Psychic Overlord-Chapter 101: Debrief

As the squad stepped outside, they were met with the rather chilly predawn air of Beta City.

The metropolis was a shiny mixture of 21st-century lifestyle and modern AI, as well as tech advancements, proven through the towering skyscrapers with glass exteriors that shimmered under the neon glow of digital billboards.

The streets, though not overly congested at this hour, were alive with automated electric vehicles, sleek medium-range taxis that would have been high-range cars 20 years ago, and a few early risers making their way to their destinations while walking briskly to take the sky metro.

Streetlights cast a bluish hue over the pavement, flickering occasionally as a mixture of privately owned and government drones zipped overhead, the private ones delivering messages and packages while the government ones monitored the city strictly.

Even at this hour, the air carried the scent of burnt rubber from tires, fried street food from vendors all over, and a faint metallic aftertaste from the omnipresent surveillance tech humming in the background.

Captain Warren gestured to a row of waiting black armored SUVs, their tinted windows reflecting the cityscape.

"Your transport," he said simply, opening the door to the lead vehicle.

Kaizer slid into the backseat with Rina beside him, her fingers still idly tapping away at her phone, while Maria, Julia, and Sophia took the other available seats with Warren and the driver taking the front. The moment the doors sealed, the subtle hum of noise cancellation activated, cutting off the outside world.

The convoy pulled onto the main arterial road, cruising through the city’s various districts. The Neon Strip, Beta City’s entertainment sector, pulsed with vibrant holo-displays advertising everything from high-stakes E-sports tournaments to virtual reality pleasure domes.

VR was the hottest thing this decade, especially with Keith Lunin about to commercially produce the ’Full Dive’ technology that would allow direct brain connection to Virtual Reality, which was why Kaizer and Rina were even so rich in the first place.

Massive screens along the way on the boulevards displayed news updates, one of which caught Julia’s eye:

"Recent attacks linked to rising tensions between the Russian Federation and United Federation operatives. Government response expected soon."

She scoffed coldly. "Predictable, always a cover-up."

Further down, the glow of industry took over as they passed through the Lower Wards, a sprawling sector filled with factories, shipping yards, and underground markets where illicit VR tech was bought and sold.

They soon approached Fort Halcyon, an advanced Supreme Force installation built into the foundations of an old military complex.

The base was surrounded by reinforced barricades, anti-air turrets, and defensive drones hovering in synchronized patrol patterns.

A massive steel gate, adorned with the Supreme Force insignia, slowly slid open as the convoy was granted access.

Inside, the facility was quite different from the fancy neon-lit chaos of the city, which looked like something out of an early 21st-century cyberpunk movie.

Everything was clean, efficient, and methodically arranged from top to bottom. Armored soldiers patrolled in rigid formations, automated weapons scanned for intruders, and various esper operatives trained in designated areas.

Warren led them through the security checkpoint, where retinal scans and biometric locks confirmed their identities. Beyond that, they were escorted into a debriefing chamber, which was a dimly lit room with a long metal table and a holographic display in the center.

Waiting for them was a man in his late forties, clad in a crisp military uniform with the gold insignia of a Supreme Force General. His gaze was sharp, his posture impeccable, and his presence carried the weight of experience.

"Overlord Squad," he greeted the group of youngsters half his age with a friendly nod, his voice deep and commanding.

"I am General Atticus Rourke. You will be fully debriefed on your previous operation shortly."

He gestured for them to take their seats, which they did, before the man himself sat opposite them, his friendly expression disappearing as he became serious.

The room remained silent for a moment, the only sound being the faint hum of the holographic display initializing.

General Rourke’s expression was unreadable as he tapped a few controls on the table, causing a three-dimensional projection of Al-Rafid to appear before them.

The city was mapped in full detail, its sprawling streets and key locations highlighted in blue, with red markers indicating known enemy activity.

"Let’s begin," Rourke said, leaning forward.

His sharp eyes swept over the squad before focusing on Kaizer. "You were deployed to Al-Rafid under classified orders to eliminate a den of dark espers who were blocking the progress of the United Federation’s war efforts in the region. Is this correct?"

Kaizer nodded. "Yes, this is correct."

The man nodded, and with a flick of his wrist, the holographic display shifted, zooming into a large manor surrounded by fortified defenses, which was marked as a primary engagement zone.

"Can you share any resistance your squad encountered upon arrival?" Rourke continued.

"The enemy possessed an esper with scrying abilities who sensed our arrival, Azrael the Destiny Seer. This resulted in our immediate discovery, and they sent an elite esper named Malek to assassinate us during our rest," Kaizer stated calmly.

A new image appeared, being that of the very Malek, the assassin Kaizer had subdued, his face highlighted in red with supplementary data scrolling beside his profile.

"Malek, huh?" Rourke said, tapping the display.

Sophia spoke up formally. "A high-level assassin employed by one of Al-Rafid’s underground esper factions. Initially sent to eliminate one of our squad members, he was instead captured and controlled by Kaizer. His conversion from enemy combatant to an intelligence asset was undeniably effective. Thanks to the information extracted from him, we gained critical insight into the presence of the esper operatives within the manor."

Rourke glanced at Sophia but did not follow up on the gaffe since her identity was very powerful, being the daughter of the strongest esper alive.

"The involvement of Azrael was unexpected," Rourke admitted, his grip tightening slightly.

"We had intelligence suggesting that he was active in another area altogether, but his direct engagement with your squad confirms their investment in suppressing our operations," Rourke explained, rubbing his eyebrows with a hint of fatigue.

"I wish Reaper were still around..." the man muttered under his breath, but Kaizer heard it.

Rourke shook away his melancholy as his gaze sharpened. "Your actions in subduing Malek, gathering crucial intel, and successfully countering the enemy’s predictive scrying were absolutely commendable. However, the mission was far from complete."

Another shift in the display showed the final confrontation taken by satellites trained on the area.

"Following intelligence gathered from Malek, your squad infiltrated the enemy hideout and eliminated your targets, correct?" Rourke continued.

"Yes. There were three S-class espers: Destiny Seer, Purple Moon, and The Beast. Four A-class espers: Soren, Vargas, Zafira, and Kain. Four B-class espers: Rocco, Ivana, Darren, and... Elaine," Kaizer reported calmly until he reached the end, his expression shifting slightly.

General Rourke was shocked at the name drops. "Three S-class espers?! Can you absolutely confirm this?"

Kaizer glanced at Rourke. "The corpses are still there. I’m sure you’ve sent a cleanup crew over to assess the battle site." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Rourke leaned back into his seat with a serious expression. "And you took them all down? With two S-class espers and three A-class espers in your squad? This is definitely a great credit and surpasses the boundaries of the initial mission designation."

Suddenly Rina spoke up. "I don’t want any credit, nor do I want anything to do with your Supreme Force ever again, so you can keep any rewards."

Rourke frowned deeply, not liking the idea of losing a possible connection with an S-class esper. Especially since Rina was the sister of Kaizer, who could likely speak for him too, even if this was a personal decision, so it was his duty as commander to try and resolve this.

"May I ask why?" Commander Rourke asked directly.

Rina sneered. "Your satellites conveniently forgot to pick that up? That shows how deep the rot in your organization is!"

Before Commander Rourke could retort, Rina continued. "After we cleared out the trash, there was a little rat who snuck over and tried to kill my brother while we were separated. You might know him, he turned one of your S-class operatives into a doll to fight for him."

Commander Rourke was confused for a split second before his expression changed thunderously, standing up with fury.

"It can’t be! How could they possibly...!!"

Rina did not say any more, looking away with disinterest, her opinion of the Supreme Force having dropped to the absolute negative. First, they let a lovely young woman like Eleanor be butchered like that, and secondly, they had people in their echelon leaking information to mere family clans.

Kaizer glanced at the pale Commander Rourke and the cold-faced Rina, sighing internally. Rina never had the encounters he did with Blaze and the Ancients in the beginning, so apart from the Summit Hill University massacre, she did not have much of an idea of the cruelty of the esper world.

For Kaizer, Blaze had told him from the very beginning at the cemetery what to expect, which was why he had been so desperate for an entry into the esper world back then.