Mitch had a drone too, but it was a stripped-down version—usable only for reconnaissance, without any combat capability. But the drones from Militech were a different story; they were all armed. In fact, the Aldecaldos had previously fought against Militech convoys equipped with drones. Even with only two armed units, those drones had caused them serious trouble. Small, fast, and highly maneuverable, they were difficult to shoot down, yet they could strafe ground units with ease.
Panam had to use considerable willpower to suppress the instinct to turn and run, because she knew full well—on the battlefield, turning your back on the enemy only meant dying faster.
Compared to her panic, Leo remained composed. "Emmerich, now's the time. Don't let a single drone get a chance to attack us." Emmerich didn't respond with words—his actions spoke for him. He hoisted a modular anti-air missile launcher onto his shoulder and locked onto the drone swarm.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—over a dozen missiles streaked skyward trailing smoke, racing toward the rising drones. The Militech operators, drenched in sweat, scrambled to scatter their drone formation. Panam's heart sank. "This won't work. At best, only a few will get hit. The rest will dodge it." If this volley didn't bring down the entire swarm, they were screwed once the drones ascended and started their attack.
But just as that thought passed through Panam's mind, something unexpected happened. The dozen missiles split midair into countless submunitions, their trajectory continuing forward under inertia. Like a downpour blotting out the sky, the cluster munitions blanketed the drone formation that had no time to evade.
Boom!
Drones exploded in midair by the dozens, raining burning wreckage down like a meteor shower. Some pieces even struck the Militech security bots patrolling around the convoy perimeter, causing more casualties.
"Amazing… That's insane…" Panam couldn't help but mutter again. She'd found herself repeating such words more in the past two days than in her entire life. Leo's team seemed to always have some new card up their sleeve. It was no wonder they dared to ambush a corporate convoy. Once again, Panam was left wondering—was Leo really just a mercenary? Could someone like that truly possess this level of firepower and logistics?
"Emmerich, Crispin, Panam—free fire!" Leo gave the order. Emmerich dropped the missile launcher, grabbed his MK.31 heavy machine gun, set it on the rocks, and rained bullets down on the chaotic convoy below. Crispin wasn't about to be outdone; he narrowed one eye, lining up targets through the scope of his Achilles precision tech rifle. His shots easily pierced the outer armor of Militech security bots, shattering the energy cores in their chests.
Panam had also steadied herself and began picking off targets with a kinetic sniper rifle—Mitch's, to be exact. It wasn't that Leo was unwilling to equip her with something better, but the SPT32 Techtronika (which Panam had personally nicknamed "Sentinel") was already a top-tier sniper rifle. She wasn't used to the charge-based firing of the Nekomata series, nor did she have a SmartLink cyberware interface to operate the Ashura smart sniper rifle. So she stuck with Mitch's kinetic sniper.
Security bots climbing down from the heavy trucks fell like wheat at harvest. Compared to the aerial drones, these bots posed far less of a threat. Their combat effectiveness was higher than average militia, but far below that of true battlefield veterans. If they were actually elite, neither Arasaka nor Militech would waste money on security teams—they'd just field these bots and save on payroll and benefits.
The ambush site had been carefully chosen with potential counterattacks in mind, and the team's cover and defensive measures were thorough. Bullets zipped overhead or slammed harmlessly into cover, each impact a dull thud.
Beside Leo, V lay prone, unfazed by the hail of bullets overhead. She didn't even blink. In her hands, the kinetic precision rifle played like a pianist's instrument, unleashing a deadly melody. One by one, she shot out the tires of the off-road vehicles and the last heavy truck, cutting off any escape route.
As the number of security bots dwindled, the attacker's firepower only intensified. When the last shot rang out, the highway was a wreck. Two heavy truck hulks burned on the pavement, drone wreckage littered the area, and broken bots lay twisted and scattered like corpses. The windshields of both off-road vehicles had been shattered, and the drivers lay dead in their seats.
Leo activated his scanner, confirming no survivors before stepping out from the ambush point. Emmerich and Crispin tried to follow, but Leo waved them off—Militech's HQ at Corporate Plaza had surely been alerted by now, and reinforcements were likely already inbound. He ordered the others to return to the AV immediately and prepare to exfil.
As for Hellman…
He was just a defenseless techie. Leo could handle him alone.
….............
...
.
From the moment the first explosion rang out, Hellman knew something was wrong—but he didn't dare step outside. Though he'd worked in Arasaka towers most of his life he had a little field experience, even still, he wasn't stupid. He knew staying inside gave him a better chance of surviving. The gunfire lasted for quite a while before finally dying down.
Emotionally, he hoped Militech had won. But rationally… if they had, this truck wouldn't still be sitting here, motionless.
When the door opened and Leo stepped into the container, Hellman jumped like a startled rabbit. "Who sent you?" Though shaken, he studied Leo closely. But Leo's outfit gave nothing away—he didn't look like Arasaka's spec ops, nor did he resemble a Nomad. If anything, he looked like a hired cyber-merc.
But could just a few mercs really wipe out Militech's security escort?
When Leo didn't reply, Hellman asked again, "Who sent you? Was it Yorinobu Arasaka? Are you here to take me back, or—"
He didn't get to finish. With a single quick step, Leo closed the distance, slipped behind him, and chopped him clean across the back of the neck, knocking him out cold. Catching the limp body before it hit the floor, Leo hoisted him like a sack of potatoes and carried him back to the AV.
..................
.........
.
"This is the guy? We caused all that chaos for him?" Panam still didn't get it. The guy in a suit didn't look any different from any other corporate stooge.
"You don't understand, so don't ask. Crispin, get us out of here—now."
"Roger that," Crispin replied, maneuvering the AV upward. The blue flames of the rear thrusters roared to life, and the vehicle shot off into the sky.
Just over ten minutes after they left Jackson Plains, Militech's heavily armed AV—Scorpiolion—finally arrived. This aircraft was loaded with enough firepower to raze an entire Raffen Shiv camp, but they were too late.
From above, Scorpiolion scanned the ground below, but found no trace of the attackers—only the remains of Militech's own convoy. It was as if the ambushers had descended from the sky… and vanished into it.
….................
.....
.
Deep in the Badlands, far from the open stretches of Jackson Plains, nestled inside a shadowed canyon shielded from the searing sun, the Trauma Team's armored AV was parked. Leo dragged the still-unconscious Hellman out of the vehicle and tossed him onto the soft sand below. Fortunately, the ground cushioned the impact, though the jolt was enough to rouse Hellman.
His eyes were unfocused at first, but the moment he saw the armed strangers surrounding him—clearly not Militech personnel—his mind snapped back to clarity. He scrambled backward, only to slam into a rock wall. He glanced behind him instinctively. Sheer canyon stone, stretching out endlessly on both sides. At least thirty meters high. There was no way he could climb it. If he could, he wouldn't be a tech director.
Besides, none of the gun-wielding people in front of him would let him try.
Using sand-covered fingers, Hellman adjusted his smudged glasses. "Where… where am I? What is this place?"
Leo spread his arms and gave him a warm, almost cheerful smile. "As you can see, the heart of the Badlands. The edge of civilization. The middle of nowhere. You're welcome to scream if you'd like, but I can promise you this—even if you scream your lungs out, no one's coming to save you."