Rebecca and Tara sat by the campsite, quietly observing the colonial military squad in the distance. Six soldiers were armed and ready, roughly arranging a group of emaciated locals into a line. A medical vehicle was parked nearby, with two technicians in white coats drawing blood from the villagers.

  "What are they doing?" Rebecca whispered, "These people are already so weak, yet they're still taking their blood?"

  Tara gave a cold laugh, twirling the steel blade in her palm, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes: "The city lady truly doesn't know how common this is." She pointed to the villagers' pale faces, "The colonial forces come every month to 'collect biological samples,' claiming it's for disease monitoring. Some people faint from blood loss, but they don't care."

  "That's too cruel!" Rebecca clenched her fists, anger blazing in her eyes.

  "Cruel?" Tara shook her head, her voice rough like wind-blown sand, "In the eyes of those above, everything about the people below is just profit—blood, flesh, and bones included. When my parents died, they didn't even leave the bodies behind. I heard they were sent for 'resource recycling.'"

  Rebecca fell silent. During her days at the Federation company, though there had been injustices, she had never witnessed such naked exploitation. She turned to Tara, her voice firm: "We have to save them."

  Tara nodded, her steel blade half-drawn, cold light glinting: "We're waiting for Nick and Ethan's signal."

  About fifty meters away, Ethan and Nick were formulating a plan at an abandoned mine entrance. Nick used stones to draw a simple tactical map on the ground: "The squad only has six people, but there might be reinforcements in the vehicle. We'll split into two groups: you and Jake approach from the left to draw their fire; Rebecca and I will cut off their retreat from the right; Tara stands by, waiting for the signal to attack the medical vehicle and rescue the hostages."

  Ethan nodded, about to add details when Jake's urgent voice came through the communicator: "Tara's gone! She's moved ahead of schedule!"

  "Damn it!" Ethan looked up to see Tara charging into the colonial military formation like a blood-red lightning bolt, her steel blade flashing, blood spraying. Two soldiers fell before they could react, slashed down by her blade. Her movements were astonishingly fast, like a hungry cheetah.

  Nick grabbed his pulse gun: "Plan's ruined, follow me!"

  Chaos erupted instantly. The colonial forces responded quickly, with the remaining four soldiers immediately forming a defensive formation. The white-coated personnel in the medical vehicle also drew weapons. Rebecca swiftly hacked into the medical vehicle's system, shutting down the internal alarm. Ethan and Nick attacked from the left and right, while Jake took advantage of the chaos to assist the rescued villagers.

  Tara had penetrated deep into enemy lines, her blade covered in blood, but she was surrounded by three soldiers. Just as she was about to be hit, a blue pulse beam shot from a distance, striking a soldier's head. Rebecca stood steadily at a high point, holding a captured pulse gun, and proceeded to take down two more enemies.

  "I owe you another life," Tara nodded in acknowledgment.

  The battle lasted less than ten minutes, with the colonial military squad completely wiped out. But just as they were preparing to withdraw, the distant sound of engines roared—reinforcements had arrived. Three armored vehicles sped towards them, carrying about twenty heavily armed colonial soldiers.

  "Cover the retreat!" Ethan ordered in a deep voice, evacuating the rescued villagers to safety in batches. Nick set up a captured heavy machine gun to buy time for the retreating team.

  The armored vehicles drew closer, and the situation became critical. Just then, Lila's voice came through the communicator: "Retreat east. I've hacked into their communication system and sent them false coordinates."

  Sure enough, the lead armored vehicle suddenly changed direction, heading southwest. But one vehicle noticed the anomaly and opened fire on them. Shells exploded on the ground, kicking up dust.

  "One vehicle has locked onto us!" Jake shouted, hurrying away with an injured elderly person.

  Ethan looked around, grabbed a grenade captured from the colonial forces: "I'll draw it away." He ran towards the armored vehicle, detonating the grenade to attract its fire. The vehicle indeed turned towards him, firing intensely.

  "Ethan!" Rebecca cried out, about to rush forward to support, but Nick held her back: "Don't be rash, I have a plan." He quickly adjusted the heavy machine gun's angle, aiming at the armored vehicle's fuel tank. A burst of bullets hit their mark precisely. The armored vehicle exploded with a thunderous boom, flames shooting skyward.

  In the melee, a colonial soldier emerged from the explosion's smoke, raising his gun at the retreating Tara. Rebecca spotted him and shouted: "Tara, watch your back!" Tara turned at the sound, cutting off the enemy's gun barrel with one slash, then stabbing him in the chest with a backhand thrust.

  "Thanks, beautiful," Tara flashed a slight smile at Rebecca.

  After the battle, the squad gathered at a safe location. They had rescued over thirty villagers and captured a large quantity of weapons and medical equipment. One elderly miner knelt before Ethan, tears streaming down his face: "Thank you for saving us. All these years, no one dared to challenge the colonial forces."

  Ethan helped him up: "We are the Rebirth company. Our goal is to overthrow the tyranny of the Federation company."

  The old miner wiped away his tears, his voice low but determined: "To overthrow them, you need a base. I know a place—Ash Valley. It manages over a hundred miners, but has only thirty-some guards. The terrain is secluded, easy to defend but difficult to attack, very suitable as a base."

  Nick's eyes lit up: "I've heard of Ash Valley. It has underground ore veins and water sources, an excellent strategic position."

  Ethan looked at everyone: "A base is the first step in our resistance. What do you all think?"

  Tara grinned, her steel blade gleaming in the sunlight: "Let's do it. I've been wanting to teach those bastards a lesson."

  Rebecca nodded: "We need a fixed communication station and analysis center. Ash Valley is a good choice."

  Lila interjected through the communicator: "I can solve the communication blind spot there. Besides, I'm tired of moving around every day."

  Jake patted Ethan's shoulder: "Once decided, don't dawdle. Strike while the iron is hot."

  Once the decision was made, action began immediately.

  The night was thick, even starlight obscured by dust haze. Lila sat at a temporarily assembled operation desk, facing three terminals side by side, her fingertips dancing across the virtual keyboard.

  Red warnings repeatedly popped up on the screen, and she cursed under her breath: "Those company bastards indeed upgraded their system. This firewall has at least seven layers, and it automatically changes protocols every three minutes."

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  Rebecca paced behind her, asking worriedly: "Do you need my help?"

  "No." Lila shook her head, then suddenly brightened. "Wait, I think I found an opportunity."

  Rebecca moved closer: "What opportunity?"

  "This place, Ash Valley, has outdated facilities. Although they recently upgraded the main framework of their communication system, some underlying modules are evidently still old," Lila explained rapidly. "There's a synchronization delay between the main system and the old modules. This flaw was probably overlooked by their technicians."

  Lila quickly seized this tiny vulnerability to write a piece of code, exploiting the time difference to insert a specially crafted virus program.

  "Got it!" Lila shouted, "But the system will automatically restart in fifteen minutes, after which I won't be able to forge messages anymore."

  "Fifteen minutes is enough," Ethan's voice sounded grave through the communicator. "Draw away most of the guards immediately."

  Lila promptly composed a false alarm: "Border security emergency, suspected rebel attack on the northwest outpost, requesting immediate support!" Minutes after the message was sent, the monitoring screen showed the guard squad hurriedly leaving the base.

  Ethan nodded with satisfaction: "Rebecca, it's your turn."

  Rebecca quickly approached the main gate. Her decoding device was modified from old Federation company parts and, being already registered in the Federation's internal records, was particularly suitable for cracking outdated defense systems. She carefully connected to the access control panel, but as soon as she connected, the alarm light on the panel suddenly lit up.

  "Damn, they've installed an intrusion detection module," Rebecca immediately stepped back half a step, biting her lip. "But the main circuit is still outdated. I have a way."

  She took out a backup miniature electromagnetic pulse generator from her pocket, connected it to the old power interface of the access system, and briefly disrupted the system. Taking advantage of the disruption, she rapidly entered a series of complex commands, forcibly overriding the defense protocol.

  Seconds later, the alarm light went out, and the main gate silently opened a small crack.

  "Done," Rebecca whispered, "but the backup power will start in three minutes. We need to hurry."

  Nick led the team to quickly enter through the front gate, deceiving the guards by pretending to be returning colonial patrol, then swiftly opening fire to create chaos. Meanwhile, Tara led her team to infiltrate through the treacherous passage of the mine shaft. The abandoned mine shafts on the mountainside were in disrepair for years, with rusty ladders that could collapse at any moment.

  A team member's footing loosened on the rocks, nearly causing him to fall. Tara quickly grabbed him, saying coldly: "Be careful, don't die so boringly." She used her steel blade to pry open the ventilation duct entrance, crawling laboriously through the narrow duct until she reached the storage room in the guards' dormitory area.

  Almost all the guards in the dormitory had been drawn to the commotion at the front gate, leaving only two guards in the corridor. Tara swiftly disposed of them like a wraith. "Dormitory area secured," she reported concisely.

  Meanwhile, Ethan and Jake took advantage of the chaos to quickly advance toward the control center. They encountered fierce resistance from the guards, and Jake was wounded in the shoulder. When they reached the heavy metal door of the control center, the system rejected the guard pass they had captured.

  "Rebecca, we need you!" Ethan called urgently.

  Upon arrival, Rebecca decisively deployed the electromagnetic pulse generator, once again exploiting the flaw in the old circuitry to disrupt the access control of the control center. The door instantly failed, allowing Ethan and Jake to rush into the control center, quickly subdue the panicked technicians inside, and take complete control of the base's communication and defense systems.

  With the control center captured, the guards, deprived of command, gradually dissolved. Nick and Tara each led their teams to successfully break through and rendezvous with the others at the control center

  .

  At the same time, at Federation Corp headquarters, Derek Voss leaned against the railing outside a corridor, twirling a pen in his hand. He caught sight of a graceful, curvaceous figure approaching, her steps light and alluring, and thought to himself, Must be Rebecca coming back. She always makes the right choice. He straightened his collar, ready to strike up a conversation. The figure turned—it was a female supervisor in her fifties. Seeing Derek’s expression, she flinched, frowning as she snapped, “Derek?”

  Derek’s smile froze, his enthusiasm instantly deflating. He quickly forced a grin. “Oh, you look radiant today, ma’am—like you’re in your twenties! Everyone’s got to admire that energy!”

  The supervisor ignored the flattery, her tone serious. “There’s trouble at Ashen Valley—rebels attacked and rescued a group of miners. Wasn’t that place under your watch?”

  A flicker passed through Derek’s eyes as memories surfaced: Victor dumped Ashen Valley on me back then. I skimmed enough profits and passed the mess to that idiot Brutus to take the fall. He feigned calm, waving a hand. “You must be mistaken, ma’am—that place isn’t under my watch.”

  The supervisor stared at him suspiciously for a few seconds before turning to leave. “Then I’ll ask Owen—he’ll definitely remember clearly.”

  Cold sweat beaded on Derek’s forehead as he hurried back to his office, closing the door behind him. Just as he was about to catch his breath, his communicator buzzed, and a large face popped up on the screen—Brutus, the current commander of Ashen Valley, a burly man with more muscle than brains.

  “Manager, Manager, Ashen Valley’s done for!” Brutus’s voice was frantic and loud, his face flushed red. “A bunch of lunatics came out of the caves like locusts! There was this crazy woman—she sliced Johnson in half with a knife, my God! And she smiled at me!”

  Derek frowned. “Calm down. When did this happen?”

  “Just now! They cut off comms—I barely got through on a backup channel from the tech department. Where’s the backup? You’ve got to save me!” Brutus was sweating profusely, clearly hiding in some corner.

  Derek quickly assessed the situation. It’s too late to rush over there—it’s already completely overrun. Damn, where did these rebels get the guts to take an official stronghold?

  What? Useless idiot! I just got the news, and it’s already lost? Derek gritted his teeth. This moron—thirty guards, and he couldn’t even handle a few people!

  Brutus pleaded, “Do you have a plan? I’m hiding in a vent—they’re looking for me!”

  A cold realization hit Derek. There’s no saving this, but I can shift the blame, or Victor will have my head. Fortunately, he had a backup plan. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a solution,” Derek said quickly to Brutus. “I’m coming to help—accept the weapon transfer I’m sending.” He rapidly operated his terminal, sending a forged document—one that “proved” Brutus had independently taken over Ashen Valley’s management and pocketed all the mineral sales profits. Once Brutus accepted it, the records would show this whole mess had nothing to do with Derek.

  “Did you get it?” Derek asked, forcing a concerned expression.

  Brutus nodded dumbly. “Got it! What is this? It’s all numbers?”

  “It’s… a weapon unlock code,” Derek lied. “Enter it into the system, and it’ll activate the stronghold’s automated defenses.”

  As Brutus lowered his head to study the document, footsteps echoed outside the ventilation duct. A steel blade pried open the duct cover, and Tara’s face appeared in the gap, her eyes fierce.

  “Found you, fat pig,” she sneered, thrusting her blade into the vent.

  “Ahh!!!” Brutus’s scream tore through the night, and the comms cut off.

  Derek jolted at the scream, jumping back so hard he nearly dropped the terminal. The comms went dead, the screen turning to static with only the words “Connection Lost” flashing.

  “Manager, are you okay?” A passing technician poked his head in. “You don’t look so good.”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine!” Derek waved him off, forcing composure. “Just saw a… equipment failure report. Pretty serious.” He managed a stiff smile, his fingers still trembling slightly.

  The technician gave him a skeptical look, nodded, and left. Derek closed the door, slumping into his chair, sweat beading on his forehead. Ashen Valley’s completely done for. He stared at the terminal, his heart racing. Will that report fool Victor?

  Ethan stood at a high vantage point in Ashen Valley’s control center, overlooking the entire stronghold. The battle was over—they had rescued over a hundred miners and seized a large amount of supplies. Successfully capturing Ashen Valley meant the Rebirth Company now had a real base; they were no longer wandering rebels but a force with territory.

  Jake was repairing captured equipment, humming a tune. “This dump’s better than I thought—well-hidden, and it’s got a ready-made workbench.”

  Rebecca approached quickly, holding a stack of documents. “You need to see this—I found it on the commander’s computer. These miners weren’t just mining; their blood samples were being sent regularly for experiments. Federation Corp is testing some kind of bioweapon.”

  Nick and Tara walked in, escorting a few captives. Tara’s face was still smeared with blood, but her expression was relaxed. “Commander’s taken care of—that fatso was hiding in a vent, squealing louder than a pig.”

  “Look at this,” Lila said lazily, pointing at the surveillance screen where a colonial army squad was heading back. “My fake orders led them away—they won’t realize something’s wrong for another three hours.”

  Ethan gazed at his team, a newfound sense of hope swelling in his chest. They were still small, but they were no longer rootless. Ashen Valley would be the starting point of their rebirth, the first cornerstone in their fight against Victor’s empire.

  He walked to the window. In the distance, the lights of Federation Corp’s colonial fleet still shone harshly, like an insurmountable barrier. But tonight, under Victor’s vast shadow, they had torn open a 0.001% crack.

  Tiny, yet undeniably real.

  Like the first ray of dawn in an endless night—seemingly faint, but heralding the inevitable arrival of daybreak.