Chapter 503
Judy moved to the floor-to-ceiling window and peered down. She could see Shermaine clutching the other woman’s hand as they plummeted toward the ground at terrifying speed.
A fall from this height meant certain death.
“Oh, Shermaine,” Judy whispered, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “You’ll finally meet your end here. I don’t care if she dies–as long as Joshua stays with me.”
A cruel smile spread across Judy’s face, pure smugness radiating from her expression. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for.
But the next moment wiped the smile clean off her face.
A streak of light blazed across the sky, moving at incredible speed. It swooped down and caught both Shermaine and the falling woman in mid-air.
Judy’s expression shifted instantly, her face draining of color. “Fighter jets?”
The fighter jet shot straight up and came to rest on the top floor of the Oster Tower. The cockpit opened, and Shermaine emerged with the girl, heading directly back into the building.
The aircraft was unlike anything they’d seen before–sleek and unfamiliar, clearly built with advanced technology. Judy’s brow furrowed as she studied it. “Has Shirley developed some new type of fighter jet?”
They had to capture both Shermaine and Joshua before Shirley’s army arrived, or there’d be hell to pay later.
“So Shirley’s generous enough to gift you one of her finest fighter jets,” Judy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How thoughtful of her.”
Everyone knew the two factions had been at war, and lately Judy had been winning decisively. She’d destroyed several of Shirley’s S-level mecha fighter jets, decimating her army and capturing city after city.
If Shirley couldn’t find a way to turn things around soon, she’d face certain defeat–and Judy would unite the Kingdom of Xyperia under her rule, becoming its undisputed queen.
No wonder Judy felt so confident these days. Having a superweapon like Apocalypse at her disposal would make anyone feel invincible.
Meanwhile, Barrett’s eyes went wide the moment he spotted the fighter jet. He’d never imagined Boa Hanks was this skilled–a genuine mechanical genius. The modifications she’d made to that aircraft were absolutely flawless. He couldn’t help but wonder just how devastating it would be in actual combat.
Judy’s eyes gleamed with calculated interest–she’d clearly set her sights on that fighter jet too.
If Shirley managed to produce such sophisticated aircraft, even with Judy’s Apocalypse weapon, her ambitions to unite Xyperia would face serious delays. But if she could get her hands on this jet first, her mechanics could mass-produce copies.
Shermaine dismissed the young girl with a casual wave, then turned back unhurriedly. “What’s the matter? Caught your tongue?”
Judy would never admit it. “It’s just some fighter jet hardly worth my attention.” Her eyes flashed with malice. “Though I’ll say this much–your little toy is an eyesore. Harry, destroy it.”
Harry immediately became alert and made contact with the airmen. Within moments, fighter jets streaked overhead, targeting the obsidian-gleaming aircraft below and opening fire.
Shermaine remained completely unfazed. The jet had already switched to intelligent mode–it wouldn’t go down that easily.
“You know, you’re surprisingly hard to kill,” Judy said. She obviously knew she couldn’t take Shermaine in a direct fight, so within seconds, several androids emerged throughout the building.
Their eyes glowed red as targeting systems activated, and crimson laser beams swept toward Shermaine from every direction.
Shermaine dove for cover as laser beams swept across the casino floor, striking gambling tables, decorative pieces, and the bar. The sound of shattering filled the air as priceless chandeliers came crashing down, exploding into glittering fragments across the marble.
Meanwhile, Barrett found himself trapped in a deadly standoff. Bronx and Simon were closing in, determined to reclaim the signet ring, which meant Barrett was now facing Simon’s direct assault.
He and his team were surrounded, sweat streaming down their faces as they fought to protect the signet ring.
Barrett had been smart enough to secure the signet ring in a specialized lockbox–one that required a specific code to open safely. Anyone who tried to force it would trigger an explosive device inside.
Simon raised his gun, his voice cold and steady. “Return the signet ring, and I’ll let you live.”
Barrett’s crew had been holding their ground for what felt like hours, but if backup didn’t arrive soon, they’d be captured–or worse.
After hurling her long spear, Shermaine found herself weaponless except for the dagger at her side.
She cursed herself for being so careless–she’d actually collected quite an arsenal during their journey here, but when they reached the Oster Tower and discovered the elevators had been shut down, she’d been forced to abandon the entire bag of equipment to climb the stairs.
The androids surrounded her, electric nets spreading wide in their mechanical hands. One touch from those nets would send paralyzing currents through her body, leaving her helpless.
Shermaine wasn’t about to fall for such a simple trap. As an android lunged toward her, she dodged its attack, planted her foot on its knee, and vaulted over its head. In one fluid motion, she twisted its neck clean off.
The android crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
She dispatched the next wave of attackers in the same way, each android falling as she broke their necks with practiced ease. But as she hung from one android’s shoulders, finishing it off, a net came flying straight at her face.
That was when Judy made her move, firing another shot at the exposed Shermaine.
Shermaine twisted mid-air to dodge the bullet, but the electrified net was already descending toward her. Just as it seemed certain to ensnare her, a chair came sailing through the air, knocking the net off course with its weight.
Joshua moved like a dancer, his speed almost inhuman as he swept Shermaine into his arms and landed gracefully on solid ground.