Zyckevele's Change
Nala and Esmeralda brought 38 helicopters and 18 drones with them, while Fox brought 10 helicopters and 6 drones with him. The PR agents came with him via their own means, be it air or land transport. Naval transport couldn't be used, in case it scared the ongoing merchandise traveling through sea. Only the patrolling vessels could move around seamlessly.
Fox didn’t have it easy. Only the PR special agents knew who he was, so they would listen to him as long as he showed a few things and made the demonstrations. The PSD agents were completely subservient, helping him with their utmost to show what the other cities should do.
In the next morning after his arrival, with the helicopters and drones remaining on the ground, Fox waited until a unit of about 200 enemy soldiers with 7 top-notch tanks towing the rest of the unit marched to the city. They were well-equipped, and more so fearsome with those tanks.
After giving the Zyck soldiers instructions, Fox placed as many agents necessary to fill every role. Then, they waited until it was time. The enemy was suddenly startled with seeing some figures running by with insane speed.
3 tanks went ahead and chased after it, rapidly catching up to more shadows of such. Because of the possibility that the enemy was wearing a NUA, the other tanks went off, too.
Another 2 separated, taking another route. Before they could group with the former, they saw other similar shadows running by. The enemy had to chase them, careful to not be met with any trap, analyzing the route and ground with expertise as they went.
Then, the last 2 tanks did the same, and like the other 2 groups, they met more running shadows blur past them from the distance. They followed. When all 3 groups were worried this might be a well-planned trap, the first group of 3 tanks reported seeing a person in a strange uniform.
It wasn’t a NUA, simply a tightly fitting uniform. This relaxed the others. Thus, they sped up a little but were still careful. Naturally, that was Fox, who was the fastest PSD and PR had sent with him together. Although he might be faster than anyone in both hoogs for that matter.
He showed himself before attracting the enemy to a semi-long street. The other groups were led to short streets, one wide and the other a bit narrow. When Fox’s enemy tanks were nearing the end of the street, where he waited at the side to not be seen, he carried SMs in his hands. The rest of the unit was rushing over, too. It was just in time, quite a bit perfect.
He wore only the new semi-empowered uniform over his clothes, this was already with the PSD uniform under his clothes. The others were in their NUAs, but only he had to remain outside of it. This wouldn’t be just him, as the other cities would have to use this method without him, too.
The principal factor was to attract the enemy and completely fool them so they would keep following the fastest agent and those with NUAs. A simple tactic that was more or less hit and run, although the hit only happened at the end.
Stomp! Fox rushed forth. Just as the tanks were showing around the corner, they saw him, and Fox ignored them, passing by. However, his hands threw the SMs as he crossed the road, disappearing from their view almost half a second later. They didn’t have time to react.
Swiff, swiff, swiff, swiff, swiff, swiff… They watched Fox leave, but they also noticed the things he threw them. It was difficult to see them, but they could tell they might be explosives. And just when one of them opened their mind to question, their words were halted by the ringing of explosions below the tanks. Each of them.
pfwah- pffh- sssu- PFWAH! PFWAH! PFWAH! PFWAH! PFWAH! PFWAH!…
About 2 SMs flew over, nearly grazing the ground, before coming to a halt without bumping into any of the tanks’ tracks or bellies. Only special agents could achieve this. They began exploding as soon as both landed below each tank, blasting and turning them over, opening them from below as well, turning the unprepared enemy into poor victims.
Their tanks flew off from mere feet to up to 2 meters into the air, depending on the position and if both explosives ‘aided’ each other. It was like swinging a hammer to the back of someone’s head, the more power, the more disastrous. With 2 hammers, it would only be more bizarre.
The enemy went from confused, stopping at seeing the unknown person running right in front of them, without enough time to blast them to pieces, to frown and bounce inside their tanks. But before they could open their eyes from the explosions and their tanks turning over…
Boom, boom, booom boooooom booooooooom…! They couldn’t hear it, and their radars were useless, selectively struck by the SMs, but projectiles traveled through the air and headed towards them. At least a portion of them all.
In the other parts of the city, where the other groups were led to, and even behind, with the rushing enemy soldiers to offer their tanks support and vice versa, discharges rang out, too. What’s more, the foot soldiers met ambushes from ever part of the city.
With almost 1 Zyck soldier per building, showing from a window or a camouflaged hole, they were at the immediate threat of this ambush, with their reaction being swift but not enough. When the rear enemy soldiers wanted to report, they realized there was interference… blocked.
Meanwhile, with every cat out of the bag, the overturned tanks rapidly suffered the strike from mortars and light artillery, even some rockets went to them. With this, even if there were survivors, how longer could they survive with injuries? However, some would still be lucky enough to not be so gravely injured or injured at all.
Both results showed in Fox’s first time. First time helping the soldiers, demonstrating, in another supercontinent, aiding the ‘ally’ to end the ‘enemy’, and in coordination with Paved Road and the Zyck army. They didn’t even have to use the small anti-armor missiles they hid in the city.
With the previous scare, and the enemy’s numerous tanks and tactics to almost overtake the cities, Zyck would leave these means to at least cripple some enemy forces before retreating. Retreating was already the worst case scenario.
But with this other method, the resources used were much less, and they could be concentrated in select places from a multiple variety in case the enemy tried to flank the agents or simply took other routes. It was unlike before, where they had trouble positioning themselves and ended losing soldiers even if defending the city successfully from getting infested with the enemy.
Back then, with just his hearing, Fox could tell the ambush to the other tank groups and foot soldiers was successful, and that they wouldn’t need backup. Such backup was more, careful light artillery bombardment before sending the elite Zyck troops hiding.
Everyone had to learn. Only this time, the PSD and PR agents did all the work, from beginning to end, with the Zyck soldiers only doing what was their role in the war.
Did this break the HLS? Yes, of course. Did the enemy do it before ‘behind cameras’ so they wouldn’t be exposed? Indeed. Zyckevele couldn’t do anything about it, waiting for PR’s reaction.
This situation would only grow later on as the enemy saw the obvious clues. After all, devices that could block the signal from radios on and off at will and with little to no wastage could only be from bions, or at least secret world’s technology and special agents.
The enemy could neither confirm nor deny that their troops were getting destroyed by the army or the special agents, but the facts were there, and obvious much. As such, neither would be able to explicitly tell on the other side’s HLS violations.
But while they were aware that the pushes and strategy to dwindle the Zycks in the abandoned cities became disastrous with no survivors out of nowhere, the enemy soldiers kept coming. They had orders, after all.
The northern anti-Zyck coalition at least sent their special agents, of what they could spare. They had too few that could compare to even 1st Grade agents, with the rest being less than that. Other than being flies flying into an electric fence in front of PSD and PR, they posed no threat.
It wasn’t Conundrum Gale or Facilitate Epidemic from ANS, after all, and thankfully. The enemy hoogs weren’t a problem with PR taking care of them, let alone now that PSD has come, and PR were on the field, too. Both sides were playing dirty, and it didn’t matter who started it and who extended it, like with Lýmoca and the Radical Wars. They were all on it.
When it was time to clean up, Fox beeped to the other special agents waiting at the side, ready to at least put 3 bullets in the enemy bodies with their NB or Esnly rifles. They stopped, limiting themselves to watch Fox walk over to the enemy with a leisure pace.
As gunshots sounded from the distance, which could be identified by the camera on Fox’s sternum, doing what he should, he slowly walked through the shards of the destroyed tanks and their source. With a Green in his right hand, Fox walked by them, never stopping.
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Some Orcs or Pontian soldiers, survivors with or without their complete bodies, injured or traumatized, were all in Fox’s sight. Most didn’t even notice him despite the sounds of his executions. With 56 bullets per magazine, Fox riddled the survivors with several bullets each, ignoring their writhing bodies and slowly walking to the next.
Those who noticed him, turning around to face the sky while on the ground, or leaning against a structure, looked at him and his pistol, throwing shakes with their hands before getting executed lackadaisically. Fox made sure it was known what he did, even if it didn’t fully show in the camera.
After he was done, no survivors left alone, Fox gave the order. The enemy who had survived the intense ambush, much worse off than their foot soldier comrades, were shot thrice each. They were already dead, but nothing like doing their job as intended.
After such a successful commence, Fox returned to the city HQ. This time, he was welcomed enthusiastically. Naturally, Fox didn’t delve into it at all, but he did bolster the army’s morale, at least in this part of the city. The others still had to see what he recorded…
… Fox’s first day was a success, one that further spread to the entirety of the city, and the other abandoned cities. The other PSD agents slightly dispersed throughout the abandoned cities, but those Fox wanted to test remained with him.
The drones stayed in the same city Fox was in. But at least 1 helicopter went to the other cities.
To avoid using Zyck anti-armor missiles, even when the enemy came with a large motorized/mechanized unit, tucking their tails between their legs and turning at the first sight of danger. PSD used their helicopters to chase and kill off the fleeing enemy.
To impede the enemy from communicating, they carried anti-radio devices, which were one of many possible add-ons to the modified Lýmocan helicopters. Just the machine guns were enough, as most of the fleeing enemies rode on bikes, only some tried to in their armored cars.
No tanks managed to escape from the city to force the helicopters to use their rockets so far. Much less the missiles.
While the helicopters’ shape was recognized rather easily by the enemy soldiers, they were all killed. So as to not be discovered, the hidden enemy bases in the rural could only see some of their original shape with their eyes, but they still half-confirmed their technology to be Lýmocan.
It reached their superiors’ ears quickly, but there wasn’t anything too exposing to bring it to the public. However, one little thought entered their heads. As soon as it did, like maggots feasting, it stayed there and grew. It was: ‘what if that Heavensbane is here?’.
But the days continued. The helicopters weren’t used a lot. The most they were seen was whenever the enemy brought out a large number of assaults to the cities altogether, planned, and trying to lure their unknown new enemy out.
While the enemy couldn’t tell what was happening in the abandoned cities, their soldiers at least knew to expect the worst. Some adopted similar tactics, but others chose to be aggressive. Even then, the special agents were prepared.
Despite the enemy rapid advances, some even disordered, the NUAs and fastest agents guided them to the prepared places. It required more use of special agents, but it wasn’t complex. More agents would have to be stationed to cooperate together instead of a few or a sole agent.
. . .
On a rooftop, facing outside the city. After another successful day with numerous enemy assaults fended off one after the other were two figures. One standing a couple of steps beside the other, half-kneeling and lifting a Lykatón to aim at a fleeing car hundreds of meters away.
BANG…!! The half-kneeling agent, a short woman wearing a medium NUA without helmet, fired the Lykatón. Fox watched with a hint of a quick smile. The fleeing car with a large curtain covering its back turned into a smoking mess. It divided in several parts from the sheer sniper’s burst.
It was one shot, but it hit in the right spot. Fox looked at the shooter with a satisfactory face. It was mostly expressionless, but it was clearly different from to those who were still in the ‘still deciding’ testing phase. The shooter aimed again after scrutinizing her work.
BANG- BANG…!! The bullets’ contrail smoothly reached the remains. Whatever was alive inside became bits as well. On the other hand, what was once a military car became melting metal and unrecognizable lifelessness.
“Great shots.” Fox commented. The shooter stood up and relaxed her back. She was quite a bit too short standing beside Fox. She looked up at him, her slender ponytail swinging, “How would this new hoog work like, Fox?”
“Do you really think I would separate from the District?” Fox enforced the left corner of his mouth before elaborating, “Don’t fret. I would never leave it behind. But I still haven’t thought of what to do of my new hoog. There are options… nothing in concrete.”
“Mmm.” The woman lowered her head, pensive. Fox tapped his left side and turned around. “That was a sufficient farewell. We’re returning to the capital in a few hours. Bring the others, I may pull something before departing.”
“…?” The shooter lifted an eyebrow, looking at Fox’s back. She shrugged and began disarming her Lykatón, shortening its barrel and carried it on her back. It became ‘locked’, which would only unlock when she intently pressed her finger yolks on its reading detection mini-systems.
… An hour later, Fox welcomed several figures, which he already chose to accompany him. Some were Captains, but most were still below a Captain, even after he selected them. Fox was in a room with the current commander of the city’s forces and PR heavyweights in the same.
Fox’s chosen had their bags ready. They looked around. Fox’s bag lied at the side. When they returned their eyes to his polycoria, staring directly at them, Fox turned to the commander, “Now, you may deliver the good news.”
“Hmf, alright.” The commander scoffed humorously before slightly nodding at the PSD agents respectfully. “After talks with the higher-ups back in the capital, we’ve been granted permission.”
“What permission is that?” Fox asked again. His chosen agents looked at the commander inquiringly, who jumped his eyebrows before concluding. “We are authorized to use our hypersonic missiles to strike the north and begin the counteroffensive.”
“Raging Blood!” The chosen widened their eyes. Naturally, such a thing was part of the counteroffensive, but the Zycks would use it after they’ve secretly brought the sufficient instruments to launch them.
That they were granted permission meant something pretty simple. The Zycks would let them use their drones to launch them!
Seeing their faces and knowing just what they were thinking, the commander shook his head with a smile he couldn’t contain. “I don’t know how ‘you’ accomplished to build such capable drones, it’s strange. But there you have it.”
“Well then,” Fox stood up, ceremonially showing strength in getting up from his seat. He turned to the commander and PR special agents, “It was a pleasure working together. I’ll go see how fun it is on the other side.”
“Would you like to have any particular seats for the show?” The PR agent directly under Socolov asked. The commander looked at the agent before looking at Fox. Fox, who had turned around, halted and turned his head back a little, “The best. Just give me a few minutes.”
“I’m bringing everyone with me away,” Fox commented just before turning around outside the room, leading every PSD chosen agent to leave with him excitedly. The commander sighed, saying with a guttural sound, “That’s a pity.”
While the PR agent shook his head at a regular pace, the PSD agents Fox chose hurried outside, telling everyone and packing their equipment into their helicopters as fast as possible. Once they were taking off, ascending into the skies with the escorting Zyck fighters readied for taking off as well…
Pfiuum, pfiuum, pfiuum, pfiuum, pfiuum, pfiuum…!
Flying northwards, circling back to the south to fly over the Zyck frontline in mere seconds, the drones neared the enemy occupied territory 15 kilometers above the ground.
As the helicopters slowly rose into the air, the drones, controlled by Fox’s chosen in 6 helicopters, ‘aimed’ towards the enemy occupied territory. They suddenly inclined towards the enemy territory, and in less than 2 seconds, 6 hypersonic missiles were launched downwards.
PWOOOFFFF~~! Each missile sounded its starting speed as it fell, rapidly gaining its most favorable speed and bringing a shocking short few seconds to reach their objectives. But while they were still shooting through the air, the drones launched another hypersonic missile.
PWOOOOOFFFF~~… BOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOM~~!
The noise was one thing. Even across the distance, the abandoned cities watching felt their eardrums thundering, like a crack or a few bursting in the deep of their ears as massive explosions towered in the distance. If this was the case for the abandoned cities, one could imagine in the frontline. Even worse, the enemy soldiers on the other side of the front.
But seeing was the same as feeling the explosions. 12 gigantic towers of fire, of destruction, rumbled the ground well past 100 km from the west to the east. It even affected further to the west, the direction to which the hypersonic missiles were shot.
While dust was barely lifted, if the soldiers, with thick boots, could feel it deep underneath, one can imagine a special agent, even in their NUA, and an animal, a creature of nature… It was unthinkable.
In the tallest building of the city Fox was just departing from, the commander and PR agents looked with amazement. However, the commander cursed himself for choosing a tall building, fearing it would fall. But besides that, he wondered out loud.
“These weren’t even heavily ‘packed’… What kind of system do those drones have!?” The commander was flabbergasted. He wasn’t the only one, it’s just that he just didn’t bother concealing it. The PR agents looked at the still ongoing flaming towers before lifting their eyes to the departing combat helicopters. Alright… it was a success.
Fox and the PSD agents were engrossed with the sight. They had the best seats, over a kilometer above the ground, with quite a bit of air passing through their opened gates. Were those missiles to be a little power powerful, they might’ve thrown a few off. It wouldn’t be deadly to a special agent with a NUA, but it demonstrated their sheer prowess.
The air rushed about in all directions when these explosions went off almost in the same second. It gently flew to the east, coursing and fluctuating everywhere. But when it passed through the combat helicopters’ opened gates, it rushed about, impacting them.
It was akin to a wake-up call.
Fox’s face was neutral as he felt it, and his polycoria eyes locked onto the destruction in the distance. Something did awaken from the sight in front of him… but he felt nothing.
The helicopters and the watching agents left, feeling the incoming mayhem as the Zyck soldiers in the frontline… after weeks of war… advanced!
… After sheltering from the explosions, the Zyck soldiers at the front hurried out and grabbed their equipment, went into their military vehicles, land or air, and rushed. They weren’t simply advancing or rushing at the enemy… they were charging.
A brutal counteroffensive had just been unfolded… and the major change in that was just leaving its ‘fun’…
…