DING!

~----~

[Congratulations! You have constructed your very first Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield!] 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

...

[You have constructed an Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield!]

...

[You have constructed an Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield!]

...

[You have constructed an Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield!]

...

[You have constructed...]

...

[You have constructed...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[You have ingeniously combined the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield and the R9 Energy Shield inside a single Mechanist Construct!]

[You have gained +85 Data Points!]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Sentry-IV Autocannon Drone and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

...

[You failed to integrate the Aegis-V Modulator Energy shield into the design of the Zerphyr-7 Stealth Reconnaissance UAV!]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Tank Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Tank Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Melee Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Skirmisher Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Scout Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Beast-Type Class) and integrated the Aegis-V Modulator Energy Shield into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Sentry-IV Autocannon Drone and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Zerphyr-7 Stealth Reconnaissance UAV and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Skirmisher Class) and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Tank Class) and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Melee Class) and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Scout Class) and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

...

[Congratulations! You have improved the Doom Rover v0.2 (Beast-Type Class) and integrated the NS-99 "Blackout" Signal Dampener into its design!]

[Congratulations...]

~----~

And just like that, millions of Neo Credits gone!

Leon didn’t feel it though, this was because haven’t seen his constructs in battle already, he could tell how much all this money was going to impact their battlefield performance.

Having laid down the groundwork in the previous 10 days of brainstorming and reverse-engineering, Leon was able to complete a lot of work with the help of the ChronoSystem as he upgraded the strongest and most expensive of all his existing war machines, making them even more expensive.

At the end of it all, his eyes were red and swollen despite being a D Rank Ascended, this was how much he drained himself mentally.

He felt like a mundane human who just ran a marathon in a desert.

But despite this, he couldn’t sleep yet because his smartphone rang the next moment.

Ring... Ring...

DING!

Immediately, Davis lit up with a holographic projection showing the identity of who was calling.

Leon looked at the virtual projection.

{Incoming Call from Lt. Colonel Umar Farouq...}

Click!

He answered the call.

There was the sound of static for a second or two before a familiar face appeared followed by a familiar voice, and like expected the Lt. Colonel went straight to the point without wasting time on pleasantries.

"My contacts within Omnicore territory have been tailing our target for a while, and we finally have a concrete grasp of his upcoming schedule".

"His schedule is filled up and tight but in his tight schedule where he’s in the open and protected 24/7, we managed to find a loophole that we can exploit".

Hearing that, Leon’s eyes black eyes gleamed. "And?"

The face in the virtual projection looked at him. "Before I say it, I want to ask again, are you really sure you want to enter Omnicore territory and do something like this?"

"Most people that I know who go there with hostile intentions don’t return from there".

Leon shrugged. "It’s a vendetta, and it has to be paid in blood".

He looked straight at Umar. "This is a risk that I’m willing to take".

The Lt. Colonel exhaled, then he nodded and said. "Ok, I just needed to know your resolve". His face became serious. "I do believe Joe Curry will be extremely vulnerable on the date we marked, that’s the day that he intends to visit his mistress in a luxurious motel that’s hidden from the authorities".

"The Federation knows about it, but they let it thrive so they can control them. But they don’t actively get involved". His eyes gleamed. "This is our chance".

"That is the easiest blind spot in Joe Curry’s defense. If we play our chips well, we can assassinate him on that day".

"Good," Leon nodded seriously. "What’s the time frame?"

"Exactly 1 week from now," Lt. Colonel Umar Farouq said before briefly looking at the calendar. "Friday 25th".

Leon nodded again. "When do we leave?"

"My contact will be ready to smuggle us in after 5 days".

"Ok, 5 days is it," Leon said as the look of tiredness and lethargy immediately left his eyes, replaced with vibrant energy and motivation.

He poured a glass of wine into his glass cup and toasted to the Lt. Colonel. "Here’s to hoping we get our second cooperative D Rank kill easily".

Looking at him, the Lt. Colonel’s lips twitched slightly, but then he nodded and finally cut the call.

Click!

The moment the virtual hologram left, Leon’s face turned serious.

"5 days..." he mumbled.

After a few seconds of silence, he left the workshop again back to his hotel room where Tyla already made a sumptuous meal for him.

After eating and bathing, he slept.

When Leon woke up, he went straight back to work but instead of working on any new project, this time he also focused on upgrading the Doom Rover v0.1s alongside his new toys.

...

4 days later, a convoy of 3 tall trucks pulled up in Canyon Hub.

...

[Special Appreciation to ImperialJadeDragon and Yametekudastop for the Golden Tickets!]