ABFMV Chapter 54 Part 1

First came a series of explosions that shook the entire building, followed by the screams and chaos echoing throughout the Research Center.

When Jin Duoduo looked out the window, the world outside was already engulfed in flames. Dozens of mechas had surrounded the building in an instant.

Panicked, she rushed downstairs, hoping to escape—but in the main hall, she saw several armed men patrolling with photon rifles.

Many people were crouched on the floor with their hands over their heads, guarded by the armed intruders. They were clearly hostages.

There was no way she could get out that way.

Her only option was up.

Since the building’s power system had been destroyed, she had to climb the stairs step by step in near darkness.

Her personal terminal buzzed once or twice—calls from Jin Huan and Xu Linlang—but with the signal jammed, no matter how many times she hit the answer button, the line wouldn’t connect.

She kept climbing until she reached the rooftop, hoping the higher elevation would give her at least a faint signal.

Sure enough, Jin Huan’s video call came through again—and this time, she managed to answer it.

The moment her brother’s image appeared on-screen, Jin Duoduo completely broke down, tears streaming down her face.

“Brother… brother, where are you? I’m trapped in the Research Center—it’s been attacked!” In that desperate moment, the only person she could think to call for help was her brother.

Jin Huan tried to steady his voice, doing his best to calm her down. “Find somewhere safe to hide. Rescue teams are already on the way. Trust me—you’ll be okay.”

Through her sobs, she asked, “Can you come get me yourself?”

Jin Huan took a deep breath, guilt flickering across his face. “I’m at the mining zone right now, handling the explosion there. I’m on my way back, but… it might take a little while.”

He and Lu Xiao had both been sent to deal with the mining disaster. The moment he heard about the Research Center attack, he tried to reach his sister—but she hadn’t answered. That could only mean something was wrong.

Now, hearing her voice and realizing she was trapped inside, Jin Huan’s heart clenched with panic. He wanted nothing more than to teleport straight to her side—but the jump points had all been destroyed by the Chiyan Group. There was no quick way back.

Then, through the video feed, he saw them—a group of armed men climbing up onto the rooftop, heading straight toward Jin Duoduo’s location.

His tone turned urgent. “Hide! Someone’s coming!”

Jin Duoduo had already seen them. The intruders were advancing aggressively, smashing through barriers with their photon rifles, checking every possible hiding spot.

“Boss, I think there’s someone over there!” one of them shouted.

Jin Duoduo shrank back against the wall, trying to stay silent—but they spotted her anyway.

Panic surged. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The men were closing in fast.

Was this really the end for her?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trembling violently as their footsteps drew closer and closer.

She was so scared.

Curled up in the corner, tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Jin Huan watched everything unfold through the screen, biting his lip so hard it almost bled, forcing himself not to shout. His hands flew across his console—he had to get there faster.

If he didn’t… if he couldn’t…

The armed men reached the wall. One of them raised his weapon and blasted apart a nearby crate.

The crash made Jin Duoduo flinch. She opened her eyes—and froze as a hideous face leered at her from behind the debris.

“Well, well, what do we have here? A little chick hiding out,” the man sneered.

Jin Duoduo stumbled backward, but behind her was only the railing—and beyond that, open sky thousands of feet below.

She had reached the end. There was no more room to retreat, nowhere left to run.

Staring down at her terminal, she whispered, “Brother… I don’t think I can make it. I’m sorry.”

Then she closed her eyes, bracing for the hell that was surely coming.

Jin Huan’s eyes went wide with agony. He slammed his fist against the console, helplessly watching as the scene played out in front of him.

But the next second—everything changed.

The thug who had been taunting her suddenly let out a strangled scream—and collapsed, lifeless.

A thunderous roar filled the air.

Jin Duoduo felt the shift instantly. Her trembling hands pressed to her chest as she cautiously opened her eyes.

Hovering ten meters above her was a sleek, jet-black mecha.

Its body was as dark as night, but under the flickering lights, it looked divine—a god descending from the heavens.

Jin Duoduo stared in disbelief, tears still clinging to her lashes, unable to even wipe them away.

The mecha slowly descended, extending one massive arm toward her, beckoning her closer.

And from the external speakers came a calm, familiar voice:

“Don’t be afraid—it’s me. I’m here to take you somewhere safe.”

Jin Duoduo choked out, “L–Linlang?”

Xu Linlang looked at her trembling figure through the cockpit display, heart aching at the fear still etched on her face.

“Yes,” she said softly. “It’s me.”

Principal MacKee of Lilan Military Academy stood in the command hall, brow furrowed, his expression grave.

Countless personnel were busy and tense around him, while MacKee rapidly analyzed the unfolding situation in his head.

The three explosions had all occurred inside the Research Center building, and there were also large-scale blasts in the mining area on Lilan. He and the military had already dispatched mecha units to assist, but incoming reports indicated that the entire Research Center and the mining bases were now under the control of the Red Flame Gang.

Because the attackers might be holding hostages and had sealed off the facility for nearly half an hour, a direct assault would be too risky.

As an important reserve for the Empire’s military manpower, Lilan Military Academy had normally maintained very strong defenses. But only a short time earlier, because signs of Zerg activity were found in the nearby mines, the academy had pulled its two most elite squads to support the military.

It would take at least an hour to recall those squads to the academy.

Troops were stretched thin, and the coincidence of these events felt suspicious to MacKee.

Most urgently: hundreds of people inside the Research Center had been taken hostage. This was the heart of the academy’s core facilities — and their principal had been left without a full picture of the situation.

Time was tight; even a single second could change everything. If things went even worse, MacKee would have no face to remain in his post. His top priority was to protect Professor Jiang and the Research Center.

But as principal, he could only mobilize academy forces; he had no authority to dispatch other corps. He had already contacted the commander of the Fifth Corps, only to be told that most forces were tied up at the front; they could spare only a small elite detachment. The rest, MacKee was told, he would have to handle himself.

What other options were there right now?

“Principal, look at this…” an instructor said, hesitating, then projected an urgent message onto the central screen. The email’s red headline was brutally conspicuous.

“Damn it!” MacKee snarled after scanning the message. He slammed his hand down on the console to vent his fury.

The email was essentially a challenge from the Red Flame Gang—mocking them and asking whether he enjoyed their little prank.

The Red Flame Gang—an organized criminal force that should have been eradicated long ago—was now acting brazenly. What was worse, the very academy squads that should have been defending the school were out near the mining zone, while this gang had suddenly appeared inside the academy.

Something about all this smelled of orchestration. Had the Red Flame Gang colluded with the Zerg? Had they abandoned even the last line of decency?

“Immediately contact other corps and request reinforcement. Send a Level One combat alert to the Ministry of War. Arm and mobilize every instructor and any available forces on campus!” MacKee barked.