The Tycoon's Odyssey

Seeing that there was no effect on the enemy's suits from the bullets, a rocket launcher emerged from a nearby cache.

With a loud whoosh, the projectile streaked toward the invaders, but the leading operative raised an arm, deploying a wrist-mounted shield that easily absorbed the explosion.

"Is that the best you've got?" Mac's mocking voice echoed as he advanced.

The commandos switched tactics, deploying grenades and flamethrowers, but the intruders countered every attack seamlessly. Their drones released micro-pulses that disabled the grenades mid-flight while the thermal dispersers neutralized the flames.

"Pull back!" a guard shouted, his voice trembling as their line broke.

The invaders moved with surgical precision, incapacitating the soldiers one by one. Their superior technology and strategy became overwhelmingly evident as they cleared the compound's defenses and swiftly approached the inner place with lightning stealth speed.

The compound was reined in chaos. Smoke filled the air, casting thick shadows against the floodlights that were now flickering on and off erratically. Guards scrambled to form defensive lines near the entry gates, their rifles raised against the advancing intruders.

A loud crack shattered the air as the first shots were fired. Bullets streaked through the smoke, sparking off the sleek, black armor of the invaders, however, the results shocked the guards as their weapon had left just a faint scuff mark.

"Focus fire on the lead targets!" the squad leader bellowed, his voice cutting through the noise of the guards.

The soldiers aimed and fired, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the invaders' tactical suits, barely leaving a few, faint scuff marks. The intruders moved forward, unhindered, their steps deliberate and synchronized.

"Switch to armor-piercing rounds!" another soldier called, ejecting his magazine and loading fresh ammunition.

One of the guards leveled his rifle and fired a concentrated burst, aiming at an exposed joint in the enemy's armor. The shot hit its mark, but the material absorbed most of the impact. The target staggered slightly before resuming its relentless advance.

"What the actual fuck?"

"What!"

"Damn it! These suits are too strong!" the guard cursed, sweat pouring down his face.

The guards were shocked and bewildered with the way things were proceeding. It was bewildering.

Just when they were too stunned to react, from the shadows, an invader raised an arm and unleashed a pulse of blue energy. The blast hit the nearest squad, sending them sprawling to the ground, their bodies convulsing briefly before falling still, alive but incapacitated.

"Spread out! Don't bunch up!" the commander yelled, his voice barely audible over the chaos of a deafening explosion.

A guard armed with a rocket launcher aimed from behind a barricade.

"Firing now!" he shouted, launching a missile at the advancing group. The projectile tore through the air and struck one of the invaders directly.

For a moment, the explosion lit up the entire battlefield, sending a shockwave through the area. But when the smoke cleared, the soldier saw that the target was still standing, his suit's energy shield absorbing the blast's brunt.

After a moment, the intruder stepped forward, completely unharmed, before raising a weapon that resembled a compact cannon.

A blinding flash followed, accompanied by a loud crack. The barricade disintegrated, scattering debris and soldiers alike.

"This is impossible…" a guard whispered, his voice trembling.

Another soldier, crouched behind an overturned vehicle, shouted into his radio in desperation. "Command, we need backup! Now!"

But there was no response. Their communications were all dead, silenced by the earlier EMP blast.

The guards regrouped, shifting to close combat, a squad of six advanced cautiously, their movements precise and well-coordinated. One lunged forward with a combat knife, aiming for an intruder's exposed neck.

The invader sidestepped effortlessly, seizing the soldier's arm and twisting it with a sharp crack. The knife clattered to the ground as the soldier was flung aside like a rag doll.

"Take him down!" another guard roared, swinging the butt of his rifle.

The intruder blocked the strike with an armored forearm, retaliating with a swift punch to the guard's chest that sent him sprawling.

A third guard fired point-blank with a shotgun, the blast echoing loudly. The shot forced the intruder back a step, but their armor held firm. In a fluid motion, the invader disarmed the guard, snapping the shotgun in two.

Desperate, the remaining soldiers resorted to using grenades and tossed them into the advancing group. The invaders responded swiftly by deploying small drones that intercepted the explosives mid-air, rendering them harmless.

"They're too fast!" one guard yelled, retreating while frantically searching for an opportunity to strike down.

Despite the overwhelming odds, the guards didn't back down. They fought with grit and desperation, using every tool they had at their disposal.

"Switch to incendiaries!" the commander barked, pulling a flamethrower from a supply crate.

A torrent of fire roared to life, engulfing one of the invaders. For a brief moment, hope seemed to have appeared on the soldier's faces as it looked like they had gained the upper hand. But as the flames died down, the figures emerged, their armor glowing faintly from the heat but otherwise unscathed.

"Even fire doesn't work," a soldier muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"They're not invincible," the commander snapped. "We just need to find a way through."

But as the guards scrambled for a new strategy, the invaders pressed forward, their superior technology and tactics tearing through the defenses with ruthless efficiency. One by one, the guards fell, their lines crushing under the pressure.

The battle was over even before it had truly begun. The invaders stood victorious, their armor gleaming under the fractured light of the shattered floodlights. In the distance, the rhythmic echo of footsteps signaled the next phase of the operation.

It was time to go for the real thing.

_____

Deep within the bunker beneath Samvidhan Bhawan, Rajesh Patel stood grim-faced alongside the chief of security, senior ministers and military officials while watching the surveillance feed. The Minister of War, a stern man with sharp features, leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table.

The live feed displayed a battle that was raging across a distant front—a skirmish unfolding far away in Nicobar. Their soldiers fought valiantly, but their outposts were falling one by one.

"Nicobar is losing ground fast," an officer reported grimly. "If this goes on, they might be able to breach three sectors within no time."

Rajesh Patel rubbed his temples before turning to the Minister of War.

Due to intense cloud flames and blasts spreading like waves, they didn't have enough satellite images of the region, so all they could do was wait, nonetheless, they believed that Nicobar couldn't withstand the combined force of the attacks.

"How long until reinforcements arrive and everything is taken care of?"

"Forty minutes, at best," the minister replied gravely.

"Forty minutes…" Rajesh muttered, his gaze shifting to the monitors showing their compound under siege. "Fort…

Rajesh paused, and so did everyone as they felt the ground above them tremble along with the sizzling sound of fire echoing in the place.

The room fell silent as the battle outside intensified.

Above ground, the sound of explosions and gunfire echoed through the air.

Everyone in the room shared a single unspoken thought

What was going on out there?