7:55 PM.
The sky within the barrier zone, originally crimson, grew even darker due to the onset of night.
Despite this, the northern sky remained illuminated by the colossal rift in the former city of Cairo.
If one were to stand atop a dune and gaze upwards, the scene would resemble the end of the world depicted in various myths, legends, and fables, everything appearing eerily silent.
Yet, if one quieted down, faint wails and miserable howls could still be heard.
"Buzz—"
At this moment, the low hum of numerous hydrogen engines resounded across the desert.
A convoy of Warthogs was traversing the desert on the east bank of the Nile, rapidly advancing towards Suez.
Their destination was Israel, which bordered eastern Egypt.
They were still forty kilometers in a straight line from Suez, but looking southwest from their current position, one could see a scene of blood-red light soaring into the sky.
The convoy was only a little over ten kilometers from the center of the former city of Cairo.
At this range, if the colossal Anubis stationed in the outskirts of Cairo were to observe carefully, they theoretically should have been able to detect the convoy's presence.
Especially Myron at the rear of the convoy, who controlled the Gauss Cannon, aiming it motionlessly towards the southwest.
Karl, in the passenger seat, did the same; she stood up, rested her Gauss sniper rifle on the vehicle frame, and also aimed southwest.
After all, having manipulated divine bodies, they were aware of the divine bodies' super long-range vision.
A convoy of over thirty Warthogs in the vast desert would be an absolutely unignorable presence.
John, focused on driving, did not glance backward but calmly asked, "A-004, report."
Observing through the Gauss sniper rifle, Karl reported calmly, "The closest one to us is closely watching the convoy, but it hasn't taken action."
"Good, A-004, continue monitoring the activity from Cairo. Only open fire if they attempt to pursue; otherwise, there's no need to alarm them," John said.
"Understood," Karl nodded.
"A-003," John then commanded Myron, "Pay attention to the activity around you. A-004 is sufficient for monitoring Cairo."
"Understood," Myron immediately maneuvered the Gauss Cannon to the other side, strictly following John's instructions.
Subsequently, communication once again fell silent, with only heavy breathing clearly audible.
After a long while.
When the convoy was far enough from the outskirts of Cairo that the barrier's boundary could be seen in the distance, the stone hanging in everyone's hearts finally dropped.
For the Spartans and Helljumpers, it wasn't fear of death, but rather the fear that they would be intercepted by the colossal Anubis, preventing them from transmitting the data from within the barrier in time.
However, the accompanying UNSC personnel and civilians were relieved that their lives had been saved.
"Master Chief," Cortana reminded John from the side.
"I scanned the barrier's boundary and compared it with our pre-airdrop data, and found that it has expanded by several kilometers."
?
Upon hearing this, John said calmly, "It seems this barrier, which can disable aerial vehicles and communications, is not static. We need to resolve this disaster as quickly as possible."
Cortana, displayed on his helmet screen, also nodded in agreement.
She then added, "I think the Boss and Dr. Halsey should have noticed this phenomenon earlier than us. Now we just need to share the information we've gathered."
"Mm."
"Master Chief!"
As John and Cortana were conversing, Michelle said with slight excitement over the comms, "We are about to cross the edge of the barrier. Please prepare."
No sooner had she spoken.
The convoy passed through a thick 'cloud wall' one by one, finally emerging from the barrier into the outside world.
"Static… static… This is… Infinity… Cortana… please respond."
John's comms also picked up Serena's intermittent voice, seemingly attempting to establish contact with Cortana.
At the same time.
Outside the barrier's boundary was the town of Sde Boker in Israel, where UNSC Army personnel, clad in power armor and uniform dark green combat suits, were gathered.
Umbrella's UBCS forces were also stationed near the boundary, preventing any abnormal phenomena from breaking out.
There were also numerous UNSC-version 'Scorpion' siege tanks, transformed into cannon forms, set up on the rear line.
It was clear they intended to impose an absolute blockade on this land, allowing no entry and no exit.
Of course, John and Michelle's reconnaissance team was an exception.
The people in the convoy, especially the civilians, UNSC soldiers, and police, were all exceptionally excited upon seeing such a large-scale army.
For them, it was a survival after a catastrophe.
Seeing this, Michelle and the paratroopers were also relieved, having finally completed their reconnaissance mission.
"Infinity," Cortana said, contacting Serena once the communication was fully restored.
"This is Cortana. We have successfully obtained detailed information on this anomaly and are uploading it now."
"Received. We are arranging for Pelican dropships to assist you in returning to the Infinity," Serena replied.
"Also," Cortana did not forget to remind Serena, "Master Chief and I believe that this containment operation would best be supported by Athena."
"Understood. I will notify Athena on Minos Island. Six Pelicans are expected to arrive at your location in approximately ten minutes."
"Thank you," Cortana expressed her gratitude.
After the two AIs finished their conversation, the Warthog convoy also stopped within the lines formed by the UNSC and UBCS.
Civilians and police were taken away by Umbrella technical personnel in white uniforms. After their physical examinations showed no abnormalities, they would undergo memory erasure procedures.
The surviving UNSC soldiers also needed to undergo examinations. As for whether their memories needed to be erased, a decision would be made after the containment operation.
— — — — — — —
…
Date: April 15, 2015.
Location: Infinity's Large Operations Briefing Room.
8:40 PM.
Sitting in the briefing room were colonels and captains from the Helljumpers and Heavy Marine Corps, as well as the leaders of four Spartan teams.
Occupying the central seats in the first row were William and Athena, also in military uniforms.
Standing at the very front of the briefing room was Serena, equipped with a prosthetic body.
She used the holographic projector in the briefing room to display a schematic map of Egypt and the barrier zone before everyone, with numerous coordinates circled on the map.
These included towns where Ghost Soldiers gathered, as well as the desert in the outskirts of Cairo, and so on.
She raised her hand and explained, "Ladies and gentlemen, based on the reconnaissance data from Spartan Blue Team, we know that these areas contain a large number of anomalies.
We are facing the god of the underworld from Egyptian legend and mythology, and it exists in plural form… Anubis.
Given that the barrier zone can interfere with communications and aerial vehicles, the Infinity will primarily be responsible for air-dropping paratroopers and heavy marines, and for providing ultra-long-range artillery bombardment.
Ground forces will be commanded by General Ostrovsky (Andrei), leading the UBCS and UNSC Army, entering the barrier zone from various boundaries.
Once the ground forces enter the barrier zone, wired communication will be established as quickly as possible to ensure smooth communication.
The estimated time for the containment operation is 9:30 PM."
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