Mecha Devourer System

THE CEASEFIRE WAS A LIE! THEY'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR MONTHS.

CLICK!

GLOBAL CRISIS: Nakros Forces Break Ceasefire, Renew Assault on Nvidia!

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NVIDIA'S SHIELDS BREACHED: Nakros Offensive Surges Without Warning!

CLICK!

"What the hell is happening!?"

Everlearn muttered in shock, leaning closer to the monitor as his fingers flew over the keyboard, reading through headline after headline.

In his iris were the various footage:

Entire skyscrapers sent tumbling down.

Fighter Jets crashing into the ground as groups of muscular four-armed beings of wholly blue crashed into them in the sky, blowing them to the ground amidst exploding fires.

The scene depicted humans fleeing in panic, dodging falling blocks, while some unlucky souls were flattened into paste.

"Is this… Maybe it's an AI simulation."

Everlearn mused quietly, running over new programs, and after 3 hours of battling with the keyboard, his hands fell to the side as he collapsed in his seat.

The panel blinked right after:

║The war has started.║

Everlearn's heart sank within his chest.

It has already started!?

Nakros, the invading race against humans.

Their first descent had caused a staggering death rate among Nvidians, but with the creation of Cores, they had managed to push the Nakros away from their territory.

Yet, here they were now, cities being rapidly overtaken by them.

What was worse was that their attack had been all over the headlines for a couple of weeks now, yet Everlearn had no idea.

Actually, none of them in X Guard Academy had any idea.

The only reason he could see this was the satellite control granted to him by the Mechara Organization back when he still worked for them.

They had forgotten to cut off his connection to the satellites because they had thought he was dead anyway.

And that was how he had been able to connect to the outside world.

At that moment, a random memory was recalled by his brain:

That of his last talk with Boss Ash, accompanied by the explosions and gunshots in the background.

'Could it be?'

He mused, and in the next moment, his hands grabbed his phone from the phone holder as he jumped to his feet, dialing up the number.

DRIIING!

DRIIING!

The sound rang out as Everlearn paced back and forth until the call was picked up.

"What's up, Kiddo?"

"Have you seen the news, Boss Ash?" Everlearn asked, as silence came from the other side.

"Yeah, though I'm not a news fan. Did you find a topic that caught your eye?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. 12 cities overtaken by the Nakros, the government only managing to evacuate 6, and still fighting to get back the rest?"

"That!… How did you… You're not supposed to know that!"

Boss Ash's shock-filled voice rang from the other side, and Everlearn paused.

'It's real. It's really...real!'

"The Nakros have attacked!?" Everlearn mused quietly in realization.

He had thought it was a lie, or perhaps he just couldn't accept the truth.

"They unfortunately have, but…" Boss Ash said, continuing, "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"There's no safer city than X City, remember. It's never been invaded before, so you'll be fine."

She said rapidly, but it only made Everlearn lost for words.

In the next moment, his hands tightened into a fist, and he called out:

"I want an Xmission."

"What!?"

"You said, if I survived the Core implantation, that you'll get me on my first mission, and it's been three months since then."

"You're only a Newcomer."

"No! I'm a 2nd year now. You can ask Principal Onelore," he defended.

"Listen, Everlearn."

"If none of this had happened, I could have put you on a mission, but right now, anyone out here will trade to be in X Guard and replace you faster than a heartbeat."

"This is the worst time ot be out here."

"But..."

"I don't know how you came by this, but stop watching the news. Many of the facts there are exaggerated by the media to create more panic. It's a lot complicated."

"All I can say is that from now on, you focus on growing your strength as fast as you can."

"It's only a matter of time before the academy starts sending you guys out to help out in the real world anyway, so up until then, make sure you learn to survive."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The phone almost dropped out of Everlearn's hand as he covered his ear, the explosion ringing out from the other side of the phone.

It was so loud, his ear rang continuously for about three seconds.

"Boss Ash!? Boss Ash, you okay?"

He said into the line.

"I gotta go, Everlearn. Call you soon," she said.

"Wa—"

The connection was severed in the next moment, and Everlearn stood there looking at his device blankly.

"Tch,"

He clicked his tongue, flinging the device back on the desk as he collapsed onto the seat.

But he rose back up in the next moment, musing.

"I gotta get out there…"

║You only just heard the news, and you're fired up emotionally, I get it.║

║However, any decision you make now will be an emotional one, and emotional decisions tend to lead to bad endings.║

║You need to calm down first.║

"I am calm," he shot back.

║No, you're not! ║

The system shot back, and he quieted down.

He rose from his seat, heading to the bedroom, and collapsed onto it, the inside of his elbow over his face.

Silence reigned for about an hour before Everlearn raised his hands off, turning to look quietly at the ceiling.

"The invasion has been ongoing for more than a week now… and I had no idea."

║That's reasonable.║

║All of the students in X Guard have family outside.║

║ If the news is released that the Nakros had invaded, it will do nothing but just shake the students up for nothing. ║

║They cannot go out of the academy anyway, and what use are they even if they're allowed out.║

║It's better to keep things unknown and let the students continue their function.║

"Ignorance is bliss, huh?" Everlearn mused quietly, turning his gaze to the window.

He understood why the academy won't release the news, but he knew now.

The image of those skyscrapers being burned, those running humans being flattened, bridges collapsing into the sea, ending the lives of children and adults alike…

Those things, he couldn't get out of his head, and there was no pretending it didn't happen.

He needed to do something, but...

What could one dude even do?