"Attention, everyone," Richard's voice cut through the tension in the Command Center, commanding the floor with urgent sobriety. "We've just received a new mission from the system—it's the Wave, again."

A collective inhale swept through the room, as staffers exchanged grave looks, understanding the magnitude of the revelation. They had fought on the wave before, and it was intense due to the number of mutated zombies that tried to invade and overwhelm the camp. Having to go through that again, would be a nightmare for many. 

"It seems that those two unknowns are related to the wave and might be planning an attack on September 20th…That's right, on September 20th, the wave will commence. That means we have four days to prepare for what's coming."

Richard continued, his gaze sweeping over the team. "The previous encounters have given us valuable insight into their tactics and numbers. I won't sugarcoat it—the situation is dire, and the stakes are higher than ever."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in. The memories of past waves were fresh in everyone's mind. Richard wondered what mutated zombies were going to appear? Would it be another Goliath? An Alpha Hunter? Hydra? Or possibly a new variant of mutated zombies. He doesn't know.

He opened the user interface of his system and checked his stats. 

[User: Richard Gonzales

Health: 100/100

Age: 21

Level: 26

Experience points: 3,257,176/3,602,261

Skills: Weapon Proficiency Level 2, Melee Proficiency Level 2, Driving Proficiency Level 2. Tactical Mastery Level 1. 

Available Skill Points: 0

Summoned Troops: 1000/1050

Current gold balance: 48,423,055 gold coins]

'Forty eight million gold coins' Richard read inwardly. He still has a lot of money thanks to the Wheel of Fortune and the gold he received from killing the Hydra and rescuing survivors from the World's Resorts Manila, all of them specifically. He can use the remainder of his balance to equip the camp with sophisticated air and ground defense systems."

Richard took a deep breath and refocused on the immediate task at hand. "Alright, let's return to the most pressing issue. The two unknowns. Sara, are they still at the TPLEX?" 

Sara zoomed on the camera of the MQ-1 Predator and nodded. 

"Yes, Richard. They are just standing there. We have marked and placed an overlay ID on them. They won't be leaving our sight without us knowing." 

"Okay, let's try to exterminate them from here. Mark, task the Excalibur. I want missiles raining down on them. Let's test the extent of their abilities. We can replenish the supplies of our supersonic missiles, so do it." 

"Yes sir," Mark saluted before as he pressed the earpiece deeper into his ear, coordinating with the missile operators. The Command Center fell into an expectant silence, every eye locked onto the screens showing the thermal signatures of the two unknowns at the TPLEX.

"Excalibur is ready to fire at your orders sir," Mark announced. 

Richard leaned forward with his hands on the back of Sara's chair. Based on the recent footage of the fight. It seems that the little girl named Violet has a shockwave type of ability while her partner, Seo-Jun, seems to manipulate the pinkish thorns that can erase and materialize anything it touches. It's best to learn their enemies now rather than learning it when they are already attacking the base. 

"Fire." 

With that, ten Brahmos missiles were launched from the missile platform. The white smoke trail blazed across the screen, indicating the missiles' trajectory as they headed toward their target. The staff watched, holding their breath as the missiles closed in on the two figures marked on the screen.

"The missiles will reach their target in under three minutes," Mark informed, his eyes not leaving the display.

Richard nodded. "Now stop this." 

***

Meanwhile, on the TPLEX. Violet yawned and stretched her arms as they finished eliminating Andrea.

"That was easier than I expected," Violet said. 

"She was not under the control of the master, therefore she can't unleash her true potential," Seo-Jun calmly assessed. "Well, now that she is eliminated, we can focus our attention on the Blackwatch Private Military." 

"Ah, the Blackwatch. Yeah, I had some fun talking to them. I can tell that they are quite befuddled by our appearance. Well, given that they have such capable offensive weapons as those missiles, we must request from the master to increase our invading forces." 

"I'll establish a link with my master—" Seo-Jun paused in mid-sentence, her head tilting slightly, a frown creasing her brow. There was a subtle shift in the air, a prickling sensation that spoke of impending danger. 

"What's the matter?" Violet asked as she noticed the change in Seo-Jun's demeanor.

Seo-Jun didn't waste a moment. "We're being targeted. Missiles incoming," he announced.

"Again?" Violet rolled her eyes. "Well, there's nothing to worry about if I have you, Seo-Jun. Now, show those Blackwatch how futile their weapons are against true power."

"With pleasure," Seo-Jun said as she stepped forward, her head facing the horizon, and extended her arms toward the direction of the incoming threat. Behind Seo-Jun's back, an array of pinkish thorns materialized, quivering with energy that seemed to warp the very air around them. The thorns thrummed with a resonance that was felt rather than heard, their points turning skyward like the fangs of some great beast.

As the white trails of the Brahmos missiles cut across the sky, approaching their position with deadly speed, Seo-Jun's eyes narrowed in concentration. With a flick of her wrists, the thorns launched into the air, moving with such velocity that they left afterimages in their wake.

The Command Center watched in disbelief as the thermal signatures of the thorns intersected with the missiles. One by one, the missiles disappeared from the screens, their signals snuffed out as if they were candles in a storm. But one of the missiles exploded before the thorns could erase them, setting off a chain reaction among the remaining missiles still in proximity.

On the ground, the impact was immediate and immense. A colossal bloom of fire and shockwaves ripped through the air, sending a cloud of dust and debris billowing into the sky. The shockwaves rolled over the landscape, flattening everything in their path.

Seo-Jun and Violet were at the epicenter. As the explosion engulfed them, a shimmering dome sprung up around Violet—the barrier she had erected in the nick of time. It flickered under the strain of the blast, energy rippling across its surface like waves across a pond. Inside, Violet remained unscathed, her eyes shut in deep concentration. Seo-Jun, shielded by the same barrier, was poised and calm as if they had anticipated this outcome.

Back at the Command Center, Richard and his team were silent. Richard rubbed his chin, calmly taking in the situation. "I see, they can be defeated." 

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