Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 935 Unexpected
Theresa Barney took a deep breath.

Her hand pressed down, watching the light green bio-adhesive rapidly descend from the syringe and be injected into her body. Her path was not about "transcendence" but about "truth," and even though she had reached the middle of the third ring, her physiological functions on paper were not particularly outstanding.

If you really want to calculate it, many highly modified prosthetics have higher stats than her.

"cough"

A metallic, sweet taste rose in her throat, which she forced down.

The surveillance network is omnipresent. Even with the assistance of the singularity technology "quantum communication link" and the remote technical support provided by the textile machine, it still cannot be kept secret for long. According to the estimate, at the latest, in seventeen hours, one will have nowhere to hide.

Although she was extremely reluctant to think this way, Theresa Barney had begun to consider one possibility.

The operation failed.

Could she be the exception? she wondered to herself.

Everything was going smoothly from the start: his lineage as a direct descendant of the Enlightened Ones, his psionic power at the mid-third ring, and his extensive combat experience. So when a former colleague appeared before him, asking if he was interested in participating in a secret project with a high probability of death...

Everything went smoothly.

They discussed plans, conducted simulated combat training, and compiled equipment lists. Then, just before the clock struck the finish line, they finally learned the project's real name.

"Sever the dragon vein".

After passing through the wormhole generator and making a super-rapid descent, my task, as planned, was to destroy the ancestral hall of a fourth-tier noble family, create achievements along the way, and force the other side to consume their [Survey Network] privileges.

That's how it should be.

The division of families in the Eastern Continent Republic is based on many factors, including lineage, achievements, and connections. Among these factors, "military force" has a very high priority.

As for fourth-tier families, unless they are exceptional cases where they have just cultivated a fourth-ring psychic with a shallow foundation and need more time to hone their skills before leading the family to the third tier, normal fourth-tier families do not possess combat power equivalent to a fourth-ring psychic.

Faced with the sudden arrival of such a high-level extraordinary unit, even if it's not overwhelming, it would leave fourth-class aristocratic families unable to retaliate in time, forced to watch helplessly as their ancestral halls were completely wiped out and they were repeatedly slaughtered.

—That's the problem!
When he launched his surprise attack, everything went as expected, and he killed a large number of people on the spot. But just as he was about to take advantage of the situation to get closer to the family head, a master who had been disguised and hidden for who knows how long suddenly appeared and forcibly blocked him!
Is the Eastern Continent Republic really this powerful? Are there experts of this caliber everywhere?
In a different setting, a one-on-one battle between the two sides would have been a close call, but being in enemy territory with a steady stream of reinforcements, the two sides exchanged fierce blows for a while. After watching helplessly as her patriarch retreated, Teresa Barney was forced to retreat first.

They fought and retreated, retreating and fighting again, with remote technical support from the textile machines, allowing them to temporarily hide. They've now rested for almost a day and stabilized their condition.

—Is it a coincidence, or is it the norm?
Was it only our side that encountered an accident and failed to achieve the goal, or was it the same for everyone else? The worst possibility is that the Eastern Continent Republic intercepted the "Severing the Dragon Vein" plan in advance, which is why they were able to respond in a targeted manner!

After a single injection of the biological adhesive, Teresa Barney felt much better within minutes. This was a special version, far more potent than the military version, and with equally severe side effects.

However, as a third-ring psychic, she could still hold on.

"The next steps in the plan must be revised."

This is a slaughterhouse. Teresa Barney is squatting on the roof beam, her prosthetic eye projecting an interface onto the screen. She needs to study the follow-up actions.

First, the mission must not be abandoned.

Above them, the Supreme Executive Committee and the President of the Eastern Continent Republic were locked in a fierce battle, the intensity of which almost reversed day and night. Meanwhile, their colleagues who had jumped in from other dimensions were also fighting bravely. Even if they died, they would die on the way to their mission!
But even death must have value, otherwise it's just a pure waste. The thought of this made Teresa Barney feel increasingly troubled.

The "Severing the Dragon Vein" plan was all about surprise, but now, at least this line of work has been completely exposed. To achieve the original goal of forcing that family head to use the [Monitoring Network] is no longer a surprise attack, but a direct assault.

But the goal is to openly and honestly storm into enemy territory and forcefully break through their defenses.
Of course she knew that some people could do it! Throughout her life so far, countless people, whether sincerely, with mixed feelings, or out of envy, have called her a "genius."

A mid-level third-ring psyker truly deserves that title. Trissa Barney knew perfectly well that geniuses were the most unreasonable beings on Terra; she had seen several who were all like monsters, unbelievable.

She asked herself honestly, and realized she couldn't do that.

The opponent is currently heavily protected, and even if I disregard everything and risk everything, I probably won't be able to kill him. Perhaps I should consider changing my target.

No.

Theresa Barney rejected the idea; her sole objective was to disrupt the Surveillance Network. As for other things, she could certainly cause a ruckus, such as targeting the nearest industrial center and wreaking havoc.

This approach is not entirely meaningless, but it yields very little result.

A valuable third-tier combatant was traded for nothing more than inanimate objects that could be quickly rebuilt. In any political entity's military academy, if a student confidently proposed such tactics, he would definitely get a beating.

"Can I do it?"

Teresa Barney whispered, carefully recalling the previous battle. From any perspective, she had no way of killing her opponent despite being at a huge disadvantage in terms of timing, location, and support.

"What if," she thought, "I treat this as a trial?"

She stared at her palm, the hand that had carried her from her womb and brought her into the world, a hand that had been replaced twenty years ago. Now, her palm had no winding lines, only a smooth metallic texture.

I've been stuck in the middle of the third ring for quite a few years now. My decision to participate in the "Severing the Dragon Vein" plan may not have been entirely driven by a desire for enlightenment. If I think about it carefully now, I might subconsciously be holding onto the idea of ​​a life-or-death trial, hoping to break through through it.

Theresa Barney touched her back, where she felt a rectangular, hard texture.

Enhanced fission bomb.

In layman's terms, a suitcase nuclear bomb.

In the past, most of the use cases of the Corporate Alliance were by terrorists. This time, the New Order Federation has provided this tactical equipment option to assault members.

Theresa Barney took a deep breath and finally made up her mind: let's try one more time, not for any other reason than to leave no regrets! If we really can't win, then we'll activate Plan B: take the nuclear bomb and get as close as possible to the head of the fourth-class family, trying to take him with us!

She jumped down from the roof beam, landing with remarkable stability and barely making a sound.

【Mr. Textile Machine, please mark the location of the other party's safe house for me. I know it's difficult, but please do your best.】

After exchanging words for a while, just as they were about to leave the slaughterhouse, Teresa Barney suddenly froze on the spot, her face showing an uncontrollable look of extreme astonishment.

It was a simple message that had just been sent.

The Eastern Continent Republic's front against the Vanpusta Empire.
By the latter. By the empire.
—It's been breached?!
(End of this chapter)