บท 181: Dawn Breaks
Meredith organized her thoughts: So now she had to continue the charade.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely fake: The fact that Burger King didn't know where the Lizardmen came from was already valuable intelligence.
If that was the case, then the connection between the Lizardmen and biotech, and the fact that they were taken by Wraith operatives related to biodynamics, actually made a lot of sense.
As a spy who came from an intelligence background, she was already familiar with this type of operation, using inside help to sabotage a corporation, and she was good at it.
However, to fully solidify Burger King's version of events, she would need the cooperation of those reviewing the intelligence.
And the fewer people reviewing the information, the better—ideally, only she would remain.
The colonel overseeing the border forces had to die—and the breakthrough lay at the border wall.
How many people were in the border forces?
There were two divisions recorded: 536 soldiers stationed at the southern wall, and with logistics and technical staff included, the total was 661.
Tonight, 89 combat personnel had already been killed—a considerable loss.
There were fewer people because the border forces of Militech were highly automated—
Here, border control was generally simple: Anyone approaching without authorization would be shot on sight. No need to think about other factors.
If you have nothing to hide, why not go through the checkpoints?
So, the high wall separating Southern and Northern California, aside from checkpoint zones and maintenance and power stations on either side, didn't really require human guards.
Countless Griffin and Octant drones patrolled 24/7, and anyone who dared to approach within a kilometer of the wall would be shot on sight.
The drones were largely powered by wireless solar energy panels scattered near the wall.
These solar panels absorbed sunlight, using radio frequency technology to supply power to nearby drones, creating a mutually defensive relationship with the drone defense zones.
Because of this relationship, hacking into the solar power stations could give access to the drone network.
At the very least, hacking the solar stations could disable nearby drones, creating an opening for an attack convoy.
As a result, these scattered solar power stations were the main focus of human security in the border forces.
Considering the vastness of this area, the gap left by the absence of this entire armored squad would create a significant security breach for the solar stations in the Badlands.
Breaching one or two of the power stations wouldn't be a problem.
The Basilisk would lead the charge and tear down the border wall—a major event for the border forces.
If they managed to break through, the commanding officer's life would be at risk. He would have to scramble to defend, and if he was still sitting in his office, it would be laughable.
Lure him out, eliminate him on the spot, and she would be the only survivor directly involved in the event. This way, she could obscure the facts and patch the holes in the story Burger King had fabricated.
Now she had to deceive the corporation and collude with outsiders—Meredith was on a dark path with no return.
Leo's voice rang in Meredith's head:
"Listen, I've implanted some discreet backdoors in your mind. Don't think you'll be out of my control just because you leave here.
Remember, I saved your life, and your life is still in my hands.
Once you return, I expect you to deliver what I asked for, no exceptions."
Meredith trembled slightly, a result of her severe injuries and the loss of her life-supporting cybernetics.
Leo had given her some initial treatment, but it was only enough to keep her alive for a while.
"You're asking for too much—the backdoor will be detected by the corporation," she said weakly.
"You're in no position to make demands, Director Stout. Frankly, doing business with us is a huge win for you. You'll have to find a way to hide that little backdoor yourself."
In truth, Leo wasn't worried about the backdoor being discovered at all.
This backdoor was linked to systems from a different world, the Marvel Universe. As long as no commands were issued, there would be no problem.
Even if a command was sent, how would Militech track a signal from another universe?
The high wall appeared in the distance, along with the Militech solar stations.
"There are three hours left until dawn. This is the last mission of the night, so stay sharp."
The Basilisk sped towards the solar station, and the guards raised their hands, wanting to check their IDs—
But what greeted them was a barrage of firepower!
Boom!
The Basilisk fired all its missiles, and the Militech soldiers stationed around the Behemoth armored vehicle were blown to pieces along with the vehicle.
V, perched on top of the Basilisk, shot the driver in the head.
Jackie leaped off the Basilisk, finishing off the remaining survivors and grabbing two prisoners, tossing them towards the maintenance hatch.
Leo jumped down from the Basilisk and landed at the hatch, hacking into the systems of the two unfortunate soldiers, then using them as a bridge to bypass the military ICE at the power station.
Looking up—drones in that sector were quickly converging on the station, the only barrier to breaching the defense zone.
The border forces primarily relied on drones for patrol, with only two Basilisks and two Valkyries typically on duty at a time. One was here, but the other was stationed in a sector miles away!
Once the drones were taken offline, breaking through the wall would only take a minute or two!
The incoming drones suddenly froze in mid-air, their red lights flashing, and then turning green as they descended toward the two Behemoth vehicles behind them.
Honestly, no one had seen this kind of situation before.
Money was practically pouring into the vehicles.
Further back, two Ragnar armored vehicles crossed the holographic warning line without stopping, heading straight for the wall!
Inside the vehicles were explosives and Wraith corpses!
Boom!
The wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole with bodies scattered everywhere!
The Basilisk fired all its remaining missiles, and from a distance, it looked like a war was being fought!
After one round of attacks, the breach in the wall had grown significantly, with bodies and wrecked vehicles strewn all over the place.
"That's enough—Director Stout, have you made contact?"
". . . I see him."
"Good."
The energy stored by the solar stations during the day began to fill the area.
It had to be said, large-scale EMPs were a deadly weapon on the battlefield, especially in ambush scenarios.
It was something worth savoring.
At the Militech outpost on the California border wall,
the colonel stationed there collapsed into his chair.
A total of 89 Militech armored troops were missing.
Don't think 89 is a small number.
This world had gone through multiple nuclear wars, an internet crash, and environmental collapse. The population had already been reduced multiple times, and birth rates were terrifyingly low.
In the most brutal conflicts of the Unification Wars, losing 3,000 troops in a single day was considered an unspeakable disaster.
The total garrison at the border wall numbered only about 600. In one blow, they had lost nearly one-seventh of their forces.
And this was an armored division, along with the loss of drones, attack helicopters, Basilisks, hover APCs, and several armored transports.
And the mission target, the Lizardmen?
Not a single trace!
That guy who was fighting while eating was impressive, but there was no sign of any Lizardmen!
"Stout!" The colonel gritted his teeth, cursing, "You bitch! Bastard! Incompetent idiot!!!"
At this point, there was only one report to file: There were no Lizardmen here!
PR Director and Special Intelligence Agent Meredith Stout had provided false intelligence, illegally supplied experimental technology to criminals, and led to an attack on the border forces!
[Militech California Border Forces Colonel: Combat Report: Unknown Bioweapon Operation File-Γ-7]
[Preliminary Report: Mission Failed]
[Current Status: Unverified unknown bioweapon Γ intelligence, unauthorized Militech experimental technology discovered, further verification required]
[Requesting deployment of border forces for further investigation]
[Command conflict, request denied]
[Cross-examination requested by Wasteland detachment]
[New urgent private channel message received]
[Sender: Meredith Stout]
The colonel was stunned: That bitch isn't dead?
[Meredith Stout: The Lizardmen and Wraiths are heading for the border wall!]
[Meredith Stout: Idiot, you attacked the wrong target!]
He understood each word, but when strung together, he had no idea what Meredith was talking about.
Boom!
[Warning!]
[California Border High Wall Section 6 under attack!]
[Surveillance offline]
[Drones out of control]
[Solar power section offline]
The colonel's face turned pale, his heart skipping a beat. He jumped up, no longer caring about whatever nonsense Meredith was spouting—
The border wall was under a real attack!
He rushed out of the station in a panic, activating his military-grade Sandevistan cybernetics and scanning the direction of the assault with his tactical-grade augmented eyes:
Drones were swarming toward the solar station, but—
They weren't attacking the invaders. It looked more like they were returning to their base!
Someone was robbing the Militech border forces!
"Damn it! Deploy! Wake up everyone who isn't on guard duty, no one gets to sleep!"
Actually, he didn't need to say anything; the automatic border dispatch system had already begun assigning personnel.
[Advance support unit deployment completed, now engaging.]
A Behemoth armored vehicle sped past him, and he jumped onto it, gripping the door's handlebar with one hand.
Practically gritting his teeth, he sent a message to Stout.
[Militech Colonel #0856: What the hell is going on?!]
[Meredith Stout: There's been a mistake in the intel. We attacked the wrong people! Tell me which section is under attack. I'll bring reinforcements, or the lizardmen will escape!]
[Meredith Stout: {Encrypted Image} {Encrypted Intel File}]
[Downloading file (Do not click on personal emails from unknown sources) (small print)]
[Militech Colonel #0856: Now you're telling me this? Are there really lizardmen?]
[Meredith Stout: I see your convoy.]
In the desert, a Militech Behemoth with a few armored vehicles was approaching rapidly. The colonel received Stout's signal and motioned to his men not to fire.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"I told you before, you should have used white phosphorus to burn down the cement plant!"
"What the hell does that have to do with this?! Damn—watch out, the enemy is at the power station! That Basilisk isn't ours!"
"The Burger King isn't our main target! The Wraiths tricked all of us, and someone is helping them!"
Stout quickly calculated the distance—
"What? Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Are you messing with me?"
Bang!
Suddenly, the solar power station exploded, and a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) surged through the area—
This EMP wasn't enough to completely neutralize the border forces, but it definitely disrupted their communications.
"Damn, an EMP attack? Nomads again? Damn, those Nomads!"
The colonel's Sandevistan started to activate but was immediately hit with a series of cybernetic system errors—
His military-grade ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) had been bypassed without a sound! The EMP triggered a hidden virus, locking up his cybernetic enhancements!
And the path the hackers took to bypass the ICE? It was through that private email. Meredith was the mole!
He glanced at the driver, who now had smoke rising from his head!
The enemy hackers had used the communication channel to bypass the ICE, disabling his entire system and also taking down his entire forward support squad!
The colonel's face twisted in rage: "You played me—"
He turned to look at the Ragnar armored vehicle driving alongside.
Meredith was in the passenger seat, her body severely burned and barely functional, but she was still holding a revolver, her eyes cold—
Without a word, Meredith pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The final task was done.
Leo stood atop the Basilisk, watching as the colonel's team, the first to arrive at the scene, was completely wiped out by Jackie.
The border wall had been blown open by explosives and missiles, and the timing was perfect—
Just in time to catch the sunrise on the horizon.
Sunlight streamed through the gaping hole in the wall, shining on the burning vehicles and the corpses of Wraiths scattered across the ground.
A vehicle, seemingly "driven by corpses," sped through the breach, bouncing along the way toward Mexico.
Thus ended the wild night in the Wastelands.
"That's a wrap."
(End of chapter)
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