章 183: Chapter 182
Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict.
Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish!
The night enveloped the entire wasteland, with gusts of cool wind stirring up yellow sand and dust, sweeping across each hill and plain. The Aldecaldos camp was equally silent under the moonlight, with old tents tightly closed and their inhabitants deep in slumber. Only in front of one tent, a blazing bonfire illuminated a patch of open ground.
Around a square table, a group of people stood, discussing something with serious and cautious expressions. Tang Yu stared at the detailed map spread out on the table, explaining the entire operation process to everyone present. Once everyone understood, he continued.
"After midnight tonight, the Arasaka Corporation will initiate the matrix space sequence. Three teams must complete their designated tasks as quickly as possible and then retreat safely."
Panam listened to the action plan attentively, greatly approving of Tang Yu's strategy. She herself was a person who loved planning, and in such extreme time constraints, everyone involved had to ensure they completed their assigned tasks perfectly. Any mistake could trigger a chain reaction, endangering others.
Panam was puzzled by Tang Yu's mention of three teams. She looked up at the silver-haired girl, who would be diving into cyberspace once the matrix space was activated to search for the signal source and find relevant clues.
Lucy's deep dive was the core of this mission, and everyone else's actions were to support her. If Lucy failed, the entire operation would be in vain.
Not knowing much about Lucy's hacking skills, Panam trusted Tang Yu's judgment in bringing her along. She then glanced at Mitch and Scorpion beside her; their task was to draw the security attention at the tunnel construction site, allowing the team inside to proceed with their mission. Maine's team was responsible for breaking into the core of the matrix space within the tunnel, the most dangerous part of the operation.
Panam had a favorable impression of Maine's team from their previous collaboration. They had a formidable leader, a twin-tailed girl, a tough woman in a jacket, an older male driver, and a tall hacker. She estimated that they could handle critical moments.
Their ability to attract enough firepower without causing overreaction would be crucial to Maine's team's success. Too little distraction would leave Maine's team vulnerable, while too much could draw Militech's attention, leading to additional reinforcements.
Maine's team had already infiltrated the tunnel, waiting for the right time. Their success depended on Panam's team's ability to execute their distraction flawlessly. Failure could lead to a deadly confrontation inside the tunnel.
Finally, Panam turned to V, a girl whose appearance was deceptive. Her straight black hair and delicate face, coupled with alluring red lips, gave her the appearance of someone who might be on vacation if not for her fierce demeanor and casual swearing.
In this mission, V was to provide mobile support, accompanying Panam. Panam could see V was eager to jump into action. Although V said nothing, her expression revealed it all.
After Tang Yu finished explaining, Panam decisively said, "Tang, since the plan is set, Mitch, Scorpion, and I will head out now."
"Though you may not want to bother the clan, they will assist if needed, even without Saul."
Tang Yu nodded slightly, having previously declined Panam's offer to involve the Aldecaldo family members. This was his personal matter, not worth dragging the whole clan into it. Also, he didn't want Panam to conflict with Saul over it.
"Alright, Panam, V, Mitch, Scorpion, be careful," Tang Yu said.
Mitch crossed his arms and said leisurely, "Don't worry, as the first phase of the operation, we'll make sure to set off the first shot right."
"But to be honest, I like this plan. It's interconnected like gears. It's just a pity we can't get any new gear from the corps."
Panam laughed, "With Tang around, you still worry? After this, you'll have your new gear delivered, haha."
The three left to depart from the camp. V looked at Tang Yu beside her and teased, "Nicely done, this time we finally have something big to play with."
Then V caught up with Panam, walking alongside her. "Hi, I'm V. Let's hope we work well together."
"City girl," Panam said, opening her car door. "Don't get too scared when things get rough. If you can handle it, I'll be impressed."
Panam got into the driver's seat and pushed open the passenger door. "Get in, V."
Somewhat resigned, V got into the car. Observing the heavily modified vehicle, equipped with various electronic devices and a big gun in the back, V marveled at the high level of modification.
Outside, Mitch drove ahead on his bike, guiding their way. Panam steadied the wheel and hit the gas, their car surging forward like a beast.
"Impressive modifications," V complimented.
Panam, pleased, responded, "You haven't seen Thunder's true power yet. You'll know soon."
Intrigued, V tapped the big turret behind. "This turret? Installing it on an off-road vehicle is like driving a tank."
"It does feel like a tank," Panam admitted. "Tang thought of it. Mitch helped build it. You can try it; it's a bit tricky sometimes, but a good punch usually fixes it."
V, impressed by Panam's boldness, connected her wrist cables to the interface. Soon, the turret's view appeared before her, giving a bird's eye view from the roof.
The two tested the turret's firepower on the wasteland, thrilling V with its power. After some fun, V disconnected and asked curiously, "How do you and Tang know each other? He knows car modifications too?"
Panam laughed, "It's simple. I led the way, he paid. What really impressed me was his shooting. Have you seen it?"
V, somewhat annoyed, replied, "No, but I've seen plenty of his corporate attitude."
"So, you're a hired hand?" Panam laughed, finding it amusing that Tang Yu hired someone like V for the job.
V, acknowledging Panam's point, said, "Yes, he's quite generous."
Panam chuckled, "I'll give him that."
The three vehicles raced through the night toward the Arasaka tunnel construction site.
...
Inside the tunnel, Maine cautiously moved along the walls, avoiding any unnecessary movements. He led his team, following the layout of the construction site provided by Gloria, deeper into the tunnel.
According to the plan, they needed to break through the tunnel's barriers at the appointed time, enter the core of the matrix space, and install the signal source program chip.
Maine had crafted a detailed plan for his squad, assigning specific roles to each member. Dorio monitored movements near the perimeter, Maine and Rebecca provided firepower in the middle, Pilar handled the targeted demolition, and Kiwi would access the core to plant the chip.
The tunnel's deepest part was inactive, with minimal patrols. The few surveillance systems were already under Kiwi's control, making it almost impossible for Arasaka to detect any disturbances.
Maine moved farther, spotting Rebecca with her shotgun, idly sitting on a rock. He whispered, "How's Pilar's prep?"
"Bored," Rebecca replied. "Pilar says everything's set. He prepared extra tools just in case."
Maine, seeing the time approach, grew anxious. Rebecca, noticing his worry, reassured him, "It's Tang Yu's job, don't worry."
She was quite relaxed about this mission. According to company protocol, every assignment had a backup plan, so it almost always ended well. She was confident this time would be no different.
The last time they burned down Biotechnica's building, the situation was equally intense, yet everyone completed their tasks smoothly without a hitch. This time, the target was Yorinobu's company, and there was nothing to worry about. The mission content was simpler: just enter the matrix core and insert the program chip.
So, she believed that Tang Yu's plan was undoubtedly thorough, and she had no reason to worry, even feeling a bit bored.
Maine looked outside the tunnel, equally pitch dark, and whispered, "That's true, but inside the tunnel is a dead zone where no mistakes are allowed. Fortunately, the building standards are high, and the base is solid."
As the two talked, faint noises from outside, resembling gunfire, reached their ears. Maine glanced at the time again, noting that it was time.
The first part of the action plan commenced, with a team drawing the site's defensive firepower. With the external cover, Maine loosened up and walked straight into the tunnel, meeting Pilar, who was prepping for the demolition, and Kiwi, who was operating a portable tablet.
"Ready?"
Pilar extended his gleaming golden cybernetic arm, gesturing everything was fine.
Kiwi, staring at her electronic tablet, said, "I've detected current and voltage changes inside the barrier, indicating the matrix space is preheating. This is the perfect opportunity."
Maine gave the order immediately, "Pilar, detonate!"
Pilar pounded the red button in his hand, causing a muffled explosion from several deep holes in the earthen wall.
The earthen wall bulged, with white smoke and the strong smell of burning gunpowder emanating from the deep holes.
Kiwi quickly checked the situation, finding the signal strength increasing and announced, "Successful detonation."
Pilar grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
Maine picked up a shovel from the ground and tossed one to Pilar.
"Clear the debris and escort Kiwi in."
Within half a minute, the blast created an opening, revealing a path ahead.
Kiwi took a deep breath through her mask, crouching and approaching the entrance.
"I'm going in."
She then entered the matrix core.
Emerging from the tunnel, she was taken aback by the enormous underground mechanical palace before her.
Kiwi stood at one corner of the palace, looking toward the center. Beneath the dome, rows of black-screen servers stood tall, arranged in the central plaza, forming the network matrix. Blue, white, and red data streams rolled across them, converging into a blue holographic cloud above.
Within the data cloud, a figure seemed to be floating silently.
From the center of the server matrix, bundles of electronic cables stretched in all directions, connecting various electronic fortresses.
There was no time to admire the technological and architectural beauty. Kiwi immediately activated her scanner to find the target interface. If the matrix space fully started, the alarm system might kick in. If they were discovered, retreating would be challenging.
Kiwi dashed forward, reaching the server matrix at top speed, finding a data interface, and inserted the program chip to initiate it.
After completing the mission, Kiwi let out a brief sigh of relief. She was about to turn around and leave when a sudden tension gripped her.
A stranger was standing behind her, blocking her way back. He was dressed in a crisp suit, contrasting starkly with the surroundings. His expressionless face made it hard to guess his intentions, but his eerily glowing blue eyes emitted a creepy and sinister aura.
Kiwi didn't hesitate, her cybernetic eye adjusting as she sent a secure transmission to Maine, requesting backup, and withdrew her pistol.
The blue-eyed man didn't stop her; he just stared at her in silence.
Kiwi dared not shoot but felt the increasing heat behind her. The server matrix was heating up.
Her vision blurred and jumped between images, warning windows popped up frantically, indicating her cybernetics were at risk of overheating, and her ICE protection had been fatally compromised.
Ignoring the excruciating pain in her brain, she realized that his hacking skills far exceeded hers. She was no match for him.
Her vision began flashing with eerie blue light, a sign that she knew was extremely dangerous.
"Cognitive modification program?"
Without hesitation, Kiwi initiated the emergency shut-down sequence, cutting off all electronic interactions and leaving only life-support functions active. Her body went limp, collapsing to the ground, her eyes unfocused, falling into a shut-down state.
This was her only means of self-preservation; otherwise, under his continued hacking, she might lose control over her body entirely.
After Kiwi collapsed, Maine and Pilar rushed inside. But before they could grasp the situation, their vision went black, and even their cybernetics failed.
What terrified Maine the most was that the enemy seemed capable of controlling his cybernetics at will, bypassing his consciousness and using his communication interface to send a distress signal to Rebecca and Dorio.
Despite Maine and Pilar's struggles, they finally succumbed to the enemy's techniques, fainting with foam at their mouths, immobile.
Maine, with his remaining consciousness, could only murmur, "Run…"
…
Outside the construction site tunnel.
Panam, her face serious, gripped the steering wheel tightly as she floored the pedal, speeding across the wasteland.
Seeing the swarm of drones and fully-armed off-road vehicles chasing them, she felt like cursing.
"Damn! What the hell is going on? Did they all eat gunpowder today? Leaving the site undefended to chase us—like I've got some precious treasure in my car." Panam muttered as she drove, occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror.
Even V was a bit confused by the situation. This was entirely different from what they had anticipated. Instead of merely defending the site, Yoru's company's security had poured out to chase them relentlessly, making their car a prime target.
"Damn it! This wasn't part of the plan—they're going all out!" V cursed.
Panam growled, "V, show them what we've got—now!"
V, with no time to think twice, connected to the turret program and began firing at the drones.
Ratatatat.
Bullets flew out, taking down several drones.
The convoy behind, along with airborne armed drones, returned fire, bullets peppering the car.
Panam frowned even more.
On another front, Mitch and Scorpion were independently attacking the site to divert their attention. But soon, they noticed the enemy largely ignored them and pursued Panam's car instead.
The vast construction site emptied out, with all machinery halting.
Mitch and Scorpion were stunned, unsure if they should throw their bombs since there was no one left to attract fire.
They couldn't fathom the situation but suddenly received a message from Panam.
"Mitch, Scorpion, these bastards seem to have an ulterior motive. Seize the site and support the tunnel team."
Quickly, they rushed into the site, aiming for the control center to facilitate Maine's evacuation.
As the car sped over the rocky surface, Panam remained focused but occasionally glanced at V with suspicion.
The site security chasing them so fiercely wasn't for the car—it had to be for V.
That was the only explanation.
"Right, they're after V," realized Panam.
V, after eliminating the drones, found the turret jammed, unable to target the pursuing vehicles.
She quickly reported, "Panam, the turret's stuck."
Panam had V disengage the turret controls, explaining, "These big boys need getting used to—probably a bullet jam."
"At least you took out the drones. I'm confident I can lose the chase."
V readied her assault rifle, chambered a round, and remarked, "Why are they targeting us? Do they have a specific objective?"
Panam didn't answer directly, instead changing the subject, "Who knows. Maybe we pissed them off, and they want to get back at us."
"But we can't return to camp now. It'd expose our location and cause more trouble."
V nodded seriously, "True, if push comes to shove, we'll find a good spot and face them head-on."
Panam replied, "No problem. Once we gain some distance, I'll fix the turret. In a desert showdown, these amateurs got nothing on us."
Through the rearview mirror, V noticed that some of the pursuers had blue-eyed cybernetics, realizing Yoru's company's elaborate methods.
"Panam, I know what they want. They're after what's in my head."
Panam glanced sideways at V, "Is it really that valuable to make the company go all out?"
V, with a stern face, replied, "Whether it's valuable or not to them, it's important."
"Panam, give me the wheel. You should regroup with Mitch and Scorpion. They won't care about you."
Panam refused, instead connecting with Mitch and Scorpion, saying firmly, "Don't worry, V. We started this together, and we'll finish it together."
"Besides, Tang is still waiting."
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット