A perfect set of samples has arrived.
As the Brain monitored the ten humans and ten units that had tunneled beneath the outer wall, it felt a flicker of grim satisfaction.
I shall capture them and see what I can learn.
Having reached its decision, the Brain opened a secondary entrance to the fortress and withdrew the sentry golems that had been stationed in the halls. It then systematically locked the doors to the rooms along their path, leaving only one unlocked. That room was, of course, a trap.
With its total command over the fort’s systems, the Brain could manipulate nearly every door and corridor, with the exception of a few vital areas like the command room. Naturally, Orange and his companions remained entirely unaware that the Brain was acting of its own volition as they huddled in their sanctuary. Beyond the official commander, no one held the authority to issue unrestricted orders to the central intelligence.
Unaware of the eyes watching them, the ten soldiers and ten golems stepped inside.
"Not a soul in sight," one whispered.
"They must be truly short-staffed," another replied.
After a brief exchange in hushed tones, the group pressed deeper into the interior. They found the doors along the corridor locked, and since they lacked the time to force them open, they continued until they reached a single unlatched door.
"Oh, this one’s open."
Though they had no idea who might be waiting inside, they couldn't afford to ignore it.
"Alright, half of you keep going. The rest of us will investigate this room. You there—take command of the forward group for now."
A temporary leader was appointed, and following Dohas’s instructions, the team split in two. Dohas stayed with the group entering the room, while Cougar, the Quinta unit, joined the group heading further down the hall.
Once Cougar’s group had rounded the corner, Dohas signaled a golem to gently push the door open.
"...It’s empty."
The room was vacant and shrouded in dim shadows, with no lights burning.
"There might be something hidden here. Search it."
The five humans stepped inside. Two golems stood guard in the corridor, two secured the doorway, and the final unit moved inside to scan for threats.
"...Nothing but dust."
"Hardly surprising. Orange probably doesn't have many allies left."
Since the room was literally empty, the search took less than a minute.
"Alright, we're done here. Let's regroup with the others."
Just as Dohas turned to exit back into the hallway, a pulse of magic erupted.
"Shock!"
"Gah!"
"Agh!"
Waves of Shock magic washed over them, instantly plunging the five humans into unconsciousness. The five golems they had brought were semi-autonomous types; with their commanders silent, they stood frozen and helpless.
Doors to the nearby rooms suddenly flew open, and ten combat golems poured out. Outmatched in both quality and quantity, the Kingdom Army Detachment's golems were neutralized in a heartbeat.
Cougar’s inhumanly sharp hearing caught the sudden commotion behind them. He also heard the heavy thud of pursuing golems.
"Run! We've been compromised!" he shouted.
He bolted forward, and the other four humans followed a split second later. However, a solid wall suddenly rose from the floor to block their path. The majority of the fortress functioned as an extension of the Brain's own body, and the intelligence had triggered the hidden mechanisms in the walls and ceilings to seal the corridor.
"It’s a dead end!"
Five combat golems were closing in from the rear. Just as Cougar was about to issue a command to their own golems, the air hummed.
"Gah!"
"Agyaaa!"
The group was showered with Shock magic, and all five humans collapsed. With no one left to give orders, their golems were easily seized.
(...I suppose I'll play dead for now.)
Being an automata, Cougar alone remained conscious. Communicating via his internal manacam, he contacted Laojun to determine his next move.
The unconscious humans were bound by the combat golems, hoisted up, and carried away. Peering through narrowed eyes, Cougar realized they were being taken to a lower floor. All ten prisoners were eventually dumped into a detention cell on the second basement level.
(I can sense others in the adjacent room...)
Cougar’s acute sensors detected more life signs nearby. They were likely the reconnaissance team members who had been captured earlier. After relaying this discovery to Laojun, he focused on the immediate threat.
(Now, what are they planning to do with us?)
As he lay still, he watched a golem approach the leader, Dohas. The golem began to chant. Cougar braced himself to strike if the human’s life was in danger, but to his surprise, the spell cast was Trans Info.
(It’s significantly less refined than the Trans Info Chief uses,) he observed.
Still, this was the first time he had encountered another entity capable of using Trans Info outside of Jin and the Jin Family. The purpose of the spell was obvious: the enemy wanted to extract their plans, their numbers, and their overall strength.
At this stage, even the brilliant Laojun had not yet realized that the Brain was desperately trying to analyze its own precarious situation.
"...And that is the current state of affairs," Laojun concluded.
After the long explanation, Jin shook his head as if to clear away his lingering hesitation.
"...I see. I suppose we should intervene?"
"Yes. Even excluding Regulus 43, there are ten prisoners. We cannot simply stand by and watch them die."
"You're right."
At that moment, the "just cause" Elsa had spoken of finally took shape.
"Alright. Let's neutralize Fort Crow as quickly as possible."
"My Lord, I have a proposal regarding our approach."
"What is it?"
"I suggest we deploy the Shinobi Squad for this operation."
It was an unexpected suggestion. "The Shinobi Squad?"
"Yes. They are perfectly suited for a covert extraction and neutralization."
Jin considered this for a moment. "Hmm, but we need to rescue the prisoners and handle everything else too, right?"
"We can send in additional support at any moment," Laojun replied instantly.
"I understand. But will ten units of the Shinobi Squad be enough?"
"To ensure success, I will also deploy Finger 1 through 5, who serve under my direct command, as well as Sam 1 through 10 for specialized intelligence gathering."
"I see. Just... watch out for losses, okay? I don't want to lose any of you because we pushed too hard."
"Understood. I shall commence the operation immediately."
Using Regulus 43—Cougar—as a teleportation marker, Laojun deployed the twenty-five ultra-small golems.
Cougar immediately sensed the units appearing in his vicinity. Because they had all activated their Invisible status, they were undetectable to the naked eye. He could only perceive them by shifting his optical sensors from the visible spectrum to far-ultraviolet.
This meant they were safe even if they crossed paths with the fort's guardians. The vision of a standard golem was restricted to visible light, occasionally reaching slightly into the infrared or ultraviolet, but never far enough to pierce this level of cloaking.
Under Laojun's direction, the twenty-five units scattered throughout the fortress. Cougar watched them depart, remaining perfectly still in his feigned unconsciousness. He would have to wait a little longer before he could make his move.