Chapter 165: Divided Worlds
"Nothing fancy. Just throwing rocks from a higher spot," Zack muttered. "The hard part's getting the rocks up there." He leaned forward, his brow furrowing. "Looks like they don't want me stepping into the east."
From the rocket's orbital path, it was clear—this satellite was positioned at exactly one Earth's distance from Annie, effectively creating a territorial divide. Neither Zack's satellite nor the new one could interfere with the other. "Ego, have you tracked the launch site?" Zack asked, his voice calm but laced with curiosity.
"Based on the trajectory, the rocket was likely launched from the Desert on east Continent," the AI replied. "The exact site is difficult to pinpoint due to limited monitoring in that region."
Zack frowned. The Desert on east Continent was a barren stretch of Gobi with only a handful of small survivor bases, none of which had the capability to launch such an advanced rocket. "If they launched from there..." Zack trailed off, piecing together the puzzle. "It has to be the Vanguard organization."
He drummed his fingers on the console, recalling Ego's earlier reports. "The three stealth satellites we shot down? Bet those were their handiwork too. They must've supplied them to those bases. No way those groups could've developed that kind of tech on their own, let alone launched them simultaneously."
"Probability: 97%," Ego confirmed. "The Vanguard organization likely staged the stealth satellite launches as a diversion, ensuring the success of this larger operation."
"Ah, what a great idea," Zack muttered with a sly smile, his sharp gaze betraying his true intentions. Sharing half the world? Not in his plans. There was no room for compromise. "Send a scout jet to test that satellite. Let's see if it's really a space-based weapon," Zack ordered, his tone calm but firm.
"No problem, sir!" Ego replied promptly. Moments later, a battered jet, scarred from years of use, lifted off from the NYC base. Inside, there were only a few outdated, spider-like machines—automated drones that were due for decommissioning.
As the jet disappeared into the horizon, Zack turned his attention to something far more critical. "How's the progress on Aegis?"