The piercing alarm pierced the island's veil of tranquility like a needle. The pale lights gave way to a swirling red glow, illuminating the cold metal corridor like the entrance to purgatory. The resounding crash of heavy isolation doors rang out from all directions, like the fangs of a great beast baring.
"This way!" Lin Xingyun shouted sharply. His powerful mental power, like a precise radar in a critical moment, instantly detected an emergency passageway that had not yet been fully closed due to a conflicting alarm system priority. He grabbed hold of Buakaw, who was nearly losing control with rage, and the two of them, like arrows from a bow, narrowly tumbled into the passageway before the final gate fell.
"Damn it! Don't stop me! I'm going back to smash those cans!" Buakaw's eyes were red, and veins bulged beneath his bronze skin. The sight of the "materials" being treated like animals in the laboratory deeply shocked this boxer, who believed that strength came from self-cultivation. "After we smash the jar, what then? Are we imprisoned here with them as new 'material'?" Lin Xingyun's voice was icy, yet revelatory. "To save them, we need to get out alive! Expose everything here to the world!"
Buakaw took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his seething murderous intent. He nodded emphatically: "As you say! How do we fight our way out?"
Outside the passage, the sound of dense footsteps and the hum of energy weapons charging rapidly approached. The Gene Alliance's reaction speed was astonishing.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the island, in the shadows of the mangroves,
A shrill alarm also reached Aisha, Nguyen Thi Mai, and Danilo.
"They've been discovered!" Danilo's face paled, and he instinctively tightened the grip of the homemade weapon at his waist.
Ayisha's pretty face paled, but her eyes were determined. She quickly pulled out several large pieces of batik cloth from her bag, placed her hands on them, and poured her psychic energy into them without reservation. The ancient patterns on the cloth, symbolizing "solidity" and "protection," gradually illuminated, emitting a more intense aura than before. "We must reach them!"
Nguyen Thi Mai said nothing. She walked directly to the water's edge, her ao dai robe fluttering in the red light of the alarm, like a blood-soaked lotus. She closed her eyes, the silver rings on her earlobes vibrating at a high frequency, and slowly raised her hands, as if embracing the entire Manila Bay. The water beneath her feet began to surge restlessly, a low roar. Farther away, the previously calm surface of the bay began to form unnatural depressions and ridges! She was mobilizing the power of the water on a larger scale, preparing to create chaos and open up a chance for a breakout!
Inside the island, the emergency passage was not an easy path, and soon, guards appeared to intercept them. Their eyes were glazed, but their movements were incredibly swift and precise. The faint glow of energy channels beneath their skin was visible—they were "evolvers" under deep control!
"Get out of here!" Buakaw roared, no longer holding back. The deadly moves of ancient Muay Thai were unleashed. Punches, elbows, knees, and kicks transformed into afterimages, each strike imbued with terrifying force capable of shattering rocks and shattering monuments. Despite their fortifications, those "evolved" warriors were like fragile terracotta figurines before Buakaw's wrathful outburst of pure violence, easily sent flying and shattered!
Lin Xingyun lingered on the edge of the violent storm created by Buakaw, his figure flickering in the shadows of the narrow passage. His "Shadow Snake Witch Mark" was pushed to its limit, not only restraining the enemy's shadow but also attempting to directly influence the energy flow within their bodies, causing a brief moment of confusion and paralysis, creating an opportunity for Buakaw to strike a fatal blow. His Chris dagger showed no mercy, its flashes swift as lightning, precisely severing the guards' energy pipelines and vital joints.
One bright, one dark, one hard, one soft, the two men managed to carve a bloody path through the intricate passage! But the enemy seemed endless in number, and more automatic defense weapons activated, sending dense energy beams blocking the path ahead. "We'll be exhausted if we keep going like this!" Lin Xingyun felt his psychic and mental energy rapidly depleting.
Just as they were pinned down by firepower and facing imminent danger, the entire island suddenly shook violently! Then, a tremendous, tsunami-like roar echoed from outside!
It was Nguyen Thi Mai! She gathered immense water power, forming a massive undercurrent that fiercely impacted the island's infrastructure! Simultaneously, she manipulated the bay's waters, sending waves several meters high crashing down on the island's docks and outer defenses!
Chaos erupted! Some automatic weapon systems malfunctioned due to the vibrations, and the guards' attention was distracted by the external "attack."
"Now!" Lin Xingyun's eyes flashed, and he exchanged a glance with Buakaw. They both unleashed their energy simultaneously, charging through the firestorm like two hurricanes!
Thanks to the external chaos Nguyen Thi Mai had created and her memory of the internal route, they finally broke free from the white building and arrived at the relatively open campus. However, a far more severe test awaited them—dozens of heavily armed soldiers and several "High Evolvers" with noticeably more powerful auras had already formed up. In the sky, two rotary-wing drones locked onto them, their onboard weapons emitting a deathly glow.
"Surrender! Or I'll kill you!" Leading the charge was an officer wearing a monocular electronic goggle and covered in exoskeleton armor. His voice, carried through a megaphone, was cold and ruthless.
Buakaw spat out a mouthful of blood and assumed a fighting stance. Though exhausted, his fighting spirit was high: "Stop talking nonsense! Fight!"
Lin Xingyun took a deep breath, knowing this was a life-or-death situation. He silently communicated with the two sorcerer patterns within his body and cast his gaze toward the edge of the island. He could sense Aisha's psychic energy, imbued with protective will, and the vast water power summoned by Nguyen Thi Mai.
Suddenly, a thought struck him: could the resonance between tokens transcend distance and guide the fusion of power? He no longer hesitated, completely absorbed in his connection with the dagger, and proactively called out to Aisha's batik pot and Nguyen Thi Mai's silver earrings!
At the edge of the island, Nguyen Thi Mai, struggling to maintain the water's surface, and Aisha, constructing a defensive barrier, simultaneously felt a connection! The tokens they wore vibrated violently, and a wave of psychic energy, imbued with determination and guidance, emanated clearly from Lin Xingyun's direction!
Without words, the three of them connected in thought!
With a delicate cry, Aisha tossed the largest piece of batik cloth into the air with all her might! The light from the cloth shone brighter than ever before, no longer simply for defense, but transformed into streams of light that spanned space, entangling Lin Xingyun and Buakaw, forming a flowing armor of light that combined defense and amplification!
Nguyen Thi Mai bit her fingertip and released a drop of blood, imbued with her own psychic energy, into the sea, her hands dancing in an even more complex and ancient pattern! The ground beneath Lin Xingyun and Buakaw's feet suddenly became wet. Immediately afterwards, two "Water Warriors," composed entirely of highly compressed water and clad in the shadowy imagery of traditional Filipino warrior vine armor, emerged from the ground, wielding water spears and flanking them.
This sudden change startled the Gene Alliance soldiers!
"Attack!" the exoskeleton officer commanded.
Energy beams rained down, but were largely deflected and weakened by the flowing light armor! The two Water Warriors charged fearlessly into the enemy formation, swinging their water spears with immense pressure and the flexibility of water, instantly disrupting the enemy's formation!
"Great opportunity!" Buakaw's spirits lifted, feeling his depleted energy being restored by the light armor. He laughed wildly and charged at the officer, his fists sending gusts of wind that crackled the air!
Lin Xingyun once again merged into the shadows, this time targeting not ordinary soldiers but the two drones! The power of the shadow snake spread upward, following the shadow cast by the sun, directly invading its control system, causing it to instantly lose control, lurching into the ground and exploding into two balls of fire!
With internal and external support, the tide of battle was instantly reversed!
The Gene Alliance's front collapsed. Under Buakaw's relentless assault, the exoskeleton officer's armor shattered, and he retreated, spewing blood.
Lin Xingyun didn't linger. He rushed to Buakaw's side, "Move! Our goal has been achieved!"
With the remote support of Aisha and Nguyen Thi Mai, the two quickly retreated to the edge of the island. Before leaving, Lin Xingyun ripped a memory module from a fallen researcher—it might contain crucial data for the "Reaper Project."
By the time they leaped into the sea and reunited with Aisha, Nguyen Thi Mai, and Danilo, the Gene Alliance island behind them was in chaos.
Boarding the "ghost ship," they quickly departed. Looking back, the island shone like a hornet's nest in the night. "We succeeded..." Aisha collapsed onto the boat, her face pale but her eyes brimming with excitement.
Buakaw looked at Lin Xingyun and patted his shoulder, his words saying everything.
Nguyen Thi Mai gazed at the islands shrinking in the distance and whispered, "This is just the beginning."
Lin Xingyun clenched the memory module in his hand, feeling the team bond strengthened by shared hardships and the nascent "token resonance" as it began to manifest its power. He gazed resolutely at the dark horizon.
The name of the Star Sea Shaman will surely resound throughout the South China Sea with this breakout.
(End of Chapter 13)