Boom!
The air filled with the deafening echoes of rapid gunfire and magical shockwaves as chaos ensued in the temporary base. Squad 1, led by the experienced Chen, seized the opportunity created by Lennok’s sand wave diversion and skillfully infiltrated the heart of the base. They displayed their expertise as seasoned freelancers, using magic and firearms with utmost precision.
Ratatat!
“Argh!”
“When did they… damn it!”
While protected by Squad 2 members, Lennok watched as Squad 1 advanced fiercely, leaving Falcon’s organization helpless and unable to respond to the surprise attack.
This outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected. Falcon’s organization had failed to detect the dummy data mixed into their encryption key, and thus, they remained oblivious to the exposure of their base’s location. Additionally, the relentless sand waves triggered by Chaff and manipulated by Lennok further disrupted their ability to recover quickly.
“Remember all the entry points! Minimize the time spent on securing an escape route when retreating!” Chen’s commanding voice echoed through the chaos, indicating his sharp judgment and reassuring the team that their base’s relocation could be addressed later.
Lennok and Squad 2 kept the pressure on Falcon’s members from a safe distance, suppressing them effectively. However, Lennok refrained from directly joining the fight with his revolver, as he had a more critical task at hand.
His involvement in this mission was a testament to his exceptional decision-making skills and capabilities. After breaching the temporary base, the objective fell on Squad 2, and Lennok was solely responsible for determining the crucial information to be retrieved.
Whoooom…
The Tidal Wave was unleashed, releasing all the accumulated mana and engulfing the surroundings. Lennok made his way towards the center of Falcon’s base, where Squad 1 was still advancing.
“Where’s Daron?”
“Patrolling. Why now?!”
“The communications are jammed by Chaff… did they time this attack perfectly?”
He found it.
A moderately sized tent, slightly off-center from the base’s core, caught Lennok’s attention. Inside, three organization members were desperately trying to use a communicator. Without hesitation, Lennok changed his course and informed his team through the earpiece.
“Squad 2 is now operating independently. Maintain full power and standby until we retrieve the information and return.”
“Got it.”
“Damn…”
Chen and the lemon-haired squad member acknowledged the message. Meanwhile, Squad 3, who had been handling the remnants, took the lead and spread out in all directions. They would boldly maintain formation until Squad 2, led by Lennok, secured the information they needed.
Once Lennok successfully completed his mission, the squads would exit the temporary base in the order of 1-2-3, with Squad 3 sealing the exit.
There was no time to waste. Leading Squad 2, Lennok began to move swiftly.
Whoosh!
A pyrokinetic member beside him exhaled a breath of fire, setting the fallen tents ablaze. The scorching flames added to the desert’s heat, making the team wince, but Lennok showed no emotion.
Unaware of the astonishment hidden within his team, Lennok conjured mana and launched three violet whips.
Swish!
Whips that were shot as if being sucked into the tent he had found earlier swiftly captured three organization members, placing them at Lennok’s feet.
He placed one before the young man, the giant, and the woman, respectively, and said,
“Each of you, grab one and swiftly interrogate them. They might have vital information only accessible to those working directly on site. Meanwhile, I’ll attend to what I need to do,” he commanded, not waiting for a response before entering the tent.
Even if these individuals were freelancers, they should have some knowledge on extracting information. Whether or not they yielded any significant results didn’t concern him.
Inside the tent, an array of electronic equipment filled the space. The data stored within was the heart of their operation.
‘Let’s handle this quickly.’
He approached the military computer positioned at the back, took a USB port from his pocket, and plugged it in. The embedded hacking program within the USB began to run, displaying dozens of letters and numbers on the monitor before vanishing.
Lennok swiftly connected a series of data collection tools, provided in advance by Hina, to other electronic devices. Instead of wasting time, he efficiently stuffed a nearby map and some papers into his bag.
“This security is absurd…”
If Lennok were in charge, he would have purged all the data the moment he realized the base was under attack. However, it seemed the organization members hesitated, either due to reluctance to take responsibility for data loss or a naive hope that the turmoil would pass without consequences. As a result, Lennok effortlessly robbed them of their valuable information, leaving them unable to react.
Of course, this success was primarily due to the absence of their leader, Daron, in the base.
‘The original operation timing was set with the knowledge that the base leader was absent from the agent’s side.’
“…..Phew..”
These people might not divulge operational details, but they were quite supportive and generous when necessary. In many ways, they appeared more capable partners than Dyke, but it was a mistake to be deceived. There was no guarantee that their information-gathering abilities and excellent judgment would continue to aid Lennok.
In this line of work, Lennok was well aware that a competent ally could easily turn into a dangerous enemy in just a matter of hours.
The data extraction was almost complete. Lennok removed the USB ports one by one as the hacking finished and stored them in his pocket. In the remaining time, he carefully examined the list of books on the bookshelf.
However, his eyebrows furrowed as he surveyed the titles.
‘Artificial Intelligence… and only materials about necromancy. Was Daron involved in this?’
No, that couldn’t be it.
It was only after muttering this that Lennok realized there might be yet-to-be-discovered information here.
Two keywords flashed through Lennok’s mind, and memories rapidly resurfaced.
The Palmus Research Institute, studying artificial intelligence.
The massacre of cooperating Enchantment faction dark Wizards there.
And the Necromancer of the Practical Faction responsible for those massacres.
Lastly, the temporary base of the terrorist organization Falcon, holding all this crucial information.
Daron wasn’t a necromancer.
Yet, artificial intelligence and necromancy were both subjects being collected through the temporary base.
Lennok’s eyes cooled as he grasped this unexpected revelation.
Artificial Intelligence and Necromancy.
Why would they be gathering data on two entirely different topics?
Considering their collaboration with dark wizards from the Practical Faction, the reason might be connected to the unknown pillars they had installed.
While contemplating this, the data extraction completed.
Lennok ceased his thoughts and immediately turned towards the tent’s entrance.
Finding out where the dark wizards cooperating with Falcon were hiding held more significance than speculating about their motives.
Lennok’s goal was to uncover clues about this unfamiliar world and unravel the enigma left by The Great Seer, Madria Falcia.
As he exited the tent, he saw the organization members he had handed over to his teammates beaten to a pulp.
The emotionless woman looked up at him and shook her head.
“You’re mistaken. They were clueless.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t have high expectations anyway,” Lennok asserted, his revolver in hand and mana surging through him.
[3 points]
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lennok quickly silenced the lives of the three men before him and passed by his teammates, holstering his smoking gun.
His comrades silently received the data and documents he had gathered and tossed into a bag.
“Our work here is done. Let’s move swiftly,” Lennok announced.
“Perfect timing,” Chen’s voice responded. “Chaff has vanished. Once communication with the outside is restored, the base manager will return,” he informed them, having gathered information during the combat.
The second squad members quickened their pace upon hearing this update through their earphones.
Bang! Bang!
They efficiently dealt with any organization members who attempted to obstruct their progress and swiftly rejoined the main unit.
Changing their direction, they made their way out of the base.
Although the initial and final stages were similar, the third squad, this time, faced the brunt of the risk as they closed the door and exited last.
Even if the man with lemon-colored hair had a change of heart, squads one and two weren’t in significant danger.
Though the third squad didn’t seem thrilled about their situation, they followed orders obediently.
-The chaff is gone.
Hina’s voice came over the earphones, confirming that the communication-blocking effect had indeed ceased.
“Dave, you might be pursued from behind. Mark them and when you’ve bought enough time, retreat and rejoin us at the base. Understood?”
“…No problem..”
Unlike Chen who simply nodded, Lennok chuckled when he noticed a subtle shift in Dave’s expression.
At a glance, it was clear he had no room to think about gains or losses in his actions.
It was obvious what Dave was thinking.
Well, they would be following in the back, so there was no need to worry too much right now.
They picked up the pace, kicking up sand as they fled from the base.
However, the speed of something trailing them, exploding sand in its wake, was faster than anticipated.
Dududududududu!!
With a sound resembling machine-gun fire, the entity charged through the sand dunes.
As it closed in, it grabbed a team member from the back and dragged them beneath the ground.
“Help me!!” the freelancer cried out before vanishing beneath the sand, leaving behind only a short scream and a strange streak of red dust.
Shortly after, a large shadow burst from beneath the desert, revealing itself under the scorching sun.
Kwaahaaah!!!
The creature possessed a muscular half-naked body covered in peculiar tattoos. Half of its head was transparent, exposing its brain through a glass tube.
It had an oddly-shaped machine gun on its left arm, knives hanging from its side, and a long tail, nearly two meters in length, protruding from its spine.
It was a grotesque creature, a living manifestation of illegal body modifications taken to extreme limits.
With a mechanical growl, it glared at Lennok’s group as if ready to slaughter them.
“Damn bugs dare to challenge!”
(To be Continued)
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