Chapter 429: A Brand New Dawn
Relying on the experience and muscle memory accumulated through dozens of loops, Maine's squad broke through the beachhead and the defensive lines of urban Paris once again with near-perfect efficiency, driving straight into the Louvre's underground reservoir like a precise scalpel.
The Mimic ambushes along the way failed to delay them in the slightest; every step they took landed accurately on the optimal path.
Entering the dark reservoir passage once again, the flow of battle was like a script rehearsed a thousand times over.
The Iron Guards constructed a firepower bulwark, Dorio and Rita cleared the ones that slipped through the net, and Cage provided precise coordination. They even anticipated the exact location and time of every wave of Mimics.
"Execute Alpha capture protocol." Maine's voice was as calm as ever.
The squad members cooperated seamlessly. Fire suppression, luring the enemy, and launching the capture net—the series of actions flowed as smoothly as running water.
The specially made containment net accurately covered an Alpha once again. The potent anesthetic and energy shielding activated instantly, completely severing its connection with the Omega.
The familiar energy shriek, a mix of fury and panic, erupted from deep within the reservoir once more. The entire space began to tremble violently, rubble plummeted, and the Mimics descended into a frenzy.
"The Omega has entered a berserk state! Energy readings are skyrocketing; it is overloading its core!" David reported rapidly.
"Now!" Maine commanded. "Jamming rounds, fire!"
Sasha and Kiwi fired the jamming rounds that had been specifically improved by Ryo. The warheads detonated in the area where the Omega was located, releasing specific energy frequencies that fit like a key perfectly into the 0.03-second vulnerable window when the Omega initiated the ultimate reset protocol.
The berserk energy field surrounding the Omega noticeably stagnated, flickering erratically.
"Jamming effective! The window is open!" Kiwi shouted.
"Stasis grenades, throw!"
Dorio and Rebecca hurled two stasis grenades toward the Omega almost simultaneously.
The grenades activated above the target, and an invisible force field expanded instantly, completely enveloping the Omega and a small area around it.
Everything within the radius, including the falling rubble and the Mimics lunging toward the squad, became extremely slow, as if trapped in thick amber.
The destructive light at the Omega's core condensed halfway, unable to erupt, yet unable to dissipate.
"Stasis field effective! Estimated duration: twelve seconds!" Pilar roared. "Dimensional container, activate!"
He and Lucy quickly placed the dark silver cube on the ground and activated the interface. Deep blue patterns lit up on the cube's surface, emitting a low hum as it began to charge.
"Charging in progress... twenty percent... forty..."
Although most of the surrounding Mimics were blocked by the stasis field, the individuals on the periphery continued to surge forward madly. The Iron Guards, Dorio, Rita, and Cage formed a tight defensive line, resisting the tide-like attacks to buy the precious five seconds for the technical team.
"Sixty percent... eighty..."
Jackie's Iron Guard was knocked back a step by a berserk Mimic, its armor emitting an ear-piercing screech of friction. "I can't hold them off much longer!"
"One hundred percent! Charging complete!" Lucy shouted.
The dark silver cube erupted with intense light, and a twisted spatial portal opened in the center of the stasis field, generating an irresistible suction force.
The stasis-locked Omega, along with a small sliver of space around it, was forcefully peeled away, compressed, and dragged into that unstable dimensional space.
The portal subsequently closed, the cube's light rapidly dimmed, and its surface turned a dull gray, as if all its energy had been depleted.
The stasis field vanished at the same time, and the suspended rubble crashed down with a clatter.
An eerie, deathly silence fell over the reservoir.
The Mimics, which had been attacking madly just a second ago, now resembled machines that had their power cut simultaneously; all movement ceased instantly.
The flickering light in their eyes extinguished, and their massive bodies lost support, crashing to the ground one after another like collapsing toy blocks. They let out a series of dull thuds, ultimately turning into motionless wreckage of metal and organic matter.
"Omega energy signal has vanished," Falco's voice carried the calm of confirmation. "All Mimic units' life activities have terminated. Threat neutralized."
Pilar stepped forward cautiously, picking up the dimensional container that had turned gray and devoid of any energy reaction. He then checked the containment unit holding the anesthetized Alpha: "Sample containment confirmed, status stable."
Rebecca let out a long breath, lowering the muzzle of her plasma bombardment cannon, though she hadn't completely let her guard down. "This time... it really should be completely over, right?"
Dorio and Rita slowly relaxed their back-to-back defensive postures, looking around at the scattered, now-harmless remains.
Cage fell to one knee in exhaustion, his exoskeleton joints emitting a faint pressure-release hiss. He took off his helmet, his face a mixture of profound fatigue, disbelief, and a massive sense of relief at having survived.
Maine's crimson optical lenses swept across the entire space, completing a final environmental threat assessment: "Confirmed secure. Carry the samples, evacuate immediately."
The squad members moved swiftly, properly securing the dimensional container and the Alpha containment unit.
Only then did Cage and Rita truly realize that this endless cycle seemed to have genuinely been brought to a close.
Although they didn't fully understand what methods Maine's squad had used to completely deal with the Omega, the sight of the Mimic army instantly collapsing was undoubtedly the best proof.
A heartfelt, profound sense of gratitude replaced the long-standing fear and despair.
As the squad assembled and prepared to return the way they came, Cage couldn't help but ask, "Where... are you going next?"
Maine turned to him, his synthesized voice as steady as ever: "Our mission is complete. We are about to return."
There was no further explanation, no words of farewell.
Cage and Rita exchanged a glance, seeing the same understanding in each other's eyes.
They had long since seen that this squad was extraordinary, their technology and purpose far beyond what they could grasp.
At this moment, they chose silence. They didn't press to ask where "return" meant, nor did they inquire about the true origins of these mysterious warriors.
At the exit of the ruins, a deep blue dimensional rift silently unfolded, its stability a stark contrast to the instability when transporting equipment earlier.
The members of Maine's squad stepped into that twisted light and shadow one by one, the massive Iron Guards following closely behind.
Cage and Rita stood quietly in place, watching as their figures were swallowed by the rift one by one.
There was no waving, no speaking, only a silent gaze carrying unspeakable gratitude and farewell.
When the figure of the last squad member disappeared, the dimensional rift quietly closed as if it had never existed.
The faint light of dawn began to seep into this underground space once shrouded in darkness, spilling over the cold Mimic remains.
Cage and Rita stood in the silence, knowing that an era had ended, and that a brand new future belonging to them was arriving along with this real, no-longer-resetting morning light.
(End of Chapter)