BXBX NOVEL Chapter 468: Rise Up - 02
"Detonation confirmed. We had a delay of 4.15 seconds, but everything is within our error margin," Jim reported through his earpiece.
"Affirmative. The operation will begin as scheduled," the communicator responded.
Jim watched the flames and listened to the soldiers\' screams from a safe house apartment, where he and his comrades had gathered after returning without much trouble. They all gazed at the destruction, their hearts swelling with pride. This was the first operation of its kind that didn\'t harm any innocents, as nearly all the current soldiers were recruited from pardoned prisoners.
These soldiers, who usually terrorized the locals, were better off dead.
"Jim... thank you," one of the rebel women, who had lost her father to the soldiers, said with a smile as she walked up to him and touched his back.
"Huh?" Jim was confused, turning his head to look at his comrades as if asking what they were talking about.
"Thank you, Jim," she repeated. The others nodded in agreement, echoing her sentiment.
For these rebels, who were disgruntled locals who had lost loved ones to the authorities, this felt like justice served. They were grateful to this young man who had become their leader in such a short time. All of this had happened because of him, even though they had only met him less than a week after General Moore had gone crazy and declared nuclear war.
That attempt was thwarted by the Astral Tech ICBM defense system satellite in orbit, turning the warhead into a pile of useless scrap.
"There\'s no need to thank me," Jim said with a smile. "Just throw me a free beer and a large barbecue party after all this is done and you guys get your usual lives back. Cause I\'m not going anywhere anytime soon. My higher-up said I can stay here forever if I want." He smiled at the woman beside him, making all the rebels cheer.
Jim\'s tale was just one example of many similar stories happening all over the Confederacy. The infiltrators were all veterans from Maria\'s infiltration unit, assigned here by Albert, who oversaw operations involving cloak and dagger tactics.
Albert, despite not being the nicest guy, wouldn\'t let anyone as useful as Jim station wherever they wanted. He reciprocated these people\'s wishes because they were among the first to join Daniel and had once been under Maria\'s command.
If he were to piss them off and things escalated, Albert might need to deal with an angry Vampire Progenitor instead of an angry mob, which was something he definitely didn\'t want to handle.
— 00:00 The Sky Above Washington DC. —
As the Confederacy soldiers scrambled to restore order and secure their facilities, the moonlit sky revealed the faint silhouettes of aircraft passing overhead. None of the soldiers, not even those on watch duty, nor any detection methods could spot them.
Several loud thuds echoed as large solid objects fell to the ground at high speed. Soldiers in outposts and small barracks immediately sounded the alarm and prepared to defend their positions.
A communication soldier rushed to the nearest comm station and urgently contacted HQ. "This is J-12 calling HQ, J-12 calling HQ!" Despite his efforts, there was no response. The communication facilities within the district had been compromised, and the jamming signals from Astral Tech Corporation overwhelmed the outdated military communication devices of the Confederacy.
Suddenly, explosions and gunfire erupted, followed by the booming sound of assault pods hitting the ground. As the ground cracked and hatches burst open, soldiers in power armor emerged, wielding their standard-issue rifles. These were US Army soldiers.
The power-armored soldiers quickly secured the area, setting up a perimeter and establishing a forward base and temporary HQ in a nearby office building. Gunfire, explosions, and the sounds of battle echoed through the cityscape as the war raged on. The Confederacy soldiers, even those equipped with exosuits, were no match for the US power-armored troops.
They also faced the Astral PMC troops, who were fiercer and better equipped.
The sound of gunfire, explosions, and fighting filled the cityscape as the war raged on. The Confederacy soldiers, even the best among them equipped with exosuits, were no match for the power-armored US soldiers. Some of them also faced the Astral PMC troops, who were fiercer and had more advanced equipment.
The people hiding in their homes rose up, many of them rebel members who had been lying low. With weapons distributed by Albert\'s network beforehand, they joined the fight, not out of love for their country, but driven by a thirst for vengeance and a desire to take their fate into their own hands.
This uprising resulted in a massacre of the Confederacy soldiers during these hard times.
As the fight raged on, the combined forces of the US Army, the Astral PMC, and the rebels pushed towards the most guarded building of the Confederacy forces—the White House. There, they met fierce resistance, including bio-engineered creatures impervious to small-caliber bullets.
These creatures were dealt with using anti-tank missiles and large-caliber weapons like the auto cannons from the Astral PMC. Leading the charge was none other than Cao Cao, the CEO of Astral Tech, along with Nicholas Sullivan\'s squad of the Astral PMC.
The sword in Cao Cao\'s hand cut through the thick carapaces of the Confederacy\'s bio-engineered creatures like a hot knife through butter. His personal shield generator protected him from stray bullets, and his reflexes made him a formidable force on the battlefield.
The sight of Cao Cao and Nicholas leading the charge and breaking the stalemate was a scene that those who fought in this rebellion would never forget.