Global Awakening: Infinite Gift Pack System

Chapter 303: The Defense and Kai’s Return

Crash!

A massive explosion shook the ground as the serpent‑like vessel slammed into the Advanced Barrier System.

The dome of energy shattered, collapsing into nothingness...

"No way..."

"It’s destroyed!"

"Careful! Look above!"

The vessel itself was torn apart in the blast as the debris fell everywhere... Nonetheless, the damage was done, New Haven‑45’s barrier was gone.

Althea couldn’t help but feel really worried now.

Without the barrier, the shelter had no way to stop flying vessels from entering directly. Their arsenal was limited... rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, disruptor field units, and traps. None of these were true anti‑aircraft weapons.

The only hope lay in the plasma rifles carried by their modified Sentinels. Each rifle could fire twelve shots before requiring a long recharge.

They had been saving those charges for emergencies... and this was one.

Augustine’s voice rang out..."The worst has come."

From the crimson sky, two more serpent vessels slithered into view.

Their segmented bodies gleamed like metallic scales, weaving through the air with unnatural grace.

As they approached, defenders on the walls shouted in alarm.

"Two more!"

"They’re dropping units!"

"Inject the stimulants!"

"Yes!"

Just like that, the vessels swooped low, releasing their riders.

Ten armored Sentinels leapt from the serpents, landing heavily some where outside the shelter, but three managed to land inside...

Dust and debris flew as their massive frames rose, optics glowing with cold precision.

Still, the stimulants were soon used! This boosted their senses, strength, and agility... If they have gene skills, those were also improved.

Althea held her weapon tightly as she looked at the enemies.

"Ten of them... all B‑Rank."

The defenders froze. Their modified Sentinels, X‑02 through X‑06, were only C‑Rank. They weren’t strong enough to fight the B-Ranks head-on, so they had to be smart... These armored units were on another level after all.

The B‑Rank Sentinels had then advanced, their heavy steps started shaking the ground.

It even felt as if their armor was thicker... However, they were sure that their weapons were larger. They had heavy blades and mounted cannons!

They were here to destroy their shelter!

"Hold the line!" Althea shouted, forcing courage into her voice. "We have traps, we have rifles, we have plasma rifles. Fight!"

The defenders obeyed, but fear gnawed at them.

Augustine triggered the remaining perimeter traps.

Soon, all the trenches collapsed, stakes were impaled, and the last nets sprang upward... but the Sentinels tore through them. Their armor shrugged off the crude defenses, sparks flying as steel bent and broke.

"Grenade launchers!" Augustine roared.

Soon, explosions erupted across the battlefield. Fire and smoke engulfed the machines, slowing their advance.

One Sentinel faltered with its armored scorched, but it kept moving!

Another raised its cannon, blasting a barricade apart.

Boom! Boom!

The buildings shuddered, and the defenders were thrown back in screams of pain.

Althea directed the artillery. "Target the closest! Fire!"

The siege artillery thundered with its shell slamming into a Sentinel at close range.

Boom!

The impact dented its chest, knocking it back, but still it rose.

"What?!"

"How is that even possible?!"

"This is crazy! They took it head-on?"

"That’s too much."

The artillery was designed for long‑range bombardment, not anti‑air combat. Forced into close quarters, it seemed that its shots were devastating but limited.

"It’s not enough to get the right momentum."

"Damn it, they’re too tough!" a defender cried, clutching his rifle.

Althea hurled a smoke grenade, thick clouds obscuring the machines.

"Blind them! Use the disruptors!"

Immediately, portable disruptor fields activated, humming with interference wave.

The Sentinels were immediately unable to communicate with the other Sentinels and with so many disruptors working, their optics seemed to be distorting as well!

It didn’t end there, Stun grenades followed, detonating with blinding flashes.

For a moment, the machines slowed...

"Now! Rifles!" Augustine barked.

Dozens of defenders opened fire, bullets hammering against weakened joints.

Sparks flew as rounds found gaps in the armor. One Sentinel collapsed, its systems fried, crashing into a pit.

The defenders were happy to see this but the victory was short‑lived.

The remaining Sentinels charged forward, smashing through simple barricades they created...

Heavy blades cleaved steel, mounted cannons tore into buildings...

The walls shook under the assault as chunks of scrap metal could be seen flying everywhere.

Soon, the deaths piled up!

Guards screamed as they were cut down, blood staining the ground.

Althea gritted her teeth. "Keep fighting! They’re slow! We can overwhelm them!"

Grenades flew even more as the battlefield was chaos... smoke, fire, and explosions were everywhere!

One Sentinel reached the mess hall but its foot was caught in a weighted net.

Augustine seized the chance, firing a grenade launcher directly into its chest. The blast tore through its plating, sending it crashing into the pit.

But it wasn’t disabled yet... its optics still glowed, its arms clawing upward!

"These things are so tough!"

"What are these made of?!"

Another Sentinel slammed against the watchtower...

Bam!

Soon, its cannon blasted defenders from the ramparts. Screams echoed as guards fell, lifeless. The shelter’s defenses were crumbling!

Althea’s voice rang out as she remained in the distance using her rifles...

Though she wanted to figh in close range, she couldn’t do so with so many enemies still gathered.

She was sure that she could win one-on-one against a B-Rank but if she was cornered, it would be a certain death...

"Focus fire! Aim for the joints!"

The defenders obeyed, rifles and grenades hammering knees and elbows.

Slowly, painfully, the machines stopped moving...

One collapsed under the barrage, its armor cracked open.

But more pressed forward. Ten had landed, and only three were down, seven more remained.

They were all battered, but they were still moving!

Then, it was at this moment that the modified Sentinels, X‑02 through X‑06, finally got a better position...

"Now!" Althea shouted.

Their plasma rifles hummed as they gathered energy... Soon, blue light flared as they fired, streams of searing energy tearing into the B‑Rank units.

Whom! Whom! Whom!

Three shots struck in one point, burning through armor plating.

One B‑Rank Sentinel staggered with its chest glowing red‑hot, before collapsing in a heap.

Indeed, three shots in the same spot were needed to break through their armor!

The defenders roared in triumph. But the plasma rifles had limits... only twelve shots each. Every blast had to count.

"Save your charges!" Althea warned.

"Don’t waste them!"

The battle raged on. The artillery fired again with its shell slamming into a Sentinel at point‑blank range!

The explosion tore through its torso, sending fragments flying. But the recoil damaged the artillery itself. Smoke was already pouring from its barrel.

"Artillery’s failing!" a defender shouted.

"Keep it firing until it breaks!" Augustine snapped. He didn’t care about the Artillery anymore...

The Sentinels continued to advance... their cannons were blasting holes in the walls.

Defenders were forced back, their rifles nearly empty.

Smoke grenades and disruptors bought precious seconds, but the machines were not stopping...

One Sentinel breached the outer barricade, cutting down guards with its blade. Blood sprayed as defenders fell, their screams drowned by the roar of gunfire.

"Aaaack! Help me! Please!"

"My arm! The Stimulant! more stimulant!"

"Don’t! You’ve already used one! You’re not a foreign survivor! You’ll get overdosed!"

"We can only have one of them! Our Gene Enhancements wouldn’t be able to endure it."

Althea’s heart pounded. "We can’t hold much longer..."

But she refused to give in. "Fight! Every second counts! Kai will return... we just have to survive!"

The defenders rallied, their desperation was giving them strength...

Soon, another Sentinel fell... But the cost was high... the walls were shattered, guards lay dead, and the shelter was bleeding.

There were still B-Rank Sentinels... Only five were destroyed... The remaining five may be damaged but they’re still moving...

"Cover me..." Althea muttered as she made her move.

She didn’t even wait for Augustine’s reply!

Her dagger manifested in her hand, glowing faintly... It was her Gene Weapon. It pulsed with her energy, bound to her soul, and it was sharper than steel...

She charged forward, with her speed amplified by stimulants and gene enhancements.

The first Sentinel swung its cannon arm, but Althea slipped beneath it, slashing upward.

Sssaah!

Sparks erupted as her dagger carved through the armored limb, severing it clean.

The machine stepped back as it was suddenly out of balance!

Without pause, she spun toward another. Its heavy steps shook the ground, but she leapt high, driving her blade into its knee joint.

Thu!

Metal shrieked as the leg gave way. The Sentinel was still active, but it collapsed sideways.

The third Sentinel came quickly with its massive blade raised to cleave her in two. Althea’s eyes narrowed.

Her dagger sliced across the weapon itself. The heavy blade split, fragments scattering, the machine was momentarily stunned.

She was magnificent... It was a blur of precision and fury, cutting through giants with a Low-Grade Gene Weapon!

The defenders gasped, their morale surging at the sight.

But the surprise ended abruptly. One of the Sentinels recovered, its mounted cannon locking onto her.

Bam!

"Aack!"

A blast erupted, slamming into her side.

The force hurled her across the battlefield. She hit the ground hard with her body nearly thrown into a jagged pipe protruding from the wreckage.

Before she could collide, a hand caught her mid‑fall.

It was strong and steady.

"Good job staying alive, Althea..." Kai muttered as he glanced at the remaining B-Rank Sentinels.