Kent operated the central console, and the screen displayed the physiological statuses of Athena, the UBCS, USS, and the Spartan-II team leaders.
At the same time, the left side of the screen listed the configuration for this containment operation:
UBCS:
Two companies, 240 personnel.
Equipped with AAES III and pulse firearms.
USS:
Ten squads, 40 personnel.
Equipped with bio-chemical armor and gauss firearms.
Spartan-II:
Ten squads, 50 personnel.
Equipped with PIA power armor, plasma firearms, and particle beam sabers.
Athena:
Not equipped with company weapons or power armor.
At this moment, Kent looked at the screen and said calmly, "Not long ago, four agents engaged with the anomaly.
Through their individual cameras, we learned that the anomaly is a large, reptilian creature similar to some kind of giant lizard."
As he spoke, Kent touched the screen again, and an image of the anomaly appeared.
Its body was approximately five meters long and three meters tall, with four limbs and a thick, long tail.
Its mouth had white bone structures resembling a giant crocodile, and because its entire body was covered in some kind of fur, its true appearance could not be clearly seen.
Seeing this,
Ivan, standing beside Kent, said in a deep voice, "Colonel, if it's just a giant lizard, it wouldn't warrant such a large containment force."
"Correct." Kent did not deny it and continued to explain:
"The four agents who first made contact with the anomaly were all equipped with mechanical exoskeletons and pulse firearms, and one of them was an experienced senior agent.
But the result was...
Total annihilation, no survivors.
Through the video transmitted by the agents before their deaths, we learned that this creature has extremely strong healing abilities and is completely unafraid of pulse rounds.
Furthermore, its speed is completely disproportionate to its size; it's incredibly fast, and the agents were tragically killed before they could inject themselves with Black Tyrant.
In addition, two villages have already been destroyed by it, resulting in the deaths of 144 civilians."
Ivan's expression changed drastically, his face becoming much grimmer.
After all, this anomaly, from its discovery to now, had only been three short hours, yet it had already caused nearly 150 deaths.
Ivan's mood grew heavier; watching the archives and being in charge of commanding on-site were completely different experiences.
Kent gave Ivan a few seconds to process, then slowly said, "After learning the details of this anomaly, the boss named it 'Immortal Lizard' and tentatively classified it as Keter."
"Keter?!" Ivan said in disbelief.
"That's right."
Kent stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the screen. When he saw Athena's unit about to reach the designated location, he frowned and said:
"The boss also said that the Immortal Lizard is an unkillable creature, even more difficult to deal with than SCP-096, and harbors extreme hatred towards humans.
So, no matter what, it must be contained."
Then Kent looked at Ivan and said, "Of course, the boss also wants you to learn about troop deployment from the sidelines, as you are the one who will take over Umbrella in the future."
Ivan looked up and met Kent's gaze, his expression no longer as bewildered and grim as before. He gave a standard military salute and said, "Yes, Colonel."
"Mm." Kent smiled faintly, then gave orders to Athena's unit on how to proceed, explaining things to Ivan when appropriate.
Ivan listened attentively from the side, learning command and leadership experience from this colonel, who had overseen numerous containment and black operations.
Meanwhile.
A formation of nine assorted aircraft was flying over Ethiopia, heading towards Lake Tana in the northern part of the country.
The aircraft in the formation shared a unified deep gray livery, with the red and white umbrella logo printed on their undersides and tails.
This immediately identified them as belonging to Umbrella.
The formation included one Um-255 super-heavy transport aircraft, six Viking fighters, and two Vulture support craft.
Inside the spacious cabin of the Um-255.
UBCS, USS, and the already highly combat-capable Spartan-IIs were all wearing their respective unit armors and checking their weapons and equipment.
Athena, having manifested her golden armor, spear, and round shield, sat in the rearmost seat of the cabin.
She wore no high-tech equipment; the only product of this era she possessed was likely the earphone in her left ear.
According to Kent's arrangements, the more numerous UBCS and USS would parachute down and cooperate to search for the Immortal Lizard within the sealed area.
Athena, with the strongest combat power, would lead the Spartan-II warriors to directly encircle and disable the Immortal Lizard.
Soon.
The cabin lights changed to a dim red, and two crew members wearing oxygen masks slowly opened the rear ramp.
"Whoosh—!"
Along with a strong surge of airflow, the green indicator light above the ramp also illuminated.
Cortana, sitting by the ramp, immediately stood up, walked to the center front of the ramp, and used her earphone to encourage the Spartans:
"Children, you have undergone many years of training. The only difference between you and true Spartans is a real battle.
And now, I will lead you to contain a Keter-class anomaly, together completing your 'coming-of-age ceremony'.
I won't say words like 'good luck,' because... we are destined to succeed.
Move out!"
"Yes!" A loud response came through the comms.
Athena spread her hands, gripping her spear and round shield, then leaned back and leaped out of the cabin in a freefall.
Following closely behind were the Spartans, influenced by Athena's divinity, eagerly leaping out of the cabin.
Not just the Spartans, but even many UBCS members also shouted in the comms.
Seeing this, a group of older UBCS officers shook their heads slightly with a hint of emotion.
After all, fighting alongside a goddess was like a shot of adrenaline for the younger soldiers.
Subsequently, large groups of UBCS and USS also jumped out of the cabin, flying towards their designated landing zones marked on the screen, preparing for the aerial drop.
Soon after.
Above the jungle on the east bank of Lake Tana, Athena, without a parachute, was falling at an extremely high speed.
Just as she was about to fall face-up, she changed her posture, rolled, bent her knees, and aimed her feet at the damp soil below.
Then...
"Boom—!" A large amount of mud splattered.
As the aftermath dissipated, Athena was seen standing in the deep crater she had created.
She lightly shook her shoulders, stretched her neck, and after a moment of relaxation, stepped out of the crater.
Nearby were numerous tall trees and various tropical plants, blocking out the scorching sun above.
"Caw! Caw!" Many startled birds flapped their wings and flew away from the area.
Athena plunged her spear into the mud, surveyed her surroundings, and said calmly through her earphone, "Spartans, gather at my location immediately after landing.
Command Center, begin the containment operation for the 'Immortal Lizard' from now on."
"Yes."
"Received."
I haven't been resting well lately, and I've developed some acne on my face, which affects makeup (mainly because I'm lazy).
Cross-dressing will happen????, hahaha
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I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"