Chapter 177 Confirmation

Chapter 177 Confirmation

Richard bit his nail, his nerves stretched taut at the possibility that the Alpha Gryphon might still be alive. The absence of any system notification only heightened his anxiety. He stood, eyes fixed on the display monitor, waiting for the smoke to clear. The room was silent, the tension palpable among the team as they all awaited visual confirmation.

Seconds felt like hours until, finally, the screen flickered back to life, showing the aftermath of the strike. Amidst the settling smoke, they saw the Alpha Gryphon. It was plummeting from the skies, resembling a lifeless entity, its once formidable form now seemingly defeated by the power of the LRHW. A collective sigh rippled through the command center, but Richard remained cautious, knowing better than to trust appearances.

"Keep monitoring," he instructed. "I haven't received any notifications whatsoever in my system. It's still alive—"

Actually, he could confirm it.

Richard leaned in closer to the display, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the vital detail that had been previously missed. The health bar atop the Alpha Gryphon's image on the screen was the confirmation he needed. It was low, barely visible, but not entirely depleted. This faint indicator was enough to confirm that the creature was still clinging to life, albeit barely.

"Sara, enhance the image. I need a better view," Richard commanded.

Sara quickly adjusted the controls, and the image on the screen sharpened. The health bar became clearer, undeniably indicating that the Alpha Gryphon, despite the devastating hit from the missile, had somehow survived but was weak.

Richard straightened up, turning to Mark.

"Mark, I'm going to need another run. Prepare the hypersonic missile again. We need to ensure that the Gryphon is completely neutralized."

Mark nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he initiated the preparations. "Starting the preparation for the second launch of the LRHW, sir. It will take a few seconds to recalibrate."

He then addressed Sara again, "Keep tracking its descent. We need to know its exact landing point."

Sara's hands moved efficiently as she worked the controls, keeping the MQ-1 Predator's camera locked onto the Gryphon's rapidly descending form. "It's losing altitude quickly, sir. Calculating the probable impact zone now."

Richard's gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching the Alpha Gryphon's descent. "Once it lands, it might not be able to move much, but we can't take any risks. It's already proven to be far more resilient than we anticipated."

"Time to the second launch?" Richard asked, his tone urgent.

The room buzzed with activity as the team worked to prepare for the second strike. Richard knew that they couldn't drag this any longer. The Alpha Gryphon must die.

"Time to the second launch?" Richard asked, his tone urgent.

"Ten seconds, sir," Mark replied, eyes glued to the countdown on his screen.

Richard exhaled slowly. This second strike had to count.

"Five seconds," Mark announced and continued. "Three... two... one...Ready whenever you are, sir!"

"Give orders to Warhammer to launch," Richard granted the final authorization.

Mark immediately relayed the command. "Warhammer, you are clear to launch the second LRHW," he communicated.

The team watched as the second Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon was launched, its trajectory quickly aligning with the Alpha Gryphon's predicted landing point. The control room was again filled with the deep rumble of the missile's engines as it sped through the sky, a faint trail visible on the screens.

Sara, focused on her console, provided continuous updates. "LRHW is on course, sir. Estimated impact in less than a minute."

Richard, his hands clasped behind his back, watched the screen intently. He hoped that this missile would end it all and make it worth the investment. After all, those missiles cost 900,000 gold coins a piece. It's more expensive than a Blackhawk helicopter.

"Thirty seconds to impact," Sara announced.

The screens showed the missile closing in on its target. Everyone in the command center held their breath, their eyes unblinkingly fixed on the display. novE/lB.1n

"Impact in ten... nine... eight..." Sara counted down.

Finally, the missile struck, the screens lighting up with the brilliance of the explosion. A cloud of smoke and fire billowed up from the impact site, obscuring their view momentarily.

[Congratulations! You have killed Alpha Gryphon]

[You received 40,000,000 gold coins and 200,000 experience points!]

That's the confirmation Richard sought, the notification finally appearing on his system's display. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. The Alpha Gryphon, a formidable threat that had loomed over them, was finally defeated.

"All stations be advised, the target is neutralized," Richard said. However, he realized that this was not yet over. The notification alert only informed him that they killed the Alpha Gryphon, but what about the two magic users?

"Graves, prepare yourself. I'm going to send you over to the crash site and find the two magic users," Richard said, his head turning to Graves.

"Understood, sir. I'll have my team ready and head out immediately," Graves acknowledged.

"Oh, bring Titan with you. Who knows, he may be useful."

Graves gave a quick nod. "Will do. Titan can be an asset in a situation like this."

Richard then addressed the rest of the team, "All stations, stay alert. We may have dealt with the Alpha Gryphon, but the mission isn't over. The recovery of these magic users is critical. We lost them, but we won't let it happen again. Is that understood?"

The military staffers in the room responded in unison, "Hoorah!"

***

Meanwhile, at the crash site. Violet and Seo-Jun were badly injured with open wounds and burns evident all over their body. Violet gasped for air as she tried to crawl towards Seo-Jun.

"Master—" Violet said weakly.

"Violet...are you okay?" A voice rang inside her head.

"Big brother...I'm–I'm okay. The Blackwatch used something...that we couldn't see. We are luc-lucky to be alive."

"I know...I have received notifications that the Alpha Gryphon was down. Blackwatch is truly a barrier to our goals. Don't worry. I have commanded all mutated zombies nearby to come to your location in case the Blackwatch tries to capture you again."

"But—big brother...why can't you save me yourself?"

"I can't go there, Violet. I have unfinished business here in Korea and then—I'm also looking for people like me who could pose a threat to our existence. So be strong...I'll reward you once you are with me."

"I-I trust you...big brother."