Chapter 256
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Chapter 256: The Missing "Cat Tail"
A bright green light filled the entire screen, then quickly faded away.
“Attack 2 completed, duration 1.5 seconds. Beginning destruction assessment. Confirmed, target not hit, activating Plan B.”
Although the last two attacks missed their mark, the speaker’s voice remained emotionless, as if discussing an ordinary matter unrelated to himself.
The people in the conference room exchanged glances, seemingly unconcerned, as if they had anticipated this outcome and had even prepared more powerful weapons.
“Cat Tail Team 1 has entered the position! Target detected!”
“Cat Tail Team 2 has entered the position! Target detected!”
Two strange new voices came from the speakers, and simultaneously they said, “Weapons ready!”
“Fire!”
Before the words were fully out, the loud sounds from the speakers erupted, almost indistinguishable in their intervals, like intense static interference filling the entire conference room.
But this intense noise came quickly and left just as fast; it lasted only a brief moment before disappearing again.
“The smoke is heavy but beginning to dissipate. No fleeing targets detected. Estimated destruction probability 99.99%, terrible attack site, prepare to withdraw.”
Far on the other side of the world, the people in the conference room began to laugh when the speakers momentarily hushed.
Even though there was a tiny chance of less than one percent, it was merely a battlefield statistical rule. To everyone present, that unfortunate target had long been swept clean by the furious Barrage Wall.
“Congratulations, the ‘Hunting Dog’ operation was a complete success.”
A black man was the first to gently clap, and the others soon joined in to celebrate.
“The power of ‘Metal Storm’ is impressive. Not just people, but even armored vehicles and tanks can’t withstand it; it truly is an incredibly powerful weapon, effectively suppressing everything—great job!”
“Exactly, its ability to erase evidence is top-notch, and there’s no need to worry about any aftermath. As long as we don’t admit it, no one will know it was us.”
The people at the conference table nodded in agreement, showing little emotional fluctuation, as if this outcome was just a routine matter. They watched the real-time battlefield feedback with ease and without pressure.
A few people dressed in camouflage military uniforms glanced at each other, their previously tense faces visibly relaxing, clearly relieved. It appeared they had made extensive preparations for this operation and had borne considerable pressure.
“Hello, Colonel Joy, thank you for your hard work. You finally completed the mission. Your boys did great, really, they’re all commendable.”
A silver-haired white man approached a middle-aged white man dressed in camouflage and sporting a Moustache, smiling as he extended his right hand.
“Thank you, Director Johnson. My boys are always the best. I also appreciate the equipment you provided. Though the opponent was formidable, they still couldn’t match high-tech weapons. With our well-planned surprise attack and rapid suppression, the opponent had no chance to survive, unless they were superhuman.”
Colonel Joy appeared to be in his forties, his sun-kissed skin reminiscent of someone who had spent much time outdoors training and executing missions. He had a decisive, fierce aura but managed to compliment the other person subtly.
Director Johnson, grinning widely, shook the other’s hand vigorously, clearly very satisfied with the outcome, nodding emphatically, “We will have many more collaborations in the future.”
“Great job, Colonel Joy!”
“Congratulations! Joy!”
Clearly, this Colonel Joy in his forties was the planner of the mission and was now receiving congratulations from others in the conference room.
“I also want to thank everyone for their support. We were just responsible for the action.”
As Colonel Joy, excited, shook hands with others, he was the highest-ranking military personnel present and the planner of the “Hunting Dog” operation. The other attendees supported the mission by providing intelligence, funding, and equipment.
The collaboration between both sides was merely a matter of mutual benefit.
For Joy and his subordinates, the rewards far exceeded their military salaries from Congress. More importantly, this did not count as completely private contracting but rather as a semi-public task delegation, allowing them to take the benefits with a clear conscience.
"Major Bill, prepare to notify Cat Tail Team 1 and Cat Tail Team 2 to withdraw, and according to the plan, reach the assembly target. Let the Chinook (CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter) pick up the Cat Tail team members first. After refueling the two Strikers, speed to the designated airport and directly transfer using the C-130."
Colonel Joy began preparing for the aftermath, issuing commands to his subordinates. "Tell Lawrence to clear all traces from the scene."
The design concept of the Striker armored vehicle was to be as deadly as a tank while also being as swift as a Humvee, capable of being deployed anywhere in the world within 96 hours.
"Yes!" A soldier in camouflage stood at attention and saluted, about to take out his phone to issue orders when the speakers suddenly crackled with sound, filled with some confusion.
"The smoke is starting to clear. It doesn’t look quite right."
"Wait, what’s that? This looks bad. Oh my God, run! Run! Damn it, ah…"
The situation took a sudden turn; the speakers only managed to transmit a deafening explosion before falling silent. Even the display screens on the large racks showed numerous signal interruption alerts for various function modules, and most terrifyingly, the video image abruptly turned to a blinding white light before becoming a flurry of static.
In just a few seconds, the tides turned completely.
All actions and expressions in the conference room froze as if they had been paralyzed the moment the signal was lost.
"What… what is happening?"
Director Johnson suddenly stirred, his silver hair contrasting with his alert eyes as he was the first to recover.
"Bill, quickly, check what’s going on!" Colonel Joy, seeming even more anxious than Director Johnson, rushed to a computer and began typing rapidly, attempting to restore contact.
A chaotic sound ensued as Major Bill even pulled out his phone to dial a number, his voice and expression stern as he asked questions. After a moment, his face paled slightly, and he covered the phone, saying to Colonel Joy, "Colonel Joy, sorry, we can’t contact the platform. The equipment at the base also lost contact with the Cat Tail team at the same time."
"Is there a satellite passing over there? Check it for scans! See what happened!"
"Sorry, Colonel Joy, it’s nighttime there, and the optical reconnaissance satellite can’t see the ground situation. Other reconnaissance satellites probably can’t get a clear view either. I’ve already asked the base to try using radar remote sensing satellites for high-precision scans."
"Hurry and have them report back the situation at once."
"Okay, they are applying for emergency communication permissions; it should take about 30 minutes."
"Tell them to hurry up; this is a big deal. I don’t want anything to happen to my boys, damn it!"
"There are no clearer images. We didn’t see anything just now."
Colonel Joy lost the calm demeanor he had held before, his hands raking through his hair in frustration. The sudden change left him guessing about what had happened on the other side.
From the last call, he had heard the speaker’s tone shift from calm to confused, and finally, filled with terror and abruptly ending, as if they had suddenly seen something extremely frightening.
Joy and his subordinates understood well that the dispatched Cat Tail team members were battle-hardened veterans; even if under immense pressure, they wouldn’t panic unless they faced something inexplicable or terrifying beyond comprehension.
The conference room fell into a heavy silence, waiting for Major Bill’s phone call. All the joy that had once filled the room quickly faded, overshadowed by a grim sense of foreboding. It seemed everyone knew that the soldiers on the mission must have encountered some unforeseen horror, potentially facing dire consequences.
A lively rhythmic blues sound rang out, drawing everyone’s attention to the light green phone resting on the table as Major Bill quickly answered it.
"Yes, yes, okay, okay, I’ll take it, huh? Really? Are you sure? Is there a zoomed in version? Okay, I understand, thank you, X!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he hung up quickly and clicked away on his laptop, turning to the increasingly anxious Colonel Joy. "Colonel, the radar remote sensing photos have just come in. I’m receiving them now."
Soon, a clear image appeared on the left corner of the monitor hanging above.
It showed a half-broken valley entrance, with a long, narrow sector extending into the mountains, clearly marked as the aftermath of the Metal Storm. Annotated personnel positions showed a few scattered figures, and although the nearby terrain was not precisely detailed, it was barely visible.
However, the true colors were completely indecipherable; this was the result of radar scanning, which could only map out blurred terrain undulations without distinguishing actual colors.
"Where are the two Strikers? Where did they go? And what about the Cat Tail team, where are they?" Colonel Joy could not help but step closer to the 46-inch screen, scrutinizing it closely and asking the very questions everyone wanted answers to.
