Formation Breaker Type 2

Amber felt around and touched a button on the inside of the crate.

With a mechanical whir, the rack inside slowly rose, and Amber finally saw the Exoskeleton in full.

It looked nothing like the sleek, close-fitting Chameleon Light Exoskeleton Amber was currently wearing.

The Formation Breaker Type 2 in the supply crate was closer to the medium Exoskeletons used by Mobile Infantry.

It was also one of the few pieces of equipment in the animal-obsessed "Federation Zoo" that wasn't named after an animal.

But compared with the Sabertooth series issued to rank-and-file soldiers, the Formation Breaker Type 2 outclassed it in every respect.

It was an Exoskeleton built exclusively for Psychic Agents, optimized entirely for frontal assaults.

The Formation Breaker Type 2's combat suit connected directly to the port at the back of a Psychic Agent's neck, then linked to the entire Exoskeleton system through ports across the suit.

That meant a Psychic Agent wearing it felt none of the lag common to ordinary Exoskeleton systems and could execute tactical maneuvers without delay.

It also had a more powerful Hybrid Power Pack, while thicker Silicon Carbide Armor Plates provided far more complete coverage.

It even integrated an Individual Adaptive Electronic Warfare System capable of briefly disrupting enemy communications, radar, and fire-control systems within a small area.

On top of that, the Exoskeleton used a vehicle-grade pupil-tracking targeting system to guide the six-tube anti-vehicle missile launcher mounted on its back.

Its armaments also included leg-mounted Formation-Breaking Song Triple Grenade Launchers and a handheld 12 mm Gauss Machine Gun.

The rails on its arms weren't left empty either. One carried a Combat Stinger for close combat, the other a small Deflection Field generator.

With so many weapons and thicker armor plates, the Formation Breaker Type 2 brought its wearer's fully equipped combat weight to nearly two tons.

What did two tons mean for a single soldier?

Even with powered assistance, an ordinary Mobile Infantry soldier couldn't move freely under that weight.

After all, it was hard for a human to adapt to wearing a "turtle shell."

Psychic Agents were different. Their surgical enhancements let them draw out the equipment's full potential.

A sustained travel speed of 45 kilometers per hour, a sprint speed of 60 kilometers per hour, a maximum jump of 18 meters, and the ability to scale a five-meter wall with ease.

Those were the figures achieved by an ordinary Psychic Agent wearing this Exoskeleton system.

"This equipment should be restricted to Psychic Agents of level four or above."

"So why is it here?"

With that question in mind, Amber called over a sergeant major from the logistics convoy.

The sergeant major was now the convoy's highest-ranking and most experienced member.

After circling the supply crate for quite a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead.

"I remember!"

The sergeant major raised his wrist, searched through his personal terminal, and finally sent Amber a supply transfer order.

“This equipment was being stored in our warehouse temporarily. It was supposed to go to Yasin Base to replace an older model, but then who could have known the Empire would suddenly attack? We brought it along when we evacuated the warehouse.”

Amber looked at the supply list the sergeant major had sent and instinctively raised an eyebrow.

If he had to guess, once the equipment reached Yasin Base, it would probably have been assigned to him after he advanced to level-four Psionics.

"After all those detours, it still ended up in my hands."

Though he now knew where the equipment had come from, Amber didn't intend to put it on just yet.

For one thing, Amber would need to conduct close-range reconnaissance several times during the fighting ahead.

This medium Exoskeleton, specialized for frontal assaults, had no Optical Cloaking, and it made too much noise while running to be suited for stealth.

For another, its greater power and heavier armament came at the cost of endurance.

In perfect condition, this Exoskeleton could operate for only four hours. Intense combat would cut that time even shorter.

After all, the Formation Breaker series had been developed as assault equipment: it was meant to overwhelm an opponent in one blow through superior performance and firepower.

Endurance had therefore received little consideration in its design.

Still, as the fighting grew fiercer, the equipment would find its use.

By the time Amber finished checking the convoy's supplies, the thirty-minute rest period he had set was nearly over.

Isabel and the convoy's mechanics had sent him their casualty and vehicle inspection reports, respectively.

In the recent battle, three Mobile Infantry soldiers under Amber's command had been killed and five wounded. Only half the fighting personnel in his two Mobile Infantry squads remained.

Fortunately, none of the five wounded had suffered serious injuries. After treatment and some rest, they could return to combat.

As for the vehicles, none of the five Armored Vehicles in Amber's original convoy had suffered much damage.

The village's three Mongoose 4s had fared worse under the shelling. Only one could still operate normally.

The other two had both been damaged by the Empire's bombardment.

It had taken several mechanics a great deal of effort to remove a tire from one Armored Vehicle with a damaged turret and fit it to another Armored Vehicle with a damaged tire.

With the troops gathered from the village, Amber now had more than seventy people under his command.

He also had seven Armored Vehicles and five transport trucks.

On paper, that was larger than a reinforced mechanized infantry platoon.

In practice, though, many of those people were wounded, vehicle crew, or technical specialists.

And then there were people like Major Randall, who barely counted toward their fighting strength.

Not many could actually fight, and their vehicle-mounted firepower was weak. Their most powerful weapon was a 40 mm Chain Gun.

Still not enough combat power. If we run into anything tough, we'll lose.

Better avoid fighting where we can and live off these supplies for a while.

Thinking this to himself, Amber walked over to the area where the soldiers and vehicles had gathered.

The rested soldiers were loading supplies and equipment back onto the vehicles, preparing to set out again.

Just then, Amber happened to glance at the houses where the nearby villagers lived.

At that moment, pairs of eyes were secretly watching the Federation soldiers in the village from behind the windows of those houses.

Amber glanced over briefly and saw no sense of support for the soldiers or hostility in those eyes.

The villagers simply watched it all with utter indifference.