Chapter 246: Airborne Operation
The Militech team responsible for the airdrop system felt their scalps tingle.
They had originally assumed the cargo to be dropped would be some kind of heavy power armor or small vehicles. They never expected such massive war machines.
"Move it! Recalculate payload and impact force! The 'Bastion' system needs reinforced buffer modules! Retro-rocket fuel must be filled to 120% of the safety limit!" The project supervisor practically roared the orders, and engineers immediately swarmed around data pads and technical blueprints.
Margaret and Maria paid no mind to the reactions of the "locals" below.
Assisted by the Sacristans, they conducted final pre-sortie checks.
Inside the mech cockpits, lines of green runes from the system self-check flashed by.
"Lancer, system normal, Machine Spirit stable," Margaret's cool voice rang out in the family's encrypted channel.
"Punisher, ready and waiting." Maria's voice carried a hint of eager excitement.
The six Armiger-class mechs also completed their final tuning. Like loyal hounds, they stood silently flanking the two main Knights.
Meanwhile, the cargo bay of the aerodyne had undergone emergency modifications, reinforcing load-bearing structures to accommodate these heavy "passengers."
Ground crew in protective suits began carefully installing the specially made airdrop harnesses onto the backs and legs of the Knight suits and Armigers.
Connected to these harnesses were massive retro-rocket clusters and specially reinforced shock-absorbing mechanisms.
Militech's airdrop expert explained the drop procedure in detail to Młynar and the two Knight pilots: "—Upon reaching designated altitude, bay doors open, harnesses unlock.
"Freefall until 1,500 meters above ground. Primary drogue chutes deploy to stabilize attitude.
"At 800 meters, retro-rockets ignite, firing continuously until cutoff at approximately 100 meters above ground. Finally, rely on leg buffer mechanisms for landing. Please note, the impact at the moment of landing will be immense; ensure attitude stability."
Młynar responded calmly, "Understood. House Nearl has undergone similar training."
Knight suits were not without experience in orbital drops. Although the technology of this world differed, the basic principles were similar.
All preparations were completed in a highly tense atmosphere.
Two Knight suits and six Armigers were firmly secured inside the aerodyne's cargo bay, like loaded lethal weapons.
The engines of the "Leviathan" aerodyne let out a low roar as it slowly lifted off, adjusted its heading, and finally merged into the night, quietly heading toward the Western Pacific.
The Leviathan glided silently through the night sky. Relying on its advanced stealth technology and electronic cover provided by Kang Tao, it cleverly evaded potential monitoring networks along the route.
Inside the cabin, the lighting was dim, illuminated only by faint indicator lights of running equipment and the occasional flash from mech sensors.
Margaret and Maria stayed in their respective cockpits, resting in a meditative state to maintain peak combat readiness.
The Cogitator systems inside the mechs ran continuously, while the Armigers were in low-power standby mode. Their pilots sat in their cockpits, also maintaining their condition in various ways.
The aerodyne commander reported their position periodically to Joric and Młynar.
The flight was long and calm, but the air was filled with the oppressiveness before a storm.
Tokyo Time, 3:00 AM.
The aerodyne quietly arrived at the designated airspace, above the high-altitude cloud layer off the coast of Tokyo Bay. Below, the sprawling Greater Tokyo Area spread out in the darkness. Brilliant lights resembled a spreading sea of stars, while the area where the Arasaka Estate was located appeared relatively dim, like an isolated island in a sea of light.
"Arrived at drop coordinates. Environmental scan complete. Meteorological conditions meet requirements. Electronic countermeasures active; success rate of jamming Arasaka's peripheral early warning system estimated at 92%." The captain's voice rang in the comms channel.
Joric's command came through the data link: "Authorized to execute airborne operation."
Młynar's voice followed immediately in the House Nearl channel, steady and powerful: "Margaret, Maria, prepare to launch. As planned—direct, swift. Crush them."
"Understood, Uncle / Uncle Młynar." The two young Knights responded simultaneously.
The massive rear cargo bay doors of the aerodyne slowly opened, and freezing night wind instantly poured in. The distant ground lights below looked like an inverted starry sky.
"Harnesses unlocked! Drop sequence initiated! Good luck!" The drop supervisor's voice held a trace of nervousness.
The metal shackles securing the steel beasts sprang open simultaneously.
First to leap out was Margaret's "Lancer." The slender mech was like a thrown javelin, instantly swallowed by the night sky. Following closely were Maria's "Punisher" and the six Armigers.
They fell in a tight assault formation toward the brilliantly lit metropolis below.
Violent airflow rubbed against the mechs' hulls, whistling loudly. Altimeter digits jumped frantically.
Inside the cockpits, Margaret and Maria were fully focused, sensor data flowing rapidly before their eyes. Their bodies endured the G-force of high-speed descent, but their enhanced nerves and the mechs' internal stabilization systems ensured precise operation.
1,500 meters. Primary drogue chutes popped violently from the mechs' backs and opened. Descent speed slowed abruptly, shaking the frames violently.
800 meters. Retro-rocket ignition command issued.
BOOM!
Multiple sets of retro-rockets installed on the mechs' backs and legs erupted simultaneously with scorching tail flames. Massive thrust pinned the pilots hard against their seats again. Downward momentum was forcibly countered, and the heavy bodies seemed to hang suspended in the air for an instant.
In the night sky, several meteors trailing dazzling flames tore through Tokyo's curtain of night, falling precisely toward the Arasaka Estate.
On the ground, some sleepless citizens occasionally looked up and might have seen this unusual sight, but most would only mistake it for special atmospheric phenomena or corporate testing.
Retro-rockets continued to fire, adjusting the mechs' landing attitudes. Altitude dropped rapidly.
100 meters. Retro-rocket fuel exhausted, automatic cutoff.
The final hundred meters relied on inertial fall.
"Brace for impact!" Margaret reminded briefly in the channel.
In the next moment, heavy impact sounds rang out in succession, shattering the tranquility of the wealthy district by Tokyo Bay.
The "Lancer" and "Punisher" landed heavily in a half-kneeling shock-absorbing stance amidst the green belts and auxiliary buildings on the periphery of the Arasaka Estate. The specialized leg buffer mechanisms absorbed the vast majority of the impact force, but spiderweb-like cracks and deep footprints were still left on the ground.
The six Armiger mechs landed around them in a more agile, dispersed formation, kicking up large clouds of dust.
The Steel Giants had descended upon Tokyo.
(End of Chapter)