Chapter 192: The Advantage of Shields
Another Lazarus power armor demonstrated superb stealth skills.
Utilizing coastal reefs and undulating terrain, he disabled non-essential engines and approached silently in low-power mode.
Upon nearing a hidden bunker, he leaped suddenly. The hydraulic systems in the power armor's legs unleashed tremendous force, allowing him to land directly on top of the bunker.
Before the soldiers inside could react, the flamethrower under his arm sprayed a short burst. The high-temperature jet instantly melted through the bunker's roof, turning everything inside into charred remains.
Arasaka's defense here appeared even more hasty and chaotic.
They evidently hadn't anticipated the enemy launching attacks from various unexpected angles with such "elite mob" tactics.
The comms channel was filled with chaotic calls: "Three o'clock! That black one, he's too fast!"
"Our heavy firepower can't penetrate their shields!"
"They've breached the position! Close quarters engagement!"
Two Arasaka power armors rushed over, attempting to intercept the leader unit driven by "Butcher" himself, which was painted with a menacing skull.
"Butcher" sneered and advanced instead of retreating.
Just as the two sides were about to collide, his power armor executed a nearly impossible sidestep, evading the opponent's frontal fire. Simultaneously, the power claw on his left arm extended and, with an air-tearing shriek, thrust viciously into the chest cockpit of one Arasaka power armor.
The other Arasaka power armor attempted to fire from the side, but the missile pod on the shoulder of Butcher's leader unit locked on instantly. A small high-explosive missile screamed out, blasting it into fragments.
The battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Every Lazarus power armor pilot was a seasoned veteran. Combined with the margin for error provided by the temporarily installed shields, they pushed the power armor's mobility and firepower to the limit.
They charged left and right within the Arasaka position, precisely destroying the cooling systems, capacitor arrays, and rails of the "Takemikazuchi" railguns.
"Target A destroyed."
"Energy node neutralized."
"Handling the last gun group."
Concise reports passed through the encrypted channel.
In less than twenty-five minutes, the "Takemikazuchi" railgun system on the coastal high ground had turned into a pile of burning, twisted scrap metal.
The surviving Arasaka soldiers had long lost the will to resist and fled in all directions.
"Butcher" stood at the highest point of the position, looking down at the mess beneath his feet. His voice under the faceplate held no fluctuation: "Mission accomplished. Rendezvous at extraction point."
Like a pack of wolves finishing a hunt, the five power armors quickly disengaged and vanished into the shadows of the coastline.
Meanwhile, in the southern abandoned factory district.
The combat style here differed again from both the eastern and western fronts.
Mower was like a true ghost, infiltrating the factory district ahead of Maine's squad.
Her sensors jammed perimeter surveillance, and her sonic blade silently slit the throats of patrolling sentries or destroyed key alarms.
She cleared a relatively safe infiltration path for Maine's squad.
Maine's squad advanced rapidly along the route marked by Mower.
They lacked the heavy protection of power armor but possessed the agility, synergy, and lethal efficiency unique to street mercenaries.
"Left corridor, two tangos," Sasha's voice came through the internal channel; she had already hacked into the factory's residual monitoring system.
Dorio pushed forward like a tank. Her oscillation generator punched out, and an invisible shockwave blasted the two Arasaka soldiers around the corner, along with their cover, flying backward.
Rebecca followed closely, adding a shot with her heavy boltgun to ensure the targets were completely silenced.
Pilar and Kiwi covered the rear and handled electronic countermeasures, jamming Arasaka's internal communications and creating chaos.
Deep in the factory, Arasaka had obviously deployed defensive forces as well.
A four-man power armor team, supported by over twenty elite security personnel, guarded the "Susanoo" gravity field generator currently being assembled.
"Intruders detected! It's Maine's squad! Maximum alert!" the Arasaka commander roared.
The power armors raised their rotary machine guns and began frantically strafing the direction where Maine's squad might appear, riddling the metal walls of the factory with holes.
"Rebecca, draw fire! Dorio, follow me around the flank! Pilar, smoke!" Maine issued commands rapidly.
Rebecca howled excitedly, popped out from behind cover with her boltgun, and fired a high-explosive round toward the power armors.
Although the explosion failed to penetrate their armor, it successfully drew their attention. The muzzles of three power armors turned immediately toward her, bullets pouring down like a rainstorm.
Simultaneously, Maine and Dorio used the complex structure of the factory and the smoke grenades thrown by Pilar for cover to approach quickly from the flank.
THOOM! Maine's left-arm plasma cannon hummed low again.
An azure sphere of light cut through the smoke, precisely hitting the rear engine compartment of one power armor. High-temperature plasma instantly melted through the armor, triggering an internal detonation. The power armor turned into a ball of fire instantly.
Dorio charged at another power armor like a wild bull.
The moment the opponent turned its gun, the oscillation generators on both her arms slammed into the power armor's leg joints simultaneously.
The massive impact caused the steel giant to lose balance and stagger backward. Dorio seized the opportunity, leaped up, tore open a weak point in its chest armor with brute force, stuffed several high-explosive grenades inside, and then quickly jumped away.
BOOM! Another power armor was destroyed from the inside.
The last remaining power armor and security personnel attempted to organize a counterattack, but Maine's squad gave them no chance.
Mower appeared from the shadows like a phantom. Her sonic blade traced graceful arcs, severing the ammo feed chain of the power armor, then with a flicker of movement, she cut down several security personnel attempting to aim at Maine.
Rebecca's boltgun roared continuously, suppressing the remaining infantry.
Maine's plasma cannon recharged again. This time, the target was the core, not-yet-fully-activated "Susanoo" gravity field generator.
"Goodbye, Arasaka's toy."
The plasma sphere screamed out, hitting the generator's core control unit dead on.
After a blinding flash of energy came a violent explosion and precision parts flying in all directions.
The expensive gravity field generator turned into a pile of charred junk before it could even operate.
After clearing the remaining scattered resistance, Maine looked at the wrecked interior of the factory and said gravely, "Target eliminated. Mower, confirm if we have a tail. Everyone else, prepare for extraction."
Three key targets, under strikes from three units with vastly different styles, were uprooted one after another before Arasaka's main force could complete final deployment.
Arasaka's carefully planned "Triple Strike" was declared bankrupt before it even began. Barghest's regularity, Lazarus's elitism, and Maine's squad's lethality were all displayed vividly in this night's battle.
The temporarily installed shield technology became the key factor allowing them to achieve tactical objectives with minimal cost.
(End of Chapter)