142 "BOOM"

“Testing, one, two, three,” exclaimed a soldier gripping a microphone inside a truck brimming with speakers, completely disregarding the perilous circumstances surrounding him. His sole focus remained on ensuring the seamless operation of the system.

A glance at the surroundings would reveal a staggering sight: over four thousand soldiers encircled the headquarters of the dictator’s private forces, locked in a tense standoff with the ill-equipped private forces.

The majority of their state-of-the-art technological equipment was loaned to the soldiers for the parade, aiming to demonstrate to the world their possession of cutting-edge weaponry.

As a result, they found themselves outgunned by the military they were constantly compared to and believed to surpass.

Caught completely off guard, they remained oblivious to the fact that Adolf had been attacked. Unbeknownst to them, Nova intercepted the communication intended for their awareness, providing Adolf with a false sense of security by assuring him that they were en route to protect him.

Having completed the microphone test, the soldier proceeded to deliver the mandated announcement: “You are encircled entirely. Surrender immediately, or you will be compelled to do so at the cost of substantial casualties.” His voice remained utterly composed, devoid of any hint of emotion.

“You guys know who is backing us right? Are you still determined to persist with this?” a response echoed from the megaphone held by an individual within the building.

“It appears you have made your choices. We will not entertain surrender for the next thirty minutes,” the soldier retorted in response to their reply. He then grasped his radio, contacting the command center and reporting, “Sir, they have declined our offer.”

“Instruct the soldiers to withdraw by five hundred meters,” came the response from the other side of the radio.

“Yes, sir,” acknowledged the soldier promptly. He immediately relayed the command to all the soldiers, instructing them to withdraw by six hundred meters, including an additional hundred meters for good measure.

……

Inside the building.

“Looks like our threat worked,” said one of the members of the private forces when he saw soldiers moving away from the building.

“I really hope so. We’re short on weapons since they took them for the parade, and I hope they don’t know that. Otherwise, they’ll hold on until our weapon barrels melt from overuse before they catch or kill us.”

“But what did they mean by not accepting surrender for the next half an hour if they were going to leave us?” he asked, his eyes still fixed on the window as he observed the soldiers continuing to move until they finally came to a stop far away from the building.

“KWAAAAAAA!” Before anyone could answer him, they heard an extremely loud sound, and in unison, they all exclaimed, “FUCK!” as they immediately began scrambling towards the basement of the building.

The pilots of the two approaching fighter jets, paying no attention to the activities of the people in the building, pulled their joysticks upward, causing their planes to ascend in altitude. They continued to climb, losing forward momentum and instead gaining vertical speed. Eventually, they ceased moving forward entirely and continued ascending.

After reaching a certain altitude, they disengaged the afterburners and let the planes continue climbing upward until they completely lost momentum. As the planes started to descend, their trajectory led them directly beneath the building.

As the planes descended towards the building, the need for guided munition which the country didn’t have disappeared.

Without hesitation, they uttered, “Bombs away,” and pressed the trigger, releasing all the bombs attached to the hard points of their planes. The bombs plummeted towards the target, relinquishing control to gravity for their final delivery. Following the release, the pilots pulled their joysticks to level the planes and turned back in the direction they came from, making their way back to the base.

While the maneuvers executed by the planes appeared impressive, there was nothing remotely cool about the situation for those in the path of the oncoming bombs, as they desperately raced towards the basement, which had been reinforced to withstand the impact of bombings.

Unfortunately, the time it took for the pilot to execute their maneuvers and release the payload was merely a few seconds, leaving those in the vicinity with insufficient time to flee and reach the safety of the basement before the devastating payload reached them.

“BOOM!” “BOOM!” “BOOM!” The bombs, arriving with staggered microseconds between them, began detonating one after another. The building was engulfed in a series of devastating explosions, annihilating everything caught within their destructive force and leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

In the aftermath of the bombings, the wreckage revealed a gruesome sight. Limbs and other body parts were scattered throughout the area, their presence a stark reminder of the devastating impact caused by one of the bombs exploding in a densely populated location.

Shouts of agony and pain echoed through the air as those who had lost limbs in the explosions cried out in anguish.

…….

“SHIT!” The soldiers stationed six hundred meters away from the building couldn’t tear their eyes away from the scene of destruction. They were witnesses to an act of sheer wizardry, as the pilots arrived, executed their maneuvers, dropped their payload, and departed without sparing a glance at the devastation they had wrought.

True to their word, the soldiers patiently waited until the exact thirty-minute mark had elapsed since their promise before they received the order to advance and apprehend all those who chose to surrender. However, for those who refused to surrender, they were granted permission to engage them with force, allowing a more aggressive approach.

In successive batches, the soldiers began entering the compound, their focus at its peak. The bombing eliminated any possibility of a resolution without one side surrendering.

……

“What the heck happened? Who fired the shot?” Adolf asked once he had regained his composure after arriving at his palace and receiving confirmation of his safety.

“We are still investigating, sir, but it will take a considerable amount of time to identify the person responsible. The shot caused a state of chaos, and everyone scattered in different directions, making it challenging to locate the individual. We will need to thoroughly review the available footage to uncover the perpetrator,” his secretary reported, addressing Adolf’s question.

“Now that you mention it, what happened to the foreign ministers?” Adolf inquired, suddenly remembering their presence. Disregarding his own country’s minister, he expressed little concern for their fate, knowing he could easily replace them if necessary.

“When the incident occurred, the foreign ministers were swiftly escorted to their car and immediately taken to the airport. They left behind a few of their guards who couldn’t board the plane with them, as they needed to ensure the safety of the airport until their departure. As of now, only some of their security guards remain, and they are scheduled to leave tomorrow once the planes are dispatched to pick them up,” his assistant informed him, relaying the information received during the call inquiring about the situation.

“SHIT! Did you apologize to them for the commotion and promise to provide further details once we finish investigating?” Adolf asked anxiously, his tone betraying his concern about potentially losing their support.

“Yes, sir. I did apologize to them, and although they were hesitant, they reluctantly agreed,” the secretary replied.

“FUCK! Call all the generals here right now! I need to ask them how the hell someone managed to bring a gun into a city with over eight thousand fucking soldiers!” Adolf shouted, attempting to channel his anxiety into anger and searching for someone to blame and punish, hoping to appease his own frustrations.

Completely oblivious to what was happening in his country all completely thanks to Nova having complete control over all communication channels within the country. She exercised her authority by manipulating and filtering the information disseminated to the public, ensuring that Adolf remained oblivious to the ongoing events.

Furthermore, Nova strategically positioned soldiers along all roads leading to the palace, instructing them to block any incoming traffic to prevent individuals who were aware of the situation from reaching Adolf and informing him of the external circumstances.

“Yes, sir,” the secretary acknowledged, promptly leaving the office to fulfill the order of summoning the generals.

……

Receiving the calls, the generals swiftly arrived at the palace, rushing to gather in the room. Adolf wasted no time in expressing his frustration, shouting at them the moment they entered.

“What the fuck is going on with your soldiers?” Adolf exclaimed, his voice filled with anger and impatience.

“Most of our soldiers were deployed to ensure there were no other protests or disturbances occurring, which led to the security at the parade location being understaffed,” General Christopher responded, attempting to convey a sense of concern about his position in the midst of the situation.

“Do you realize that due to your negligent oversight, you have caused this day to end disastrously and put our diplomatic connections with friendly countries at risk?” Adolf yelled, his anger and frustration unabated.

The generals maintained their silence in the face of Adolf’s outburst, choosing not to engage or respond to his tantrum. They listened attentively, their expressions stoic while absorbing his words and allowing him to vent his frustrations.

“Now, go find and bring the person who fired the gun here! I’m going to skin them alive,” Adolf shouted in a rage, turning his back on the generals as a sign that he wished to be left alone.

“No, we are going to stay here,” General Nathan declared, rising from his chair.

Adolf abruptly turned around while saying “What the fuck do ….”, but the rest of his words froze in his throat as he completed the turn. He stiffened, his eyes widening in shock, as he found himself face-to-face with a Glock pistol pointed directly at him.

“As I said, we are going to stay here,” Nathan reiterated, maintaining a firm grip on the Glock. He gestured for Adolf to take a seat, emphasizing his demand with a steely gaze.