The number of these extensions was considerable yet finite. Having lost their target, they could only search through the most probable areas again, unable to achieve comprehensive coverage.
Thus Zhang Ge, having retreated from the window and hidden within the third-floor corridor, narrowly evaded their scrutiny.
Just as he believed the matter resolved, the situation shifted once more.
From a nearby location echoed the thunderous roar of machinery operating within enclosed spaces. Though distorted by reverberations, the unmistakable combustion signatures of jump pack nozzles identified the operator - unquestionably Amilia.
Earlier, Zhang Ge had wondered how Amilia would evade detection while clad in her full power armor. Now he realized evasion had never been her objective.
Against mere extensions within the confined terrain of the academic building - particularly without needing to protect Zhang Ge - the constructs stood no chance against Amilia. Her augmented physiology alone surpassed theirs immeasurably, let alone when enhanced by the power armor's formidable systems.
Though prolonged attrition could theoretically overwhelm Amilia, temporal advantage now favored Zhang Ge's faction.
The present circumstances likely stemmed from her hearing the commotion of his earlier ambush. Interpreting this as either a siege or desperate retreat, she had rushed to intervene.
"Amilia... you absolute madwoman."
Zhang Ge mentally remarked, having nearly achieved successful evasion mere moments prior.
The audible roar intensified with alarming rapidity. Before the sound fully registered, a blinding luminescence erupted from the corridor bend, its radiance exponentially amplifying.
Preceding the light-source's manifestation, a segmented extension emerged at the corner, entering Zhang Ge's visual field.
Its demeanor suggested non-hostile intent - even the crimson filaments hung limply.
Though perplexed, Zhang Ge harbored no inclination toward mercy.
As he initiated neural impulses to raise his firearm, a coruscating afterimage materialized beside the extension.
Amilia completed a jump pack-assisted aerial inversion, boots oriented toward the target. Her ocular implants bled actinic light, force feedback armor gleaming metallically under nimbus-like halos, hair whipping violently under extreme velocity.
The blood-masked Battle-Sister struck.
Before the extension could retreat from the corner, her armored boot impacted its cranial analog. Maintaining delta-v, she drove the pseudo-skull into the bulkhead with catastrophic force.
The cephalic structure endured less than a millisecond before hydrostatic failure - a crimson spray of hematic fluid and osseous shrapnel.
The momentum-arresting stomp continued unabated. As pulverized biomatter coated the walls, her greave contacted permacrete, releasing a subsonic thoom that vibrated through deck plating.
Any mortal attempting such velocity-to-bulkhead contact would reduce to pulp. Amilia simply rotated mid-air, bolter-mounted flamer in her left hand already unleashing white-hot promethium fury down the adjacent corridor. The sizzle-carbonization chorus of burning xenoforms followed.
Temporary flame-wall established, she pivoted toward Zhang Ge. Her blood-flecked visage revealed momentary evaluation, then grim approval at finding him unharmed.
Outside, frantic pounding sounds against the ceramite doors kept coming, but judging by the unmoving structure of the doors, they could clearly hold for a good while longer.
After entering the interior of the armory, Amilia closed the second door, instantly cutting off the sounds from outside.
Of course, the doors could still function normally, but the electrical power was definitely gone. Zhang Ge had to fish out a flare from his pouch to light up the space - without any light source, his night vision capability couldn't see anything at all.
As the long-missed red glow brightened, rows of autoguns, heavy stubbers and similar weapons came into view.
But when his gaze fell upon the far end of the armory, all these became insignificant.
There, a modified Ork Killa Kan stood quietly.
Though extensive additional armor and extra mechanisms had altered it beyond recognition, from its crude bipedal legs and cylindrical main body, one could still discern this was originally the Orks' makeshift walker.
Approaching for closer inspection, Zhang Ge discovered that to accommodate human pilots in this machine originally driven by Gretchin, the cockpit had clearly been cut open at the top and artificially heightened, while the legs had been replaced with more powerful mechanical joints, making them exceptionally sturdy.
"Should we say the Underhive truly breeds talents?" Usually it's the Orks who loot human technology and remodel it into their crude versions, but this time it's completely reversed. Truly worthy of being an Underhive gang that can hand-assemble anti-grav bikes.
Of course, after being left for over a century, whether this thing could still operate normally remained to be seen.
Holding this thought, when Zhang Ge's palm touched its surface, a deep engine rumble began spreading through the armory.