"Lin Feng...this is where you will die!"

Richard said that with conviction as he charged forward again, blade pointed forward, aimed at Lin Feng’s head.

Lin Feng reacted quickly, raising his forearm to block the attack.

The plasma blade pierced through his thick arm, stopping the blade from ever reaching his eyes, only millimeters away from his eyeball.

Richard had been in this situation before where his blade would get stuck in the enemy. Good thing, that the plasma blade is not like an ordinary blade that they have to yank or pull out to remove. Instead, Richard disengaged the plasma blade’s power source, causing it to retract back into its housing with a faint hum. With a swift motion, he withdrew the blade from Lin Feng’s forearm, leaving a smoking gash in its wake.

As Lin Feng recoiled from the strike, Richard wasted no time, he activated the plasma blade and raised it once more, ready to deliver the finishing blow. But before he could strike, Lin Feng opened his mouth wide and let out a deafening roar, unleashing a shockwave of energy similar to Violet.

Richard crashed into a nearby building, the impact rattling the suit ever so slightly and leaving him momentarily dazed. As he struggled to regain his bearings, he could feel the slight throbbing ache of his injuries coursing through his body.

But there was no time for Richard to dwell on his injuries. As he pushed himself up from the rubble, his gaze locked on Lin Feng, who stood across the street.

Before Richard could react, Lin Feng made his move. With a swift motion, he switched his arm blade into a claw-like appendage and drove it into the ground. Instantly, thick spears of hardened earth erupted from the ground, hurtling toward Richard with lethal intent.

Reacting quickly, Richard activated the thrusters on his suit and propelled himself into the air, narrowly avoiding the deadly spears as they shot past him with a deafening roar. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Richard focused on evading Lin Feng’s relentless assault while formulating a plan of attack.

As he soared through the air, he called the Blackwatch.

"Eagle, this is Blackwatch Command. Aerial bombardment authorized. Grid number 35162, 152516. Fire at will, danger close confirmed."

"Copy that Eagle, sending rounds, danger close confirmed," came the swift response from Blackwatch Command.

High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and M777 howitzers, positioned strategically around the urban battlefield, prepared to unleash their fury. The HIMARS is a lightweight mobile launcher, capable of firing guided rockets and Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS). Meanwhile, the M777, a 155mm towed howitzer was being readied to provide heavy artillery support.

As the coordinates were confirmed, the HIMARS launched its GPS-guided rockets with a thunderous roar. The rockets streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. Simultaneously, the M777s adjusted their barrels, taking into account wind speed and the earth’s curvature, and fired their shells. The sound of the howitzers firing was deafening, the powerful recoil pushing back against the earth as each shell was sent hurtling toward the designated grid.

Lin Feng, sensing the imminent danger, ceased his attack and looked up just as the first of the rockets and shells began to impact. Explosions rocked the area, sending shockwaves through the streets and shattering windows.

Richard, still airborne, watched as smoke and debris filled the air. He knew that this damage wouldn’t be enough to kill Lin Feng, so he remained cautious and wary of any movements that might indicate Lin Feng’s next move.

The battlefield, now obscured by smoke and littered with debris, presented a challenge for both visual and sensor-based tracking. Richard’s suit, equipped with advanced thermal and motion detectors, scanned the area for any sign of Lin Feng’s heat signature or movement.

Amidst the smoke, there was a glowing red light that caught Richard’s attention. It was Lin Feng, his body starting to emit a bright, pulsating red glow. Richard knew this was not a good sign. In the world of enhanced combatants, a glowing signal often indicated a critical state, either as a last resort or a dangerous buildup of energy.

As Richard watched, the glow intensified, illuminating the smoke-filled air with a sinister light. Lin Feng’s injuries, rather than debilitating him, seemed to trigger this response, a dangerous mechanism embedded within him, perhaps a self-destructive countermeasure for situations exactly like this.

Richard realized the immediate danger. If Lin Feng were to explode, the resulting blast could level blocks, endangering countless lives, specifically the Blackwatch soldiers and the United States forces.

Yes, he may be able to replace them but that’s not the case here. It’s still lives!

Without hesitation, Richard re-engaged his suit’s thrusters, propelling himself toward Lin Feng at full speed.

As he approached, Feng’s body reached its critical point. The glow became blinding, and Richard braced for the explosion, shielding his face with his arm.

But instead of an explosion, there was a sudden release of energy upwards into the sky, creating a towering pillar of light that pierced the clouds. The shockwave was so great that Richard was sent flying again, crashing into buildings like dominoes.

As Richard regained his composure, his primary concern shifted back to Lin Feng.

"I’m starting to hate him," Richard said, opening up the displays of the user interface of his suit.

[System diagnostics]

Structural Integrity: 72%

Energy Levels: 63%

Weapon Systems: Operational.

Thrusters: Operational.

Sensors: Nominal.

Communications: Operational. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Critical Warnings:

Minor hull breaches detected.

GPS signal is intermittent.

Energy reserve optimal.

He checked his HUD and saw the GPS was not working properly. It was flickering, struggling to maintain a stable connection amidst the electronic interference caused by Lin Feng’s energy surge. Without reliable GPS data, Richard had to rely more heavily on his suit’s other sensors and his own instincts—.

Then those instincts picked up something. He heard tremors from below, and then a warning flashed across his HUD.

[Warning, enemy movement detected beneath!]

The alert caught Richard’s attention immediately, snapping him back to the present danger. He realized that Lin Feng was far from finished.

He looked to the ground—and Richard’s world turned upside down as a direct uppercut from Lin Feng landed squarely on Richard’s jaw, sending him rocketing upwards into the air. The force of the blow was so intense that it sent him up to the sky.

As Richard struggled to regain control in mid-air, his suit’s systems worked overtime to stabilize his trajectory and provide a damage assessment. The impact had not only compromised the suit’s structural integrity further but also jolted the internal systems, causing sporadic malfunctions.

"It’s far from over!" Lin Feng roared.