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In the footage, the initial shot came from the US side, or more precisely, from the Astral Technology Corporation's side. The soldier on the screen quickly took cover as soon as their comrades were hit. Then, a barrage of missile artillery rained down on the defensive line.

The booming sound of the barrage made the battlefield chaotic, but the soldiers tried to maintain their composure. The trenches provided some safety as long as they stayed low and avoided exposing themselves.

Suddenly, four assault pods dropped into the fort, with one landing directly on top of the command room. The footage then shifted from a spy drone view to a camera inside the fort.

The fight began, with soldiers in exoskeletal suits facing off against Astral Tech troops in hulking power armor. However, the .50 BMG rifles they wielded barely made a dent in the power armor, deflecting off like BB pellets.

Eventually, a shot from a personal hand cannon pierced through the thickest armor plate of a heavy armored exoskeleton model, killing the soldier instantly.

General Moore and Dr. Tanner were visibly shocked by this scene. In test videos, the heavy armor exoskeleton model had withstood .50 BMG shots. However, in this real combat scenario, it couldn't withstand a shot from an enemy's hand cannon.

General Moore paused the footage and angrily confronted Dr. Tanner. "How do you explain this, Dr. Tanner? That was just a hand cannon, A FUCKING! HAND!!

CANNON!!! not a .50 BMG, and it penetrated the thickest part of your heavy armor model! Are you trying to scam me? Each of those armors cost us $5 million!"

Dr. Tanner cursed under his breath, realizing his corporation's unfortunate luck of a one in thousand faulty product exposed in front of General Moore.

Unbeknownst to them, the armor in the footage wasn't faulty. The bullets fired by the Astral Tech troops' hand cannons were of a large caliber equivalent to .50 BMG, but with a magical explosive charge, making them much more devastating than standard bullets. This explained how they tore through the thickest part of the armor.

"Sir! We can fix this!" Dr. Tanner hurriedly attempted to pacify General Moore. "We can offer a premium model to your soldiers at the same price as the standard heavy armor model!" he proposed.

"Premium!? Weren't those heavy armor models supposed to be the most robust you had!? Are you cutting corners and selling us subpar products just to push a more reliable one at a higher price!? I know you're fucking greedy pig, but don't push it too far! These are my soldiers' lives at stake out there! MY SOLDIERS!" General Moore roared once again, gripping Dr.

Tanner's shirt as if poised to punch him.

"Why are you two arguing?" A calm and authoritative voice interrupted the tension in the Oval Office. A young man in a velvet robe entered, his face hidden behind a wooden owl mask.

General Moore's demeanor immediately softened upon seeing the masked man. "Oh, Lord Owl. It's just that Vance Armory Corporation scammed us. They sold us faulty products. Please, take a look at the footage," General Moore explained, detailing the situation to the man named Owl.

Owl observed the footage without commenting immediately, and both General Moore and Dr. Tanner refrained from interrupting him. After watching, Owl snorted.

"Hmph! Perhaps the armor is faulty, perhaps not. But what I do know is that an inferior non-magical product of this caliber can not win against those produced by Astral Tech. That's why I urged you to consider my offer," the man in the owl mask remarked before taking a seat in the president's chair behind the large desk.

"Your offer? My Lord, are you suggesting that we..." General Moore hesitated, recalling the enticing offer made by the man in the Owl mask. The offer promised immense power; by complying with Owl's wishes, he could ascend from a mere mortal to a mage, akin to the former president.

He remembered how close his coup had come to failure because of the president's magical abilities, narrowly escaping the encirclement. Still, the price for such power was exorbitant. Owl's demand wasn't just for him and his family; it extended to all the slaves held by the current Confederacy and possibly even its people if the initial offering fell short.

"What say you, General? The cost isn't just for you and your kin. Once you become a mage, you'll reap all the benefits. Non-magic folk are insignificant; using their lives to fuel your ascent to power is quite the bargain, wouldn't you agree?" Owl pressed the General, noting his hesitation.

"Alright, Lord Owl, I accept your offer. What must I do?" General Moore nodded, much to Dr. Tanner's horror. While Dr. Tanner wasn't the most scrupulous individual, even he had lines he wouldn't cross. General Moore had crossed that line without hesitation.

However, Dr. Tanner knew better than to openly oppose this decision. He resolved to keep this in mind and find an opportunity to escape and warn anyone who could stop this madness. And Daniel Emberweave, the founder and brilliant inventor of the Astral Technology Corporation, was likely the only person capable of putting an end to this thing.

— Night - Texas - Austin —

At the Austin Checkpoint, located 30 kilometers west of Austin, Confederate soldiers maintained a vigilant patrol along the roads. Despite setbacks at the Pecos River frontline and the loss of several forts along vital routes connecting major cities like Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, General Moore reassured his troops that the situation was manageable.

He stressed the importance of adapting strategies and reiterated their primary duty to secure the border against enemy incursions.

Many of the lower-ranking soldiers remained unaware of the recent defeat at San Antonio. The Confederacy's leadership deliberately withheld this information to maintain morale and prevent widespread panic, urging soldiers to stand firm and delay the enemy's advance as much as possible.

In Austin, the troops received substantial reinforcements, including more Rhino Tanks and a plethora of heavy weaponry. Moreover, 5,000 new sets of exoskeleton suits were issued to soldiers to enhance their capabilities in countering the Astral Tech Troop equipped with formidable hulking power armor.

At this moment, the sharp crack of gunfire pierced the air as a bullet tore through one of the soldiers' heads. Before the others could react, a hail of bullets descended upon the patrol group, swiftly ending their lives.

Within seconds, the area around the patrol distorted as the Astral Tech troop infiltrator unit materialized, deactivating their stealth suit cloaking devices. These highly trained units specialized in ambushes and guerrilla warfare.

Meanwhile, at the nearby checkpoint, all the soldiers lay either dead or incapacitated by the infiltrator unit.

As the area was secured, supply trucks and troop transports arrived at the checkpoint. The US soldiers, working alongside Astral Tech's field engineering team, swiftly erected defensive perimeters and installed various defensive emplacements. Steel bunkers, trenches, and artillery emplacements quickly dotted the area, all constructed with the aid of metal scarabs.

A unit of Astral Tech's urban camo standard power armored soldiers disembarked from an APC, accompanied by others in standard power armor bearing emblems denoting their affiliation with the US army.

These standard power armor sets had been acquired from Astral Tech after negotiations with Victoria Goldwyn, purchased by the US government for 18 million USD each, including replaceable parts and energy cells.

The front mask of one soldier's helmet opened, revealing Colonel Parker as he stepped out from the APC. This operation was his chance to earn merit, and he had specifically requested support from Astral Tech's infiltrator unit, as the company had not sold infiltration suits to the US government.

"Colonel Parker," a beautiful female voice resonated through the helmet speaker from one of the Infiltrator units. She approached the colonel and removed her helmet, revealing her stunning face framed by cascading black hair tied into a bun. It was none other than Maria, whom Daniel had sent to assist with the assault on Austin.

"Yes, Ms. Maria, what can I do for you?" Colonel Parker inquired.

"According to our contract, tomorrow morning marks the final day of our infiltrator unit's operation. If you have any additional tasks for us, please feel free to assign them.

You have five hours of grace period after the contract expires, so if the mission doesn't exceed five hours after 8 AM tomorrow, your campaign budget won't require adjustment," Maria explained, glancing at the time on the wrist console of her suit.

Colonel Parker pondered for a moment before nodding at Maria. "Please prioritize securing the safety of the VIP hostages. Even if it extends beyond the grace period, as long as it's within reason, I believe I can adjust my budget," he said.