Chapter 172: The Three Musketeers Unite

A drone flew in from high altitude, unnoticed by the chaotic camp of the Wraiths. "The view is clear. The terrain here is pretty good—surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a lake nearby." "Spotted something interesting. They've got two Behemoth armored vehicles, just refitted and gleaming with new armor plates." The Wraiths hurriedly moved these armored vehicles outside the factory's walls, trying to form a defensive line with the big machines. "All positions are marked. Once in place, use rocket launchers and explosive weapons to clear obstacles and take out enemies behind cover, then seize advantageous terrain." Aldecaldos's convoy began advancing in a spread-out formation, armed and ready with heavy firepower. As soon as they entered firing range, they immediately destroyed the first layer of the Wraiths' defense line, then took control of two small hills outside the factory, setting up sniper rifles. "After breaking in, advance in waves, occupy the outer buildings for cover, and prepare to repel any reinforcements from Militech." "The drone spotted an antenna. It might allow for wireless hacking." "I'm going in for the assault. Lucy, Kiwi, can you two handle the wireless hacking?" The two netrunners in the vehicle exchanged glances and shook their heads. "There's no hacking chair here. We can't go deep enough." Without a hacking chair, deep dives weren't possible—there wasn't enough computational power. Not everyone was like Leo, who had extraordinary computing power and a warehouse full of servers for backup. "Alright then. There's a maintenance pipe in the factory. It's marked. David, Rebecca, you four enter through there and find an access point to hack in." The drone will sync with the antenna's signal, boosting the frequency to carry out a cyberattack on the Wraiths in the camp." The four nodded, their vehicle leaving the convoy and heading towards the side of the factory. Meanwhile, Leo's Quadra Type-66 Wingate and the Ragnar armored vehicle driven by Maine's team were still leading at the front, maintaining a straight course. V floored the gas pedal, eager to get started— "As for us, there's a sniper on the factory roof. V, you take care of them." "There are two shady figures on the second floor of the guardhouse at the gate, likely netrunners,. Jackie, they're yours." "I'll handle the Wraiths fighting outside." Leo connected his personal link to the vehicle, plugging into the crystal ball system, with his eight-star gun ready to fire at any moment. 1000 meters. 800 meters. 600 meters— "We're within combat range—provide cover fire!" V slammed the accelerator, and the windgate charged ahead at top speed. The Wraiths raised their weapons, pulling the triggers— Bullets rained down in the darkness, clinking sharply against the armor plates, as if they were standing in a downpour. But in response to the bullet storm, Aldecaldos retaliated with a hurricane! Four rockets, trailing bright tails of light, streaked across the night sky, directly hitting the Wraith positions! Boom! The eight-star gun fired in sync, its smart bullets drawing graceful arcs in the air, slipping past cover to strike the Wraith defense lines. Boom boom boom boom— High-explosive rounds went off, and the Windgate rammed through the Wraiths' vehicles blocking the way, charging straight into the camp! In a split second, the eight-star gun fired again— The Wraiths raised their guns together, but what met them was even more precise high-explosive rounds! Boom! The flames reflected death, and the waves of fire shattered the courage of the Wraiths— Ba Xing Chong smart shotguns, 64 high-explosive rounds, 4 rockets, and explosives from the stray SPH unleashed a continuous barrage that left the surviving Wraiths' heads buzzing— They had never fought in a battle of this scale before. One Wraith lifted his head, his vision blurred, with orange and black splitting the view, and the dividing line swaying in between— Then he saw other colors. Bang. It sounded like a car door closing. He saw two figures. One held up a gun, but he wasn't even aiming, just pulling the trigger and reloading. The other figure was holding an absurdly long sniper rifle, casually sweeping away the snipers on high ground. Then his hearing returned, and he could hear screams, explosions, and gunfire. Even the sound of reloading. It was only then that he realized the gun was pointed at him. Bang! "Ahhhh!" Maine, wielding two Lexington pistols, led his team to the front— The Wraiths had retreated to the buildings, using the complex terrain and cover to fight back. They even brought in working excavators from the factory! But the glass of excavators wasn't bulletproof, nor blast-proof, and Dorio casually tossed a few grenades— Boom! After one explosion, Maine immediately felt the pressure lighten—clearly, the enemy was terrified! "Nice job! We've secured this position!" Just as Maine finished speaking, he heard the hum of hover engines and the deep wail of military-grade equipment sirens. Twelve Griffins and two Octant drones slowly rose from behind the factory. And just as he saw this, his cyberware interface began to tremble— The Wraiths had netrunners! Maybe they had pushed back some Wraiths, but with netrunners and drones, it wouldn't be long before they regained their footing! He turned around, wanting to ask Leo what to do— Then he saw something crazy. He saw V standing on the roof of the Westgate, then leaping high into the air— Clearly, V had installed reinforced Achilles tendons, easily jumping more than five meters high! V soared, firing a web shot at a stationary crane, swinging himself across and landing on the factory roof! Without the factory as cover, V easily spotted the Behemoth armored vehicle hiding behind—the transport module had been turned into a drone nest. Two slightly tech-savvy Wraiths were on the vehicle, wearing drone holographic controls, operating these deadly machines— Bang! The smart gun easily penetrated the armored vehicle, blowing the two guys' heads off! Jackie sprinted up the wall, yanked on his web line, and practically flew up to the second floor in an instant! On the second floor, two hackers hiding in the control room had just lifted their heads when they saw the door being ripped off! They immediately drew their guns and fired! Jackie, using the door as a riot shield, quickly advanced—the two netruners were terrified as they saw the heavy door getting closer— "Don't, don't—" Bang! The 100-kilogram door came down hard, and under such force, a human head didn't stand a chance—it was like smashing a watermelon! Leo wasn't as strong or agile as Jackie and V, but his magnetized suit still allowed him to move efficiently on vertical surfaces. Relying on his web and magnetized suit, Leo swiftly maneuvered through the cover-filled area, even running along the walls, continuously firing his smart weapon— The bullets danced in mid-air, and the Wraiths hiding behind cover felt like they were seeing ghosts— To them, the cover only blocked their line of sight, but it seemed like the enemy could shoot them from all directions! People said that smart weapons were designed for rich folks who weren't good shots. As long as you had cyberware and an expensive, finely tuned smart weapon, auto-aiming wasn't a pipe dream anymore. But true masters of smart weapons, it was said, haunted the darkest of nights, making bullets draw impossible curves in the air, ignoring all cover. Like magic! "Magic bullets! What the hell—retreat, retreat, damn it, retreat!" Bang! An EMP blast went off, and the guy shouting the retreat slumped, electricity sparking over his body as he twitched at the door. The remaining Wraiths trampled over him without a second thought, sprinting for the factory— Their front line was blown to bits, their defense pierced in an instant by these ridiculously cyber-enhanced fighters. The Wraiths had no choice but to run into the factory for safety— Even though they had no idea what safety could be found inside. V and Jackie, now on the roof and the second floor, respectively, calmly checked for any stragglers, methodically finishing off survivors with their guns. Outside, only the bodies of Wraiths remained. Seeing the carnage, Maine swallowed hard—tonight had been a hell of a ride. For some reason, he was reminded of the first time he met these three, when V asked him that question. These three...they were deadlier than any cyberpsychos. Compared to the madness and instability of cyberpsychosis, this cold and efficient slaughter... It was a different kind of suffocating experience altogether. After securing the perimeter, Leo reloaded his gun and addressed the group: "Reload, check your weapons, and get ready for the second round of assault. Cedric, Navi, send a few people in and secure this area. Netrunner team, progress?" Lucy: "Just got in. Frontline's not doing so well?" Leo: "No, we cleared it." Lucy, David, Kiwi, Rebecca: "Huh?" Leo scratched his head, still holding his gun. "Move quickly. We need to make sure by the time Militech arrives, there aren't any Wraiths left alive here. Alright, rest up, then we'll push forward. Make good use of grenades—they can solve a lot of problems." Jackie and V rejoined Leo, and the two exchanged glances, marveling at what they'd just done. V ,said, "Even though we've been working together for so long, this feels like the first time we've really clicked like this." Jackie shook his head and replied, "We're like the Three Musketeers united—unstoppable." The group following behind Maine gulped nervously again. This wasn't some amusement park—why did it feel like these three weren't mentally in the right frame of mind for a battlefield? Cautiously, they entered the factory—a typical automated plant, with all kinds of track-based automation equipment in the center: hooks, gantry cranes, flexible robotic arms, and more. But everything was abandoned, covered in a layer of rust. Bang! Suddenly, the surrounding storage doors slammed shut, locking everyone inside. Leo frowned—it smelled like a trap. Thud! A dull sound came from a nearby room, drawing everyone's attention. A Wraith suddenly ran out from the room across the way, his face covered in burnt, charred flesh, panic all over his face— "Shit!!!" Bang! A nearly red-hot super projectile blasted through the door, severing the top half of his body in an instant! The scene sent alarms ringing in everyone's minds. Leo immediately signaled for them to spread out. Click—click—click. The sound of some powerful machinery came from the room— Boom! A figure clad in yellow and black exoskeleton armor burst through the wall, the energy cannon in his hands rapidly charging up— A Minotaur Mech! (End of this chapter, stay tuned for the next one.)