Graves, who just handed one Alpha Hunter, received a transmission from Richard.

"Hmm...I can go, but the rest has to stay here," Graves responded, tossing the dead Alpha Hunter to the side. "The situation here is still worse than we imagined. Mutated zombies are everywhere and our forces are being stretched too thin...Eagle? Eagle are you still there?"

"I’m here!" Richard’s voice came through the comm, strained and interspersed with the unmistakable sound of combat. Graves could hear the faint noise of blades clashing and the howling winds, and the earth sundering.

"Give me your Eagle coordinates, so I can respond to your location immediately," Graves requested, already moving to a safer spot to avoid drawing attention from nearby threats. "I need to make sure I’m headed in the right direction."

"I’m sending you the coordinates," Richard said, and moments later, Graves’ HUD displayed a flashing indicator marking Richard’s position. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Graves absorbed this information with a nod. "I got your location now. I’m making my way to you. Keep yourself in one piece until I get there."

As Graves navigated through the devastated cityscape, he could see the evidence of the fierce battles that had taken place. The destruction was widespread, with buildings reduced to rubble and streets torn apart. There were also craters.

He encountered pockets of mutated zombies along the way, but Graves dealt with these threats efficiently, conserving his strength and energy for the confrontation ahead.

The closer Graves got to Richard’s location, the more intense the resistance became. He started encountering more mutated zombies. But he dealt with them swiftly one by one until he arrived in the vicinity of Richard’s coordinates. The sound of combat grew louder, a clear indication that he was getting close.

Upon reaching the area, Graves quickly assessed the situation. Richard was exchanging blow by blow against Lin Feng. He watched closely, waiting for the right time to strike.

And that time arrived when Lin Feng thrust his arm blade. Graves’ thrusters propelled him forward like a bullet, closing the distance between them in a fraction of a second. He tackled Lin Feng, using his momentum to force the assailant away from Richard. The impact sent Lin Feng staggering back, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden intervention.

"Graves took you long enough," Richard managed to say, panting heavily from the exertion of the fight.

"No time for small talk. Let’s finish this," Graves replied, his attention fixed on Lin Feng, who had regained his footing and was now glaring at them.

"Ahh...the two of you again. Good, because I don’t have to find the other one once I finish either one of you."

Graves, standing slightly ahead, signaled to Richard with a quick nod, a silent agreement on their strategy. Richard moved to flank Lin Feng, forcing him to split his attention. Graves took advantage of this diversion, launching a series of rapid strikes aimed at testing Lin Feng’s defenses.

Lin Feng countered with a series of swift, powerful counterattacks, his arm blade slicing through the air. Graves, anticipating this response, used his agility to dodge and weave, creating openings for Richard to exploit. Richard, seizing these moments, attacked with a combination of high and low strikes, aiming to further disorient their foe.

Graves darted towards Lin Feng, throwing a powerful right hook aimed at Lin Feng’s jaw. Lin Feng, quick to react, parried with his forearm, redirecting the force. Seizing the moment, Richard, now at Lin Feng’s side, launched a low kick towards Lin Feng’s knees, attempting to destabilize him. Lin Feng, maintaining his balance, countered by spinning, utilizing the momentum to unleash a sweeping kick aimed at Richard’s head.

Richard ducked under the kick, rolling forward to regain his stance quickly. Graves, capitalizing on Lin Feng’s temporary focus on Richard, advanced with a barrage of jabs, forcing Lin Feng to retreat. Lin Feng, his back momentarily to Richard, found himself trapped between the two.

Richard, now behind Lin Feng, grabbed Lin Feng’s shoulder, pulling him backward while simultaneously driving his knee into Lin Feng’s back. Lin Feng, caught off guard, stumbled forward into Graves’s awaiting uppercut, which connected solidly, sending Lin Feng reeling.

Lin Feng, now visibly frustrated, roared and unleashed a burst of energy, creating a shockwave that pushed both Graves and Richard back.

Graves, recovering from the shockwave, noticed Lin Feng charging with his arm blade glowing ominously. He signaled to Richard, and both sprang into action. Richard, drawing Lin Feng’s attention, feinted to the left, then rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding Lin Feng’s blade. Graves, using his suit’s enhanced speed, circled to Lin Feng’s blind spot, delivering a powerful kick to Lin Feng’s side, exploiting the brief opening created by Richard’s feint.

Lin Feng, now off-balance, struggled to defend against the coordinated assault. Graves and Richard, sensing victory, intensified their attack. Graves launched a flurry of punches, each blows more forceful than the last, while Richard, weaving around Lin Feng’s flailing counterattacks, found an opening, driving a solid punch to Lin Feng’s stomach.

As Lin Feng doubled over, Richard and Graves simultaneously delivered a synchronized strike, a combination of a knee from Richard and an elbow from Graves to the head, effectively knocking Lin Feng to the ground.

"Let’s end this," Richard said, activating his plasma cannon.

"With pleasure," Graves repeated, his own weapon systems coming online. They both aimed at Lin Feng, now trying to rise, his movements sluggish and pained.

But just as they were about to fire, Lin Feng, with a defiant roar, transformed his arm blade into a massive hammer fist. He smashed it into the ground beside him, the impact sending a shockwave of debris and force rippling outward.

The sudden eruption of power caught Richard and Graves off guard, lifting them into the air. They were thrown back, their aim disrupted, and their weapons discharged harmlessly into the sky. As they struggled to regain control, Lin Feng used this moment to scramble to his feet and poke something before him.

Richard realized what he was doing. Lin Feng is using the system.

And he was right, multiple red magic circles appeared on the ground, and there were mutated zombies, all of them were Juggernauts. And not only that, Lin Feng’s associates seemed to have arrived as well.

"We are going to need a battalion, sir," Graves said.