[Combat Directive: Engagement detected at Bosaso.]
Gulp—
On the coastline, Wakandan Prince T'Challa swallowed.
"…Bosaso Port should already be under attack."
No one spoke.
All twelve electromagnetic cannons had been fully deployed.
Every electronic device was shut down. Satellites, radar—nothing could detect the ambush hidden here.
There had to be airborne early-warning aircraft in the sky. That much was certain.
Though everyone lived on the same planet, the military power possessed by the U.S. forces was overwhelmingly dominant to most nations.
To be honest, over the past several decades, despite launching numerous wars, when measured against the global average, this country might actually have achieved a certain kind of balance.
Otherwise, no nation could withstand strikes of this magnitude.
Of course, the modern era was different.
When Roxxon Energy completed its monopoly, nearly shattering internal class balance and escalating larger wars, they were no longer completely defenseless.
Still—
T'Challa looked toward the distant port, where his people lived through another poor but ordinary day.
Today, the most advanced technology on Earth would force them to confront a wider world.
Regrettably, in this way.
"The timing's right. Launch the drones!"
Along the coast, Wakandan soldiers pulled away camouflage netting as the armored transport's cargo bay slowly opened—
Drones surged into the air like a swarm of bees, aircraft fitted with the latest turbofan engines roaring skyward!
T'Challa tentatively activated wireless communications. Just as Leo had predicted—
The signal was extremely unstable. This wasn't a networking issue.
Cyber warfare required a prerequisite: the target had to be communicating outward, meaning shared protocols existed.
But war was different. With sufficient hardware, carrier-mounted jammers could generate super-noise covering nearly all usable frequencies. No wireless system could function without interference.
They had come to destroy.
Fortunately, these drones were advanced.
[Peregrine Drone]
[Carbon-fiber composite, stealth coating, electric propulsion, high-power turbofan]
[Maximum speed: 120 km/h]
[Description: Reconnaissance drone with onboard AI for autonomous target locking, completely isolated from external interference]
[Short-pulse infrared laser for target designation; frequency-modulated laser enables point-to-point data transmission]
[Development Lab: Advanced Mechanics Laboratory]
[Developer: Dr. Toomes]
[Technology Points Awarded: 500]
[Current Technology Points: 14,000]
Enemy presence appeared at sea, but at distances exceeding one hundred kilometers, visual targeting was no longer reliable.
The drones formed lines across the sky as the gunner stared upward.
This Wakandan soldier had once been crippled by an explosion. Now, he had a new eye.
The same optical-analysis cyber-eye model used by the Maelstrom gang's "Fire-Eye Golden Gaze."
[Name: "Hawkeye" Electronic Imaging Optical Analysis Eye]
[Carbon-fiber and ceramic body, nanometer-grade hand-polished high-precision sensors]
[Description: Analyzes minute optical variations across multiple instruments; built-in AI filters and interprets complex optical data; supports point-to-point laser data transmission—"reading the room by eye."]
[Military-grade cyber-eye with virtually no hacking risk; sole drawback is inferior everyday usability compared to standard cyber-eyes or natural vision]
[Developer: Leo]
[Technology Points Awarded: 500]
[Current Technology Points: 14,500]
As the drones reached position, T'Challa was certain the enemy had seen them.
But they would dismiss them.
Countless close-in weapon systems opened fire, yet the Peregrine drones were highly agile—at least enough to hold until the gunner acquired precise targeting data.
The gunner wore a massive helmet with an embedded processing chip, directly interfaced with the electromagnetic cannon.
His cyber-eye extended into a long, telescope-like barrel, isolating a color invisible to ordinary human perception amid the chaotic spectrum.
As ships drew closer, heavy naval guns rotated and transport aircraft approached. T'Challa clenched his hand—
"Do you see them?"
AI algorithms fully decoded the frequency-shifted data. A stream of coordinates flooded the display—
"I see them! Target data acquired!"
Soldiers in the jungle tore away camouflage!
Underground, ultra-compact SCFR reactors powering the site activated. Electricity surged through buried cables, instantly reaching the twelve electromagnetic cannons hidden throughout the forest!
Zzz—
Current poured into the coils, energy nearing material limits, crackling violently!
[Name: "Rattlesnake" Super Electromagnetic Cannon]
[Description: The pinnacle of modern electromagnetic launch technology. If it cannot sink the enemy, we will be slaughtered.]
[Projectile coated in material heated into plasma; beneath the thermal layer lies armor-piercing alloy, achieving extreme velocity, high-temperature melting, and maximum penetration.]
[Hit the enemy.]
[Developer: Leo]
[Technology Points Awarded: 500]
[Current Technology Points: 15,000]
The nine-meter barrel flooded with energy, dancing arcs announcing readiness!
It was time to pierce the enemy.
"Fire!!!"
Click—
The trigger snapped.
Hundreds of thousands of amperes surged through the coils. Under intense arcs and current, the projectile's special alloy ionized instantly, a blazing blue halo enveloping the warhead.
The blue projectile accelerated violently along the nine-meter rail and erupted from the barrel at 2,500 meters per second!
Boom!
Shockwaves rippled across the ground, thunder roaring!
Sixth Fleet—cruiser gun barrels swung in unison—
"Captain, there are civilians in the port area."
"I know." The captain nodded slightly. "But at least we don't have to do it ourselves. Since they're here, they're subsidized."
The soldier swallowed.
The captain stared toward the port.
"…We all know this is counter-terrorism.
Somalis fish, and they pirate. That makes them terrorists. Fire."
"Roger."
Bang!
Screee—
A shrill scream tore through the sky as massive water plumes erupted!
The impact rocked even the large ships. The captain froze—
Enemy attack!
But where was the enemy?
[Crew A: High water column on the port side!]
The captain seized the intercom.
[Captain: Where the hell is the enemy?! Radar's showing nothing!]
[Crew B: Nothing! Radar's clean—only drones!]
[Crew C: I see it! Twelve o'clock! Twelve o'clock! They're in the jungle!!]
[Crew E: Transport aircraft hit!!!]
Boom!
In the sky, a transport aircraft loaded with steel soldiers was struck head-on by an electromagnetic round—instantly reduced to scrap and smashed into the ocean by overwhelming kinetic force!
[Captain: Damn it! Twelve o'clock! Fire! They're—]
Boom!
In one minute—thirty-six shots. One hit.
Sailors on deck witnessed a nightmare.
Faint blue trajectories streaked across the sky—then a destroyer sailing alongside them erupted in a colossal fireball!
Plasma shells at thousands of degrees melted through the hull in an instant. Massive kinetic energy drove the remaining core straight through the ship and into the seabed!
How was this possible?!
Ships weren't made of paper!
Boom!
Accumulated heat triggered a second explosion, snapping the vessel in half—the structure actually broke apart!
[Captain: I said fire! Fire, goddammit, do you understand?!]
[Fire Control: Turret A, southeast 20 degrees—fire—]
Boom!
Projectiles invisible to the naked eye screamed across the sky. Shrill howls and explosions plunged the entire port into chaos.
But where were the people?
The battle raged on, while civilians trapped between forces fell into despair.
What could they do to survive?
Or would sitting still and waiting for death yield the same odds?
Boom!
The port was blasted sky-high.
Transport aircraft swept through explosions, diving straight toward the artillery position!
T'Challa gripped his rifle. His helmet slipped. Two fingers stained with red paint slid across the visor.
"Wakanda Forever."
Every soldier mirrored his gesture.