BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 947: The decoy battle (1)

Hidden behind some buildings, Erik lay in wait with his team members.

The sun wasn\'t high, but it was enough to give great visibility to the blackguards, who were hidden here and there waiting for the rebels to show themselves.

Erik and the others had to choose the right moment to let the convoy leave, as to make everything much harder for the rebels. At least in theory.

Shatterfist, the captain of the team, signaled for silence as they observed the convoy\'s approach.

"What if they won\'t come?" Missing Air asked.

"They will." Shatterfist was sure about that. The others didn\'t know why he was so sure about that.

Maybe it was because they had circulated the rumor that the blackguards were moving precious cargo, hoping to lure the rebels into a trap.

But the rebels weren\'t stupid, and they could easily understand that was a rumor the blackguards circulated themselves to make the rebels come out.

Though Erik knew they would really come. It was already agreed upon, after all.

When Silent Scream, their mentor, heard about their plan, he had been so impressed by the strategy the group made in the following days he had escalated the operation.

Now, it wasn\'t just Erik and his team joining this operation. The higher-ups had committed additional forces, making this a much larger engagement than originally planned.

Even what they were going to move changed. In fact, based on the rumors they circulated, within the convoy were heavy artillery, weapons and even mechas and not simple brain crystal weapons.

Of course, all of this helped Erik\'s plan, because by making the target more alluring, he could justify better the rebels coming.

The blackguards were starting to employ this advanced technology more and more extensively.

To the point that the entire organization got batches of more and more powerful war\'s tool every day.

Of course, great strides were made toward progress, because more and more weapons were starting to get powered by brain crystals.

Artillery weapons became deadlier, capable of bypassing the Thaids natural mana barrier. Mechas\' became more durable and their weapons more efficient. To the point, one might ask what was the point in making neural links given this whole technology.

It wasn\'t easy to do all of this, but the blackguards were basically coordinating different countries to produce them.

At that point, the blackguards didn\'t really care anymore about keeping the appearance, or better.

They exaggerated the situation in Frant with the public and asked the cooperation of all the countries to "free" Frant from the rebel forces.

While saying bullshit about the fact that Volkov was a great leader and that it was the people who chose him, stating that the rebels were against freedom and democracy. Of course, all of this was bullshit. Volkov wasn\'t elected, and for sure no one wanted him there.

Officially, they convinced Etrium to share their technology, not only to sell it, but the truth was they always had control over it.

Erik crouched low. He glanced at Shatterfist, who gave him a nod of approval. They were ready.

The convoy\'s lead vehicle came into view, followed by several others, each heavily armed and guarded.

The blackguards had made it appear like an extraordinary operation, but Erik knew better. This was bait, and the rebels would soon bite.

But of course, the rebels knew everything was a bait. But that wasn\'t the point of the operation. The target lay elsewhere, but for that attack to work, they needed to pay the convoy a visit.

Minutes passed like hours. The blackguards were impatiently waiting for the rebels, eager to kill as many of them as they could.

Erik could feel his heartbeat in his ears, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. But the reason was different from for his comrades.

He had to kill the rebels, many of which he, June, Amber, Emily and Mira knew.

That wasn\'t something easy to do, and despite having done it several times since when he came to the city, he didn\'t still get used to it.

<Luckily I have my mask on, otherwise everyone would have seen my face every time I killed someone.>

Because that was not a positive face. It wasn\'t the face of someone taking glee from the situation, as it was almost expected from each single blackguard.

Suddenly, a distant sound broke the silence: the unmistakable roar of explosions detonating and engines running.

<They came.>

Erik and his team watched as a large group of rebel vehicles appeared on the horizon, speeding toward the convoy while attacking the groups of soldiers that were making routine patrols along the way and that Volkov and the blackguards scattered here and there.

Erik knew the plan, or better, the original one. As for the new and bigger one made by the blackguards, he had a general idea about what was going to happen and where people were going to hide, because the higher ups takeover of the operation.

But what he didn\'t know, he theorized it, and told this information to the rebels.

Of course, his predictions were spot on, because the rebels were already killing a lot of enemy soldiers, decreasing the number of patrol scattered here and there.

Aside from their opponents\' deaths, what was great was that they couldn\'t even trace all of that to him, since he didn\'t officially know where those guys were hiding.

The trap was about to be sprung. A high-ranking blackguards\' officer gave the signal, and the blackguards sprang into action.

But the blackguards didn\'t come unprepared. Hidden soldiers took up positions.

Some were snipers, with brain crystal guns pointed at the rebels, others were people with

ranged powers.

All of them were looking through their scopes and binoculars, waiting for the right moment to bring hell to the rebels.

Thousands of insurgents in vehicles and on foot surged forward, their weapons blazing as they closed in on the blackguards\' positions. Their brain crystal powers flaring with life.

The blackguards\' convoy had already taken a beating, with several armored vehicles rendered useless and left behind.

Erik knew the rebels made the blackguards think they were aiming to steal those damaged assets, adding them to their own arsenal.

As the rebel forces drew nearer, Erik could make out the faces of his secret allies.

He knew that, to make his act believable, he had to kill a lot of them.

The rebel assault intensified, with explosions rocking the convoy as they launched attacks

from a distance.

Erik watched as Volkov\'s soldiers protected the convoy as best as they could. Many dying

trying.

In Erik\'s original plan, the situation should have been much smaller than what it currently was, but the higher-ups decided to do something else.

The convoy was in truth heavily guarded, but not apparently, since the blackguards had to

make it look like there were few guards protecting the convoy.

Or better, that there was a normal amount of soldiers involved.

Once the rebels got in the right position, the blackguards were going to attack.

Shatterfist\'s voice crackled over the radio, "Sir, the rebels are closing in. When are we going to

spring the trap?"

There was a moment of static before Silent Scream\'s cool, calculated voice responded, "Hold your position for now. Wait until the rebels have committed fully to the attack. I\'ll give you the order when the higher ups will think the time is right."

"Understood, sir. My team is ready to strike at your command."

The rebel assault continued, with explosions rocking the convoy, but not yet in position.

Erik could see the blackguards\' soldiers moving here and there, hidden from sight. On buildings, behind rubbles, even in the middle of streets behind some half collapsed walls. Of course, with them, more men from Volkov\'s army were present.

The rebels got closer.

<C\'mon... let\'s start this...>

Erik couldn\'t wait anymore.

Explosions rocked the convoy, and he could see Volkov\'s soldiers scrambling to defend their

precious cargo.

The rebels were relentless, their attacks becoming more and more intense as they closed the

distance.

As the rebels neared the ambush point, Erik\'s radio crackled to life again. "The time is now.

To all units, spring the trap!"

The blackguards emerged from their hiding spots. Explosions rocked the area as the two sides clashed, the deafening sound echoing through the streets.

Erik rushed forward, ending up in the streets with the others. He immediately engaged a

group of rebels. He had to fake being weaker than he was, but of course, he was still much stronger than anyone else on the battlefield.

Erik turned and saw a blackguard whose code name he didn\'t know doing something weird. On

one hand, the guy had a mana sword, but on the other, he launched a fireball. That was when he understood. The Blackguards decided to use people with multiple brain crystal powers during this attack. They wanted to decimate the rebels.

But he had no time to dwell on that. He had a job to do.

"Forgive me." Erik said as he chopped off a rebel\'s head. The decoy battle finally started.