| Mission | Walkthrough | Gallery | Changelog |
| “ | Intel acquired from the Chinese Military Headquarters in Shanghai reveals to the Soviets the existence of a fully automatized siege machine and an array of Iron Curtain-based weapons, developed by the Chinese scientist Yunru. They send forces to its location, only to find out they are already active.
—Mission description | ” |
Operation: Thread of Dread is the eighth Soviet Act Two campaign mission.
Briefing
The intel acquired from the Chinese Military Headquarters in Shanghai has been most enlightening. It seems that China's best scientist, Yunru, has stationed herself on the disputed land of Kashmir to work on a plethora of weapons for the Chinese army. Among these weapons appears to be a fully automated siege machine, which was going to be used to conquer our territories in the east and perhaps even storm Moscow itself. The documents recovered state that this branch of their research is supposed to give the Chinese their own technologically advanced independent army, fully divorced from our equipment. Not limited to just EMP or cybernetics, this army would heavily rely on the experimental nanotechnology we've uncovered previously in Xinjiang, as well as elements of weather manipulation tech, which apparently the Kanegawa Industries captured by the Chinese have provided to Yunru's research divisions. This information confirms our suspicions about their true intentions and the deceptive nature of the pact we signed in Singapore. Since our forces are stationing in Shanghai, you will be tasked with the Latin Confederation unit as they march into Kashmir and attempt to cripple Yunru's research facility. As this appears to be the hub for all of their research, the main research facility building must be captured if we're to acquire their advanced technology. This operation should be rather straight forward and clean cut, but who knows what tricks Yunru will have up her sleeve to defend her base. Expect heavy resistance.
Objective 1: Destroy the Centurion Siege Crawler.
Objective 2: Kill Yunru.
Objective 3: Capture the Mainframe.
Objective 4: Destroy enemy forces.
Events
Establishing a foothold
The Soviet General acquires his Mobile Construction Vehicle but before he starts to construct his base of operations, he finds himself being pit with not just one but two more opponents: Epsilon forces and Chinese forces. With Epsilon present on the battlefield, he knows that this will not be easy. First, with two Epsilon bases surrounding him; this will put him on trouble. Second, multiple EMP Control Stations are deployed in the area, posing a problem for his armored strike forces. Third, Yunru has falsified multiple informations so this will also be more problematic for the General himself to handle the problem as there are more hindrances that escalates as time passes by. Finally, the presence of four Tactical Nuke Silos. The General himself had no other choice but to face the wrath of both parties head on. Moments later, Morales arrives via Drakuv and lends the General a helping hand. Not long enough, the Soviet high command decided to deploy a Stalin's Fist on Kashmir to provide advanced deployment of armored divisions on the battlefield anywhere so it will be easier for the general to mass produce vehicles and strike at enemy bases with ease.
The long hunt
Two squads of Saboteurs were later deployed to jeopardize the Chinese operation. Furthermore, Tactical Nuclear Silos are starting to arm themselves one by one, targeting both Epsilon and Confederation parties. Despite this, the Soviet General himself pay no attention although Epsilon Basilisks are now providing too much bothersome for him to the point he has to fortify more anti-air defenses on his base.
IT'S A TRAP!!
With the Mainframe captured, the Soviet General realized that there was now hope for the Russians in their struggle against the traitor Yuri. However, Yunru and the Centurion is nowhere to be found, although the General thought that the Epsilon might have destroyed it and captured her.
Just as it seemed the battle was over, the General received a transmission from an unknown source, possibly Yunru herself:
| “ | You will never take my home.
| ” |
Seconds later, a MIDAS warhead – that the Chinese had somehow acquired for their own use – inside the Mainframe detonates, vaporizing the facility along the Confederation, Chinese and Epsilon forces in a flash of nuclear fire. Fortunately the General survived, although Morales was among those who perished in the MIDAS' detonation.
Aftermath
| “ | ” |
It turns out that the Chinese did not actually destroy the last MIDAS warheads during the Sino-Russian conflict two years earlier, but rather stole it for their own use. With the destruction of the Kashmir facility through Yunru's reckless "fail-deadly" move that costs countless lives on all sides, including her own, China's remaining advanced technologies as well as the Centurion is lost forever (or so what the Soviet General believes).
The so-called Chinese campaign becomes the biggest blunder the Soviets ever made that they have to pay dearly with their insurmountable losses and Morales' untimely demise during the operation, although at least they didn't return empty-handed, since the Soviets managed to salvage some of China's technologies they tried to covet, such as Cyborg Vanguards and upgrades for Chitzkoi. With these, the Soviets began to refocus their attention towards Yuri and the Epsilon Army, discovering a space transportation facility on Sweden in the process.
Unbeknownst to the Soviets and the Epsilon, the destruction of the Kashmir facility, which is known as the "Home" base to Yunru – who turned out to be alive and well after escaping with the Centurion prior to the Soviets' attack, also erases any traces that could link her to "the master plan", which she starts to set into motion after an artificial intelligence comes online...
Difficulty changes
Easy
- Starting credits: 100,000
- Countdown of enemy EM Pulse is prolonged to 13:00.
Normal
- Starting credits: 75000
- Countdown of enemy EM Pulse is prolonged to 9:45.
- Enemy will send more Terror Drones, Dragonflies and Qilin Tanks to attack.
- More Eradicators and Iron Dragons will be sent by enemy to attack.
- After 20 minutes passed, the enemy will dispatch Demolition Truck team protected by Invulnerability to attack.
- More Dragonflies will guard the Foehn base.
Mental
- Starting credits: 60000
- Enemy will send more Terror Drones, Dragonflies and Qilin Tanks to attack.
- Large amounts of Eradicators and Iron Dragons will be sent by enemy to attack.
- After 20 minutes passed, the enemy will dispatch Demolition Truck team protected by Invulnerability to attack.
- More Dragonflies and Iron Dragons will guard the Foehn base.
- Enemy will send a large number of Kirov Airships to destroy Epsilon and player's production structures.
- Massive Demolition Trucks will rush towards player's Construction Yard after 85 minutes passed.
Behind the scenes
- Prior to version 3.3.4, this mission was the only one where stolen tech units could be built: in this case Iron Dragons, which were unlocked by capturing a Chinese Atomheart or building one using a captured Chinese Construction Yard.
Trivia
- If the fog of war is removed using cheats, it can be seen that the Centurion left the battlefield through a tunnel as soon as the mission began.
- The map of this mission is similar to a Fortress mode map called Stronghold Prime. The map's name and layout, as well as the design of this mission are similar to Siege of Temple Prime mission in Tiberium Wars.
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