Lucy, limited by her own netrunning skills, could neither single-handedly contend with Arasaka's anti-netrunner department nor infiltrate the heavily defended Arasaka Tower, thus remaining completely unaware of the situation inside.
However, this digital barrier, insurmountable for Lucy, was nonexistent for Osiris.
He not only monitored every move of Maine's crew in real-time throughout their operation, but his invisible tendrils of consciousness had long since permeated the entire internal network of Arasaka Tower.
The tower's structural layout, the real-time deployment of security forces, and even the precise locations and environmental data of Maine and his team were clearly presented as data streams in his processing core, allowing him to issue precise commands to them at any time as needed.
Osiris' steady voice resonated in the empty workshop, without a hint of emotion: "Phase one penetration complete. Target building is within direct fire range. Now initiating building assault protocol. Primary objective: locate and establish a physical connection with the Mikoshi data fortress underground."
—
Inside Arasaka Tower, along a metal corridor, Arasaka security personnel were desperately trying to stop Maine's crew's advance, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—almost meaningless.
Maine raised his left arm, and the finely crafted plasma cannon once again gathered a ghostly blue light.
After a dull roar, a three-meter-plus wide, incandescent-edged hole was melted through the center of the heavy blast door, molten metal dripping like lava.
"Advance," Maine's voice came through his mask, cold and resolute.
The squad entered the tower in a standard tactical formation.
The interior of Arasaka Tower was vast, but at this moment, it felt exceptionally crowded and dangerous.
Alarm lights spun, painting everything in an ominous red.
The air was filled with a pungent mix of ozone, gunpowder, and some kind of high-grade air freshener.
The moment they stepped into the main hall, a crossfire from all directions swept over them like a metal storm.
Heavy machine gun bullets hammered against Dorio's instantly deployed kinetic shield, splashing dense energy ripples.
Rebecca immediately returned fire with her shotgun, a .75 caliber bolt round exploding a distant machine gun turret, man and gun alike, into fragments, concrete debris and human tissue splattering across the pristine wall.
"Left corridor, assault team!" Falco's voice rang out on the channel. His modified vehicle couldn't enter the tower, but he provided battlefield intelligence through drones and shared sensor data with the team.
Morris' figure vanished like a ghost. The next second, several short sounds of blades cutting metal and flesh came from the left corridor, and then the gunfire abruptly ceased.
They pushed along the main passage towards the tower's core area.
Arasaka's resistance was frantic, but also futile.
Security personnel wore advanced bulletproof armor and used standard smart weapons, but against Maine's crew's firepower, their defenses were like paper.
Pilar's flamethrower spewed viscous promethium flames, the ghostly blue tongues of fire licking at security personnel attempting to ambush from behind office partitions. Screams of agony quickly died in the high heat, leaving only charred remains and burning synthetic materials.
Dorio was like a human battering ram. Facing reinforced security doors, she didn't need to look for keys; she simply shouldered into them, activating her built-in shock generator. The doorframe, along with the surrounding wall, shattered and collapsed.
Ambushers behind the doors often didn't even have time to fire before being buried by falling building materials or exposed to Maine's plasma cannon or Rebecca's shotgun.
Sasha and Kiwi followed closely behind the team; they didn't need to engage directly.
When swarms of enemy drones poured out of ventilation ducts, or when attempts were made to disable the squad's equipment with EMP weapons, the two only needed a thought, and an invisible electronic warfare field instantly unfurled.
Drones were crushed as if by an invisible giant hand, their internal components overloading and smoking, falling one after another.
Energy waves from pulse weapons dissipated into nothingness upon touching the edge of the field.
They could even reverse-hack into the enemy's tactical network, exposing their positions and equipment information in real-time on the squad's tactical interface, turning Arasaka's ambushes into self-inflicted traps.
The battle within the tower progressed in layers.
They broke through the main hall, cleared the mid-level office areas, and crushed the second line of defense deployed in a large atrium.
Every floor, every corner, could potentially harbor new resistance.
But this resistance quickly disintegrated in the face of absolute power and technological disparity.
"Detecting anomalous energy signals and heavy armored units," Sasha's voice came over the channel, calmly reporting the scan results. "At the end of the corridor ahead, a suspected elevator shaft entrance leading to the underground data center. Guard level: maximum."
Maine's crew arrived at an exceptionally wide circular hall.
In the center of the hall were several large elevators that required special authorization to activate.
At this moment, five heavy mechs, distinctly different from ordinary security, stood in the hall. They were monstrous in appearance, with gatling guns and rocket launcher pods mounted on their arms.
"Finally, something decent," Rebecca licked her lips, aiming her shotgun at the nearest one.
The battle erupted instantly.
The heavy mechs' gatling guns spewed deadly fire, bullets pouring down like rain.
Dorio stood at the very front, her kinetic shield enduring immense pressure, rippling intensely.
Rebecca's shotgun blasted the mech's armor, exploding in brilliant flashes, but failing to immediately penetrate.
Maine's left arm plasma cannon recharged again, and a sapphire blue orb of light shot out, hitting one mech's chest.
The armor instantly overloaded and shattered, the high temperature of the plasma directly melting through the mech's upper body, vaporizing the internal pilot along with the precision components.
The disabled mech wreckage crashed to the ground.
Morris utilized the extreme speed provided by Sandevistan, weaving through the bullet hell, her Sonic Blade aiming for precise cuts at the mechs' joints and weapon connections.
One mech's gatling gun was just raising when she severed it at the base, the heavy barrel clattering to the ground.
Pilar, meanwhile, used her flamethrower to cover the entire area. While promethium flames couldn't instantly burn through heavy armor, they effectively interfered with the mechs' sensors and cooling systems, and blocked any potential infantry support.
Sasha and Kiwi concentrated, their electronic warfare field focused on these heavy mechs, attempting to disrupt their fire control systems and shield generators.
One mech's shield suddenly flickered erratically, and its movements froze for a moment.
Rebecca seized the opportunity, firing a bolt round precisely into its cockpit area, blowing it open from the inside.
The remaining two mechs quickly turned into burning scrap metal under Maine's crew's coordinated attack.
After clearing out the guards, Maine walked to the largest elevator in the center.
The elevator doors were tightly shut, requiring maximum authorization to open.
"Boss, arrived at target elevator entrance. Need access authorization," Maine reported via encrypted channel.