The creature attacked, using the giant blade as both a shield and an offensive weapon, blocking itself from any possible attacks from Liu Zhong while also attacking.
Liu Zhong readied his deer horn knives, avoiding the attacks while waiting for a chance to attack.
The creature readied itself, swinging the blade forward in an up to down motion. Liu Zhong raised his hands, catching the swing with the deer horn knives' crescent blade, locking the blade. But just as he is about to disarm the creature of its weapon, the creature swung the blade down, bringing Liu Zhong along.
It flipped its appendages, freeing itself. Liu Zhong immediately moved back. He charged again. The creature parried the knives with the blade, then moving it down at Liu Zhong's neck by pivoting the blade, using Liu Zhong's attacks to push its own strikes.
Liu Zhong grunted, pushing the blade down again. The creature loosened its strength, then suddenly picking up strength again, pulling up the other end of the blade, almost slitting Liu Zhong's throat had he not moved out of the way in time.
Liu Zhong could not help but to be impressed by the creature's fighting skills, able to expertly using pivoting principles to augment its attacks and catch a seasoned martial artist like himself who has been training since 3 years old in near fatal situations.
The creature attacked, Liu Zhong used his left deer horn knife to grab the back of the blade, then rapidly switching to his right deer horn knife, holding the blade back and locking it while using the left deer horn knife to lock the creature's neck, going for the kill.
But before the plasma curved blade can finish the job, the creature used its right appendage to block Liu Zhong's left hand, then using its superior strength to force Liu Zhong against a wall in the narrow corridor, pivoting the blade dangerously towards his neck.
Liu Zhong grunted, working his Exo-suit's power exoskeleton and generating air waves to keep the blade away using all of his might, struggling against the creature's tremendous strength.
(First floor)
"Evacuate them out, quick!" yelled Liang Chen, as he and Henry helped Aya, Captain Gao and the Marine into the armoured vehicles. Liang Chen took the magazines that Captain Gao handed him.
The vehicles sped off. "Hold on, we will be back soon!" said Dunn, saluting Liang Chen as he and the Marine fire team left in the vehicles, escorting the wounded back.
After ensuring that the surrounding area is clear, Liang Chen and Henry gathered the remaining Marines on the ground into the first floor.
"What now?" asked Henry. "Do we reinforce Artemis 6 below?"
"Ready your plasma blades," said Liang Chen. "We are going in!"
Henry, Ramirez and the 2 other Marines ignited their plasma blades.
Just then, Clara noticed something appearing on her radar.
"There is an unidentified column of vehicles approaching the compound!" she warned.
"The Djiboutis?" asked Liang Chen.
"Negative, I am not getting a friendly signal on the RFID," replied Clara.
She zoomed in on the drone image feed, stunned to see the black flag being flown on the vehicles.
"SH*T! It's Vanguard, and they outnumber us!" she fumed.
Hearing that, Liang Chen immediately ordered them to stay put.
"Hold your fire," he ordered. "Shoot only when I give the signal."
Those of them in the compound got ready to engage, Ramirez readying his rocket launcher.
The Marines around Clara quickly operated the crew served weapons on their vehicles, preparing to engage.
(Downstairs)
"AHH!" grunted Liu Zhong.
The creature continued trying to use its formidable strength to crush Liu Zhong's defence and kill him.
Liu Zhong gritted his teeth, deciding to take a risk.
He squatted, managing to slip out of the lock through the gap between the wall and the creature's blade.
This caused the creature to fall forward, Liu Zhong yelled, swiftly jamming a deer horn knife into the back of its throat and slashed with all of his might.
The creature's head rolled on to the floor, and soon the creature's body disintegrated, its dead self no longer able to generate the living electromagnetic field to keep its body shape.
Liu Zhong panted, sitting on the floor in fatigue, keeping his weapons.
He stood up, collecting a sample of the creature's body. He then went to the projector, transferring its contents into a modem, not trusting the UNSSD cloud drive after what happened to Team Zero.
Once the transfer is complete, he left the basement, moving up to join with his comrades, wanting to gather them down to continue searching for intel.
However, upon hearing that there is a huge Vanguard force approaching, he decided against it, knowing that they have to evacuate and retreat at once, otherwise they may all be killed by the superior enemy force, negating all of their past efforts.
He then ordered those in the lab to get ready, doing simple fortifications in the first floor with the things around them. The moment Liang Chen gives the order to start shooting, they will open fire with all of their weapons at the enemies, pin them down at their position, allowing their comrades with heavy weapons above to happily unleash all of their firepower, destroying the enemies.
The Vanguard convoy soon arrived. Albert and Vera, and the Marine designated marksmen all readied their guns, tracing the vehicles with their high powered optics.
The vehicles stopped, and the Vanguard terrorists disembarked, alertly looking at the lab's entrance.
"The alarm was tipped, someone is here," said the leader, leading them in.
Liang Chen observed them approaching their position, his finger slipping into the trigger guard of his rifle.
"200m, 100m, NOW!" he yelled.
A few mortars and rockets landed among the Vanguard vehicles, destroying them, while machine gun and sniper fire rained down, mowing down their troops.
"TAKE COVER!" yelled the leader, "fall back! They are behind us!"
Before they can move, bullets striked them from the front as the operators inside opened fire, mowing down the ones caught unaware by the firepower.
"LOCK THEM DOWN!" yelled Liu Zhong, reloading his magazine.
Soon the fighting stopped, and the Vanguard terrorists are wiped out. Hurrying, the joint task force retreated, knowing that the enemy's reinforcements are on the way, leaving in their vehicles.
As they drove off, Liu Zhong studied the data in the modem. A new file he had not noticed prior caught his attention.
"Project Genesis..." he muttered.