Target A: Departure and Arrival

'Liberation Mission? This should be the first.' Duke quietly thought to himself while staring at the digital notification display of the mission. It was the second mission he had gotten during the first military operation, the first being a termination mission.

'The rewards don't give me source points, but the possibility of a protocol upgrade is already enticing. And it doesn't even end there. I'll be able to receive a new and intriguing building, which would be helpful for the Cerberus Headquarters. The Deflector Shield Array.'

He wondered what it did, but judging from its name, it was somewhat obvious. The Special Building might create an energy shield of some sort. It probably could deflect anything thrown at it, making it an extra armor for the Cerberus. Of course, this was nothing more but speculation. 

'There's also the armored train tech tree. I was wondering how I would meet my logistics if I planned to construct settlements outside the coverage zone of the Cerberus. The armored train tech tree would probably be the foundation of my future regional logistics.'

'And finally... A free armored train for myself. I don't know what it looks like, but I doubt it would resemble an ordinary train. The Cerberus always goes beyond in terms of appearance, so I can only wonder about it. Though nonetheless, it is delightful to have something for free.'

Duke completed his conjunctures regarding the rewards of the liberation mission. And to be honest, they were handy in terms of application. The logistics problem of long-distance territories would be solved. However, a few troubles emerged from it. Mainly the maintenance of said logistics. 

'But for now, there is no need to keep thinking about the mission rewards. The liberation mission requires me to liberate five locations outside the Cerberus Headquarters. My current targets aren't enough. I should add a couple more.'

'And there's also the problem that I can't return to the Cerberus Headquarters.' Duke sighed to himself, as this would probably exhaust the minds of his subordinates. But there was nothing he could do about it. The mission was a crusade, and they had to persevere and liberate five locations. 

Otherwise, the liberation mission would be considered a failure, and the enticing rewards would be faint memories of his. He might not be able to sleep from all the thoughts about the things he could do with such rewards. 

'Though, I must maintain my patience. As the Director of Cerberus, I need a good and respectable presence for my subordinates. I don't want rumors about their boss being greedy getting thrown around in the headquarters. That would be depressing.'

Duke glanced forward and saw the determined gazes of the Sentinels on the bridge of the H10 Armored Truck. The driver slowly turned the ignition, causing the engines of the armored vehicles to roar. The metallic confines began trembling, albeit a bit unnoticeable. 

With the ignition of the military convoy, the giant metallic gates of the Cerberus Headquarters began sliding open. The radiant beacons beside it flickered with reddish and yellowish light as the winds of the wasteland penetrated through the interior of the headquarters. 

The harsh winds bombarded the armored vehicles, but they seemed unaffected. Vanguard One, which was at the front, accelerated forward, followed by the others. Behind it was Vanguard Two with the H10 Alpha, where he resided following it. There was also the H10 Bravo behind Alpha.

Tailing the last H10 Armored Truck was Vanguard Three and Vanguard Four. This was the convoy formation of the military convoy heading towards the first location of the military operation. Target A. It was a small village considered the southern shelter of the Goshen County. 

It would have grown into a formidable shelter with its good location, but unfortunately, the Dark Cataclysmic Era was cruel. Those with great potential were often challenged with the horror of the pitch-black. And sadly, the village fell and crumbled like his former shelter, New Torrington.

A wry smile emerged from Duke's face from the thought of his former home. It was supposed to be the last target of the operation, though he'll have to expand the scope of the military operation. An additional target will be placed for the liberation mission he had received from the protocol. 

The military convoy advanced into the seemingly endless wasteland shrouded in eternal darkness. The giant metallic gates soon closed upon the convoy's departure, and the armored vehicles headed south. 

Duke could feel the metallic rumbling of the H10 Armored Truck. The path they were going through wasn't a road but a vast, empty field of nothing. The headlights of the armored vehicles unveiled their lustrous and blinding lights. 

Their radiance pierced through the darkness, giving perception to a world covered in black. A bit of the armored vehicles' interior lighting was also activated. Though, it did nothing but give more hue to the surrounding darkness.

After an hour of traversing south into the wasteland, the military convoy finally arrived at the main highway. The freeway was luckily cleared, but there were some stray aberrants here and there. Though the Sentinels arming the armored sentry guns didn't pay them heed. 

The military convoy passed through, unaffected by the unrelenting chase of a dozen aberrants who noticed them. It wouldn't take long before the convoy would lose them. But Duke also perceived the cruising speed of the convoy, which wasn't too fast and too slow. 

It seemed that the Sentinels who had been with him since the beginning had learned their lessons, especially regarding the problematic existence known as the mutated beast. Those bastards were too sly and dangerous. If a horde of those bastards attacks them, who knows what might happen.

'Damn! Thinking about it already gives me chills.' Duke thought to himself while feeling the hairs of his arms rising. The memory of his near-death experience and the monster's humanoid yet monstrous appearance lingered inside his mind. They were memories that weren't easy to forget. 

Though, perhaps he shouldn't forget them. They'll have to serve as a warning for him to not underestimate the Dark Cataclysmic Era. Just because he had the protocol. It doesn't mean that he was invincible. 

He didn't wish to entertain such an idea within his heart. Doing so would be foolish. He understood the capabilities of the Cerberus and its far-reaching potential, but he was still a human. An ordinary man.

With this in mind, Duke silently sighed and calmly watched the scenery of the long-lasting highway. 'But I doubt I'll stay human...' He thought to himself, realizing that in the far future, he'd be different than his current self. However, change was natural and inevitable.

'I need to stop thinking such relenting thoughts.' He shook his head with annoyance emerging in his heart. Becoming sentimental was something that had happened many times than he had expected. He didn't know why, but there must be a reason, right?

The convoy continued traversing south as the metallic confines rumbled along the bumpy and rough road. The journey didn't take long. An hour later, since the beginning of the operation, they had finally arrived at the outskirts of Target A. The fallen shelter of the south.

When the convoy reached the outskirts, a tense atmosphere shrouded the whole of the Cerberus Military Forces. Even Duke could somehow feel it. Such a terror-striking feeling seems to serve as a warning. He furrowed his eyebrows as the communication radio became opened.

"ZZZZ... This is Vanguard One. Observing Target A, Possible Location for FOB(Forward Operating Base) Detected." Following the static of the radio was the report of Vanguard One. It seems they have found a potential area for their temporary base during the operation in Target A.

"Vanguard One, send direct footage through the monitor for observation." Duke calmly ordered while staring at the monitor atop the bridge. The vehicles of Cerberus were advanced and armed with dozens of electronics. There was also the implemented anti-electronic warfare in the armored cars.

It didn't take two seconds for Vanguard One to send their footage to the Director of Cerberus. Duke calmly watched the footage of their first target, and he was somewhat surprised. He never thought the southern shelter would look so empty yet brimming with danger. 

The former southern shelter appeared like a village that was devastated by war. Dozens of tiny houses had blown-out roofs, along with some collapsed ones. The road was littered with vehicles, and there was a wall of cars near the center of the small village. 

After a short while, Duke immediately noticed the potential location of the FOB that Vanguard One had reported to him. It was near the entrance of the shelter. It was a cramped road between two buildings with a broken gate. He understood why the Sentinels thought of it as a potential FOB.

Its location was perfect for their operation. The cramped road would serve as a way for them to assault several aberrants without facing the entirety of the horde. With this in mind, Duke didn't hesitate and gave more orders to his fellow Sentinels.

"Location of FOB has been chosen. The entrance of the southern shelter will be our FOB, and we'll start the operation after the preparation and establishment of the base." With his orders, the armored vehicles rumbled and traversed forward into the small village.

As the military convoy advanced through the small village, Duke noticed the battlefield that had taken place before the fall of the southern shelter. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the empty cases all over the ground with a few armed cars pointed at the shelter. 

'The southern shelter should have fallen because of an aberrant horde. But the battlefield appears to tell otherwise. From the looks of it, two armed forces were fighting against one another. One was besieging while the other was defending.'

Duke understood the implications of his thoughts, and he didn't deny it. He understood that there were countless settlements across the land. Even the Goshen County was nothing but a small part of the dominion. And the dominion was a part of 72 Dominions of the Imperium.

In the eyes of a proper military, the Cerberus was a small armed force. Though, that didn't mean they were weak. They just lacked the quantities compared to ordinary militaries. Besides, in the Dark Cataclysmic Era, only the leftovers of the military were left. He wasn't completely helpless.

As long as he was cautious of other settlements, the Cerberus could grow into a formidable military. Nonetheless, only time could tell.

The military convoy then entered the entrance of the southern shelter. Vanguard One and Vanguard Two kept moving forward while H10 Alpha and H10 Bravo halted to establish the FOB. Vanguard Three and Vanguard Four guarded the entrance as Sentinels exited the armored trucks. 

The communication radios opened as the Sentinels began reporting.

"ZZZ... Vanguard One has secured the end of the entrance!"

"Vanguard Two has secured the end of the entrance!"

"Vanguard Three has secured the opening of the entrance!"

"Vanguard Four has secured the opening of the entrance!"

"H10 Alpha, unloading Sentinels and ammunition supplies!"

"H10 Bravo, also unloading Sentinels and ammunition supplies!"

Hearing their reports, Duke calmly nodded with assurance since his Sentinels followed the plan with incredibly high efficiency. With the entrance of the southern shelter secured, the FOB of Cerberus will be established.

Duke got out of the armored truck and stretched his arms upward. He glances around the surroundings and glances at the two buildings surrounding them. These three-story buildings resembled a bank and a jewelry store, though quite devastated. 

Two squads of Alpha and two squads of Bravo were in front of the two buildings, preparing for a raid. The four squads resembled special forces preparing for a raiding operation. It was quite a sight to behold. The crimson lenses of their black gas mask were also menacing.

A survivor would probably freak out after seeing them.

Anyhow, Duke nodded at them after the squads noticed his gaze. They instinctively saluted after seeing his nod and wanted to scream their loyalty. But fortunately, they stopped themselves since they had to complete the mission given to them.

"Why do these guys act like fangirls?" He shook his head and walked to the established command tent of the FOB.