SSS-Tier Extraction: From Outcast to Overgod!-Chapter 74: Extraction Under Fire

The maintenance tunnel was their salvation and their prison. It was too narrow for the Apex War Golem to follow them, but it was also tight, dark, and Suffocating.

Their retreat was a frantic, stumbling run through the darkness, the sounds of battle echoing behind them.

Ryan was in the lead, clutching the two glowing artifacts to his chest. The Chronal Regulator pulsed with a steady, rhythmic beat, like a calm heart, while the Spatial Harmonizer gave off a soft, warm light, illuminating their path.

Behind him, Scarlett and Emma practically carried Jennifer, who had twisted her ankle during the mad dash out of the vault.

Bringing up the rear was Chris "Boulder" Magnus. He was a hero.

He had stood his ground at the mouth of the tunnel, a one-man army against the raging Iron Wolves. His massive shield was a wall of defiance.

Ilsa Varkov and her soldiers had crashed against it again and again, their heavy axes and hammers creating a deafening symphony of destruction.

CLANG! An axe bounced off the shield, sending sparks flying.

BOOM! A war hammer hit, and Chris grunted, his feet sliding back an inch on the metal floor.

"Is that all you’ve got?" he had roared, his voice filled with adrenaline.

He had held them off for a solid thirty seconds, a lifetime in a battle like this. It was just enough time for Ryan and the others to get a head start down the dark tunnel.

But the cost was high. Chris’s shield, his prized possession, was now covered in deep gashes and ugly dents. His armor was cracked in several places, and a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

He finally disengaged, using his Kinetic Surge talent to unleash a burst of energy that sent the closest Iron Wolves stumbling backward. Then he turned and plunged into the darkness of the tunnel after his friends, the angry shouts of Ilsa Varkov echoing behind him.

Now, they were all running together, a battered, exhausted team.

"How you holding up, big guy?" Ryan asked, glancing back at Chris.

Chris spit out a mouthful of blood and grinned, a painful, bloody smile. "Just a few scratches. The shield took the worst of it. She’s not looking so pretty anymore, but she did her job." He patted the dented metal fondly. "Good girl."

Their desperate flight through the tunnels felt like it lasted for hours. Every corner they turned, they expected to see a squad of Iron Wolves waiting for them.

The Testing Ground itself seemed to be fighting against them. Ancient security systems, long dormant, flickered back to life as they ran past. Laser grids suddenly appeared in the hallways, forcing them to crawl underneath. Sections of the floor would drop away, revealing deep pits that they had to carefully jump over.

Jennifer, despite her injured ankle, was invaluable. "Stop!" she would gasp, leaning on Emma for support. "Trap ahead. Pressure plate. On the left." Her Tremor Sense was the only thing keeping them from running straight into a dozen different deathtraps.

Ryan used his own growing arsenal of tricks to clear the path. When they came to a locked bulkhead, he used his upgraded "System Override" to pop it open. When a group of angry Scrap-Mite robots swarmed them, he used his new "Temporal Field Generation" to create a small bubble of slowed-down time, allowing them to run past the confused machines as they moved in slow motion.

Finally, after an eternity of running and dodging, they saw it. A large, open chamber, lit by a soft, pulsing white light. At the center of the room was a raised, circular platform. This was the extraction point.

"We made it," Emma breathed, a wave of relief washing over her.

The platform was their finish line. The rules of the challenge were simple. They had to place all three artifacts on the platform. Once the final artifact was in place, a two-minute timer would start. If they could defend the platform for those two minutes, they would win.

Ryan ran forward and carefully placed the Chronal Regulator and the Spatial Harmonizer on the cool, smooth surface of the platform.

The two artifacts hummed, their energies syncing with the platform. A holographic timer appeared in the air above them, but it was stuck at "2:00." It wouldn’t start until the third piece, the Energy Matrix Core, was added.

They all knew what that meant. The final, decisive battle would be fought right here, in this room.

They quickly set up a defensive perimeter. Chris, despite his injuries, took his position at the front, his battered shield ready. Scarlett flew up to a high ledge, her pistol aimed at the main entrance. Emma and Jennifer took cover behind a large pillar, ready to provide support.

They didn’t have to wait long.

The thundering sound of heavy boots echoed from the hallway. The Iron Wolves had followed them. Ilsa Varkov appeared in the doorway, her red cybernetic eye glowing with menace. She was still carrying the third artifact, the Energy Matrix Core, a pulsating red crystal, clutched in her gauntlet.

But she wasn’t alone.

The ground shook with a heavy, rhythmic tread. The Apex War Golem stomped into the room behind her. Its black armor was scorched and smoking from its rampage in the vault, but it was still very much functional. Its giant red eye swiveled, first looking at Ilsa and the red artifact she was holding, then at Ryan and the two artifacts sitting on the platform.

They were trapped. Pursued by the furious Iron Wolves in front of them, and the even more furious Apex Golem behind them.

"Well," Chris said, spitting a final drop of blood onto the floor. "This just got a whole lot more interesting."

The final confrontation was about to begin. The fate of the challenge, and of their Outpost, would be decided right here, in a desperate battle for control of a small, glowing platform.

Ryan looked at the two artifacts he had, then at the one Ilsa was holding. He needed to get that last piece. But how could he possibly fight two powerful enemies at the same time?

A crazy, impossible idea began to form in his mind. It was a stupid, reckless gamble. It was perfect.

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