SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery
Chapter 253: Crossed Wires

Chapter 253: Crossed Wires

The moment Evelyn shrieked my name, the air changed.

There was no hesitation, no tremor of uncertainty in her voice. Just a hard, mechanical certainty. Her eyes—normally fierce but full of life—were blank now. Emotionless. Controlled.

And locked straight on me.

She launched forward.

"Move!" I barked.

Sienna dropped to one knee behind a support pillar, shielding Camille. Alexis dove to the side. Evelyn didn’t break stride. Her foot planted and she pivoted, recalibrating mid-motion, barreling toward me with the speed of someone who knew exactly how much force it would take to kill me.

I barely dodged the first blow. Her fist sliced through the air where my head had been. Not wild. Calculated. She was reading every movement, every micro-adjustment in my balance.

She was using her Psychological Insight skill and predicting me.

I grunted, rolling behind a console. "She’s locked in on me. Don’t get in her way!"

Evelyn didn’t even glance at the others. Her full attention stayed on me, not as a person—but as a target.

"She won’t stop until she loses sight of you," Alexis called. "Block her line of sight!"

Sienna kicked a tipped-over desk toward Evelyn, forcing her to vault over it. I used the moment to duck behind a stack of sealed crates.

A second later, the crates exploded outward. Evelyn had gone through them.

Damn it! I forgot she got the firefighter job when they experimented on her! Her physical body is enhanced.

What’s worse is that she moved like a tactician, not a brawler. Her strikes weren’t about brutality—they were surgical. Every attack was part of a flow, a rhythm of feints and spacing.

"She’s analyzing your reactions," Alexis said, dropping another console screen in her path. "She’s mapping your responses in real-time."

No kidding.

I threw a metal pole to the left and moved right. Her eyes flicked—she didn’t fall for it. She ignored the noise entirely and adjusted to my body instead.

She was faster than before. Stronger.

Evelyn struck again. I blocked her elbow but the force still jarred my arm to the shoulder. Her foot swept, and I barely caught myself on a pipe before she could capitalize.

"Can we disable her?" Sienna yelled.

"Not without hurting her!" I snapped back. "Maybe if I had all my skills operating at maximum capacity, I could do better!"

Alexis pulled a gas canister from one of the storage shelves and hurled it to the floor. It hissed, flooding the corridor with a thick chemical haze.

"Sight blocked," she said.

It worked—for three seconds.

Evelyn burst through the gas like it wasn’t even there, eyes fixed. I flinched.

Thermal Perception?

She could see heat.

I cursed and ducked behind an active server rack. The hum buzzed through my bones. Evelyn hesitated—just for a moment.

Alexis took the chance.

She darted behind Evelyn, clipped her knee. Not enough to break it, just enough to disrupt her footing. Sienna hurled a tarp from the supplies shelf.

The moment Evelyn stumbled, the tarp tangled her.

"Now!" Sienna shouted.

We moved. I bolted across the hallway, behind a closed gate. Evelyn tore through the tarp but spun too late. I was out of sight.

She paused.

Breathed.

The stillness made my skin crawl. Then— the clarity began to return to her eyes.

"Remember! It’s line of sight," Alexis confirmed. "Her trigger is visual."

Sienna helped me adjust a standing locker, using it as a mobile shield. "We can walk her back. Keep her sight broken, and maybe she’ll stabilize."

We flanked her. Carefully. Deliberately. I stayed out of view while Alexis edged closer. Her voice was gentle now.

"Evelyn," she said. "You know us. You trust me. You’re not just a Cain Protocol subject. You’re more than what they made you."

Evelyn didn’t respond.

But she didn’t move either.

"Remember when we would drink tea and coffee together?" Alexis continued. "The penthouse was nice, big and comforting for everyone inside."

Silence.

Her breathing slowed.

She was still. Almost peaceful.

Then—

A clatter behind us.

A shattered screen fell from the ledge making all of us look and when I looked back.

Her eyes snapped to mine.

I had peeked.

I knew better.

Evelyn charged.

The hallway shrank. I moved fast—not to fight, but to lure her. Her movements were tighter now, more aggressive. She was adjusting, growing more efficient the longer the fight lasted.

That shouldn’t be possible.

She threw a jab. I dodged.

She followed up with a hook.

I dodged again.

Too slow.

Her strikes came faster now. Familiar patterns. Close-range. Ring patterns.

My heart skipped.

I threw a fake cross.

She slipped under it.

Then countered.

Exactly like I would.

I stumbled back.

No. No way.

I fumbled for my interface.

"SCAN."

[Scan Results]

Name: Evelyn Mercer

Job: Government Evaluator (A-Rank), Firefighter (B-Rank), Detective (B-Rank)

Skills:

Keen Observation (Lv. 7) – Analyzes subtle details in movement, efficiency, and coordination to assess performance with high accuracy.

Situational Analysis (Lv. 6) – Processes multiple variables in high-pressure environments to determine optimal strategies in real time.

Psychological Insight (Lv. 8) – Reads body language, tone, and behavioral patterns to gauge intentions, confidence, and emotional state.

Authority Presence (Lv. 6) – Commands respect and compliance with minimal effort, ensuring instructions are followed without resistance.

Thermal Perception (Lv. 5) – Detects and interprets heat signatures through surfaces or low-visibility conditions for tracking or analysis.

Deduction (Lv. 5) – Synthesizes scattered information into accurate conclusions, revealing hidden patterns, motives, or flaws.

Endurance Mastery (Lv. 4) – Enhances stamina management, reducing fatigue over prolonged activity and improving recovery pace.

Copied Portfolio - Boxer (A-Rank):

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Lv. 5) – Enhances technique and versatility in unarmed engagements, allowing effective control, counters, and takedowns across a range of styles.