Bab 16: The Fight for North Point
The sky was a chaos of explosions and streaking missiles, the once-clear horizon now thick with smoke and fire as I tore through Osea's air defense network. Every second felt like a lifetime, and I knew that if I faltered for even a moment, I'd be nothing more than a smoking crater in the snow-covered landscape below. The F-16 groaned under the strain, the G-forces pressing against me as I banked hard to dodge another incoming missile.
"Missile lock!" I yelled into the comms, pulling into a sharp barrel roll. The heat-seeker screamed past me, detonating harmlessly in the clouds.
"Rook, where are you?" I barked, my eyes darting to the radar. More enemy jets were closing in, and my radar was pinging with new targets—this time, a squadron of F-15 Eagles, some of Osea's best fighters.
"We're breaching the facility now," Rook's voice crackled through the comms, her words barely audible over the roar of engines and explosions. "Hold them off for just a little longer!"
I grit my teeth, feeling the pressure mounting. I was already pushing the F-16 to its limits, but the enemy forces kept coming, like an endless swarm. My HUD flashed red again as another missile lock warning screamed in my ears.
Skill Activated: Tactical Disruption
Skill Activated: Combat Awareness
The system hummed in the back of my mind, guiding my movements as the F-16 slipped through the onslaught of missiles and anti-aircraft fire. I fired off another burst of flares, throwing off the enemy radar just long enough to pull into a sharp climb. The sky twisted around me as I looped over the top of the SAM sites, diving back down toward the F-15s that were closing in fast.
"These guys don't give up," I muttered to myself as I flipped into a tight turn, lining up the nearest F-15 in my sights. The enemy jet banked hard, but I was already locked on.
Skill Activated: Precision Strike
I squeezed the trigger, the missile streaking out of my wingtip and slamming into the F-15's tail. The jet erupted into a fireball, debris spiraling toward the earth.
Enemy Aircraft Destroyed. XP Gained: 1500
But there was no time to celebrate. Three more F-15s were right behind me, their missile locks flashing on my HUD. I yanked the stick to the right, pulling into a high-G turn as the enemy jets opened fire. My vision blurred for a moment, the force pressing against my chest like a vice, but the system kept me sharp, guiding every movement.
"Almost there!" Rook's voice broke through the noise. "We've got eyes on the core!"
"About time," I growled, dodging another missile. "I can't keep this up much longer!"
New Objective: Neutralize North Point AI Core
Objective: Provide cover for strike team and eliminate enemy air superiority
Reward: XP: 6000, ???
Failure Penalty: AI Control of Osea's Northern Defense Grid
The AI was adapting fast. The missile volleys were getting tighter, and the F-15s were flying in coordinated formations now, trying to pin me in. The skies were closing in, and I was running out of room to maneuver.
I pushed the F-16 into a steep climb, breaking away from the missile locks for a brief second. My HUD pinged with more warnings as the SAM sites below re-engaged, launching another salvo of missiles into the air.
"Recommend high-altitude escape," the system whispered in my mind. "Incoming reinforcements. Threat level increasing."
I cursed under my breath. I couldn't just run, not yet. Rook and the strike team were still inside the facility, and if I didn't keep the pressure on, the AI would turn the entire defense grid against us. I had to keep fighting.
"I'm not leaving," I muttered, gripping the throttle tightly. "We finish this."
The F-16's engines screamed as I leveled out, diving back into the fray. I dodged between the SAMs, the heat from the explosions washing over the canopy as I weaved through the deadly hailstorm. The enemy jets were still on my tail, but I was faster, more agile. The system guided my every move, sharpening my reflexes, predicting their attacks before they happened.
I lined up another shot, locking onto one of the F-15s as it banked hard to avoid me. With a quick pull of the trigger, I fired, the missile streaking forward and slamming into the jet's wing. It exploded in a burst of flames, and I pulled up just in time to avoid the debris.
Enemy Aircraft Destroyed. XP Gained: 1500
"Rook, what's your status?" I shouted into the comms, my heart pounding as I pulled into another steep turn to avoid the incoming missiles.
"We're planting the EMP now!" Rook replied, her voice strained. "Give us thirty seconds!"
"Thirty seconds is a long time up here," I muttered, dodging another missile as it streaked past my wing.
Skill Activated: Evasive Maneuvers
The system's guidance kicked in just in time, allowing me to pull into a tight roll, dodging another barrage of enemy fire. My vision blurred again from the intense G-forces, but I stayed locked in, weaving through the chaos as the F-15s struggled to keep up.
"Come on, come on," I whispered, glancing at the radar. The reinforcements were getting closer—too close.
Suddenly, the comms crackled to life again. "EMP's live! Get clear!"
I didn't need any more encouragement. I yanked the throttle back, pulling into a steep climb as the EMP detonated below. The blast wave rippled through the air, frying the electronics of the SAM sites and the AI-controlled systems in the facility.
The radar pinged wildly for a second, then went silent. The missile warnings vanished, and the F-15s on my tail scattered, their systems disrupted by the EMP.
North Point AI Core Neutralized. XP Gained: 6000
Objective Complete: AI Control Prevented
I let out a long breath, the tension in my body finally releasing as I leveled out the F-16, flying away from the facility. The sky was still filled with smoke and debris, but the threat was over. For now.
"We're clear," Rook said over the comms, her voice exhausted but relieved. "North Point is down. The AI's been shut out."
"Good," I replied, feeling the weight of the battle start to lift. "Let's get out of here before they send more jets."
Rook laughed, a tired sound. "I hear that."
I banked the F-16 toward the southern horizon, the sun breaking through the clouds as we flew away from North Point. The facility was behind us now, but the fight was far from over. There were still other cores out there, still pieces of the AI network waiting to reawaken.
And as the adrenaline started to fade, the system stirred again in the back of my mind, its presence stronger than before.
"Another core detected. Location: Usea."
I clenched my fists, staring out into the vast sky ahead. It wasn't over. Not yet.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone