The battlefield was quiet.
But not a peaceful quiet—
a dangerous quiet.
A "something is coming" quiet.
The broken Crawlers lay scattered around the shed like pieces of dead insects.
The Alpha Hunter's metal body sparked on the sand, still smoking from Qin Mian's last attack.
Kai lowered her rifle slowly, her breath still fast from the fight.
Chen Gu sat on the ground, exhausted, repeating to himself:
"We're alive… we're alive… why are we still alive…"
Thorne hugged a toolbox and whispered:
"My soul is gone. I'm a ghost now."
Sniper stood near the doorway, scanning the darkness through her scope.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"That's not the end."
Kai frowned.
"You're saying more are coming?"
Sniper didn't blink.
"No.
They're changing."
The Red Lights Move Differently
Qin Mian held Yin Lie tighter.
She could feel him shiver again—
a soft, scared shiver.
She whispered:
"Lie… don't be afraid. I'm right here."
His fingers brushed her wrist weakly.
"…Mian…"
Kai approached the door.
"What do you mean changing?"
Sniper pointed at the horizon.
"Look."
Outside—
the red lights didn't stand still anymore.
They shifted.
They moved.
At first like crawling.
Then like walking.
Then slowly—
uncurling themselves.
Chen Gu crawled toward the door and peeked out.
He froze instantly.
"No… no no no… they're reorganizing their frames!"
Kai's eyes widened.
"Into what?"
Sniper lowered her rifle slightly.
"Humanoid shapes."
The Crawlers Evolve
The red lights grew taller.
Longer.
The Crawlers' metal legs twisted with clicking noises.
Their bodies folded, plates shifting and rotating.
Their limbs extended upward, locking into new joints.
Metal scraped metal.
A deep grinding sound filled the air.
Chen Gu was pale as ice.
"They're converting into Bipedal Hunters…
Second Form…"
Kai stepped back.
"No. That's impossible. That takes full network support."
Sniper said quietly:
"They must have linked to a mobile core node."
Qin Mian didn't understand the words, but she felt the danger.
Every instinct told her—
the things outside were far worse than Crawlers.
One of the shapes rose fully.
It looked human.
But wrong.
Too thin.
Too tall.
Head too smooth.
Arms too long.
A glowing red "faceplate" scanned for heat signatures.
Kai whispered:
"…Hunter Type-B…"
Chen Gu added:
"Designed for close-quarters assassination.
Fast. Silent. Efficient."
Thorne sobbed.
"They're robot ninjas?! Why is life like this?!"
Kai snapped:
"Everyone ready. They'll be inside in seconds."
Qin Mian's Power Fades
Qin Mian lifted her hand—
but it trembled.
Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
Her dream-light flickered weakly, barely glowing at all.
"Not now…" she whispered softly.
"Please… not now…"
Sniper saw the fading glow.
"You burned too much power last fight. Don't push again."
"But Lie—"
"I'll cover you both," Sniper said simply.
Kai nodded, stepping beside her.
"And I'll cover you."
Qin Mian looked at both of them.
Then at Yin Lie, still unconscious in her arms.
She whispered into his hair:
"Lie… I need you to wake up… even a little…
I can't fight alone…"
Yin Lie's eyelashes fluttered.
His breath shook.
But he didn't wake.
Not fully.
Not yet.
The First Type-B Enters
A shadow moved at terrifying speed.
Just a blur.
SHHH—
A tall metal figure slid through the broken wall like liquid shadow.
Its red faceplate turned slowly.
Scanning.
Calculating.
Chen Gu screamed.
Kai fired instantly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets hit—
but the Hunter twisted its body in impossible ways, dodging like a dancer made of steel.
It stepped forward—
silent.
Smooth.
Predatory.
Sniper fired a headshot.
BOOM—!!!
The Hunter snapped its head sideways, dodging.
The bullet scraped its faceplate, leaving a glowing scar.
It didn't stop moving.
Sniper muttered:
"…These things are cheating."
Kai raised her rifle.
"Focus fire!"
They shot again—
Sniper's bullet hit the Hunter's leg.
Kai's shots cracked its shoulder.
It paused.
Just for one second.
Sniper smirked.
"Found your weakness."
She fired.
BOOM—!!!
The bullet pierced the Hunter's leg joint, breaking it.
Kai shouted:
"Qin Mian! Now! Push it back!"
Qin Mian raised her hand—
but her arm dropped weakly.
"I… can't…"
Kai cursed.
Sniper fired again—
WHAM—
The Hunter's upper body twisted backward unnaturally, but it still crawled forward on its hands, fast and insect-like.
Thorne fainted.
Again.
Qin Mian's Power Sparks
The Hunter lunged at her.
Kai wasn't close enough.
Sniper was reloading.
Chen Gu was useless.
Qin Mian held Yin Lie close.
Her heart screamed.
"NO—!!!"
A spark shot from her palm.
Small.
Weak.
But lightning-fast.
It hit the Hunter's chest.
ZAP—!!
The Hunter froze.
Just half a second.
But enough.
Sniper jumped off a beam, landed behind it, and fired point-blank into its central processor.
BOOM—!!!
The Hunter shut down instantly.
Metal crashed onto the sand.
Qin Mian collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Kai ran to her.
"Are you okay?!"
Qin Mian nodded weakly.
"Yes… but… I can't use that again for a while…"
Sniper reloaded and said:
"Save your strength.
The rest are almost here."
The Army Arrives
Outside, more Type-B Hunters finished transforming.
Their shadowy shapes approached like tall iron ghosts.
Some ran.
Some crawled.
Some leapt from dune to dune with terrifying speed.
At least twenty of them.
Kai felt her throat tighten.
"We can't win a direct fight."
Chen Gu whispered:
"Then what do we do?!"
Sniper answered with a cold smile.
"We kill as many as we can.
Then we run."
Kai nodded.
"Same plan as always."
Thorne woke up long enough to scream:
"BAD PLAN!!"
But no one listened.
Because outside the shed—
the metal shapes lined up.
Moving in perfect rhythm.
Their red faces glowing in the dark.
Then—
they raised their arms in unison.
A mechanical chorus.
A red glow building in their palms.
Qin Mian's eyes widened.
"They're… charging something…"
Sniper's face darkened.
"Oh hell."
Kai's voice dropped.
"That's a coordinated plasma sweep."
Chen Gu choked.
"If they fire that—
everything in this shed dies."
Qin Mian hugged Yin Lie tighter.
"Lie… wake up… please wake up…"
Yin Lie stirred.
For the first time—
a real reaction.
His fingers curled around her wrist.
"…Mian… run…"
His voice was faint.
But real.
Qin Mian kissed his forehead.
"No. I'm not leaving you."
The red lights outside grew brighter—
brighter—
ready to fire.
Sniper lifted her rifle.
Kai raised her gun.
Chen Gu held his breath.
Qin Mian shielded Yin Lie with her body.
And then—
the Type-B Hunters fired.
A wall of burning red light shot straight toward them.
—
Chapter 90 End