Chapter 47
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Fortress Assault (1)
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Several weeks had passed since leaving the village.
Jinwoo stood atop a desert ridge overlooking the Blackstone Base, facing the scorching wind as he awaited the right moment.
Falcon, who had been sitting beside him, flopped onto the ground out of boredom and dozed off with his head bobbing.
Aim for the Heart of the Black Fortress
[Stage 1]
Use the rebels to sow chaos in the Blackstone Base and draw the attention of Base Commander Volkov.
'It's about time to get started.'
Jinwoo pulled a telescope from his coat and scanned the base's activity.
On the surface, everything appeared as usual.
Sentries standing guard vigilantly.
Watchmen patrolling the high observation towers.
And the massive steel gates sealed shut.
But Jinwoo's eyes caught the subtle changes beneath it all.
'They all look worn out.'
The small ripple he had created not long ago was gradually spreading its waves.
With the groundwater rapidly depleting, faint unrest was stirring within the base.
Lowering the telescope, he mentally sketched the outline of the entire operation.
The Blackstone Base was the Trade Federation's key supply hub controlling the entire wasteland.
The surrounding Federation branches and outposts received their supplies and fuel from here.
'If we can paralyze this heart, the influence will spread in all directions, just like in the setup.'
If the operation succeeded, the Federation's eastern front would be like a body severed from its limbs.
Isolated branches cut off from supplies would leave Kellogg's forces overrun with prey.
That was why Jinwoo had laid this intricate groundwork.
Completing the main quest would indirectly shift the tide of war in this way.
It went beyond mere quest rewards, providing the rebels a stepping stone to leap forward.
Jinwoo drew an old paper scroll from his coat.
'Time to send it off.'
This was the final directive from Ghost to Kellogg.
A few days earlier, he had already secretly contacted Kellogg, instructing him to move elite forces near the base.
"Perfect timing. There he is."
A man leisurely smoking a pipe behind a cactus.
At a glance, he looked like a common wandering merchant from Eldorado hauling a cart.
But the merchant's true identity was a rebel informant.
Jinwoo whistled as planned.
The informant looked up, startled upon seeing the hooded Jinwoo.
"You!"
Ignoring the reaction, Jinwoo handed over the scroll.
"Deliver this to Kellogg. Tonight, when the moon reaches its peak, it begins."
The informant bowed silently and hurriedly vanished down the wasteland path.
Now, all preparations were complete.
That night, Kellogg unrolled Ghost's final directive at the secret camp.
The contents were far bolder and more audacious than before.
Tonight, commence the operation when the moon reaches its zenith.
Your mission has two objectives: Destroy the outer communication tower and lighting facilities, then set the largest possible fire inside the base to create maximum chaos.
"The communication tower and lighting facilities...?"
Bartu asked with a puzzled expression.
Kellogg unrolled a map and slowly explained Ghost's intent.
"It's turning the base into a blind, deaf fool. In darkness and isolation, chaos breeds rupture. Amplify it with flames, and their internal response will tangle—we'll get our opening to strike from behind."
"And then how do we take it down?"
The directive didn't outline what came next.
The rebels pooled their heads to decipher Ghost's intentions.
"A diversion?"
"Maybe providing covering fire from afar!"
Whatever the case, Kellogg and the rebels' faith was unshakable.
"Ghost will clear the path. Our job is just to sow chaos. He'll handle the rest."
His voice, brimming with conviction, filled the camp.
Perhaps because the weight of the name Ghost was deeply etched in their minds.
There were no more questions.
"All hands, prepare for operation! Tonight, we'll carve our mark into that black fortress!"
With Kellogg's shout, the rebels began final preparations.
Well past midnight.
The desert night sky brimmed with starlight ready to pour down.
But the area around Blackstone Base was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Kellogg and his elite squad hid behind sand dunes, staring at the massive fortress silhouette.
Their hearts pounded as if to shatter their ribs.
"Everyone ready?"
The squad nodded silently at Kellogg's low voice.
Leather bags of explosives on their backs.
Magic rifles gripped tightly in their hands.
Patrol shadows flickered intermittently atop the walls.
And about two hundred meters out on the perimeter stood their first target.
The lighting tower with its massive magic stone lamp illuminating the wasteland.
Beside it loomed the communication tower tangled with dozens of wires.
The sole lifeline connecting the base to the outside via telegraph lines.
"Squads 1 and 2, take the lighting tower supports. Squad 3, with me to the comms tower. Detonate on signal, simultaneously. Got it?"
"Yes, Commander!"
They scattered into the darkness like cats.
Trained movements.
As they slipped through patrol blind spots toward the targets, the air grew strangely heavy.
Even their breaths sank into the sand.
A few minutes later, ready signals came from each squad.
"Meow! Meow!"
Faint cat cries echoed in the dark.
The guards tilted their heads briefly before dismissing it.
Kellogg personally set the final explosive and glanced at the sky.
The moon had broken free of the clouds, hanging at its peak.
'Ghost, give us strength!'
The fuse ignited. A brief spark slithered like a snake through the darkness.
He dove behind the sand.
BOOM!
Two explosions tore through the desert silence.
The lighting tower screeched like a dying beast before toppling like a felled tree.
The magic stone lamp shattered, its light extinguished, plunging the surroundings into instant blackness.
The comms tower's supports buckled, wires sparking and snapping apart.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
The base plunged into chaos.
Bells clanged wildly, soldiers' shouts erupting everywhere.
Blackstone Base had become a blind, deaf giant.
"Good! On to phase two! Squads 4 and 5, infiltrate the base as planned! Our mission isn't victory—it's chaos! Set the biggest blaze you can and get out!"
With Kellogg's shout, the squad slipped into an old drainage ditch beneath the walls.
The base interior was already hell.
"Where are they! Where?!"
"Stay calm! Move to your positions per training!"
In the darkness and cutoff, soldiers flailed blindly, swinging rifles without knowing where the enemy had come from.
Then another blast rocked the heart of the base.
"Supply depot! The supply depot's on fire!"
"Damn it, the magic stone steam engine's stopped!"
The infiltration teams had set fires to the supply depot and steam facilities in sequence.
Flames ripped through the dark, shooting skyward.
The entire base was engulfed in fire, screams, and despair.
Everything unfolded exactly as written in Ghost's guide.
The rebels were perfectly turning the tables against the massive fortress.
"Damn rats!"
Blackstone Base Commander Iron Fist Volkov ground his teeth, glaring down at the burning fortress from the central command balcony.
Communications were severed, flames and chaos staining every corner.
But he was a seasoned commander who had survived countless battlefields.
His instincts told him this chaos wasn't mere terrorism—it was an operation with clear purpose.
"All forces, assemble at central command! Fortify the defensive line!"
His shout snapped the frantic soldiers to attention.
They formed ranks behind barricades in front of command per training, mounting heavy weapons.
In the flickering flames of darkness.
The base's core solidified with cold focus.
Meanwhile, Kellogg and the rebels conducting internal disruption spotted the movement immediately.
"Commander, they're converging on central command. That's their most fortified spot."
Bartu's voice carried caution.
But Kellogg's gaze didn't waver. It was cold and resolute.
'Everything's going according to Ghost's plan!'
Volkov is a master of defense. Even in chaos, he won't scatter his forces—he'll lure enemies to a strong central point.
"Good. If they're gathering themselves, our job gets easier."
Kellogg issued a low command.
"From now on, pretend to assault command head-on. Pin their eyes on us. But don't go deep. Hit and run. Our goal is chaos and time."
The rebels switched tactics instantly.
Halting the arson, they charged central command en masse.
"Charge!"
Blue flames from magic rifles sliced the night.
Volkov and the Federation forces counterattacked as if waiting.
"The rats are crawling into their own grave! Don't let a single one escape!"
The plaza was instantly blanketed in flames, gunpowder smoke, and the stench of blood.
Even in chaos, the hastily reformed Federation soldiers dragged massive iron lumps forward.
It was a cannon.
"Fire!"
BOOM!
The thunderous roar sent a shell screaming through the dark, smashing into the rebels' position.
"Down! Cannon fire!"
The rebels were pushed back by overwhelming firepower.
"This is a fortress! We've got plenty of cannons!"
Groans of the fallen erupted everywhere.
A victorious smile crept across Volkov's lips.
"Pathetic vermin, it's almost over!"
But he didn't know.
That this retreat wasn't defeat—but a scene from a play.
Kellogg recalled Ghost's various instructions.
The fortress is heavily armed. If they break out the cannons, withdraw slowly for a delaying action. No need to charge head-on and inflate casualties.
"That's it! Now withdraw slowly! It's going to plan!"
The rebels' planned retreat was mere bait, setting the stage for the true hunter within the grand design.
And at the highest point of that stage.
Somewhere in the smoke-choked, flame-lit sky.
One man held his breath, targeting a single mark.
It was Jinwoo.
The wind brushed the hem of his leather coat.
A ruthless resolve had already hardened at his fingertips.
Through the telescopic sight, Volkov's silhouette stood stark against the flames.
'Good, it's unfolding just like the original.'
Jinwoo steadied his breath and placed his finger on the trigger.