FWOOOOOM.
Blue Aether light exploded across the teleportation chamber as Squad Eclipse Veil vanished from the Verdancy base.
For a brief moment—
Damien felt his body become weightless.
The world stretched strangely around him.
Then—
THUD.
The teleportation completed.
The eight members of Eclipse Veil appeared inside another teleportation chamber far different from the main Verdancy headquarters.
This base felt smaller.
Darker.
More hidden.
The metallic walls carried visible wear and tear while dim red emergency lights glowed overhead instead of the cleaner blue illumination from the headquarters.
Unlike the massive organized base they came from…
This place felt like a bunker built for survival.
[AUTOMATED SYSTEM: WELCOME TO SAWYER CITY BRANCH]
The teleportation platform cooled beneath their feet releasing white steam into the air.
PSSSSSHHH.
Bobby stretched slightly.
“Well…”
He looked around.
“This place looks significantly less welcoming.”
Jack nodded.
“Feels like somewhere illegal things definitely happen.”
“Because illegal things definitely happen here,” Sylvia replied calmly.
Sawyer City itself was infamous within the Neza Region.
A massive industrial megacity built around automated manufacturing systems and heavy corporate production plants.
The skies above the city were permanently covered by gray clouds from industrial pollution and factory emissions.
Unlike the polished futuristic beauty of Blueburn City…
Sawyer City felt rough.
Mechanical.
Cold.
Even underground…
The constant distant vibrations of giant factories could still be felt.
THOOOM.
THOOOM.
THOOOM.
The teleportation chamber doors slowly opened.
SHHHHK.
And someone stepped inside.
A woman.
Tall.
Slim.
Dangerously calm.
She wore a dark gray stealth combat suit far more advanced-looking than standard Verdancy armor.
Unlike the S-Unit’s heavier cybernetic appearance…
Her suit was lightweight and streamlined with almost no reflective surfaces.
Thin purple energy lines flowed subtly across the material while sections of the suit shifted texture slightly like adaptive camouflage.
Several compact blades rested behind her waist.
A silenced energy pistol sat attached to her thigh holster.
Her silver-gray hair was tied neatly behind her while sharp amber eyes scanned the squad carefully.
The atmosphere around her felt…
Silent.
Like a shadow pretending to be human.
“Squad Eclipse Veil.”
Her voice was calm and smooth.
“You’re late by forty-three seconds.”
Bobby blinked.
“That’s incredibly specific.”
The woman ignored him completely.
Ria stepped forward calmly.
“You must be Sally.”
The woman nodded once.
“Sally Arden.”
A brief pause.
“Most people call me Sally the Phantom.”
Jack immediately whispered toward Bobby.
“That is objectively the coolest nickname ever.”
Bobby nodded aggressively.
“Absolutely unfair.”
Damien however immediately understood why she possessed that title.
Even standing directly in front of them…
Her presence felt strangely difficult to focus on.
Like the environment itself unconsciously ignored her existence.
It was unsettling.
Sally crossed her arms calmly.
“I’ll guide you to the Valkyrium facility.”
Her gaze moved across the squad again.
“Your mission details were already updated during transit.”
Ria nodded.
“We reviewed them.”
“Good.”
Sally turned immediately.
“Follow me.”
The squad followed her deeper into the underground pathways beneath Sawyer City.
The tunnels were ancient.
Some clearly older than modern civilization itself.
Rust-covered pipes stretched across the ceilings while abandoned rails and maintenance systems lined the walls.
Water occasionally dripped from overhead.
The deeper they traveled…
The quieter everyone became.
Sally moved through the tunnels effortlessly.
Almost unnaturally smoothly.
Sometimes Damien blinked and briefly lost track of her entirely despite walking directly behind the group.
Even Bobby eventually noticed.
“…Okay that’s creepy.”
“What is?” Jack whispered.
“I keep forgetting she’s there.”
Right as Bobby finished speaking—
Sally’s voice suddenly came from directly beside him.
“Your situational awareness is terrible.”
Bobby nearly jumped.
“WHAT THE HELL?!”
Jack burst into laughter immediately.
Even Sylvia smirked slightly.
Ria however seemed genuinely interested in Sally’s abilities.
“Your stealth technology is impressive.”
Sally glanced toward her briefly.
“It’s not only technology.”
The suit around her body shimmered slightly.
“My combat suit amplifies physical capabilities to peak human levels while suppressing sound, heat, and motion signatures.”
“That sounds expensive,” Sandra muttered.
“It is.”
Unlike many veteran agents…
Sally surprisingly got along fairly well with Ria.
Both were calm, practical, and mission-focused.
Their conversations remained professional but smooth.
Bobby meanwhile…
Was suffering.
“So Phantom Lady,” Bobby said while walking through the tunnels, “how many cool missions have you done?”
Sally ignored him.
Bobby continued anyway.
“Do you actually disappear dramatically into smoke or is the nickname just branding?”
No response.
“Can you teach me the stealth thing?”
Still nothing.
Bobby looked offended.
“Wow.”
Jack laughed beside him.
“She hates you.”
“No she doesn’t.”
Sally finally spoke calmly without even turning around.
“You are loud.”
Bobby blinked.
“That’s the criticism?”
“You also breathe loudly.”
“That feels biologically unfair.”
Even Damien quietly smiled slightly watching the interaction.
Eventually—
The underground tunnels widened into a massive abandoned transit passage beneath Sawyer City.
Far above them the faint vibrations of the industrial city echoed endlessly.
THOOOM.
THOOOM.
Huge holographic advertisements occasionally flickered through cracks overhead illuminating the tunnels faintly.
Valkyrium Industries logos could be seen everywhere across the city systems.
This entire city practically belonged to them.
Sally finally stopped near a massive sealed blast door.
A holographic layout appeared from her wrist device.
The hidden Valkyrium base.
The structure was enormous.
Layers upon layers underground.
Weapons research sectors.
Mech hangars.
Aether power systems.
Security divisions.
Command centers.
“This is your target.”
The holographic display zoomed inward.
“The combat mech development facility is hidden beneath Sawyer City’s western industrial district.”
Several blinking red signals appeared deeper within the base.
“The suspected SERAPH squad should be stationed near the lower defense sectors.”
Bobby stared at the three blinking signals.
“So those are the murder robots.”
“Potentially.”
Sally zoomed toward another section.
“My objective differs from yours.”
Her finger tapped the command center.
“I’ll infiltrate the central command systems and extract classified data.”
Sally’s amber eyes moved toward them.
“You destroy everything else.”
The bluntness of her answer almost made Jack laugh.
Ria crossed her arms slightly.
“What about civilians?”
“No civilians should exist within the facility.”
“Employees?”
Sally paused briefly.
“Corporate workers.”
Her tone clearly implied she saw a difference.
Then she looked directly at Ria.
“But whether they live or die depends entirely on how efficiently you complete your mission.”
The squad moved toward the final access tunnel afterward.
The atmosphere became noticeably heavier.
Everyone subconsciously activated their Aether slightly.
Yellow energy pulsed faintly beneath sections of their armor.
Eventually—
They reached the final entry point.
A massive reinforced hatch connected directly toward the mech hangar sector.
The sounds of machinery vibrated beyond the walls
Bobby cracked his knuckles slightly.
“Well…”
Jack smirked.
“First mission.”
Damien quietly rolled his shoulders.
Ria looked toward the squad one final time.
“Stay coordinated.”
Everyone nodded.
Then—
Ria looked toward Damien.
“Vice Captain.”
Damien understood immediately.
He stepped forward beside her.
The two placed their hands against the reinforced hatch.
Aether surged instantly.
FWOOOOOM.
The yellow aura around their arms intensified violently.
Then—
BOOOOOOM.
The massive hatch exploded inward.
[WARNING! WARNING! SECURITY BREACH DETECTED]
Red emergency lights instantly flooded the mech hangar.
The squad stepped inside calmly.
And immediately…
They realized the scale of the facility.
The mech hangar was gigantic.
Rows upon rows of advanced combat mechs lined the metallic platforms surrounding them.
Some were humanoid.
Others looked like walking tanks.
Massive industrial cranes moved unfinished mech frames overhead while automated assembly systems immediately halted after the breach.
Then—
Everything erupted into chaos.
Human soldiers wearing combat armor rushed toward the hangar from multiple directions.
Heavy mechs activated instantly.
Energy weapons charged.
Blasters aimed.
Defense drones deployed from the ceiling.
Within seconds—
Squad Eclipse Veil found themselves completely surrounded.
And Sally?
Gone.
Completely gone.
No footsteps.
No sound.
No trace.
Like a phantom disappearing into darkness.
Jack blinked around awkwardly.
“…She actually vanished.”
“She’s scary,” Bobby admitted.
The soldiers surrounding them looked tense but prepared.
Combat mechs aimed directly toward the squad while alarms screamed endlessly overhead.
Yet despite being surrounded…
The eight members of Eclipse Veil showed almost no fear.
No panic.
No hesitation.
Only focus.
Ria stepped slightly forward calmly.
Yellow Aether flickered softly around her body.
“Try your best not to kill the humans.”
Several squad members glanced toward her.
“They have nothing to do with this.”
Sylvia sighed quietly beside her.
Her own aura slowly expanded.
“That would prove difficult, Captain.”