Chapter 275
She listened to and read the briefing for a long time until the city lights came on, at which point Vera finally stood up and breathed a sigh of relief.
With a snap, she stretched and took the tea that the servant had brewed. Taking advantage of the moment to soothe her throat, she went to the steel curtain wall of the temporary office in the building and looked down at the bustling, chaotic yet orderly, Oakland soldiers were passing through.
Now that Norinobu is ready to step onto his stage, it's time for her to play the melody called 'Steel Dragon'.
Decisive action is necessary. Regardless of whether the diversionary attack on the pipeline succeeds or fails, and regardless of how much of Miles' reserve forces she can draw out, Vera will launch her true offensive in the hidden northern front.
With this in mind, her pupils flashed with data streams.
[Vera: Ram, the Alpha-class cyborg Death Camp with added fuel, the upgraded Cybernetic Tyrant Unit, the new armored vehicle combined arms brigade... Stop holding back, deploy them all at once.]
[Hessman Ram: Yes, sir.]
Vera put down her teacup and gently placed her hand on the special metal casing of the [Warframe System].
You'll need yours soon.
As if it understood the call, the armor trembled slightly, emitting a cold noise of friction from its living mechanical structure.
After a short rest, Vera returned to the War Room.
Compared to the perilous front lines, what is the toil of mere paperwork?
If you find being an official tiring and want freedom, then don't become one.
Although she seemed a bit coy, this was her current battlefield.
The free people of North and North America who resisted the tyranny of the new America, the thirteen states of Arasaka, carried the weight on her shoulders.
David Martinez, Jian Portman, and other SAT draft picks have begun arriving in Omaha.
"Then, throw it."
Vera placed a miniature cursor representing the SAT scouts under Ram's frontline command.
Everything is in place. There are quite a few differences in the details, but the general direction is as she expected.
At that time, in Nebraska.
A massive, coordinated offensive is underway.
David Martinez had just led his team to Omaha after the Norfolk operation, received an urgent meeting with Director Ram before he could even rest.
Regarding the population issue in the cyber world, according to official data, the global population will approach 10 billion in 2077.
Chapter 271 Operation Code Name: Pangolin.
"A hybrid Sakura Dite bomb? A new generation of subnuclear weapon using a new type of high-energy explosive?"
Kawakami Xiao Fu's puzzled voice came through the brain-computer interface.
David, who was walking out of the frontline command post in Omaha where Hessman Ram was located, nodded and said, "Take a break."
He sighed, his tone becoming serious. "Just now, I met with Director Ram, and Chief Vera was also there. She personally assigned us a task."
The file is encrypted.
Operation codename: Pangolin.
Executing Units: SAT/CSA (Allied Forces)/ASDF (Arasaka JGSDF)
Mission Description: To seize opportunities to penetrate deep into or behind enemy lines by exploiting gaps or weaknesses in their deployments in the Omaha -Consel Bluffs-Belview-Lincoln area...
Time: 2077/5/3-∞ [Based on specific analysis and judgment by the Omaha Front Command, no later than 21 days]
"Call!"
After letting out a heavy sigh, David closed the loading screen of his prosthetic eye's visual interface.
He hurried past the old highway service area, which had been turned into a temporary military post. The motel, though quiet in the night, was still bustling with people and the roar of machinery.
Inside and outside the bunker, there was a cacophony of noise as soldiers and engineering machinery moved back and forth, busy but orderly amidst the chaos.
The deployed Intellitron moved forward in silence, while the soldiers who had temporarily retreated hurriedly replenished their strength. Various engines roared and lurched, and wounded soldiers, mangled and barely recognizable as human, were continuously carried back...
Given the limited resources at the front lines, priorities were set. Those of high importance were given priority for rescue, while those with routine needs were rescued if possible. Those that could not be rescued were given an injection of painkillers and hallucinogens and then left aside to wait. Those who could withstand the strain were rescued when there was time, while those who could not survive were considered dead.
There's not much to say; this is war, and it has always been this way.
When encountering Combat Cybernetics that can overclock to the point of being in a state of madness and irreversible madness, the solution is to restrain it, violently modify it, fully charge it, incorporate it into a suicide squad, and then kick it into the bloodiest urban warfare zone in the next battle.
A one-stop service, squeezing out every last bit of value, and finally paying out family compensation—this is wartime, even ordinary people have value in the united front, after all, people are needed to risk their lives, so don't be stingy with money that shouldn't be saved.
Before long, after passing through several checkpoints and inspection stations, David returned to his squad's temporary camp.
Joshua trees and desert ironwood are sparsely distributed.
Display of Power Armor maintenance vehicles and Intellitron.
"Oh."
The young servant, holding a bowl of stewed meat, waved his hand, "This is a rare delicacy; it would be a shame not to eat it while it's hot."
He reached out his hand.
Chunks of caramelized meat float on the surface of the fragrant and spicy soup, glistening and translucent.
David didn't know if it was real meat, because he had hardly ever tasted any real meat or fatty meat in his life.
The only thing he was certain of was that even if this meat was synthetic, it was high-end synthetic meat that simulated the texture of real meat tendons, not coarsely ground food from a protein farm that tasted like cat food.
Without being polite, David asked the weak Intellitron chef for a bowl of stewed meat, which he ate with artificial rice and showed off.
"A send-off meal."
He walked over carrying two bottles of Golden Champagne Paradise and asked, "Want a drink?"
David put down the spoon, nodded, and took it.
Ding, the bottle clinks.
Glug, "Wow, this champagne tastes pretty good. Did they add some flavor enhancers?"
David smacked his lips.
"No, it's expensive, it tastes like it's been paid for."
Xiao Fu chuckled.
"I just don't know if I can escape death this time?"
As he spoke, he turned to gaze at the reddish sky in the distance, his tone melancholic, yet his expression remarkably calm. Such a close call with death truly tempers a person.
David followed the gaze.
Boom... Rumble...
More than 30 kilometers away, the city on the Gobi Desert horizon was ablaze with fire, and the sounds of gunfire rose and fell, sometimes near, sometimes far.
The surrounding airspace was filled with tracer barrages, and rockets were like twinkling stars. Every explosion and the appearance of Mach rings signified a battle between air defense and penetration. White Phosphorus Shells detonated by the laser defense array flew through the air like celestial maidens scattering flowers.
Whoosh! The acrid smell of burning and engine oil could still be faintly detected in the hot air.
From the moment he arrived in Omaha, he was subjected to relentless air and ground fire.
Buzz—
The sound of Vector Engine came from very close range as several armored hovercraft carrying heavy drones flew low overhead.
David and Xiaofu exchanged a glance, both on alert, and were about to speak.
"They are there to catch New America or Militech infiltrators."
It was Katsuo Tanaka's voice. "Rest assured and take care of yourself. These matters will be handled by our own people."
David smiled upon hearing this and stood up.
Looking tired, Katsuo, with her hair slicked back, walked over carrying several boxes. "Looks like I'm not too late."
He declined Xiaofu's offer of rice and only asked for a bottle of champagne. He quickly distributed the sushi and pork cutlet rice to the two of them. "Katsudon (pork cutlet rice), in our area, it means Katsudon. I won't ask for more. I wish you a great victory."
Then, he looked at the camp: the SAT cadets, some eating, some smoking and drinking, some taking drugs and watching Mewtwo, and some writing their last words and letters, and called out, "There's not much food, but enough for everyone to have a treat. Want some?"
Tap, tap.
"Katsudon? Good luck, I'll have some."
The first to respond was Jian Portman, who had led her troops from the Oakland clearing zone. (This cyborg with short ponytail and blonde hair, whose silver-blue cybernetic armor clung to her body even without her Power Armor, readily accepted the champagne from Xiaofu and chug down almost half a bottle.)
Xiao Fu frowned and grinned as he watched.
Although by 2077 most beverages and alcohol will be much cheaper than bottled water, and the military supplies will be plentiful, this is Golden Champagne Paradise —high-end goods, very expensive, meant to be savored sip by sip. You're just chugging it like beer here...
"Stop dawdling! Be more decisive!"
Jane chuckled and patted Xiaofu on the shoulder, "It's a pity I didn't bring my treasured Bicai Winery."
She said with a hint of regret.
But this interruption immediately livened up the atmosphere.
The SAT test candidates shouted and sat down one after another.
A sip of champagne, a bite of pork chop, a bite of sushi, a bite of stewed meat—and soon, the glass was empty and the plate was clean.
Soldiers are not like spies, nor are they like suited guys sitting in offices; there's not as much backstabbing and infighting.
Let alone frontline soldiers in wartime, office politics? They don't have time for that!
This exceptionally lavish meal and the replenishment of supplies, which were almost entirely replenished, were, to put it nicely, a send-off meal; to put it bluntly, a last meal before death. Everyone knew what this meant.
There's no room for refusal; it's time to risk my life again!
"Cheers!" David finished the last bit of champagne, smashed the empty bottle on the ammunition box, and looked at Katsuo, Xiaofu, and everyone else with a serious expression.
See you next time on an occasion like this.
It means we'll either meet at the Arasaka Tower or at the monument.
Meanwhile, at the Omaha frontline command post.
"... I've already told you the objective. As for the specifics and how to time it, you, as the frontline commander, know best. I won't give you any more vague instructions from the rear. I'm giving you some leeway, but remember, time waits for no one in this campaign."
The hologram lights up: surrounded by a holographic image and data readings, Vera's facial image is clearly displayed in the command room.
Ram nodded, standing behind the holographic tactical sandbox in Omaha.
"I understand. In that case, the Central Offensive will enter its second phase. Please give the order."
"Approve."
Vera said calmly, "Order: Begin the attack."
Didi.
[Program Successful]
Seeing the military authorization pop-up window with the prosthetic eye visible, Ram touched his balding buzz cut and his gaze hardened. "Death Camp, Cybernetic Tyrant Unit, Urban Combat Bionic Multi-legged Tank Unit, in coordination with the attacking army group and allied forces, launch a full-scale attack."
"Do not probe; attack relentlessly regardless of casualties."
Boom! Boom boom boom!! -- Rumble boom boom!!
Three days later.
In a corner of Omaha City occupied by Arasaka, there is a sprawling rail network and an abandoned old sewer drainage system.
A fully armed elite force is infiltrating under the cover of friendly forces.
Under the cover of explosions both above and below ground, David maneuvered his Power Armor into the water—no, it was less water and more a mixture of various kinds of garbage, factory wastewater, toxic waste, corpses, and other filth.
The water made a splashing sound and quickly reached the Power Armor's ankles. David suppressed his nausea and finally submerged completely.
After confirming that taking action wouldn't have a significant impact, he clicked on the task log.