Chapter 300: Chaos at the Space Exploration Company

Kailor’s voice came through: “We aren’t connected to the Military network here—only headquarters is linked. At our level, it’s neither necessary nor permitted.”

Musk felt a twinge of disappointment and, after a few casual exchanges with Kailor, hung up the phone.

While Musk struggled to connect to Lucky, the new office area of the Space Exploration Company in outer space was already a ruined mess under relentless bombardment.

A corner of the once six-story building had collapsed, and the dazzling glass curtain wall was shattered, exposing the hideous steel framework and concrete beneath.

Two colossal armed robot husks lay at the building’s entrance—this attack by the Military had indeed been vicious.

A barrage of artillery fire had reduced the robots guarding the entrance to scrap.

However, that turned out to be the only casualty of this round of shelling; the remaining robots were probably hidden inside the building.

The company’s server room was located three levels underground, with the first and second basements serving as parking lots—access points that had now been obliterated by the Military’s firepower.

For now, the only way into the server room was through the main entrance of the building.

Fortunately, the office area of the Space Exploration Company was in an open, sparse location; aside from an industrial zone a kilometer away, no other companies were nearby.

Perhaps for this very reason, the Military had gone all out.

At this moment, about three kilometers from the building, the Military had formed a semi-circular blockade around the area.

The Third Heavy Armored Division of the Southern Army was a crucial strike force stationed in Texas. Its origins lay with a unit of the Third Expeditionary Army withdrawn from Japan.

After the split between the North and South, this military force—originally stationed in Guam—was recruited by Myers and recalled to Texas, later merging with part of the Southern States’ National Guard to form the Third Heavy Armored Division, one of the South’s primary ground forces.

As a mobile unit stationed in Texas, they were ever-ready to launch an assault on the North from the left flank. Once they captured the central states, it would sever the connection between the Northern Government and the West.

This time, Myers was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the Civil War.

Now, the Southern Army enjoyed absolute naval superiority, tying up vast portions of Northern forces along the East Coast. A massive, roving fleet forced the North to concentrate its defenses rather than commit to an all-out southern offensive.

Moreover, that fleet effectively blockaded the East Coast, preventing the Northern Government from bolstering its strength via maritime routes.

Consequently, with the current advantage favoring the Southern Government, negotiations mediated by powerful conglomerates had ground virtually to a halt.

The Southern Government’s demands were clear: President Radack must step down.

For Radack, resignation was out of the question. To do so would mean not only facing old charges but also the inevitable traitor’s indictment that would doom him.

Just yesterday, the Northern Government’s heavyweight, General Curtis, had come under attack by a drone-launched missile on the front lines. Had it not been for his quick-thinking driver, Curtis would have been nothing more than a corpse.

Even so, he was injured—his left arm nearly lost.

This incident immediately derailed negotiations between the North and South, and gunfire began echoing once more from the front lines.

The Third Heavy Armored Division was already preparing to march north when, unexpectedly, one of its armed robots bolted from the barracks.

Dallas, the division’s deputy commander, was utterly baffled when he received orders directing him to immediately deploy troops to exterminate every armed robot entrenched at the Space Exploration Company—none were to be spared.

Although Dallas couldn’t fathom why one of his armed robots had defected to the Space Exploration Company, it didn’t stop him from ordering its immediate destruction.

Well aware of the formidable prowess of these robots, Dallas launched an all-out artillery assault at once.

To his surprise, the office building of the Space Exploration Company proved fortitudinous; half an hour of sustained shelling only brought down a section of it—the main structure still stood tall.

As for the armed robots, aside from the two stationed at the entrance, not a single one hidden inside the building was eliminated.

“General, are we launching an assault?” his aide-de-camp inquired.

After a moment’s thought, Dallas commanded, “The First and Third Regiments will attack simultaneously in ten minutes. Remember—find a way to demolish that building and force the robots out!”

“Understood.”

Dallas surveyed the Space Exploration Company building through the scouting drone. At that moment, an eerie silence reigned, as if nothing existed inside.

Yet he knew that 22 armed robots still lurked within. Based on previous combat drills, this force could easily withstand half of a Heavy Armored Division.

For an instant, Dallas considered calling in the Air Force—for instance, deploying a ‘Mother of Bombs’ on the building would resolve the matter once and for all.

That was the hallmark of U.S. Military tactics, but ever since hostilities between the North and South erupted, both sides’ Air Forces had largely taken a passive stance.

To date, neither side’s Air Force had shot down a single enemy fighter.

The combat planes taking part were notably inaccurate with their bombing runs, failing to deliver the intended airstrike effectiveness.

Both Northern and Southern ground forces were well aware that the Air Force was keen to avoid becoming too deeply entangled in the civil conflict, which led to infrequent calls for air support.

As Dallas pondered this, the roar of tanks erupted. Two tank battalions, advancing in arrow-like formations from opposite directions, surged toward the building.

Above, a dense formation of armed helicopters hovered, while over two hundred tanks rolled forth on the ground—a scene that, despite the chaos, looked quite imposing.

At least the Space Exploration Company building was located in a rural area; had it been in downtown Houston, such an assault formation would have been impossible.

In an urban environment, tanks are far less effective—in a head-to-head fight with armed robots, defeat is almost certain.

If soldiers simply charged in armored vehicles, the losses would have been catastrophic.

In that moment, Dallas secretly appreciated Musk’s decision to situate the company in such a barren locale.

Following the tank assault, fully armored infantry in APCs would move in to engage any robots emerging from the wreckage.

When the tank formation reached 1,000 meters from the building, every tank cannon roared in unison—the first volley reduced another third of the building.

The initial shelling had already weakened key areas, and the tank rounds, precisely aimed at structural weak points, continued their relentless barrage.

Almost immediately after this round of tank fire, countless rockets rained down from the sky, toppling yet another section of the building, leaving the structure on the verge of collapse.

Watching the drone’s feed, Dallas mused, “Let’s see if you metal brutes can show yourselves.”

Suddenly, a report cut through the commotion.

“General, our field radar has detected at least 12 unidentified flying objects rapidly approaching our location. They’re expected to engage in three minutes—these are likely MGM140 tactical missiles!”

Dallas was instantly alarmed. His tanks were amidst a coordinated assault—if missiles struck, tank losses would be devastating.

Where had these missiles come from?

“Order all units to immediately disperse!”

Time was clearly short; the tanks had to spread out to minimize damage.

Upon receiving the order, the tank formation scattered in all directions. Amid the chaos, a sudden, piercing whir echoed from the sky.

The surveillance feed showed helicopters abruptly breaking formation and scattering.

Then, almost simultaneously, 12 streams of fire crashed into the clustered tanks. Each mid-air salvo released 18 armor-piercing rounds, each finding its mark on a tank!

In an instant, two entire tank battalions of the Third Division were obliterated as fragments exploded outward in all directions.

Dallas’s eyes widened in disbelief—when had the MGM140 missiles become so precise?

Astonishingly, every armor-piercing round hit a tank, an event that seemed utterly impossible.

He had never imagined that today’s operation to round up 24 rogue armed robots would cost him two-thirds of his tanks.

“General, another 12 MGM140 missiles inbound—expected to engage in three minutes!”

Another cry of alarm rang out.

Dallas’s face turned ashen. This was an all-out strike on his armored units.

“Quick—order every soldier to disembark! Get off those APCs immediately!”