Chapter 269: Treading the Bones of Nobles on Heaven Street! Raid on UNSC Headquarters!
As her words faded, Margaret brought up more scientific research data from the Aichumin Era, displaying the information for everyone to examine.
In truth, back when humanity in the Halo universe first stepped into the interstellar age, they, like the Covenant, began searching for and researching Forerunner relics.
However, due to starting later, surveying fewer sites, and lacking comprehensive technology, humanity had only uncovered sparse traces of the Forerunner civilization and the Aichumin Era through scattered documentation.
For instance, ONI currently possessed knowledge about the Forerunners' hierarchical caste system.
At the top were the Builders—those responsible for designing engineering marvels and constructing massive facilities.
Next were the Lifeworkers—adventurers and gatherers tasked with planetary exploration.
Following them were the Miners, who oversaw political administration, council supervision, and the seeding of life. The World Seeds were their creation.
Then came the Warrior-Servants—the military class—and the Juridicals, who upheld laws and recorded history.
Finally, at the lowest tier, were the Manipulars—essentially Forerunner children undergoing apprenticeship.
While humans had formed a relatively clear understanding of the Aichumin Era's societal tiers, they still lacked the capability to reverse-engineer Forerunner weapons and devices or replicate their technologies.
"So that's why MegaCorporation went to Arcadia—they were after Aichumin Era relics? They had leads on these ruins?!"
At that moment, Andrew seemed to grasp the truth. When considered alongside MegaCorporation's intentionally leaked materials and the links between the Covenant War and the Forerunners, the pieces really did start to fit together.
"That's a very real possibility," Margaret replied, not denying Andrew's guess. "Ultimately, ONI kept many things confidential in the past, which is why you were kept in the dark."
"Now, I'm going to lay ONI's classified intelligence bare before you—including the incident analysis from the Arcadia Research Institute attack!"
With that, Margaret expanded surveillance footage, facility comparison images, and the post-incident analysis reports for all to see.
Before the attack by Astartes warriors, the research institute had seemingly impenetrable defenses, patrolled by elite UNSC soldiers.
But due to missing surveillance data, the full scope of the assault couldn't be reconstructed.
What was clear, however, was that the facility's automated turrets and defense posts had been disabled, and all soldiers guarding a key section were killed—each dying from a single, fatal blow that twisted their necks and shattered their spines.
Based on this evidence and footprints plus crushed foliage captured at the scene, ONI's analysis concluded:
[The enemy squad consisted of around 10 individuals, each over 3 meters tall, with some nearing 4 meters.]
[The enemy had highly advanced cyberwarfare capabilities, able to incinerate turret circuits and disable surveillance systems.]
[The squad possessed overwhelming physical strength, capable of snapping adult human bones with ease, and demonstrated rapid reflexes.]
…
The UNSC upper ranks looked stunned as they digested the report. Whispered discussions broke out across the room.
The data matched almost perfectly with LA Universal MegacCorporation's publicly released intel—especially their descriptions of Astartes warriors.
This strongly suggested that the human civilization from a parallel universe truly existed.
Margaret then played another video—an animated 3D reconstruction, reverse-engineered by ONI technicians.
This gave the gathered UNSC leaders a vivid, chilling picture of the terrifying combat capabilities of the Astartes.
"MegaCorporation's goal is crystal clear—they're targeting the Forerunner ruins," Margaret said, scanning the room.
"What's even more shocking—and exciting—is that their agents seem to possess the super-soldier physique that ONI has always dreamed of."
"They're towering, thick-boned, and immensely strong. Their speed and explosive power far surpass normal humans. This is the very model of a super-soldier we've longed for."
At that point, the long-silent General Terrence finally spoke.
"Heh. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't ONI in charge of the second phase of the Orion Project? What, is there finally some progress to report?"
Clearly, Terrence was demanding accountability. The UNSC Navy had diverted funding into this expensive project—only to have its lead scientist kidnapped. It was a massive embarrassment.
"In the Reach Uprising, our core researcher, Dr. Catherine Halsey, was captured by MegaCorporation. As a result, Phase Two of the project was suspended and hasn't been restarted."
Margaret's voice was calm as she recounted last year's events.
Had MegaCorporation not revealed Halsey's status themselves, ONI still wouldn't know she had completely defected to their side.
"What's done is done. Regret won't change it now."
Andrew waved a hand, subtly steering the discussion in a new direction. He gave a concise summary of MegaCorporation's operations:
"Based on all available clues, every move by MegaCorporation has been calculated and precise. Their strategies are laser-focused."
"The Forerunner ruins, our Orion Phase Two Project, even the enigmatic Covenant War—it's like they had omniscient foresight, setting everything in motion within just two short years."
"We've already fallen far behind. Catching up now won't be easy."
Terrence clearly disagreed. He turned his head and let out a dismissive snort before responding sharply:
"The situation isn't as dire as you're making it out to be. I suspect this so-called MegaCorporation is nothing more than a bunch of schemers playing tricks. This intel might just be sleight of hand meant to fool us."
As a seasoned admiral, Terrence was well aware of how easy it was to deceive the gullible with elaborate misinformation.
"So what if they have super-soldiers? In the end, it all comes down to naval power!"
His words boosted the morale of many fellow Navy officers—until Andrew immediately countered his superior:
"What if MegaCorporation has tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of Astartes warriors? What then?"
"Such powerful soldiers, wielding the strength of entire legions, could easily crush our ground forces."
"Plus, LA Universal Megacorp has elite operatives with normal human physiques—these stealth agents are their main strike force for assassinations!"
Andrew's remarks sent a chill down the spines of those present. The mere thought of facing tens of thousands of Astartes was horrifying.
Even the combined planetary defense forces of Earth might not be enough.
"Heh! I refuse to believe they have that many Astartes. Even if they do, they'd still need to land. Can they beat our Navy in space combat?!"
Terrence struck at the heart of the matter. In the interstellar era, a civilization's power was measured by the strength of its navy.
Even the indomitable Astartes couldn't do anything without ships to deliver them planetside.
Sensing that Terrence was growing overconfident, Margaret sighed and then played the final piece of video footage—a critical piece of intel brought back by ONI spies.
In seconds, the UNSC upper brass witnessed a space battle in low orbit above Segudos in the Eridanus II system. Brilliant blue beams of hardlight easily pierced multiple rebel warships.
From Robert's cruiser to the lieutenants' frigates, every ship was destroyed in under two minutes by MegaCorporation's hardlight artillery.
The remains of these ships rained down like meteors onto Segudos' surface.
It was a complete and utter rout.
Margaret had originally planned to reveal this later, fearing the shocking footage might be too much for the Navy's leadership to handle.
But seeing Admiral Terrence's misplaced confidence, she knew she had no choice. If she didn't speak up, the Chairman of the Human Security Council might do something rash—like personally leading an assault against the MegaCorporation.
Losing the UNSC's top naval commander would be catastrophic.
As expected, once the footage of the hardlight main cannons and the one-sided battle played, reality hit the Navy officers hard.
LA Megacorp clearly possessed immensely powerful energy weapons. Not only could the UNSC not match them in ground combat, but even their navy—once their greatest pride—stood no chance.
While the UNSC leadership still didn't know the full scale or design of MegaCorporation's fleet, they were intimately familiar with the rebel fleet's capabilities.
After all, most of the rebels' ships had originally been outdated UNSC vessels—refitted, reinforced, and upgraded. They were still formidable in battle.
And with a skilled commander like Robert Watts at the helm, the rebel fleet was no joke.
If it weren't for the UNSC's Carthage-class and New Era carriers stationed in the Solar and Epsilon Eridani systems, the rebels might have already launched a "Northern Campaign."
In terms of naval strength alone, the UNSC couldn't even claim with certainty that they had the upper hand over the rebels.
But the footage made one thing clear: MegaCorporation had absolutely steamrolled the rebels. Which meant…
The UNSC wouldn't fare any better.
Suddenly, the conference room fell into a heavy, awkward silence.
Eventually, it was Admiral Terrence who broke the tension, looking at Andrew and Margaret with a bewildered expression.
"If that's the case… then the rebel forces—and all other insurgents—have probably already been absorbed into LA Mega Corporation's faction."
Once we officially go to war with the megacorp, I'm afraid quite a few colonies will side with them. At that point, we'll be besieged on all sides, and...
There was no need for Terrence to finish his sentence—everyone in the room already understood how things would unfold once war broke out.
Given the combat prowess that the Universal Megacorp had already demonstrated, along with the elaborate propaganda campaign they'd orchestrated, it was certain that a significant portion of the populace would side with them.
And as for them—the reviled upper echelon of power—what awaited them was nothing less than complete and utter reckoning.
"The Universal Megacorp's goal is to unify human civilization. At this point, they've already wiped out most of the rebel factions."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Andrew spoke:
"If we really do go to war with the Universal Megacorp, the UNSC will suffer unimaginable casualties. Neither side—us nor them—can afford that."
It was obvious why Andrew was saying this. After weighing the vast disparity between both sides' naval forces, he was subtly urging the others to consider peace talks.
After all, dominance in space relied on the strength of a stellar navy.
When it came to ground combat, the Megacorp's Astartes warriors were all superhuman beasts—each one capable of wiping out a hundred regular soldiers.
When it came to space combat, their beam cannons could vaporize anything the moment it peeked out. How were they supposed to win against that?
They had zero hope of victory.
Still, Andrew wasn't about to be the one to formally propose negotiations. He was, after all, just a naval commander. The real decision-making power rested with the top brass.
All he could do was gently hint at the possibility to those in charge.
But just as a few high-ranking officials were on the verge of suggesting surrender or peace talks, Margaret's words hit them like a bucket of ice water:
"The purpose of the Universal Megacorp releasing that public assassination list wasn't just to gain public support—it was to dismantle our political structure from the ground up."
"Their real target... is us."
Margaret's meaning couldn't have been clearer.
She was warning the UNSC leadership present: Don't think you can secure a way out just by surrendering or negotiating peace. At best, surrender might spare your lives.
But what awaited them could still be trials, imprisonment—or execution, as a way to appease the masses they had oppressed.
The Universal Megacorp existed for one purpose: to dismantle the UNSC's ruling system and hierarchy. Every single person in this room was marked. No one was getting out of this clean.
Sure enough, Margaret's warning sent a wave of panic through the room.
What was this—a modern-day version of "nobles' bones paving the capital streets"!?
Not even the option to surrender?
At that moment, Admiral Terrence was visibly stunned. If even surrender meant death, what were they supposed to do?
What—pack their bags and flee before the Megacorp's navy arrived at Reach or the Solar System? That wasn't even remotely realistic.
"If death is inevitable," Terrence said with renewed fire, "then we strike first. We'll purge the Megacorp agents hiding on Earth—I refuse to believe we can't flush those bastards out."
"Super agents or not, once they've infiltrated our territory without a base to fall back on, they're still rats in a trap."
"There's no way they came all this way just to take us all out in one swoop!"
His rallying cry sparked nods and murmurs of agreement from many of the UNSC officials present.
"Exactly! Since they dared to come, we'll drag those mongrels out and use them as bargaining chips."
"Without a supply line, their ammo will run out eventually—and when it does, they'll be the ones in chains!"
"…"
Just as the group was about to finalize their decision to purge Earth of infiltrators, a piercing alarm suddenly rang out.
BOOM—!!
It was immediately followed by a deafening explosion and a barrage of rapid gunfire.
In the blink of an eye, the high-ranking UNSC officials leapt to their feet and rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room, looking outside.
From the direction of the eastern gate, they saw UNSC Marine forces and several armored divisions had already reached the battlefield and were engaged in a firefight with an unidentified force.
In the skies, patrol airships and fighter jets were converging on the site, unleashing a continuous hail of machine gun fire on the target area.
From the intensity of the battle, it was clear that this was no ordinary skirmish.
This was a full-on raid—launched by none other than the Universal Megacorp's strike teams.
And their objective... was the very room full of UNSC brass having this meeting.
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