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Chapter 31: Such a "Peculiar" Infiltration
Approximately fourteen hours later, the last remnants of sunlight from the star Tranquil vanished beyond the horizon. The planet Namie was plunged into the frigid stillness of night. Beneath the glittering expanse of stars lay an eerie silence, with surface temperatures outside the camp plummeting to well below -80 degrees Celsius.
Inside the reconnaissance command room of the First Armored Brigade, Powell sat expressionless across from Tang Fang and his two companions. He slid a thumbnail-sized data chip toward them. “This contains all the details of the reconnaissance mission. I know you three don’t get along with the soldiers in Second Platoon. Consider this mission as a way to offset your confinement punishment.”
Without a word, Tang Fang pocketed the chip and turned to leave, followed by Arroz and Housen. Within ten minutes, they had suited up in their powered armor and proceeded to the hangar located at one corner of the camp as instructed by the chip. There, a mechanic reluctantly handed over a Saber-Tooth A2 Reconnaissance Vehicle, muttering under his breath, “She’s a shy one—be gentle with her.”
Tang Fang rolled his eyes at the mechanic’s melodramatic display and plopped into the passenger seat. The vehicle looked ancient; if it were a woman, she’d have probably birthed children already. Shy? Hardly. Ignoring the mechanic’s rambling, Arroz climbed into the rear compartment while Housen took the driver’s seat. With a push of the control stick, the Saber-Tooth roared to life like a rutting bull and sped out of the camp, leaving behind a trail of dust before disappearing southwestward.
The Saber-Tooth A2 was a modified version of the Saber-Tooth Anti-Armor Combat Vehicle. Its main cannon, hydraulic suspension system, and various auxiliary targeting systems had been stripped away to simplify its design. Instead, it was equipped with power amplifiers and new off-road tires to enhance speed and stability, making it suitable for diverse combat environments.
For stealth purposes, the vehicle’s exterior was coated with radar-absorbent material, allowing it to evade detection by most medium and small ground-based radars. Additionally, its camouflage micro-control system could simulate surrounding colors and textures, blending seamlessly into the environment to confuse enemy forces.
The distance between the base camp and the target location was approximately 1,800 kilometers. Aside from occasional craters caused by asteroid impacts, the terrain was relatively flat.
Tang Fang had already connected the electronic chip containing the mission details to the microcomputer integrated into his powered armor. His helmet’s UI displayed all relevant mission data. Earlier that afternoon, a geostationary satellite above the base had detected anomalies in the southern hemisphere. After analyzing the data, the division’s intelligence department speculated that the Sulru Empire might be mobilizing. To preemptively prepare for potential threats, human confirmation of these suspicions was required, and thus the task fell to the First Armored Brigade responsible for frontline operations.
There were two reasons why human reconnaissance was necessary. First, since both fleets were far from the battlefield and unable to intervene in land-based conflicts, intelligence gathering had to be conducted independently by each side. Second, while satellites were no longer cutting-edge technology—they had long been used for military reconnaissance and formed part of a sophisticated system of electronic warfare—it remained difficult to determine whether the data they collected was genuine or deliberately misleading. Sending unmanned drones posed risks due to their mechanical structure and communication protocols, which made them vulnerable to interception or technical deception once entering enemy electronic zones. Therefore, dispatching a human reconnaissance team was deemed essential.
Tang Fang’s mission was straightforward: cross the equator of Namie, head south along the western front, and reach Sector S102 on the navigation map. Using marking equipment, they were to record enemy deployments within five kilometers of the acidic vapor zone’s edge.
One particular detail about the acidic vapor zone caught Tang Fang’s attention. Namie, an ancient planet exposed to the vacuum of space, lacked liquid water on its surface. Geological surveys revealed that its crust contained large deposits of a fluid similar to highly corrosive acid. This substance could eat through a centimeter-thick steel plate in seconds and even titanium alloys—the primary material used in constructing warships—would become riddled with holes after being submerged for more than ten minutes.
Originally, this corrosive fluid was scattered throughout deep layers of special rock formations. However, for unknown reasons, the planet’s core—long thought to have slowed down its nuclear reactions and become dormant—continued to emit intermittent bursts of strange energy. When this energy escaped the core and reached pockets of the corrosive fluid in the crust, it triggered violent exothermic reactions, breaking through the rock layers and erupting onto the surface as miniature acid geysers. Due to Namie’s lack of atmosphere, the kinetic energy carried by these geysers propelled the acid outward into space. Some of the outermost acid cooled during ejection, forming suspended particles that were captured by Namie’s gravity, creating unique geographical features known as acidic vapor zones.
Clusters of these geysers dotted Namie’s surface, forming numerous acidic vapor zones. Fortunately, their impact areas were relatively small. The largest such zone identified by satellite scans measured only tens of kilometers in diameter, posing minimal threat to either side of the conflict.
After reviewing the data, Tang Fang shared it with Arroz and Housen, then furrowed his brow, carefully considering the specifics of their approach.
The Saber-Tooth A2, capable of reaching speeds up to 210 km/h, raced southwest under the cover of darkness. Six hours later, it crossed the equator and entered Sulru Empire territory. Housen reduced speed and activated the vehicle’s camouflage coating and “invisibility” mode. Like a spotted leopard slipping silently through the jungle, the Saber-Tooth approached Sector S102 undetected.
The journey was uneventful; they encountered neither patrolling enemy soldiers nor signs of enemy activity mentioned in the briefing. Three hours later, as the vehicle arrived safely at the edge of Sector S102, the trio disembarked, concealing the vehicle in a crevice at the mouth of a valley. Stripping down to lighter gear, they began infiltrating toward their objective.
As they cautiously advanced toward the center of Sector S102, using craters for cover, less than 200 kilometers away, a young Sulru Empire Second Lieutenant named Marcus Turner stared incredulously at a red dot on his electronic signal scanner and muttered to himself, “They’re conducting infiltration ops… with a signal emitter? And not just any signal—but one broadcasting on our public frequency?”
“Bach, initiate satellite positioning,” he ordered.
Moments later, a live satellite image appeared on the central monitor. Within a crater spanning hundreds of meters, three small figures moved swiftly.
“Zoom in,” Marcus commanded.
As the camera zoomed closer, the three individuals clad in Monya Empire standard-issue powered armor were fully exposed to the watchful eyes of the outpost personnel.
“Should I commend your audacity or question your sanity?” the young Second Lieutenant muttered, his brows furrowing. “Send this footage to headquarters immediately.”
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