Ar?Tec was drenched in sweat. He wiped his forehead, eyes fixed on the monitors lining the uneven bunker walls.

  He double?checked that all the drones under his supervision were properly hidden and secured. To avoid detection by enemy radars, optical systems, and magnetic?signal detectors, he had to rely on several techniques. Most of all, he used false signals — electromagnetic decoys that scrambled enemy readings — and he had a set of lures ready to deploy if needed.

  For now, his reconnaissance mission across enemy territory was complete.

  The Chinese forces terrified him — their technology was so advanced that hiding from them felt nearly impossible. But it seemed he had a brief moment to breathe.

  Ar?Tec served in the aerial support component. For weeks, he and his unit had been moving along the front line, providing operational security. As a drone systems operator, he needed precision, focus, and deep technical expertise.

  He worked twelve to fourteen hours a day. Replacing him was difficult — especially now, with the enemy pressing dangerously close to the border. Stress tightened every muscle in his body.

  For the past few days, they had been stationed in a dark bunker hidden on an island between enemy territories. Their unit had been cut off and left there to safely observe the area through which their forces were advancing. They were preparing for a major strike on one of the enemy’s primary command units.

  Whenever he had a moment of rest, Ar?Tec tried to escape into his thoughts. This time, his mind drifted back to the past — to a ski slope, surrounded by friends from his unit. He felt himself gliding down the mountain again, carefree, the wind cold against his face. The ache in his muscles faded, replaced by the pleasant exhaustion of a full day on the slopes. He imagined the sauna and jacuzzi they would relax in afterward. He longed for good food and peaceful nights. Ever since he had been deployed, he had lived in constant tension.

  He didn’t even notice when his eyes closed and he drifted off for a moment.

  A sharp alarm blared in his headset. His heart pounded as he jolted awake. Realizing what was happening, he sprang to his feet.

  Three of them had been stationed here to monitor enemy activity. The message from central command was brief and chilling: abort mission, destroy all evidence, evacuate immediately. The orders snapped everyone into action.

  The commander relayed the coordinates for extraction. Ar?Tec glanced at the maps and confirmed what he had feared ever since they arrived on the island. The evacuation point was on land. No one was coming for them by sea. Their only chance was a small submarine hidden near the shoreline.

  They understood instantly: they were on their own. Survival would require a miracle. Their work was too sensitive — better to die than fall into enemy hands. Capture meant interrogation, torture, and the extraction of classified information. They knew too much: secret missions, advanced technology, tactical protocols. If the Chinese found them, the outcome would be grim.

  Ar?Tec disconnected the equipment from the systems and switched everything to remote mode. He pressed the button that wiped and burned all data drives. They had been trained for this — for the moment when everything had to be erased. In silence, each man carried out his task.

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  Dawn was breaking outside. Swarms of mosquitoes buzzed in the reeds as they moved toward the shore. The submarine was hidden not far from the waterline. They were almost there when five Chinese soldiers burst out of the bushes.

  They were nearly surrounded, but instinct took over. Surrender was not an option. Gunfire erupted. Ar?Tec felt the man behind him collapse. He dropped with him, pretending he had been hit as well. A quick glance told him the truth — he was alone. He couldn’t be certain, but there was no chance of saving the others.

  Some of the enemy soldiers had fallen too. He couldn’t count how many. The Chinese troops likely weren’t sure either — silence settled over the area.

  Ar?Tec used the moment. He crawled into the reeds, sinking into the cold mud up to his neck. He couldn’t risk approaching the submarine; they would spot him. He had to wait, hidden, praying for a miracle. He clutched his rifle tightly, shivering from cold and fear. He had never felt so alone — or so terrified.

  ***

  Hugo paced the room like a caged lion. His nerves tightened with every new transmission coming from the mining shaft. Every few steps he stopped, listening intently to the increasingly strained voice of the operator. No wonder — for months they had been struggling with the extraction of neodymium, whose largest deposits had been discovered beneath Warsaw, a rapidly expanding megacity. It was a geological anomaly, detected only thanks to new technologies.

  With the war against China escalating, every possible resource had been poured into neodymium extraction to keep up with the technological demands of the conflict. The last century had transformed the world — electromagnetic energy had revolutionized environmental protection, drastically reducing emissions and air pollution.

  The League of Centrally United States was working tirelessly to secure the newly discovered deposits beneath Warsaw and extract the first batches as quickly as possible. The operation was conducted deep below the city’s foundations to prevent collapses. Magnometry readings also detected something unusual — signals that didn’t match any known geological model. The deposits were active, emitting strange patterns. Their exact location had been classified due to the intensifying Chinese?European conflict.

  China had been desperately searching for new deposits. Their once?vast reserves were nearly depleted. First, they turned to Russia — weakened by the long war over Ukraine and neighboring states — and then to India, which, taking advantage of global chaos, stole Russian technologies, carried out sabotage operations, and eventually made Russia dependent on Indian electronics and drones used massively in warfare. Russia had no choice but to submit and now existed under strong Chinese protection. Ukraine, meanwhile, had become “liquid gold” thanks to its vast REE deposits. During the Russian?Ukrainian war, Western corporations bought up Ukrainian land for pennies and stripped the country bare. Today, central Ukraine was independent only in theory — in practice, it was run by the wealthiest through a puppet government.

  Hugo wore his long black hair tied tightly in a high ponytail. His long, bony fingers clenched a dark water bottle he sipped from constantly — a habit everyone recognized. For twelve years, he had been the leading specialist in mineral extraction through in?situ leaching and bioleaching — chemical or biological dissolution of minerals and flushing them to the surface. The project now included the newest robot, “Kopacz,” equipped with AI?based systems and magnometric detection.

  Hugo had been pulled into the project straight from his lecture halls. A renowned biotechnologist, he had spent years teaching at universities around the world. His students adored him — cheering like fans whenever he arrived.

  When government agents dragged him from his apartment like a criminal, he was furious and swore he wouldn’t join the project. But once he calmed down and understood the stakes — the possibility of winning the Chinese?European war through simple, non?invasive methods — he reconsidered. The next day, he was already at his desk, head full of ideas.

  He was an exceptionally gifted biochemist, but above all, a geologist with an unconventional, almost artistic approach to his work. His distinctive style — hair, clothes, mannerisms — made him stand out instantly.