Chapter 697: The "Predator" Attacks
"Exactly." Ryo's gaze turned toward the outside of the cavern, as if piercing through the rock walls to see the entire situation on Pandora. "The help the Na'vi receive must be limited; their sense of crisis cannot be allowed to disappear. The pain the RDA is suffering is not yet deep enough; they haven't reached the point of desperation where they must beg me for help. Your next mission is to precisely manufacture pressure, with three main objectives."
"First, weaken the RDA's field operations and morale, forcing them to contract their defenses and ultimately turn their sights toward the Seekers."
"Second, eliminate uncompromising radicals among the Na'vi, such as Tsu'tey, but leave clues to direct their hatred toward the Predators."
"Third, ensure Sutai's prestige steadily rises during the resistance against the 'external threat', making her and the voices relying on her the dominant force among the Na'vi population."
He paused, his tone cold and clear. "The attacks must look like the work of real Predators, but more cunning and unpredictable. You must make them feel fear and suffer losses, without actually triggering a devastating backlash or causing either side to collapse. You will control the scale. What I want is a Pandora that is continuously bled, gradually weakened, and ultimately forced to place its hope in me."
Irian nodded slightly. "A meticulously choreographed play. My two kin will be the perfect directors and lead actors. They know exactly how to weave a web of fear and doubt."
Soon, the personnel split into two groups.
One group, primarily Eldar scouts assisted by two Astartes, silently set off after familiarizing themselves with the Predator mothership's basic controls, steering toward the unknown hunter homeworld deep in the starry sky.
The other group, consisting of two chosen Eldar warriors—one a Shadow Lord excelling in stealth operations, the other a Warlock proficient in illusions and psychic interference—remained behind. They began deeply studying the Predators' behavioral patterns and combat traces, preparing for their "role-play."
Pandora, after the departure of the Predator mothership, seemingly recovered a trace of its former "tranquility" on the surface.
Beneath this tranquility, however, lay the bewildered apprehension and re-evaluation of all factions.
On the RDA side, Colonel Quaritch was puzzled by the sudden decrease in Predator attacks, but he did not lower his guard. He attributed it to their reinforced patrols and counterattacks. Simultaneously, he accelerated the repair of damaged facilities and dispatched more reconnaissance drones to scan the jungle, attempting to find the enemy's lair.
Hell's Gate base remained outwardly relaxed but inwardly tight.
The Omaticaya clan, guided by Sutai, utilized this rare breathing room to consolidate the defenses of their new home and treat their wounded.
However, the voices within the clan were not unified.
Although the radical faction led by Tsu'tey was weakened due to his injuries, their influence remained. They advocated taking the initiative during this opportunity to search for and annihilate the remaining "demons from the stars." They even implicitly pointed fingers at Sutai's faction, which allowed the "Sky People Observers" to stay long-term, viewing this as a sign of weakness.
Right in the midst of this delicate balance, the "Predators" reappeared.
But this time, their operational patterns underwent a subtle yet lethal change.
The first attack occurred at a newly constructed RDA remote-sensing signal relay station located on high ground.
At midnight, the guarding soldiers only heard an extremely brief, almost illusory faint hiss, followed by the muffled thud of a companion suddenly collapsing at the guard post.
There were no flashes of energy weapons, no fierce firefights.
When reinforcements arrived, they only found three sentries lying dead next to the post. Their necks had been cleanly severed, and their heads were missing.
The scene was left with high-temperature blade cutting marks similar to previous Predator attacks, along with a ferocious symbol deeply carved into the metal frame with the tip of a claw.
There were no survivors and no unnecessary destruction, only precise hunting and the claiming of trophies. This meant the enemy had not only infiltrated the core of the defensive line but had also casually completed their signature ritual.
A few days later, a small Na'vi hunting party led by radical warriors under Tsu'tey's command was ambushed in a remote valley far from the Land of Chants.
According to the fearful descriptions of the few hunters lucky enough to escape, the invisible enemy's attacks were swift and lethal.
Arrows shot from unseen directions, striking vitals with absolute precision; the cold glint of a blade vanished in a flash, immediately followed by splattering blood.
Tsu'tey's most capable lieutenant, the brave hunter Korak, was violently dragged into the shadows by a massive force while roaring and swinging his battleaxe at empty air.
After a brief, blood-curdling tearing sound and a scream that ended abruptly, all that remained in place was his bloodstained battleaxe and several deep, unnaturally forceful claw marks in the dirt.
The attackers retreated as silently as they came, leaving behind only the pervasive stench of blood and the bone-deep chill among the survivors.
This incident quickly fermented within the clan. The radical faction had not only lost a fierce warrior but was also deterred by this bizarre, highly efficient, and ritualistic method of hunting.
Sutai seized this opportunity to reiterate the necessity of unity and caution, her voice gaining more support from the moderates.
These two attacks, occurring days apart and targeting different species, appeared to the RDA and the Na'vi as if the hunter lurking in the shadows had re-emerged after a brief silence with a more elusive rhythm of hunting.
The actors were precisely the two Eldar warriors who had been left behind.
Under Pandora's thick night or the dappled shadows of the trees, the Shadow Lord's form seemed to completely dissolve into the environment.
His stealth techniques stemmed from millennia of Aeldari heritage, far surpassing the Predators' cloaking that relied on technological force fields.
He was a part of the shadows itself, capable of precisely utilizing the refraction of every ray of light, the sway of every leaf, and even causing a subtle yet logical delay in the RDA sensors' feedback for a brief moment.
When he acted, the Eldar's unique, dance-like precision and elegance were deliberately transformed to mimic the brutal lethality and power of the Predators.
The Warlock followed like a shadow. Her work began before the attack and continued after the scene was cleared.
She ensured that the depth and angle of every deliberately left claw mark conveyed that alien, ritualistic force.
She could even use imperceptible psychic whispers at extremely close range to deepen the terrifying impression of a fleeting glance for the victims, ensuring their descriptions uniformly pointed to the "invisible," "swift," and "cruel" hallmarks of the Predators.
Far away in the command center of the Trailblazer, Ryo received concise reports after each operation through a highly encrypted communication channel.
After listening to the reports regarding the RDA outpost and the Na'vi hunting party, Ryo pondered for a moment and issued subsequent orders through his communicator: "For the next target against the RDA, shift to their assets."
He paused briefly, pulling up the relationship map of the personnel within the Na'vi clan, and continued, "On the Na'vi side, adjust the target to that minor clan elder who frequently questions Sutai's contact with outsiders in public."
"You do not need to target him directly; choose a hunting party led by his relatives operating on the perimeter."
"Inflict sufficient casualties and panic, and leave distinct traces of an attack. The goal is to deepen the suspicion and division within the clan, weaken dissenting voices, and simultaneously serve as a warning to other potential malcontents."
The orders were rapidly transmitted.
In a hidden corner of Pandora, the Eldar warriors who received the message exchanged a glance, needing no further words.
The Shadow Lord began retrieving the coordinates of RDA mining nodes marked on the map, while the Warlock recalled the faces and social networks of those Na'vi, ready to weave the next precise terror that fit the "hunter" style.