Chapter 156: Physical Connection
Limited by her own netrunning skills, Lucy was unable to fight Arasaka's Counter-Intel department alone, much less breach the heavily defended Arasaka Tower. Consequently, she knew nothing of the situation inside.
However, this digital wall, insurmountable for Lucy, was nonexistent before Joric.
Not only did he have real-time awareness of every move Maine's crew made, but his invisible consciousness-tendrils had long since infiltrated Arasaka Tower's entire internal network.
The structural layout, real-time deployment of security forces, and even the precise location and environmental data of Maine's team were all presented clearly as data streams within his processing core, allowing him to issue precise commands to them whenever needed.
Joric's steady voice echoed in the empty manufactorum, without a single ripple of emotion. "Phase one breach complete. Target structure within direct fire range. Now executing structure breach protocol. Primary objective: Locate and establish a physical connection with the subterranean 'Mikoshi' data fortress."
Inside Arasaka Tower, within a metal corridor, Arasaka security was desperately trying to halt Maine's crew's advance, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—almost meaningless.
Maine raised his left arm. The master-crafted Plasma Cannon muzzle gathered ghostly blue light once again.
With a dull boom, a hole over three meters in diameter with glowing red edges was melted through the center of the heavy blast door. Molten metal dripped like magma.
"Push," Maine's voice came through his mask, cold and firm.
The squad entered the tower in standard tactical formation.
The interior of Arasaka Tower was spacious, but right now, it felt exceptionally crowded and dangerous.
Alarm lights rotated, dyeing everything an ominous red.
The air was filled with the acrid mix of ozone, gunpowder, and some high-end air freshener.
The moment they stepped into the lobby, crossfire from all directions swept over them like a metal storm.
Heavy machine gun rounds hammered against the kinetic shield Dorio instantly deployed, splashing dense energy ripples.
Rebecca returned fire immediately with her Bolter. A single .75 caliber bolt shell blasted a distant machine gun nest into fragments, splattering concrete debris and organic matter across the pristine wall.
"Left corridor, assault team!" Falco's voice rang in the channel. His modified vehicle couldn't enter the tower, but he provided battlefield intel via drones and shared sensor data.
Mower's figure vanished like a ghost. The next second, several short sounds of a sharp blade cutting metal and flesh came from the left corridor, followed by the abrupt cessation of gunfire.
They advanced along the main passage toward the tower's core.
Arasaka's resistance was frantic, but futile.
Security personnel wore advanced ballistic armor and used standard smart weapons, but before the firepower of Maine's crew, their defenses were like paper.
Pilar's flamer spat viscous Promethium fire. Ghostly blue tongues of flame licked at security personnel trying to hold behind office partitions. Screams were quickly extinguished in the high heat, leaving only charred remains and burning synthetic materials.
Dorio was a human battering ram. Facing reinforced security doors, she didn't need keys. She simply slammed her shoulder into them, her internal Seismic Generator activating, shattering the door frame and surrounding wall alike.
Ambushers behind the doors were often buried by falling debris before they could fire, or exposed to Maine's plasma cannon or Rebecca's Bolter.
Sasha and Kiwi followed closely behind the team. They didn't need to fire directly.
When enemy drone swarms poured from ventilation ducts, or when EMP weapons tried to disable the squad's gear, the two simply willed it, and an invisible electronic warfare field expanded instantly.
Drones were crushed as if by invisible giant hands, internal components overloading and smoking as they fell.
Energy waves from EMP weapons dissipated into nothingness upon touching the edge of the field.
They could even reverse-hack the enemy's tactical network, exposing their positions and loadouts in real-time on the squad's tactical interface, turning Arasaka's ambushes into traps for themselves.
The battle inside the tower progressed layer by layer.
They breached the lobby, cleared the mid-level office areas, and crushed the second line of defense deployed in the large atrium.
Every floor, every corner could hold new resistance.
But this resistance disintegrated rapidly before the absolute gap in power and technology.
"Detecting anomalous energy signals and heavy armored units," Sasha reported calmly over the channel. "End of the forward corridor. Suspected elevator shaft entrance leading to the underground data center. Guard level: Maximum."
Maine's crew arrived at an exceptionally large circular hall.
In the center were several large elevators requiring special clearance to operate.
Standing in the hall were five heavy mechs, distinctly different from regular security. Their designs were menacing, arms mounted with rotary machine guns and rocket pods.
"Finally, something decent." Rebecca licked her lips, aiming her Bolter at the nearest one.
Combat erupted instantly.
The mechs' rotary cannons spat lethal tongues of fire, bullets pouring down like a storm.
Dorio took point, her kinetic shield under immense pressure, rippling violently.
Rebecca's Bolter rounds slammed into the mechs' armor, exploding in blinding flashes, but failing to penetrate immediately.
Maine's plasma cannon charged again. An azure orb shot out, hitting a mech in the chest.
The armor overloaded and shattered instantly. The high temperature of the plasma melted straight through the mech's upper body, vaporizing the pilot and precision components inside.
The powered-down wreck crashed to the ground.
Mower used the extreme speed provided by her Sandevistan to weave through the bullet curtain, her sonic blade targeting the mechs' joints and weapon mounts for precise cuts.
One mech had just raised its rotary cannon when she severed it at the base. The heavy barrel crashed to the floor.
Pilar covered the entire area with his flamer. While the Promethium fire couldn't burn through heavy armor immediately, it effectively disrupted the mechs' sensors and cooling systems, and blocked any potential infantry support.
Sasha and Kiwi focused their efforts, their electronic warfare fields zeroing in on these heavy mechs, attempting to jam their fire control systems and shield generators.
One mech's shield suddenly flickered, and its movement froze for a split second.
Rebecca seized the opportunity. A bolt shell shot precisely into its cockpit, blasting it open from the inside.
Under the coordinated assault of Maine's crew, the remaining two mechs soon became burning scrap metal.
Having cleared the guards, Maine walked to the largest elevator in the center.
The doors were sealed tight, requiring top-level clearance to open.
"Boss, arrived at target elevator entrance. Requesting access clearance," Maine reported via the encrypted channel.
(End of Chapter)