Core Tower.
Facing the southern main gate.
Six giants, nearly ten meters tall, with half-mechanical, half-organic bodies—more appropriately described as "trolls"—stood guard. Their right arms had been modified into large-caliber bio-energy cannons.
Even as they fell to corruption, UAC's weapon research had not stopped.
In the early hours of the morning, the core tower should have been quiet, but the piercing screams of those being beaten and tortured echoed clearly, embodying the essence of Minerva.
The greatest pleasure for the fallen lies in inflicting extreme violence on their former kind, fulfilling their insatiable desires.
This is why they keep humans "domesticated," preventing their complete extinction—if humans were truly wiped out, the fallen would lose their "fun" forever.
Suddenly;
Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out across the city.
?!
The six trolls guarding the main gate became alert, raising their cannons, but the surrounding buildings obstructed their view, preventing them from clearly seeing what was happening.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
??
The trolls looked up to see numerous missiles trailing white flames rapidly shooting into the night sky, shrouded in blood-red mist.
However, the number of missiles ascending was far fewer than expected.
In an instant, the trolls realized that the defensive facilities deployed throughout the city had been specifically targeted and destroyed, and that Minerva was facing an unprecedented airstrike!
Then, in the misty night sky, the successful interceptions burst into fiery explosions, with a few of these "fireballs" shining as brightly as the sun.
Boom—Boom—!!!
By the time the trolls heard the explosions from the sky, they saw several missiles successfully break through the interception net, heading straight for Minerva's central area.
"Roar!!" The six trolls wasted no time, turning and rushing into the core tower.
Whoosh~—!!
Immediately after, the core area of Minerva was illuminated by several "suns."
Boom—!!!
Then, the deafening explosions and shockwaves began to sweep through everything, shaking the earth with unstoppable tremors.
Inside the dimly lit lobby of the core tower;
The twisted faces of the six trolls couldn't display complex expressions, their eyes obscured by armor, but it was easy to guess that they were filled with confusion.
In their human days, they were elite UAC mercenaries. After being assimilated, they helped the company eliminate numerous threats, earning significant battle honors. This qualified them for higher-level "evolution," becoming the "trolls" that now exclusively guarded the upper echelons.
Logically, since the company led them to become Earth's true rulers in 2047, all of the old world's nuclear weapons should be under UAC control.
Even if there were human resistance fighters in old-world towns or in the wilderness, they were mere nuisances without nuclear weapons.
Moreover, the company had intentionally allowed resistance forces to survive. As long as the hope of "we will eventually win" existed, humans would throw themselves at it like moths to a flame, fighting tirelessly.
The humans they imprisoned and domesticated firmly believed that the resistance would soon break through Minerva and set them free, preserving a strong will to live and avoiding mass suicides that would deplete their "livestock."
But the nuclear explosions that had just occurred showed that humans had regained the capability for nuclear strikes, even possessing intercontinental delivery systems. This... this was simply impossible.
As the noise outside gradually subsided, the six trolls left the lobby and returned to the courtyard in front of the main gate.
Even without shared vision, they could sense that everything except the core tower behind them—where the UAC leaders resided—had been leveled.
But...
Why was the core tower left standing?
Could it be that the human forces that destroyed the defensive facilities had infiltrated the area around the tower?
Or did the humans create such a massive distraction to enable their troops to successfully penetrate the tower?!
"Roar!! Intruders!!"
Realizing this possibility, the largest troll roared at the sky, raising its hand to press a special throat mic, ready to report to the remaining UAC leaders.
Whoosh-!
Boom-!
But the sound of a single rocket launcher firing, followed by the explosion of the rocket hitting the troll's chest, interrupted its report.
Bang~! Bang-bang~!
Then came the suppressive burst of subsonic bullets.
It turned out that the "division" the trolls suspected—H7 and H8—had successfully infiltrated to the side of the main gate.
Both team leaders realized that the troll's roar and raised hand meant it was trying to report in.
With no time to think, they abandoned maintaining their stealth and decided to draw attention at any cost, creating an opportunity for the investigators and elite team members to break into the core tower.
At this moment, Lyon was half-crouched beside a barren flowerbed, using his helmet's targeting system and mechanical assistance to fire his rifle continuously at a troll's neck, working in tandem with the sergeant next to him.
"Hudson! Hicks!" the sergeant ordered loudly, "Your teams and Kennedy and Wong, keep pushing forward with the mission!"
"Yes, sir!" Six Hunters responded first, quickly circling to the far right side of the main courtyard.
Ada Wong and Lyon followed closely behind, taking advantage of the chaos at the start of the battle to successfully rush into the core tower's lobby.
Meanwhile, the troll hit by the rocket shook off the smoke from the explosion and raised its right arm, firing a bright green energy cannon diagonally forward.
Boom!!
The shot melted the flowerbed.
Sizzle!!
The high-temperature bio-plasma splattered, penetrating the sergeant's right shoulder, right leg, and several other parts, causing the optical camouflage on his combat suit to malfunction intermittently. The sergeant himself lay motionless on the ground.
Not only the largest troll, but the other five, despite not being able to see the Hunters' exact locations, coordinated to form a more powerful barrage. Coupled with their heavy armor, they quickly turned the tables, reversing their earlier suppression.
However, this was exactly what the Hunters intended: to sacrifice themselves in exchange for drawing all the attention in a short time.
——
...
Inside the elevator of the core tower, large enough to accommodate four trolls simultaneously;
"The UAC really made humanoid tanks. These look even tougher than the Tyrants!"
"Damn... the sergeant's life signs are gone."
"Reichert's too!"
The Hunters' voices were filled with grief.
Lyon watched as the life statuses of the H7-H8 members on the screen gradually turned from green to red, then faded to dark, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.
He didn't know whether to feel fortunate or not, but due to lingering human habits, the UAC had placed a guide map in the tower's lobby. It clearly marked "104th Floor/Urban Management Center/Control Room."
This meant they didn't need to search every floor; they just had to take the elevator to their objective.
"Ding—104th floor, please watch your step."
With the female voice's reminder, Lyon and the others quickly left the elevator, spreading out and crouching in the dim corridor, maintaining vigilance.
There were no enemies in sight.
"Rookie." But Ada, who had remained silent throughout, spoke to him via private comms, "As the Operations Director of the Investigation Department, I order you, if there are any more defenses ahead, to run straight to the control room and make sure the blueprints are transmitted to the frontline base."
"This... Yes, understood." Lyon nodded in agreement.
Ada knew Lyon had doubts, but as someone with higher authority, she had thoroughly reviewed Lyon's file.
Considering the incident in Lodja Town with the Flower of God and their smooth arrival here, Ada believed Lyon had better luck than other investigators.
If an emergency arose, she would have to rely on a "gamble."
Perhaps it was good fortune, or perhaps UAC's oversight, but no one anticipated humans infiltrating their core tower, allowing the group to reach their destination relatively unscathed.
Boom!
The sound of directional charges echoed in the control room.
The eight of them, still in optical camouflage, quickly rushed into the control room with at least a hundred screens, meticulously checking every corner.
After confirming there were no threats, a Hunter shouted, "Getting the blueprints is up to you two. The rest of us will guard the corridor outside!"
"Hooah!"
The others swiftly departed.
Now, only Lyon and Ada remained at the central console, conducting their investigation.
Having undergone rigorous training from a young age, Ada quickly found the interface and took out a specialized mini portable terminal designed for the specifications of Universe 03, plugging it into the interface.
"Warning, system intrusion detected. All personnel are requested to proceed to the control room immediately. Warning..."
As soon as the link was established, a continuous warning echoed throughout the entire floor.
"What's going on?" Lyon asked, sidestepping to keep an eye on the entrance.
"UAC's electronic technology isn't inferior to ours, which combines the tech of two Earths. And their operating system has relatively advanced artificial intelligence," Ada replied gravely but continued to explain:
"I can manually control it, creating the illusion that we're trying to take over the entire system, diverting the AI's defensive focus. Besides, with its current logic, it can't guess our true objective."
"You two better hurry! Those big guys are coming... damn it, Hudson, fire all your grenades!"
The Hunters' warning, coupled with the sudden rise in combat noise outside, meant their time was running out.
Ada glanced at the flickering explosion lights outside the door, then took out a special grenade and handed it to Lyon, "Once the blueprint is decrypted and uploaded, prepare to det
onate this. And don't argue—this is an order."
Without looking back, Ada rushed out of the control room.
"..."
Lyon glanced at the grenade in his hand, labeled "Experimental Product/Metal Hydrogen/3kg TNT," then focused on the progress bar on the screen before him.
40%.
"Man down! Man down!"
80%.
"Hudson and Hicks are dead!"
100%.
!!
The battle outside wasn't over, but the progress bar had completed, indicating that the blueprints for all of Minerva's facilities had been successfully uploaded to the frontline base.
After triple-checking everything was correct, Lyon quickly rushed outside.
The corridor had already been torn apart by stray bullets, explosion marks, and bio-plasma. There were pieces of flesh, blood, and dismembered bodies everywhere, both human and troll.
The battle was nearing its end.
The UAC had won, with two trolls still standing. One was holding a dying Hunter, who kept cursing, "Damn... heretic... shit."
Without hesitation, Lyon removed the safety pin from the grenade and pressed the trigger.
"Roar!!"
Whoosh~—!
With the troll's roar, a blinding white light engulfed the entire corridor and control room—
——
September 30th.
09:45 AM, Morning.
In the war room at the frontline base;
A holographic projector displayed a high-altitude view of Minerva for the officers and investigators seated there.
But this time, the aerial view was marked with dense details.
It showed the exact coordinates of all land-based defense facilities, the areas where human captives were held, and even the UAC soldiers' garrisons were meticulously marked.
Minerva was now laid bare before them.
"Alright!" Arthur Morgan, standing at the podium, addressed everyone, "I'll go over the operation one more time. At precisely 1400 hours today, the company's fighter jets will first dismantle the enemy's mid-range land-based defense systems. Ernieo 002 will also conduct precise tactical and strategic strikes on UAC's main forces.
At 1500 hours, ARS Second and Third Infantry Companies, along with the Fifth Armored Company and AECS's First Reinforced Battalion, will arrive at the designated area, advancing from south to north, eliminating all resistance and rescuing our trapped comrades.
During the assault, the company's ground artillery and air units will provide fire support to the frontline troops.
A joint special operations unit comprised of ARS's First Recon Company and all investigators will board Black Hawk assault boats, storming into Minerva, where the enemy lacks anti-air defenses, to hunt and eliminate high-value targets, attempting to paralyze the remaining command structure.
Any questions?"
"No, sir!"
"Good! I like that enthusiasm!" Arthur laughed heartily, then continued:
"The boss said that everyone participating in this operation will receive corresponding bonuses and benefits, but I know what you really want is to wipe out the heretics. So, get ready! This is also our first large-scale battle to liberate Earth-03!"
"Yes, sir!"
——
...
At the same time.
On the second floor of the frontline base, in a private office;
Standing in front of his desk, Samuel Young first opened the mahogany gift box on the desk, taking out a nearly century-old 1911 pistol.
He then turned and handed the 1911 to Ryan, who was standing in the center of the office, speaking in a slightly solemn tone:
"This afternoon, you'll be assisting the company's forces in the frontal assault with Saint Giles. So, my son, I'll temporarily entrust you with this gun. I hope you'll use it to dispatch many heretics."
Ryan raised both hands to receive the 1911, responding solemnly, "Yes, Father."
___________________
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