The Garbage-level Extraction

A massive drone made of hardened steel plummeted from the sky, its heat-damaged rotors emitting deafening screeches accompanied by a dazzling display of electric sparks and shrapnel.

As the world around her seemed to decelerate, Tia's mind became flooded with adrenaline, bracing for the impending doom hurtling towards her.

There was no way she could deflect it with her telekinesis—its mass and the force of its engines were too much. It could even adjust its trajectory, making any attempt to dodge much harder.

'I must create a space at any cost, even at the price of injuring myself.'

In a split second of desperation, she channeled a surge of uncontrolled and aggressive telekinetic force against herself, propelling her body faster than she had ever experienced. More and more waves of force crashed into her body, propelling her further and further away.

Agonizing pain shot through her limbs and joints, her bones nearly shattering as the world blurred.

Mid-flight, she summoned every ounce of focus to pull the trigger, blindly firing at the descending drone.

With a thud, she landed back on the roof, almost losing her balance, her knees hurting so much she felt they would stop working at any moment.

"Ahhh!"

The force of landing was strong, leaving her ears ringing and blood flowing from her nose. Her mind felt clouded and hazy from the impact, but the persistent rush of adrenaline in her veins compelled her to keep moving.

On the neighboring rooftops, the armed commandos opened fire, sending a hailstorm of bullets toward her. The lethal projectiles whizzed through the air, drilling into the surrounding roof.

'Dammit, they are not giving up.' Her mind surged, blasting away all the bullets, the clanging of metal mixing with the deafening sound of gunfire.

To her horror, the thunderous roar of the engines intensified, signaling the metal colossus' rapid approach. The metal was getting closer with each moment, hovering low above the roof.

'Are they insane? What are they even doing? Isn't this endangering the public or something like that?'

She raised her gun and aimed at the left front engine with her trembling hand and pulled the trigger, unleashing a swift armor-piercing bolt of plasma that streaked across the rooftop, leaving a blazing blue trail in its wake.

The explosion of plasma erupted, engulfing the drone's engine in a dazzling display of sparks and intense heat.

The drone didn't even budge and only slightly slowed down in its relentless pursuit, resembling an enraged bull charging at her.

'One engine is not enough.'

Her telekinetic force grabbed her again and threw her to the side as if she was just a doll. In a heart-stopping moment, the colossal drone whizzed past, a mere hair's breadth from the tip of her nose, leaving behind only a blurry gleam as her hair billowed in the gust of the rotor's wind.

She landed back on the roof and rolled backward to absorb the hit and increase the distance from the drone. The bullets impacted all around her, the concrete roof now pockmarked with craters.

Agonizing pain surged through her bones and muscles, intensifying with each passing moment. Small tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to let the pain overwhelm her.

'I must endure!'

She aimed at another engine on the same side and pulled the trigger, and blue light flashed once more.

The rotors of the metallic monstrosity melted and exploded into a fiery shower of sparks, rendering the drone uncontrollable. With a deafening crash, the massive machine careened into the rooftop, sending chunks of concrete and metal hurtling in every direction.

The blue flames surged out of the massive hole in the roof left by the drone.

'I have made so many mistakes...'

Amidst the chaos and destruction, Tia couldn't help but feel anger welling up within her for the mistakes she had made.

'Its engines are its weak spot. It should have been obvious.'

Before she could even breathe in relief, the roof below her feet cracked and started to crumble.

Suddenly, her smart lenses flashed, and a green arrow projected onto her eyes. She smiled and dashed in its direction, the roof already sinking in her tracks, falling into a raging inferno of blue flames.

'This must be my space route.'

Surveying the surroundings with a quick glance, she spotted an adjacent building, not too far away, with a lower roofline in the direction where the arrow pointed. Her heart pounding, she focused her telekinetic powers once again, using them to enhance her agility and strength.

She sprinted toward the roof's edge, the bullets constantly flying around her like annoying flies. However, without the drone, she no longer felt pressured, the small bullets proving to be no threat to her ever-growing power.

With a burst of energy, she launched herself off the rooftop, hurtling through the air like a graceful bird in flight. The wind rushed past her, and her hair billowed behind her.

Even amidst the pain of her torn muscles and strained bones, she couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of soaring through the air, the feeling of cool and freedom bringing her joy.

With a soft thud, she landed on the adjacent rooftop, her knees bending to absorb the impact. With thunderous bangs, the building behind her collapsed in the blue flames that devoured it.

'Haha, I bet this explosion will cost some fool their career!'

She didn't stop, sprinting with all her remaining power, ignoring the growing pain, before jumping again, once more soaring toward even further building.

The hailstorm of bullets quickly thinned, the sounds of shooting quickly quieting down as she kept running and running, leaping from one roof to another. The commandos were left far behind.

'I need to get away! It is only a matter of time before more drones arrive.'

Suddenly, the arrow pointed downward, and without any hesitation, Tia jumped down. As she descended, her telekinesis formed an invisible cushion beneath her, slowing her fall and controlling her trajectory.

With a splash, she landed into a puddle of stale water in a dark valley behind a three-story tall building. Everything was submerged in shadow, with no one living in sight.

Only the green arrow was flashing brighter than ever, pointing at a nearby garbage can.

'Seriously? I am supposed to hide in there?'

With disgust, she slowly walked towards it and opened the lid. To her surprise, all the garbage flickered out as if it were only a projection, leaving behind only an empty metal compartment.

She immediately jumped inside, and the lid closed behind her. The adrenaline in her bloodstream slowly diminished, and her tiredness and injuries caught up to her. The pain in her muscles, bones, and burned back peaked while her legs and arms uncontrollably shook.

<Basic Telekinesis V (77%)> --> 85%

Beep!

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Mission accomplished:

Objective --> Escape the pursuing enemies

Bonus Objective 1 --> Destroy the attacking drone -> 5 X Esper Point (Success)

Bonus Objective 2 --> Lose the pursuers in under five minutes -> 1 X Esper Point (Success)

Bonus Objective 3 --> Kill at least three attackers -> 1 X Esper Point (Failure)

Total Rewards --> 9 x esper point

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Ding!

//

Quest failed!

Too much explosions! What monster would even suggest you do something like this?

//