"Yes, boss," Kent replied with a stoic nod.
Athena, however, looked surprised when she saw Ivan, who was only a head shorter than her, and asked William in astonishment, "Boss… is this really Ivan? I remember he was so small the last time I saw him."
As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, comparing herself to Ivan, who was standing not far away.
"Ah, children grow up fast, it's normal," William said with a helpless smile.
Ivan, too, was uncharacteristically flustered, his gaze slightly avoiding Athena's after seeing her. He ultimately stood behind William, not making eye contact with Athena…
Was he shy?
However, no one paid much attention.
Immediately after, William led Ivan and Blue Team into the Minos Island base and asked, "Colonel, how are those kids from Phase Two doing?"
Athena and a group of USS followed behind William and Ivan, while Kent walked alongside William.
He replied, "Everything is as usual, and Athena has also provided us with a lot of experience, as well as many lost physical techniques.
But…
The Phase Two children are ultimately trained in batches. I believe that in terms of overall ability, the rascals… I mean, the children from Phase One, still have the upper hand."
Hearing their old superior praise them so much, Myron and Carl both showed proud expressions, while only John maintained a neutral face.
"Just a small difference is already very good," William nodded with satisfaction and said, "As long as they can pilot the divine bodies, that's enough."
"Exactly," Kent echoed from the side.
During their conversation, everyone left the elevated landing pad and walked along the internal roads of the base towards the beach.
Upon reaching the beach,
everyone lined up along the edge. On the beach, a group of 'youths' in black shorts and short-sleeved shirts were engaged in simulated combat in pairs.
These youths were not ordinary soldiers, but the Phase Two Spartans, with an average age of seventeen.
The Phase Two Spartans had an average height of over 1.85 meters, with well-proportioned and standard physiques. Their skin had also become dark from prolonged exposure to the sun.
Even though it was simulated combat, meant to be light, they still had many minor injuries on their bodies.
After all, Phase Two Spartans also needed to be injected with the T-vaccine and virus every morning and evening. Although the dosage was much smaller than Phase One, the duration of injection was much longer.
Phase One Spartans generally underwent surgery at ages 13 and 14, with only three years to inject large doses of T-products, but Phase Two had at least six years.
Therefore, even if Phase Two hadn't undergone modification surgery, they were still superhumans, and their combat power clearly surpassed that of the USS in bio-armor.
.
"Father…"
Seeing the Phase Two Spartans training before him, Ivan couldn't help but exclaim to William, "Is this the Spartan force that belongs only to Umbrella, that belongs only to us?"
"Of course," William said with a proud expression.
Two hundred and forty 'grown-up' Spartans training simultaneously—the visual impact was truly something.
Originally, Umbrella only had fourteen Phase One warriors, yet they could still ensure the company's position as a world hegemon. If Phase Two also underwent modification surgery, then…
'Wiping out a galaxy should be no problem,' William thought to himself.
Buzz—!
Suddenly, William felt a buzzing sound coming from his pocket. He immediately took out his exclusive earpiece for Serina.
He put it on and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Boss," Serina's urgent voice came through the earpiece, "Egypt has been attacked by an unknown force. After assessment, it's confirmed to be an anomalous attack."
"Egypt?" Hearing about another large-scale anomalous attack, William's original pleasant mood vanished completely.
He then asked, "What's the specific situation? What's the scale? What are the casualties?"
"Boss, a visible barrier has risen across the entire territory of Egypt, causing me to lose monitoring of the entire country, so I cannot determine the exact number of casualties," Serina replied.
Upon hearing this, William raised his hand, pinching his chin, and frowned, "So, it's very likely that Egypt has fallen."
"Yes," Serina did not deny it.
"What about our agents?" William asked.
"The chips implanted in the agents' bodies are not showing anything, so we cannot confirm the specific situation inside Egypt," Serina answered.
"…" William's expression grew even more solemn.
He then said to Kent and Athena beside him, "Colonel, Athena, I'm entrusting Ivan to you for now."
"Yes, boss." (x2)
Then William gently stroked Ivan's head and admonished, "Ivan, remember to act within your limits. Don't make your mother and me worry about you."
Knowing that William had to deal with the anomaly, Ivan nodded and said, "Yes, I understand. Father, you should return to the *Infinity* as soon as possible."
"Heh heh," seeing his son so considerate, William also showed a slight wry smile.
Then he turned and walked towards the elevated landing pad, commanding, "Blue Team, return to the *Infinity* with me."
"Yes." (x3)
Subsequently, William led John and the others back to the Pelican, quickly ascending to the *Infinity*, which was stationed in low Earth orbit.
———
…
At an altitude of two thousand kilometers above the ground,
the twenty various warships of the Zero Fleet were 'berthed' there, with the nearly eight-kilometer flagship *Infinity* at their very center.
In addition, a containment fleet consisting of three Phoenix-class carriers and two UNSC fleets were also nearby.
Below the four fleets was the African continent.
What should have been a landscape emitting a faint blue light, had one anomaly: Egypt, where the African and Asian continents connect.
A hemispherical barrier had risen across the entire territory of Egypt.
It emitted an eerie red light, like a blood sac on the Earth's landmass.
.
Inside the *Infinity*'s bridge;
the layout here was similar to the *Spirit of Fire*, with a large central control console in the middle of the bridge, and various operational consoles and screens on either side.
Serina sat in the captain's chair, overseeing everything, giving orders to the crew members at their respective stations, whether monitoring the ship's status or communicating with other vessels.
As for Halsey, she stood by the central control console, her brow slightly furrowed as she manipulated the touch screen, seemingly trying to understand what kind of anomaly they were facing this time.
Behind the giant viewport at the front of the bridge, William stood with his hands in his military uniform pockets, his expression similar to Halsey's as he looked out the window.
Seeing the anomalous scene visible even from outside Earth, his expression grew even more grim.
Moreover, the bloody barrier covering Egypt was like an infinitely magnified version of Elizabeth Greene's Red Fog exclusion zone.
What bothered him even more was the information blockade; even if the containment operation was successful, it might require a large-scale memory wipe.
He had thought there would be no major events for four years, allowing him to relax a bit. Who would have thought it was just building up to a big move?
"Sigh," William sighed softly.
He immediately commanded, "Serina, notify all UNSC nations to implement air and sea lane control, and have the AI constantly monitor the network to erase any discussions related to this incident."
"Yes."
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