The wind howled through the jagged cliffs of the yon, carrying grains of Kynara's coarse desert sand that scraped agaihan's helmet. His position atop the rocky ledge provided a clear view of the Syndicate voy snaking its way through the yon below. Hover trucks floated just inches above the ground, their engines humming softly against the roar of the wind. Each vehicle carried crates of cargo, crucial supplies for Ve Drasik's manufacturing hub.

  Ethan crouched low, his upgraded gear secured and ready. The new D-Rank resources Kael had authorized for him felt lighter and more refined, a stark trast to the basic equipment and gadgets he'd used when he first arrived in this universe. His HUD dispyed vital intel on the voy: six trucks, eaked by Syndicate soldiers armed with ser rifles, and a single advanced bat drone h overhead.

  "You're sure about this approach?" Iris's voice buzzed in his earpiece, calm and precise.

  Ethan adjusted the settings on his cloaking device, a slim belt-mounted module that emitted a faint hum as it activated. "It's the best shot we've got. The yon walls fuhem into oh. They won't have room to maneuver once I start the ambush."

  He sed the voy again, his enhanced optiing in on the lead vehicle. Iwo guards monitored a terminal that likely trolled the log meisms for the crates. Those materials would have been vital for Ve Drasik's alloy produ and equally dangerous if they reached her.

  Ethan moved swiftly but carefully along the ridge, pnting proximity explosives at key points on the yon walls. The charges were desigo cause trolled ndslides, blog the voy's path and isoting them from reinforts. He checked each device twice before retreating to his vantage point.

  With a final g his HUD, he activated his hag device. The small, pact tool emitted a low pulse as it began jamming the voy's unications. Syndicate frequencies filled his ears with static as the device worked to sever their e to nearby outposts.

  "s are jammed," Iris firmed. "You'll have a short window before they realize what's happening."

  "Short is all I need," Ethan replied, steadying his ser pistol.

  Ethan pressed the detonator. A series of trolled explosioed along the yon walls, sending massive ks of rock casg onto the path below. Dust and debris clouded the air, engulfing the lead trud halting the voy in its tracks.

  Syndicate guards scrambled to assess the situation, their shouts muffled by the swirling dust. Ethan took advantage of the chaos, targeting the guards o the lead truck. His ser pistol discharged with precision, each shot dropping a guard before they could react.

  The guards around the sed and third trucks regrouped quickly, f a defensive line. One barked orders into his s, oblivious to the fact that their signals were still jammed.

  Ethan moved down the ridge, his cloaking device rendering him nearly invisible. He approached the lead truck, his psma dagger humming softly as he activated it. A single, precise strike disabled the vehicle's log meism, exposing the crates within.

  A shout pierced the air. One of the guards had spotted Ethan's silhouette through the settling dust. "There! Open fire!"

  Laser bsts seared past him, f Ethan into cover behind a boulder. He returned fire, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to aim and shoot with practiced efficy. Three guards dropped in quick succession, but the remaining Syndicate forces began coordinating their assault, pinning him down.

  "Hostiles advang from the rear," Iris warned. "Reinforts likely en route from a nearby outpost."

  "Fantastic," Ethan muttered, throwing a smoke greo the fray. The dense cloud of smoke gave him just enough cover to reposition, sg a nearby roation with the help of his grappling hook.

  From his elevated positiohan spotted the bat drone moving to fnk him. Its twin ser ons glowed ominously as it locked onto his locatiohan waited until the drone fired, narrowly dodging the bst before ung himself toward it. His psma dagger sliced through the drone's tral processor, sending it spiraling to the ground in a shower of sparks.

  With the guards momentarily disoriented, Ethan pnted explosives on the fuel tanks of two trucks. He activated the timers and sprioward the ridge, dodging ining fire as the timers ticked down.

  The ensuing explosions lit up the yon, engulfing the trucks in fmes and scattering the remaining guards. Ethan scaled the ridge, his grappling hook pulling him to safety as debris rained down.

  As he reached the top, his HUD fshed with a warning: Syndicate reinforts closing in fast. Ethan gritted his teeth, feeling the burn of minor injuries sustained during the skirmish.

  "Time to go," he said, clutg a datapad he'd retrieved from one of the trucks.

  "Agreed," Iris replied. "The intel you've gathered will be invaluable for our steps."

  Ethan activated his hover bike, which had been cealed nearby, and sped off toward Valeris City.

  Back at the guild in a secure room, Ethan hahe datapad to Kael, who wasted no time decrypting its tents. The s lit up with logistical data, supply schedules, and encrypted messages.

  "This firms it," Kael said, his voice grim. "Ve's ramping up produ. Whatever she's building, she's doubling down."

  Ethan crossed his arms, his expression dark. "She knows we're targetihe defenses on that voy were no joke. If that's her supply line, I only imagine what her manufacturing hub looks like."

  Kael nodded, his eyes sing the data. "She's clearly reinf her operations, but this also means she's vulnerable. We've disrupted her supply . Now we o hit her where it hurts."

  Ethan stared at the holographic map, his jaw tightening. "Let's make sure she doesn't get another ce troup."

  As Ethahe debriefing, his mind raced with thoughts of the battle ahead. The Syndicate ting, being more dangerous with every move. But so was he.