Desperate escape from the airport

"Adam, you can use your new knowledge to connect to planes and just absorb the fuel," Lyra informed him. "It will make it easier and more efficient, saving us time scavenging."

Adam took the resources, using the universal tool to carry everything into the small private plane. He stockpiled and secured it all in the staff room. Adam then headed off to refuel, while Lyra reclined a chair, letting Azrael rest peacefully.

Adam moved with haste to a passenger plane. With the universal tool, he merged with its fuel tank, absorbing all the fuel inside. He then rushed back to the private plane, merging the universal tool with its tank and refueling it to full capacity.

A Desperate Escape

In the cockpit, Lyra's voice, urgent through the neuro-link, cut through Adam's concentration. "Adam, I believe we've run out of time. Evolved variants are at the outskirts of the airport. It isn't just one, but multiple intelligent variants."

Adam slowly entered the plane, the cockpit still open. "So, what's our option to get out of here safely?" he asked.

Lyra analyzed a few outcomes, realizing the only safest option was a distraction. Sniping them from this distance would only reveal their location. Transforming the plane would also expose them. Any projectile variants had a chance to shoot down the plane, making a safe flight nearly impossible.

"One of the solution," Lyra stated, "is to let the plane fly normally down the runway, and one person has to distract them away from the plane. It's a matter of time before they detect us."

Adam faced the crucial decision. He'd faced one intelligent variant and nearly lost his life.

Lyra offered another option: "I could distract them while you transform the plane to ascend upwards into the clouds before they could react."

Adam contemplated both outcomes, each seeming suicidal for one of them.

Before Adam could make a decision, Lyra acted. "Please, survive this!" she urged, her voice filled with desperate love.

"You need to save Emily and your unborn child." She kissed Adam strongly. "I will still be with you in your mind." With that, she rushed out, closed the door, and jumped from the plane.

Through the neuro-link, she told Adam to transform the plane in 10 seconds. Lyra dashed across the open airport towards the evolved variants. "I love you, Adam," she speak via neuro link, tears streaming down her face. "I want you to be happy with Emily and your child. Treat Azrael as your own as well." Lyra then shouted loudly, attracting the variants.

"I love you, Lyra," Adam whispered, knowing she was sacrificing her happiness, her only chance to feel human, by losing her body.

Adam quickly donned his mana suit and transformed the plane with the universal tool. The plane's exterior shifted, upgrading its turbines to rotate, and multiple new mana-powered turbines materialized, ready to lift the plane.

Lyra lured the evolved variants towards the airport building, dodging multiple shots and deflecting some with her spear. She ran as fast as she could, smashing through a glass window into the airport building, which was fully infested with zombies and variants.

As Lyra did this, Adam's plane reached high altitude, and one of the variants tried to shoot it down but failed due to the distance.

Lyra slashed through hordes of zombies, trying to avoid detection by the evolved variants.

She rushed towards a staircase, hacking and slashing everything in her way. Kicking open the staircase door, she quickly closed it behind her just as the evolved variants entered the airport building.

"Lyra, are you still alive?" Adam's voice came through the neuro-link.

"Barely," Lyra informed him. "I'm hiding at the staircase of the building."

Adam told Lyra he had an idea and instructed her to get to the rooftop, undetected. Since Adam had only used the universal tool to change the plane's exterior, he still had a small amount left to create a grappling hook.

However, they needed to synchronize the pickup timing perfectly. Lyra analyzed the plan and confirmed a high success rate.

"Prepare to pick up in 1 minute," Lyra informed him.

Lyra took a deep breath, remembering her training in the other world—moving silently and quickly during her adventures with the twins, fighting giant bat creatures.

Lyra used a forefoot dash, swiftly ascending the staircase, wielding two machetes to quickly slice through zombies and variants blocking her path. Adam counted down, 10 seconds remaining.

Adam rapidly descended the plane to the rooftop just as Lyra burst the rooftop door open. She dashed out and grabbed onto the hook. Adam ascended quickly into the sky, retracting the hook with the universal tool, opening a hole, pulling Lyra in, and then sealing it. Lyra collapsed onto the plane floor, breathing heavily, her human body failing from sheer exhaustion.