BXBX NOVEL Chapter 117 Violet's Magic Charm
Chapter 117 Violet\'s Magic Charm
The accuracy of the Blackwatch\'s strikes had been a puzzle since their first assault. Violet suspected surveillance, but the question of its source remained unanswered.
Her eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any clue of an aircraft or observation device. Yet, all she could see were heavy clouds drifting idly by, offering no answers.
Could it be a satellite perhaps? Violet craned her neck up, looking directly above, but the blanketing cloud cover revealed nothing. She dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it appeared. Even if it were a satellite, there was little they could do about it from the ground.
She turned her attention back to the more immediate surroundings. If there was a spotter or a drone directing the Blackwatch\'s fire, it had to be concealed somewhere closer, maybe employing some high-tech camouflage. If there is a spotter, then it must be relaying signals to their headquarters.
She just has to pinpoint it, just like how she was able to communicate with them. During the final moments of Andrea, she is able to capture the signal of the frequency of the radio that the Blackwatch is using to instruct her. Now, if there is a spotter, she would be able to sniff them out.
With her sound manipulation magic, she extended her senses, her abilities probing the air for the telltale vibrations of electronic transmissions. If there were signals being sent out, her power would find them, an invisible web stretching out for miles around.
Minute by minute, she attuned herself to the frequency range that she had plucked from the Blackwatch\'s communications during Andrea\'s final moments. Her concentration was absolute, her brow she had plucked from the Blackwatch\'s communications during Andrea\'s final moments. Her concentration was absolute, her brow furrowed in intense focus. A drone, even if it were as silent as the grave, would still need to communicate with its base, sending back video feeds for the Blackwatch to act upon.
"Found it," Violet said as she snapped her head towards the source of the signal. It was inside a thick white cloud, hiding within the dense moisture like a wolf among sheep. The signal was faint, barely a whisper on the edge of her abilities, but it was there. It wasn\'t relaying communications — those she could intercept with ease — but it was sending a steady stream of data, likely a video feed.
She couldn\'t see the device with her naked eye, but she didn\'t need to. Her powers had mapped its location in her mind, pinpointing the exact coordinates from where the signal emanated.
"So that\'s how you are able to target us from afar huh?" Violet smirked before turning to Seo-Jun. "Seo-Jun, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?" Seo-Jun asked simply.
Violet pointed her fingers toward the source of the signal. "There\'s a drone in that cloud. You won\'t see it but it is there. I need you to take it down."
Seo-Jun hummed as she contemplated, considering her request. But in the end, she shook her head.
Violet\'s brows furrowed in confusion. "Why not take the shot? I\'ve given you the approximate location."
Seo-Jun looked back at her, his expression serious and apologetic. "I can\'t reach it," she admitted. "The drone is beyond the effective range."
"But what about those missiles that you erased? Can you bring one back?"
"I already used all of it to retaliate against Blackwatch. I have none in my arsenal."
Frustration crept into Violet\'s voice as she grappled with their limitations. "There has to be another way to disrupt that thing."
"Well, why not use your abilities? You manipulate sounds right? I think you can disrupt its signals…"
Violet rubbed her chin as she considered the suggestion of Seo-Jun. But. "I don\'t think I can. It\'s a question of how really. Like, how would I disrupt the signal using my sound manipulation magic?"
Seo-Jun nodded, his face lighting up with the spark of an idea. "Sound is a wave, and waves can interfere with each other. If you can generate a sound wave at a frequency that matches the drone\'s signal frequency, you could create what\'s called destructive interference. It would essentially cancel out the drone\'s signal."
Violet\'s eyes widened in realization. "Like noise-canceling headphones?"
"Exactly," Seo-Jun confirmed. "Those work by detecting the sound outside the headphones and then producing a mirror image wave to cancel it out. You would need to do something similar. Find the frequency of the drone\'s signal and then broadcast a counter-frequency. It will take precise control, but I believe it\'s within your capabilities."
"How do you know that?" Violet asked.
"Well, I was a music enthusiast before the apocalypse, and during my pastime, I study different sound technologies out of curiosity, including signal processing and acoustic physics," Seo-Jun explained.
"Alright," Violet acknowledged. "You are a useful one. Very well, how do I do that exactly?"
"Well, imagine the drone\'s signal as a pattern or a rhythm," Seo-Jun suggested, trying to put the concept into terms Violet could utilize with her unique abilities. "If you can feel that rhythm, you can try to counter it with the opposite. It\'s all about matching the drone\'s frequency with an inverse wave created by your sound magic. Once you create a sound at the same frequency but with an inverted phase, it should negate the drone\'s signal, effectively silencing it."
Concentrating intensely, Violet closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, trying to sense the subtle electromagnetic pulses emanating from the drone. It took several attempts to tune her magic precisely, but when she found the right frequency, she created a sound wave at that exact pitch and phase.
A faint sense of strain appeared on her face as she maintained the delicate balance required to keep the counter-frequency steady. It wasn\'t something she had done before, but the principle was similar to other uses of her power. After a tense moment, the feedback from the drone\'s signal faded, indicating that the interference was working.
Violet opened her eyes, looking at Seo-Jun. "It\'s done. The drone\'s signal should be disrupted."
***
Back at the command center, Blackwatch.
"Wait…what\'s happening? The video, it\'s glitching," Richard observed, pointing his finger at the large screen displaying what should have been a clear aerial view from the drone. Instead, the screen was now a mess of distorted images and static.
"That shouldn\'t be happening, let me try to re-establish the link," Sara\'s fingers hovered on the keyboard, working swiftly to troubleshoot the problem. After a few moments of typing and adjusting dials, she shook her head, the concern evident on her face.
"There\'s an interference with the signal. It\'s being jammed at the source," Sara explained gravely. "Whatever is happening, it\'s not a malfunction; it\'s intentional."
Richard\'s gaze hardened as he considered the implications. "From whom?" he asked sharply, though the answer was forming in his mind even as he spoke. "Ah fuck…it must be the magic of the unknowns. "Can the drone be controlled?"
"Yes, it seems that the operators are still in control of the flight controls."
"Well, get it out. Whatever those unknowns are doing, they must be doing it to mask their retreat. We need to re-establish the signal or otherwise, they will get away before we can unleash hell on them."
Sara nodded, acknowledging Richard\'s orders.
Sara relayed the orders of Richard to the pilots of the MQ-1 Predator, and they complied almost immediately. The drone veered away from the area of interference, climbing higher to attempt to escape the jamming\'s range.
"We\'re moving to a different vector now. Should clear up the interference," one of the operators reported, their voice crackling through the communication line.
Meanwhile, Violet and Seo-Jun remained on high alert, knowing that their countermeasure was a temporary solution at best.
"We need to move, now," Violet urged. "We have entertained them for too long. Let\'s prepare for our offensive against the Blackwatch."
"That I can agree," Seo-Jun nodded with a determined expression. They knew that staying here longer would only result in Blackwatch relentlessly throwing missiles at them. They have limits on what they can do.
With that, the two began their leave, running along the road of the expressway. However—.
Above the sky, the MQ-1 Predator escaped the interference range and regained a clear signal, the camera\'s eye refocusing on the terrain below.
"Richard, we have regained signal," Sara announced and Richard quickly flickered his gaze to the display.
Richard\'s eyes narrowed as he analyzed the feed, searching for any sign of Violet and Seo-Jun. The imagery was clear now, the glitching gone. Every detail of the terrain below was visible, but of the two he sought, there was no trace.
"Scan the area. They couldn\'t have gone far," he commanded tersely.
Sara\'s fingers danced across the keyboard once more, commands entering systems that swept the area with increased scrutiny. The drone\'s sophisticated sensors began their methodical search, thermal and motion detectors working in tandem
"Found them," Sara informed, zooming on the two running individuals along the expressway.
"Okay, welcome back," Richard grinned devilishly.