"We… we survived?"
"We—we survived… finally we don't have to face that monster anymore. Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"
As Roland departed, countless soldiers of the New United States collapsed to the ground, many breaking down in tears of relief.
God knew how they had managed to hold on against something like that—a monster whose defenses couldn't be broken, capable of flipping hundred-ton tanks with a casual motion, immune to netrunning intrusion, and moving at speeds comparable to Sandevistan.
If surrender had been an option, they would have done it long ago. There had been absolutely no hope of winning.
Now that the enemy had finally left, an overwhelming sense of relief washed through them. Many silently made up their minds right then and there: after this mission, they would retire no matter what. Nothing anyone said would stop them.
They didn't even want to think about what awaited them after returning home following this failure. It didn't matter anymore.
Being alive was enough.
"Hey, what are you gonna do when you get back?"
"What else? I'm finding a sex doll and going all out. Damn it… that thing scared the piss outta me…"
Two soldiers sitting on the ground glanced at each other while talking. One of them, whose pants were already soaked, cursed loudly.
"Being alive feels so damn good… First time I've ever felt the world is this fucking beautiful."
The other soldier leaned against a tank and sighed.
Just then, a bright light suddenly appeared in everyone's field of vision.
Far on the horizon, a streaking object with a long trail of flame rapidly approached. The Sovereign-class fighters sent to intercept had been blocked by waves of attacks and countless anti-air missiles, leaving them helpless as they watched the nuclear missile race toward its target.
"Hey… you've gotta be kidding…"
"What the hell is that…"
"A nuke… IT'S A FUCKING NUCLEAR BOMB!!"
"Hahahaha… it's over. We're all fucking dead!!!"
"Fuck the New United States! Fuck the damn President!!!"
Meanwhile, Roland, still sprinting at full speed, glanced back at the missile in the sky. It hadn't locked onto him specifically—it had only designated a general strike zone.
"Looks like I can't get completely out of range…"
Roland murmured.
In his overloaded state, Oblivion's speed rivaled Sandevistan, allowing him to put significant distance between himself and the blast zone. Escaping the entire nuclear radius would still be difficult—but he had gone far enough.
That was enough.
With that thought, Roland gradually slowed to a stop and sat down cross-legged.
At this distance, the explosion wouldn't deal meaningful damage to Oblivion.
He might as well enjoy the fireworks.
As the nuclear warhead descended, a blinding white light swallowed everything nearby. Terrifying heat spread outward in an instant. Everything at the center of the blast was instantly reduced to dust, erased from the world.
Then came the shockwave.
A monstrous surge rippled across the earth like a catastrophic sandstorm, expanding outward in all directions. At the same time, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Flames flickered at the center of the cloud, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
"Ah… now that's a rare sight…"
Roland watched with his arms crossed, the tail behind him swaying back and forth before he was swallowed by the rushing storm of sand.
After a long while, when the aftereffects of the nuclear explosion finally subsided, the battlefield became visible once more.
The terrain had been completely reshaped by the devastating blast.
Of the New United States forces that had once still retained two-thirds of their strength, only one-fifth remained after the explosion—and every one of them was severely injured. How many of those survivors would ultimately live was anyone's guess.
In contrast, the PROJECT troops' Energy Shields still retained a faint sliver of power.
That tiny reserve was proof that they had survived the nuclear blast.
But the real reason was Myers.
She had acted too hastily.
If she had waited a little longer—until the PROJECT forces had advanced closer—the final outcome would certainly have been different. Even Roland, confident in the Energy Shield technology, didn't believe it could fully withstand a nuclear explosion.
Rustle—
Roland slowly climbed out from beneath a pile of sand and rubble, shaking the dust from his body.
"One wrong step leads to another… tsk, tsk. Myers is going to have a miserable time after this."
As he spoke, Oblivion's tail excitedly slapped the ground once, then the mech turned into a streak of light and shot toward the main PROJECT force.
Now it was their stage.
…
After receiving the report, Myers collapsed weakly into her chair, letting out a long, sorrowful sigh.
There was no doubt about it.
This operation had failed completely—and it was an unprecedented defeat.
As the one who had initiated the campaign, she would bear the overwhelming majority of the responsibility. She could already imagine the media storm she would face, and the countless calls for impeachment that would follow.
"…At that moment, I had completely lost my rationality… If only…"
Thinking about it made her expression turn bitter.
But she said nothing further.
The result was already set in stone. There were no "what ifs" in this world.
Still, something felt wrong.
She wasn't someone who lost her composure easily. Yet this time, she had acted with such impulsiveness…
"Too bad. It still didn't succeed."
Melos shook his head regretfully and spoke to Garu.
"That monster's performance is simply too terrifying."
"Then we'll try again next time."
Garu replied expressionlessly.
Yes.
This time, it had been their doing as well.
Several Warlord AIs had joined forces, using the "gift" they had left for Myers to subtly influence her judgment. At the same time, they altered the strike location so that it leaned more toward Oblivion.
If Myers herself had chosen the location, the final result would certainly have been different.
She would have selected an area closer to the main PROJECT army.
"Looks like the Idaho campaign is settled. We just need to proceed steadily and take it piece by piece."
Boros looked outside and couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah. This region is basically secured now. Next comes continued expansion. After this, the New United States probably won't have the spare resources to interfere with our operations."
Chris nodded.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, dust billowed into the air as Roland's figure appeared in the middle of the PROJECT army.
"Boss!" ×2
"Mhm."
Roland nodded, glanced around, and said,
"After taking Idaho, continue pushing northwest. Oregon and Washington don't have the capability to stop us."
"Yes!"
After issuing his orders, Roland told Chris and Boros to keep watch over Oblivion, then disconnected and returned to his own body.
Climbing out of the cockpit, Roland was in an excellent mood.
Idaho was secured.
Nevada had been taken.
Northern California had surrendered.
Once Oregon and Washington were captured, the entire northwestern region that once belonged to the New United States would completely fall under PROJECT control.
"That side is settled… which means it's about time to deal with matters in the backyard…"
Roland took the elevator back to his office. After greeting Lucy, he walked to the window and looked out over Night City.
He had been busy expanding outward and hadn't had time to deal with things here.
Now was the perfect time.
After all, this was where he had first risen to power.
...
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