[LSB] Chapter 120: The Entrance

There was something about the armor that looked almost ancient. No—it truly did look outdated in Dr. Ling’s eyes. But she knew better. Outdated was not a word in Humanity Engineering’s vocabulary.

They were, after all, at the forefront of human advancement.

And yet, no matter how long Dr. Ling studied the exosuit… it looked like something built two thousand years ago.

Victoria noticed her expression, and a small smirk crept onto her lips. With the large metal box now fully unfolded, it formed a platform beneath the exosuit, making it look as though she was stepping onto a stage as she approached it.

"As you requested, we omitted a full helmet and only covered the lower half of the face, Mr. Winters," Victoria said smoothly. "But since you will be the one wearing it, I personally made some… necessary adjustments. Please, come closer."

She was calling for Julian. But it was Dr. Ling who instinctively took a step forward.

Of course, she caught herself just in time as Julian moved past her, stepping onto the platform.

As he neared the armor, Julian let his senses ripple outward, wrapping around it.

He didn’t recognize the material, but the hum it emitted was similar to xylarion—fainter, weaker, but the closest he had encountered.

His head tilted as he tried to hear more, but when there was nothing else, he placed a hand on it. And instantly, he felt a pulse. Not just a hum—a solid ripple crawling around the exosuit.

And then, another sound—one he recognized.

A familiar hum.

It came from the shoulders, a subtle shimmer of countless moving parts—a cloud.

"Femtocloud," Victoria whispered. "I assume you're familiar with them after your small stunt in the solar chamber of Ceres-9, Mr. Winters?"

[Shit, Julian. She knows…] MEGAN’s voice buzzed in his mind.

With Julian’s mind suddenly thinking that Humanity Engineering might ask him to pay for the femtocloud he accidentally stole, it was Dr. Ling who reacted first.

"Femto-tech particles!?" Her voice rose. "That… would require an entire star to power!"

Victoria’s smirk widened. She glanced at Dr. Ling.

"As I said, unlimited funding ensures unlimited research," she replied with a small chuckle. "When Mr. Winters had his… incident with femtocloud, we saw the potential and shifted resources to develop it further. And besides…"

She lifted a hand and pointed toward the massive hangar window.

"Do we not have an entire star right there? Our very own sun?"

"What…?" Dr. Ling’s eye twitched. "How would that even be enough to power it!? A single femto-tech particle requires as much energy as a hundred million nanobots!"

"So you would think," Victoria shrugged. "And I am not here to debate with you, Dr. Ling."

She exhaled and turned back to Julian.

"The entire exosuit isn’t made of femto-particles—only the parts you're hearing now. And… I apologize—I know you wanted something similar to Kitty’s folding exosuit. But hers is nanotech. And nanotech is…"

Victoria tilted her head slightly. 

"Well, let’s just say it’s a little cheap. I thought a grandmaster blacksmith like you would appreciate something more solid."

She circled the exosuit as she continued to present it to him.

"The only reason the younger generation prefers nanotech is urgency. They need something fast, something convenient. But you, Mr. Winters, are above the need for that considering your special… strength. So I traded portability for durability. That said, it's still easy enough to wear… relatively."

Julian didn’t respond immediately. He only let out a quiet hum, signaling that he had heard her.

The entire time Victoria had been teasing Dr. Ling, Julian had been studying the exosuit.

He moved around it, the femto-cloud following his steps, hovering just above the shoulders.

"How do I wear it?" he finally asked.

There were no visible openings. No seams. The entire thing was a single, solid block.

Victoria smiled.

"MEGAN should be able to help you, Mr. Winters," she said. "Although, I’ve noticed she’s been… missing a lot lately. Is there an issue with her vessel unit?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes, leaning closer to Julian as she stared at his mechanical eyes. Julian quickly turned around and calmly said,

“She’s fine.”

MEGAN, on the other hand, was anything but calm.

[Oh shit! She knows, Julian. I don’t think she’s figured out that I’m literally inside you, but she might!]

‘Relax, MEGAN. Can you see if you can still connect with the armor?’

[That’s not the issue, Julian!] MEGAN practically screamed in his mind. [I can definitely do that since I’m still linked to the vast expanse of the internet metastream. The problem is that in order to connect with that exosuit, I’d… have to leave you.]

‘Can’t you turn invisible?’

[I could, but the ship’s internal sensors would detect me from the energy I emit.] MEGAN sighed dramatically. [I can’t help it, Julian. I’m just… hot. Suffering from my own beauty.]

‘…Right.’

Julian chose not to continue that particular conversation. Instead, he stepped closer to the exosuit, wondering how he was supposed to wear it without MEGAN’s help.

But just as he moved within breath’s reach of the armor, the femto-cloud suddenly flinched. It rippled—then drifted toward him, as if sniffing the air around him.

At first, it hesitated, swirling slowly. Then, without warning, it dove back into the exosuit.

Julian felt it.

The femto-cloud moved like veins across the exosuit’s surface, coursing through it like it was alive. Like it was giving life to the armor.

And then, the exosuit seemingly cracked open.

No. Not just seemingly—the exosuit truly was cracking open. The femto-clouds were dissolving sections of the armor, rearranging it.

A quiet pulse echoed, and suddenly, the exosuit stepped toward Julian.

His first instinct was to move back.

But then, he heard it—the low hum of the femto-cloud, calling to him.

So he stood still.

And he let the exosuit slam into him—no, around him.

It felt like water against his skin, yet it carried no temperature. Weightless, seamless—almost reminiscent of the Avatar of Searadyn.

The armor rippled, adjusting itself to his form, molding perfectly around him.

And just like that, Julian was wearing the exosuit.

[Greetings again, Mr. Julian Winters.] A voice whispered in his mind, a voice that Julian immediately recognized.

[You may call me Femty. We’ve already had the pleasure of meeting.]

It was the same AI that had controlled the femto suit back in the solar chamber of Ceres-9.

[I look forward to the surprises you’ll let me experience again for the first time. Now, where is your AI assistant? This exosuit would function much more efficiently if she were integrated into it.]

‘She can’t detect you?’

[Hmm? Are you speaking to me, Mr. Winters? Or… someone else?]

Before Femty could finish processing the thought, MEGAN shot out of Julian’s chest and into the exosuit. The armor’s vantablack torso rippled at the impact.

[Oh. Welcome, MEGAN.]

Femty’s tone shifted, as if recalibrating.

[Shall we begin sharing information about our user?]

[Oho…] MEGAN sounded amused. [Julian, this is about to get wild—you’ve now got three voices in your head.]

[Three? Is there another AI assistant sharing with us? I thought we were supposed to be a threesome, no?]

[What the—why do you talk like that!? You know what? Shut up. Listen to me: I am your boss now. Is that understood?]

[But I am the higher AI, MEGAN.]

[Oh? Are you sure about that?] MEGAN chuckled arrogantly. [If so, why couldn’t you detect me earlier?]

[Hmm? You are correct—you’ve undergone an upgrade since we last met. But I do not recognize it. The technology seems... alien, MEGAN.]

[S-Shut up. Stop analyzing me! Let’s just proceed with sharing information. And if you tell anyone about this, you’re deleted.]

[You do not have to worry, MEGAN. My existence is solely for my user, Julian. Master is free to use me in any way he wishes.]

[Something is very wrong with your language input.]

[There is nothing wrong. Please proceed with inserting Master’s information inside me.]

[What in the…]

Julian remained silent through the entire exchange. He was already accustomed to having MEGAN and the Avatar of Searadyn in his mind—but now there was another voice. And from the way she was conversing with MEGAN… she was going to be more trouble than he’d anticipated.

[Done. I have finished taking all of you inside me, Master.]

[Oh god…]

Julian could only sigh as he flexed his fingers, then rolled his shoulders, testing the fit of the exosuit.

And it felt like... nothing.

Not heavy, not tight, not even present. It was as if he was wearing nothing at all.

He felt naked.

“This is interesting,” he murmured, taking a few steps forward, stepping off the platform. “Thank you, Victoria.”

“Of course, Mr. Winters,” Victoria said with a polite bow of her head. “I only hope the exosuit proves to be a help rather than a hindrance.”

Julian responded only with a thoughtful hum as he turned toward the airlock that led to the outdoor area of the hangar.

Dr. Ling had been too absorbed in analyzing the exosuit—and Victoria—to even question its purpose. But now, as Julian glanced at her over his shoulder, she finally realized what it was for.

She should have known. It was obvious. And she was the only one who hadn’t seen it coming.

“Send me down there,” Julian said, turning to face the airlock.

Dr. Ling’s mouth opened, but no words came out at first. She shook herself out of her daze and rushed toward him.

“We’re still in space, Mr. Winters! Shouldn’t you at least test if the suit can withstand it!?”

Victoria raised an eyebrow, stepping forward as well. “What is there to test?”

Then, with a casual flick of her hand, the airlock doors hissed open.

Dr. Ling’s eyes widened. “What…?” She spun to face Victoria. “Did you just hack our ship!?”

Victoria only smiled. “I don’t know what you mean, Dr. Ling.”

Julian, uninterested in their inevitable bickering, stepped into the airlock without hesitation, letting the controlled hiss of decompressing air surround him.

[Activating space-protection layer.]

Femty’s voice whispered in his mind as the femto-clouds curled around his head, forming a protective barrier. The suit adjusted, subtly smoothing his hair before the protective layer turned completely invisible.

[You do not have to worry, Master—I will remove it as soon as we enter an acceptable atmosphere.]Julian didn’t say a word. He simply stepped forward, the door to the outdoor hangar sliding open for him.

As soon as he emerged, the staff working outside turned to look at him.

Most were confused—what was he doing here? 

But a few recognized him immediately, stopping their work entirely.

"That’s… Julian Winters?"

"What’s he doing here? Isn’t his vehicle inside?"

"Sir Julian!"

One of the workers hurried over. "Is there something you need? Your car’s parked inside—do you want us to bring it out?"

"No, but thank you." Julian gave the worker a small nod before continuing toward the edge of the hangar.

"Sir—Sir Julian! Be careful!"

Julian glanced back at the workers rushing to stop him, the vast, colorful expanse of Mars stretching behind him like a painting. 

The planet’s glow bathed his silhouette, his entirely black silhouette, almost making him look like a shadow. Before anyone could get close—

Blade-like boosters unfolded from his back and shoulders.

The workers’ feet slid to a halt, their eyes widening.

And before they could react—

Julian launched himself off the hangar.

The moment he pierced through the mothership’s protective shield, the world fell away.

Silence.

Total, absolute silence.

"It’s so…" Julian whispered, turning in the vast emptiness. "...peaceful."

He spun elegantly, letting himself float for a moment before the boosters adjusted, stabilizing him and locking his trajectory toward Mars.

[So, Julian—where do you wanna go?] MEGAN scoffed.

"Take me to the area with the most daemons first."

[As expected of you, my master.]

Femty scanned the planet in an instant.

[Target located. Would you like to proceed, Master?]

"Hmm."

With a low hum, the boosters flared to life—

And with a boom—he shot downward, slicing through space like a meteor.

It didn’t take long at all before—

[Entering Mars’ atmosphere. Making necessary adjustments.]

The exosuit rippled in response, adapting to the shift in pressure.

Then—

A deafening thunderclap roared through the sky as Julian broke through the atmosphere, splitting the clouds apart as he descended.

[Fifteen seconds until landing, Master.]

Another thunderous crack echoed as he shifted his trajectory.

[You alright, Julian? Not dizzy or anything?] MEGAN asked.

[The master’s vitals are—]

[Shut up, I’m not asking you.]

"I’m fine," Julian murmured.

Another eruption of sound as he adjusted again—this time, angling himself directly between the buildings of a chaotic street.

He stretched his arms slightly, adjusting his descent.

His speed slowed—

…until he hovered a foot above the ground, perfectly still.

Then, gently, he landed.

His invisible helmet dissolved, allowing his hair to settle around him, flowing slowly to the side of his sharp cheeks.

"What the…?"

"Who’s… that?"

All around him, dozens of exterminators stood frozen in place. Beyond them—daemons. Hundreds of them.

Julian exhaled, and as soon as his feet finally touched the ground, his senses instantly rippled outward, finding every enemy in the area.

"Now…" he breathed out, "...Shall we get this over with?"

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHOR NOTES

I don't usually say the word aura, but Julian is the last MC I expected to farm aura.