Thien Lang's speed now defied all known biological limits. Even moving across the waist-deep snow, he surged like a grey lightning bolt, taking less than ten seconds to close the distance to the gargantuan vulture carcass.
Thien Lang clamped his jaws onto the mangled central head of the monster, dragging its colossal frame back toward Thien Anh. Thien Anh's gaze swept the surroundings, quickly identifying an ideal hiding spot beneath a massive ancient tree over a mile away. He pointed a firm finger:
"We move there."
Though she didn't yet grasp his intent, Lam Linh obeyed in silence. The two humans each gripped a wing of the vulture, allowing Thien Lang to tow them across the frozen tundra like a heavy-duty sled.
Once they were settled in the shadow of the great tree, roughly three miles from the military zone, Lam Linh finally asked softly:
"What are you planning to do with this carcass?"
"There are variables inside that base," Thien Anh replied as he began the processing. "We need better protection. You saw the heavy machine gun fire strike this plumage to no effect. I'm going to turn it into bulletproof cloaks for the team."
Lam Linh nodded, her medical intuition allowing her to instantly recognize the value of this 'material.' She gripped her weapon and stepped back several paces to establish a defensive perimeter.
"I understand. I'll keep watch."
"Watch for enemy snipers," Thien Anh warned briefly before turning to the vulture.
The processing was conducted with surgical professionalism. At Thien Anh's command, Thien Thanh injected her concentrated venom into the beast's remains. Within minutes, the muscle tissue began to liquefy under the assault of the toxic enzymes. Thien Thanh swiftly drained the nutrients, leaving behind only the skeletal frame and a hide of feathers as hard as tempered steel.
Thien Lang acted as a 'biological cutter.' With a bite force measuring in tons, he easily tore through the hide at its weakest points, allowing Thien Anh to partition it into large sections.
The speed at which Thien Lang worked was unsettling. By the time Thien Anh had finished calculating the dimensions, he turned to find the wolf crouching there, his keen eyes searching for a word of praise. Thien Anh smirked:
"Good work. Get over here and help me tear this section free."
Rip… Shred…
With a few basic strokes of jaw and claw, the precious metallic hide was perfectly segmented. Thien Anh meticulously crafted two hooded cloaks for himself and Lam Linh, and used the remainder to fashion a back-plate harness for Thien Lang.
The shimmering metallic plumage looked heavy, but it was surprisingly light.
This was due to the hollow quill structure of the feathers. Thien Anh mused that in the old world, this "bio-armor" would have been a priceless treasure that even billionaires couldn't buy.
…
Ten minutes later.
The gear prep was complete. Lam Linh and Thien Lang donned their new armor, radiating an aura of cold majesty amidst the white snow. Thien Anh nodded in satisfaction:
"Alright. Resume the plan."
The group mobilized once more. Thien Anh deployed another drone, luring a horde of over five hundred Ghouls toward the armory. He used the monsters' very bodies to trigger and neutralize every remaining trap in the outer perimeter.
Following closely behind the horde, Thien Anh slipped deep into the armory's corridors. He observed Lam Linh from the corner of his eye; she held her LT-11 submachine gun with a steady, practiced grip, her gaze scanning every shadow like a true mercenary. Her transformation from a frail doctor into a cold warrior pleased him immensely.
However, as they stepped past the main hallway leading to the primary storage vault, Thien Anh's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His gaze turned to ice as he spotted fresh bullet gouges on the walls and bloodstains that hadn't yet fully dried. More tellingly, in a dark corner, he spotted a micro-camera with a faint, pulsing red light.
This wasn't military hardware. This was a covert surveillance device used exclusively by intelligence operatives or high-level assassins. Clearly, someone had beaten them here. And they were still around.
Thien Anh's grip tightened on his rifle, his voice over the comms turning bone-chillingly cold:
"Alert. Danger. There is another group inside. If you see a human, kill them instantly. No questions, no hesitation. Remember this: mercy right now doesn't just mean your death; it means mine as well."
Lam Linh shivered slightly, but she quickly took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes turning harder than ever before.
"I understand. I won't let you down. Trust me."
In the darkness of the armory, the hunt between man and man had officially begun.