The red blood aurora above us in the sky illuminates everything beneath it like a red sun enlightening everything beneath the ocean. From our surroundings, the grounds which we are standing on, to the very thing that has finally shows itself right in front of our eyes.
I have never seen any machines like this before….
I do not even know how to describe it that the only thing popped up in my mind was none other than a gigantic mechanical crocodile but with hind fins instead of hind legs and with treads underneath its forelegs and hind fins.
It must have been more than half the length of a city bus, but almost twice the width and height.
Three turrets on the front of it, with the right and left ones separated by only a little distance from the one at the center. There seems to be another one on the back, apparently also acting as the tail. Those features makes the mechanical thing looks like a giant triple-headed crocodile robot.
No. Not a crocodile. It is an Amphibious Submersible Extraterrestrial Tank!
"Look out!" I rolled over to my right side.
Dodging the huge laser beam that came out right from the center turret by a near miss, I quickly get on my feet again and try to run away to the nearest hiding spot, the icy rock several steps away from me.
"I will go get your rifle! Try not to get blown away!" Yeon rushed to the supposed direction of my rifle.
The second shot is then heard from the opposite direction of this rock. I jumped away and keep myself low on the elevated ground, but I soon realize that the shot was not targeted for me.
It was for Yeon instead. I can clearly see that all three turrets are rotating aggressively as it chases him with such speed.
Do we even have a chance against this thing with the weapons that we have now?!
"Yeon, behind you!" I have no choice but to follow the thing as well.
"Aghh!!" He jumped away to his left side, barely evaded the approaching thing that was going to run him over with a near miss.
If I were him, I would have been dead because I am not as fast as him!
But hold on, why did it change its target to Yeon instead of me?
If it continued to pursue me until I am cornered, it would be effortless for it to just run me over before it can target the others….
Unless….
It saw Yeon as a bigger threat because he has something with him that enables him to fight back….
That is it! His rifle! So his rifle bullet cartridge can still probably damage it somehow, and so does my rifle!
But, where? Where is its weak spot?
.
"Major! Colonel!" Irving called upon us as he fired upon the left turret.
What the hell is he doing?! It will attract the turrets to his direction instead!
"Wait, no! Hold your fire!" I yelled as loud as my lungs could make me as I waved my hand to signal him to go away and hide.
Just like I thought, the front turrets are all targeting him now.
"No! Get away from there!" Yeon also yelled out.
This time, not only one, but all three turrets fired upon him at the same time!
.
"IRVING!!" Yeon was beyond terrified at this moment….
"God damn it!" I forced myself to look away and just rushed for my rifle instead.
Another one down… and this time, it is from the Crimson Vulture unit….
Jumping down from the elevated ground, I finally find my tossed rifle lying on the ground in the distance, surprisingly without any damage not even the very light one.
A few more shots are then heard again just as I get a hold of my rifle, which must be coming from the direction of where Yeon and the others are.
No… please no… no one should die anymore!
Hurrying back to Yeon's position, I can now see him hiding behind one of the few rocks there. I quickly get behind the nearest hiding spot and give him a signal that I have been back.
Apparently that thing has somehow lost track of Yeon, even though he is only several steps away from the turrets.
Okay… this is the only time that I can think about its weak spot….
Irving shot his rifle earlier, and the bullet hit the turret, and the thing was not budged.
Despite that, it immediately changed its attention to him and not only blasted him off with a turret but all three together….
.
So, the turret barrel is the weakness, then?
Wait… this may work… although extremely risky….
When Yeon finally notices my presence I give him a signal to show himself and aim his rifle towards the nearest turret-the left one.
"What?! Are you out of your mind?!" Yeon's eyes were bugging out.
"Trust. Me. VULTURE!" I insisted, knowing that there is no other way based on my instinct.
He is still looking at me without blinking. Then, as he closes his eyes for a bit, he takes a deep breath before standing up, revealing himself from his hiding spot.
He aims his rifle, and fires at the turret barrel.
I can see sweat running down from his forehead and neck like river as the turret then quickly turns to him.
Five…
Four…
Three…
Two…
One!
I immediately stand up, aim my rifle with my right hand and shoot right through the inside of the turret.
.
Much like I have expected, the whole turret exploded!
Yellow fiery flames sprouting out violently from the top of the turret as the thing quickly back down in a hurry.
And with that, my instinct is right. It has a slightly similar weakness like the ones I had encountered five years ago in Chicago.
But, instead of the barrel, the weakness is the projectile itself.
So, just before the laser comes out of the barrel when it has just been shot, I have to make it collide with a powerful bullet.
It will result in a violent explosion, and setting everything nearby it on fire.
We quickly rush towards another hiding spot, keeping our heads low in the process as we peek out at how the thing will attempt to extinguish the fire….
"So… it uses the ice around the environments…" I still crawled behind the rock where we are hiding.
"How did you know that the weakness is the fired laser all along?!" Yeon grabbed my right arm hard.
"Instinct…" I did not know what else I have to say to him.
"But our guidebook said-"
"Yes. The laser rifle barrel. But that book based the guide mostly on what we already know from the first incident!" I was still catching my breath a little.
Now that he mentioned it, I was disappointed when I realized that the given guidebook to the others did not mention the stealth capability of the aliens that was witnessed during the second incident
But now is not the time to contemplate about it….
The thing has completely extinguished the fire on its turret, and is now attempting to charge at us again.
Although, something is a little bit unusual…
"Why does it position itself like that?" Yeon was confused to see the thing is still not yet moving.
Even though it is completely straight ahead of us….
Wait, no!
.
"Hey! Move away" I crawled in a hurry away from the rock.
The thing suddenly charges up right towards us and, within a few heartbeats, it catches up to where we were hiding and destroyed the rock as it ran it over.
"What the!?" Yeon looked up a little.
"Keep your head down!" I yelled as I tried to aim the other turrets.
Just like I thought, the thing is still targeting us, and the laser that was shot from another turret missed him again thanks to the trench where he hid behind that was created after it destroyed the rock.
"Well, I owe you one…" Yeon gasped hard.
As the thing landed hard and quick on the other side of this elevated ground, I can now see that the rest of the others are hiding behind the turned truck.
I wonder when one of them will notice that both me and Yeon are taking cover behind this trench, but luckily Alek happens to see us.
"Get away from the truck! It is too dangerous!" I waved my right hand as I stood up.
But they were not fast enough to be able to begin moving before the thing begins to turn and is about to charge at us again.
"Wait, wait! Stay there and keep your heads down!" Yeon hid behind the trench again just as he finished telling them.
Again, the thing hit no one as it charged again thanks to this trench. But we cannot keep this up for long….
I have to figure out the right timing to blow up the other turret!
"So? What now?" Yeon turned to me.
Honestly, I do not know… yet.
But there may be another way to deal with its different movement now.
"Did you happen to see the direction of its tail just when it landed after it charged us just now?" I tried to peek at the thing.
"It was straight, nothing strange with it. Why?" he was still kept in the dark.
If my guess is correct, then the tail is not a turret but a booster instead.
I have to take a closer look to make sure. I just hope that I can also time my shot correctly later on….
"Stay here, and keep the thing continues on to run you over." I hurried myself to get out from the trench and start to crawl as close as I can to where it will stop after charging him.
I do not have the time to pause and check whether or not Yeon still hold his position there, but the only thing that matters to me now is to know for sure about its tail.
It is pretty far at first, but since I keep on crawling, ignoring the sharp icy pain that seeps into both of my hands and legs once in a while, I finally arrive to the spot near the turning and charging point of that thing.
Right… and now… to cover myself behind the rock near me and wait for it to get back around this spot….
I must say that I am really worried that Yeon might have flee from the trench, or in the worst case, crushed.
But, no. I was fully relieved when the thing charged through the trench, yet still missed him again with both its tread and laser shot, though I was not fully convinced until I saw his head peeking out for a very little time.
I took a deep breath and once I heard that the thing started to turn around and began to prepare itself to charge again, I made a shorter countdown…
Three…
Two…
One!
.
This time, I rushed as fast as my legs could make me and stopped right in front of its tail.
I aimed my rifle towards the inside of the barrel of the turret…
and pull the trigger right away!
.
I did not expect that the explosion this time would also send the thing to fly uncontrollably and ended up rolling over a few times on the ground before it finally stops, without turning upside down.
Its whole tail is completely engulfed in the same yellow flames, and somehow it seems like whoever controlling the thing do not even bother anymore to try and put the fire out since it only stands still like that.
Wait… that means now is the time to catch up with the other!
"Yeon!" I tried to reach out to him as I rushed back to the trench.
"Yeah! I am still here!" he raised his arm, and immediately climbed out of the trench.
"Good to know you are still breathing…" I blew out a sigh.
"And looks like the book… will have to add another guide chapter… for this tank…" Yeon was gasping hard.
"What about the others?" I quickly turned my attention to the turned truck.
I slid down the elevated ground, and rush towards the others.
I cannot describe how the burden inside me was lifted once I see the three others are still in one piece….
"Mayor!" Alek stood up on his feet once he saw me.
"That is a relieve…" I could not contain my smile as I saw them again.
"How is Irving…?" Yeon asked with despair in his voice.
"Colonel…" Derek seemed reluctant to answer.
"Where is he? Where is his body?" he kept asking, and I can clearly see him clenching his teeth behind his mouth.
The next thing I notice, is that Takeshi closing his eyes and just having his head down.
I have a clear idea of what had happened to Irving but….
.
"Colonel… he is gone…" Derek gulped.
"Then where did you last see him?" Yeon insisted.
Derek did not say anything, but he just points his finger towards the very same spot where both me and Yeon last saw him before he was blasted by the laser turrets.
With a stern expression, he heads back there in a hurry. But it is not that long before he suddenly stops, and looks as if he is in a total confusion.
"W-what…?" he closed his mouth, and his hand is a little trembling.
Just like what I have thought….
But I believe it will be best for him to see it with his own eyes too….
"Jon…" he gulped down hard, his eyes showing both anger and frightened feeling.
"What is the meaning of this…?"
"It is just as what you see now." I looked at him straight in the eyes.
"Both the shadows of him and his rifle are here. But where the hell is his body!? His rifle!?" his voice cracked up, demanding the answer and the cause for it which he ironically must already know and realize.
"Disintegrated." I sighed.
"A single blast from the turret might have been enough to do the job. But, for the tank to use three at the same time… well to be honest, I am not even slightly surprised."
This reminds me of what had happened to the punks who tried to mug us back in Chicago five years ago when one of them was disintegrated by a similar laser beam from an aircraft resembling a dragonfly.
Yeon was clenching his fist, and his eyes flickering before he finally nods in understanding.
From my point of view, Irving perhaps misinterpreted the meaning of the word 'barrel' in the guidebook to be all sorts of the aliens' firearms and vehicles barrel.
He took aim, and shot at the barrel without missing. So I am completely sure that he did not miss his intended target.
While in reality, the only proven thing about shooting the barrel as their weakness is solely applied to their beam rifles.
Looking towards my back, apparently Derek and the others also followed us up here. I quickly explain to them about what has just happened, and to clarify if any of them also misinterpreted about the aliens' weakness.
"It is none of your faults, not even yours too, Yeon." I clarified for the last time.
"Had any of you been there too, chances are you would also get disintegrated in an instant."
It must be hard for everyone witnessing that sight for the first time.
So was it for me five years ago….
Noticing the oppressing air that has built up, I decide that it will be best for us now to check upon the condition of the truck.
"We will have to take a look at the truck, comrades." I told all of them.
"Because we still need it for our investigation anyway."
Everyone head back towards the truck, leaving both me and Yeon alone. Shortly after, he also follows them to the truck.
I was about to follow right behind him but….
I have a feeling that something is watching us from the direction of the burning thing….
Wait, no that is…!
"Yeon, get down!"
A yellow beam was then fired from the direction of the thing!
.
No, not the thing, it was coming from….
An alien!
Everyone then take cover behind the slope of the elevated ground, and with their rifles ready on their hands.
"Okay, so what now, Major?!" Takeshi asked as he held his head against the slope.
"Listen to me, very carefully!" I warned all of them as I could only instruct them once.
"The bullets of our rifles are powerful enough to pierce their skulls and destroy the barrel of their rifles! However since your rifles are bolt-action, make sure that each shot either hit those barrels, or better yet, their heads! If you are not sure if you can hit them, do NOT shoot!"
"Roger that!" everyone confirmed, except for Yeon who only nodded.
The first one who attempts to shoot is Yeon, who quickly took cover again when one of the aliens tried to shoot him with the beam rifle.
"Urgh!!" he slammed his body hard on the sloping ground, nearly missing the yellow laser beam.
"How many are they?!" I asked him as I tried to guess where exactly the shot was coming from.
"Eight! All of them have rifles and none have mace left arms!" Yeon is now beginning to hesitate to try again.
Eight aliens… we are outnumbered….
But that aside, I know where the alien who tried to shoot him may still be standing now….
I took a deep breath, and then holding my rifle tightly using my right hand….
I stood up and pulled the trigger!
.
One of them down, but still seven more to go, I manage to get a good glimpse of what the aliens look like.
Overall, they barely have any differences in appearance if they are compared with the ones from five years ago. They have fin-like ears, nearly three meters tall, very long arms, grey skin, and blood red eyes.
Every of their features are exactly the same, except that like Yeon said, they have normal left arms instead of mace arms, and that they are definitely wearing some sort of body armors covering from their neck, full parts of their arms, and up to their knees.
"One down. Seven more to go." I gasped hard as I took cover behind the sloping ground again.
I am about to stand up again and shoot another one….
But then within a blink of an eye, the four of them suddenly landed right in front of us!
Oh shit… I should have been aware that they may have been wearing their gravity boots too!
.
So that is why their body armors cover only until their knees!
Then, suddenly one of the aliens fired their rifles to Alek!
But, luckily he managed to dodge it….
"Raaaarghhh!!!" he charged right towards that alien and wrestled it down as the both of them rolled over the sloping ground!
Good thing that he forced the alien to drop its rifle but….
Wait, this is the perfect time to take the others down! They have been distracted by his action!
I aimed my rifle again to the alien nearest to me, and fired a bullet straight through its head, making it collapse to the ground almost instantly.
At the same moment, I notice that Derek and Takeshi are engaged in a hand to hand combat with another alien not too far from Alek and his enemy.
But I have my most concern for Yeon, who is fighting the alien by himself using martial arts….
And is apparently losing!
The alien managed to reach its beam rifle again, about to pull his trigger to the exhausted Yeon….
But too bad for it, I already have my aim locked on its head….
.
Another one down, and I helped him get up on his feet and gives him his rifle again.
"You better go help the others down there. I will make sure the rest of the aliens do not reach you all!" I said to him as I took cover behind the sloping ground again.
"I will have to rely on you if it turns out that they can also fly!" he replied to me as he rushed down.
Great… now that he mentioned it, the aliens that Travis and Billy encountered in Indonesia two years ago also could fly!
I hope that these ones over here do not share that ability or else we will-
.
The other three aliens suddenly emerged themselves right in front of my eyes, leaping from their previous spots near the burning thing!
Oh, come on!
I managed to take down one of them, but I was not fast enough to be able to aim perfectly for another one!
"Hrgh!" I scoffed to myself as I had to take another spot since they seemed to be avoiding me.
Indeed, they do not have the ability to fly, but the fact that they are still able to leap high enough and shoot their rifles will also prove to be much of a problem for us.
.
I managed to take down the second one, and made it fall down hard to the ground with a loud thud.
But aside from Alek, who is currently literally beating the alien's face with the butt of his rifle, everyone show signs of fatigue.
"Enough!!" Alek yelled before he was finally able to fire a bullet towards the alien's head at nearly point blank range.
The last leaping alien was then immediately targeting him, giving me an opening to finally have a clear shot at it.
.
But without me realizing, one of the other aliens either pushed me or kicked me hard that I was tossed several distance away from the skirmish….
"Haargghh!" I landed hard after rolling over for several times.
When I turned my head, the rest of the surviving aliens flee by leaping away from us swiftly.
Why did they run away?
Was it because they realized that they were losing?
Everyone beside me and Alek might have been ended up dead had they continued to keep on attacking us….
Or was it because of another reason?
.
"Major… we need… time… to breath…" Takeshi was gasping hard.
"Unlike that bulky guy standing beside you, we may still do not have the chance to fight them with fists." Derek also desperately tried to catch a lot of air.
"Hey, come on. Do not be like that." Alek disagreed, although I do not know why since I also have the similar thoughts.
"I believe my body barely had anything to do with succeeding in striking the alien down."
"Ha, yeah. Try telling that to my commander." Derek gestured his head to Yeon, who was lying on the ground behind him, also trying to breath in as much air as he could.
"I am just relieved that there are no more casualties…" I sighed hard as I sat down on the ground beside Alek, waiting for my sweat to stop coming out before standing up again and start to inspect our surroundings.
.
But that aside, those creatures also left their 'tank' here….
And now that I look at it, the tail is no longer on fire….
Maybe we should take a look inside it since the doors are still opened…
Or, should we not…?
I also wonder if the other teams are doing fine….
Bronze Falcon, Polar Bear, and Dark Bison units….
Since their appointed regions may not be affected by the red blood aurora, they may experience a different thing than us.
And the rest of the Crimson Vulture unit in charge of the communication post too.
There is still so many unanswered questions for now….