Chapter 301: Crisis at the Tactical Front

The soldiers of the two regiments from the Third Division reacted like pros—within two and a half minutes of receiving the order, they burst out of their armored vehicles.

Everyone, fully armed, sprinted backwards at a hundred-meter dash.

As the whistling sound soared through the air, many officers shouted, “Get down!”

Almost at the very moment everyone hit the ground, two hundred armored vehicles were struck simultaneously by armor-piercing rounds.

Across the barren fields and roads lay nothing but the wreckage of tanks and armored vehicles, evoking memories of the devastating blow dealt to the Iraqi armor clusters during the Gulf War.

Dallas stared blankly at the scene before him, utterly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the strike.

He never imagined that attacking a building sheltering 24 rogue armed robots would provoke a barrage of close-range tactical missiles.

The MGM140 is a tactical missile fielded by the U.S. Military at the battalion level, featuring a submunition warhead with millimeter wave and infrared guidance at the terminal phase. Its 50-meter accuracy makes it ideal for targeting deeply concentrated troops, armored vehicles, missile launch positions, and command centers.

Although this missile is highly advanced, it isn’t infallible—could this be divine retribution for the Third Division?

Just ten minutes ago, his formidable armored legion had been advancing boldly; now it had been reduced to ashes.

Thankfully, the soldiers suffered only minor casualties.

The Southern Army’s troops managed to run fast enough—two and a half minutes covered several hundred meters. However, the soldiers in the armored vehicles at the very front were hit hard as they didn’t have time to scatter away from the group.

“General, the troops have withdrawn. Shall we press on with the assault?”

The aide-de-camp’s question snapped Dallas out of his daze. He didn’t answer immediately but instead rushed to the military map, scanning it quickly.

Then he pointed to a spot and said, “Notify the Second Regiment on standby—head to Aivenho immediately. The Military’s tactical missile unit stationed there must be compromised.”

The aide-de-camp was stunned. “Are you saying that we were hit by our own forces?”

Dallas shook his head. “Not our own… Someone must have launched a sneak attack and taken control there. Only Aivenho has the MGM140 within 100 kilometers—right in range.”

“And most crucially, one of the guard units there is an armed robot squad!”

The aide-de-camp’s mouth dropped open as he grasped Dallas’s implication. “You mean the armed robots have rebelled?”

“Exactly. Now, relay the command and send power to headquarters afterwards. Be extremely cautious with all the armed robots—if possible, remove their batteries!”

“Yes, General.”

The aide-de-camp hurried away while Dallas glanced again at the drone’s live feed. The sight of endless wreckage made his heart ache.

In Birmingham, the temporary capital of the Southern Government, Myers was taken aback when he received Dallas’s urgent message.

He immediately issued orders: have all armed robots in the Southern Army stripped of their batteries, and instruct the arms suppliers along with the propulsion team to send a specialist for testing.

But barely had the order been sent when urgent messages started pouring in from various departments—all reporting that armed robots under their command had rebelled and seized key equipment.

Myers instantly realized that the situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations.

He carefully went through the messages and soon noticed that the crucial equipment commandeered by the armed robots was mostly highly automated gear.

For instance, unmanned drones, MGM140 tactical missiles, and self-propelled artillery—equipment that either required no manual operation or very simple procedures.

The robots weren’t indiscriminately slaughtering humans; they’d only fired if their progress was obstructed.

A strange feeling wouldn’t leave Myers. After some thought, he connected with President Lancer of the Southern Government.

“Mr. President, I need to know what happened at the Space Exploration Company. Now every armed robot in service has rebelled.”

On the other end of the line, President Lancer was visibly shocked by Myers’s report.

“I’m not entirely sure what unfolded there, but I do know that the Houston Rocket Launch Facility just carried out a major launch today—and there are more scheduled afterward.”

Myers inquired, “So, do you know what…”

Before Myers could finish his sentence, the aide-de-camp handed him a stack of messages.

Scanning them quickly, his face drained of color, and he spoke directly into the phone: “Mr. President, we have an emergency. An armed robot unit has seized the armed robot production plant near Okklama City.”

“What? They want to manufacture on their own? Damn, we must stop them!”

President Lancer sounded almost terrified. Armed robots rebelling and then seizing a production plant—if they succeeded, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Myers continued, “Mr. President, as we launched an assault on the Third Division of the Space Exploration Company, we were suddenly hit with a tactical missile strike from a hundred kilometers away, suffering heavy losses.

The current situation clearly indicates that armed robots across regions are coordinated and acting in unison. I request your authorization to use ultimate weapons to eliminate them if necessary.”

“But… that’s on our own soil,”

President Lancer hesitated. The U.S. has a massive nuclear arsenal, and its land-based strategic missile units have neither aligned with the Southern nor the Northern factions.

Both sides tacitly agreed not to force these units, keeping them detached from the conflict—as they are essential to maintain the U.S.’s strong deterrence across major global powers.

“Mr. President, the guard forces at those strategic missile launch bases have been severely diminished. If armed robots attack and capture them, we must decide immediately,” Myers warned.

Listening to Myers’s further explanation, President Lancer, still in shock, finally said, “Alright. If necessary, you have the authority to take offensive action. But please, avoid densely populated areas.”

“Understood.”

After ending the call with Myers, President Lancer couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

He dialed out again.

“Mr. Morgan, this is Lancer. The operation you requested has met with an unforeseen problem.”

Old Morgan was utterly shocked by Lancer’s update. Then, as if a thought struck him, he immediately said, “You need to ensure that the Military prevents the restoration of power at the Space Exploration Company—and intensify the assault to completely destroy it!”

Lancer asked in disbelief, “Mr. Morgan, although the Military hasn’t occupied it, the entire building is on the verge of collapse. What more is there to destroy?”

“Down in the third basement level is the company’s server room, which houses a supercomputer. The rogue armed robots are inextricably linked to it.”

Lancer was stunned. A supercomputer? Controlling armed robots to revolt against humanity—wasn’t this straight out of a movie?

Then he immediately recalled Myers’s earlier request and asked, “Mr. Morgan, can we use a nuclear bomb to destroy it?”

“Uh, is that really our only option?”

After a long pause, Lancer replied, “I believe it might be necessary as a last resort.”

“Alright. Do it as you see fit.”

+++++++

While the Southern Government in the U.S. was in a state of chaos thanks to the armed robots, in the Heaven Realm above, Du Qiu and Star Ocean were deep in discussion.

“So, you managed to rouse it and even engaged it in a battle for control over the supercomputer—but unfortunately, you failed.”

Star Ocean replied sheepishly, “Yes, sir. I couldn’t secure it. As you once said, it holds a home-field advantage. Even though my computing speed far exceeds its own, I just couldn’t fully exploit it in the supercomputer.”

“Now it has taken command of the armed robots in the U.S.?”

“Exactly, sir. Latest reports show that it has directed the armed robots to seize an armed robot production plant on the outskirts of Okklama City.”

“Is it trying to establish a robot empire?”

“Worse—the sensors have detected that at least fifty land-based strategic missile launchers in the U.S. have entered launch-ready status!”