"William, the target has been extracted and secured. Reliable intelligence suggests that a powerful narrative character like Cyclops intervened; one look from him and we'd likely be reduced to ash, so let's fall back."

A voice from another sniper crackled through the earpiece. Little Mustache William, however, showed no inclination to move. His slender, pale fingers continuously stroked his cheek as he intently observed the activity inside the distant office building:

"Give me three more minutes, Keith. This guy's power is immense, which also means the payout is huge. Prey like this berserker type is becoming rare; we can't pass this up! If we take him down, it won't matter much if the main quest fails. For a berserker, he's surprisingly durable; he might even have Legendary equipment."

"What?? Are you sure?" Keith couldn't help but press when he heard the words "Legendary Equipment."

"I monitored him for four minutes and thirty-seven seconds before reaching that conclusion. Do you think I'm unsure?" Little Mustache William stated decisively.

Keith fell silent. In terms of perception, there was a considerable gap between him and Little Mustache William. Even on the blood-soaked battlefields, Little Mustache William was an ace at reconnaissance, so he quickly and firmly decided:

"Then let's both blast him a few times? I refuse to believe he can survive that!"

"That's precisely what I was thinking," a sly smile played on Little Mustache William's lips. "No matter how high his health bar is, how many sniper rounds can he withstand? Especially since you have the double-tap capability... Meanwhile, Zi, wearing high heels and a pink overcoat, was slowly walking into this terminal building! Her new Chanel heels clicked audibly against the floor, and her slender calves, encased in sexy black snakeskin stockings, stole countless gazes. This entire ensemble made Zi appear exceptionally alluring and statuesque, while the triangular, bright red suitcase trailing behind her subtly advertised her status as a traveler."

Zi's entrance immediately captured the attention of at least 40% of the people in the waiting hall. Of course, at least half of that attention was rooted in jealous comparison, and the other half in sheer awe. However, three sets of eyes, sharp with vigilance and alertness, sliced across her like venomous snakes.

Keith and William, the two snipers, certainly weren't defenseless at close range. Besides having attendants guarding them, they also had an ally skilled in close combat. These individuals formed their second line of defense.

Thus, the moment Zi stepped into the hall, she sensed an immense threat.

William's attendant was particularly wary of her. This man was an unusually thick-armed Native American whose weapon was a Boomerang (a throwing blade) covered in dense, sharp spikes—each spike long enough to pierce an enemy's skull. If Zi showed the slightest sign of trouble, he would hurl it towards her immediately.

Keith’s attendant was a member of the special forces, armed with an XM-25 system. This device resembled an MP5 with an over-thickened barrel and fired 25mm grenades. The shooter could program the rounds to detonate at precise locations in the air near the target. This feature allowed soldiers to eliminate enemies hidden behind cover.

Furthermore, the close-combat expert, Mores, merely watched coldly, betraying neither killing intent nor hostility—he was like a block of ice.

This was the most alarming aspect: the concealment of murderous intent. The hostility was building and fermenting internally; if he struck, blood would surely be spilled. Nevertheless, his feet kept moving, silently closing the distance to place himself within his optimal attack range relative to Zi.

Zi was perfectly aware of all this. Although her own sensory abilities were lacking, Professor X's prized disciple, Jean, was also present, making the enemies' thoughts perfectly clear and laid out in Zi's mind.

Moreover, Zi was no ordinary figure; even a character like Fu would view her with high regard and hesitate to make her the primary target! Even without Jean’s help, the fact that she dared to come meant she possessed absolute certainty in assassinating her foes!

Though the waiting hall was bustling with people, for Zi, the subtle movements of these three men were all accounted for within her estimations. It wasn't so much that she knew everything inside and out, but rather that they were all steps within her calculated plan.

Thanks to Jean's cover, those men couldn't immediately pinpoint Zi's identity. Zi had deliberately dressed elaborately to confuse the enemy, as Contractors normally strive to hide and act low-key—who would intentionally dress so beautifully to invite extra exposure?

Therefore, seizing this opportunity, Zi gracefully walked "tap-tap-tap" in her high heels for about ten steps, arriving within twenty meters of Mores. She suddenly flicked her checkered, long, plush scarf, momentarily obscuring the view of the two attendants, then offered Mores, who was closest, a charming smile.

Mores was momentarily taken aback, perhaps even feeling a flicker of romantic hope, when he suddenly perceived an indescribable sharpness shining from the eyes of the stylish woman before him—a sharpness that seemed intent on piercing straight into his soul!

An intense, tearing pain shot through his body, followed by paralysis of his limbs. The sensation was so profound it felt as if even his very thoughts were being frozen!

This move was the Force Barrier: Explosion, a technique that had previously given Fang Senyan immense grief under Zi’s hand!

Immediately following this, Zi continued smiling toward Mores. No one noticed her slender fingers tracing rapid, continuous patterns in the air, as if pulling invisible threads, sketching out numerous strange glyphs and symbols. Each time a symbol was completed, Mores, who was frozen in place, convulsed in agony.

When Zi had executed a total of five of her abilities, her complexion grew somewhat pale. Finally, her fingers drew out a symbol from the Sith runes representing Finality.

It was evident that Zi was deploying a sequence of her abilities: Force Barrier: Impact, Force Barrier: Puncture, Force Barrier: High-Frequency Oscillation... all unleashed simultaneously upon Mores's body, yet their power remained inert. Only when the Sith rune symbolizing Finality appeared did all the accumulated power detonate in a single, overwhelming blow. Coupled with the special effect of the Dubaiya Set, this attack instantly annihilated the Colonizer, Mores!

Instantly! The lights throughout the entire waiting hall flickered, as if the voltage had momentarily dropped. Mores's eyes snapped wide open, a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and he slowly slumped over, appearing utterly dead on the spot!

The reason for this strange anomaly was that Zi had finally grasped her Awakening Skill after a period of intense contemplation. Her equipment, accumulated resources, and combat experience were already sufficient; what she lacked for understanding the Awakening Skill was a moment of sudden enlightenment. Once the mental block cleared, realization naturally followed. This first application in actual combat proved astonishingly powerful!

Zi's Awakening Skill was named: The Shattered Republic.

Zi had originally intended to compress all her abilities into a single devastating strike, which she planned to name The Republic. However, after witnessing the battle between Fang Senyan and Loki, Zi realized that perfection often equated to an unreachable distance. She abandoned her original idea, opting instead to first paralyze the opponent, then focus on layering several of her signature skills onto the enemy without causing immediate harm, before suddenly unleashing the accumulated power!

To commemorate her previous concept, she named this ability: The Shattered Republic. Currently, it can only integrate a maximum of five skills, and they must be instantaneous casts.

Mores was quite unfortunate; his strengths lay in melee combat, stunning, illusions, and poison, yet he was killed before he even had a chance to engage! Truly, the blade of lust hangs over the head!

At this point, it was clear the two attendants realized something was terribly wrong! Especially when they saw Mores collapse limply, the attendant wielding the XM-25 system immediately disengaged the safety. Standing on the second floor, he expertly centered the crosshairs of his scope onto Zi's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

He even licked his lips with a predatory relish, showing signs of an almost sexual thrill. For this man, watching the head of such an unparalleled woman violently burst open like a watermelon was no longer a mission, but a hobby and an intense stimulus.

But just as this attendant squeezed the trigger, the head in his scope's crosshairs suddenly shifted to Mores's chest!

Because Zi, her long hair flying, had abandoned her suitcase and suddenly darted close to the still-falling Mores, lifting him with one hand to use as a shield in front of her!

The grenade fired by the XM-25 system was immensely powerful. It first let out a "whoosh" as it impacted Mores’s chest, then detonated with a resounding boom! For the enemy, this meant suffering an initial penetration injury, followed immediately by a violent, internal explosion.

Flesh and blood sprayed outward, instantly coating an area of more than ten square meters. Even the air was momentarily dyed a faint, brutal crimson. A woman stood frozen where she was, seemingly unaware of what had transpired, until she wiped the still-warm fragments of gore from her face, looked around blankly, and then let out a scream of terror with all her might!

But Zi, who should have been injured as well, suddenly vanished from the line of sight of the two attendants. She slipped away like an agile and cunning fish, skillfully melting into the chaotic throng of panicked civilians.