Apocalypse Supermarket: My Four Overpowered Husbands Wontstop Hoarding

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 Acid trap II

The acid didn’t stop with the first wave.

Luna had designed the defense system with layered brutality in her mind. As the soldiers on the porch screamed and scrambled backward, their boots slipping on the dissolving remains of their comrades, the ground beneath them shifted again. A second mechanism activated, this time releasing pressurized bursts of the same corrosive liquid from multiple hidden nozzles embedded along the mansion’s exterior walls.

The effect was immediate and devastating.

Soldiers who had managed to avoid the initial spray were now caught in a crossfire of acidic waves. The liquid arced through the air like deadly water cannons, carving through armor plating and flesh with equal efficiency. One soldier attempted to raise his shield, only to watch in horror as the acid ate through the reinforced metal within seconds, dripping onto his arm and consuming it down to the bone.

His scream was cut short as another jet struck him directly in the face.

From her position behind the dimensional portal, Luna watched the carnage unfold through her system’s live feed. Her expression remained neutral, but something flickered in her eyes—a cold, calculating assessment of the effectiveness of her traps.

"First stage is performing better than projected," she murmured.

Kai stood beside her, his form flickering with unstable shadows. "You’re so enjoying this, isn’t that right?"

"I’m evaluating."

"Same thing with you."

Adrian’s portal had deposited them in a strategic position near the mansion’s eastern wing, partially concealed by the remains of what had once been a decorative garden at least. The sides had long since withered, but the overgrown shrubs provided enough cover for their initial positioning.

Ethan crouched low, his fingers brushing against the ground as he extended his sensory range. "More are coming from the rear. They’re trying to flank us."

Rowan cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as the power-leveling energy continued to settle into his core. "Let them come. I’ve been itching to test out these upgrades."

Luna’s system displayed the countdown timer for the second defense layer.

Thirty seconds.

She had programmed the traps to activate in stages, creating a staggered assault that would confuse and disorient the enemy forces. The acid traps were only the beginning.

"There’s something else I need to tell you all," Luna said, her voice cutting through the tension.

Adrian glanced at her, his dimensional energy crackling around his hands. "Right now?"

"It can’t wait." She declared. Her saying this was for their own good because things might turn our bad.

Kai crossed his arms, his earlier humor fading. "Luna, we’ve got soldiers approaching from every direction. Whatever you want to say, make it quick."

She took a breath in annoyance on how competent he was right now.

"The weapons they’re using. The ones that look like guns, the ones powerful enough to tear through monsters like they’re nothing. They’re similar to what I have in my space."

Ethan’s head snapped toward her. "Similar how?"

"Not the design. The quality. The technological advancement. My system’s analysis indicates that whoever created those weapons possesses knowledge that shouldn’t exist in this era. Knowledge that’s comparable to what my space provides me."

Rowan’s eyes narrowed. "You’re saying someone else has a system like yours?"

"I’m saying someone else has something. A blueprint. A manual. Access to information they shouldn’t have." Luna’s jaw tightened. "And if that person exists, they could be connected to the experiments happening at the government safe zone. The ones where they’re dissecting awakened humans."

Silence fell over the group.

The distant screams of dying soldiers provided a grim backdrop to the revelation.

Astrid, who had been standing slightly apart from the others, finally spoke. "You think the same person who created those weapons is responsible for the facilities?"

"I don’t know for certain," Luna admitted. "But the timing is too suspicious. Advanced weapons appearing right when the government starts hunting awakened humans? When they start building special facilities to study us? It’s connected. It has to be."

Kai ran a hand through his hair. "Great. So not only do we have to deal with an army of soldiers and monsters, but there might be some super-genius out there building weapons specifically designed to kill us."

"Kill awakened humans," Luna corrected. "But yes. Essentially."

The second defense layer activated.

A series of high-frequency sonic emitters hidden throughout the property began to pulse. The frequency was carefully calibrated to be harmless to humans but debilitating to the monsters that still roamed the area. The remaining creatures that had been circling the mansion suddenly froze, their massive bodies convulsing as the sound waves disrupted their nervous systems.

Several of the soldiers who had made it past the acid traps clutched their heads in agony.

The sound wasn’t meant for them, but at close range, it was still painful.

"What the hell is that?" one soldier screamed, dropping his weapon as he pressed his hands against his ears.

"Fall back! FALL BACK!"

But retreat wasn’t an option.

Not for them.

The aircraft hovering above began to reposition, their pilots clearly realizing that ground assault alone wouldn’t be sufficient. Missile systems on the underside of the lead aircraft began to pivot, targeting the mansion directly.

"They’re going to fire," Adrian observed.

Luna’s system detected the incoming threat. "Not yet. They’re still calculating trajectory. We have approximately forty-seven seconds."

Ethan rose from his crouch. "Then we don’t give them forty-seven seconds."

He moved first.

His enhanced speed carried him across the distance in a blur, closing the gap between their position and the nearest cluster of soldiers. Before they could react, Ethan was already among them.

His first strike caught a soldier in the chest, the impact sending the man flying backward into his comrades. The second strike shattered another soldier’s weapon, and the third disabled a third combatant with a precise blow to the temple.

Ethan’s movements were fluid and brutal, each motion serving a lethal purpose. The power-leveling crystal had enhanced his physical capabilities significantly, and the soldiers—who were trained to fight ordinary threats—had no answer for someone moving faster than their eyes could track.

Behind him, Adrian raised his hands.

The dimensional energy in his palms began to twist and condense, forming a swirling vortex of dark purple light. He pushed forward, and the portal expanded, creating a rift in reality that swallowed the next wave of soldiers whole.

They reappeared thirty feet in the air.

Falling.

Screaming.

Their bodies hit the ground with sickening cracks.

Rowan followed, beast powers allowed him to control the monstrosity that roared shaking the whole ground. And it flew all over to the aircraft taking a terrifying chunk from the vehicle tale. Then the fall of the men, they all tumbled around loosing their balance each.

The chaos was absolute.

Luna watched it all with a detached sense of approval. Her men were performing exactly as expected. The power-leveling crystals had done their job, elevating their cores to a level that made them formidable against even trained military forces.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Her system continued to analyze the weapons the soldiers carried, and the results were becoming more concerning by the second. The technological signatures matched patterns she had seen before. Patterns that shouldn’t exist outside her space.

Whoever had created these weapons had studied the same advanced principles that governed her supermarket.

Which meant they had access to similar knowledge.

Which meant they knew about her.

Or at least, they knew that someone like her existed.

"Luna."

Kai’s voice pulled her attention. He was standing in front of her, his body partially transformed into shadows, dark tendrils of darkness extending from his hands.

"I need you to focus."

"I’m focused."

"No, you’re not. You’re thinking about this other person. The weapon creator. You’re distracted."

Luna’s eyes met his.

"I’m analyzing. There’s a difference and stop acting like a boss when you’re not."

"That’s not what I was trying to make Luna." Kai moved closer, his shadowy form flickering with agitation. "I know you, girl. I’ve fought beside you. I’ve watched you kill. I know what your focus looks like. And right now, you’re not focused on the soldiers. You’re focused on something else."

She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came.

Because he was right.

The weapon creator had gotten under her skin.

The possibility that someone else possessed knowledge comparable to hers was unsettling in ways she hadn’t anticipated. For weeks, she had operated under the assumption that she was the only one with access to advanced technology. The only one with a cheat code. The only one who could outthink and outfight everyone around her.

But now...

Now there was someone else.

Someone who had created weapons that could kill awakened humans.

Someone who might be experimenting on them.

Someone who might be targeting her specifically.

"Luna."

Rowan had appeared at her side, his expression grim. "The aircraft are arming. Multiple missiles. They’re not holding back anymore."

She forced herself to focus.

The system confirmed his words. Twenty-seven missiles locked onto the mansion, with four more targeting their position specifically.

Seventy-six seconds until impact.

"Adrian," Luna called out. "Can you create a portal to intercept?"

"Not enough time," Adrian replied, his voice strained from the energy expenditure. "The missiles are too fast. I’d need to open multiple portals simultaneously."

Luna’s mind raced through her options.

The defense systems would absorb some of the impact, but not all of it. The mansion would sustain significant damage, and her men would be exposed to the aftermath.

She needed something else.

Something they wouldn’t expect.

Something that would neutralize the threat entirely.

Her hand moved automatically, fingers flying across the system panel as she accessed the advanced weapons inventory. A specific item caught her attention.

EMP device.

High-output.

Could disable all electronic systems within a one-mile radius.

It would neutralize the missiles.

It would also disable the aircraft.

And the soldiers’ weapons.

And anything else that relied on technology.

Including her own systems.

Luna hesitated.

If she activated the EMP, her defenses would shut down. The security systems, the automated traps, everything. She would be vulnerable. Her space would still be accessible, but the external monitoring capabilities would be gone.

But if she didn’t activate it, they would all die.

The decision was made. Before she start her main plan of eliminating all of them she got to destroy that goddamn aircraft first.

"Everyone, get inside the mansion," Luna ordered. "Now."

Rowan grabbed her arm. "Luna, what are you-"

"I’m saving us. Move!"

They didn’t argue.

Adrian opened a portal directly into the mansion’s main hall, and the group rushed through. Luna was the last to enter, her hand hovering over the system’s activation button.

She pressed it.

The EMP device materialized in her hand, small and unassuming. She activated it immediately, feeling the pulse of energy spread outward from the device.

The effect was instantaneous.

The missiles in the air suddenly lost their guidance systems, falling harmlessly to the ground several hundred feet away. The aircraft above sputtered and stalled, their engines dying as the electrical systems fried. Soldiers screamed in confusion as their weapons suddenly became useless.

The tide has turned!!