—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The movements of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion were much swifter and stealthier than during their first deployment. The two sentries dozing at the guard post by the armory’s north gate breathed their last, blood gushing from their necks, and those on duty in the nearby watchtower met the same fate.
“Ah, when will I finally be discharged~?”
“Sergeant, isn’t that a person?”
“What?”
“Guh, ack…!!”
Death descended from the sky, claiming lives with a dagger. The soldiers, who had been idly chatting, couldn’t even scream before becoming cold corpses. Swift and sharp.
It was the 1st Platoon, boasting the most overwhelming combat power in the 1st Company. The knife fighting techniques passed down directly from Claude, the war hero, were too much for the unprepared Soviet soldiers to handle.
Having quickly subdued the area around the north gate, the 1st Platoon members opened the tightly shut gate. Immediately, the shabbily dressed personnel waiting in the surrounding bushes entered the armory.
“Good work. We’ll take over ground control from here.”
“We’ll proceed towards the barracks. Be mindful of friendly fire.”
“I’ll make sure to relay that to my men.”
The commander of the 3rd Mobile Battalion grinned at Claude Lane and added, “It’s an honor to work with the Hero of Quornen, the Butcher of Jeonroe.”
“…Let’s celebrate together when we successfully complete the mission.”
Claude Lane said casually and passed by the mobile battalion commander. There was no time for idle chatter during a real operation.
Occupying the barracks.
Although there were no gunshots yet, the armory would soon be in chaos. They had to eliminate the enemy before the awakened ants swarmed.
Meanwhile…
The 3rd Platoon, having landed on the roof of a conspicuous two-story concrete building in the armory, was waiting for the 1st Platoon’s arrival. Platoon Leader Erwin Luce peeked through the railing, checking on the squad members who had landed in the backyard, not on the roof.
It was fortunate that he was with Deputy Platoon Leader Sergeant Randleman.
(Hand signal) Proceed to the right and link up with the 1st Platoon.
(Hand signal) Understood.
After relaying the orders with prearranged hand signals, they stealthily moved towards the main entrance of the barracks. Since they were the last platoon to jump, the absence of gunshots so far meant that the other platoons were doing their job well.
‘I hope subduing the barracks will be easy, but it’ll probably be tough.’
Soon, the 1st Platoon appeared in front of the barracks. After confirming the signal indicating they were ready to enter, Erwin ordered his squad members to follow him. He carefully opened the rooftop door and descended the stairs.
Having safely reached the second-floor corridor, Erwin made eye contact with a man who appeared from around the corner.
“…?”
The man, seemingly just woken up, blinked his sleepy eyes wide. Before he could shout, Erwin’s pistol fired.
Bang—!!
A sharp gunshot echoed throughout the building.
“Damn it, that startled me…!! Everyone, move!!”
Since the shot had been fired, they had no choice but to proceed. At Erwin’s shout, the 3rd Platoon quickly dispersed down the corridor.
“Breach!”
The 1st Platoon, hearing the gunshot, also kicked down the main entrance and stormed into the barracks. The once peaceful silence of the building was instantly filled with the merciless sounds of gunfire and screams.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Phew… Hah! Pant…!! 2-2nd Company… secured the south gate.”
I welcomed Lumia, who had returned breathless, with a smile. With communication equipment still underdeveloped, adjutants had to run around delivering messages. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her face was flushed from exertion. I handed her a water bottle, and she gulped it down.
“Gulp, hah—!!”
“Good work.”
“I checked on the way, and it seems the 2nd and 4th Platoons have also secured the armory.”
“So far, so good.”
The constant gunfire from the barracks was gradually subsiding, and the deployed mobile battalion members had quickly neutralized most of the ground facilities.
‘Then, the underground is the key.’
According to the intel Sony Zeppelin had obtained, the Lymansk Armory was originally a small arms factory. But it hadn’t been operational for the past few months. The problem was that this period roughly coincided with the time the Pearl of Premonition was stolen.
Thanks to the close relationship we had established with the local rebel group, Red October, we had also received intel that a convoy transporting what was presumed to be the artifact had been sighted.
It was clear that the Soviets were conducting special experiments with that artifact in the underground facility.
“Lumia, signal that the first phase of the operation was successful.”
“Understood.”
After catching her breath, she took out a small lantern from her pocket and sent the signal. Since we didn’t have flashlights, the method was to open and close the lid of a lit lantern.
Soon, a light blinked five times from the airship, which was floating like a shadow against the moon.
(Light signal) All clear. Proceed with the operation.
(Light signal) Roger that, over and out.
After exchanging signals, Lumia extinguished the lantern and secured it to her belt.
“Let’s move.”
The other squad members might have already gathered at the rendezvous point. I urged them on and headed deeper into the armory.
The Lymansk Armory’s ground facilities could be divided into three sections. Section A, where the north gate and barracks were located, Section B, where the armory was located, and Section C, where the south gate and manufacturing process were located.
The entrance to the underground facility was in Section C. Since there were exactly three entrances, each company was assigned one to infiltrate.
As we arrived at the rendezvous point…
Fortunately, all thirty-nine company members were safe. Thanks to the night raid, we had successfully subdued the enemy without giving them time to react.
But the real fight was about to begin.
Since gunfire had already erupted, the troops stationed in the underground facility would have responded immediately. They likely set up barricades, and in the worst case, booby traps and other defensive measures.
If it was being used as a secret research facility, and considering its proximity to the border and the frequent conflicts in the area, it was highly likely that the Soviet army had reinforced its defenses.
“We’re entering the underground. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes, sir!”
“4th Platoon will lead the vanguard. Enter.”
Sergeant Hilton Callia nodded and descended into the underground passage with her soldiers. As she opened the rusty iron door and entered, it looked like a medieval dungeon. The lighting wasn’t magical or electrical but primitive candles.
(Hand signal) What do you see?
(Hand signal) Can’t secure visual. Proceeding.
The 4th Platoon, led by Platoon Leader Hilton Callia, headed deeper into the darkness. Beyond the end of the passage, a large open space unfolded. But it wasn’t just an open space. The distinct smell of blood. Metal cages and human-sized cages scattered around, stained with dried blood.
“What the fuck is this?”
A soldier cursed at the horrific sight, and Bell Meyer, who was following behind the 4th Platoon, turned pale and started to gag.
“Ugh…!!”
“Damn it! 2nd Platoon, fall back!”
As soon as Belle Meyer reacted, I quickly rearranged the formation, rushed forward, and examined the facility. Dozens of cages, lined up like animal pens, filled with withered corpses. Some bodies were mutilated, as if they had been preyed upon by wild beasts. Others were crushed beyond recognition.
Was this the source of the rotting smell? It was a sight that made even me, with my strong stomach, feel nauseous. Bell Meyer and the others were all filled with shock and horror.
The only one who remained calm was, as expected, Master Sergeant Claude. He drew his dagger and approached the corpse in the worst condition.
“…The body is fresh. Died yesterday, at most. And these wounds aren’t from a wild beast.”
I suppressed my disgust and sat down next to Claude. The corpse was in a terrible state, its organs ripped open. But what caught my eye were…
…round bite marks.
Not from a tiger, lion, or even a monster. The skin wasn’t punctured by sharp fangs but torn by flat, square teeth.
The moment I realized what it was…
I could no longer maintain my composure.
“Did you figure it out?”
“…Human experimentation.”
“Yes.”
Claude stood up and said, “It seems these bastards were experimenting with Mutants here.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
