BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

"Did you understand the plan?" Erik asked.

"Yes, Master," the clones said in unison.

They arrived at the exit gate after some time wandering the streets.

"Let's go then." With Erik's words spoken, they separated in two.

Fifteen clones went with Erik and hid nearby, while the rest approached the main entrance.

The group approached the gate when a group of guards rushed to them.

"The exit to the city is off limit. We are currently in an emergency. Turn back."

The clones looked at each other. Then a grin spread across their faces. It was at that moment that they dispatched the guards around.

"Hey you! What are you doing?"

A guard reached for his communication device and contacted the headquarters, but was killed soon after.

The clones's goal was to create the chaos Erik and the others needed.

As the fifteen clones held their position near the side of the entrance, more guards, alerted by the disturbance, rushed towards them.

The guards, armed with batons and shields, moved in a coordinated manner, trying to overpower the clones with sheer numbers.

However, the clones met their assailants with equal force.

They were stronger than the average fighter, so they didn't have problems engaging with the guards.

Of course, the battle became deadly, with the clones killing as many mercenaries as possible.

The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the area as the two forces collided.

The clones were aggressive and made a lot of chaos. After all, that was their goal.

In the meantime, as soon as the side entrance was free of people, Erik and the rest of the clones dashed toward the door.

"Take care of those guards."

The clones did as Erik instructed and killed the guards with rapid strikes.

"All done, Master."

"Good. Now we need to let the others enter."

Simultaneously, the battle outside the building was going forward.

The clones were still battling the guards, but there were hundreds of them now.

To them, the fifteen individuals who attacked the gate looked like demons.

They were killing mercenaries left and right, and they could do nothing to stop them.

The problem was that most of the brain crystal rifles were inside the building.

Few of the guards were using them right at that moment, and the ones who did were quickly dispatched by the clones, who then used the weapons for their advantage.

More and more guards were dying under the clones' assault.

While the defenders were unaware of the real purpose of the attack.

"Did you contact the Blackguards?" A guard asked.

"Yes, sir! They are on their way!"

"Let's pray we will be alive by the time they arrive."

In the meantime, Erik and the others ran through the building and headed toward the side exit.

They needed to open the door with no one noticing, so that the other clones could safely leave the city.

"How much before we reach the exit?" Erik asked.

"200 meters," June said.

"Good. Tell the others to set off the explosives and move toward the target location."

"Understood."

June did as he said. Of course, not having sophisticated communication devices, they resorted to phones.

Erik couldn't waste mana for now, as he was sure there were going to be battles to fight soon, as the Blackguards were bound to arrive.

"Set off the explosives," June said. With that order, the clones outside retreated, leaving the guards baffled. Carnage around them.

The clones, with a clear aim in mind, started their second phase of the diversion.

They threw some makeshift bombs they made, and within moments, the area around the front of the building erupted into a cacophony of controlled chaos.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

The bombs released thick clouds of obscuring fog and dust, enveloping the surroundings in a dense haze.

The explosives unleashed a series of thunderous booms, resonating through the air and shaking the very ground beneath.

The blasts were timed with precision, each explosion thrown to increase the radius of the debris meant to cover them.

As smoke billowed, and the noise echoed, the guards scrambled in confusion. Alarms blared in response to the explosions.

Amidst the confusion, the clones communicated through subtle nods and gestures, confirming the success of their diversion.

Their faces remained calm, betraying no hint of satisfaction at the pandemonium they had created. But for some of the guards, it was another story.

"AHHHH!"

"MY LEG! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEG!"

"MOM, HELP ME!"

With that, the clones, covered by the smoke, rushed toward the secondary entrance.

In the meantime, Erik and the others reached the door, and with a powerful kick, they blasted it open. They found the other clones in front of the door.

"Is everyone ok?" Erik asked.

"Yes, Master, it was a simple job," a clone said.

"Good, because things are going to get complicated from now on. Expect more brain crystal rifles. Let's go now."

Upon entering the building, Erik and his group found themselves engulfed in a labyrinth of corridors and rooms.

Each turn and doorway hid unseen dangers. The building's interior was a maze, with long, winding hallways that branched off in multiple directions, and rooms that varied in size and purpose.

Erik took the lead, relying on his previous experiences in the same facility and using the biological supercomputer to get a map of the building.

The guards inside were few since they were still outside searching for the clones, not knowing they were already inside.

The group moved with haste, as Erik knew that since the last time he and June had been there, additional security measures had surely been implemented.

He was right. Erik could see it thanks to the biological supercomputer.

There were motion sensors on the ceiling. Which Erik promptly deactivated, thanks to the mighty system.

Surveillance cameras, mounted at strategic intervals along the corridors, posed another challenge, but since Erik didn't really care about the enemy finding out about his ability to mess up with the electronic devices, he deactivated them, too.

Erik's understanding of the building allowed him to guide the group through the edifice.

"This doesn't look that hard," Alexander said.

"Yeah, because we are less restrained than the last time," June said as a response to Alexander's remark.

As they advanced, Erik's group encountered a corridor guarded by armed guards with brain crystal rifles. They started shooting at them.

"Can't we avoid them?" June asked.

"No. That's the only way to go to the elevator," Erik said.

"Fuck."

Erik had largely disabled the base's security systems, but the guards who saw the group rushing inside used radio communication, and alerted the others about the incursion without moving to engage. They waited at a few strategic locations.

Thanks to that, they got enough people to block the intruder's only route to the elevator.

If they wanted to reach a higher floor and get out of the city, they had to go past them.

"What do we do?" Alexander asked.

"I will mess with their brains. There will only be a short time frame in which they will be confused enough to be defenseless. You have to take care of them at that time."

"Are you sure we can pull this off?"

"Seriously? You are almost as strong as Samuel from Liberty Watch village!" Erik said.

"Yes, but those rifles basically put them on our level!"

"Just do as I said. I will tell you when to go. Don't hesitate."

"YES, MASTER."

Erik started channeling mana from his brain crystal through his neural links.

He tapped into his instability brain crystal power and then focused on his opponents.

There were around ten guards, so messing with their brains was possible.

What Erik wanted to do was to instill a fear so deep inside of them as to make them lose the ability to think.

However, to do so required a massive amount of mana, so he couldn't make that mental state last for long. A couple of seconds at best.

His power worked subtly at first, seeping into their consciousness. Then, with a sudden surge, he triggered their deepest, most primal fears.

The guards' eyes widened in terror as their minds were flooded with horrifying self-induced images—nightmarish visions that were so vivid and overwhelming that they momentarily lost all sense of reality.

Within this brief window, the guards were completely vulnerable, their ability to think and react crippled by the terrifying they saw.

Seizing this critical moment, Erik's thirty-one clones sprang into action.

With the guards disoriented and defenseless, the clones moved with lethal efficiency.

They rushed into the corridor, taking full advantage of the guards' temporary incapacitation.

In the span of those few, crucial seconds, the clones neutralized the guards.

The entire skirmish was over almost as quickly as it had begun, with the guards overwhelmed before they could regain their composure.

[MULTIPLE GUARDS KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

11:02

[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]

[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]

[3...2...1...0]

[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 72917 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]

With the threat neutralized, Erik ceased the flow of mana, allowing the eerie calm of the aftermath to settle. The corridor was now secure, the elevator just at a few steps in front of them.

"Let's go. We already wasted a lot of time."

"Yes, Master!" the clones said in unison. They were almost out of the city.