Contrast to the warm, reuniting glow on the town streets, the base was suddenly bathed in the crimson flash of an emergency.
"BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—!"
A rapid, piercing alarm tore through the silence. Ester dropped her tissues in a panic, scrambling toward the Command Center. Luther and Valerie arrived seconds later, their faces pale.
"What happened? Did the 'Steel-Seekers' send back a signal?" Ester's eyes were glued to the red dots blinking on the screen. The dozens of drones Lawson had released were now showing a bizarre "spiral collapse" at the coordinates for Nova Star Town, South Sector 2. The green dots representing the drones were vanishing one by one at a terrifying speed.
"This isn't just a sighting... it's a unilateral massacre!"
Ester turned deathly pale. With trembling fingers, she pulled up the final footage from one of the destroyed drones. The video showed the drone soaring over the ruins. Suddenly, a steel cable glowing with red light whipped out from the streets below, precisely piercing the drone's hull. Before the feed cut to static, she saw him—the man straddling a heavy motorcycle, one hand on the handlebars, the other unhurriedly retracting the blood-stained cable.
He wasn't hiding. He was using the drones to trace their flight path, launching a high-speed counter-raid directly toward the base!
"Oh no! He never intended to hide—he's using the drones to reverse-locate us!"
Ester's breathing nearly stopped. The red dot on the radar was cutting through South Sector 2 with unstoppable momentum, its tip aimed straight for their heart.
"Big brother! Dodge! Edith! Katie! GET BACK HERE!!" Ester screamed into the comms, her knuckles white. "That guy... the Steel General is coming for the base!"
But only static and silence answered her. The signal was being jammed.
In the distance, the low, rhythmic moans of collapsing buildings echoed. Amidst the settling dust of explosions, a deep, violent roar—like a beast from the abyss—resonated through the alleys.
It was the arrival of the "Global ATM" debt collector, carrying ten years of concentrated tyranny and hatred.
The remaining Shadow Shifters on the street didn't even have time to flee. They became targets for his venting rage. The steel juggernaut ground over the bodies of his own kind without mercy, a silent declaration of the absolute contempt the ruling class held for the lower tiers in this twisted world. Before the absolute violence of the Steel General, life was less than dust.
Inside the base, chaos reigned.
Seeing the red warning light closing in, Luther and Valerie gritted their teeth and reached for their phones, ready to charge out. Before they could cross the threshold, Ester vanished from her spot and reappeared in front of them, blocking the way.
"Stop! No! You absolutely cannot go!" Ester shrieked. "That guy is a Shadow General! If you charge out now, you'll be lucky to leave with half your life!"
Immediately, she switched into "drama queen" mode, lunging forward to grab their legs, wailing at the top of her lungs, "We barely have any warriors left! We can't afford to lose a single one of you! Waaaaah!"
The two were initially fired up, but the title of "Shadow General" hit them like a bucket of ice water. Their bodies froze as they remembered the despairing hierarchy Katie had described. Luther's cold sweat soaked his collar, his eyes wide with fear behind his fogging glasses.
"How... the intel said no monsters above Lord-Class would appear here..."
"It's all that 'Ten-Year Demon King's' fault—Lawson!" Ester spat, wiping away non-existent tears. "He's a walking taunt-machine! That monster is clearly coming for his head!"
Valerie's face went white. She clenched her fists, only to let them drop powerlessly. "Are we... really just going to stand here and watch? Can we do nothing?"
"Exactly!" Ester gave the cruel, honest answer. "Reality is that humble! Only S-Rank armor can survive two hits from that thing. You guys would just be an appetizer!"
With that, Ester snapped out of her act. She stood up and sprinted toward the communications console, her fingers blurring across the keys as she tried to punch through the static to reach that "ten-year scumbag" Lawson.
On the other side of town, Lawson had already sensed the anomaly through his tactical tablet. He analyzed the data from the falling drones, his brow furrowed. Knowing this was no ordinary fight, he took a deep breath and addressed the shocked rookies—Phyllis, Victor, and Emma—with an unprecedented gravity.
"Listen, stay at the base! Do not approach the South Sector!" his voice boomed with authority. "This isn't a skirmish anymore; it's a high-level fated duel. Protecting the base is the greatest contribution you can make right now!"
After settling the rookies, Lawson turned to the veterans beside him.
"Since he followed the 'network cable' to our doorstep, we might as well prepare a 'proper' welcome gift."
The "Steel General Raid Team" officially assembled.
Katie cracked her knuckles, a sign she was ready to ignite. Edith fastened her cuffs, her eyes cold as blades. Dodge let out a low growl, his muscles rippling with anticipation. George shoved his hands into his pockets, his silver hair whipping in the wind.
They exchanged a look, and without a word, they synchronized their steps.
"ARMOR LINK!!!"
Four system prompts chimed simultaneously. Armor components flew through the air, clashing and locking onto their bodies. Braving the suffocating pressure of the approaching boss, the four transformed into streaks of Black, Blue, Orange, and White lightning, charging toward the roaring thunder of the South Sector.
However, as Katie, Edith, Dodge, and George tore across the intersection with top-tier special effects and righteous fury, they forgot one fatal problem.
Lawson had Max-Level technology, but his mechanic's jumpsuit didn't come with an "Overload Thruster."
Lawson stood in his cool, commanding pose, one hand reaching out as if to lead the charge—only to watch the four "track stars" leave him three blocks behind in a matter of seconds.
"HOLY CRAP—!"
Lawson stood frozen, watching the four dots of light shrink to the size of pinheads. His scream echoed through the empty street.
"YOU BASTARDS! You're just gonna leave me here?! HEY! COME BACK! I'M JUST A DEFENSELESS ARMOR SMITH! My legs are made of meat! I don't have hydraulic pumps installed!!"
Cursing up a storm, he started sprinting on his two human legs, desperately trying to catch up with the teammates who were already engaging the boss.
"Dodge, you muscle-brained idiot! Come back and carry me!!"
As he ran, Lawson checked the vitals on his tablet. Because he—the "Core Brain"—wasn't on the scene, the sounds of chaotic, uncoordinated combat were already erupting from the intersection.
Even more awkward was the Steel General, Mon Dirobos.
The boss stood in an invincible pose, waiting for his "Old Rival" Lawson to make a grand entrance. His red-glowing eyes scanned past the four warriors and locked onto Lawson—who was currently three blocks away, panting like a tired pug, stumbling and crawling toward them.
The Steel General scanned Lawson's current data. A long, "network-timeout" silence followed. Finally, he spoke, his voice cold and glitchy:
"...That ten-year piece of trash who farmed me 9,999 times... has... has actually become an Armor Smith?"