The Type-B Hunters sprinted toward the Rift gate—
metal feet smashing the ground,
heavy armor flexing with each movement,
red sensors glowing like hunting wolves.
Kai ran straight at them.
Not away.
Straight at them.
Chen Gu screamed behind her:
"KAI YOU'RE CRAZY—!!"
Kai didn't even turn around.
She slid her rifle magazine in place and whispered:
"…I've been crazy a long time."
The wind from the Rift blew hard against her back,
making her coat snap like a flag in a storm
as she jumped onto a broken metal beam—
and launched herself forward.
Round One: First Contact
The first Type-B Hunter swung an arm like a hammer.
Kai ducked under it—
SWISH—!!
And fired upward at its jaw.
BANG BANG BANG!
Bullets bounced off.
Of course they did.
But she didn't expect them to work.
She used the recoil to flip backward, landing lightly on the sand.
The Hunter turned.
Kai was already moving.
She sprinted up a fallen Crawler shell,
used it as a ramp,
and launched herself onto the Hunter's shoulders.
She jammed her rifle barrel into the joints of its head.
"Let's see if your neck likes this—!"
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD—!!
Metal sparks flew.
The Hunter jerked violently.
It reached up to grab her—
so she kicked off,
spinning in the air,
landing in a crouch several meters away.
The Hunter staggered.
Its neck didn't break.
But its movement slowed.
Kai smirked.
"One down—nine thousand to go."
All nine Type-B Hunters turned toward her.
Red lights brightened.
Kai's smirk vanished.
"…Oh hell."
Round Two: The Swarm Arrives
All nine rushed her at once.
Kai dove behind a broken wall.
CRAAAASH—!!
The Hunters smashed through the wall like it was sand.
Kai fired a burst.
TAT-TAT-TAT—
Her bullets hit the first Hunter's optical sensors.
The lights flickered.
It turned blind for two seconds.
Kai used those two seconds well.
She sprinted up its chest—
the metal plates hot against her boots—
jumped off its shoulder
and kicked the second Hunter's head sideways.
CLANG—!!
The third swung at her.
She bent backward,
dodging by one centimeter,
feeling the wind pass over her nose.
"Too slow, ugly."
But the Hunters didn't get tired.
And they didn't get angry.
They just adapted.
All nine recalculated new angles.
Chen Gu shouted:
"KAIII!! THEY'RE LEARNING YOUR MOVEMENTS—!!"
Kai landed, breathing hard.
"Yeah? Then I'll move faster."
Kai's Real Strength: Mind Over Power
The Hunters analyzed her position.
Nine red targeting lasers snapped onto her at once.
Kai didn't move.
She closed her eyes.
Chen Gu whispered:
"Oh no…
She's calculating…
Kai's really doing this—"
Kai opened her eyes.
And smiled.
"You want me?"
She lifted her arms wide—
mocking them.
"Come get me."
The Hunters charged.
Kai stepped once to the left.
Once to the right.
Once forward.
Her movement looked like dancing.
But it was mathematics.
Prediction lines.
Angles of attack.
Trajectory changes.
Weak points in motion, not armor.
She slid under the first Hunter,
fired upward into its elbow joint.
PSSSHT—!!
Hydraulic fluid burst from the crack.
She spun out, planting a boot against its leg—
CRACK—!!
It fell.
Before she hit the ground,
she shot the second Hunter in the ear-gap,
then kicked off its shoulder.
The third tried to grab her.
Kai dropped low and swept its legs.
The fourth punched down.
Kai rolled away, dust flying around her like smoke.
Chen Gu watched, stunned.
"She's… too fast…
She's inside their prediction curve…"
The fifth Hunter punched.
Kai landed on its fist,
pushed off,
and shot point-blank into its audio receiver.
BOOM—WHRRR—
The machine staggered, systems glitching.
Kai slid across the sand, breathing hard but smiling.
"Next?"
The Hunters Adapt Again
All five remaining Hunters paused.
Their lights flashed.
They were rewriting their combat algorithm.
Kai felt her stomach drop.
"Oh no."
Chen Gu shouted:
"KAI!! THEY'RE MOVING TO SYNCHRONIZED MODE—!!!"
All five suddenly lunged at once,
in perfect timing,
like a single machine with five bodies.
Kai dodged left—
only to be caught by a second Hunter
anticipating her movement.
She ducked—
but a third Hunter read her motion.
A fourth Hunter backhanded her.
THOOOOM—!!
Kai slammed into a half-buried Crawler shell.
Her vision blurred.
Blood filled her mouth.
She spat on the sand.
"…Okay… that hurt."
The Hunters advanced.
Kai struggled to stand.
Her knees shook.
Her arms trembled.
Chen Gu screamed:
"KAI RUN!! YOU CAN'T WIN AGAINST FIVE TYPE-Bs—!!"
Kai wiped blood from her mouth.
"Then I'll make it four."
The first Hunter punched downward.
Kai rolled sideways—
barely—
and grabbed a long metal pipe from the ground.
She jammed it into the Hunter's leg joint—
and fired her rifle at the pipe.
BOOOOM—!!
The joint blew apart.
One Hunter collapsed.
Kai grinned weakly.
"Four."
But she barely stood when another Hunter grabbed her throat
and lifted her off the ground.
Her legs kicked helplessly.
"KAI!!" Chen Gu screamed.
The Hunter squeezed harder.
Kai choked.
Her vision dimmed.
Its red sensor glowed brighter—
charging a killing strike.
Chen Gu covered his face.
"Kai… please…"
Kai reached for anything—
strength,
air,
a miracle—
but her fingers felt numb.
She whispered:
"…Lie… Mian… hurry…"
The Hunter raised its other arm to crush her skull.
The Rift pulsed.
A violent, bright pulse.
Wind exploded outward from the gate.
The Hunter froze.
For one second.
Kai gasped for air.
She twisted her body—
AND DROVE HER RIFLE LIKE A SPEAR INTO THE HUNTER'S EYE.
CRRRRRSHHH!!
The light died instantly.
The machine dropped her.
Kai hit the ground hard, coughing, holding her throat.
But she stood again.
Barely.
Blood dripping from her lip.
Eyes burning.
She spat at the dead Hunter.
"That's three."
The Rift Explodes Again
The sky cracked again—
a giant tear splitting across the horizon.
Chen Gu screamed:
"KAI—THE RIFT IS GOING TO SWALLOW THE STATION!!
WE HAVE MINUTES BEFORE THE WHOLE AREA COLLAPSES—!!"
Kai didn't look back.
She watched the remaining Hunters.
Three left.
They stepped forward slowly.
She raised her gun.
Her voice low, shaking but strong:
"Come on then.
I'm not dead yet."
A huge blast of energy erupted from the Rift behind her—
a pulse so big it shook the ground.
The Hunters all turned their heads toward the Rift.
Inside—
Yin Lie roared.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…Lie… you're reaching the surface…"
The Hunters took one step toward the Rift.
Kai took one step toward them.
Her voice cracked:
"You're not touching him.
Or her."
The wind roared.
Reality bent.
And all hell broke loose.
—
Chapter 99 End