"Well done. Move out. Be especially cautious about stealth while on the move."
"Understood."
One by one.
In the pitch-black darkness, within a poorly constructed lookout post, the two guards stationed there were swiftly neutralized. Initially, brute force was used to subdue the enemy, but that approach would not be employed again. Owens, who had taught them better, had advised against relying solely on the same CQC methods.
So, as the door of the small, darkened outpost opened, hell unfolded. As soon as Owens' exoskeleton hacking completed, Rain stormed into the room. Despite wearing equipment that enhanced human physical abilities several times over, the neutralization was instantaneous.
Her movements were as smooth as a stroll. The key to this takedown was electronic warfare, and Rain, as she entered, began to interfere with the exoskeletons tightly integrated with the two enemy bodies. It didn’t take long before the muscles of both enemies relaxed entirely.
The two enemies collapsed with a thud. They were likely struggling to even breathe, but no one would be around to help them.
"This is Rain. The 3rd lookout post is neutralized..."
"The 2nd post is neutralized. Only the 1st post at the main gate remains."
"Proceed to Waypoint Bravo without being detected."
Two searchlights near the main gate continued to shine, but the surrounding terrain was far too varied and rugged to be adequately covered by just two lights. To fill in the gaps, lookout posts had been placed in several locations. However, since most of them were already neutralized, they were no longer of any significance.
As this was happening, Rain's HUD automatically displayed the combat records. A condensed version of how Jin, the other prototype, had neutralized the 2nd post appeared. The method was simple: from an angle where the light couldn’t be seen, a small hole was made in the wall, all oxygen inside was burned, and the hole was sealed again.
As the two enemies were on the verge of suffocation, Jin calmly entered the room, twisted their limbs, and left. It was a horrifyingly efficient method.
‘Is this really what efficiency looks like?’
This was a realm Rain hadn’t been able to comprehend with her basic combat knowledge until now.
But it was no surprise. Up until now, the orders she received were simple: eliminate every enemy in sight or hold a position until reinforcements arrived. The solution was often as simple as firing a railgun and solving the problem.
But it wasn’t the same anymore. Now, she had to predict the consequences of her actions, and she quickly realized what it meant to manipulate every part of her body carefully to achieve the desired result. Sometimes, unconventional methods had to be employed.
And this mission was the perfect place to test all of that.
While that thought lingered, countless data streams appeared before her. These were intercepted communications sent by the Dagger Team’s reconnaissance squad, operating hundreds of meters away, gathering data.
Owens, observing this, casually commented:
"So, it’s an island on the land."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the forces here have been cut off from Artemis’ main network for quite some time."
The version of the Artemis network access code required for eavesdropping.
The content of the conversations.
The radio transmissions and the messages within them.
While nothing was definitive, combining all of this information led to a conclusion. The remaining Artemis forces at the lighthouse probably didn’t even know that Jin had been captured by Akita-type operators. It wasn’t certain, but the possibility wasn’t impossible either.
After a moment of thinking through this scenario, Owens came to a conclusion—The lighthouse. In other words, a location very close to the sea. Artemis HQ and other bases were located inland, and the bases were usually connected by railways.
This was the same. Since it wasn’t a major combat zone, it was perfect for maintaining power, but the accessibility of information was quite poor. Additionally, the Artemis internal network had been destroyed for quite some time.
That being the case...
And then, a delightful thought suddenly crossed Owens' mind.
"Jin, Rain. Do you still have access to Artemis-related clearance?"
"This unit was cut off from the network after being captured by Akita-type, and another Gamma-type unit has been produced."
"I still have mine."
"Hmm."
Owens nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Even in the darkness, his charming face was clearly visible, his grin sharp.
"Do you know how to make a distraction?"
"I think I misheard you. Could you explain that again?"
"Don’t worry. You’ll be good at it soon enough."
And with that, the outline of the internal infiltration plan began to spread over the comms.
The so-called 'Capture Operation' had begun.
The next moment, the sound of gunfire erupted unexpectedly near the villa’s road.
"Emergency! Emergency! The searchlights are down!"
"We heard gunfire! No response from posts 5 through 2!"
"We’ve visually confirmed the intruder. We’ll deploy turrets and engage. Requesting strike team."
In the deep night, with the moon hanging on the horizon, gunshots rang out from near the villa’s road. The alerting guards hurriedly responded, but except for the 1st post near the main gate, there was no reply anywhere else. This wasn’t just a group of bandits searching for food, but rather, it was a proper infiltration.
With a whirring noise, turrets rose, and in place of the broken searchlights, multiple strike drones launched from within the base, beginning their aggressive search of the area.
"...Wait, cease fire! Friendly signal confirmed! Two friendly signals surrounding one enemy!"
"Friendly? It must be a malfunction. Double-check it!"
"We’ll confirm the source of the signal using the drone cam."
At that moment, dozens of drones were dispatched.
With the sharp sound of their propellers, they maneuvered through the densely grown trees and headed toward the point where the noise had come from, activating thermal sensors. Within moments, a clear image appeared, brighter than daylight despite the night—two figures, partially hidden by the trees.
They were not the same as the original Akita-types, but Mecha Eugenes nonetheless. With glowing eyes visible even in the darkness, they were unmistakable. These were android weapons deployed to defend Artemis HQ and other high-value targets.
Despite the Artemis data nodes having been disconnected almost two months ago, the Artemis managers and engineers within the base likely sensed why these two had appeared at this point—though they were wrong.
"They sent reinforcements from the HQ."
At that exact moment, the staff officer working alongside the base commander widened his eyes in excitement and spoke out.
"It’s UES! We can’t confirm the type, but it’s definitely them!"
"What should we do, Commander?"
"...Retract the turrets and deploy the drones. With two of them showing up, it’s highly likely they were sent directly from HQ. Let them into the base."
The battle was far from over, and the team was adapting rapidly.
"The villa's in chaos."
"That means it's time to begin... Welcome back, rookie. Ready to sync up?"
"Of course."
Meanwhile, at Log Camp, the rest of the Dagger Team began moving, using the explosion from the villa as a signal.
"Impressive. You really nailed the acting."
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"...Is this something we actually do in real combat?"
"Stop with the awkward politeness... well, if it's effective, anything works."
"Seriously, there are only terrifying people here..."
As Rain grumbled, the team entered the heavily fortified underground facility. A thick iron door blocked their path, but soon sounds began echoing from above as identification checks started.
"...I’ll confirm identities. It will take about 30 seconds. Please bear with us until then, we can't open the door prematurely."
"Go ahead. We can break it down if you refuse."
"...It’ll be done shortly."
Within 10 seconds, the door opened with a screeching sound, revealing the thick alloy doors, which were at least a dozen centimeters thick. Once the doors opened, no one could stop them from entering.
Rain wore a serious expression, while Jin remained emotionless. Owens, following closely behind, quickly surveyed the area. He was looking for valuable data or anything of importance.
"Welcome to the lighthouse sector. We've had trouble getting in touch, so we’re glad you came to visit. Now, can I hear what you're here for?"
"It's simple."
At that moment, with a loud clank, the thick alloy walls of the meeting room slammed shut.
Rain and Jin raised their tails, concentrating all their power, and added:
"Everyone here is going to disappear."
"Wh-what?! Block them!"
Boom!
The advanced plasma cannon fired two shots, setting the room's enemies and oxygen ablaze. Hidden in the shadows, Owens quickly adjusted the controls and, with a single shot, created openings in the skulls of every enemy in the room.
The space, already over-specified for such a confined area, turned into chaos within seconds. The room became a slaughterhouse, and in less than 20 seconds, it was empty.
Blood streamed down the stairs, and Owens, picking up the keycard from the decapitated commander, used it to access the database while hearing more combat sounds and screams from the ceiling.
"Transmission from the surface! The main gate is completely malfunctioning! Three enemies are tearing through the base’s entire personnel!"
"Commander, send drones and unmanned vehicles immediately! Please!"
Owens smiled faintly at this.
"Since they want it so badly, I suppose I should grant their request."
Now in control of the base commander’s authority, Owens activated the control devices. Within moments, dozens of strike drones and UGVs surged out, firing their weapons indiscriminately at the Artemis soldiers.
"AAAH—!"
"Friendly fire, damn it... We’re shooting our own troops, you bastards!"
"Commander! Please, issue a command! Please!"
Blood spilled across the large screen showing the count of friendly forces and unmanned units, rapidly decreasing. Owens, unfazed, slid the bloodstained keycard into a multipurpose pouch and added:
"It’s time to leave."
"...Really impressive, in every way."
Was this how they always worked?
As that chilling thought crossed Rain’s mind, she pressed the button by the gate, and once again, the thick alloy walls opened.
The meeting room was eerily silent, with nothing but the sound of heavy breaths.