attack if overloaded.

This time, however, Adam focused on an Assault skill: [Adrenaline]. Besides heightening reaction speed, movement, and agility in a manner akin to "Bullet Time," it also increased his firearm's rate of fire. Adam didn't fully understand how the system worked, nor did he care. To him, if it worked, that was all that mattered.

Using the ACE Suit's telepathic communication capabilities, Adam relayed tactics to Alice swiftly and silently. Once their plan was set, Angeline remotely opened the room's door.

BANG! BANG!

Ratatatatata!

Gunfire filled the hallway as Adam targeted larger Chariots, while Alice mowed down Archangels with precision. Her targeting system ensured every bullet counted, even in full-auto mode.

In under two minutes, the hallway and its neighboring sections were cleared. Near two dozen Chariots and hundreds of Archangels lay scattered in a mound of corpses, purple blood pooling into small streams.

"Let's go before more pour in," Adam urged, sprinting into the hallway with Alice close behind as they headed toward the power generator room.

Their goal was clear: swap the power core and reactivate the main generator. Once operational, Angeline could enable the fortress's security systems and 3D printer factories to produce defensive mechs capable of resisting the Honkai infestation.

Meanwhile, in the massive hangar area, Kevin's team continued their exploration, gathering advanced technology samples. Kevin's enhanced senses picked up faint vibrations from below, causing him to pause. Soldiers nearby noticed his distracted state and immediately reached for their weapons, ready for trouble.

"No… I just think I felt something from below," Kevin said, shrugging to downplay the concern.

Mei, speaking through a drone hovering nearby, interjected. "No, I think we should investigate. Since that human's arrival, strange things have been happening."

Mei referred to occurrences such as the sudden deactivation of internal defenses and the unexpected reinforcement of the fortress's external forcefield, as reported by submersible pilots monitoring the breach.

"Besides," Mei added with frustration, "it's clear we can't study these technologies properly in such a short time. It's better to collect what we can and let the institute's experts handle it."

Kevin nodded. "Alright. Half of us will return to the submersibles with the samples. The rest will join me in investigating this disturbance."

———

Back with Adam and Alice, the pair fought through several more hordes of Honkai Beasts, including another Templar. This foe required Adam to deploy his shoulder-mounted electromagnetic railgun cannon, its powerful discharge reducing the Templar to smoldering debris.

At last, they arrived at a specialized storage room housing a house-sized device covered in circuits and glowing with rhythmic pulses.

According to Angeline, this was a Quantum Time Lock storage unit for the power core. The technology stabilized the core to prevent entropy from destabilizing it. The reason for such precautions became clear when Angeline explained the core's nature: it housed a miniature sun. Yes, a real star encapsulated within a basketball-sized crystal ball. Surrounding the sun was a dyson swarm-like device that harvested its thermal energy, powering the fortress's systems—especially its energy-intensive forcefield, which no typical fusion reactor could sustain.

Hearing the explanation, Adam instantly regretted asking. The thought of holding such a volatile object sent a chill down his spine, but there was no turning back now. With the power core safely secured in his Inventory Space, he and Alice were swiftly engulfed in a burst of blue light, teleporting into the main power generator room—a cavernous warehouse-like space dominated by an enormous, intricate machine.

At the center of the device was a sphere that bore a striking resemblance to the power core, only significantly brighter, flooding the room with intense illumination.

Angeline, monitoring the situation through Adam's visor, immediately sounded an alert.

She had already explained the nature of the power cores to Adam: when a core could no longer generate energy, it was a sign that the star within had reached the end of its lifecycle, the energy extraction systems had failed, or both. In this case, both scenarios seemed to apply—unsurprising, given the generator had been abandoned for nearly a millennium.

Even from a distance, Adam could feel the oppressive heat radiating from the glowing power core, its intensity cutting through the heavy atmosphere of the room.

"Master, please replace the power core immediately and return the depleted one to its storage unit!" Angeline's voice carried a tone of urgency, urging Adam to act without delay.

Acknowledging the command, Adam nodded, and his ACE Suit immediately shifted into its Armor Mode, becoming bulkier as it optimized for maximum defense.

He advanced toward the glowing core with relative ease, the thermal-retardant layers of his suit adapted automatically to shield him from the searing heat. Reaching out, he carefully placed his hands on the failing core, causing it to vanish into his Inventory Space. Within moments, he retrieved the new power core and slotted it seamlessly into the generator.

The machine responded almost immediately, humming to life as the generator's systems activated. The once-dim room was now illuminated by bright overhead lighting, casting away the oppressive darkness and signaling the restoration of the fortress's primary power.

With the power restored, it was time to tackle the Honkai Beast lurking in the engine room.

At the same time, Kevin and his divided team made their way toward the engine room. As they moved through the darkened hallway, the faint glow of emergency lights began to fade, replaced by the steady brightness of the newly restored lighting, casting the area in stark clarity.

—————

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