Shocked that his ability had just been replicated and cancelled out, the guard paused for a second.
In his stunned state, the remaining two guards launched their own attacks. One of them opened his mouth and an invisible force pulled from his throat gathered.
The third guard threw a punch that seemed to replicate something like a sonic wave.
At the same time, the links on one of the chains behind Sera broke and dissolved into nothingness. She too opened her mouth, and the energy that gathered from her throat was almost three times stronger than the attacks coming for her.
Boom!!
An explosion engulfed the room, causing even more commotion on the fourth floor.
"Shit," Sera cursed as the urge to kill the guards crept into her heart. However, before she could indulge, she decided to rendezvous with Narvel and Nyla.
…
A few minutes before the explosion took place, when Narvel was still on the ground floor. While scanning the crowd, upon looking at the top floor, he saw two people peeping, side by side through the balcony.
His monocle identified one of them as a Federation Official, an official guard to a supposed mid-range ranking Federation dignitary, and the other was a middle-level threat criminal.
What's a guard doing with a criminal?
He felt that it was a weird thing, and perhaps the government official had been hypnotized, so he decided to go investigate.
Upon reaching the top floor, from the entrance of the elevator, the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. The corridor was filled with Federation officers… standing side by side with criminals of varying threat levels. Some were so dangerous their file were locked behind high-level clearance.
How could he tell?
His monocle had at least that level of clearance to peer into such people's identity and details. After all, being a Kestrel Exoshell user meant that he was a high-level individual in his own right and equipped with enough to do a lot of damage.
Normally, such exoshells are banned from being used on Earth and many other core planets, alongside Velocitronic weapons.
They were deemed as weapons that should be used for off-world combat, for the safety of their communities. However, once one is certified to possess the kit, they have some leverage and clearance to wield the exoshell if their judgment warrants it.
One would think that it would be abused, however, as long as it is a factory registered kit, data of the suit and its surroundings is automatically being transferred to the right authorities…
"Hey, what are you doing here?" One of the Federation officers asked when she saw Narvel walk out of the elevator. "You can't be here." She added, already putting her hands on her weapon, ready to draw and use it if necessary.
"Oh," Narvel feigned confusion. "Sorry, I got lost. I was looking for the bathroom." He raised his hands and started walking back slowly.
"Kill him, he's already seen some of our faces." One of the criminals said as he too pulled his gun out.
"He's just a normal civilian," the woman defended.
"That I am… sorry, do you recognize that man who just spoke?" Narvel asked, wanting to confirm something other than just their familiarity.
The woman looked a bit confused as she turned her head and looked at the man Narvel was talking about.
"Yes," She uttered, a bit confused as to why she was asked this question.
The moment she uttered this, Narvel attacked.
His hands moved so fast that they looked like a blur in the eyes of the woman. He removed her gun's magazine and struck her neck, knocking her out. He then proceeded to take her gun, reload the magazine.
At this point, the others had gotten their guns out.
This section of the top floor soon became the location of a shootout.
Bullets struck Narvel, however, his Exoshell protected him from being penetrated. He raised his hands and protected his head as he charged forward.
Deep in his heart, he wasn't totally shocked that Federation Officers were working with criminals. Since the death of his parents and siblings, he had long believed that the organization was filled with more corrupt officers than it even dared to portray.
And whenever the Federation moved, barely anything good came out of it if one takes into account what was sacrificed to earn it.
Are they searching for a reason for war?
That was possible.
The history of the Federation is a long and complicated one steeped in manipulation. It is an organization that was originally made up of humans. In its beginning, back in the 21st century, it was the amalgamation of different continental powers on earth.
And then when humans were able to freely venture out of their birth planet, it became the interplanetary coalition.
As time went on, when humans encountered aliens and wars began, due to some complications, the Federation became a fragile empire of uneasy alliances.
Internal divisions were common, and due to the rules they all agreed on, it would take a lot before one power could declare war on another.
A massacre, staged at the right moment, could ignite a sector-wide conflict that could eventually escalate into a full-blown war.
Why not?
It could be used to incite the rage of the people and their rage can be used as an excuse to go to war.
It was a good reason to start a war…
Only if it was being done by the enemies, not your own people.
With the weapons they've shown tonight, they might be eager to use them just so they can display their might to other powers. This might be their first step in truly conquering the Milky Way Galaxy.
He closed the distance to one of the shooters, grabbed his arm, and snapped his elbow backward. The man screamed before Narvel silenced him with a single shot to the head.
Using the corpse as cover, Narvel fired into the others.
He quickly approached a window and saw that the program was still going on, as if others below this floor couldn't hear what was going on.
Soon, he dealt with everyone in this lobby. They were either killed or knocked out.
He then continued onward to the room he saw from the ground floor. Beyond the lobby, there was barely anyone, only a few other criminals sitting peacefully and sipping drinks without a care in the world in the VIP rooms.
Someone definitely let them in. There are too many for it to be possible that they all snuck in.
"Create a notice on the Dark Web. Put a bounty on everyone in the building, except the criminals and hostile dignitaries." A commanding female voice came from one of the VIP rooms that Narvel had just crossed.
"Ma'am, what about the scientists?"
"Their guards are their assassins." She replied coldly. "They'll take care of them after they've long left the building and the area."
"Can we use bombs?"
"I don't care what you use. Innocent people just have to die tonight, and you better—." The transmission went off.
At the same time, Narvel could hear Armand calling out his name in his comms. He chose to ignore the man as there were more pressing things to do.
Moments later, he chose to answer the man before turning off his comms.
They might be able to tell that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Their transmission went off because of that old drunkard.
That was why he had to turn off his comms.
"What happened?" The woman's voice came through once again.
"We don't know ma'am."
"Shit! There might be an unwanted guest on the top floor!"
"What?" The men in the room Narvel was eavesdropping on exclaimed.
"Shit! Move faster! Don't wait until dignitaries are separated anymore. The moment Jinan leaves the stage, tell everyone to begin."
"What about you ma'am?"
"I'll start a distraction."
The line went off once again.
"Hey! Gear up and go deal with the rat." The man who had been speaking to the woman said to his men.
However, before they could even set a foot out, Narvel jumped in and dealt with them.
He soon left the room and ran towards the room that caught his initial attention. The woman who gave those orders might be in there.
It made sense to him. The guard he saw peeking out of the balcony might be the woman's guard.
She spoke as though she were in the building.
But before he could go far, he entered a lobby filled with even more criminals than he had imagined had snuck into the building.
And that was when the explosion happened.
Boom!
…
Back to the present.
"Hey, big boy, where are you now?" Narvel asked through his comms.
"Who the fuck are you calling big boy you normie worm!?" Tomas responded. From the way he was breathing, it sounded as if he was still chasing after the scientists.
"You still haven't answered me," Narvel uttered dryly.
"Fuck you. In the damn Parking lot! These fuckers, they're Egomaniacs too!" Tomas shouted—right before the sound of a car being hurled through the air roared across the channel.
Narvel immediately got on his feet.
Even though he had told Nyla where he was, it didn't mean he would wait for her…