The monitoring center at the base headquarters was abuzz with activity, the air thick with tension. A massive meteor shower was heading towards Sector C25. In addition to the regular patrol teams, an ad hoc reinforcement squad led by Maughan had swiftly responded and was rushing to the site. All other security personnel within the base had also received urgent notifications and were gathering at the security center, ready for deployment.
Torres, Iron Bear, Karim, and their team members stood beside Carlos, their gazes fixed on the surveillance screens. The screens displayed hundreds of meteors, trailing long tails of fire as they streaked across the sky, falling towards Sector C25.
An adjacent monitor showed the duty team that had already arrived in Sector C25—three Bluebirds safely waiting at the designated location.
Another screen displayed Maughan's team of four approaching Sector C25, their position offering a clear view of the rising black smoke in the sky.
Everyone was fully focused, the atmosphere tense.
It was Jane's first day on the job, and she was met with such a grand spectacle. She felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. She observed intently, occasionally asking Kazemi, "Mr. Kazemi, aren't meteor showers a common occurrence? Why the large-scale mobilization? The surface temperature of the meteors is so high; how could insect beasts possibly survive on them?"
Kazemi heard Jane's question and gave a disdainful smile before answering, "Do you think these bugs are like cockroaches in the kitchen, easily dealt with by a little fire? Even the lowest-level insect beasts possess astonishing vitality. Especially the fluid in their glands, it has very peculiar properties... Let's just say, as long as they have enough fluid, they could traverse the atmosphere several times without issue."
Although Kazemi's combat strength was not what it used to be, his rich experience as a seasoned security officer was unmatched by others.
In the tense atmosphere, Kazemi subconsciously reached for the flask in his pocket, but when he noticed the gaze of Iron Bear and Karim, he humphed in discontent and suppressed the urge. He quelled the craving for alcohol with strong willpower and continued to focus on the surveillance screen, adjusting the lens to enlarge the detection image of the meteors.
Suddenly, some interference snow appeared on the main screen.
"The signal is being interfered with," Kazemi quickly assessed.
"The meteors contain electromagnetic particles," he responded swiftly, pulling the lens back and warning the security personnel in Sector C25 to be aware of the possible electromagnetic effects on the aircraft.
The three Bluebirds quickly reduced their flight altitude to avoid the electromagnetic impact on electronic equipment. The Bluebirds did not have the capability to resist electromagnetic interference.
Maughan calmly commanded, "Everyone, reduce flight altitude."
"Center, immediately calculate the range of electromagnetic effects of the meteors, predict the impact points, and we need to re-plan our approach strategy immediately."
Carlos and Torres both nodded in agreement. Maughan's thinking was clear and orderly. With the current electromagnetic interference, the Bluebirds had lost their ability to land up close, and it was crucial to redefine the interference range and make a plan.
Kazemi was not idle on his end. The D-series chip equipped in the monitoring center, responsible for the overall operation of the base headquarters, had an extremely strong computing power and quickly completed the calculations and provided feedback.
The new data showed that the electromagnetic interference from the meteors covered more than forty monitoring points; the predicted impact points of the meteors were as many as three hundred.
Carlos's brow furrowed, and a serious expression appeared on Torres's face.
"The situation is a bit unusual," Torres said, his voice revealing a hint of heaviness.
"The range of electromagnetic interference is very extensive, forming an interference belt around the meteor impact points, covering a large area. The area where the meteors fell is complex and variable, including forests, hills, pits, and lakes... If there are insect beasts hiding among them, they could easily conceal themselves."
"I suggest we send in two more teams for a comprehensive search," Torres's suggestion seemed reasonable.
Carlos shook his head, not accepting the proposal but offering his own view: "The current situation is not clear, and blindly sending in more personnel is not the best choice. Moreover, the area we need to search is too broad, and it can't be completed in a short time. Our security team has a total of thirty people, and two teams have already been committed. If we send in more people now, the subsequent continuous search and identification work will be hard to sustain. We need to proceed with caution."
Carlos's reasons were sufficient; he needed to prepare for possible long-term search and identification work. Other teams must always be ready to take over the rotation tasks and not put all forces in at once.
This was a strategic confrontation between the security team's leader and deputy leader. Torres ultimately failed to persuade Carlos and seemed somewhat helpless.
Iron Bear and Karim showed regret on their faces.
Kazemi, however, slightly raised the corners of his mouth, seemingly not surprised by the outcome of the confrontation.
Jane witnessed all this, her eyes filled with doubt. If Ryan were present, he would understand that this was Carlos's strategic suppression of Torres.
The meteor shower, while bringing the danger of encountering insect beasts, also represented a potential wealth opportunity. Even in the new calendar year, the value of meteors was not as high as before, but they might still contain rare substances and metal ores after burning through the atmosphere, which was much more effective than miners blindly looking for mines.
An average stroke of luck could yield tens of thousands from a meteor; a good one...
Obtaining a rare high-quality ore, its value often reached hundreds of thousands or even millions, which was not uncommon.
Torres's proposal to send in more people was actually an eye on this potential wealth opportunity.
The resources brought by the meteor did not belong to TerraNova Corporation, so all the gains would be privately owned by the security personnel.
Carlos's refusal to send in more people was clearly an attempt to firmly grasp these valuable resources in his own hands.
At this moment, Iron Bear and Karim's dissatisfaction with Carlos was brewing in their hearts, and although Torres was expressionless, he also felt suppressed and could only silently observe the situation - without the leader's clear instructions, no one had the right to take action on their own.
This was also one of Torres's motives for wanting to become the head of the security team.
Just then, the meteors hit the ground like shooting stars.
Due to the small size of the meteors, they did not cause significant damage to the planet.
However, the red alert lights in the monitoring center lit up, warning of an impending crisis.
Lines of data quickly popped up on the screen, and the split screens automatically unfolded around the main screen, showing the collapse of the deep pit rock structure...
The expressions of Carlos and Torres changed simultaneously.
Kazemi immediately became nervous and quickly operated the control panel:
"The meteor shower has impacted some loosely structured pits, and the areas that were already identified as medium to high-risk areas are now under greater pressure. Mines G79, A33, J07, and others have experienced severe collapses. Fortunately, there were no miners working in these areas..."
"For safety reasons, immediately notify the base to suspend all ongoing operations and evacuate all miners from the underground mining areas!" Carlos responded swiftly.
Kazemi immediately executed the order.
A trace of regret flashed through Torres's eyes.
If Carlos had been slightly hesitant in handling the situation, causing casualties, Torres could have used this incident to report to the company, thereby weakening Carlos's leadership position.
Amidst the rising red alerts and split-screen pop-ups in the monitoring center, a subtle red data point quietly appeared, unnoticed. Among the more than three hundred predicted meteor impact points, one point showed an unexpected deviation.
This meteor did not fall into the expected position but directly fell into a deep pit, penetrating the rock wall and disappearing into the deafening roar.
The security team in Sector C25 faced unprecedented pressure in the face of the approaching meteor shower.
The information feedback from the monitoring center showed a large area of magnetic storm interference range, high-temperature environment, and geological changes, causing headaches for Maughan, Gabriel, David, and others.
"Goodness me!"
"Such a large electromagnetic storm, how can we approach!"
"The Bluebird can't get close at all, do we have to search every meteorite on foot?"
"This is ridiculous!"
Faced with difficulties, everyone felt at a loss.
Suddenly, a dense strong light rose in the distance.
Boom!!!!
The strong light exploded, accompanied by a shockwave, rushing towards the Bluebird.
Fortunately, the security team was prepared, having parked the aircraft on the reverse slope of a nearby hill, successfully avoiding the first wave of impact.
The ground began to vibrate violently, and the Bluebird undulated slightly in the tremor.
Due to the strong magnetic storm, the chip's perception of the outside world was severely affected, and contact with the base was temporarily interrupted.
A countdown to the end of the meteor impact appeared on Ryan's screen.
15, 14, 13... When the countdown returned to zero, Maughan's firm voice rang in everyone's ears:
"Prepare to move!"
"Gabriel, David, listen to me carefully, don't just think about getting rich, pay attention to safety, there may be insect beasts hidden in the meteors."
"Understood!"
"Got it, stop nagging."
Gabriel and David's responses were filled with obvious excitement and anticipation, and despite the severe magnetic storm interference, they were enthusiastic about the upcoming mission.
"Ryan."
"You are responsible for flying the Bluebird and conducting reconnaissance on the outskirts." Maughan gave the order, considering that this was Ryan's first time participating in the meteor shower event, and he was assigned the reconnaissance mission.
"Copy that!" Ryan replied concisely, the Bluebird began to rise slowly, preparing to carry out his mission.