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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Kuaaaak—!!”
A horrific roar echoed from beyond the iron bars. The mages of the General Directorate of Intelligence, who had to be fearless, flinched. They were accustomed to killing and all sorts of dirty work, but the scene unfolding before them was difficult to accept.
Of course, their leader, Yegor Ivanov, was smiling with interest.
“Excellent.”
“I am grateful that you think so, Comrade Inspector,” said Major Karl Schumann, the administrator of the Lymansk Armory, bowing his head. Karl Schumann was not originally from the Soviet army, but his expertise had been recognized, and he was now in charge of the experiments as a Major.
“But isn’t this just a massacre? They’re ferocious and violent, but not the warriors His Majesty desires.”
“I anticipated you would say that, so I have made preparations.”
At Karl Schumann’s signal, a soldier pulled a lever. Gears engaged, and a group of armed men and women appeared. They were all terrified.
“Who are they?”
“Criminals captured in the vicinity. I’ve selected the healthier ones.”
“Western-made equipment? The weapons I brought, I presume.”
“As sharp as ever. They are indeed the weapons captured from the Ukrainians. Although we’ve already secured the blueprints, it seemed a waste to just discard them.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
The Major smiled creepily and clapped his hands. The same soldier who had pulled the lever now pulled another. Then… the partition separating the monster and the test subjects slowly rose.
“Kuh… Kayaaaak!!!”
The Mutant, drawn by the scent of fresh meat, charged before the partition was even fully open. Crash!! The impact was so strong that the vibrations could be felt even from a distance. Just by ramming into the partition, it produced that much destructive power.
“You sons of bitches!! You said you’d leave us alone!! We told you everything you wanted to know!”
Finally losing his patience, a man raised his gun and fired at Major Karl, but a magic barrier activated, and the bullet bounced off harmlessly.
The barrier was so heavily compressed that it was resistant to physical force. The man fired a few more shots, but it was clear that their fate would not change. It was a barrier that Major Karl Schumann, a 1st-class Yellow mage, was proud to have poured his all into.
“Kraaah, kyaaaak—!!”
“Fuck, fuck!!!”
“Mommy, help me!! Mommy!!”
As the Mutant squeezed through the opening in the partition, the armed test subjects fired their guns relentlessly.
Bang! Bang!!
The Summerfield rifle, which used the Western standard .45 caliber ammunition, had enough penetrating power to pierce a black bear’s hide, let alone human flesh, but it didn’t do much damage to the Mutant.
The bullets that penetrated its skin bounced off. Even with torn flesh, gouged eyes, and a hole in its head, the Mutant stood its ground. And finally, when they ran out of ammunition…
“Kuaaaaaaah!!”
The laboratory was covered in the flesh and blood of innocent people. Before they could even scream, a single swipe of its hand sent people flying. It was literal. A single punch was enough to disfigure them beyond recognition.
“……”
At the horrific sight, some of the people accompanying Inspector Yegor Ivanov bowed their heads. Even they couldn’t stomach it. After tearing off and devouring the last person’s head, Major Karl released gas into the laboratory. Pshhhh, a purple gas poured out, and the rampaging Mutant collapsed.
“Sleeping gas. It’s still a prototype, so this is the only way to put it to sleep.”
“That needs some improvement. It won’t be easy to gas them when they’re deployed outside.”
“Of course. We’re currently considering a plan to control them by injecting drugs directly into their heads.”
“But the result itself is very satisfactory. Those weak Westerners will piss their pants just by making eye contact with the mighty soldiers of the Empire.”
The top-secret project of the Soviet Empire, ‘Sverkh Soldat (супер солдат)’, also known as the Soldat Project. The Soviet Empire was an undisputed great power with a massive army, but the gap with the Western liberals, who were constantly advancing, was gradually narrowing.
Unlike the West, which could draw strength from vast plains and oceans, the Soviet Empire, with its rugged, mountainous terrain, was forced to watch from the sidelines. Therefore, the Emperor issued a special order: create soldiers as powerful as Archmages.
An Archmage was a tremendous weapon for a nation, acting as a deterrent to war and other military actions. A typical Archmage possessed strength comparable to an entire army corps. Although they couldn’t change the outcome of a war, if they gathered, they would become a fearsome weapon capable of turning the tide of even the most unfavorable battles.
The Soldat Project was a project to mass-produce such ‘infantry’ soldiers.
“Then, when do you expect the next results?”
“In about three months.”
“I’ll visit again then.”
Yegor Ivanov was quite satisfied. The project had only just begun. If they had achieved this much already, they would be able to deploy them in actual combat after a few years of preparation. Trusting Major Karl Schumann had been the right choice.
“By the way, the Pearl of Premonition was captured from the Ukrainians. Have you figured out what they intended to use it for?”
“Ah… about that. They didn’t do anything special, but the artifact’s magic circuit was slightly exposed. It seems they just took a look at it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, they might have made a blueprint for an inferior version, but that’s as far as their research went. The Pearl of Premonition is said to grant Archmage-level power to those who know magic, but…”
“I know that much. It’s just barely enough to reach the level of an Archmage’s toenail.”
“Yes, so it’s a relatively unimportant artifact for us. Whatever they were plotting, they won’t be researching the same technology as us.”
Yegor Ivanov nodded. It was still an artifact. It was a complete mystery what the Ukrainians were planning, but now that the artifact had been stolen, there was nothing they could do. It wasn’t an artifact worth crossing the mountains to retrieve.
“You can use it for research and then discard it.”
“Thank you, Comrade Inspector.”
“Don’t mention it. The Empire should be thanking you for your hard work, Comrade Karl.”
The two officers looked at each other and chuckled. They paid no mind to the remains of the people who had just been torn apart, focusing only on the Emperor’s orders and their own interests. Their seemingly heartwarming exchange was nothing short of chilling.
It was then.
Bang!!
A faint gunshot. Or was it a different mechanical sound? Yegor Ivanov’s ears twitched. The pale-faced Guard Company Commander rushed into the laboratory and shouted, “Intruders!! It’s chaos on the surface, comrades!”
“Intruders? Any identification?”
“I don’t know. Red October, or someone else…!”
Bang! Bang!!
Now, the sound of gunfire was continuous. Considering the sound was muffled due to the enclosed underground facility, a firefight was likely happening right above them.
“Hah…!” Major Karl Schumann exclaimed.
“Are they making a fuss because we captured a few of their men? What a bunch of fools.”
“The Guard Company barracks and checkpoint have already been subdued! This is no time for that! We need to destroy all related materials and escape…!!”
“Comrade Captain.”
The Guard Company Commander, who had been agitated, flinched and stepped back at the cold voice.
“Escape, you say? You’re not unaware of how important this facility is, are you, Comrade Captain?”
“Th-Then shouldn’t we destroy or transport the materials?”
“Wrong. Can’t we just let them escape?”
Yegor Ivanov looked at Major Karl and asked, “How many soldiers do you have ready?”
“Excluding the rejects that didn’t even make it to the prototype stage, we have three, including that one.”
“Release them all. Let’s see how they perform on a free stage, not just a controlled one.”
In a way, it was a great opportunity. Red October was a relatively organized rebel group. If they could eliminate the rebels and gather data on the Soldat project at the same time, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
“If they die, they’re not worthy of being called Soldat. It means they need improvement.”
Yegor clasped his hands behind his back and nodded.
“But if we can wipe out all those rebels… what happened in this armory will be a historic event in the military history of the Soviet Empire.”
His indifferent, yet chilling, gaze fell on Major Karl.
“I understand your meaning.”
The Major grinned and pulled all the remaining levers. The Mutants trapped inside were released. Like a single monstrous beast, they growled and roared…
“Kuaaaaaaah!!!”
…and began to charge towards the sound of the gunfire above.
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