Chapter 26 – The Final Day & The Insecticoid Invasion
The sun barely rose over the dense forest when chaos erupted. The final day of the Wilderness Survival Program was meant to test endurance and strategy—no one expected it to become a battlefield.
A scouting spaceship of unknown origin blazed through the sky, its trajectory unstable as it tore through the atmosphere. It wasn't long before it crash-landed into the very forest where the students were stationed. The explosion sent tremors across the area, shaking trees and causing a shockwave that knocked some students off their feet.
At the observation base, the principals and professors of both academies stood frozen as they watched the live drone feeds.
"What the hell was that?!" a professor exclaimed.
Principal Mason's eyes narrowed. "Not human."
Principal Graves turned pale. "It… it can't be."
The military, who had been tracking the spaceship for days via satellite, was immediately contacted. Within minutes, the Bureau of Justice (B.O.J) was mobilizing, but their response would take time. The students were on their own.
The ship doors hissed open, and four insecticoid aliens emerged—towering, armored, and equipped with razor-sharp limbs and bio-energy weapons. Their exoskeletons gleamed under the morning sun, their mandibles clicking as they scanned the battlefield.
Then, they attacked.
Their speed was inhuman, and their strength overwhelming. The students, still recovering from the impact of the crash, stood no chance.
Screams erupted across the battlefield.
Super and human teams alike scattered in panic as the insecticoids tore through them. One super student tried to fight back but was sliced in half before he could react.
More supers tried to resist, but their restricted abilities made them helpless. The human teams with firearms barely scratched the insecticoids' exoskeletons before being overrun.
Amongst the chaos, Logan's team witnessed the slaughter firsthand. Without hesitation, Logan, William, Jessica, and Matthew moved to action.
"We need to help them!" Jessica shouted.
Logan's cold gaze assessed the battlefield. "We're limited. We need to—"
Before he could finish, one insecticoid turned its sights on a human team. The humans, realizing their weapons were ineffective, did the unthinkable—they shot at a group of supers to slow the insecticoid down.
One of the supers, a girl with cybernetic enhancements, screamed as she bled out.
William clenched his fists. "They shot their own allies?!"
Matthew scowled. "Damn cowards."
Jessica, shaking with anger, watched as the insecticoid slaughtered both humans and supers alike.
At the observation base, the super academy's professors erupted in rage.
"Turn off their power restrictions right now!" one demanded.
"They're dying out there!" another shouted.
Principal Mason glared at Principal Graves. "Your students just shot mine to buy time."
Graves, already sweating, had no defense. Before he could respond, Mason stepped forward, grabbing him by the collar.
"If my students die because of your incompetence, Graves, I'll make sure your entire academy burns for this."
Before Mason could do something drastic, a military captain intervened. "Calm yourself, Mason. The military is already inbound."
Mason exhaled sharply, then turned to his staff. "Lift the restrictions. Give them their powers back."
Back in the forest, the moment the restrictions were lifted, the battlefield changed.
Logan felt the pulse of energy return to his body, his esper abilities fully restored. Forcefields erupted around his teammates, shielding them from a deadly blast.
William roared as his titan strength surged back, his muscles flexing as he grabbed a wild bear that had been running from the carnage and hurled it at one of the insecticoids.
Matthew's synth tech arm sparked back to full functionality, deploying compact energy weapons that blasted through the exoskeleton of one of the creatures.
And Jessica…
Jessica's transformation activated.
Her body twisted and elongated, her skin morphing into smooth scales as she partially shifted into her Titanoboa form. Two massive serpentine limbs extended from her back, writhing with terrifying power.
"I'll hold them off! Get the wounded out of here!" Jessica growled, her voice a deep, serpentine hiss.
She lunged at the nearest insecticoid, her snake limbs coiling around its torso, crushing it with immense strength.
Logan extended his forcefield, shielding escaping students while using his telekinesis to send knives and debris flying at the aliens.
William charged another insecticoid, his titanic fists smashing into its skull, denting its exoskeleton with each brutal hit.
Matthew, now fully armed, unleashed a barrage of compressed explosives, forcing the remaining creatures into defensive positions.
Just as Logan's team began turning the tide, the sound of helicopters and heavy vehicles filled the air.
The military and Bureau of Justice had arrived.
Elite B.O.J operatives, armed with high-powered weaponry designed for extraterrestrial threats, stormed the battlefield.
Bullets, energy blasts, and explosions rained down upon the remaining insecticoids. One by one, the aliens fell under the combined might of the supers, the humans, and the military forces.
The battle was over.
As dawn fully broke, news of the event spread rapidly.
"Breaking News: An Unidentified Alien Ship Crash-Lands During a Super Academy Wilderness Exam—Over Fifty Students Confirmed Dead."
The government scrambled to control the media, but whispers of the incident's true scale spread like wildfire. Questions arose—Was this just a scouting vessel? Were more coming?
Meanwhile, at the super academy, mourning began for the fallen students. The relationship between the human academy and super academy was now irreparably damaged.
---
The battlefield had finally gone quiet, but the aftermath was anything but peaceful. Military helicopters hovered above, floodlights illuminating the wreckage of the insecticoid scouting ship. Heavily armed Bureau of Justice (B.O.J.) operatives moved in to secure the remains of the alien creatures and any surviving technology.
Logan and his team stood at a distance, watching as scientists in hazmat suits examined the wreckage. Soldiers carried black body bags—some containing alien remains, others carrying the fallen students.
A high-ranking B.O.J. officer surveyed the site, speaking into his communicator.
"Secure every piece of that ship. If this was just a scout, we need to be ready for whatever's coming next."
A nearby scientist hesitated before asking, "Do you really think more of them are coming?"
The officer didn't answer. He simply kept watching the sky.
---
Back at the base camp, Principal Mason of the super academy was livid. He had just reviewed drone footage of the event—specifically the part where some human students had turned their weapons on supers just to buy time for their own escape.
Across from him sat Principal Graves of the human academy, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair, sweat beading on his forehead.
Mason's voice was like ice. "Your students murdered mine. That's not something I can let go."
Graves swallowed hard. "Mason, you have to understand—"
SLAM!
Mason's fist crashed onto the table, making Graves flinch.
"Understand?" Mason leaned in, his tone sharp. "Your students shot my people in the back. They left them to die, and you want me to understand?"
Graves looked away, but Mason wasn't finished.
"I'll make sure your academy never recovers from this. You're done, Graves."
The human principal had no response. He knew Mason meant every word.
---
The air was thick with grief and tension. As students contacted their families, a synth student from the super academy stood alone, his eyes locked onto a group of human students being escorted away.
His younger sister had been among the supers shot during the chaos. She hadn't made it.
And he knew exactly who pulled the trigger.
Without hesitation, he walked up behind the human student responsible, pulling a concealed pistol from his jacket.
BANG!
The bullet tore through the back of the human student's skull, blood spraying onto the dirt. Screams erupted.
Before the synth could fire again, security tackled him to the ground. He didn't struggle.
He just laughed bitterly. "An eye for an eye, you coward."
---
As the surviving students processed what had happened, they were given access to their communicators to check in with their families.
Some called their parents, breaking into sobs of relief or grief. Others stayed silent, too exhausted to talk.
Logan sat off to the side, his back against a tree, flipping his stingray keyring between his fingers when his phone vibrated.
He sighed. It was his father.
"Yeah?" Logan answered.
George Holt's voice came through, calm but firm. "You made it."
Logan exhaled. "Yeah."
A short pause. Then his father chuckled. "I knew you would."
Logan said nothing.
George continued, "Saw the reports. You took charge."
Logan ran a hand through his hair. "I did what I had to."
His father hummed in approval. "Good. Get home soon. We have things to discuss."
The call ended.
Logan sat there, gripping his phone tightly.
---
Not long after, his phone vibrated again. Elsa.
For a moment, he debated ignoring it. But eventually, he picked up.
Her voice was soft, almost hesitant. "Logan... I just saw the news. I'm glad you're okay."
Logan leaned his head back against the tree, staring at the darkening sky.
His response was flat. "Julian must be disappointed."
Elsa's tone shifted instantly. "Are you seriously bringing him up right now?"
Logan's fingers tightened around his phone. "You're in Moscow, having a nice time with him, and now you suddenly care about me?"
Elsa sighed. "It's not like that, Logan—"
Click.
Logan hung up.
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly. Midnight, his eagle, landed beside him, tilting its head.
Logan gave a small smirk. "Don't look at me like that. It's nothing."
But even as he said it, he knew it was a lie.