Crackle—
Ear-piercing electric light mingled with a heart-palpitating hum completely tore apart the order of the Core Database Storage Tier.
Those few EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Grenades thrown by Pardofelis were like huge boulders tossed into a calm lake, instantly churning up a massive wave.
Hum—!
There was no earth-shattering explosion roar; replaced by a humming sound that instantly filled the entire space.
Invisible electromagnetic pulses swept past at the speed of light, roughly crushing all precise electronic circuits.
In an instant, the humming sound of the servers filling the entire floor came to a screeching halt, as if their throats had been choked by an invisible giant hand.
Immediately following were the rising and falling sounds of "crackling" bursts and the "sizzling" sounds of dense sparks splattering.
On those rows of server cabinets storing the massive data of this Apex Entertainment branch, the indicator lights began to flash frantically, but very soon completely extinguished, plunging into a dead silence.
The expensive cooling system let out a dying moan, spewing out no longer cold air, but black smoke carrying a slight burnt smell.
Countless tiny blue electric arcs began to interweave and flash frantically at the gaps of the cabinets and the cable interfaces.
"Warning! Main Database Array has encountered an EMP attack! Completely offline!"
"Backup unit startup failed! Physical connection interrupted!"
"Quick! Manual isolation! Manually isolate areas A7 to D12!"
A technical supervisor issued hasty commands after the initial shock, attempting to salvage something.
However, the only response he got was more sparks and the muffled sounds of circuits short-circuiting and bursting. The Terminal screen in front of him, after shaking violently, completely turned into a patch of static, reflecting his pale face.
The entire floor instantly plunged into chaos.
The technicians, originally orderly like worker ants, at this moment instantly seemed as if a pot of boiling water had been poured into their ant nest. Panicked shouts, desperate commands, crashes from tripping over, the clattering sound of documents and data scattering all over the floor... Countless chaotic noises instantly submerged the entire floor.
The pungent burnt smell, the strong smell of ozone, and the breath of panic mixed together, making it suffocating.
The emergency lights flashed frantically in the continuous pulse aftershocks. Under the dim, flickering red light, human figures flickered, just like a scene in a doomsday movie.
"Super effective!"
At this time, in the center of this chaos, Pardofelis's figure faintly appeared and disappeared under the flashing red light.
The shockwave brought by the EMP explosion had no effect on her. She just stood there, her cat eyes shining with excitement, her tail flicking out a beautiful arc in delight, admiring her masterpiece.
"This is," she licked her lips, her voice carrying a trace of joy, "the price you pay for ignoring this cat."
[Buzz—Highest alert! Highest alert! Core database has encountered a devastating EMP attack! The domain-wide security level is raised to the highest level! Repeat, raised to the highest level! All armed units, immediately lock down floor L19! Activate the Domain-wide Ability Supressor! Repeat, activate the Domain-wide Ability Supressor! Apprehend the intruder at all costs!]
The piercing broadcast sounded, and heavy alloy armor plates instantly descended, sealing all windows and passageway entrances.
Subsequently, a layer of faint blue energy barrier rose with a hum, quickly permeating the entire floor space.
Hurried footsteps surged from various passageways, and more fully armed combatants appeared, their cold muzzles densely pointed at Pardofelis in the center of the storm.
"Intruder! Give up your resistance!" The middle-aged man in the lead stared fixedly at Pardofelis, his tone extremely serious. "The Domain-wide Ability Supressor has been activated, and any ability will be invalidated! Putting up a desperate struggle will only lead to a dead end!"
"Ability Supressor?"
Hearing this, Pardofelis reacted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, and even couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Seeing this, the man frowned tightly and shouted sternly.
"I'm laughing because you're not the first to think you can seal me with something that suppresses abilities." Pardofelis stopped laughing, shook her head, and her tone carried a hint of pity. "Sigh, tested every year, wrong every year. Why do people always think that using these so-called Ability Supressors can seal my abilities?"
"Playing the devil!"
The middle-aged man's eyes turned sharp, and just as he was about to order an attack...
A sudden change occurred!
Accompanied by continuous miserable screams, the elite team members beside him seemed to be heavily struck by an invisible attack!
These team members howled and spat blood, flying backward in all directions like broken dolls, smashing fiercely against the wall.
"What?!"
The middle-aged man's pupils quaked. Disbelief etched on his face, he stared at Pardofelis, who was still standing in place without even moving a finger, and roared out involuntarily:
"Impossible! How can you possibly still use your abilities?!"
"Guess~" Pardofelis stuck out her tongue playfully, deliberately dragging out her tone when she said this word.
Subsequently, she ignored the shocked man and walked briskly towards the stairwell leading to floor L20.
During this period, the middle-aged man kept holding up his gun pointing at her, but his hands were trembling slightly, and he delayed pulling the trigger.
However, just the moment Pardofelis was about to step into the stairwell, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at the man, tilted her head at him, and revealed a confused expression.
"Eh? How strange..." She looked at the man somewhat puzzledly. "I clearly, right in front of your face, turned all your team members... into a state of unknown life or death, didn't I?"
Saying that, she pointed lightly at these team members lying on the ground.
"And now, I'm going to cause trouble at your even more important Central Financial Settlement Center..." She took a step forward, her eyes staring at the gun in the man's hands. "You are clearly holding up a gun, and your finger is also on the trigger... But why... haven't you fired to stop me yet?"
The man's Adam's apple rolled violently, cold sweat sliding down his temples. He knew the fate of the last guy who dared to pull the trigger.
The violent explosion and that person who had almost turned into a charred coal...
A few seconds passed, and the two still had no movements.
At this time, Pardofelis suddenly shrugged, as if giving up on continuing to wait for an answer. She turned around to leave, and even waved her hand at him casually:
"Well~ Forget it. Then thank you for your kindness in letting me pass~ You are really a good person!"
But just after taking two steps, it was as if she had suddenly remembered something.
She stopped in her tracks, with her back to the man, and suddenly let out a murmur as if she had suddenly realized something:
"Oh my... This is bad... An act like yours of 'unauthorized release of an intruder'... Will it be severely punished by your superior? Demotion? Dismissal? Even bearing a huge debt... Just thinking about it makes me feel pitiful... I'm really sorry..."
And it was this "worry" that seemed like talking to herself that acted as the last straw that broke the camel's back, instantly piercing the man's nerves that were taut to the limit.
"Ahhh—!!!"
His eyes instantly turned as red as blood, his rationality completely collapsed, and that ferocity suppressed by fear and humiliation was completely ignited.
After letting out a venting roar, he fiercely pulled the trigger!
Phew—!
A bullet tore through the air and precisely hit Pardofelis's unguarded back!
"Ugh ah!" Pardofelis let out a cry of pain. Her body arched violently, her hands tightly clutching the spot where she was shot. Her face was instantly covered with a distorted expression of pain. She staggered forward and fell to the ground, curling up, and her body also began to tremble slightly.
The man was stunned for a moment, seemingly not anticipating this situation, and he subconsciously released the trigger.
But subsequently, a twisted and nearly crazed smile erupted on his face.
"Ha! Haha! So... so you were just bluffing! Almost... I was almost bluffed by you!!" He laughed wildly, the fear in his eyes replaced by a ferocious killing intent. "You stinky cat playing the devil! Go to hell for me—!!!"
After saying that, he frantically pressed the trigger again!
Boom—!!!!
An explosion far more violent than before suddenly erupted inside the firearm in his hand, and blazing flames and a berserk shockwave instantly swallowed him.
His charred figure was flung away fiercely like a broken sack, smashing heavily against the alloy wall in the distance, completely losing all signs of life.
And on the ground, that figure that was originally "curled up in pain" lightly stood up at this moment.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to actually believe it." Pardofelis glanced at that lump of charred coal and curled her lips. "Can't even distinguish between a phantom and a real body, serves you right for being cannon fodder for a lifetime."
After saying that, she patted the non-existent dust off her body, and then passed through the alloy door separating L19 and the stairwell, walking up towards L20.