Global Shelter Game

Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Black Wind’s Special Ability

He had paid such a heavy price, giving up almost everything he had, to claw his way up from being a mere ant and obtain all that he now possessed.

He absolutely refused to lose what he had all over again.

In an instant, his eyes became as black as ink.

The next moment, Black Wind transformed into a black shadow, rapidly moving along the rubble and trash on the ground toward the power armor.

That’s right, Black Wind was also an ability user. His power was unique—he could temporarily transform himself into a shadow.

When he used his ability, conventional physical damage had virtually no effect on him, and it offered incredible stealth.

Anyone unfamiliar with his ability would never suspect that a patch of shadow on the ground was actually an ability user.

Of course, while Black Wind’s ability looked powerful, its practical application in combat was quite limited. While he was immune to physical damage, he couldn’t inflict any himself.

Moreover, the ability didn’t last long; he could only maintain it for a brief period.

However, when used in specific situations, this unique ability could be incredibly effective—just like right now.

The shadow rapidly closed in on the power armor. Amas, however, was completely absorbed in fighting his enemies and failed to notice the shadow that had already crept up silently behind him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Black Wind deactivated his ability and pressed the button on the bomb in his hand.

The cylindrical bomb in his hand didn’t explode violently. Instead, it erupted with a flash of blue electromagnetic waves.

The next moment, the power armor, which had been on a rampage, suddenly seized up as if it had jammed. The light machine gun on its shoulder and the assault rifle in its hand simultaneously went silent.

Seeing this, a look of ecstatic joy spread across Black Wind’s face.

The electromagnetic bomb had worked better than he could have hoped. Amas’s power armor instantly went out of control, all its systems temporarily paralyzed.

This specially-made electromagnetic bomb was designed to counter high-tech equipment. It was particularly devastating to delicate electronic components, like a natural predator.

The vast array of electronic assistance systems was supposed to be one of the power armor’s greatest strengths.

After all, the suit had far too many systems to manage. If the pilot had to control everything step-by-step, the power armor’s reaction time would be incredibly slow.

Now, however, the very smart systems meant to aid the pilot had become a cage, binding the power armor with invisible chains.

"WARNING!! WARNING!! UNABLE TO CONNECT TO ASSISTED PILOTING SYSTEM!!"

"WARNING!! WARNING!! ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS UNRESPONSIVE. REBOOTING NOW!"

"WARNING!! WARNING!! SUSPECTED EMP STRIKE. ASSISTED OPERATING SYSTEM OFFLINE. OPERATOR, PLEASE SWITCH TO MANUAL CONTROL."

...

As the piercing whine, heavy static, and repeating alarms blared in his headset, Amas—who moments ago had been reveling in a one-sided slaughter—felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach.

EMP????!!!!

’Damn it!!! How could they have something like that in a place like this???’

An EMP bomb, or electromagnetic pulse bomb, is a weapon that generates a powerful electromagnetic pulse.

This pulse can destroy electronic devices, causing them to fail or sustain permanent damage.

The power armor wasn’t without defenses against an EMP. But keeping the anti-EMP shield active at all times consumed massive amounts of energy and, more importantly, severed all external communications.

Amas had thought it impossible to encounter an EMP strike in such a backwater. He never imagined these people would actually have an EMP bomb.

In just a few moments, Amas’s forehead was slick with cold sweat. Without the smart-assist systems, his combat effectiveness would be cut by more than half.

After a moment of panic, however, he frantically began switching the power armor from assisted-piloting mode to manual control.

Black Wind, however, didn’t let his guard down. He knew this paralysis wouldn’t last long.

He quickly deactivated his ability, two remote-controlled bombs already in his hands.

While the power armor was still immobile, he quickly planted the two bombs, one on its head and the other on its waist.

Once the bombs were set, he bolted, desperately trying to get clear of the blast radius.

He’d heard before that power armor had two fatal weaknesses.

The first was the cold fusion battery at its waist. If that thing was destroyed, the power armor would lose all power, becoming a helpless tin can. The pilot inside wouldn’t even be able to get out.

The second fatal weakness was its head, which housed most of its sensors and control systems. Destroy the head, and the suit would instantly be rendered deaf and blind.

Inside the power armor, Amas could, of course, hear the commotion outside.

’Since the enemy knew to use an EMP bomb, they probably knew the power armor’s weaknesses, too.’

He grew more and more anxious, but the more anxious he got, the clumsier his hands became.

Anyone who drives knows that even if you learn on a manual transmission to get your license, most people end up buying an automatic.

After a couple of years, you forget everything about driving stick. Trying to go back to a manual after that is incredibly difficult.

Just as despair began to set in for Amas, a familiar voice suddenly crackled in his headset:

"Amas... don’t worry... we’re here."

The sound from the headset was harsh and laced with heavy static from the EMP damage, but to Amas, that ugly noise was like the music of the heavens.

The next moment, familiar gunfire erupted nearby.

A few screams reached Amas’s ears as well. Clearly, Li Wei and his two companions had made it out of the shelter in time.

However, just as a look of post-disaster relief washed over Amas’s face, two massive explosions went off right behind him.

The next moment, the three-meter-tall power armor was blasted two meters into the air, and it came crashing down face-first, sprawled on the ground.

Even with the protection of the suit’s cushioning systems, the powerful shockwave still made Amas, inside the power armor, vomit blood.

Far away, hiding behind cover, Black Wind carefully peeked out. He looked at the overturned power armor, but there was no joy on his face. He too had heard the distant gunfire and the screams of his men.

He slammed his fist into the rock wall in front of him, sending stone fragments flying. ’So close,’ he thought. ’Just a little more.’

’He had clearly paralyzed the power armor. If the people from the shelter had just been half a minute later, his men could have sealed the entrance completely.’

’They were out of rockets, but they still had plenty of remote-controlled bombs.’

’The people from the shelter were just wearing those exoskeletons; they stood no chance against the bombs.’

But when he saw that group appear at the tunnel entrance, he knew it was too late.

Even if the explosion had killed the pilot outright, he had lost his chance to act.

The power armor and exoskeletons that should have been his were now completely out of his reach.