Chapter 34: Encirclement

"Commander, if we charge in directly, the interceptor drones overhead will attack us immediately, and more reinforcements will arrive at once!" Ed spoke as he watched the nearby residence through the vehicle’s display screen.

Though he wasn’t an electronic warfare specialist, even a simple scanning device revealed that the building ahead was under special surveillance by interceptor drones hovering above. If they launched an assault, the residence would sound the alarm and a swarm of drones would descend upon them.

Breaking into the house and finding David would take time. The last time they entered, they hadn’t managed to locate him. They suspected David must possess some unique means of concealment. With their exoskeleton armor, they could tear apart the interior to drag him out. Yet this would require precious moments; once the alarm sounded, they’d have less than a minute, perhaps even less.

"No matter. I have a way to deactivate the security system," Commander Florman replied in a deep voice.

His words drew the attention of the other three mercenaries.

"The informant provided it—someone who is either David’s enemy or simply wants him dead. As long as it benefits us, who cares?" Commander Florman sneered.

In the underground gym, David was practicing the Storm Warhammer technique when his identity bracelet suddenly vibrated.

"Uncle Gallen, we’re in trouble. Someone’s about to attack the residence!" David looked at the prompt on his bracelet, which asked whether to deactivate the security system. He knew this was the hidden access program uploaded by Chief Jissen of Lexin Security Company, triggered at last. He turned to Gallen.

Gallen glanced at David’s identity bracelet, curious at the prompt to disable the security system.

He could surmise that someone had tampered with David’s security system, but David had discovered and reset the problematic settings. This alone showed David’s proficiency in such matters—his skill was clearly not insignificant.

"David, I’ll notify my father; reinforcements will be here soon!" Myron quickly operated his bracelet.

David allowed Myron to contact Mayor Bernard. Though he knew Gallen was formidable, having the mayor mobilize personnel seemed more reliable.

"David, you value this residence, don’t you?" Gallen suddenly asked.

"Uncle Gallen, this was left to me by my mother," David replied, merging the memories of his predecessor’s mother with his own, so the house carried deep sentimental significance.

"Myron, stay here. David, come with me!" Gallen grabbed David, lifting him as if he weighed nothing, and addressed Myron.

Without waiting for a reply, Gallen accelerated toward the passageway, David in tow. Myron wanted to follow, but seeing Gallen’s speed and recalling his instructions, he stayed behind.

David felt the wind howling past his ears; he’d never imagined a human could move at such velocity. This wasn’t running on an unobstructed track—maintaining such speed within a building, dodging obstacles perfectly, was no ordinary feat.

Outside in the truck, Commander Florman operated his identity bracelet, sending a string of codes to the nearby residence. He waited for a response, but to his surprise, there was none; the security system remained active.

Had the anonymous informant deceived him?

Commander Florman pondered, assessing his next move. Just then, five figures clad in silver-white exoskeleton armor dropped from the void, surrounding the truck.

"Dammit, how are there stealth-equipped aircraft here? These warriors have been guarding David all along!" Commander Florman exclaimed.

Every stealth-capable aircraft was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Though this was optical camouflage rather than true invisibility, a stationary aircraft was almost impossible to detect. This stealth technology was typically reserved as an extra layer of security for VIPs, allowing warriors to be deployed instantly.

Yet David was only the child of a “National Hero”—even the title itself was merely honorary and shouldn’t warrant such high-level protection.

Moreover, the five warriors wore Streamlight exoskeleton armor, distinguished by its superior speed, enhancing the wearer’s movement by ten percent. Streamlight armor was not available to the public; only the federal government or those with special connections could acquire it.

With greater speed than Black Titan armor and more primary-grade material covering vital areas, these warriors enjoyed a significant advantage even before battle began.

"Fight!" Commander Florman shouted, knowing that words were useless now; only a desperate struggle offered a sliver of hope.

He was a peak-grade warrior. He drew two long swords from his back, their blades gleaming with a ghostly blue light, and slashed open the truck’s shell, leaping out.

Behind him, Croc assembled a three-section rod into a long spear; Ed wielded a large shield single-handedly; Fisher brandished a twin-bladed giant axe.

The four formed a combat unit, but lacked any means of ranged attack—hence their concern about interceptor drones.

Surrounded by five warriors, they had no choice but to fight. As mercenaries, they were accustomed to conflict; being outnumbered now only stoked their fighting spirit.

"Be careful. Don’t damage the residence!" Gallen appeared outside with David, setting him down and cautioning the five warriors.

"Yes, sir!" the warriors responded, retrieving their weapons from the equipment slots on their backs.

Their armament was uniform: warhammers. However, the color of their hammers differed from those David had seen before, matching the hue of Commander Florman’s swords.

The commander and his three companions’ expressions changed instantly.

David didn’t understand, but the mercenaries recognized what this color signified. Croc’s spear, Ed’s shield, and Fisher’s axe all shimmered with a faint glow—primary-grade material.

But the ghostly blue light on Commander Florman’s swords indicated secondary-grade material.

The commander had paid dearly for his twin swords. Secondary-grade material required the teeth and claws of level-two insectoids, fused with other rare substances. Even a level-two insectoid’s teeth and claws were not enough—multiple specimens were needed to forge a single weapon.

Since the swords were lightweight, they required less material, yet Florman had spent much social capital and credit to acquire them.

His expertise lay in swordsmanship, and as a peak warrior, most missions were against non-insectoid foes, so he chose secondary-grade swords.

But the five warriors before him, clad in Streamlight exoskeletons and wielding heavy warhammers made of secondary-grade material, utterly outclassed the mercenaries.

"Who are you? Let us go, and I’ll pay compensation!" Commander Florman held his swords defensively, signaling his companions and questioning Gallen.

"How did you manage to control the security system?" David asked urgently, not waiting for Gallen’s reply.

He was deeply puzzled—by his reckoning, these mercenaries were acting out of chance.

No one could have predicted the T3 Sniper Support Device would fall into his hands, let alone that these mercenaries would kill Amos, who had been monitoring him.

He’d believed the mastermind behind the Lexin Security Company’s hidden backdoor in the system was the true enemy, but it was these mercenaries who activated it.

"There’s nothing to hide. We received an anonymous tip: our safehouse location was exposed, we were guided to capture you, and given the method to disable your security system. All of this was provided by your enemy—I don’t know who they are," Commander Florman replied, eager to escape.

He had no intention of protecting someone who had led them into a trap; if the information could earn him any favor, it was well worth sharing.