Neurolink System in the Modern World

'These ants,' Old Zed muttered in frustration, gritting his teeth.

He had been attempting to rest and recharge his powers, but they had assaulted him nonstop, denying him even a brief moment of break.

It was his own error; when he had agreed to the deal, he allowed them to track his energy signature. Now, there was no hiding, even if he desperately wanted to slip away unnoticed.

Faced with this group, Old Zed couldn't deny that he lacked confidence in his ability to emerge victorious. He was old and already weakened. Just the fact that he had held his own thus far was nothing short of a miracle.

Things would have been different if he was in his prime, but now, he could only access a mere 15-20% of his former power. Not only that, but the energy required to use his abilities had grown bigger. His current limitations made the situation far more challenging than it would have been in the past.

"I can't let them to capture me," he muttered to himself.

He still had a mission to fulfill before his time ran out. As his gaze shifted toward the direction of Seoul, he reminisced about someone dear to him.

'He should be 18 now,' he thought, a smile playing on his lips as he remembered the face of a young boy .

'I have to deliver it to him, no matter what,' he thought. He was ready to take whatever steps were necessary to accomplish his mission.

He knew he was too weak now to rescue his daughter on his own, but he clung to one last hope. He had to reach him and reveal the truth. Once that was achieved, he could find peace, knowing that everything would be set right.

"It looks like Cerebrum really wants to stop me," Old Zed remarked , trying to engage in a conversation. He wasn't much of a talker, but he needed a moment to get ready for his next move. He didn't have time to play around, so he planned to finish things with one powerful attack.

However, Old Zed's attempt to fool the Gumiho team did not work. Fully aware of the danger he posed, they quickly surrounded him, launching a coordinated assault. The team closed in, their weapons aimed at him, ready to bring the battle to a decisive conclusion.

*BANG!

*BANG!

*BANG!

Rad was the first to launch an attack. Using his two specialized handguns, he fired shots at old Zed. These handguns were no ordinary pistols; they were designed to absorb Mind Power, making each bullet sound like a high-powered sniper shot after it burst out from the barrel.

At the same time, Rad's exceptional marksmanship came into play. He aimed each of his shots at Old Zed's head, and with his heightened mental abilities, he considered various factors such as wind resistance, bullet velocity, and his target's power .

Seeing the firepower of the guns, Old Zed chose to slow down the bullets instead of stopping them completely. This allowed him to dodge the shots successfully without wasting too much energy.

However, Rad and the other team members had already planned for this. They initiated their attacks from a safe distance, using a range of high-powered weapons in their attempt to subdue him.

But even in his weakened state, Old Zed's wealth of experience became an important asset. He managed to hold his ground, leveraging his powers to his advantage. He used his powers to create impromptu shields with rocks to block the bullets and obscure the attackers' vision.

At the same time, he hurled massive boulders in their direction, creating momentary chaos and disrupting their assault.

However, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by the persistent "ants" trying to exhaust him. He could feel his powers depleting really fast.

'This is bad, I haven't recovered enough energy yet,'

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he decided to retreat for the time being. However, the team pursuing him had already seen through his intention to withdraw and managed to stop his escape while maintaining a safe distance.

The standoff continued, with Old Zed caught between his need for recovery and the relentless pursuit of Team Gumiho.

"Zero , surrender now. At this rate you will be too exhausted to even fight us ," Rad declared as they finally put him in the corner .

It was evident that he was struggling, breathing heavily, and even bleeding from his lips. The information about his illness seemed to be accurate, highlighting his fragile condition.

"How pitiful, the once "Strongest" now trapped because age caught up to him," No. 5 remarked. He was the towering man who had been momentarily weakened by the earlier exchange but had managed to regroup and catch up with the others.

"Ants these days don't understand the value of respecting a superior being" Old Zed chuckled weakly, struggling to maintain his balance. His words carried a hint of sarcasm as he continued, "Borrowed power made you all arrogant " he added.

"Old man, this 'borrowed power' you're belittling is the future. Quit living in the past, thinking that Gifted are more superior!" No. 5 retorted with a sneer of contempt

"Gifted? Is that what you call those... Defects?" Old Zed began to laugh at No. 5's choice of words. Being labeled as a "Gifted" was amusing to him, knowing that humans were far from comprehending the truth about his true nature.

"Let me impart a lesson to you ants," Old Zed replied with a sinister chuckle. As he spoke, the atmosphere seemed to become denser, suggesting that he held deeper reserves of power yet to be revealed.

"Take him down!" Rad commanded, but before they could react, a brilliant blue light emanated from Old Zed's eyes, instilling in them an impending sense of death.

"Die!" Old Zed raised his finger, and a concentrated blue energy began to gather at his fingertip. The surroundings quaked, and a surge of intense energy saturated the air as he readied himself to unleash a devastating attack.

"No!!!" Rad screamed in panic, a sinking feeling of death consuming him as he realized the strength of this impending attack.

But it was already too late. The gathered blue energy erupted in a powerful explosion, unleashing a devastating shockwave that tore through the entire mountain.

*BOOOOM!

The force of the blast was immense, obliterating the landscape and reducing the once stable mountain to a jumble of broken rocks and debris. The ground shook, trees were torn from their roots, and the earth seemed to cry out in pain as the shockwave spread outward, leaving behind a scene of utter destruction.

As the dust settled, an old and frail man remained at the epicenter of the devastation.

"So this is my limit." Old Zed managed a weak chuckle as his body, drained of strength, could no longer bear the exhaustion. He crumpled to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness