"Maitoh, I hope you won't disappoint us."
Yoselov, a senior figure among the hawks, lowered his gaze as he addressed the high-ranking officer before him. This man had been chosen to replace Taylor as the chief commander of this operation, and he also represented their faction's interests within the military.
"Leave it to me. I'm not that arrogant fool Taylor."
Maitoh nodded calmly, though a trace of gravity flickered in his eyes. He had already conducted extensive research on PROJECT Corporation and confirmed this would be a hard fight.
Unlike Taylor, he had no intention of ending the campaign quickly. His plan was simple: drag it out.
There was no denying that PROJECT's combat power overwhelmingly surpassed their own. Admitting that wasn't shameful—only an idiot would refuse to face reality.
But Maitoh had also identified PROJECT's weakness: resources and logistics. Compared to them, PROJECT's foundation was ultimately limited. There was no need to rush for quick results.
The best option was to stretch this war into a deeper strategic stalemate.
After finishing his discussion with Yoselov, Maitoh left to begin arranging battlefield deployments.
At the same time, he dispatched a large number of netrunner units, assigning them to each of the split small detachments. Yes—he intended to leverage their coordination with Idaho and wage guerrilla warfare against PROJECT.
"Have the satellites monitor their top-tier combat assets at all times—especially those PROJECT squad members."
"Understood."
"Set up an electromagnetic silence field immediately. Don't worry about the economic cost. Frankly, this Zone isn't truly ours yet. Even if it were, it would have to be rebuilt after this campaign anyway."
"Received. I'll relay the orders."
Maitoh's adjutant straightened and promptly carried out the command.
The large-scale electromagnetic silence field was specifically meant to counter the Sovereign-class Fighters. For now, they had no effective way to deal with those aircraft. So the solution was simple: avoid them entirely. We won't approach you, and you won't approach us. Everyone abandons air power.
"And keep the missile silos applying constant pressure on their fighters. Don't let them sit still."
After days of observation, Maitoh had noticed something else: PROJECT's air power was actually limited. Aside from those few dozen Sovereign-class Fighters, no additional aerial units had appeared. Once again, it pointed to their lack of depth.
"Don't let the main front grow idle either. We're not planning a large-scale frontal clash, but maintain sufficient forces to prevent them from charging in recklessly."
As Maitoh's orders were issued one after another, troops from the New United States were mobilized on a massive scale. The confidence to make such extensive arrangements in one go came primarily from the New United States' manpower reserves.
Unlike during Taylor's tenure, even the anti-war faction and the neutral faction had contributed forces this time.
Of course, the hawks knew exactly what those two groups were thinking. It came down to two motives. First, they wanted the hawks to continue committing troops and fighting hard, hoping to further weaken their influence. Second, they didn't want the hawks to win outright and monopolize the spoils.
Still, their contribution benefited the main front, so the hawks didn't refuse—especially since the reinforcements weren't small. Combined, they amounted to a full division.
A fully equipped division of twenty-five thousand troops. They were more than satisfied with that.
"President Myers, regarding the technology provided by that superintelligence—we've completed production."
"Really?! Bring it here. Explain exactly what it does."
Myers' eyes lit up with delight as she quickly stepped toward the researcher.
Without hesitation, the researcher presented the finished product.
"We've named this device the Eggshell. Just like the name suggests, it can isolate and block the vast majority of cyberattacks. It's especially effective against intelligent AI."
As he spoke, he lifted a small cube-shaped device.
"It can cover roughly the area of a small unit."
"Excellent. That solves our urgent problem."
A smile finally appeared at the corner of Myers' lips. After so long, she had at last received some good news.
"And what about this one?"
Myers looked at another chip and asked.
The researcher immediately showed a troubled expression.
"This… we're not sure whether it should be deployed on the battlefield…"
"Why?"
Myers narrowed her eyes.
"We call it the Contactor. Installing this chip in a slot allows the user to connect to the Blackwall. By drawing on the Blackwall's power, it can launch attacks against any target—AI, humans, or machines alike. The destructive power is immense. At present… nothing has been found that can withstand its attacks."
"But?"
"Yes… it's unstable. No one can control its power yet. Every person who's used it has suffered catastrophic neural burnout. The longest anyone has lasted is five seconds. Most people can only endure two or three seconds. And the attacks are generally uncontrollable and indiscriminate…"
Myers frowned at that, but she quickly made a decision.
"In that case, use death row inmates and Scavengers. I'll arrange for them to be transported. When necessary, install the device in them and send them into PROJECT's territory."
"Understood."
The researcher nodded, seeing no issue with the approach. No one in his position had clean hands—let alone when dealing with a group of scum.
"I remember… there was a young girl with remarkable talent, wasn't there?"
"Yes. But her modification isn't complete yet. It will take more time."
"Is that so… What a pity."
A trace of regret passed through Myers' eyes before she gave a slight shake of her head.
...
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