[b][i]Mission Two: Siege of Mischief Reef[/i][/b]

[b]BRP Ramon Alcaraz - 10/11/2022, 19:14 UTC+8[/b]

When Callie's Noble Arm, Charter, passed through where Sohrab's sword had turned intangible, sparks of electricity lit up the point of contact; enough of them flew to cause Callie to shake and recoil unless she was braced for that or some other move. The sword turned tangible again as Sohrab snarled audibly and shouted through the portal, "Are you suicidal?! By all means, throw your energy against my assault. It makes life so much easier for me. Your father was never this wasteful with his own reserves..."

Mei's voice then echoed through the portal, "Enough talk! Keep the sword inside the portal, Sohrab, I have a bargain to make while the rest of the crew is away."

She then talked further, "One of the members of the Foriegn Volunteers Battalion is Anui-El, Priest of Shadows, whose goal is to find Malik Kendrick's heir and rebuild the Hammer of Masters. In exchange for keeping him away from you, I want you to bring this message to your superiors: I am willing to defect for 20 Billion Dollars; it was originally 50 Billion but that's too high for you guys."

[b]PLA 'Foriegn Volunteers' Division - 10/11/2022, 19:15 UTC+8[/b]

Anui-El's giant shadow bird, which was carrying several Arms Masters and normal folk, was soaring high, trying to reach the ASEAN Diversion Fleet. Despite the screen of lesser birds covering it, it was still a vulnerable target, and not fast enough to reach its targets in time...

Especially as he could see several squadrons of PLA Aircraft plummenting from the sky, their burning wrecks plunging into the sea. Vietnam's Lotus Squadron had a reputation for invincibility no [i]Mortals[/i] should ever have, taking control of the skies away from the Chinese by bringing down three times their number of jet planes. For a moment, Anui-El thought of sending his shadow birds at them, but realizing this was suicide, lost his nerve and flew back to Mei Yuanyuan's flying ship, shouting so loud that Callie could hear it, "The Chinese Planes and their pilots are about to break before those Vietnamese dogs! Prime your cannons to defend against them [i]now[/i]!" 

((Written by Co-GM QJT.))

[b][i]CNS[/i] Shangqiu - [i]10/11/2022, 19:13 UTC+8[/i][/b]

"Yessir, I checked the pipes. I discussed this with the other engineers. None of us adjusted the pressure like this." Engineer Bai relayed to Field Officer Luo the recent anomalies onboard the boat. Luo was displeased that he needed to personally inspect it so closely after a call to battle stations, but these new vessels had strange kinks. Luo stroked his chin quietly, much slower than the urgent scene required of him. "Is there a risk of explosion?"

"It's just under its breaking point; I cannot tell for certain." Bai, mildly panicked, asked his superior. "What do you think it is, sir?"

Luo shook his head. "A ghost," he joked. "Let's hope it's benevolent." He'd exhausted his natural explanations, so the supernatural one was less farcical than Luo initially surmised. "Ring up the main line."

Bai walked over to electronics, picked up the phone, and listened in. His eyes widened. "Shouts, screams… some of them aren't Chinese."

Luo reached out his hand and received the phone. He picked it up and heard similarly:

[quote][i][color=DB7093]"Larsdottir, Boarding team. Electronics in the bridge under remote, likely occult control. WOs got zapped, everything's inoperable, my radio's dead. Not sure whether to expect more of this, on this boat or others. Over."[/color][/i]

"This is Milkfish. We read you, Boarding Team. The ship might be jerry-rigged; watch out for traps. We'll keep regular contact until you're safely back.  Our closest bogey has been neutralized; we're heading to reinforce your position currently. Be advised, we notice a battle group directly southwest of your position, heading due east."[/quote]

Spirits… He disconnected and reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a set of keys and fumbled his way to the correct one. "Bai, you are relieved of your current duty. Fetch all our comrades and tell them to meet me at the armory." If there was any sane answer to an insane occurrence, he'd be certain to fulfill his duty.

[b][i]CNS[/i] Shangqiu - [i]Engine Room - 10/11/2022, 19:18 UTC+8[/i][/b]

The captain's quarters were empty, but clearly not abandoned. The bed was carefully made, and upon the desk was a small propped-up smartphone, whose camera was faced towards the door. Beside it was the captain's cap.

Immediately, the lights on the vessel all went dark: the blackness of night without the stars. Loud clanks came from nearby pipes, and suddenly the air became intensely humid; something scalding hot leaked nearby.

Down the hall came the battlecry: "Shāngqiū wànsuì!"

The shrill shriek of whistles sounded, filling the air. The screams of dozens of Chinese sailors drowned out the whistle as they charged forward to take the bridge. Luo steadily marched behind them. Whatever spirit haunted his ship, he prayed that it was on his side.

[b]Municipality of Lingayen - 10/11/2022, 19:14 UTC+8[/b]

[N/A for now.]

[@SkyHresvelg][@Aisede][@Lewascan2][@Sniblet][@Conscripts][@Gerlando][@Creative Chaos][@Nimbus][@QJT]