Chapter 452: Vibrations!!!

Darius slowly raised the microphone toward his mouth.

From where he stood, the fortress seemed almost impossible to breach.

Darius studied it for another moment.

Then his lips curled faintly.

"So you have decided not to surrender."

His voice echoed across the valley through the speakers.

"Hnmm..."

Darius looked thoughtful.

"What should I do?"

He tilted his head slightly, almost as if he were genuinely considering the problem.

"Your fortress looks solid."

A few soldiers exchanged glances.

"So should we go back?"

Darius paused.

Then he laughed quietly.

"Ohh, right."

"Now that we know about your existence..."

His voice became slightly amused.

"...you won’t let us return, right?"

Inside the fortress, several soldiers smirked.

Some almost laughed.

The man speaking to them certainly had confidence.

Too much confidence.

But beneath those smiles remained something else.

Concern.

Their base had been exposed.

That simple fact had already changed everything.

For years, this place had existed because almost nobody knew it existed.

Officially, many of the soldiers standing there were already dead.

The commander standing behind the defensive wall stepped forward.

His eyes searched the slopes surrounding the fortress.

Nothing.

No visible soldiers.

No vehicles.

No firing positions.

Only rocks, trees, and the narrow valley stretching around them.

He picked up his own microphone.

"When you already know you are not going back alive..."

His expression hardened.

"...then why don’t you come down here?"

A few soldiers grinned.

The commander raised his voice.

"And show us your face."

Darius heard him clearly.

He brought the microphone closer.

"Ohh, I will definitely show my face."

A smile slowly appeared.

"But you won’t like my expression."

Reina sighed beside him.

Darius continued.

"We gave you a fair chance."

He paused.

"But still..."

"Just because you people once served this country..."

His voice became more serious.

"...I will give you another chance."

The soldiers inside the fortress slowly stopped smiling.

Darius looked toward the valley below.

"I will count to ten."

Silence.

"If you don’t throw down your weapons and step forward one by one..."

He allowed several seconds to pass.

"...I will bury you together with your fortress."

Several soldiers frowned.

One quietly whispered to the man beside him.

"Bury us?"

Darius continued before anyone could respond.

"Don’t worry."

"There will be no rockets."

"No missiles."

"No artillery."

His smile grew.

"A natural death."

The commander narrowed his eyes.

He did not understand what the man meant.

Neither did the soldiers around him.

Darius began counting.

"Ten."

The valley remained silent.

"Nine."

The commander’s expression tightened.

"He cannot do anything."

He spoke loudly enough for the nearest soldiers to hear.

"Stay in position."

But those words did not carry as much confidence as he wanted them to.

Several soldiers were already looking around.

Searching the hills.

Looking toward the sky.

Marina leaned against the rock .

A grin slowly appeared on her face.

"Eight."

Darius waited.

"Seven."

Inside the fortress, uneasiness spread.

One soldier tightened his grip around his rifle.

Their enemy was somewhere outside.

Watching them.

And they still had no idea from where.

The commander noticed the growing uncertainty.

"Stop looking around."

No one answered.

"Send the drones up."

Several drone operators immediately turned.

"We need to find their positions."

The boxes were opened.

Equipment was pulled out.

One operator quickly unfolded the arms of a reconnaissance drone.

Another connected the control terminal.

Darius kept counting.

"Six."

"Five."

Reina glanced toward him.

Darius gave no reaction.

"Four."

Inside the fortress, the drone operators hurried.

One drone powered on.

Its lights blinked.

The commander shouted.

"Move faster."

"Three."

One operator swallowed.

"Sir, almost ready."

"Two."

Several soldiers looked toward the commander.

Others looked toward the valley.

Darius smiled.

"One."

Nothing happened.

For half a second, the soldiers remained frozen.

Then several visibly relaxed.

One even laughed.

The commander smirked.

"I told you."

Darius sighed into the microphone.

"Soldiers are soldiers at last."

He lowered the microphone slightly.

Then turned his head.

"Begin the vibrations."

A signal was sent.

Nothing changed immediately.

The commander inside the fortress opened his mouth to speak.

Then stopped.

A small stone beside his boot moved.

Barely.

Just a few centimeters.

He looked down.

Another stone trembled.

Then another.

A metal cup sitting on a nearby crate began vibrating against the surface.

Someone noticed.

"Sir..."

The commander frowned.

A low sound slowly moved through the valley.

Almost beneath them.

Then the ground trembled.

Very gently.

One soldier looked around.

"What was that?"

The vibration came again.

Longer this time.

Dust slipped from the concrete walls.

Several loose stones rolled down the slopes.

The commander suddenly looked toward the mountains surrounding them.

The entire valley was beginning to vibrate.

A soldier’s face changed.

"An earthquake?"

Another looked terrified.

"How?"

The commander stepped forward.

"What the hell is going on?"

Far above them, Darius calmly watched.

He raised the microphone again.

"Increase the intensity."

The vibrations grew stronger.

The effect was immediate.

Loose rocks began sliding from the slopes.

Small stones bounced down the mountainside.

Dust rose from several places around the fortress.

The concrete under the soldiers’ boots trembled.

A stack of ammunition boxes shifted against the wall.

Metal rattled.

Weapons hanging from racks began striking against one another.

Marina’s grin disappeared for a second.

She grabbed the nearby rock for balance.

"Hey, hey!"

She looked toward Darius.

"At least warn me it’s real."

Darius glanced at her.

"You knew the plan."

Marina looked toward the shaking valley.

"You didn’t say I would feel like the mountain itself wanted to throw me off."

Reina sighed.

"You were smiling five seconds ago."

"I can smile and complain at the same time."

Below them, nobody was smiling anymore.

The drone operators had frozen.

The drones were still in their hands.

One man stared at the shaking equipment.

Another looked toward the rocks falling around the base.

The commander screamed.

"What are you doing?"

No response.

"Get those drones up!"

One operator tried.

His hands were trembling too badly.

The controller slipped from his fingers.

He caught it before it hit the ground.

Darius raised the microphone again.

His voice was no longer playful.

"In the next few seconds..."

The soldiers looked toward the speakers.

"...all of you will be buried under this valley."

A larger stone rolled past the outer defensive line.

Several soldiers instinctively stepped backward.

Darius continued.

"And do you know the worst part?"

The vibration intensified again.

"No one will care."

The commander’s face hardened.

Darius’s words continued echoing.

"Because all of you are already dead."

That sentence struck differently.

Several soldiers froze.

"You have death certificates."

"Funeral records."

"Government documents."

"Your families have already mourned you."

Darius looked down at the fortress.

"Your loved ones receive money because they believe you died serving your country."

His voice became quieter.

"But the moment your usefulness ends..."

"...those payments stop."

A few soldiers looked at one another.

Darius continued.

"You will be replaced."

A long crack appeared across one section of the outer concrete structure.

Dust spilled from it.

Darius’s voice remained calm.

"So what was all of this for?"

No one answered.

"Ask yourselves."

"What did you die for?"

"What did you abandon your families for?"

"Your children?"

"Your parents?"

"Your wives?"

The color slowly drained from several soldiers’ faces.

The commander turned toward them.

"Don’t listen to him."

But the fear had already entered.

Darius continued.

"You think the woman who put you here cares about you?"

Silence.

"You think she will save you after this base has been exposed?"

The commander grabbed his weapon.

"Fire!"

Several soldiers looked toward him.

"Fire!"

One finally shouted back.

"But we cannot see them!"

The commander pointed toward the mountains.

He turned toward the drone operators.

"Why are the drones not up yet?"

The operators looked toward him.

Both were visibly trembling now.

"Sir..."

The ground suddenly shook harder.

A deep sound rolled through the valley.

Everyone looked up.

One enormous rock had broken loose from the slope.

It rolled downward.

Faster.

Faster.

"Move!"

Several soldiers jumped away.

The rock smashed directly into one side of the outer wall.

BOOM.

Concrete exploded outward.

A portion of the reinforced barrier collapsed instantly.

Dust filled the air.

Men screamed.

Someone dropped his rifle.

Another stumbled backward.

Cracks spread across the damaged wall.

The fortress that had seemed unbreakable only moments earlier suddenly looked fragile.

Chaos began.

Weapons fell.

Soldiers moved away from the walls.

Some covered their heads.

Others stared toward the slopes, waiting for another massive rock to come down.

Then one voice shouted.

"We surrender!"

The commander turned sharply.

"What?"

A soldier threw his rifle onto the ground.

"We surrender!"

Another immediately followed.

"Stop it!"

A third man dropped his weapon.

"We surrender!"

The sound spread.

Weapons struck the concrete one after another.

Metal clattered across the shaking ground.

"We surrender!"

"Stop the earthquake!"

"We surrender!"

The commander stared at them in disbelief.

"You cowards!"

He rushed toward one of the soldiers.

"Pick up your weapon!"

The soldier stepped backward.

"No, sir."

The commander’s face twisted with rage.

"Give me that."

He shoved past another man and grabbed an RPG launcher resting against the defensive position.

Several soldiers froze.

"Sir..."

"Shut up!"

The commander pulled it onto his shoulder.

He moved toward the broken section of the wall.

His eyes searched the mountain.

Darius watched everything from above.

Then, calmly, he stood.

Reina immediately looked at him.

"Darius."

He stepped into the open.

No cover.

No attempt to hide himself.

His figure became clearly visible against the rocks.

The commander’s eyes widened.

"There!"

He immediately raised the RPG.

Several soldiers shouted.

"Sir, stop!"

But the commander was already aiming.

Darius did not move.

There was only a smirk on his face.

He spoke one word.

"Marina."

Marina stood.

She pulled the compound bow from her back.

One smooth movement.

An arrow came from the quiver.

Metallic.

Heavy.

Designed for penetration.

The string pulled back.

The commander finally aligned the RPG with Darius.

Marina released.

The arrow tore through the air.

The commander never fired.

The metal arrow struck directly into his head.

His body stopped.

For one strange second, he remained standing.

Eyes open.

Hands still gripping the launcher.

Then his legs gave way.

He collapsed backward.

The RPG fell from his hands and struck the ground beside him.

Silence.

Even with the valley still vibrating, the soldiers seemed unable to move.

They stared at their commander’s body.

Then toward Marina standing on the mountain.

Marina lowered the bow.

"Bullseye."

Darius looked towards the dead man..

"Noisy."

Reina covered part of her face with one hand.

Darius raised his hand.

"Stop the vibrations."

A signal was sent.

Slowly, the trembling weakened.

The violent shaking faded.

The rattling metal stopped.

Loose stones settled.

Dust continued floating across the fortress.

Then the valley became still again.

Too still.

Darius looked around.

The damage was obvious now.

Cracks ran through several sections of the base.

Part of the outer wall had collapsed.

Rocks covered sections of the defensive area.

One observation position had partially broken apart.

Darius stared at it.

Then whistled quietly.

"Damn."

He looked toward the damaged wall.

"That’s very dangerous."

Marina slowly turned toward him.

Her expression was blank.

"You ordered it."

"I know."

Darius continued staring.

"Still dangerous."

Reina looked toward the dead commander below.

"I thought no blood."

Darius glanced at her.

"Leader said no soldiers should die."

Reina waited.

Darius pointed toward the body.

"That old man was no soldier."

Reina sighed.

"Of course."

Marina grinned.

"Technically correct."

Darius ignored both of them.

He lifted the microphone again.

Below, dozens of soldiers stood without weapons.

Some had already raised their hands.

Others remained frozen near their positions.

Their commander lay dead only several meters away.

Darius spoke.

"My dear soldiers of this country."

The words traveled through the valley.

"It’s time you remember the oath you once took."

Several soldiers slowly looked up.

"Not the oath you made to some politician."

"Not the promises you made inside this hidden fortress."

"The oath you took when you first wore that uniform."

His expression became serious.

"To protect your country."

"To protect its people."

"To stand against those who threaten it."

He paused.

"So tell me."

"When did that oath become serving the personal interests of one woman?"

No one answered.

"You are exposed now."

The silence grew heavier.

"Your Vice President will abandon you."

A few soldiers visibly reacted.

"Even if we leave right now..."

Darius looked across the fortress.

"...she will kill you herself."

Several faces changed.

Darius continued.

"Why?"

"Because you know too much."

"You know her operations and contacts."

"And now..."

He paused.

"...someone else knows you exist."

A soldier slowly lowered his eyes.

Darius’s voice became softer.

"On paper, you are already dead."

"Is that what you wanted when you joined her?"

Silence.

"Did you join the military because one day you wanted to disappear?"

"To become a weapon for a politician?"

"To never see your family again?"

The questions hit harder than the vibrations had.

Some soldiers looked toward the ground.

One man’s lips tightened.

Another swallowed repeatedly.

Darius continued.

"The moment she abandons you, the financial support your families receive disappears."

Several heads rose.

"Then what?"

"You run?"

"Where?"

"You hide for the rest of your lives?"

He shook his head.

"But being alive changes something."

A few soldiers listened more carefully.

"You can still support them."

"You can still go home."

"You can still live."

Darius paused.

Then his voice became firmer.

"My boss..."

"General Miles Sterling."

Several soldiers reacted to the name.

"...an honorary General serving under the President of Haven, sent me here for one reason."

Darius looked directly toward them.

"To get you out of this hell."

No one spoke.

"He is offering every one of you a chance to return to normal life."

"A life with your loved ones."

"A life where you no longer have to hide underground and pretend you died years ago."

Darius allowed the words to settle.

"And he is offering employment."

Several soldiers exchanged stunned looks.

"Yes."

"You heard correctly."

"Employment."

"Work."

"Salary."

"Protection."

"A normal identity."

"A future."

He looked toward the damaged fortress.

"Your Vice President used trained soldiers for her dirty work against our nation."

His voice sharpened.

"Is that why you became soldiers?"

No answer.

"We researched all of you."

That caused visible unease.

Darius continued.

"Some of you come from military families."

One soldier’s eyes shifted.

"Your fathers served."

"Your grandfathers served."

"Some of them died serving this country."

Darius’s voice grew heavier.

"Martyrs."

Silence.

"So ask yourself something."

"If they were standing here right now..."

"...would they be proud of what you did?"

The question landed like a bullet.

One soldier closed his eyes.

Another looked away.

A younger man clenched his jaw.

Fear was there.

But now there was something else.

Guilt.

Darius lowered his voice.

"You decide."

"You surrender."

"We take this base."

"You cooperate."

"You will not be punished for being trapped in this place."

"We will help you return to normal life."

"And we will protect you from the Vice President."

He paused.

Then smiled faintly.

"She won’t be sitting on that chair much longer anyway."

The soldiers remained silent.

But their expressions were saying enough.

Fear.

Guilt.

Relief.

Confusion.

Hope.

Their commander’s body still lay on the ground.

His eyes remained open.

The RPG rested beside him.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then a rifle fell.

Clang.

Everyone looked toward the sound.

One soldier had dropped his weapon.

Slowly, he raised both hands.

He stepped forward.

No one stopped him.

Another soldier looked at him.

Then at the dead commander.

His own rifle fell.

He raised his hands too.

Another followed.

Then another.

Within moments, men began stepping away from their positions one after another.

Weapons remained behind.

Hands raised.

Faces exhausted.

Whatever happened next, one truth had become impossible to ignore.

They had been exposed.

If the world discovered they were alive and the Vice President abandoned them, there would be nowhere for them to return.

No official records.

No military unit willing to acknowledge them.

No legitimate identities.

No protection.

They would spend the rest of their lives running.

Reina watched the surrender unfold below.

A small smirk appeared on her face.

"That was easy."

Darius glanced toward her.

"Not really."

Reina looked at him.

Darius lowered the microphone.

"We still have to find the loyal dogs among them."

Her expression became serious.

"Meaning?"

"Not everyone down there surrendered because they changed their minds."

Darius looked toward the soldiers.

"Some surrendered because they are scared."

"Some because they want to see their families."

"Some because they realized they have no future with the Vice President."

Then his eyes narrowed.

"And some..."

"...will surrender because they want the chance to contact their owner."

Reina understood.

"There could still be people completely loyal to her."

"Definitely."

Darius folded his arms.

"We need to identify them."

Marina looked toward the fortress.

"And these are not all of them either."

Darius nodded.

"Exactly."

"Some members of this unit are definitely outside."

"Doing whatever dirty work the Vice President assigned them."

He looked toward the sky.

"And by now..."

"...someone somewhere must have realized that the connection with this base is gone."

Reina frowned.

"It won’t take long for the Vice President to realize what happened."

"No."

Darius smiled faintly.

"It won’t."

Reina looked toward him.

"What do we do?"

Darius remained silent for a moment.

Then looked toward the surrendering soldiers.

"The Book of War Tactics of the Ancient Warrior Order."

Marina immediately glanced at him.

Darius continued.

"Sometimes..."

"...unethical ways of forcing surrender are necessary."

Reina’s expression changed slightly.

"What are you planning?"

Darius looked at her.

"Every family member of these dead soldiers is being watched."

Reina stared.

Darius calmly continued.

"Sterling Security agents."

"Throughout the country."

Marina raised an eyebrow.

Darius looked toward the soldiers below.

"We show these soldiers their faces."

Reina immediately understood.

Their parents.

Their wives.

Their children.

Their siblings.

The people they had abandoned when they became officially dead.

Darius continued.

"We cannot stop the Vice President from realizing her army is gone."

He shook his head.

"That’s impossible."

"Eventually she will know."

"But we don’t need to stop her from knowing."

A faint smile appeared.

"We need her to know."

Reina narrowed her eyes.

Darius continued.

"The moment she realizes this entire unit has been compromised..."

"...she will panic."

"She will start cutting connections."

"Destroying records."

"Removing people."

"Changing communication routes."

"Moving money."

"Calling people she normally wouldn’t call."

Darius smiled.

"And frightened people make mistakes."

Marina’s grin returned.

"So we shake the tree."

"Exactly."

Darius looked back toward the damaged fortress.

Reina slowly nodded.

Darius’s expression, however, became more serious.

"But understand one thing."

He looked at both women.

"Leader is not really interested in the Vice President’s connection to these soldiers."

Reina frowned.

"Why?"

Darius glanced toward the men surrendering below.

"Because that would just be a waste of trained manpower."

"Espionage."

"Betrayal."

"Illegal military operations."

He shrugged slightly.

"If we simply hand them to the authorities, most of them spend years in prison."

"Maybe decades."

"That achieves nothing."

His eyes hardened.

"Leader wants them out."

"Alive."

"Useful."

"Back with their families."

He paused.

Then looked toward Reina.

"Leader isn’t really after the Vice President’s connection to these soldiers."

The wind moved gently through the valley.

Dust still hung above the broken fortress.

Darius’s smile slowly disappeared.

"Leader is after the Vice President’s connection with the WEB."