In a virtual space constructed from cold data and blue light, several senior operations executives, their figures solidified and dressed in crisp Militech uniforms, along with a stern-faced female observer from Biotechnica, floated before a massive circular screen.
The screen was divided into multiple displays, transmitting real-time drone reconnaissance images and satellite overhead views from the vicinity of Gas Station #66.
"The target vehicle has entered the designated area," a monitoring operator reported in a emotionless voice.
On the screen before him, the signal point representing Maine's crew's vehicle was parked in the open area of the gas station.
"Confirm identity," the operations executive, a bald man with a hunting scar on his face, said in a deep voice.
His virtual avatar wore a black combat suit, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
"Confirmed.
All core members of Maine's crew are in the vehicle: leader Maine, driver Falco, assault specialist Rebecca, and tech expert Pilar.
Melee specialist Dorio is also present.
Additionally, based on signal tracking and facial recognition comparison, their newly recruited hacker, Kiwi, is currently in remote support status and is not traveling with the vehicle," another analyst quickly added.
"All action teams are in position," the operations commander, a broad-shouldered, stern-faced officer, reported.
"Two 'Manticore' attack AVs are on standby in the designated airspace, ready to provide aerial fire suppression and lockdown at any moment.
Ground forces include two standard infantry squads, equipped with standard armor and weapons; two 'Minotaur' light attack mechs have been deployed on the flanks, forming heavy firepower points.
Furthermore, the 'Switchblade' squad has assembled at the rear hidden point and is on standby."
The "Switchblade" squad he mentioned was a special unit composed entirely of highly modified soldiers, equipped with experimental prosthetics and teetering on the edge of losing control.
The female observer from Biotechnica crossed her arms, her virtual face devoid of expression, and she spoke coldly, her voice like ice: "Remember our priority target: capture them alive if possible.
Especially the hacker Kiwi, as well as Maine and Rebecca; their brains may contain all the intelligence we need, and information about their mysterious backer.
Dead people are of no value to us."
The scarred operations executive nodded, a cold curve to his lips: "Don't worry, this setup is enough to crush them a dozen times over.
It's also a good opportunity for us to test the combat data of those expensive 'Switchblade' toys in the field, to see if they're really worth the price."
His gaze returned to the main screen, looking at the solitary signal point parked in the gas station's open area, as if watching prey that had already fallen into a trap.
Gas Station #66 on Highway 66.
Maine's crew's vehicle was steadily parked in the open area of the abandoned gas station.
The stirred dust slowly settled, and a deathly silence hung in the air, broken only by the monotonous creaking of the wind through a broken sign and the distant, sigh-like whimpers from the desert.
"We're here," Falco turned off the engine, his fingers still resting on the steering wheel, his sharp eyes scanning every potential hiding spot around them.
Maine tried to contact Lao Mao using the number Faraday provided, but the only response was a monotonous and continuous busy signal, like some ominous premonition.
He tried several times, but the result was the same.
"Something's wrong," Maine's brows furrowed tightly, and a chill crawled up his spine.
"Can't reach the client."
Rebecca had already silently gripped her plasma pistol, her knuckles slightly white: "Damn it, are they trying to screw us over?"
"Contact!" Kiwi's voice suddenly exploded in the team's encrypted channel, with an unprecedented urgency, "Multiple high-speed signal sources are approaching! Energy readings are off the charts! It's Militech grade!"
Almost at the exact second her words fell, the piercing roar of engines, like the growl of a beast, tore through the desert's tranquility from far to near!
"Retreat!" Maine's roar echoed inside the vehicle.
Falco reacted extremely quickly, twisting the key, trying to restart the engine, but it was too late!
Several precise armor-piercing rounds, whistling through the air, shot from a distance, mercilessly piercing the vehicle's engine hood and tires!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted, and a scorching blast of air, mixed with metal fragments, sprayed outwards!
Their lifeline, the vehicle, instantly transformed into a twisted, burning wreck, with thick black smoke billowing upwards.
"Fuck!" Falco flung open the car door at the last second, tumbling clumsily onto the sand, the scorching blast of air grazing his back, bringing a stinging pain.
"Find cover! Quick!" Maine roared, using his burly body as a temporary shield, covering the others as they scrambled towards the few remaining dilapidated brick walls of the gas station.
Rebecca's reaction was even more direct; she completed a series of actions—turning, aiming, and pulling the trigger—almost the instant the explosion occurred.
Her plasma pistol emitted a low, dangerous hum of charging.
She didn't have time to precisely aim at specific targets, but instead pointed her muzzle at the Militech armored vehicles in the distance that had just stopped, their hatches opening, and soldiers pouring out!
A solidified, almost liquid, high-energy plasma orb, shimmering with an ominous blue light, shot out!
It didn't cause a violent explosion, but rather, in a more terrifying manner, instantly melted through the thick side armor of the first armored vehicle, like a hot knife cutting through butter.
Inside the melted area, circuits and spare ammunition were instantly ignited, and a secondary explosion of fire suddenly expanded, engulfing the surrounding soldiers, sending fragments flying!
"Ha! See that! The boss' gear is really powerful!" Rebecca growled excitedly, and was then immediately pulled behind a relatively safe broken wall by a reacting Dorio.
"Conserve your shots! That thing takes time to charge!" Maine reminded amidst the intense gunfire, while also providing suppressive bursts with his pistol, bullets kicking up puffs of dust on the hard ground, temporarily slowing down the approaching soldiers.
The enemy's firepower was exceptionally fierce and sustained, a barrage of automatic weapon fire pouring like water onto the broken walls and ruins, sending brick and stone fragments flying and filling the air with dust.
Two massive mechs, with heavy, rhythmically vibrating steps, slowly approached like mobile fortresses, their mounted multi-barreled machine guns continuously spitting deadly flames, creating a suppressive barrage that made it almost impossible for Maine's crew to lift their heads.
Pilar crouched behind a half-collapsed concrete block, frantically connecting a charging cable to his smart weapon, cursing incessantly: "Damn it! Faraday, that son of a bitch! How dare he sell us out! Next time I see him, I'll take him apart! I'll pull out all his bones!"
Maine glanced at the still burning vehicle wreckage outside, and the several equally destroyed, sleek Chevrolet Emperors, and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of sandy saliva: "What a waste of those Emperors!"
Rebecca, while nervously watching the plasma pistol's heat indicator light, replied without looking back, her tone full of a devil-may-care attitude: "A waste of what?! When we're done with this job, we'll just steal one! It's company stuff, it's not like we haven't stolen it before!"
Just as the ground combat fell into a suffocating stalemate, with Maine's crew pinned down by absolutely superior firepower within the gas station ruins, a greater threat descended from the sky.
A low, oppressive, resonant engine roar came from overhead; two Militech 'Manticore' AVs, like giant steel vultures, slowly cast their massive shadows over the battlefield below, their missile pods and rotary cannons suspended beneath their bellies adjusting their angles, cold crosshairs of death sweeping over the shelters below one by one.
In the virtual space on the other side, the high-level executives from both Biotechnica and Militech were closely monitoring every detail of this operation.
"Target has been suppressed inside the building. The 'jie weis shi (lion with a clenched tail)' has entered attack position and completed weapon system lock." The operator calmly reported the progress.
"Very good, maintain suppression, exhaust their ammunition and patience, force them to come out," the Action Supervisor ordered, his tone confident and in control.
Biotechnica's observer stared intently at the meltdown effect caused by Rebecca's plasma pistol on the tactical screen, an undisguised glint of greed flashing in her eyes: "The way that energy weapon operates and its power—we must get our hands on it, no matter what, and reverse-engineer it."
However, the subsequent turn of events completely exceeded their tactical simulations and data models.
From behind a broken window of the gas station below, without any warning, a dazzling, brilliant white electric light suddenly erupted!
It wasn't a direct shot; it was more like a living bolt of lightning, moving with unnatural speed and precision, arcing towards a 'jie weis shi (lion with a clenched tail)' aerial vehicle that had just completed its lock!
There was no deafening explosion, only a sharp, loud "zzzt" sound, like metal being forcibly torn apart!
The electric light, like a living viper, instantly wrapped around the aerial vehicle's fuselage.
Visibly, electric currents frantically coursed over the armor surface; wherever they passed, external sensors, communication arrays, and even the regulating vanes near the engine nozzles instantly overloaded, erupting in a series of tiny electrical sparks.
The massive body of the aerial vehicle abruptly stiffened in mid-air, as if clutched by an invisible giant hand, and the lights of all its thrusters suddenly dimmed.
Inside the cockpit, all screens instantly went black, and the alarm sounds were replaced by a deathly silence.
It completely lost power and control, plummeting like a heavy piece of scrap metal, spinning stiffly and trailing ominous black smoke, veering crookedly and falling straight towards the distant desert.
Seconds later, a dull thud echoed from the distant sand, followed by a violent explosion as fuel ignited, and a fireball rose into the night sky.
The command center fell into a dead silence, broken only by the faint, low-frequency hum of equipment.
"What's going on?!" The Action Supervisor suddenly stood up from his seat, causing the virtual image to momentarily fluctuate. "What kind of weapon is that?!"
"Unable to identify attack type! Energy signature abnormal! Not conventional armor-piercing or high-explosive warheads!" The technical analyst's voice was filled with shock and confusion. "Readings show it seems to have triggered a strong localized electromagnetic pulse effect, instantly burning out most of the 'jie weis shi (lion with a clenched tail)'s precision electronic components and control systems! This is—this is an extremely efficient electronic warfare attack!"
Before they could make sense of this incredible attack, a second deadly brilliant white electric light, like a judgment from hell, shot out from the same window again!
The pilot of another 'jie weis shi (lion with a clenched tail)' instinctively yanked the control stick to evade, but the electric light's speed far exceeded his reaction limit.
The light precisely "licked" the outer side of the aerial vehicle's engine compartment.
The same scene replayed: electric snakes wrapped around it, components overloaded, electrical sparks flying. This aerial vehicle also instantly became completely paralyzed, its systems crashing, and like a kite with a broken string, it tumbled out of control towards the ground.
"This…" Biotechnica's observer was also stunned. "They have this level of heavy firepower? This is definitely not something street mercenaries can get their hands on!"
The Action Supervisor's face became extremely grim. Losing two advanced aerial vehicles was already a major blunder. He gritted his teeth and ordered: "Deploy the 'Switchblades'! Throw in all drones and combat robots too! We must take them down! I want them alive!"
He realized that the waters behind Maine's team were deeper than they had imagined.
But this only strengthened his resolve; no matter who the opponent was, he had to unearth this technology.
Inside the gas station, Maine carefully put the electric rifle back into its custom-made scabbard on his back, a hint of lingering fear on his face.
If it weren't for this powerful weapon Osiris had given them earlier, they might have been finished here.
"Good thing we had the boss' treasure, otherwise we couldn't have dealt with these two aerial vehicles!" Falco exhaled, looking at the falling aerial vehicles.
"Don't get distracted! Bigger trouble is coming!" Kiwi's voice exploded in the team's encrypted channel, with an unprecedented tension. "Detecting high-speed individual signals! More than one! It's—it's Sandevistan! And optical camo! They're inside!"
Almost simultaneously with the warning, an extremely blurry phantom, almost merging with the distorted air around it, accompanied by a faint electrical hum, flashed into the ruins of the gas station at a speed far beyond normal human visual capture capabilities.
This shadow did not rush directly towards the most obvious target, but instead, it eerily veered towards Pilar, who was behind a half-collapsed counter, frantically trying to reload his smart submachine gun!
A cold glint appeared! It was the light of death reflected from the molecularly polished edge of a top-tier Mantis Blade, aimed directly at Pilar's neck!
Pilar hadn't even fully reacted, only feeling an instant icy killing intent envelop his entire body.
"Watch out!" Maine's roar almost coincided with gunshots. In the nick of time, he caught that momentary killing intent and the slight outline distortion that optical camo couldn't completely eliminate. Relying on years of street combat instinct, the large-caliber pistol in his hand fired three rapid shots at the empty space in front of Pilar, almost without aiming!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Deafening gunshots echoed in the confined space.
The bullets, carrying immense kinetic energy, slammed into the concrete floor and the broken metal counter, sending up a shower of debris and sparks.
One of the bullets almost grazed the edge of the phantom. Although it didn't hit directly, the impact and threat forced the opponent to abandon the fatal strike on Pilar.
The phantom's movement showed a subtle, almost imperceptible pause, and the optical camouflage system produced a more noticeable ripple due to the high-speed evasive maneuver, revealing a blurry outline.
He slid back half a step like a ghost, his crimson electronic eyes coldly sweeping over Maine, then he unhesitatingly changed targets, his Mantis Blades flashing with cold light, turning towards Rebecca, who had just finished shooting and was adjusting her stance not far away!
Just as the tip of the Mantis Blade was about to touch Rebecca's back, Dorio moved from the side!
She didn't rely on sight but entirely on the extreme perception of subtle airflow disturbances and biological killing intent, enhanced by Osiris.
Her body, far more robust than an ordinary person's, erupted with a ferocity and agility completely at odds with her size. As if anticipating, she stepped forward sideways, her bronzed, bulging right arm sweeping out horizontally like a heavy steel whip, with a whooshing sound that tore through the air, precisely meeting the deadly Mantis Blades!
"Clang—!"