74: Wasteland Contact and Crisis Arrival

The footage sent back by the stealth drones deeply pained Sun Zheng's heart. The struggle of his fellow humans on the wasteland, along with their fear and hostility toward the "heavens," made him realize that simple communication and announcements would not earn their trust. They needed to prove themselves through action.

"Attack the Scrin Outpost and rescue the monitored settlement." Sun Zheng made a bold decision on the bridge of the hope. This was the fastest and most direct way to demonstrate goodwill and strength.

Target: The small Scrin surveillance Outpost located near the settlement on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, at the edge of the tiberium veins. According to drone reconnaissance, the Outpost was small, guarded by several Reaper minions and a Phase Walker vehicle; no large units were detected.

"Falcon, devise a raid plan. Requirements: make it quick, keep it quiet, and avoid affecting the settlement. Once the operation is successful, evacuate immediately; do not make direct contact with the settlement personnel," Sun Zheng ordered. He hoped that through this action, the people in the settlement would see that a force from the "heavens" was helping them fight their common enemy, without causing panic through direct contact.

"Understood!" Colonel Falcon immediately took the order.

The operation unfolded under the cover of night. A "starshuttle-class" assault craft, specially modified with short-term atmospheric stealth capabilities and carrying a squad of elite Rocket Troopers and an Engineer, quietly departed from the hope and slipped into the atmosphere.

Like a ghost, the assault craft used the terrain for cover, skimming over high mountains and silently approaching the target Outpost.

"Target confirmed. Three Reapers and one Phase Walker, all on patrol. No other defensive structures found," the assault team leader reported.

"Action!"

The assault craft decloaked, and the Rocket Troopers dove down like Falcons! A barrage of missiles and laser beams instantly blanketed the Outpost!

The Scrin units clearly hadn't expected an aerial surprise attack! One Reaper was instantly torn apart by missiles, while another was ignited by laser beams! The Phase Walker vehicle tried to turn its turret to return fire, but the assault team's firepower was too concentrated; its shields quickly overloaded, its armor was blasted open, and it turned into a ball of fire!

The entire battle lasted less than three minutes. The Scrin Outpost was completely destroyed, its wreckage burning at the edge of the tiberium veins.

"Mission accomplished. Evacuate!"

The assault craft and Rocket Troopers quickly ascended, disappearing into the night, leaving only raging flames and the sound of explosions on the ground.

Almost at the same time as the battle broke out, the distant settlement was immediately alerted. Alarms blared, and searchlights swept toward the sky and the Outpost direction. People watched in terror as the "demon minions" that had long monitored and oppressed them were destroyed in just a few minutes by a mysterious aerial force!

Shock, confusion, and a hint of... hope? Complex emotions spread through the settlement. They didn't know who had come, but the newcomers had indeed attacked their enemies.

On the hope, Sun Zheng observed the settlement's reaction through the drone footage. He saw people gathering, pointing at the sky and the burning Outpost, talking animatedly. Fear still remained, but the hostility seemed to have lessened, replaced by intense curiosity.

"The first step is a success." Sun Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Next was to wait—wait for the other side to take the initiative and send a signal.

However, just as Sun Zheng was preparing for the next step of the contact plan, the bridge alarms suddenly blared!

"Alarm! High-energy spatial fluctuations detected! Source... the direction of the Moon!" the sensor officer's voice carried a hint of terror.

Sun Zheng jerked the monitor feed to look at the Moon. Near the lunar orbit, space was violently warping! A spatial rift, slightly smaller than the one seen in Jupiter's orbit but emitting the same ominous purple light, was slowly opening!

"It's another Beacon! The Scrin have activated a Beacon on the Moon as well!" Colonel Falcon blurted out.

Sun Zheng's heart instantly sank to the bottom! He immediately understood the Scrin's tactics! Not only had they established a primary Beacon at Jupiter, but they had also set up secondary Beacons at key nodes within the Solar System! These Beacons resonated with each other, accelerating the stabilization of the "doomsday passage" and potentially being used to deploy vanguard forces to interfere with and sabotage humanity's defensive preparations!

The Moon Base, Guanghan Palace, was in imminent danger! Moreover, the lunar Beacon was too close to both Earth and Mars!

"Commander! An emergency SOS has come in from the Moon Base! They are under attack by a large number of Scrin units! The base's defensive systems are collapsing!" the communications officer's voice confirmed the worst-case scenario.

Misfortunes never come alone! Almost at the same time, another emergency transmission came through, this one from Hope Fortress on Mars!

"Commander! The energy level of the primary Beacon at Jupiter is soaring! The fluctuation interference has severely affected our hyperspace communications! We've detected a massive object passing through the Beacon! Repeat, something is coming through!"

Sun Zheng's face turned incredibly grim. The Scrin's general offensive was coming even faster than he had anticipated! And they were striking from two directions simultaneously!

The Earth contact plan was forced to a halt. He had to make a choice immediately: reinforce the Moon? Hold Mars? Or... split his forces?