In a blaze, everyone was finally able to make out the figures appearing in the darkness. They were clad in jade-colored exoskeleton armor resembling that of alien insects, with sharply translucent blades on their arms. Those blades, like the arms of a praying mantis, sliced through the semi-transparent shields, igniting fierce sparks and tearing the force field. In almost a few breaths, a layer of the barrier was breached, then these jade figures surged in swiftly, harvesting the lives of Corseda members within like a swarm of locusts.
Among a series of explosions and flashes, the jade blades sliced open the deep red heavy armor and then cleaved through the heads of the combatants inside, with blood spewing out and then crystallizing into ice that fell and scattered on the ground.
"No!—" Cries of terror rose within the area. Some of the 'Corseda' employees finally couldn't bear it and began to flee, while the remaining 'Fire God Heavy Industries' warriors tightened their formation, forming small circles for self-protection.
They were not like those 'Corseda' people. As members of a military industrial enterprise, they were acutely aware of the combat prowess of these jade alien figures, the elite troops of 'Qing Mantis Mtis,' equipped with military-grade exoskeleton armor. The devices attached to their armored feet granted these warriors amazing leaping capabilities, able to leap atop buildings more than 50 meters high and change direction midair with incredible agility and speed. Combined with the unique light blades on their arms, they were virtually harvesting machines on the battlefield, the nightmare of unarmored and lightly armored soldiers.
Even as combat personnel also clad in military exoskeleton armor, they had to be extra cautious of these opponents. If the enemy found a weak spot in their armor or if they were surrounded, the outcome would be disastrous.
Intense red flames sprayed indiscriminately in all directions, solely to fend off the jade aliens who kept moving about, reaping as they went. At this moment, the 'Fire God Heavy Industries' combatants were no longer considering victory, but rather how to survive this patent war.
The high-temperature blaze was dazzling, illuminating the dark surroundings. The jade alien combatants, these 'hard bones,' could no longer afford to deal with them, as they too knew that time was pressing. They continued to push towards the inner center, breaking through layers of defense barriers, until finally, more than a dozen emerald light blades simultaneously sliced onto the glass dome of the super AI, causing it to overload and explode.
Amid the shattered flames, the 'Corseda' affiliated super AI shielded layer by layer was cut and destroyed by the light blades, and its defense system eventually ceased, becoming dim and lifeless.
Rain washed away the bloodstains. The chairman and controller of 'Corseda,' lying in the corner of the ruins, had a huge tear in the center of his suit, a ghastly wound, and the rising and falling of his chest grew weaker.
At this time, the 'Corseda' members present were either dead or critically injured and unable to fight. The area was quiet, with jade exoskeleton armor-covered warriors forming a circle, standing still as if statues.
Supported by others, a blood-stained man who was wounded approached the chairman of 'Corseda.' He was Jeter, who had recently led the Yimi combat personnel to the scene.
"You old fart," Jeter cursed through the pain upon seeing the other man was not yet dead, and then struggled free from the support of others to lift his adversary.
"Speak, where is the patent data hidden?" They had just checked the super AI's storage chips and did not find what they were looking for, and now it was 23:31. In half an hour, it would all be over.
"Oh..." The old man being held had more breaths going out than coming in, replying simply and with a hint of mockery.
Seeing him silent, Jeter's anger surged, throwing the other man away.
"You get tough now, huh? When you poisoned my brother Yimi at the dinner, I didn't see you being so tough and righteous!" he practically roared the words.
Yimi's brother may not have been his son, but Jeter had watched him grow up, a successor looked upon favorably by everyone in the company. And yet, he died so easily, which triggered 'Yimi' to launch this all-or-nothing patent war.
"That fool, fit to be a successor? What a joke. I said a few nice words and apologized, and he believed it. Your whole family is naive," the old man slowly propped himself up, looking toward Jeter who was furious beyond containment.
"You're not much better. Trusting others too easily in your youth caused you to lose the inheritance to Yimi's father. The rightful eldest son, and now you're just a fire captain. What a laugh, haha."