Chapter 829: Chapter 829 Disaster
In the deep shadows of a night fraught with chaos, a different kind of darkness moved with silent purpose. Cloaked in black from head to toe, a group of figures made their way through the labyrinthine underbelly of a secret military facility.
Their movements were precise, a choreographed dance of shadows blending into the dark, their faces hidden behind masks that revealed nothing of their intentions or allegiances.
The facility, a sprawling complex buried beneath the surface of a planet far removed from the front lines, was a hub of technological and military research for the Celestial Platoon. It was here, in the heart of security and secrecy, that the group sought to strike a blow not with weapons, but with information.
They navigated the corridors with a familiarity that spoke of meticulous planning and reconnaissance. Every turn they took, every door they bypassed with their array of sophisticated hacking tools, brought them closer to their objective: the data center, the neural network of the entire military operation.
The data center, a vast chamber lined with servers humming with the flow of countless terabytes of data, stood before them, seemingly impregnable. But for these figures, dressed in the dark attire of thieves, no barrier was insurmountable.
One of them, the leader, signaled a halt with a raised hand, then pointed to another, who stepped forward with a small device in hand—a USB stick of unassuming appearance but loaded with a payload designed to infiltrate and extract.
Carefully, they approached a terminal, their movements slow and deliberate to avoid triggering any silent alarms that might still lurk within the system. The hacker, with a steady hand, inserted the USB device into the terminal. A tense silence enveloped the group as they watched the progress bar on the screen slowly fill.
"Those Celestial Platoon folks have been monopolizing the industry for too long," the hacker whispered, breaking the silence as the device worked its magic. "Let's hurt them a bit."
The words were spoken softly, but they carried a weight of conviction and resentment. It was clear from the tone, a blend of bitterness and determination, that this was more than a simple act of theft; it was a statement, a challenge against an entity they perceived as too powerful, too controlling.
As the progress bar reached completion, a soft ping signaled the success of their mission. Data, valuable and sensitive, began to flow into the device, a stream of information that could shift the balance of power or, at the very least, wound the pride of the Celestial Platoon.
The leader of the group, watching the data transfer, allowed themselves a momentary smile beneath their mask. It was a smile not of joy, but of satisfaction at the prospect of shaking the foundations of an organization that, in their eyes, had grown too complacent, too arrogant.
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"I tinkered with their security protocols a bit just to mess up with them. Hehe."
As the last byte of data secured its place within the clandestine confines of the USB, the group's leader, a figure shrouded in the enigma of their masked visage, turned to their companions, a silent command communicated through the subtlest of gestures.
In unison, they pivoted, their attention drawn to the ceiling above—a grid of vents, narrow and uninviting, yet holding the promise of an escape route far from ordinary.
With a grace that belied the human form, each member crouched slightly, the tension in their legs a coiled spring. Then, with a synchronicity that spoke of countless hours of practice and a bond forged in the fires of shared purpose, they launched themselves upwards.
The jump, executed with both power and precision, carried them effortlessly to the ceiling, their hands finding purchase on the metal grates with the ease of spiders dancing across their webs.
As they clung to the grates, the leader gave a nod, and what followed was a display of their extraordinary nature that went beyond the bounds of mere human agility. Their bodies began to shift, muscles and bones rearranging with a fluidity that was both mesmerizing and unsettling to behold.
Limbs slenderized, torsos compressed, and within moments, the group had transformed, their new forms perfectly adapted to the cramped quarters of the ventilation system ahead.
One by one, they wiggled their way into the vent, their movements smooth and unencumbered by the restrictive space. Inside, the darkness was complete, a void that would have stifled the courage of any ordinary infiltrator. Yet, for these beings, darkness was but another veil to navigate, their senses attuned to the echoes and whispers of the structure that surrounded them.
Their passage through the vents was a silent procession, a spectral caravan threading through the veins of the facility. Below them, the occasional grate offered fleeting glimpses of the world they had left behind—a world of bright lights and vigilant guards, oblivious to the shadowy ballet performed just beyond their sight.
As they passed over one such vent, a pair of guards meandered beneath them, their conversation a mundane murmur against the backdrop of their mission.
"…and then I told him, 'That's not a wrench, that's my lunch!'" one guard chuckled, his laughter echoing softly through the metal duct.
The thieves paused, a momentary hush falling over their group as they listened. It was a reminder of the life that pulsed through the facility, a life unaware of the specters that floated just above.
With a gesture from their leader, they moved on, the incident quickly becoming just another shadow in the night. Their path twisted and turned, a labyrinthine journey that tested their navigation skills and their unique physicality.
The sudden blare of alarms shattered the silence, a jarring cacophony that reverberated through the ventilation system and sent a ripple of tension through the group. A mechanical, robotic voice followed, cold and impersonal, announcing, "Level 5 danger detected. Activating all security protocols immediately. All soldiers are called to action."
In the chaos that ensued below, the thieves paused in their passage, an unspoken decision to observe the pandemonium unfolding within the heart of the facility.
Through the grates, they watched as guards scrambled like ants disturbed from their nest, desperation etched into every movement as they pulled at levers with frantic urgency, attempting to access the warehouse that housed their most potent defenses—armored suits and towering mechas designed for the most dire of threats.
But the gates that guarded these mechanical behemoths refused to yield, locked down by the very protocols meant to protect the facility. The irony of the situation was not lost on the thieves, a shared glance among them conveying amusement and a hint of pride in their handiwork.
Below, frustration boiled over as the guards resorted to brute force, blasting at the door with charges set in a haste that spoke volumes of their desperation. When the dust settled, and the entrance was finally breached, a collective gasp filled the air, not of relief, but of dawning horror.
The mechas, their imposing forms now accessible, offered no salvation—they stood inert, their power cores drained to the barest minimum, a sabotage far more crippling than any physical barrier.
"Looks like someone forgot to charge their toys," one of the thieves quipped, the humor dark against the backdrop of the alarm's relentless wail. The sound of curses, loud and vitriolic, floated up from the guards, their fury a tangible force that filled the air with electric tension.
Yet, amidst the chaos, the thieves continued on their path, their progress unhindered by the drama unfolding below.
They moved with a renewed purpose, the laughter shared between them a light in the darkness, a testament to their success against an adversary that had underestimated their cunning and resourcefulness.
Eventually, they made their way out.
"By the way. What do they mean by level 5 danger?"
The leader, ever vigilant, was the first to sense a shift in the atmosphere, a sudden tension that prickled the air with foreboding. "Quiet," they hissed, a hand raised in a silent command for stillness. The jest and mirth that had buoyed their spirits during the escape evaporated, replaced by an instinctual alertness to the unknown danger that loomed.
No sooner had the command been issued than the facility beneath them shuddered, a violent tremor that sent shockwaves through the metal ducts. Muffled at first, the sound grew, a crescendo of destruction that could not be contained by walls and barriers. Explosions, massive and unrelenting, tore through the facility's lower levels, a series of eruptions that spoke of an attack of unimaginable scale.
The group reached the surface exit just in time to witness the source of the chaos. Bursting forth from the bowels of the facility, demonic dragons emerged, their scales a myriad of nightmarish hues, eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence. These were not the beasts of legends told to scare children; they were real, and their fury was unleashed upon the world of men.
Perched precariously on the edge of the skyscraper, the group watched in horrified fascination as these titanic creatures took to the sky, their wings unfurling with thunderous roars that drowned out the sound of battle below.
The night sky, once a blanket of tranquil darkness, was now a canvas for the dance of demons, illuminated by the fires of destruction.
Then, a commercial plane, its lights blinking innocently in the distance, crossed paths with the dragons. The outcome was inevitable, yet no less shocking for its certainty. With terrifying precision, the dragons converged on the aircraft, their claws tearing through metal and glass as if they were mere paper.
The plane, now broken in half, plummeted towards the earth, a falling star extinguished by the wrath of the demonic dragon.
Yet, that dragon was only one of many monstrosities sowing chaos.
The thieves watched the demons destroying homes and shops with people still in them.
The entire city was consumed in flame.
"Where are the soldiers!" One man screamed before a giant clawed hand crushed him.
Only thirty minutes later did the soldiers from Celestial Platoon finally responded to the demonic threats.
The mechas and soldiers in armored suits easily decimating the demons.
However, tens of thousands of lives had already been lost.
The thieves watched the fallen city.
"What have we done?"