Chapter 62: "Interesting Reaction"

The fear that had supposedly vanished was reignited when Stormfront saw Tyrant 001, now standing at an imposing height of nearly five meters.

Even though she trusted in her own physical defenses, the terrifying appearance of Tyrant 001, charging forward against the lightning, sent a chill down Stormfront's spine. Overcome with fear, she abandoned her intent to confront the beast head-on and instead attempted to dodge to the side.

But the pilot of 001 was a battle-hardened veteran who had anticipated such a move from the very start of the attack.

Controlling the Tyrant, the pilot extended its left hand in a grabbing motion, though this was more of a feint. Noticing Stormfront's attempt to evade, the pilot used the momentum from the charge to pivot towards her, diving in the direction she had chosen to escape.

With tremendous power, the three-ton body of the Tyrant leaped into the air, capturing its target in the process, and smoothly completed a forward roll.

Boom, boom!

Landing back on the ground, the pilot skillfully controlled 001 to absorb the impact of the fall, then stood up, holding Stormfront tightly in its right hand.

Without any hesitation, the pilot clasped both hands around Stormfront and began to squeeze with all its might.

"Ah…! Ahhh! You ugly brute!"

Although Stormfront's muscles, skin, and bones could withstand the tens, even hundreds, of tons of pressure exerted by the Tyrant, her softer internal organs couldn't, causing her excruciating pain.

In a desperate bid for survival, Stormfront began to struggle wildly, unleashing unprecedented strength in an attempt to pry open 001's grip with her arms.

Crackle! Sizzle!

Her eyes glowed purple as she continuously emitted lightning, inflicting paralysis and burns on 001.

Crack… crack!

The body of 001 started to crackle and sizzle under the strain, and it seemed as though Stormfront might break free from its grasp.

Thud, thud.

At this moment, Tyrant 002, having apparently completed its mission inside the research facility, came rushing over to join the fight.

But instead of assisting in restraining the target, 002 discarded its rotary cannon and used its right hand to grab Stormfront's head, applying pressure with its thumb as it aimed for her right eye.

"No! Don't!! Ahhhhh!!!!"

Stormfront's heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the area as 002's thumb punctured her eyeball.

The excruciating pain rendered Stormfront combat-ineffective, and she began mumbling incoherently in German, her mind overwhelmed by the agony.

Seeing this, 002 ceased applying pressure to Stormfront's head, freeing its hand to retrieve a large syringe from the storage compartment at its side. After a quick adjustment, it inserted the syringe into the now-empty eye socket, extracting blood and tissue samples from Stormfront. These samples were then placed into a portable device for immediate analysis.

"What... what are you…"

Barely regaining her senses, Stormfront, with her right eye no longer bleeding and seemingly beginning to heal, spoke weakly, her voice strained and filled with confusion.

But the Tyrants were not about to provide any answers.

Beep!

Hearing the notification that the analysis was complete, 001, still holding Stormfront, transitioned from standing to kneeling, pinning her firmly to the ground.

002 then retrieved a black metal device, larger than a football, from its storage compartment. Kneeling beside Stormfront, it pressed the device against her face.

"What are you... going to do...!! What are you doing!!"

Sensing the imminent danger, Stormfront fought through the pain, struggling violently once more in an attempt to break free from the Tyrants' hold.

Whirr————!

But a flash of white light interrupted her efforts, enveloping Stormfront and the two Tyrants completely.

...

Approximately ten kilometers away.

The ground was covered by dense vegetation and trees, but above the forest, a helicopter convoy was speeding towards Sage Grove. The convoy consisted of UH-60 Black Hawks for transport and AH-64 Apaches for escort.

The soldiers aboard the Black Hawks were the rapid reaction force from Holman Air Force Base in Philadelphia, deployed by the Northern Command.

The soldiers, clad in urban camouflage combat uniforms and fully armed, sat on either side of the cabin, their legs dangling outside, ready for a rapid descent.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a bright white light caught everyone's attention. Even in the darkness of night, the soldiers had to squint against the glare.

It turned out that the light was coming from their target area, Sage Grove. The "light spot" was quickly followed by a small mushroom cloud rising into the air.

But the soldiers, drawing on their extensive combat experience, ignored the origin of the "light spot" for now, urgently checking their safety harnesses to ensure they were securely fastened to the cabin.

Seconds later...

Boom!!!! 

Whoosh!

The deafening explosion and powerful shockwave that followed caused the Black Hawks to shake violently.

"Hold on tight!" the pilots shouted over the comms.

Fortunately, the shockwave wasn't too severe, allowing the pilots to regain control of the aircraft. Once the turbulence subsided, they continued transporting the rapid reaction force towards Sage Grove.

"What the hell…"

"What happened here…"

The soldiers, looking at the scene before them, couldn't help but mutter.

There was no longer any sign of the Sage Grove Research Center. All that remained were dissipating smoke and falling dust, with the center reduced to a pile of rubble. The ground at the center of the ruins had been crystallized and vitrified, a sign of extremely high temperatures at the core of the explosion.

The soldiers speculated that some kind of tactical weapon with extreme heat but low yield—around 1000 to 1500 tons of TNT—had been detonated on the ground.

The only reason they dared approach was that no nuclear radiation or radioactive substances had been detected, which left the entire rapid reaction force puzzled.

Despite the nuclear-like effects, the blast's destructive power was relatively contained.

After circling the area without detecting any threats, the pilots hovered the Black Hawks at a suitable location, allowing the soldiers to disembark and begin searching for any useful clues.

However, the intense heat had destroyed all evidence, leaving only vitrified soil and molten spheres at the explosion's core.

But duty compelled the soldiers to meticulously search every detail.

Not long after they landed, an Apache gunner suddenly reported over the comms: "There's a heat signature two kilometers west, possibly a survivor. Ground units, please investigate."

——

...

Meanwhile, at the Arkaim Park in the Southern Hemisphere.

Inside an underground base in a temporary office;

"Father, according to the footage from the two Tyrants and the orbital images, we successfully completed the airstrike mission. Additionally, the U.S. military's rapid reaction force managed to capture Vought security personnel who attempted to flee. I'm sure the Pentagon and Washington's reaction will be interesting."

Saint-Gilles reported the details to Samuel Young via a holographic screen.

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