Commander Brigadier General Mountbatten was a serious-looking middle-aged man of a minority ethnicity, with reddish-brown skin, of medium height, but with very bright eyes.
At this moment, Mountbatten was alone, his hands behind his back, observing the projection map in front of him. The location shown on the map was the target of this mission: Red Stone Canyon.
The sound of the door opening reached him, and Mountbatten, without turning his head, said, "Moka, didn't I tell you not to disturb me when I'm thinking about something?"
Major Moka cleared his throat, stood at attention, and replied, "Reporting, Brigadier General, our Department of the Extraordinary has arrived."
Modern warfare is more about long-range engagements between ordinary troops and infiltration and combat between Department of the Extraordinary; only by combining the two can a complete tactical system be formed.
Brigadier General Mountbatten commanded ordinary troops. Although most of the soldiers had undergone Physical Enhancement and their overall abilities had increased dramatically, they were still far inferior to true Transcendent.
"The Department of the Extraordinary?" Mountbatten was taken aback at first, then understood, frowning and saying with displeasure, "It's those students, right? The military is really something, always causing me trouble, sending these big shots here, they'll only hinder the operation."
Moka said helplessly, "But this is an order from above. Besides, they are all students from the six top universities, so their combat skills are quite reliable."
"Alright, have them send some representatives to see me." Mountbatten waved his hand, and the major adjutant withdrew, leaving only the middle-aged brigadier general, who watched Moka's departing figure with a strange smile.
A short while later, the group of eight was led into the command room.
Two students from each school.
On the Holy Sword side, it was naturally Lancelot and Vermila.
Mountbatten's gaze swept over the eight people before him with scrutiny, lingering particularly on Lancelot for a moment, before he spoke, "You should already be aware of the details of this operation, so I won't go into further detail."
"Now, let me go over the details."
"A large city is under construction within Red Stone Canyon, and a branch base of the Chosen Ones is hidden in the Outer Zone of the city."
On the surface, this is the estate of a native nobleman, covering a vast area and heavily guarded.
"Based on the reconnaissance team's assessment, there should be a very spacious area beneath this manor. Your tasks are twofold: first, to complete the reconnaissance mission and ascertain the enemy's deployment; second, after the battle begins, to act as the spearhead, launching a surprise attack and intercepting the enemy's mid-level and above Transcendent."
"Be extremely careful during the operation. Don't be careless. With the Ashes Organization providing assistance, these guys are not easy to deal with."
After Mountbatten finished speaking, everyone nodded, except for Gosdo, who asked doubtfully, "Ashes? Hasn't our space fleet completely sealed off Planet Golden Bridge yet?"
"It's not as easy as you think. The fleet blockade is only effective in preventing large-scale infiltration; small-scale infiltration is virtually impossible to stop, especially with the intervention of Transcendent forces. Finally, next time you speak to me, shout 'Report!' first." Mountbatten explained coldly, glancing at Gosdo.
The latter's face stiffened, and he dared not say another word.
Mountbatten continued, "In three hours, it will be night in the Red Stone Canyon time zone. Get ready. Eight hours later, in the early morning, we will officially begin the infiltration and reconnaissance operation."
"Yes, sir!" The eight men stood at attention in unison.
"That Brigadier General Mountbatten is not easy to get along with," Gosdo remarked as he walked down the street.
Vermila nodded in agreement at first, then added, "Yes, he is a bit cold, but there are quite a few generals like that in the military, so it's not surprising."
"It's said that Brigadier General Mountbatten is very close to the Locke Family of the Blood Clan, but I don't know if it's true or not," Keaton from the Radiant Sun Academy interjected.
Vermila asked in surprise, "Who told you that?"
"I did some research before I left. The intelligence from the Ninth Security Bureau shouldn't be wrong, right?" Keaton shrugged.
"That doesn't prove anything. There are plenty of generals who are close to the Blood Clan. Before things get ugly, the Blood Clan won't dare to have any ulterior motives." Constellation Cage shook his head.
"I hope so..."
The eight people walked and talked until they returned to their respective camps.
Lancelot summoned the reconnaissance team he had specially assembled, assigned them the mission, and stated that he would personally lead the team.
The reconnaissance team members exchanged bewildered glances; they hadn't heard of Lancelot possessing any stealth abilities.
Seeing this, Lancelot smiled slightly and gave the Molecular Aggregation Insect Swarm a mental command.
In the blink of an eye, a cloud of liquid covered Lancelot entirely, as if he were encased in a giant bubble.
When the bubble disappeared, the original Lancelot had transformed into another young man.
"Lanze, isn't this you?"
"Wow, the captain has this skill? How come we didn't know about it before?"
"It looks like a piece of equipment, but the disguise is too convincing."
The members of the reconnaissance team were all talking amongst themselves, especially Lanze, who stared intently at Lancelot without blinking, yet he didn't notice anything amiss.
"Now you can rest assured, right?" Lancelot said with a smile.
The group exchanged glances and said in unison, "We are willing to fight alongside our captain!"
Time flies, Nightfall falls over Planet Golden Bridge.
A spaceplane detached from the space station and sped towards Planet Golden Bridge.
A cool night breeze blew, stars stretched across the sky, moonlight shrouded the landscape, and the ground was covered with ravines, towering mountains, and lush wild grass—a scene of breathtaking natural beauty.
The spaceplane slowly descended, and Lancelot and the other three teams jumped out one by one. Then, each team chose a direction and stealthily headed towards the distant Red Stone Canyon.
A dozen minutes later.
Chirp chirp~
Birdsong echoed through the night sky, accompanied by various rustling sounds. Lancelot and his reconnaissance team lay prone on a high vantage point, quietly observing the vast manor below.
"Work in pairs, infiltrate separately, gather intelligence, and withdraw in half an hour. Rejoin us here. Don't be greedy or reckless; your lives are the most important thing, understand?"
"Clear!"
"Okay, let's go!"
At Lancelot's command, the squad dispersed, and he, along with a young man named Damu, disappeared into the Hesse with a few leaps.
A few minutes later, the two had successfully infiltrated the manor.
Lancelot decided to capture a minor leader to learn the details of the manor; otherwise, if he went deeper in, he would easily be discovered.
Finding their target didn't take long; soon, he and Damu worked together to kidnap a patrol leader.
Lancelot used Molecular Aggregation Insect to transform into the appearance of this leader, and Damu was in charge of the interrogation. His special talent allowed him to create a miniature field that blended into the surrounding environment, so he was not afraid of being discovered, as long as he could block out sound.
"Who are you people?" the squad leader asked in terror, his lips trembling.
"Don't be nervous, I'm going to ask you a few questions, so tell me the truth." Damu chuckled.
"I... I won't tell, unless you promise you won't kill me," the man said, forcing himself to speak.
Damu looked him up and down, then suddenly reached out and pulled a photograph from his chest; it showed a family of three.
"Tsk, your wife is very beautiful, and your daughter is so cute. So, sir, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your wife and daughter, would you?"