Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

In Section 2.6, within an expansive office situated on the topmost floor of a towering high-rise building, Lady Flux and three other formidable special characters convened for an urgent and critical meeting. One of these special characters held the esteemed Gold Transcendent rank, while the remaining two were ranked at the Supreme Crusader level.

Standing before the immense, floor-to-ceiling screen was She Cooks Like A Mummy, the Gold Transcendent special character. She was one of the key figures who had been seated at the elliptical table with Lady Flux in the previous confidential meeting hosted in this very office.

"Good day, gentlemen. Good day, Lady Flux. As we all know, we are convened here today to address a dangerous situation that is quietly brewing under our very watch. The Unds are once again on the move. They are meticulously preparing to unleash a massacre on a scale never before witnessed.

"Unlike other brutal crusades they have perpetrated, this one is intended to be concentrated on a single region. They intend to focus their devastating attacks on Section 3. They have subtly infiltrated key points within the population of Section 3, including garnering the indirect influence of Section 3's governor to favour their insidious operations."

Before she could continue her detailed exposition, Lady Flux calmly enquired, "Is Section 1's secret security service aware of these clandestine developments?"

"They are entirely unaware."

"You may continue, but provide me with the precise details of their plans."

Bullet points immediately appeared on the enormous screen, meticulously detailing the insidious movements of the Unds.

"The Unds first initiated their plan by subtly infiltrating the business circles of the Tohzzembe mafia. They became the clandestine manufacturers of the mafia's illicit products, completely overhauling the original staff of the manufacturing facilities without any prior notice. The employees there are, in fact, Unds hiding in human skin. They also assumed the roles of transporters, enabling them to deliver their weapons along with the mafia's illicit products to their various selling points located across the entire region.

"Infiltrating the mafia's extensive business network is how they intend to cover most of the areas of human settlements, given that the mafia's operations span almost the entire region."

She Cooks Like A Mummy gestured towards the second highest bullet point. "The second critical action in their plan is that they are poisoning Section 1's water supply daily in micro-doses that are both undetectable and irremovable by the standard purification system. The presence of these micro-doses in the human body cannot currently be detected, but they will silently build up, causing severe anabolic problems within a short period.

"Our dedicated team of on-field scientists successfully detected and isolated the complex poison compound, subsequently studied it meticulously, and provided the crucial information which I am now delivering."

Her audience's expressions remained impassive and silently attentive.

"A puzzling question that a discerning special character would naturally ask would be, 'How did nobody's system in Section 1 detect this insidious problem building up?' The answer is, the Unds had mounted in-game mechanics blockers before commencing their operations. I do not know how they managed to construct those blockers unnoticed."

Lady Flux's brows furrowed slightly at the mention of the in-game Mechanics blocker. This sophisticated blocker inhibited systems from detecting an event that would typically trigger a mission. A multitude of urgent questions about how the Unds managed to build this system without being noticed surged through her thoughts.

"At this moment, the Unds are migrating forces to spread across the areas where human beings occupy in Section 3 and also to this region, Section 2. These forces will serve as a crucial distraction to preoccupy our forces, ensuring that their concentrated attack on Section 1 would be successful.

"The Aliens intend to wipe out at least ninety-five per cent of human life from Section 1, forcefully seizing the region. Furthermore, they have quietly assassinated a number of special characters, but the news is yet to break because they have chillingly reanimated the murdered special characters.

"Unfortunately, key special characters were caught in this secret assassination; they are Grave_Mercy, a Gold Transcendent; Pinocchio_17, a Transcendent rank; Dirty Witch, a Transcendent rank; and Gatling Bomb, a Gold Transcendent rank."

The adventurers present in this meeting understood precisely what made these mentioned characters key figures. They all possessed A-rank unique-grade weapons, which brought their attack power dangerously close to the formidable Pillar of Calamity rank. Now, their reanimation meant that their bodies and their powerful weapons were entirely under the Unds' control.

"Has the Church of Serenity, the governor, or even the Tohzzembe mafia been warned about these alarming developments?" Lady Flux asked, her voice echoing with a serious and weighty tone.

"They have all been warned. The Governor and the Church of Serenity were not welcoming, and they threatened action if we were to be caught spying in their region. They claim that our operation in their region was a breach of respect for their sovereignty.

"The Tohzzembe were not welcoming either, but they did attempt to investigate the warning, though they found nothing suspicious."

"Their investigation crew has also been compromised," interjected Jax, one of the special characters seated with Lady Flux at the elliptical table.

Lady Flux maintained her silence, deeply engrossed in considering the optimal course of action for the Liberation Force. The various forces within Section 1 were at odds with each other and could not be easily persuaded to collaborate to secure their shared region. The other individuals in the room quietly conversed while she was preoccupied with her strategic thoughts.

"Send out an immediate order. Instruct every one of our members operating in Section 1 to avoid any direct exchange of force within that region. Any undercover agent in Section 1 should be thoroughly reviewed, and only truly trusted persons should continue as undercover agents. All these actions should be executed as quietly and discreetly as possible. Furthermore, there will be a thorough review of every force member in this region. We will clandestinely investigate every government official, and the criminal circles in this region will certainly not be excluded."

The third person seated at the table, Primal-boon, asked, "Lady Flux, are we going to be passive and defensive?"

Lady Flux met the expectant gazes of her fellow conveners. She remained perfectly composed. "Battles come with various nuances which warrant different tactics in order to emerge victorious. I have issued orders to be executed, and they are precisely what they should be. I would not tolerate any alterations in their execution."

She stood gracefully from her seat and walked towards the door. The voluminous skirt of her elegant brown midi dress moved graciously with her figure as she strode purposefully towards the exit. Following her departure, the meeting was formally concluded.