Chapter 99 So What If It’s a Trap? The Goliath Class’s Absolute Dominance

Only one hour after Operation Heaven’s Judgment began, the allied ground forces had advanced ten kilometers.

The Death Korps vanguard had pushed forward even faster, advancing twenty kilometers.

Despite the rapid progress, Ethan felt little joy.

Every enemy encountered and destroyed during the opening stage of the offensive had been an ordinary zombie or low-level mutated infected.

Regardless of their numbers, such creatures were nothing more than cannon fodder.

Against the allies’ overwhelming firepower, they were harvested like grass by the advancing ground forces and obliterated by the merciless bombardments of the air force and artillery.

With the Goliath’s targeting systems, Yukikaze monitored every movement across the battlefield.

She immediately compiled the information and transmitted it to nearby units.

The extraordinary efficiency was almost equivalent to giving every allied formation a complete map hack.

Whenever a horde of any significant size was detected, it immediately suffered a devastating strike.

Aircraft patrolling above the combat zone would receive target coordinates from Yukikaze and rapidly destroy everything on the ground.

However, as the troops advanced toward the infected cities and biochemical hives, increasing numbers of high-level mutants began appearing.

Parasitized military units also joined the battle.

The advance gradually slowed.

Although the allied forces still possessed absolute air superiority, the American Air Force began suffering losses.

Yukikaze, currently controlling the Goliath’s CIC, immediately reported the emergency.

“Commander, American aircraft approaching the three biochemical hives have suffered losses.”

“Some fighters were parasitized.”

“Approximately twenty-six aircraft have been lost.”

“Transmit the footage to the main screen,” Ethan ordered.

Images of several advanced mutants appeared.

“They’re Corrupted Cyclopes,” Yukikaze explained. “They pose a significant threat to aircraft and armored units.”

The creatures stood approximately seven or eight meters tall.

Each possessed only one enormous bloodred eye.

A tumor-like biological cannon had mutated from its back.

These organs fired attacks resembling high-energy particle beams.

Any armored vehicle or aircraft struck by one would immediately suffer biological corrosion and infection.

Unless the crew evacuated quickly, they would be assimilated into the enemy’s forces.

Fortunately, every allied soldier had received the Foundation’s vaccine.

The affected pilots ejected in time and escaped infection.

Even after they abandoned their aircraft, however, mutated flesh rapidly grew across the airframes and took control of them.

Ethan remained perfectly calm.

“As expected, the biochemical hivemind has been waiting for us.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the real targets of those human traitors are the two Goliath-class carriers.”

Natasha looked toward him.

“Commander, could this be a trap?”

“It’s obviously a trap,” Ethan agreed. “Why else would the area around us have remained untouched?”

“But so what?”

“These prey animals actually believe they’re hunters.”

“Setting a trap without possessing sufficient strength is nothing more than seeking death.”

Having already learned about the Goliath class’s capabilities, Natasha laughed at his comparison.

“Perhaps the parasites caused their brains to deteriorate.”

At that moment, a red-and-gold armored figure entered the bridge.

It was Tony Stark, who had disappeared during the preparations.

Tony snapped his fingers.

“Looks like I missed quite a lot, buddy.”

“Do you think it’s time for us to join the battle?”

“You certainly seem eager to teach that traitor Obadiah a lesson.”

“Of course.”

Tony looked toward the battlefield displays.

“I’m not letting a horde of twisted monsters and zombies defile the technological achievements of Stark Industries.”

“Not yet.”

Ethan smiled.

“Wait a little longer. There’s still another good show about to begin.”

The reporters reacted excitedly when they noticed Tony.

Knowing Ethan was still commanding the operation, Tony walked over to the media area to make an appearance instead of disturbing him.

Ethan showed no concern about Obadiah’s trap.

He ordered the two carriers to continue advancing.

Inside one of the biochemical hives, Obadiah watched the Goliath-class carriers approach the infected city and enter his weapons’ effective range.

His face had long since been corrupted beyond recognition.

Now completely fused with his armor, he looked exceptionally hideous as he grinned at the two airborne carriers.

“Foolish Tony Stark.”

“And that damned Foundation commander, Ethan.”

“You’re both too arrogant!”

“You have completely underestimated SCP-008’s power.”

“After receiving the Great Father’s blessing, I am no longer the man I once was.”

“The strength of a hive city exceeds anything you can imagine.”

“This place will become your hell.”

“Prepare to join us!”

Obadiah released a distorted laugh.

Watching the Goliaths enter his kill zone, he imagined his greatest enemies becoming parasitized and corrupted.

He snapped his fingers.

Using his parasitic connection, Obadiah issued an attack order to the advanced mutants and infected military units lying in ambush.

Dozens of colossal energy beams immediately shot into the sky.

More than a hundred Patriot surface-to-air missiles controlled by flesh and parasites launched toward Ethan’s Goliath-class carrier.

Yukikaze’s voice sounded.

“Multiple thermal signatures detected.”

“Surface-to-air missiles and high-energy particle weapons approaching.”

“Deploying deflector shields.”

“Sentinel Interceptor System activated.”

As the flesh-corrupted Patriot missiles approached the Goliaths, the Sentinel systems mounted beneath and along the sides of the vessels opened fire.

Fifty-millimeter multibarreled close-in weapons operated under intelligent fire control.

When the missiles entered a range of two kilometers, the interceptors destroyed them one after another with extraordinary precision.

The high-energy beams then struck the carriers.

A pale-blue energy shield covered each vessel.

Dozens of particle beams impacted the barrier, creating only faint ripples before completely dissipating.

“That’s impossible!”

Obadiah roared furiously.

“Damn you living humans!”

“Attack them with everything!”

Unwilling to accept his failed ambush, Obadiah ordered every Corrupted Cyclops and surface-to-air launcher to continue firing.

Large numbers of parasitized aircraft also emerged from the hive city and swarmed toward the carriers.

Natasha looked at Ethan with growing admiration.

As expected, the experienced commander had already anticipated everything.

“It really was a trap.”

Ethan began issuing orders.

“Launch defensive missiles.”

“Transfer automatic control of the interceptor systems to Yukikaze.”

“Carrier squadrons, intercept the enemy aircraft.”

“Prepare the positron cannons.”

“Target the Corrupted Cyclops formations.”

“Commander, positron-cannon charge has reached the critical threshold.”

“Targets confirmed: Corrupted Cyclops formations.”

“Opening forward gun ports.”

“Safeties disengaged.”

“Cannons ready to fire!”

Ethan raised his hand.

“Positron siege cannons—fire!”

The two Goliath-class ground-suppression carriers oriented themselves toward the surface.

Armored gun doors opened in the center of their forward hulls.

Two enormous 600-millimeter barrels aimed at the Corrupted Cyclops formations inside the hive city.

Twin beams of red and blue light struck the ground.

The horrifying temperature instantly melted reinforced concrete, chitinous biological armor, and mutated flesh into charred slag.

Violent shock waves destroyed everything surrounding the impact points.

The Corrupted Cyclopes, despite standing seven or eight meters tall, were reduced to ash.

When the energy finally dispersed, two enormous craters several hundred square meters across remained.

The streets, buildings, and monsters previously occupying those locations had completely vanished.

Even Obadiah, whose flesh had fused with his armor, felt profound fear.

That terror agitated the hive.

Countless flesh-armored machines surged from the infected city like an enraged swarm of bees.

The enemy had committed everything.

Yet the Foundation had revealed only the tip of the iceberg.

The Goliaths’ full weapons systems now unlocked.

Why were they known as ground-suppression carriers?

Their enormous missile payloads were only the beginning.

Powerful artillery systems mounted aboard both vessels opened fire on the surface.

Each Goliath possessed four Hailstorm-pattern eight-barreled 100-millimeter rapid-fire cannons.

Together, the two carriers fielded eight Hailstorm batteries.

These terrifying weapons functioned like artillery-sized Gatling guns.

Once released from their locks, they unleashed fire as dense as a violent hailstorm.

Their combined firepower rivaled ten artillery regiments.

From an altitude of five kilometers, they poured an insane volume of shells onto the ground.

After only one minute of firing under Yukikaze’s intelligent fire control, at least ten thousand parasitized soldiers and several hundred Corrupted Cyclopes had been blasted into pulp.

That was merely the first minute of the Goliath class unleashing its power as a god of death in the sky.

The barrels began their cooling cycle.

This had never truly been a battle.

Its outcome had been decided from the beginning.