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"Something like that. You don\'t need to worry about them," Maria vaguely answered, and Parker didn\'t press further, merely curious about their whereabouts.

Within the city of Austin, under strict Confederate martial law, especially during the curfew hours, the once bustling streets now fall into eerie silence. They are illuminated sporadically by flickering street lights or the harsh beams of military vehicles patrolling the area intermittently.

Armed Confederate soldiers stand guard at nearly every corner, their presence intimidating the local population. The normally vibrant neighborhoods lie deserted, with shops and businesses tightly shuttered. Their windows are darkened, concealing any glimpse of activity within. Only a few curious eyes of local citizens dare to peek outside from the safety of their homes.

Months of forceful occupation by the Confederacy have fueled growing animosity among the local population. Random searches, confiscations, and even assaults—both physical and sexual—have left a deep sense of fear and resentment.

Many locals have been forcefully drafted into slavery, with loved ones torn from their families. This pain is a wound that may never fully heal as long as the Confederacy remains in power.

—

A lone figure, impeccably dressed in a suit despite the grime of the deserted alley, fidgeted with his golden pocket watch. Albert, the Master of Whispers, scanned the shadows, waiting. A sudden tendril of fog materialized, coalescing into the sleek form of Maria, clad in her stealth suit.

"Ms. Maria," Albert greeted, his voice a low murmur. He swiftly produced a flash drive, extending it towards her.

Maria, ever silent, took the device and plugged it into her wrist console. A holographic map flickered to life, revealing the Confederate stronghold where hostages and slaves were held captive.

"Additionally," Albert continued, reaching into his suit, "take this." He produced a gold coin, one side etched with a raven symbol, the other emblazoned with a single \'W.\' This was the emblem of the Whispering Hall, the gold signifying the holder\'s rank.

"Present this to the lieutenant commanding Sector 3-6-B\'s patrol. He\'s one of ours. If all goes according to plan, the hostages and slaves will be free within three hours, before dawn breaks."

"Thank you," Maria finally spoke, her voice a hushed whisper.

"No need for thanks, Ms. Maria" Albert replied, a hint of reverence in his tone. "This is for our Lord."

"For our Lord," Maria murmured, a single nod is her only farewell. With that, she dissolved into a swirling mist, vanishing as swiftly as she had appeared. The alley remained shrouded in shadow, the only sound the rhythmic tick-tock of Albert\'s golden pocket watch.

"The time is ticking; let\'s get the show on the road, shall we? Let the Curtained World be aware of our return, the return of the Whispering Hall," Albert uttered before the red glowing eyes glowed from the darkness surrounding the desolate alleys.

Albert turned back and slowly vanished into the darkness along with the dark figures, owners of the red glowing eyes that surrounded him.

On the streets of Austin, Confederate patrols were on the move, searching for any lawbreakers of the curfew and any threats. They were acutely aware that the US forces were just 30 kilometers away, and they needed to secure the hostages, knowing that their adversaries valued their citizens.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thundering sounds of explosions echoed through the sky, casting a red glow as flames rose into the air from various armories and barracks around the city of Austin. The screams and shouts of Confederate soldiers filled the streets, with lower-ranking ones frantically searching for their commanding officers, only to find many of them dead in their tents.

At one of the burning armories, a commanding officer quickly jumped off the jeep and walked toward the group of soldiers trying to extinguish the flames.

"Where are the support troops!? What about the exo-suit troops from HQ!?" demanded one of the surviving commanding officers, addressing a nearby soldier.

"All of those suits were kept in the armory that just exploded, sir!" reported the soldier overseeing the armory.

Just then, several Atlantean Carryalls flew through the sky above Austin, and many assault pods dropped from the sky to the ground below. The booming sounds of their impact echoed as soldiers patrolling aimed to destroy the assault pods before the troops inside had a chance to disembark.

One Confederate soldier aimed an anti-tank missile at a pod and fired, but a single booming sound from the pod\'s point defense laser made short work of the missile, destroying it before impact.

The hatch exploded open, and four troops emerged from the pod, their urban camouflage Astral Tech standard power armor and US flag insignia painted on their shoulder armor indicating they were from the US Army, not the Astral Tech troop.

Ratatatatatat!!!

The large-caliber standard rifles of the power-armored troops immediately fired at nearby Confederate troops, eliminating them in a flash. Each bullet fired from these rifles was equivalent to a 50 BMG round, easily piercing standard body armor, even if it\'s not the kinetic power is enough to break all of the victim rib cage making the Confederates soldiers half dead.

After a few minutes of the assault beginning and several assault pods landing, several exosuit troops of the Confederacy who happened to be out on patrol returned to fight with the US Army power-armored soldiers.

The fight was somewhat more balanced, as the standard model used by the US Army was the older model that Daniel first produced when his troops assaulted the Willow family in Tessia Kingdom.

However, ultimately, the quality of the exosuits, even if they were the premium models, was not enough to withstand the barrage of volley fire from the US power-armored soldiers\' standard issue rifles. The bullets tore through the armor, killing the wearers of the exosuits in one go after their armor plates were destroyed by the hail of bullets.

Of course, it wasn\'t the fault of the exosuit-wearing soldiers either. They operated based on data provided by their superiors, which stated that the power armor from Astral Tech was clunky and less agile than exosuits. However, they were unaware that this assumption was based on observing how Astral Tech troops fought, as their armor didn\'t require as much cover due to its durability.

The US Army soldiers were different. Despite the standard power armor being several times more durable than exosuits, their training and muscle memory kicked in. They quickly found cover and surrounded their foes from all sides, highlighting the mobility capabilities of Astral Tech power armor.

As a result, the fight to retake Austin city proceeded smoothly. Outpost after outpost of the Confederacy within the city was destroyed, and the Confederate soldiers who survived the initial assault immediately surrendered.

The pride of the Confederacy, the Rhino heavy tank, didn\'t even have time to start its engine. All the Rhino tanks parked near the armory and forward base were destroyed along with the forward base itself. These coordinated attacks and sabotage were made possible by Albert and his associates from the Whispering Hall, which Daniel had actualized a few days before the assault.

—

Card: Whispering Hall Saboteur

Image: Several individuals in dark infiltration gear with red glowing goggles standing atop a steampunk machine, holding bombs with a steampunk theme.

Rarity: Common

Type: Human - Spy

Mana Cost: 1 Water, 1 Dark, 1 Non-Element

Description:

Camouflage

Pay 1 Water and 1 Dark. Whispering Hall Saboteur gains Unblockable until the end of the turn.

If Whispering Hall Saboteur deals damage to a player, destroy a target artifact or enchantment that player controls.

Power: 1

Toughness: 1

Flavor Text: The backbone of the Whispering Hall, they ensure competitors\' assets fail or malfunction during ruthless business competitions.

—

At a hidden concentration camp, hundreds of hostages and slaves were held by the Confederacy, ready to be sent to Washington DC. Maria stood among her infiltrator units, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of Confederate soldiers who had been attacked by enraged former slaves and hostages.

Many women, their once beautiful features now marred by tears and the marks of violence, were beating the corpses of the soldiers while cursing. The condition of their clothing resembled rags, and signs of brutal treatment were evident on their bodies. Only Gods know what they had gone through.

"I\'m sorry I couldn\'t come sooner," Maria said to one of the women, who appeared to be a leader among them.

"It\'s not your fault, Miss. Who could have predicted that those Confederate slavers bastard would suddenly change their treatment of slaves?" said the woman.

"Huh? What do you mean?" inquired Maria.

The woman let out a sigh, then explained. "You see, before this, the Confederacy\'s treatment of slaves was much better. Since they viewed them as products, they didn\'t want their \'products\' damaged. Everything was about business, ensuring the slaves were in good condition as damaged goods don\'t sell well. But the policy suddenly changed recently.

It\'s like we\'ve regressed to the dark ages where human life is the cheapest," the woman said.

Maria nodded and decided to include this in her report to her lord.