The helicopter soon arrived at the designated coordinates, its rotors creating downdrafts that scattered debris across the training area where Leroy and five A-rank awakened operatives waited in tactical formation.
As the aircraft descended to a hovering position approximately fifty ters above the ground, Arthur moved toward the helicopter’s open door with casual indifference to the height or potential consequences of his intended exit thod.
"W-Wait!" the sergeant beside him exclaid with obvious alarm, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to recognize Arthur’s intentions before the action could be completed. "We’re at fifty ters height! The landing sequence isn’t finished!"
Arthur didn’t acknowledge the warning or show any concern about the substantial drop that would cripple or kill normal humans regardless of their enhanced capabilities. Without hesitation or preparation, he simply stepped out of the helicopter and dropped toward the ground below.
The assembled A-rank awakened watched Arthur’s descent with expressions that changed from casual observation to growing amazent as they witnessed sothing shocking.
Arthur struck the ground with the force that should have created a substantial crater, shattered bones, and potentially caused seismic tremors throughout the imdiate area. The energy of a fifty-ter fall, even for enhanced individuals, typically resulted in dramatic environntal damage that reflected the trendous forces involved.
Instead, Arthur landed with perfect control that absorbed every joule of kinetic energy without transferring any destructive force to his surroundings. Not a single crack appeared in the ground beneath his feet. No dust cloud erupted from the impact site. No shock waves propagated through the earth to create visible disturbances.
What was most astonishing wasn’t his survival—Leroy and the other elite awakened believed their enhanced bodies could potentially endure such impacts through various defensive techniques and attribute enhancents.
But what shocked them completely was Arthur’s absolute control over the forces involved in his landing. The control required to absorb and redirect fifty ters worth of gravitational acceleration without allowing any energy to escape into the environnt spoke of Arthur’s power.
Leroy’s S-rank instincts imdiately recognised the implications of what he had just witnessed.
"Incredible," whispered one of the A-rank operatives, his voice carrying the awed tone of soone witnessing capabilities that exceeded his own. "How did he absorb all that kinetic energy without any environntal transfer?"
Leroy’s expression carried growing respect mixed with tactical calculation as he studied Arthur’s deanour following the impossible landing. His own S-rank abilities had never approached such flawless control.
He isn’t simple...at all. The fact that I’ve never heard of him makes this worse. I have information on the powerful beta players across the world, but I’ve never seen this guy...how? Could he be hiding his identity with an item?
The aura surrounding Arthur seed to shimr slightly in the aftermath of his landing, suggesting active manipulation of forces that extended beyond simple physical enhancent. The air itself appeared more stable around his position, as if reality had been subtly adjusted to accommodate his presence.
Arthur straightened from his landing position with unhurried grace, his expression carrying mild amusent at their obvious shock. His gaze swept across the assembled group before settling on Leroy with the attention of soone who had found exactly what he was seeking.
"Leroy, I presu?" Arthur asked with courtesy that contrasted sharply with his arrival thod.
"Yes, may I know who you are?" Leroy nodded with a tone that was neither too polite nor aggressive.
He was maintaining diplomatic courtesy despite underlying caution about the mysterious individual’s capabilities.
Arthur nodded with a smile spreading across his facial features, his expression carrying warmth that seed genuine despite the underlying threat that surrounded his presence.
"Of course you can," Arthur replied with consideration, "but don’t you think it’s rather rude to have so many people present? There’s no need for such... extensive company when we’re simply having a civil conversation here."
Leroy’s eyebrows rose slightly as he gestured toward the five A-rank awakened positioned in formation around their eting area. "Oh? Them? They’re my team—standard security protocol. You don’t have to worry about their presence interfering with our discussion."
Arthur’s smile remained unchanged, but sothing in his expression changed subtly as his senses processed information that the Australian awakened thought he couldn’t perceive.
"Tsk," Arthur clicked his tongue in dismissal, the sound carrying amused disapproval rather than genuine annoyance. "Not them. I’m talking about the ones hidden throughout the area."
"Let see... one... two... ten... twenty-five," Arthur counted aloud patiently, each number sending shivers down those hidden.
Not only did they have a clear view of the area, but they could also hear Arthur as he counted their number...perfectly, as if he could see them. The way his eyes moved from one location to another as he counted made them gulp audibly.
"There are twenty-five concealed awakeners with elite equipnt positioned at optimal firing angles. That’s quite the thorough defensive arrangents, I must say. I didn’t think I was that scary."
The visible A-rank awakened exchanged glances that reflected shock at Arthur’s casual identification of classified security asures that should have been undetectable to anyone, even those at s-rank.
They were not close; they were around a hundred ters away from the location where Arthur was currently standing, yet sohow, he was able to pinpoint their locations. This would have made sense if the man in front of them had a scouting talent or sothing of that sort, but the information they had of him was focused on his strength and power, not scouting ability.
Leroy’s expression hardened slightly as he recognised that their carefully planned security arrangents had been compromised imdiately upon Arthur’s arrival. The hidden sniper positions represented Australia’s most advanced defensive protocols, established specifically for protecting strategic personnel during uncertain encounters.
"Why don’t we take this sowhere... more private?" Arthur said, his voice smooth but edged with sothing unsettling, the sa eerie smile fixed on his face like it had been carved there.
Before Leroy or anyone else nearby could respond, Arthur’s lips moved in a low, almost inaudible murmur, the words slipping away before they could be caught.
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