Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Official Operation
Zero Three Earth.
September 30th.
13:44.
On the first floor of the main building of the front-line base (formerly a shopping mall), within the equipment preparation depot:
Nearly two hundred combat personnel were all fully equipped with their individual combat gear. At first glance, these outfits appeared quite similar to the standard combat uniforms and mechanical exoskeletons of the ARS units. However, upon closer inspection, the combat uniforms were composed of small diamond-shaped "◇" plates, giving them a black scale-like appearance.
The helmet could be sealed to the combat suit, providing a filtration system for toxic substances. The mechanical exoskeletons lacked any added defense modules, resulting in a noticeably "lighter" feel overall.
At first look, the appearance of this gear might suggest it wouldn't hold up in direct combat against ARS or AECS's standard combat equipment, but in reality, these were part of the "Individual Stealth Combat Equipment" (ISCE) developed by the Research Department. Their intended use was not for frontal assaults.
Since the 1980s, Atlas had invested substantial resources into the field of optical camouflage. It wasn't until the end of 1993 that they managed to break through technological barriers, first applying this technology to buildings and vehicles.
The first practical application of this optical camouflage for individual soldiers occurred in 1994, after the opening of the second space gate. The Research Department provided six experimental stealth suits to the Hunter Squad for reconnaissance missions in Pandora's rainforest.
At present, members of the Hunter Squad were busy checking each other's gear to ensure everything was functioning correctly. At the same time, logistics personnel in orange vests were assisting more than a dozen investigators, including Leon.
"All set!" A logistics member patted Leon on the shoulder, smiling as he advised, "Major Morgan is extremely protective of this equipment. To him, it's like a treasure, so be careful. Otherwise, you'll definitely be on his radar, haha."
With that, the logistics personnel continued with their tasks, leaving Leon to adjust to his new gear.
"..."
After the logistics member walked away, Leon moved his shoulders and took a few small jumps in place, finding that all movements were smooth and easy.
Most importantly, when his feet hit the ground, they made almost no noise—truly a tool for stealth.
Leon nodded in satisfaction.
"Everyone listen up!" At that moment, Arthur, who had already finished suiting up, reminded everyone over the helmet's communication system: "Don't forget to grab extra supplies. Our mission could last days, considering Minerva's area is ten times the size of Los Angeles."
Upon hearing this, Leon slung an AMWS rifle with a suppressor over his back and, along with a few other investigators, moved to the right side of the equipment depot. Here, they found large quantities of loose ammunition and magazines loaded with subsonic bullets, prepared by the logistics staff.
After gathering enough ammunition, Leon also picked up an emergency medical kit, compressed military rations in four flavors, and backup water bags from the supply area.
Before long, his waist, thighs, and chest storage pouches were filled with various supplies.
Next, Leon put on his helmet, which connected seamlessly with his combat suit. He heard a faint hissing sound, and then a screen displaying various functions appeared before his eyes.
The calibration line for assisted shooting also appeared at the center of the screen, and it quickly synced with the AMWS rifle on his back. Information such as remaining bullets, bullet types, and spare magazines was displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.
"Five minutes until departure! Everyone, board the aircraft!" Arthur's order came through the communication channel once more.
"Hu-ha!" The Hunter Squad members responded with a battle cry.
Leon immediately gripped his rifle and followed the group out of the equipment depot, heading toward the spacious vertical takeoff and landing pad.
If one were to look down from the air at this moment, there would be no trace of the large shopping mall that once stood here—the front-line base had been transformed into a true military fortress. The hangars were filled with various vehicles, including old Dragon-class gunships, V44 Redhawk transport aircraft, and RH-66 attack helicopters. There were also many new models that had abandoned the traditional main rotor engine (propellers), such as new airborne gunships.
No "antiques" were found among the ground armored vehicles; most of the equipment was developed independently by Atlas. Among these was the "Titan" main battle tank, equipped with four tracks and some variable structure.
Additionally, there was a much larger, dual-barreled heavy tank without any tracks—the Tank-740 Hover model known as the "Slayer."
Leon and his group quickly moved toward their designated transport—a new model that looked like a more compact, lightweight version of the Blackhawk helicopter. However, its wings and jet engine structure indicated that its speed and maneuverability far surpassed that of the Blackhawk.
This was the "Blackhawk" assault craft, the latest addition to the Hunter Squad's fleet.
Beep-beep.
Leon heard a faint electronic sound and noticed through his helmet display that each person was labeled with designations like "H1-01" and "H2-01," with his own code being "H7-14."
At the same time, the twelve Blackhawks being checked by ground crew were also labeled from "H1" to "H12."
Without needing any explanation from Arthur, Leon knew he was assigned to the H7 combat group. He immediately boarded the Blackhawk marked with H7.
Once the investigators and Hunters were all aboard, the ground crew helped close the detachable side doors of the cabin. They then ran to a spot a few meters in front of the cockpit, kneeled, and raised their right hands with thumbs up, indicating everything was ready.
In response, the pilots nodded, lifted the Blackhawks into the air, and quickly turned northward.
Then, the twelve Blackhawks activated their optical camouflage, and in an instant, they blended into the gray sky, disappearing without a trace.
Inside the cabin:
As he gazed at the empty streets and the desert beyond the city, Leon, sitting in a corner, suddenly felt a wave of sorrow.
According to the intelligence reports, their fellow humans on Zero Three Earth were enduring tremendous suffering. But the cold numbers and descriptions on paper could never compare to the experience of witnessing the situation firsthand from the air.
"Attention, everyone." At this moment, Arthur began marking the targets for each group on the screen using the individual combat system and said aloud:
"Groups H1 through H4 and H9 through H12 will be responsible for investigating Alpha and Beta detention zones, respectively. Groups H5 through H8 will infiltrate and investigate the core area and attempt to obtain Minerva's building blueprints so that the company can more accurately deploy the metal hydrogen bombs.
In ten minutes, only internal communications will be allowed unless there's a significant event. If anyone has any questions, contact me immediately. Understood?"
"Understood."
Leon looked at the enlarged aerial map and responded in unison with the others over the communication system.
"Good!" Arthur continued, his tone fearless: "Let's be the ones to pave the way through this hellhole for our fellow troops! Hahaha!"
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