12dz Chapter 341 The Monster That Appeared from the Ground
Chapter 341 The Monster That Appeared from the Ground
When the Victory Team is not present, the affairs of the area where the branch is located are handled by that branch.
The headquarters' authority is primarily focused on strategic coordination, resource allocation, and emergency intervention in extremely high-level incidents. Theoretically, it cannot directly command the daily operations and general crisis management of branches.
This architecture was originally designed to ensure that each region could respond as quickly and flexibly as possible based on its unique natural, social, and even potential threat environments. However, with the quiet increase in the frequency of anomalies, monsters, or similar threats worldwide, relying solely on a single "Victory Team" at headquarters to fight global fires has become increasingly inadequate, with response time lags and the costs of long-distance travel becoming significant shortcomings.
It was precisely because of this sense of urgency that Satoshi Sawai, the chief executive officer of TPC, known for his foresight and strong drive, formally proposed the long-term strategy of "networking the Victory Team".
Its core objective is to gradually establish "Victory Teams" with independent operational and analytical capabilities in major regional branches around the world, forming a global defense and investigation network with wider coverage and faster response.
This decision caused a profound shock within TPC.
Supporters are mainly the heads of various branches and frontline staff, who believe this is the inevitable path.
For example, the South Pacific branch, which has a large number of reports on marine and geological anomalies, and the North American inland branch, which frequently encounters unidentified energy bodies and extreme weather, have long felt the pain of "distant water cannot quench immediate fire" and are eager to have their own professional elite teams.
However, doubts and obstacles also exist.
Some conservative officials at headquarters worried that excessive dispersion of resources would weaken the headquarters' authority and core strength; others expressed concern about whether the branches could maintain the high standards and purity that the "Victory Team" should have, fearing that they might evolve into local armed groups.
A more practical difficulty is that not every branch has the resources to gather top global talent like the headquarters, and the configuration and maintenance costs of aircraft, advanced weapons, and analytical equipment are astronomical.
The first to respond and become a pilot site was the TPC integrated base located in the Far East. This location is the headquarters, boasting the most comprehensive infrastructure and the strongest research atmosphere.
Under the personal supervision of Director Sawai, elites were selected from the existing police department, research department, and flight training department, and special talents were recruited from all over the world to begin building a prototype team codenamed "Victory Swallow Reserve Team".
Their initial equipment may have consisted of modified old fighter jets or experimental weapons, but their training programs and tactical concepts were completely modeled after the real Victory Team.
Meanwhile, other qualified European and Central Asia joint divisions also began to plan their own team frameworks and even started talent competitions behind the scenes.
However, due to the strict orders from headquarters, the branch dared not go too far.
Most importantly, although each branch has its own winning team, the winning team at headquarters has the highest authority.
Therefore, although GUTS members were dispatched to South America to investigate, Megumi also recalled Daigo and Rena from space and rushed to support the South American branch.
Warning zone around the anomalous energy point in the Andes Mountains of South America.
The Fire Dragon Team of TPC South America, a regional victory reserve team that has just completed its basic formation and is still in the process of integration, has arrived on site and taken over the defense of the monitoring station and preliminary investigation work.
Their equipment was rather simple: two modified old-fashioned "Dolphin" transport planes hovered in the air, casting beams of searchlight; and the team members' uniforms were not the iconic red and white of the headquarters' Victory Team, but rather gray-green combat uniforms that were closer to the local environment.
Captain Carlos Mendes, a former mountain troops officer, frowned as he stared at the wildly fluctuating readings on his handheld detector. "Energy levels are stable at peak... but this stability is too eerie, like it's been artificially locked in," he reported into the communicator. "No apparent changes on the surface, but the underground sonar shows that the complex cavity structure is... 'breathing.' Very slowly, but definitely pulsating regularly."
"Maintain a safe distance and do not approach the core area of the geoglyph, especially the newly discovered hidden entrance." Megumi's voice came through the headquarters communication channel. "Team Leader Daigo and Team Leader Rena are on their way at full speed and are expected to arrive in an hour. Until they arrive and conduct a professional assessment, your task is to ensure the area is sealed off, record any anomalies, but do not take any actions that may stimulate the underground structure."
“Understood, headquarters,” Captain Mendes replied, then directed his team to expand the perimeter and set up more remote monitoring equipment. He looked up at the giant geoglyph, partially illuminated by searchlights. The ancient lines appeared even more mysterious and unpredictable under the intense light, the central area resembling a bottomless vortex, exuding a chilling tranquility. “A man-made peak…” he murmured, his mind clouded with doubt.
Just then, a team member in charge of communications monitoring suddenly shouted, "Captain! We've intercepted a very weak, but strangely modulated, encrypted signal stream. The source is... in a valley about fifteen kilometers northeast of us! The signal seems to be pointing underground. The content is undecipherable, but the energy frequency partially overlaps with the underground pulses recorded by the monitoring station!"
Mendes' eyes sharpened: "Immediately pinpoint the exact coordinates of the signal source! Dispatch drones for covert reconnaissance! Be aware, the enemy may possess technology unknown to us, so exercise extreme caution!"
Almost simultaneously, Lin Yeming at the lunar base also detected the anomaly. The fact that the Andean node's energy was "locked" at its peak was itself a strong signal. "This isn't a steady state formed by natural decay or excitation energy," he told Jujian Hui on the other end of the communication, "It's more like a 'switch' has been forcibly switched to the 'ON' position. Moreover, I've just finished the initial clearing of the previous chaotic information fragments and found an extremely hidden, strangely formatted instruction fragment mixed in... It doesn't seem to be part of the sealing system itself, but rather like foreign 'code' attempting to intrude and tamper with the system's state."
“Foreign code?” Megumi’s heart sank. “You mean, a third party is trying to actively manipulate this sealed network?”
"Highly likely. And the methods are quite sophisticated, using the 'noise' and 'emotional outbursts' generated by the system's loosening as cover." Lin Yeming's voice was cold. "Combined with the abnormal signal source just discovered by the South American branch... Captain, this is no coincidence. Someone in South America is trying to do something to the sealed node. They may have been lurking there for a while, waiting for an opportunity, or... our detection activities created the conditions for them to activate a backdoor or vulnerability."
“The Manonians…” Megumi Kijima almost immediately connected the two. “The intelligence agencies are still tracking their whereabouts. If they really are connected to an ancient civilization, or have acquired some lost technology…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear. These alien visitors who call themselves “Returners” may have far more complex and dangerous motives than the “friendly exchanges” they claim to have.
“Daigo and Rena are about to arrive in South America,” Munakata said in a deep voice. “If the other side is truly hostile, they might take advantage of the situation to launch an attack. We must remind them to be extremely careful, and at the same time... we may need to prepare for battle.”
Megumi asked, "Daigo, Rena, are you listening?"
"Captain, I'm here." Daigo's voice came through the communication channel first, steady but with a hint of tension. "We have entered South American airspace and are expected to arrive over the Andes monitoring station within forty minutes. Lina is analyzing the on-site data and signal source characteristics transmitted by the Fire Dragon Squad."
“I’m listening too, Captain.” Lina’s voice followed closely behind, with the faint sounds of instruments being operated in the background. “The other party’s signal modulation method is indeed abnormal, not belonging to any known TPC or the common protocol of any registered extraterrestrial civilization. The overlap between the energy frequency and the underground pulse… is very subtle, almost injected along the 'harmonic gaps' of the system’s natural fluctuations. No wonder conventional monitoring didn’t detect it immediately. They are very familiar with the energy characteristics of this sealed network.”
Ju Jianhui's expression was grim: "This is exactly what I'm worried about. The other side is not only highly skilled, but also has a clear objective and operates covertly. Advisor Lin discovered traces of suspected extraterrestrial interference code on the moon. It can be basically concluded that the Manonians, or rather, forces related to them, are attempting to forcibly intervene in and control the sealing system of the Andes node. Their purpose is unclear, but their methods are radical, and they may not care about the consequences."
Zongfang picked up the conversation, his tone sharp as a drawn blade: "Daigo, Rena, your primary task upon arrival is to assist the Fire Dragon Squad in stabilizing the situation and ascertaining the exact location, personnel, and equipment of the Manonians. But remember, unless absolutely necessary, or if the enemy directly threatens the safety of the seal or the lives of the personnel, do not engage in direct confrontation. We know too little about their actual combat strength and technological capabilities."
“Understood, Vice Captain,” Daigo replied. “We will proceed with caution. Our priority is ensuring the safety of the Fire Dragon Squad and the monitoring station personnel, and we will try to interfere with or cut off their signal interference to the underground node.”
"I've sent the data on several potential energy 'harmonic gaps' and weak points that Consultant Lin and Karen analyzed to your terminals," Ye Rui's voice interjected. "This might help you locate or predict the other side's signal transmission nodes."
"Received, Ye Rui. Data being received," Lina confirmed.
Megumi took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the real-time satellite image of the Andes in South America on the main screen in the command center, as well as the monitoring footage of the Fire Dragon Squad and the energy topology map transmitted from the lunar base displayed on the adjacent split screen. "Be careful. The seal linkage between Earth and the Moon has been confirmed, and any drastic changes to the Andean node could trigger unpredictable chain reactions. If necessary... Daigo, you know what to do. But remember, your primary identity is that of a Victory member, a member of the team."
However, Daigo had a bad feeling.
He always felt that the seal might be broken without them even needing to reach it.
The night wind in the Andes Mountains carried a biting chill, sweeping across the bare rock walls and sparse alpine meadows. The Fire Dragon Squad's two "Dolphin" transport planes, like two wary giant birds, hovered, their searchlight beams carving out areas of light and shadow on the ancient geoglyphs, adding to the eeriness of the scene.
Captain Mendes's premonition was quickly proven true.
Before the stealth drone dispatched even reached the signal source coordinates, the "pulsation" emanating from deep underground at the monitoring station suddenly accelerated. It was no longer a slow breath, but rather like a disturbed heart, beginning to beat violently and irregularly. The gravel on the ground trembled slightly, emitting a fine rustling sound.
"Captain! The underground cavity structure is experiencing high-frequency, low-amplitude vibrations! The energy readings are starting to climb; they're no longer at a stable peak, but rather... accumulating energy!" The technician at the monitoring station sounded a little panicked.
"Hold on! Everyone, retreat to the second perimeter according to the plan!" Mendes shouted, his gray-green figure moving swiftly under the searchlights. He looked up at the dark night sky, silently calculating the arrival time of headquarters support. Forty minutes, however, felt incredibly long at that moment.
However, things changed even faster.
Fifteen kilometers to the northeast, in the direction of the valley, without warning, a beam of dark blue light shot into the sky. Instead of shooting towards the heavens, after reaching a certain height, it seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, drawing a strange arc and precisely "pouring" into the core area of the giant geoglyph!
The moment the beam of light touched the ground, there was no explosion or impact; instead, it rapidly merged into the ancient lines like mercury spilling onto the floor. In an instant, the entire geoglyph seemed to come alive!
All the lines, such as straight lines, spirals, and geometric shapes, lit up with a deep blue light in turn, the light flowing rapidly along the veins and converging towards the center.
The hidden entrance in the central area, which was originally just a detected "cavity," has now been torn open in reality, revealing a crack that flickers with unstable blue-white energy!
"Buzz—!!!!"
A deep yet highly penetrating buzzing sound spread out from the crack. This sound did not simply travel through the air; it seemed to directly affect a person's nerves and internal organs.
Several members of the Fire Dragon Squad who were nearby immediately felt a splitting headache, nausea, and were almost unable to stand.
Then, a giant bird monster appeared from the ground and soared into the sky!
"Oh no, it's a monster!"
"Immediately notify headquarters and request backup!"
"Everyone else, follow me to intercept the monster! We absolutely cannot let it fly into the city!"
After the monster appeared, headquarters quickly received the news and was about to send others out when a strange monster suddenly appeared in Kumamoto City. The monster looked like a human, but something felt off.
According to intelligence, this is the true nature of the Manonians.
After the investigator delivered the message, there was no further news.