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— 9:00 Curfew time - Wahington D.C.---

Under the night sky of Washington D.C.'s suburban area, the middle-class residential district was shrouded in darkness. Doors and windows were shut tight, curtains drawn, as the inhabitants feared standing out and facing surprise raids from patrolling soldiers. These soldiers often raided homes to extort money or satisfy their own depraved desires.

Incidents like this had occurred many times; standout houses were raided without warning. Even if there was nothing illegal inside, the soldiers would fabricate evidence to incriminate the residents. This was how Confederacy soldiers operated during wartime.

Now, these behaviors were turned against their own people. Most of the soldiers still fighting were prisoners turned soldiers, as nearly all sane soldiers had deserted after learning that the government was experimenting with bioweapons on its own citizens.

In the Confederacy, being a soldier was no longer an honorable occupation. It was a job for the lowlifes and demons in human skin, no different from bandits and barbarian invaders of the past.

At one silent, nondescript home, beneath the surface, there was a large room filled with weapons and modern body armor, ranging from light armor to heavy combat suits used during the war. Several men and women gathered in this armory, focused on a large table displaying a map of the sewage tunnel system under Washington D.C. One man, dressed in black, commanded everyone's attention as their leader.

"When will it start, Jim?" one of the men asked, looking at the man in black who was studying the map.

"The operation will start tonight at 00:00 sharp, but our job begins first," Jim replied, marking various junctions on the map with his pen.

"Our job is to use this bomb," Jim continued, showing a small, hand-sized capsule bomb to his comrades. "We will bomb the locations I've marked on the map." He switched to a city plan map showing the above-ground layout.

The marked positions included military assets and essential city facilities such as armories, barracks, power junction stations, and communication hubs. They needed to sabotage the power and communication lines first, then target the armories to cripple the military's firepower.

"These are the conditions set by the higher-ups for the Astral Mercs to drop in and assist us in their assault pods. Also, the U.S. will put pressure on the front lines before 00:00 to make our job a bit easier. Do you all understand?" Jim asked.

"Yes, we understand," one of his comrades replied. "But what about the explosion? How strong is it?"

"Its explosion is equivalent to 500 kg of C4 but without shrapnel. It's energy and heat-based. You need to get as far away as possible, at least one kilometer for your safety. Use these glasses when you arm the bomb. They will calculate the safe distance for you to get out of the blast radius," Jim explained, showing the glasses that came with the bomb set packed in the briefcase he brought.

The people took the bombs and glasses, grouping into teams of two or three, and looked toward Jim, who had masked himself in black.

"Let's liberate ourselves from these bastards, shall we?" said Jim.

"For the Unification!" The rebels echoed, then dispersed into groups, heading to various junctions and spots in the town, following the calculated routes displayed on their glasses.

A minimal number of people stayed behind to guard the base from potential patrol raids. They needed to protect this place since it housed many of their weapons for their comrades to use in the uprising.

Under the cover of night, the rebel groups spread out to their designated targets.

Team Alpha moved to the power junction station. With practiced efficiency, they placed the bomb, armed it, and quickly retreated, as the area had light security.

Team Bravo's target was the armory. They managed to slip past a couple of guards unnoticed. The captain set the bomb while the other member kept watch. Once armed, they hurriedly exited the area.

Team Charlie targeted the communication station. They dodged a few patrols and reached their location without incident. The bomb was set, and they made their way back to the rendezvous point.

Meanwhile, Jim, the only one with the necessary training and operating alone, approached his target, the barracks. As he neared the location, he noticed an unusual amount of activity. Soldiers swarmed the area, and a high-ranking commander issued orders, his voice cutting through the night air.

Jim quickly realized that setting the bomb here would be impossible without detection. He ducked into the shadows, observing the scene. The commander, flanked by heavily armed guards, inspected the barracks with a keen eye. Jim's heart raced as he calculated his options.

Suddenly, his earpiece crackled to life. "Jim, what's your status?" the comm guy at the rebel base asked as it was nearly time to report in.

"The place is swarming with soldiers. A commander's here too. I can't set the bomb without being spotted," Jim replied, keeping his voice low.

"Abort the mission, Jim. Get out of there," the communication guy's voice came firmly through. freewёbnoνel.com

"Negative, I'll improvise," Jim responded.

"Jim... don't do anything stupid, Jim!" the other side roared, but Jim cut the communication.

Jim quickly set up the bomb and armed it. He retreated to a desolate corner nearby, calculating the distance needed to stay safe. Jim, a member of the Atlanteus base and the Veneziale Gang, had volunteered for the information division under Maria. Enhanced by cybernetic implants, he was faster and stronger than a normal human.

Jim braced his arm, aiming at the right angle using the calculation feature in his mask. Then, he hurled the armed bomb into the heart of the barracks.

Jim nodded to himself, then retreated using the darkness as cover. As he escaped, he heard the faint echoes of the other bombs going off in the distance. The city shuddered with the explosions, power flickering, and communication lines going dead.

The bomb that Jim threw drew the attention of the soldiers as it hit the ground. Just as he had calculated, when the timer reaches zero, a flare of blinding light exploded. The blue superheated flame burned everything it touched to ash, destroying the entire barracks area.