Chapter 68: "The Fallen"

Swoosh! The "silver light" effortlessly pierced through the toughest chest armor, puncturing the twisted body of the mutated creature before embedding itself into the pavement at an angle.

At this moment, the nearby onlookers could finally see that the "silver light," which was only partially visible, was actually a "metal spear," as thick as the forearm of a strong adult man.

"Cough... Roar..."

The horned mutated creature, with its chest torn open by the spear, spat out blood. Its movements were no longer as agile and powerful as before. As it stumbled, trying to find cover, a blinding white shadow struck its face.

Bang!!! The mutated creature, nearly three and a half meters tall, was shattered into pieces by the white shadow with incredible speed. Flesh and fragments flew in all directions, and blood rained down from the sky.

Replacing the mutated creature on the ground was Saint-Gilles, who was slowly retracting his white wings and wearing a black, specialized protective suit.

Saint-Gilles showed no signs of stopping. He grasped the spear's tail end and, with little effort, pulled the metal spear out of the pavement, habitually shaking off the dirt and debris.

He then joined the advance team members, including Xiao Qiang and Soap, in sweeping through the hundreds of mutated creatures.

Saint-Gilles moved with lightning speed. Without the aid of a personal visual system, ordinary eyes would see him only as a blur of white.

Any mutated creature that came into contact with him was either dismembered by the spear or had its entire body blown apart, leaving no intact corpse behind.

Moreover, the fourteen advance team members, already positioned with the best firing angles, nullified the numerical advantage of the mutated creatures.

In no time, the situation shifted from a tense standoff to a one-sided massacre.

"Devil! It's the devil!! It's the White Demon!"

Witnessing a comrade's upper body being crushed under Saint-Gilles' foot, one of the mutated creatures panicked and turned to flee without hesitation.

At the start of the battle, the mutated creatures had the courage to fight back, but they simply couldn't keep up with Saint-Gilles' speed.

They realized that the only way to stop Saint-Gilles might be to deploy heavy artillery and saturate the area with bombardment. Anything less would be futile.

"Run! Run!"

"I don't want to die!"

Once one started to flee, more followed.

In just a few seconds, the morale of the entire mutated creature force crumbled. They exposed their vulnerable backs as they scrambled to escape, desperately trying to avoid the "White Demon."

But Saint-Gilles continued to efficiently execute slashes, kicks, and strikes, decimating the fleeing creatures.

Meanwhile, inside the supermarket:

"Is that an angel?"

"Where have you seen an angel with such brutal killing methods?!"

"At least he seems to be on our side; he hasn't turned his spear on us."

The soldiers guarding the supermarket, though still shooting at the mutated creatures, began to relax as the crisis was alleviated. They started to observe Saint-Gilles with curiosity.

However, the soldiers had mixed feelings about him.

Some believed that the enemy of their enemy was a friend, while others remained skeptical, and some stayed silent. Yet, no one suggested attacking Saint-Gilles.

They were no match for the mutated creatures, and those creatures were clearly no match for Saint-Gilles... The situation outside was self-evident.

"Enough! Quiet!"

On the second floor of the supermarket, a long-haired officer with a black beret and graying hair silenced the soldiers' pointless debate. Just as he was about to speak further, the gunfire outside abruptly ceased.

?

Noticing this, several soldiers near the windows looked outside.

They saw Saint-Gilles, holding his spear, walking towards the main entrance, and the advance team deactivating their optical camouflage.

They also saw a large number of AECS troops, clad in dark green combat uniforms, equipped with mechanical exoskeletons and modular firearms, along with upgraded AMP mechs, surrounding the supermarket.

In terms of numbers, they were at a severe disadvantage. In terms of strength, they stood no chance.

"To the people inside!" Before their officer could give orders, Saint-Gilles spread his pristine white wings and pointed his gleaming spear at them, shouting:

"Drop your weapons immediately, cease all resistance, and surrender to us temporarily. We will provide you with a comfortable and safe environment.

If you refuse, we will take forceful measures, and you will bear all the consequences. From now, you have thirty seconds to decide."

After speaking, Saint-Gilles fell silent, but he did not lower his spear. Meanwhile, the AECS soldiers and mechs all raised their guns and cannons.

The atmosphere inside the supermarket became tense once again.

"Colonel! What should we do?"

"Colonel!"

"What else can we do?" Faced with such overwhelming odds, and knowing there was room for negotiation, the old colonel sighed heavily, walked to the window, and was the first to throw his weapon outside, shouting:

"We choose the former!"

Seeing this, Saint-Gilles finally lowered his spear and smiled faintly. "I'm glad you've made the right choice."

...

Primary Universe Time, September 13, 1995.

Noon. It had been a full day since the opening of the third space gate.

Within that day, the engineering department had transformed the abandoned mall where the gate was located into the prototype of a militarized fortress.

The mall's main structure had been reinforced to serve as a command center, barracks, and armory. The parking lot was converted into a vertical takeoff and landing pad, and nearby buildings were turned into military outposts equipped with various automated defense systems.

Atlas had also determined that the space gate was located at the northern edge of a large metropolis, with the western and southern sides of the city bordered by coastal areas.

Considering that a vast desert lay beyond the forests north of the city, it was clear that this city was Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States.

At this moment.

Inside a temporary office on the mall's second floor:

"..."

Samuel Young sat behind his desk, frowning slightly as he reviewed the intelligence on the holographic screen.

According to the information provided by the captured soldiers, he and Atlas had also learned that the specific time in Universe 03 was September 13, 2051.

As for the grotesque, self-aware mutated creatures with distorted appearances and swollen bodies, the captured soldiers referred to them as "The Fallen."

But from the prisoners' testimonies, Samuel had confirmed the true background of Universe 03—a world based on the movie starring Dwayne Johnson:

*Doom*.

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