"This can't continue!" General Moore exclaimed, slamming his fist on the desk in anger and startling everyone in the room. He then turned to one of his advisors, specifically Dr. Tanner from Vance Armory Corporation. "Didn't your team claim that those exoskeleton units could combat Astral Tech power armor? And yet, look at this!"
General Moore pointed toward the screen displaying footage from the latest battlefield, specifically the fort near the Texas border.
In the footage, the initial shot came from the US side, or more precisely, from the Astral Technology Corporation's side. The soldier on the screen quickly took cover as soon as their comrades were hit. Then, a barrage of missile artillery rained down on the defensive line.
The booming sound of the barrage made the battlefield chaotic, but the soldiers tried to maintain their composure. The trenches provided some safety as long as they stayed low and avoided exposing themselves.
Suddenly, four assault pods dropped into the fort, with one landing directly on top of the command room. The footage then shifted from a spy drone view to a camera inside the fort.
The fight began, with soldiers in exoskeletal suits facing off against Astral Tech troops in hulking power armor. However, the .50 BMG rifles they wielded barely made a dent in the power armor, deflecting off like BB pellets.
Eventually, a shot from a personal hand cannon pierced through the thickest armor plate of a heavy armored exoskeleton model, killing the soldier instantly.
General Moore and Dr. Tanner were visibly shocked by this scene. In test videos, the heavy armor exoskeleton model had withstood .50 BMG shots. However, in this real combat scenario, it couldn't withstand a shot from an enemy's hand cannon.
General Moore paused the footage and angrily confronted Dr. Tanner. "How do you explain this, Dr. Tanner? That was just a hand cannon, A FUCKING! HAND!!
CANNON!!! not a .50 BMG, and it penetrated the thickest part of your heavy armor model! Are you trying to scam me? Each of those armors cost us $5 million!"
Dr. Tanner cursed under his breath, realizing his corporation's unfortunate luck of a one in thousand faulty product exposed in front of General Moore.
Unbeknownst to them, the armor in the footage wasn't faulty. The bullets fired by the Astral Tech troops' hand cannons were of a large caliber equivalent to .50 BMG, but with a magical explosive charge, making them much more devastating than standard bullets. This explained how they tore through the thickest part of the armor.
"Sir! We can fix this!" Dr. Tanner hurriedly attempted to pacify General Moore. "We can offer a premium model to your soldiers at the same price as the standard heavy armor model!" he proposed.
Many of the lower-ranking soldiers remained unaware of the recent defeat at San Antonio. The Confederacy's leadership deliberately withheld this information to maintain morale and prevent widespread panic, urging soldiers to stand firm and delay the enemy's advance as much as possible.
In Austin, the troops received substantial reinforcements, including more Rhino Tanks and a plethora of heavy weaponry. Moreover, 5,000 new sets of exoskeleton suits were issued to soldiers to enhance their capabilities in countering the Astral Tech Troop equipped with formidable hulking power armor.
At this moment, the sharp crack of gunfire pierced the air as a bullet tore through one of the soldiers' heads. Before the others could react, a hail of bullets descended upon the patrol group, swiftly ending their lives.
Within seconds, the area around the patrol distorted as the Astral Tech troop infiltrator unit materialized, deactivating their stealth suit cloaking devices. These highly trained units specialized in ambushes and guerrilla warfare.
Meanwhile, at the nearby checkpoint, all the soldiers lay either dead or incapacitated by the infiltrator unit.
As the area was secured, supply trucks and troop transports arrived at the checkpoint. The US soldiers, working alongside Astral Tech's field engineering team, swiftly erected defensive perimeters and installed various defensive emplacements. Steel bunkers, trenches, and artillery emplacements quickly dotted the area, all constructed with the aid of metal scarabs.
A unit of Astral Tech's urban camo standard power armored soldiers disembarked from an APC, accompanied by others in standard power armor bearing emblems denoting their affiliation with the US army.
These standard power armor sets had been acquired from Astral Tech after negotiations with Victoria Goldwyn, purchased by the US government for 18 million USD each, including replaceable parts and energy cells.
The front mask of one soldier's helmet opened, revealing Colonel Parker as he stepped out from the APC. This operation was his chance to earn merit, and he had specifically requested support from Astral Tech's infiltrator unit, as the company had not sold infiltration suits to the US government.
"Colonel Parker," a beautiful female voice resonated through the helmet speaker from one of the Infiltrator units. She approached the colonel and removed her helmet, revealing her stunning face framed by cascading black hair tied into a bun. It was none other than Maria, whom Daniel had sent to assist with the assault on Austin.
"Yes, Ms. Maria, what can I do for you?" Colonel Parker inquired.
"According to our contract, tomorrow morning marks the final day of our infiltrator unit's operation. If you have any additional tasks for us, please feel free to assign them.
You have five hours of grace period after the contract expires, so if the mission doesn't exceed five hours after 8 AM tomorrow, your campaign budget won't require adjustment," Maria explained, glancing at the time on the wrist console of her suit.
Colonel Parker pondered for a moment before nodding at Maria. "Please prioritize securing the safety of the VIP hostages. Even if it extends beyond the grace period, as long as it's within reason, I believe I can adjust my budget," he said.