Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 539: A fruitless searChapter

"What about the leg!?" Private stone said, alarmed.

"Forget the leg for now." Leah looked ahead, realizing with a jolt that she could no longer see Morris and his men. "Morris! Geoff! Get back here! I told them to stick together!"

"I’ll go grab them," Phillip said. He hadn’t even taken a single step when the light dimmed.

The canopy above them groaned as massive shadows blotted out the sun. Everyone froze. They didn’t need a radar to know what it was. The Watchers were back. But as the giant birds circled lower, Leah noticed something terrifying. The watchers had not returned in the same condition as they left.

"Are they wearing armor?" she whispered. "Look at their legs! How the fuck did they do that?"

"I think they upgraded." Phillip whispered, afraid that if he was too loud, the watchers would descend on them. Everyone knew how they did not like to leave parts of their bodies behind, dead or alive.

Leah whispered, "Everyone, sile....."

"I found it!" an excited voice screamed from a short distance away.

It was Geoff. He came bursting through a thicket of ferns, his face lit up with a manic grin. In his left hand, he held the severed, giant leg of a Watcher, swinging it like a trophy he’d won at a football match. "I am getting the reward! Do not worry I will share with everyone just as we agreed!"

He was so excited that he did not notice the look of dread on the faces of his companions. He removed his helmet and lowered his mask, jumping up and down. "Fuck the watchers, fuck the mutant beasts, fuck Lord Emily, most of, fuck Sheldon that arrogant pompous....."

"Geoff, shut up and get down!" Leah screamed.

But it was too late. Pink let out a screech. It wasn’t just a sound; it was a physical blow. The noise hit them like a wall of glass, shattering their focus and sending everyone to the ground, clutching their ears.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE!

It continued, torturing even those in the exo suits. For a few minutes, the world was silent, their ears ringing with a high-pitched hum that made their brains itch.

Through the haze, Phillip saw Pink diving. The giant bird’s armored talons were outstretched, aimed right at Geoff’s unprotected head.

"Geoff! Throw it!" Phillip roared, his voice finally breaking through the ringing. He slammed his hand against his chest plate, activating his Exo suit for battle. With a hiss of hydraulics, he dashed forward, his feet blurring as the suit’s thrusters gave him a burst of speed.

Geoff saw the shadow of the bird closing in. In a panic, he tossed the severed leg toward Phillip and turned to run. "My ancestors please save me!"

The leg sailed through the air, a grisly, feathered arc. Phillip reached out, his metal fingers inches away from it.

But the Watchers were predator of the sky for a reason. Pink dived with impossible speed, tucking its wings and turning into a living missile. Just as Phillip’s hand was about to close around the leg, the bird’s talons snatched it mid-air.

The force of the bird’s passing sent Phillip tumbling into the dirt. By the time he scrambled to his feet, Pink was already a hundred feet in the air, the severed leg clutched firmly in its claws. The other armored Watchers followed, their screeches sounding almost like laughter as they vanished into the clouds.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Morris said, walking into the clearing and staring at the empty sky. "We did all that... for that creature to get its leg back?"

Leah sat down in the dirt, exhausted and defeated. "Not just a bird, Morris. An armored watcher. They have clearly evolved. I did not even get a glimpse at their legs now and their wings are covered with what...metal plates? They look like friggin airplane wings."

"They knew." Old Simon whispered, small beads of tears in the corners of his eyes. "The watchers know everything. They knew we were out here looking for the leg, and they sensed when we were about to find it. That is why they appeared at the right moment. They are toying with us." He fired his gun in the air lazily, before falling unconscious. He had used the last of his strength to fire the weapon.

Everyone was caught off guard.

Morris blinked. "Is he...is he dead?"

Blair checked on Old Simon and her face turned grim. "His pulse is fading. We need to leave right now."

Phillip looked at his empty hands, then at the unconscious Old Simon. "Forget the leg. Let’s just get everyone home alive. That’s the only win we’re getting today."

Leah’s fingers trembled as she pressed the transmit button on her comms. The air in the Northern Westbrook felt like it was thickening, turning into something heavy and cold despite the heat.

"Command center, this is Leah. Do you copy?"

The line connected and Hades came through. "Copy, Hades speaking."

"The Watchers are back, and Hades... they’ve had an upgrade." Leah said through shaky breath, a knot tightened in her stomach.

"Define upgrade, Leah," Hades’ voice crackled through the static, calm as ever.

Blair gestured at Leah to activate her suit to flying mode and use the wind to lift the rest.

As Leah did so, she continued to relay the bad news to Hades. "We found the leg. We actually had it! But Pink dove in like a cruise missile and snatched it right out of the air," her voice rising in frustration. "And we won’t be getting another one anytime soon because they’re armored. Metal plating on some parts of the body, specifically on the legs and talons. It’s like they’re wearing some kind of gloves below."

Back at the Fortress, Lisha leaned into the feed. "It’s a response to the exo suits," she interjected, her brow furrowing. "They saw how we used the retroactive spikes in the last fight. They’re adapting to our tech in real-time."

Hades nodded slowly. "The Watchers are many things, but they aren’t stupid. If we sharpen our swords, they thicken their hide. Sunshine has said it many times that they are unpredictable. Too bad we did not get anything from the leg, not even a picture."

"We’re ending the search," Leah sighed, looking Phillip who had strapped Old Simon and the injured Pamela to his suit. "The terrain is too hostile. If we don’t make it back by tonight, expect us early---"

She stopped. A low, banging sound began to vibrate in her chest.

"Leah? What is it?" Hades asked.

Leah looked up.

Dozens of Watchers were circling, but they weren’t screeching this time. They were silent. And each one was carrying a heavy, jagged object in its talons.

"Fuckin’ shit... Hades, they’re back. They’re right above us and they brought... gifts."

"Leah! Report! What are they doing?"

"They’re dropping_!"

A massive CRUNCH echoed through the line as the Watchers released their cargo.

"Leah! Leah! Come in!" Hades shouted.

But the only response was the sound of tearing metal and a deafening roar of static. The line went dead. High above, the armored birds banked into the clouds, leaving the forest in a terrifying, chaos.