The café's staff rushed back and forth, fulfilling orders for the thirty-odd people packed into their tiny store. A cacophony of murmurs, coupled with slightly hostile glares, filled the air with palpable tension. Fortunately, the staff only had one batch of orders left. They quickly delivered the requested drinks to a long table around which ten people sat. Then they exited the store, promptly locking the door behind them.
At one end of the table, Ayumi's eyes narrowed as she looked around the table. To prevent the meeting from devolving into a screaming contest between thirty people, she proposed that each team send two representatives to sit at the deliberation table. If anyone outside the table had an opinion, they could send it to their representatives. The chosen representatives were as follows:
Crazy Heads: Ayumi, Suzuki
Nature's Vanguards: Kimuri, Taidan
Silver Spear: Natsu, Akiyo
Titan's Breath: Nagashiki Kaido, Nagashiki Kaizen
Devil's Grin: Natsue Chimei, Hiraku Yamada.
"We have some privacy," Ayumi stated once the staff closed the door. Looking around the table, she offered, "So, with your leave, I would like to call this meeting to order."
Fortunately, the people present occupied leadership positions in various organizations. Realizing the show was about to start, they obediently pulled their seats close to the table and quietened.
Ayumi nodded, pleased by the swift response. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then faced the curious, challenging gazes. "Crazy Heads called this meeting, so I will start by showing our sincerity." As she spoke, she placed a mini-projector on the table and said, "We have no intention of withholding a single piece of intel. After all, we genuinely believe this mission has a minimal chance of success if we do not work together to accomplish it."
"That is... very altruistic of you," Natsu commented, her lips curled in a sly smirk.
In response, Ayumi shook her head. "Altruistic? No. We simply chose the path with the highest possibility of success. You will understand after watching this." Ayumi then activated the projector and sat back. Fortunately, Jade preprogrammed the video to display all their deductions in as clear a format as possible. Of course, her AI did not lead this particular presentation, as that was a personal secret.
Regardless of their initial thoughts, by the thirty-second mark, every Gladiator trainee watched the presentation with rapt attention. No one dared miss a single word once they realized how much information the presentation truly held. It was like being presented with all the exam questions and possible answers days before a final exam.
When the presentation finally ended, roughly twenty minutes later, Kimuri was the first to react, turning to Ayumi with shock and awe in his eyes. "How did you uncover all this?"
Predicting the file's origin would come into question, Ayumi previously obtained Jade's permission. So, she confidently answered, "Our teammate, Ms. Yuhi Jade, hacked into Genaco's database and found these files. They are authentic."
Kimuri shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. I never doubted their authenticity." He habitually reached into his pocket to grab a pack of cigarettes. But then, looking around, he recalled he was in an enclosed space. So, he pulled out a leaf from his other pocket and softly chewed on its stalk. "Taidan, tell them what we know. Hold nothing back."
Taidan ruffled his brown, curly hair, revealing a weak smile as he looked around the table. "Alright, first, let me just say: if it weren't for the boss, I'd most likely have held a thing or two back. So, make sure you give him your greatest thanks."
Kimuri stifled the urge to slap Taidan. The kid had an uncanny knack for effortlessly making enemies.
Sure enough, many trainees frowned upon hearing his remark. Fortunately, their training enabled them to keep their negative emotions in check. Taidan conveniently ignored the angry gazes as he said, "Our investigation uncovered intel relating to an alien pilot and a doomsday Mech. At this juncture, it would be puerile to assume that this is a coincidence. We should treat Crazy Heads' intel as solid battle intel—at least until conflicting intel comes out."
Opposite, Natsu nodded, "Our channels' investigation aligns with the Crazy Heads', though nowhere near as detailed. I also move to treat it as factual."
Nagashiki Kaido raised his sunken eyes and then nodded, indicating his agreement. In contrast, Chimie, a bubbly girl with pink, short hair, grinned as she said, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Kinda matches what we found too. Got no problems on our end."
"Great," Taidan clapped and then adjusted his glasses. "Since we're treating this as intel, I'll supplement it with our information." Taidan took out a holo-projector, and with a tap, a hulking mech hovered above the table. "The mech, codenamed, Gaiuss-Prime, is a bombardier-type built for destroying siege walls and bunkers. Its primary weapons are a pair of mounted gauss cannons, missile launchers, and a robust piledriver affixed to its left arm for breaking into thick, sturdy walls. If this thing launches, it can level most cities, let alone a few gladiators. Fortunately, we know it undergoes daily maintenance from 1300 to 1400 hours. To prevent accidents, the maintenance crew strips the mech's weapon systems and stores them separately. In the event of an attack, it should take roughly five minutes to boot up the systems—two if they choose to forgo safety checks. And then a further five minutes to return the mech's primary weapons. However, even if the mech chooses to forgo its primary weapons, it can wield a massive shotgun. Each shell is as large as a human head. You do not want to get hit by that."
Ayumi's brows furrowed as she observed the mech in detail. "How did you get this information?"
"Flattery," Taidan remarked with a teasing smile aimed at Kimuri. "Our boss has some fans amongst the supervisory staff. One spilled the beans in exchange for a date." He then chuckled as he looked at the other teams. "I would imagine most got their intel in a similar fashion. After all, not just anyone can hack Genaco's systems. Am I wrong? How'd you guys get yours?"
"Bribery." Natsu, Kaido, and Chimie echoed in unison.
Genaco briefed its employees in advance. Some staff members were permitted to accept 'bribes' to release specific intel. As part of the resourcefulness test, the company wanted to see how fast each team could gather intel for a mission. Fortunately, these teams were truly composed of the elite. Rather than waiting for Genaco to release more mission details, they displayed good initiative by questioning staff for more information.
"That is brilliant," Ayumi praised, not hiding her admiration for the other teams' actions. "Nature Guardian's intel has already opened up many options to increase the chances for success. We'll analyze them after hearing what the rest of you have to say. Who would like to go next?"
"We will go next," replied Natsu with a thin smile. "We obtained some intel from bribery, but Kiyo-chan went a bit further, breaking into our mole's office to find more clues." Not one to dwell on suspense, she placed her projector on the table, revealing a familiar radio station seated at the top of a mountain range. "Our intel indicates that aliens operate many robots from a space station above the earth. For an undisclosed reason, they cannot arrive on earth yet, so they use these robots as proxy bodies." Looking at Ayumi, she remarked, "Your plan to take down the relay station is sound, but there is a problem. Destroying the communications tower will disrupt their ability to control the bots, but it will also alert them. All they have to do is warn the other pilots, and Cassia will find out about our attack and jump into his mech."
"You have a solution?"
"Yes. We can upload a virus through the communications tower that will lock the aliens in their virtual drives, keeping them in suspended animation. Genaco made the news two years ago when they trapped traffickers that tried to use their games to set up meetings. If the aliens' virtual drives work similarly to ours, we should be able to do the same."
Ayumi nodded. "That is a viable option. We will need someone to program the virus, but more importantly, it must be a complete stealth mission. That means no contact or alarms until the virus is successfully uploaded."
"Exactly," Natsu agreed. "Unfortunately, our informant does not know how we can access that virus."
Ayumi instinctively glanced at Jade, but the latter shook her head. Not even Jade could design a virus for a machine she had never seen before—especially one of alien origin.
Fortunately, luck was on the trainees' side.
"We might have a clue on how to obtain such a virus," revealed Kaido in a low, guttural voice. The pale youth waved his phone as he explained, "Genaco's phones have a secret option for Gladiator Trainees specific to our missions." He tapped the keys in a specific pattern and then placed the phone on the table.
Moments later, a holographic screen appeared over the phone. Intriguingly, it resembled an online shopping mall with various items for sale. Only, the things were probably a bit absurd.
Ion Grenade - 2000¥; Carbide Rifle - 300000¥; 50m Steel Rope - 4000¥, etc.
Numerous items ranging from grenades and rifles to household items like pots and pans, filled the screen. There was no rhyme or reason to the product lineup.
Kaido put on a pair of synth gloves and searched for 'virus.' Soon, a litany of products relating to viruses filled the screen. A further filter by Virtual Drive Viruses and the group gaped as the screen presented just under 100 virus options, ranging from paralytic shocks to brain death.
Neuron Dampener Virus -1,000,000¥; Mind-Flay Virus – 1,000,000,000,000,000¥; Lockdown Virus – 5,000,000¥
Kaido observed the high costs with a measured gaze. "The Mission Store allows us to purchase gear and items and stores them in Mission Storage. Before a mission, we can deploy with items picked from Mission Storage. Unfortunately, there's a limit to the number of items we can take with us, dependent on our Gladiator's loadout. Unfortunately, we don't know how to customize the loadout."
"Heh, this pattern's too obvious," remarked Taidan with a wry chuckle. Having guessed the next course of events, he asked Chimei, "I'll take a wild guess and assume you know how to customize the loadout?"
"Hehe, they really played us for fools," said Devil Grin's young leader, chuckling as she shook her head. "Yeah, my team got intel on Gladiator loadout." Just like Kaido, she drew a pattern on her phone, and it projected a screen. Only, this time, a familiar slim Gladiator Mech took up most of the screen. Chimei tapped the Gladiator, and it 'exploded' into many smaller component pieces. "We can purchase modules from the Mission Store and use them to customize our Gladiators. Everything can be changed, from the exterior coating to the type of heat dampeners, energy stabilizers, mounted weapons, and much more.
"Even better, this interface has all the available modules pre-installed so that you can build and check compatibility before buying in the Mission Store." Chimei chuckled as she added, "There's no penalty for not choosing a custom loadout in advance—only that you'll be stuck with whatever the system throws at you for the mission."
Ayumi's brows furrowed as Chimei finished her presentation. She glanced at Suzuki and, sure enough, saw the same conclusion in his empty gaze. 'What a dastardly trap!' Genaco was really vicious with this one. They gave each team enough pieces of intel to provide them with sufficient courage to tackle the mission alone.
But, aside from Crazy Heads, the others would have felt that this was a small-scale mission. Their intel did not mention the forest's size. Nor did it disclose the vast distance between the communications tower and Cassia's location. If the teams chose to go on their own, the mission would have been chaotic and fruitless.
Even more sinisterly, every team's intel played a key role. If any tea chose not to cooperate, everyone would lack critical information that would have vastly increased their mission's success! None of the gathered trainee leaders were dull. Like Ayumi and Suzuki, they also caught onto the sinister trap laid out by the mission designers.
Kaido could not help but shake his head in disbelief. "I underestimated Genaco's ruthlessness. We would've gotten crushed if you didn't call this meeting. If they wanted us to cooperate, they could have just said so. Why the roundabout route? What is their purpose?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Next to him, Chimei derisively snorted. "They wanted to knock us down a peg. I mean, we're all pretty successful in-game, right? I'd bet many of us think our farts don't stink. Makes sense they'd want to break down some of our arrogance before teaching us the right path." With a slightly proud grin, she added, "At least, it's what I would do."
It's a little more than that. Ayumi inwardly challenged, frowning as she recalled her team's earlier deductions. It's also a test of character. Unfortunately, this was one deduction she dared not share. It would be helpful to know early on if some people would risk the mission and their teammates' lives for extra merits or money.
Fortunately, the group did not tarry too long on that issue. Instead, with a clap, Taidan changed the subject. "It doesn't matter why they set a trap. What's important is: we have to complete this mission as a team. All signs point to catastrophic failure if we don't cooperate. That said, Ayumi-san," said Taidan as he turned to look at Ayumi, "your team has surveyed the layout longer than we have. Do you have any recommended mission plan before the rest of us propose ours?"
Ayumi, in turn, looked at Suzuki. In the Twilight Wolves, no one came close to Kashi's macro planning. The daeben was great at planning schemes to take over regions or gain victory in battle. Absalon took care of the micro-planning. He decided how, when, and where to station their troops to carry out Kashi's desired end-game.
The current situation was not so different. Ayumi felt it better to defer the overall strategic picture to Suzuki. Then, she and the other team captains could figure out how to finish the job.
Suzuki felt Ayumi's frosty gaze on his cheeks. In response, the young man deeply furrowed his brows. A few weeks ago, he would have been reluctant to speak even a word. Now, however, he felt much more comfortable having watched Kashi deliver numerous speeches to his guildmates.
With nary a word, Suzuki put on a pair of synth-gloves and seized Ayumi's holo-projector. With a wave, he expanded the map to reveal an extensive overview of the mission area. The young man looked over everything with the updated information from the other teams in mind. Within seconds, he simulated various scenarios before mentally marking numbers on each site.
Having concluded, Suzuki placed two red flags on the communications tower and the headquarters. "In my opinion, there are two key objectives we must fulfill to stand a chance of accomplishing this mission while having everyone return home. First is the communications tower." Suzuki zoomed in on the tower's location as he said, "We need an expert infiltration team, preferably two or three max, to upload the virus. Their mission will be the hardest, as they cannot afford to be spotted until they upload the virus, nor can they kill or disable any robot. Either action will alert the enemy, and it will be too easy for the aliens to log out and report to their superiors in the space station. Once that mission is complete, the team will hold on standby."
Suzuki then dragged the map over to the western dam as he said, "Next, a squad will assault the dam. This should also be a stealth mission, just in case the enemy has some local communication method, like a low-frequency radio. However, unlike the Communications Tower team, this team has the freedom to disable or kill enemy troops they come across. In fact, I encourage it to prevent future complications."
Suzuki drew an X over the dam. "After disabling the dam's security, we can destroy the dam with explosives bought from the Mission Store." The projected image simulated the bursting barrier and the deluge of water that shot down the river path. He then dragged the image toward the HQ. "According to simulation, it should take fifteen minutes for the torrent to strike the HQ, drowning most of the enemy bots. If we are lucky, it will also take out the target, but it is not wise to count on chance. So, while one team sabotages the dam, another will run a concurrent covert sabotage mission in the enemy's HQ. They'll target the Gaiuss Prime, which should be undergoing maintenance. They will aim to cause as much damage to the machine and its components as possible with explosives. After completing their mission, they should hide until the flood wipes out most of the bots. The only snag here will be the timing of the bombs. Should they set them off as soon as they are clear of the blast zone or wait until they have secured a hiding place? The first approach allows the team to ensure the target's demolition status. Still, it will likely expose them to the enemy's swift pursuit. With the latter approach, we might not know the full extent of the damages, but the team would be safe and should be able to secure an escape route post-flooding."
Suzuki took a sip of his juice to moisten his tongue and then pulled up an image of Cassia. "After the flooding, we must confirm or execute Cassia's death as quickly as possible. It would be best if we could find a way to keep track of his location from the start of the mission until the end. Finally, we must consider our infiltration and extraction points."
Tapping on the map, Suzuki said, "Given all the options at our disposal, I doubt Genaco will prevent us from influencing our method of infiltration and extraction. We will search for ways to manipulate that, but, working on the assumption that we can, I propose double infiltration points by air."
Pointing at the communications tower, Suzuki reasoned, "Considering the level of technology at play, I believe we can safely assume that the enemy will be monitoring the skies for enemy aircraft. They should also have a way to ping enemies approaching underneath the river. My best bet for air reconnaissance will be heat and electric signatures, so I propose airdrops outside the mission area. Then, using minimal electrical technology, we glide to these two spots." Suzuki pointed west of the mountain range and a little south of the dam. "When the mission is done, the communications team will either flee north to a safe exfil location or exfil directly from the tower if no enemies are present. If they choose to secure the tower, they should commandeer the VTOL here and pick up the other team just past the eastern dam.
"However, if they choose to flee, the other team will flee past the eastern dam, using the river as cover to leave the mission area. Hopefully, Command will safely extract them."
Suzuki took a moment to gather his thoughts and then nodded, "Yes, this is the best approach I can think of right now. Feel free to modify it if you find any point lacking." Moments passed with nary a sound, and the young man looked up to see numerous eyes filled with disbelief, awe, caution, and admiration. Frowning, he could not help but ask, "What's wrong? Did I miss something?"
"Hehehehe, Crazy Heads?" Taidan burst out laughing as he observed the young man's cold eyes. Ah, now he remembered where he saw those cold eyes! "That's obviously a fake name, isn't it, Kashi of the Twilight Wolves!?"