Block all Exits

"When everybody left, Nolan invited Brayden, Colton, and Jayden to a private meeting.

"Commanders!"

"Please... come in." Nolan opened the door and ushered them inside. "The Lord is waiting for the three of you inside." He led them to a private hall, with Black and Gold soldiers guarding the entrance."

As they entered the room, the commanders were greeted by an amazing sight. A wonderful garden unfolded before them, filled with exquisite plants, lush green grass, colorful flowers, and a tranquil pond in the center.

"Please, this way..." Nolan guided them through the garden to where Lord Adril sat alone in a chair, holding a teacup.

"Come and sit, commanders!" Lord Adril welcomed them.

"Two herbal and one lemon tea, I guess?" Adril said as he started pouring hot water into a cup.

"HAHAHA... Thank you, Lord Adril!" Brayden laughed heartily and took a seat. "I don't know what magic you put into our drinks, but we are already addicted... Our throats have been craving your tea all the time. Especially Jayden...! He always nags about your tea." Brayden nudged Jayden with his elbow and winked at him.

Jayden's face turned red, embarrassed by his friend's shamelessness.

"So, what's the real situation?" Adril inquired as he added lemon zest and herbs into the tea. He pushed the cups toward them and awaited their responses.

The three of them picked up their cups and savored the flavors of the tea.

"The situation is much worse than we thought. It's only been 10 months since we started the war, but the casualties have reached more than 50 million, counting both humans and meta-humans. We have lost many of our great combat soldiers and battle pilots in this war," Colton answered while sipping the tea.

He continued, "The size of the swarms is getting bigger and bigger, and we have spotted more Leviathans. After analyzing all of our data, we made a few models and predictions. If our prediction is right, then the swarm within our sights are just scavengers. That means there is a whole bunch of colonies within that cluster, and we don't know how big the size of the colony is. What we know is not enough; there might be even more colonies in the surrounding clusters."

Lord Adril's face remained grave as he listened to Colton's analysis. Deep in thought, he contemplated the entire situation, but even after half an hour of analysis, he couldn't devise a solution. None of them had any new ideas.

Colton continued, "These Entomons seem to be commanded by someone or something. Initially appearing wild and chaotic, their attacks are well-organized upon closer examination of their patterns. Most astonishingly, we've detected another swarm of Entomons in the PW7 Cluster," Colton explained after taking a few sips of tea.

"Is there really no way of escaping from this predicament?" Adril asked, his brows furrowed with concern.

"I wish there is one… But we are out of ideas," Colton shook his head. "We have run through many simulations and tested many ideas, but all of them came out as failures. We just received some new information after the meeting. Our recon satellites have detected another swarm of Entomons in PE 6 Cluster, and they are closing in on us slowly." Colton placed the empty cup on the table and leaned back in his chair, feeling exhausted.

Lord Adril suddenly stood up with a solemn expression, as if struck by lightning.

"Huuuu…" He breathed out slowly.

"So, they are cutting off all of the paths of our retreat," Lord Adril murmured as he stood there blankly, realizing the seriousness of the issue. They had underestimated the intelligence of the Entomons.

"In the face of extinction, and when you are powerless to do anything against the outcome, everyone's minds would crumble," he added.

"Yes," Jayden replied, twirling his tea and drinking it to the last drop before placing it on the table. "They have blocked the East and West. South is their base, and North leads to the Galactic Bulge, which is the center of the Galaxy."

"Vertical up and down is just an empty void. We cannot go down there with our current technology. We will be stranded, and that's 100% certain death. There is nothing but empty void outside of our Galaxy, and the distance between Galaxies exceeds one's imagination," Jayden explained, projecting a virtual map of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Silence enveloped the room as everyone absorbed the gravity of the situation. They realized they were facing a formidable opponent: highly intelligent and extremely powerful. If this news were released to the public, humanity would crumble from within in a matter of days.

"How are things on the other planets?" Adril asked sadly, feeling powerless for the first time.

"The situations are all similar to Earth. Criminals and Notata are not much of a threat right now... We are closely monitoring all of their movements," Nolan reported from the sidelines.

"What is our current progress?" Adril inquired, looking at Nolan.

"We are recruiting massive numbers of new recruits daily. Our supply chains are operating 24 hours a day. Millions of Prugnator-Droids, weapons, and ammunition are manufactured every day. But we are still far away from the listed quota. The major issue we are facing right now is that we are low on high-quality materials," Nolan listed all of the current progress and the problems.

"How about the Nobles and those greedy merchants?" Adril asked distastefully.

"The Noble's are oddly quiet on all of this. The merchants, on the other hand, are very active, they are taking advantage of the current crisis and selling everything at a higher price. We also saw them recruiting a lot of mercenaries and stocking up more supplies." Nolan was a little frustrated when talking about the merchants.

"Those merchants are truly disgusting. In this time of war and suffering, all they care about is money and profit. I would love to smash their skull like an egg." Brayden pounded his fist against his palm.

Adril contemplated for a moment and said, "Introduce new policies. Limit the number of items and products a person can purchase. Especially household items."

"Yes, Lord!!"

Nolan happily replied.

"If there is no more path for us to retreat, then we will give those bugs a long-lasting memory of us Humans," Adril said firmly releasing an aura of a leader.

Nolan hesitated for a moment...

"Nolan!"

"What are you hesitating? Tell us anything that's on your mind. Any new ideas are most welcome right now," Adril encouraged, looking at Nolan with some expectation. Nolan was known for his innovative thinking and outside-the-box ideas.

"Cough… Yes, Lord!"

"I was thinking... Why not pay a visit to Professor Aizel?"

"He is, after all, a once-in-a-lifetime genius and one of the smartest human beings. He might have the answers we are looking for," Nolan suggested calmly.

Everyone's jaws dropped, feeling like they just ate a fly.

"Great idea!"

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Everyone exclaimed.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go and pay him a visit then," Adril said, standing up and leaving the room hurriedly, followed by Nolan.

"PA!" Brayden smiled and patted Jayden's shoulder. "Let's go visit your old pal."

The three of them stood up and hurriedly followed Adril and Nolan.

They emerged from the chamber and boarded their vehicles. To maintain a low profile, they traveled with only a few guards.

The vehicles ignited and ascended into the sky, disappearing into the clouds without leaving any trails.

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The US Central Institute of Technology.

On-campus, a few advanced military-grade flying vehicles landed on the ground, capturing everyone's attention. It was a rare sight to see vehicles parked on campus grounds; even the principal couldn't park inside the campus.

Many students were curious, gathering around the vehicles to get a closer look. However, they were promptly shooed away by teachers and security personnel. Some students began taking pictures and videos with their AI pets, while others searched the model numbers of the vehicles on the virtual network.

After a few seconds, the doors opened with a hiss. Several people emerged from the vehicles, wearing masks. Judging by their sizes, the first thought that crossed people's minds was...

"Those people are freaking huge."

Observing their forms and figures, it was evident that these individuals were high-ranking officials or commanders. All of them stood at over 3 meters tall, with one person in particular towering at 3.5 meters in height—Field Marshal Brayden.

Their clothing changed colors as they walked out from the vehicles, and even the elite soldiers transformed their suits into black. No one was able to recognize their identities or status.

However, that didn't stop people from taking videos and pictures. Adril and his group attracted a lot of attention because of their cool outfits, especially the elite soldiers.

Two young boys watched the whole scene from afar, sitting on the stairs of Lord Adril's statue.

"Who are they?" Liam asked his friend with awe, his body still shivering from the experience of being scanned by one of the elite soldiers. He felt a huge amount of energy rushing through his body, almost choking him.

"I don't know much about those 5 guys, but I recognize the soldiers who are protecting them," Calum remarked, eyeing the group of individuals and their guards.

"Care to explain?" Liam asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Sure, I can give it a shot," Calum replied, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before beginning his explanation.

"First, let me ask you this. Do you know anything about elite soldiers?" Calum inquired, locking eyes with Liam.

"Umm... All I know is, elite soldiers wear blue, red, green, purple, and black, right? Blue being the lowest and black being the highest?" Liam pondered for a moment before answering.

"True, but all of them are considered as a single grade, which is Standard or Grade 0. It's the lowest grade in the military," Calum clarified, shaking his head.

"What do you mean by standard? And what is Grade 0?" Liam asked eagerly.

"Well... There's a ranking within Standard or Grade 0, which includes the 5 colors you just mentioned, from lowest blue to highest black. Normal people might think of these soldiers as elites, but they're actually just standard soldiers with different grades in the military. Now, the individuals we're seeing are something special. They're above the standard soldiers. Beyond them, there are even more elite soldiers hidden from the public eye. These include Elites, Super Elites, Specialists, Elite Specialists, and Super Elite Specialists, or in simpler terms: Grade 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5," Calum explained patiently, hoping his friend could grasp the concept.

"Do you see the small tags on their shoulders that say G3V U16? That indicates Grade 3 elite soldiers or Specialists from Unit 16, and the V represents the highest rank within their own rank. Their suits should be Black and Gold. They change their suits into single colors when they are in a public space," Calum explained, pointing out the details on the soldiers' uniforms.

"What's the benefit of being an elite soldier?" Liam inquired, clearly intrigued by these elite soldiers.

"Just know that better grades mean better resources; you'll receive higher grades of genetic enhancement, better weapons, and equipment, like those bio suits they are wearing," Calum explained, gesturing towards the elite soldiers. "They're wearing one of the most advanced bio suits in the military. Their suits are so powerful that they could bring down all of the buildings within our vicinity."

"Wow... So cool!" Liam exclaimed, clearly impressed by the capabilities of the elite soldiers and their equipment.

"How can I become an elite soldier? Will I grow as tall as them if I get the genetic enhancement?" Liam asked Calum with hope shining in his eyes. Calum could see the stars reflecting in Liam's eager gaze.

"Yes!" Calum replied, his tone infused with excitement.

"Woohoo!" Liam cheered, feeling exhilarated. "Let's both apply for the military right now. We'll be brothers in arms," he suggested, patting Calum on the shoulder.

A smug expression spread across Liam's face as he imagined himself towering like the elite soldiers.

Calum facepalmed himself, observing his overzealous friend. "You don't know how tough it is to become an elite. If it were that easy, my dad would have become one," he thought to himself. His dad, a second lieutenant, was a high-ranking officer, but even he could never become an elite soldier.

--------o--------o--------o--------o--------o--------

Five individuals, accompanied by a group of soldiers, proceeded towards the residential area, passing through the University grounds. They observed the many luxurious buildings, halls, and gardens, all fully funded by the government. The University provided numerous privileges to its professors, including high salaries, spacious housing, and access to resources from newly discovered planets for research.

As they made their way, the Principal of the University rushed out to greet them.

"Welcome, Lords," Principal Sebastian greeted, bowing respectfully. "It is truly an honor for your excellencies to visit our humble institute."

Lord Adril acknowledged the greeting with a nod, acknowledging the Principal's respectful gesture.

"Lords!" Sebastian addressed them with respect, though Brayden couldn't help but chuckle at the formality.

"Is there anything I can do to assist your excellencies?" Sebastian asked hurriedly, feeling the weight of their presence. He visibly shrunk in stature when he looked up at Brayden, who stood at a towering 3.5 meters. Compared to the imposing figures around him, Sebastian felt diminutive with his average height of 2.4 meters.

"We are just here to meet Professor Aizel. If you don't mind, we are a little tight on time," Nolan indicated to the principal politely, prompting him to leave.

Understanding the urgency, the principal hurried away, feeling a bit intimidated by the imposing group.

Once the principal had departed, Adril and his companions arrived at the residential area and stopped in front of Professor Aizel's house. It stood grandly by a nearby lake, showcasing the perks granted to professors and scientists in the institute—they could choose their own house design and location, all funded by the University.

"Have you informed the professor that we are coming?" Adril inquired.

"I did, but didn't get a reply," Nolan responded.

"He must be working on something important. He won't answer anyone's call while he's working. Let's go. I can get us into his house," Jayden suggested, taking the lead towards the house.

When the guards noticed a few individuals and a dozen soldiers approaching their gate, they were startled. Their scalps tingled with nerves upon seeing the insignia on the soldiers.

"OPEN THE GATE!" Captain Theo bellowed. As the captain of the elite soldiers responsible for protecting Lord Adril, he demanded swift action.

The guards snapped out of their stupor and quickly opened the gate. They saluted and stood rigidly, like statues, by the entrance.

They recognized these individuals as high-ranking military personnel, and the sight of the elite soldiers sent chills down their spines. They had never encountered elite soldiers up close, let alone a group of them accompanying such esteemed figures. The guards trembled, feeling a sense of impending doom as the elite soldiers passed by them.

Amidst the tension, Brayden burst into laughter, finding amusement in the guards' evident discomfort.

"HAHAHA…" His laughter echoed as he observed the guards.

"Hey, kid!" Brayden addressed one of the guards, pointing towards the elite soldiers. "Don't worry about these soldiers. Just imagine them as cute little kittens."

The guards dropped to their knees, overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the elite soldiers. One guard, unable to bear the pressure, fainted upon being slapped on the shoulder by Brayden.

Adril sighed inwardly, observing the chaotic scene. 'These people are truly hopeless,' he thought to himself.

"Captain Theo!" Nolan issued commands promptly.

"Yes, sir!" Captain Theo acknowledged, immediately setting about organizing his team to secure the perimeter.

As the door hissed open after scanning Jayden's body, they were led to Professor Aizel's study room. Brayden attempted to scan the house, but all his signals were mysteriously blocked. Despite their advanced tools and technology, Professor Aizel always seemed one step ahead in the realm of science and technology.

'Interesting,' Brayden mused, taking note of the situation. Professor Aizel was seated calmly in a quiet room, engrossed in his work, scribbling something on a hologram diagram.

Jayden refrained from calling out the professor's name, as Adril felt it best not to disturb him in the midst of his thoughts. Adril held deep respect for scientists and their process. Despite the slight disarray in the room, they managed to find an empty couch and settled down, allowing the professor to concentrate on his work undisturbed.

They maintained a quiet presence, understanding the importance of the professor's concentration. Adril expressed a hopeful sentiment, suggesting that if luck favored them, the professor might make a breakthrough that could aid them in their current challenges. With a soft murmur, Adril closed his eyes, contemplating the possibilities that lay ahead.

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Military Grades :

Standard or Grade 0: Blue, Red, Green, Purple, and Black

Elites: Elites, Super Elites, Specialist, Special Elites, Super Elites Specialist or Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5.

Elites Dress color: Steel + Bronze, White + Silver, Black + Gold, Blue + Platinum, Custom.