Before he could ask further questions, Gray sensed an impending danger drawing near. Instinctively, he activated his jetpack, propelling himself to a height of one hundred meters, where he hovered and surveyed the ground below.
The individuals on the battlefield had already realized the gravity of their situation; some fled in panic, while others frantically drew their weapons to shoot at Qin Mo.
Yet these actions proved futile.
On the ground, a blinding flash erupted, so intense that it momentarily incapacitated the visual systems of the powered armor.
In the wake of the flash came a deafening roar, as a third of the position was engulfed in flames.
This was the first time Gray witnessed such a terrifying display of power from Qin Mo. It seemed he was driven by sheer rage, resulting in a destructive force that surpassed the norm in a brief, frenzied moment.
"What's wrong with you?" Gray inquired through the comm channel of his armor.
"I already told you! This place has fallen! That female officer is a psychic of the rebels; everyone here is part of the insurrection!"
"That's impossible! If this is a trap set by the rebels, why would that female officer be so concerned about whether we were soldiers of the Marshal's Guard?"
"…"
Instead of continuing the argument, Qin Mo raised his hand and used telekinesis to pull Gray back down to the ground.
Gray observed that Qin Mo's armor and weaponry had not been entirely incinerated; they bore numerous scorched marks, suggesting he had utilized his unique ability at the last moment to prevent his gear from being completely destroyed.
"Look."
"Look at it!"
Qin Mo approached a charred humanoid remains, pointing at its grotesquely enlarged head. "Tell me, is this the head of a human? Does your head resemble hers?"
Gray stared at the charred mass, recognizing it as the enthusiastic female officer who had welcomed them.
She had arrived wearing a hat, which was now absent.
Her head appeared disproportionately large and elongated, grotesquely so.
No, it was not merely slightly deformed…
"I understand now," Gray said, nodding as he punched the charred mass into fragments.
"Have you finally realized I was right?" Qin Mo asked.
"No, I'm still quite confused, but I know you're usually the one who is correct," Gray replied, activating his armor's combat mode, raising his hands equipped with multi-barrel laser cannons to face the approaching enemies who had survived the flames.
These foes, at first glance, appeared much like normal humans, yet they wore helmets to conceal the deformed heads beneath.
Among them were also several normal humans, but their expressions were vacant, drooling as they moved forward as if under some form of control.
Qin Mo suddenly comprehended why he felt such revulsion upon arriving at this position—there must be one or more powerful psychics among them, and those seemingly normal humans were under their dominion.
"Are we fighting or retreating?" Gray asked while firing.
"Fighting." Qin Mo resolved to cleanse this place. He closed his eyes and began to channel his loathing and disgust, transforming those baseless emotions into a directed force.
In this manner, he suddenly sensed the source of his hatred.
Seven hundred meters ahead, among the encroaching soldiers, stood one of them.
As Qin Mo's gaze locked onto a female soldier seven hundred meters away, their eyes met; her face betrayed a mix of shock and fear, realizing her disguise had been effortlessly pierced.
"Cover me." Qin Mo pointed ahead and initiated a charge.
Gray followed closely behind, using his multi-barrel lasers to carve a path for Qin Mo while dispatching any foes that attempted to surround or obstruct him.
After sprinting a hundred meters, Qin Mo leaped toward the psychic he had identified.
Gray mirrored his leap, preparing to coordinate with Qin Mo, aware of the dangers psychics posed and feeling a surge of worry.
The two, clad in powered armor, landed with a resounding thud, crushing all enemies within the gravity shield's radius into the ground. They both raised their heads to face the disguised psychic.
The female psychic's fear intensified, her body trembling as she commanded those nearby to impede Qin Mo at any cost, while she fled backward at an astonishing speed.
"Kill her." There was no need for further elaboration; Gray immediately understood how to assist Qin Mo.
The two concentrated all their armor's energy into the gravity shield and energy coating, splitting into left and right as they raced toward the psychic.
After a few strides, Gray suddenly dropped to the ground, writhing in agony, uttering horrifying phrases: "For the Emperor… for the Cult of Evolution! For our savior!"
Qin Mo glanced at the controlled Gray, realizing he ought to create defensive psychic equipment instead of a suppressor that only functioned within a limited range.
For instance, a shield that could protect the wearer from psychic attacks, thus preventing scenarios like Gray's current state.
He hadn't reached the psychic, and the suppressor had become ineffective…
While contemplating improvements to technological creations in his mind, Qin Mo's running speed surged to its maximum. His jetpack expelled a one-meter-long flame vortex, granting the massive powered armor tremendous thrust.
At that moment, the psychic turned her head, unleashing her psychic energy against Qin Mo, but it was in vain.
"How is this possible?!" the psychic exclaimed, utterly bewildered, completely at a loss, as she helplessly watched Qin Mo close in, preparing to meet her fate under an unseen force.
However, Qin Mo suddenly deactivated the gravity shield, piercing the psychic with his chainsaw sword before reactivating it.
Surrounding soldiers and the controlled individuals charged at him like madmen, but whether they opened fire or rushed in for melee combat, the gravity shield served as a despairing barrier.
"Give me an answer, and I'll make your death more merciful," Qin Mo demanded angrily. "Was this position a trap set for me?"
The psychic offered no response, the chainsaw sword grinding against her, plunging her deeper into torment.
As Qin Mo prepared to press further, he noticed a smile spreading across the psychic's face; her eyes transformed into a vivid purple, revealing that she had become a conduit for another psychic.
"What on earth are you? Why can't your psychic pet interfere with your mind? Why can't any psychic control you? What exactly are you?" she furiously demanded.
Qin Mo immediately realized he had become a target, and consequently, this position was a trap specifically set for him.
"I am human," Qin Mo declared.
"You're no human! You're a freak, you…"
Qin Mo refused to engage further in the argument, igniting the chainsaw sword to incinerate the psychic before him.