Chapter 171 The Response

Chapter 171 The Response

A few moments earlier, at the command center, Ayala North Exchange Tower 1, Richard was throwing a badminton ball against the wall, catching it with a practiced ease as it bounced back to him. He kept up the rhythm, a mechanical distraction in a room filled with the low hum of computers and the occasional murmur of his subordinates.

"Sir, how long are you going to keep doing that?" Mark asked as he watched Richard's repetitive motion over a hundred times.

Richard glanced at him, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Until something more interesting comes up. This is just me passing the time," he replied.

He turned his gaze back to the screens displaying the ongoing operations, the relocation of civilians to New Clark City, and the monitoring of the cargo in transit. His eyes missed nothing. Yet, his demeanor remained relaxed, almost nonchalant.

Until—there was a sudden call reverberating in the speaker.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is A400M Flight 001, we are declaring an emergency!"

"Coordinates are 14.915440° North, 120.817049° East. descending rapidly!"

Richard jolted in his chair, his demeanor instantly shifting from relaxed to alert. The badminton ball fell to the ground, forgotten, as he strode towards the main console. His staff, previously engrossed in their individual tasks, now gathered around.

"What's the status?" Richard demanded.

One of the operators quickly typed in commands, bringing up a detailed map on the screen with the flight's last known coordinates. "It's the A400M Flight 001, sir. They've declared an emergency and are descending rapidly. The coordinates suggest they're not far from Clark International Airport."

"Well did they say something that caused them to rapidly descend?"

"Brace for impact! Mayday, mayday!"

Another transmission from the pilot sounded in the room's communication systems. Seconds later, it died out, replaced with static, indicating the loss of communication.

Richard flickered his gaze to the monitor screen to confirm that the A400M was down. And it was indeed down as the blip identification for the aircraft vanished from the radar.

"Get me the drone visuals in that area, now!" Richard ordered.

"We can send the MQ-1 Predator operating in the airspace of the New Clark Center to the crash site," Sara suggested.

Richard nodded in agreement. "Do it. I want a live feed as soon as it's in position."

The team quickly coordinated the drone's rerouting. Within seven minutes, the large screen in the command center flickered to life, showing the MQ-1 Predator's camera feed. The drone, moving swiftly, offered a clear aerial view of the crash site. Smoke billowed from the wreckage, and parts of the aircraft scattered across the area.

"Zoom in on the main fuselage," Richard instructed, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The operator adjusted the controls, bringing the central part of the wreckage into sharper focus. The damage was extensive and yet there were no signs of the container that was holding the two magic users.

"Shit...this is the first of our cargo aircraft and it already crashed the very day it was summoned. Now possibly have two magic users on the run. They are dangerous to be left behind, we have to find them and eliminate them at all costs."

"The plane just crashed, they couldn't get away that far. But we can get something there within two to three minutes," Graves said.

"What are you thinking?" Richard turned his gaze to Graves, curious as to what he was to offer.

"How about we deploy the F-35 Lightning? Those jets would get to the crash site in no time. They're equipped with advanced sensors and can search the area quickly," Graves suggested.

Richard considered the idea for a moment. Earlier this morning, Richard summoned those aircraft that he received from drawing up a good fortune in the Wheel of Fortune. There are two of them currently parked at the makeshift airfield of the Oriental. This is a perfect opportunity for him to test those aircraft out and see if he'll buy more of them in the future.

He turned to Mark. "Mark, how fast can we get those Lightning up in the air?" n-(o.-v(-e/)l/)B/.I)-n

Mark quickly responded, checking the details on his computer. "Sir, we can have them airborne in less than one minute. The pilots are on standby, and the aircraft are fully prepped."

"Do it," Richard commanded. "Tell them their primary objective is reconnaissance. I want a full sweep of the area surrounding the crash—"

"Sir...we are reading a signature on the drone's radar," Sara interrupted Richard's instructions, her tone urgent.

Richard immediately turned his attention to the screen displaying the drone's feed. "What kind of signature?" he asked.

Sara quickly worked on her console, analyzing the data. "It's moving fast, not like any conventional aircraft. The signature is also off, suggesting that it's not a plane. It's something else," she reported.

How far is it from the drone?" Richard asked, focusing now on this new aberration.

Sara quickly checked the distance. "It's approximately two kilometers from the drone's current position, moving in a northwest direction," she informed.

"And how fast is it moving?" Richard inquired, keen to understand the full scope of what they were dealing with.

Sara glanced at her screen.?"It's moving erratically, but its average speed is around 250 kilometers per hour. It's much faster than our drone. Sir, that's not how an aircraft behaves. It could be something."

"I know, that's why we need to get a visual on what that could be," Richard said and turned to Mark once more. "That A400M is new, there's no way that it would break down mid-air. Something must have hit it, and I'm thinking it has something to do with this unidentified object. Change the mission, the F-35s are not going to the crash site but after that bogey."

"Yes sir!"

***

At the makeshift runway in the Oriental, the two F-35 Lightning jets were already lined up for takeoff. The pilots, informed of the change in mission, were quickly briefed on the new target - the unidentified, fast-moving object.

the pilots engaged the Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, the world's most powerful fighter jet engine. These engines, known for their exceptional thrust and reliability, hummed to life, signaling the imminent action.

The F135 engines, featuring advanced technology and unique capabilities, allowed the F-35s to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings. The power of the engines was evident as the jets effortlessly lifted off the ground, transitioning from a stationary position to a vertical ascent within moments.

As the F-35s rose into the air, their engines adjusted smoothly, transitioning from vertical lift to forward thrust. The jets then swiftly pivoted to horizontal flight, accelerating rapidly toward the last known direction of the unidentified object.

In the command center, Richard kept his eyes on the screen, following the flight path the two F-35s make.

"Now let's see what we are actually dealing with."