Stolen Power
1. The Calm Before the Next Storm
Nathan leaned against a massive boulder, watching as the survivors of Li Na's settlement continued their unorthodox training.
Qi was no longer just about power. It was a field of study, an evolving system that bent the laws of physics in ways they were only beginning to understand.
A few feet away, Mira tested a new resonance field, embedding microscopic strands of qi into the ground. The moment she activated it, the air shimmered, forming a repulsive force that redirected the kinetic impact of an incoming strike.
A soldier-in-training punched at the air, only for his fist to be deflected sideways, his own energy pushing against him.
He stumbled.
Mira smirked. "Qi-based physics. You gotta think beyond raw force now."
Nathan chuckled. "We're basically turning into a bunch of crazy scientists."
Li Na, standing beside him, crossed her arms. "That's the only way we're going to survive."
But Nathan could feel it—the quiet before the next attack.
And something told him that the military wasn't going to waste time playing catch-up.
2. General Caldwell's New Weapon
Deep within a classified military research facility, General Marcus Caldwell stood before a containment chamber.
Inside, a man floated in a liquid suspension, runic bindings glowing across his skin.
He was not a soldier.
He was a prisoner.
One of the first Guardians ever captured.
The lead scientist adjusted the display on the console. "We've been extracting his qi for weeks. We've learned more in the last month than we have in decades."
Caldwell's eyes narrowed. "And you're sure we can use it?"
The scientist hesitated. "It's… unstable. Unlike the enhancements we gave the Hybrid Soldier, this is direct transference. It could—"
"I didn't ask for what it 'could' do," Caldwell interrupted. "I asked if it works."
The scientist swallowed. "Yes, sir. We've successfully implanted raw qi into our operatives."
Caldwell exhaled slowly. "Then prepare the first deployment."
The scientist hesitated. "Sir, these soldiers won't be stable. The human body isn't naturally meant to store qi from an external source. It adapts over generations, not instantly."
Caldwell's expression was unreadable.
"Then let's see how long they last."
3. The Experiment Begins
Li Na's settlement had been preparing for another standard assault.
What they got instead…
Was something else.
The attack came at dawn.
Not from ships, not from machines, but from people.
A squad of government soldiers—but this time, their presence felt… wrong.
Nathan felt it first.
The qi around them wasn't natural.
It flickered, like a radio signal that couldn't hold a frequency.
Then one of them moved—
And the ley lines bent unnaturally around his body.
Nathan's stomach dropped. "They stole it."
The first soldier vanished—then reappeared inside their defenses.
Too fast.
His hand glowed with stolen power, but his movements were… erratic.
It wasn't like a trained Guardian using qi. It was unstable, glitching, as if his own body was struggling to contain what had been forced into him.
Li Na barely dodged his strike.
Her counterattack should have redirected his energy—but instead, it collapsed inward, the qi around him colliding chaotically.
"Shit," Mira cursed, throwing up a barrier as another soldier phased through solid matter, their unstable qi allowing them to bypass normal physics.
Nathan clenched his fists.
"They're forcing qi into people who don't have the foundation to use it properly."
Gorampa's face darkened. "They are turning their own into time bombs."
4. The Fallout Begins
One of the qi-enhanced soldiers suddenly staggered, his body convulsing.
Nathan watched in horror as the energy inside him tore him apart—
His qi folded in on itself, collapsing like a star under its own gravity.
The man screamed—then disintegrated into raw energy.
A shockwave rippled outward, distorting reality itself, sending Nathan and the others tumbling back.
The soldiers who had stolen qi were dying from their own power.
But they didn't stop attacking.
They couldn't.
Their bodies were already beyond saving.
Nathan's eyes widened. "They're not here to win."
Li Na's breath caught. "They're here to self-destruct."
5. The Cost of Power
Nathan barely had time to react before another soldier imploded, his qi spiraling out of control.
Gorampa moved instantly, hands flashing through an ancient pattern.
The shockwave should have killed everyone in range.
But Gorampa redirected the explosion, bending the released energy back into the ley lines, stabilizing it.
Nathan exhaled. "We can't keep doing this."
Li Na turned to Mira. "We need to break the chain reaction. How do we neutralize stolen qi?"
Mira's eyes flickered with thought. "If they don't have a proper foundation to use it… then they don't have a foundation to keep it."
Nathan's mind clicked.
"They stole qi," he muttered. "So let's take it back."
6. The First Countermeasure
Li Na nodded. "Mira, can we create a resonance field that de-synchronizes the stolen energy?"
Mira's grin was sharp. "Hell yeah, we can."
She grabbed a handful of qi-imbued metal threads, weaving them into the ley lines beneath them.
Nathan and Gorampa synchronized their own qi with the field—creating an inverse pulse.
The moment the next unstable soldier attacked—
Their qi collapsed in on itself.
Not as an explosion.
Not as an implosion.
It simply… vanished.
The soldier collapsed, unconscious—alive, but powerless.
Nathan smirked. "Science magic for the win."
Li Na exhaled. "It's working. But we need a larger-scale version."
Gorampa nodded. "Then let's make one."
7. The War Evolves
The remaining unstable soldiers fell within minutes—neutralized by the Guardians' new counter-techniques.
The battle ended before it had truly begun.
But Nathan knew this wasn't the end.
Li Na knelt beside one of the unconscious soldiers, looking at him with pity.
"They never had a chance," she murmured.
Nathan exhaled. "Caldwell knew they'd die. He sent them anyway."
Gorampa's eyes narrowed. "Then we must prepare for what comes next."
Because if the first test of stolen qi had already begun—
Then the next stage of Project Lockdown would be far, far worse.
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