The Militech team responsible for the airdrop system felt their scalps tingle.
They had originally thought they would be airdropping some kind of heavy power armor or small vehicle, but they never expected it to be such a massive war machine.
"Hurry! Recalculate the payload and impact force! The 'Fortress' system needs reinforced buffer modules! The retro-thruster fuel must be filled to one hundred and twenty percent of the safety limit!" The project manager roared his commands, and the engineers immediately busied themselves around data pads and technical drawings.
Margaret and Maria paid no attention to the reactions of the "locals" below.
With the assistance of the Relic Maintainers, they conducted their final pre-sortie checks.
Inside the mecha cockpit, green runes of system self-checks flashed line by line.
"Lancer, system normal, machine spirit stable," Margaret's clear, cold voice rang out in the family's encrypted channel.
"Punisher, ready for deployment," Maria's voice carried a hint of eager excitement.
The six attendant mechas also completed their final adjustments, standing silently by the sides of the two main knights like loyal hounds.
At the same time, the airship's cargo hold underwent emergency modifications, reinforcing its load-bearing structure to accommodate these heavy "passengers."
Ground crew in protective suits began carefully installing specialized airdrop restraints onto the backs and legs of the knight mechas and attendant mechas.
These restraints were connected to massive retro-thruster assemblies and specially reinforced buffering mechanisms.
Militech's airdrop expert explained the airdrop procedure in detail to Maenna and the two knight mecha pilots: "—Upon reaching the designated altitude, the hatch will open, and the restraints will unlock.
At fifteen hundred meters above ground during freefall, the first-stage drogue chute will deploy to stabilize the mecha's attitude.
At eight hundred meters, the retro-thrusters will ignite, firing continuously until about one hundred meters above ground, then shut down, with final landing relying on the leg buffering mechanisms. Please note, the impact force at landing is immense; please ensure a stable attitude."
Maenna calmly responded, "Understood. The Astoria Family has undergone similar training."
knight mechas were not without experience in orbital air drops; although the technology in this world was different, the basic principles were similar.
All preparations were completed in a highly tense atmosphere.
The two knight mechas and six attendant mechas were firmly secured within the airship's cargo hold, like loaded deadly weapons.
The "Leviathan" airship's engines emitted a low roar, slowly ascending, adjusting its direction, and finally merging into the night, silently heading towards the Western Pacific.
The "Leviathan" airship glided silently through the night sky, cleverly evading potential monitoring networks along the way, thanks to its advanced stealth technology and electronic countermeasures provided by Kang Tao.
Inside the airship's cabin, the lights were dim, with only faint indicator lights from operating equipment and occasional flashes from mecha sensors.
Margaret and Maria remained in their respective cockpits, engaging in a meditative rest to maintain optimal combat readiness.
The Thinker system inside the mechas continued to operate, while the attendant mechas were in low-power standby mode, their attendants sitting in the cockpits, also maintaining their state through various means.
The airship's commander regularly reported their position to Osiris and Maenna.
The journey was long and calm, but the air was thick with the oppressive stillness before a storm.
Tokyo time, three in the morning.
The airship quietly arrived at the designated airspace, above the high-altitude clouds off the coast of Tokyo Bay. Below, the vast Tokyo metropolitan area spread out in the night, its brilliant lights like a sprawling sea of stars, while the area where the Arasaka estate was located appeared relatively dim, like an isolated island in a sea of light.
"Arrived at deployment coordinates. Environmental scan complete, meteorological conditions meet requirements. Electronic countermeasures activated, estimated success rate for interfering with Arasaka's perimeter warning system is ninety-two percent," the captain's voice sounded in the communication channel.
Osiris's command came via data link: "Authorize airdrop operation."
Maenna's voice immediately followed in the Astoria Family channel, steady and powerful: "Margaret, Maria, prepare for deployment. According to the plan, be direct, be swift. Crush them."
"Understood, lord Maenna," the two young knights responded simultaneously.
The airship's massive rear cargo hatch slowly opened, and the cold night wind instantly rushed in. The distant ground lights below looked like an inverted starry sky.
"Restraints unlocked! Airdrop sequence initiated! Good luck!" The airdrop supervisor's voice carried a hint of tension.
The metal shackles restraining the steel behemoths simultaneously sprang open.
First to leap out was Maria's "Lancer." The slender mecha, like a thrown javelin, was instantly swallowed by the night sky. Closely followed by Margaret's "Punisher," and the six attendant mechas.
They formed a tight assault formation, plummeting towards the brightly lit city below.
Violent air currents chafed against the mechas' outer shells, creating a whistling sound. The altimeter's numbers frantically jumped.
Inside the cockpits, Margaret and Maria were fully focused, sensor data flowing rapidly before their eyes. Their bodies endured the G-forces caused by the high-speed descent, but their reinforced nerves and the mechas' internal stabilization systems ensured precise control.
Fifteen hundred meters. The first-stage drogue chute suddenly ejected from the mechas' backs, unfurling, and the descent speed abruptly slowed, causing the mechas to vibrate violently.
Eight hundred meters. The retro-thruster ignition command was given.
"Boom!"
Multiple retro-thruster clusters installed on the mechas' backs and legs simultaneously erupted with scorching exhaust flames, and the immense thrust once again slammed the pilots back into their seats. The downward momentum was forcibly countered, and the heavy mechas seemed to momentarily hover in mid-air.
In the night sky, several meteors trailing dazzling exhaust plumes streaked across Tokyo's night, plummeting precisely towards the Arasaka estate.
On the ground, some citizens still awake in the dead of night occasionally looked up, perhaps catching sight of this unusual spectacle, but most would mistake it for a special aviation phenomenon or corporate testing.
The retro-thrusters continued to fire, adjusting the mechas' landing attitude. The altitude was rapidly decreasing.
One hundred meters. Retro-thruster fuel depleted, automatic shutdown.
The final hundred meters, relying on inertia for descent.
"Prepare for impact!" Margaret briefly reminded in the channel.
The next moment, a series of heavy thuds broke the tranquility of the wealthy district along Tokyo Bay.
The "Lancer" and "Punisher" slammed heavily into the green belts and auxiliary buildings on the outskirts of the Arasaka estate in a half-kneeling impact-buffering posture. The specialized leg buffering mechanisms absorbed most of the impact, but still left spiderweb-like cracks and deep footprints in the ground.
The six attendant mechas landed in a more flexible, dispersed formation around them, kicking up clouds of dust.
Steel giants, descended upon Tokyo.