In the ruins outside the stronghold, the Reapers' roars drew closer and closer. Hale's dark energy spread like ink in the night, intertwining with the energy of 48 Reapers to form an oppressive giant net, only 2 kilometers away from the stronghold. Liam stood behind the broken wall of the guard post, the blue-black composite halo at his fingertips condensed like a blade. His brain activation level was accurately locked at 17.1%, his energy intensity climbed to 42 units, and his neural symbiosis stability remained at 75%—the muscle tearing sensation from his body was forcibly suppressed by him. The energy fusion degree had reached 55%, and the burning sensation from the collision of the two energies was being converted into stronger explosive power along the neural pathways.
[Host, Hale's energy intensity is 20 units, with a neural symbiosis stability of 62%. His dark energy has formed a weak resonance with the Reaper energy, which can temporarily increase the Reapers' attack power by 15%. It is recommended to first cut off the resonance link, then defeat the low-energy Reapers (40-42 units) one by one to avoid being besieged by the group. Current physical tolerance countdown for 17.1% activation level: 34 minutes.] The AI's prompt simultaneously marked the energy link node between Hale and the Reapers, like a dark red thread running through the group.
Liam took a deep breath, kicked the ground, and his figure rushed out from behind the broken wall like an arrow. The super dynamic vision brought by the 17.1% activation level allowed him to clearly capture the position of the biochip of each Reaper and the flow trajectory of Hale's dark energy. Instead of directly attacking the main force, he circled to the flank, and the light blade at his fingertips slashed out an arc-shaped energy wave, accurately cutting off the resonance link between Hale and three low-energy Reapers—the red light of the biochips on the foreheads of the three Reapers dimmed instantly, their energy intensity plummeted to 35 units, and their movements also showed a brief lag.
"Foolish thing! Daring to take the initiative to attack!" Hale's roar came from behind the group. He raised his hand to condense a black energy spear, threw it fiercely at Liam, and ordered at the same time, "All attack! Tear him apart! Whoever kills him, I will let Lord Reaper grant him stronger power!"
The remaining Reapers roared and pounced. The dark red corrosive beams were as dense as rain, and the ground was corroded into dense black pits. Liam dodged with the help of the broken wall, and his brain operated at high speed to analyze the battle situation: Hale's resonance link was the key, but although his own energy was weak, he was extremely cunning; although the number of Reapers was large, their individual intelligence was low, and they could be defeated one by one after cutting off the resonance. He activated the primary energy absorption ability, and the faint suction force emanated from the halo at his fingertips, converting the residual corrosive energy in the air into his own supply. His energy intensity slightly rose to 43 units, and his neural symbiosis stability recovered to 76%.
"Now is the time!" Liam found a gap, rushed into the middle of the three disconnected Reapers, and the light blade accurately stabbed into the biochip of the left Reaper—the blue-black energy exploded instantly. While the chip shattered, a pure bioenergy was forcibly absorbed, the energy fusion degree increased to 57%, and the muscle tearing sensation was relieved by 10%. [Absorbed bioenergy from low-energy Reaper, brain activation level stabilized at 17.1%, energy intensity 45 units, neural symbiosis stability 77%!]
The other two disconnected Reapers counterattacked, and the corrosive beams pointed directly at Liam's back. He rolled sideways, swept the light blade backhand, cut off the symbiont link on the neck of the right Reaper, and jumped into the air with the recoil force to avoid the left beam. At the moment of landing, he injected the absorbed bioenergy into the light blade and slashed down fiercely, splitting the biochip of the last disconnected Reaper into two halves. The energy fusion degree increased by another 2%, reaching 59%.
In just 3 minutes, three Reapers fell to the ground, and Hale's face became more ferocious: "Fools! A bunch of fools!" He rushed forward personally, condensed a shield with dark energy, blocked Liam's light blade, and the corrosive energy spread along the shield surface, trying to invade his neural pathways. "So what if you have 17% activation level? Without physical support, you will collapse sooner or later!"
The harsh sound of metal collision was sharp. Liam only felt a burning pain in his palm, and Hale's corrosive energy was trying to dissolve his composite energy. He immediately urged the neural control force of the 17.1% activation level, compressed the blue-black energy into a needle, and forcibly pierced the weak point of the dark energy shield, forcing Hale to retreat repeatedly. "Do you think I, like you, only rely on the Reapers' power?" Liam shouted coldly, his figure flickered, circled to Hale's side, and the light blade pointed directly at his temple—where a trace of dark energy core was faintly visible.
Hale hurriedly dodged sideways, his shoulder was cut open by the light blade, and black blood gushed out. He stumbled back, roared and released an energy shockwave, knocking Liam back several meters. "I want you to die!" The red light in Hale's eyes surged, the resonance intensity between the dark energy and the remaining Reapers increased to 20%, and the attack power of all Reapers instantly increased, with the red light of the biochips dazzling.
Liam stabilized his figure, and a trace of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth—the previous shockwave reduced his neural symbiosis stability to 73%, and the remaining physical tolerance countdown was 28 minutes. But his heart became more firm: he must end the battle quickly to buy enough time for Elena to manufacture the weapon. He activated energy absorption again, converting Hale's scattered dark energy into supply, the energy fusion degree broke through 60%, and the primary energy absorption ability was instantly upgraded! [Energy absorption ability upgraded to intermediate level: can absorb and convert 70% of the enemy's energy, reducing 30% of physical damage during the conversion process. Current brain activation level: 17.2%, energy intensity: 48 units, neural symbiosis stability: 75%.]
The upgraded absorption ability greatly reduced the physical burden. Liam no longer hesitated and took the initiative to rush towards the Reaper group. He was invincible, and every rise and fall of the light blade accurately hit the biochip. The absorbed energy continuously supplemented himself, forming a virtuous cycle: killing one Reaper increased the energy fusion degree by 2%, repaired 5% of physical damage, and the activation level remained stable at 17.2% all the time. Hale tried to establish the resonance link again, but was repeatedly cut off by Liam with high-frequency energy waves, and could only watch his "combat power" be defeated one by one.
In the underground laboratory of the stronghold, Elena stared closely at the screen, her fingers dancing rapidly on the keyboard. The core energy converter had been connected to the weapon prototype, and the composite energy transmitted by Liam flowed in along the conduction interface. The blue light on the weapon surface lit up, and the progress bar climbed rapidly: "The energy filling of the first counter-weapon is 80%! Liam's energy fusion is going well, the activation level is stable at 17.2%, and if we hold on for another 10 minutes, the first one will be completed!"
Kane stood aside, holding a pulse gun tightly, and his eyes glanced at Liam's battle figure on the monitoring screen from time to time: "He has killed 12 Reapers, but Hale is still resisting, and the remaining 33 Reapers are still a great threat. Our soldiers are ready. As soon as the weapon is completed, we will go out to support immediately!"
Outside the laboratory, Liam's battle continued. The blue-black halo around him became more and more dazzling. Under the nourishment of energy fusion, his brain activation level successfully broke through to 17.3% stably, his energy intensity reached 50 units, and his neural symbiosis stability was 78%—the activation level above 17% finally transformed from a "burden" to an "advantage". The super perception and neural control ability allowed him to predict every attack, and the absorbed energy continuously repaired physical damage.
Looking at the decreasing number of Reapers, fear and unwillingness flashed in Hale's eyes. He knew that if this continued, he would not only be unable to kill Liam, but also be dragged to death. He suddenly condensed all his dark energy into a black energy torrent and rushed straight towards the stronghold: "Since I can't kill you, I will destroy your stronghold! Let your hard work be in vain!"
Liam's pupils contracted sharply. The super prediction brought by the 17.3% activation level allowed him to see through the intention instantly—Hale wanted to destroy the laboratory! He immediately chased after him, condensed all his energy into the light blade at his fingertips, and slashed fiercely at the energy torrent: "Stop!" The blue-black and black energy collided violently, and the shockwave shattered the surrounding broken walls. Liam was shaken by the blood, his energy intensity dropped back to 45 units, and his neural symbiosis stability dropped to 73%, but Hale's energy torrent was successfully intercepted.
"Liam! The first counter-weapon is completed! We're here to support you!" The gate of the laboratory suddenly opened, and Kane led five soldiers out, each holding a counter-weapon flashing with blue light—the gun body was slender, and the muzzle condensed pure high-frequency blue energy, resonating with Liam's symbiotic energy.
The appearance of the counter-weapon completely broke the deadlock. The soldiers pulled the triggers, and the blue beams accurately hit the Reapers' biochips, one shot at a time, which was far more efficient than Liam's single-handed combat. Seeing this, Hale's face turned pale as paper, and he turned around to run away. How could Liam give him a chance? He flashed forward, pressed the light blade against his back: "Game over, Hale."
Hale stiffened all over, his voice trembling: "You can't kill me! I know the secret of the Reaper main force! I can tell you the location of their lair, and... and the taboo of 100% brain awakening!"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Liam's eyes, and the AI's prompt sounded timely: [Abnormal energy fluctuation detected in Hale, suspected to be hiding a stronger dark energy source, most likely lying. But the information related to 100% awakening may be valuable, so it is recommended to keep him alive.] He put away the light blade, pressed Hale to the ground with his backhand, and bound his neural pathways with energy shackles: "Take him away and guard him strictly."
The remaining Reapers were quickly wiped out under the sweep of the counter-weapons, and the battle was finally over. Liam stood in the ruins, the blue-black halo around him slowly converged. His brain activation level dropped back to the safe threshold of 17.0%, his energy intensity stabilized at 40 units, and his neural symbiosis stability was 80%, with the energy fusion degree reaching 75%—the physical damage was completely repaired, and the activation level above 17% was finally fully controlled by him, without any burden.
He walked towards the laboratory, and Elena hurried forward to meet him, her eyes full of joy and admiration: "You succeeded! Not only did you defend the stronghold, but you also stably controlled the 17% activation level, and the energy fusion degree reached 75%! The effect of the first counter-weapon far exceeded expectations, and we can mass-produce it!"
Liam smiled, raised his hand to show the stable halo at his fingertips: "This is just the beginning. Hale mentioned the taboo of 100% awakening, and the Reapers' lair. We will soon take the initiative. With the counter-weapon and the stable 17% activation level, we will no longer be passive in the face of the Reaper main force next time."
Kane escorted the bound Hale over, his tone solemn: "We have interrogated him. Hale does know the location of the Reapers' lair, which is in the energy hub on the third basement floor of the Pentagon. There are at least 50 Reapers there, as well as a large symbiont transformation device. He also said that 100% awakening requires fusing the 'pure symbiosis source', which is in the core of the transformation device."
A hint of light flashed in Liam's eyes: "Pure symbiosis source... It seems that to complete 100% awakening, we must go deep into the tiger's den, destroy the transformation device, and seize the symbiosis source. And now, we already have enough confidence."
Inside the stronghold, the soldiers cheered, and the mass production of counter-weapons was in full swing; in the laboratory, Elena was analyzing the lair structure diagram provided by Hale, marking every energy node and defense weakness; Liam walked into the medical cabin and began to refine the remaining fusion energy—before attacking the lair, he wanted to stably increase his brain activation level to 17.5%, making his combat power reach a new level.
As night deepened, the smoke in the ruins gradually dispersed, but the war between humanity and the Reapers had just ushered in a real turning point. The symbiosis power of 17% awakening, combined with the sharp counter-weapons, Liam and the resistance forces finally held the key to victory, and the road to 100% awakening slowly unfolded in the direction of the lair.