Chapter 148
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Chapter 148: Brave Assault!
In a conference room within a mysterious complex, a large screen displayed Lin Mo raising his hand and saluting with a middle finger. The image was extremely clear; this was not from a satellite but from an unmanned reconnaissance drone located over ten thousand meters high.
On another screen, various images flickered, while several people, some in military uniforms and others in fitted suits, gathered urgently. Among them were black and white individuals, with whites outnumbering the others. However, everyone sat upright and serious at the conference table.
The temperature in the room was cooler than the heat outside due to the underground air conditioning, but the intense discussions and debates began to heat up.
“Have we identified who it is?”
“The possibility of him being a Chinese Air Force instructor is at 80%. He was specially invited by the Zambian military. Reports indicate he tangled with a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was ejected, possibly caught in a tornado that blew him here. It doesn’t seem like this was premeditated; it might just be a coincidence. After all, if they could control a tornado, they wouldn’t need to go through such trouble just to send one person over.”
“Let him go then.”
“He killed twelve of our outer patrol soldiers.”
“So what? They were just guards at the outer perimeter. We could summon more troops at any moment if needed.”
“It’s not that simple. This guy is formidable; pilots have far superior vision and sharp observation skills. He might discover some hidden clues.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we just received news that our two AH-64D Apaches have crashed. We cannot let him go now; we’ve suffered too significant a loss. Even if he is a Chinese pilot, we can’t afford any exposure here,” a black major interjected amidst the debate between two white men, having just learned about the crash of the two AH-64D helicopters.
“What?!” Everyone in the room exclaimed in unison.
“Does he have Stingers or SAMs? Just because of that lousy gun?”
“Impossible!”
The room fell into a sudden silence.
“I agree with Major James. I lean towards directly killing the target. Although a capture order was just issued, it’s not too late to modify it. A small team of internal security is not like those outside fodder; every soldier from internal security is invaluable. They are loyal warriors, and the difficulty of capturing compared to extermination is incomparable. We cannot allow any accidents.” A white colonel pounded the table as he spoke.
“No, no, no, Colonel Hark, we must capture the target alive! We need to interrogate him first to confirm whether we’ve been exposed before deciding to kill him. The soldiers we send out are equipped with the latest ‘Future Warrior’ exoskeleton armor. Are we really scared of just one guy? He only has a few RPGs and an AK; he lacks any decent combat equipment! What is there to worry about? The crash of those two helicopters was probably just an accident. After all, ‘Rambo’ only exists in movies.”
The brown-haired white man shook his head in disagreement. To him, they were dealing with only one target—one with outdated weapons. Bullets would hardly penetrate a ‘Future Warrior’ exoskeleton. It was hard to see a significant threat. Sending ten soldiers using ‘Future Warrior’ exoskeleton mechs seemed like overkill.
Expert assessments showed that under specific conditions, the combat effectiveness of two AH-64D Apache helicopters didn’t even match that of two sets of ‘Future Warrior’ exoskeletons. Just one set was worth five million dollars.
His perspective gained support from more than half the room; most doubted that a single person could down two armed helicopters. The bullets from an AK-47 hitting the helicopter armor would feel like a mere tickle unless the RPGs hit the same spot repeatedly.
Moreover, no one could guarantee that accidents wouldn’t happen. The helicopter crashes could have been due to carelessness, and without supplies, it was impossible for them to have unlimited ammunition.
The brown-haired white man was more concerned about whether there was a possibility of being discovered by the outside world. As a secret military base still in development, it was crucial to keep a low profile while improving the site. They should never expose themselves to outsiders.
“Investigator Moore, this guy is a threat! The satellite images show that he started with just a pistol and ended up taking out a team of ordinary patrol soldiers. Then he got his hands on an AK-47 and RPG, and he managed to bring down two of our Apaches. I can’t imagine the extent of his attack power. The Chinese grew strong with just millet and rifles; they have a habit of acquiring what the enemy has and using it unexpectedly. That habit is terrifying!” Colonel Hark emphasized, seemingly ready to issue a command for extermination.
Military personnel never underestimate their enemies, especially those who show military prowess. It was not something an ordinary fighter pilot could possess. While escape and survival skills are essential for pilots, that proficiency in asymmetric warfare couldn’t be so easily expected.
Investigator Moore and Colonel Hark had opposing views, though everyone agreed they needed to prevent the target from continuing to roam within their surveillance area. Yet, one side saw the threat as immense and wanted to eliminate it quickly to avoid unforeseen consequences. Meanwhile, the other party was anxious about revealing clues about the base and insisted on a thorough investigation to eliminate risks.
“Alright, alright, you two. Ten soldiers in ‘Future Warrior’ armor should be more than enough for the target, whether we intend to capture or kill him. Let’s wait and see the actual situation and test the combat effectiveness of our internal security troops,” Major James, the black major, also exuded confidence in the soldiers wearing ‘Future Warrior’ equipment, believing the new exoskeleton armor could withstand direct fire from an AK-47 without sustaining any injuries.
“Quiet, quiet! The drone is ready. Let’s carefully observe this rare real-time combat situation!”
Someone knocked on the table, suppressing the debate as the large room screen switched to a live feed.
The ground suddenly started to shift, resembling a breach in the earth. A long crack formed, and the soil on either side rose nearly a meter high, exposing a nearly two-hundred-meter-long straight passage beneath that could accommodate five fighter jets side by side. This was just a small section; the deeper part of the passage remained unopened.
If Lin Mo were here, he would be astonished to recognize it as a long underground runway. No one could imagine that such an underground airport was secretly hidden in the desolate, barren land of Africa, with a scale even surpassing what the Night base had. It was unknown how such a massive project had been completed in terms of engineering and technical support. Landing a plane in such a subterranean passage was far more challenging than taking off or landing on an aircraft carrier or road.
A creamy-white MQ-9 Reaper drone quickly shot out from the runway, soaring into the sky. Unlike the unmanned reconnaissance drone Lin Mo had first seen, this one was loaded with four AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and two small bombs, fully armed and rushing toward Lin Mo’s direction.
A truck carried ten soldiers wrapped head-to-toe in pure black exoskeleton armor, departing from the ground. Unlike the earlier black soldiers Lin Mo had seen dressed in short-sleeved shirts with ammo pouches and no helmets, these soldiers were all equipped with full protective helmets. Their heavy exoskeleton armor made their bodies appear three to four inches larger, seamlessly integrated with elastic memory ballistic armor, resembling ancient heavy-armored knights, exuding a powerful aura.
The ‘Future Warrior’ digital soldier combat system had a helmet that integrated digital data communication links, and the visual component featured a goggle-style display, floating translucent information windows which indicated enemy and ally positions and weapon identifications on a mini-map via aerial reconnaissance. It had various sensors that could switch between infrared and night vision systems. The flexible keyboard attached to the arms allowed for easy input of commands. The entire body was covered with elastic memory ballistic armor that was weak under normal conditions but would harden instantly when struck with great force, capable of defending against close-range shots from 9mm caliber bullets.
The joints had “micro muscle fibers” added to prevent the cumbersome design of the exoskeleton from slowing down movement. Instead, it enhanced the soldiers’ strength and speed by 30%-40%, ensuring agility akin to zero weight, even more potent than an average person’s capabilities.
The waist-mounted high-energy battery not only powered the personal computing system but also integrated various detection, reconnaissance, and aiming assistance devices, operating normally for 24 hours.
Each soldier was equipped with an XM29 assault rifle equipped with targeting systems, featuring laser rangefinders, infrared, and camera functions. They could simultaneously fire standard 5.56mm rounds and powerful 20mm explosive shells. Without the assistance of the ‘Future Warrior’ exoskeleton’s “micro muscle fibers,” carrying such a heavy rifle for an extended period would have been a significant burden.
When the second drone appeared in the sky, Lin Mo also spotted a group of specially outfitted soldiers, entirely covered in black armor, resembling heavy cavalry. They carried guns he had never seen before, their size indicating they were certainly not ordinary weapons.
