Sawyer and the others watched the moving piles of dirt, ready to shoot at any time.
"The captain was leading us to fight the enemy," the soldier said. "But there was an explosion, and we were all buried under the debris."
"You were all down there?" Alex was stunned.
"Yes, sir," the soldier replied.
"Damn it!" Alex cursed as he aimed his gun at the piles of dirt. At the same time, he activated his inner power to help him see a little better.
"Everyone, be on guard!" he said, walking forward a few more feet. Because of the earlier explosion, he had used up a lot of his mental energy, so he couldn't see through the dirt with his powers. Instead, he had to get closer to see if the person in the dirt was one of his own or if it was an enemy. He didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of his own soldiers.
He concentrated and finally saw the person under the dirt.
Without hesitation, he lifted his rifle, aimed it, and pulled the trigger. The body collapsed back into the dirt and stopped moving.
Sawyer and the soldier both cried out at the same time. They were horrified that Alex had shot the man without finding out who it was first. It could have been one of his own people.
"Sir! Our captain and other comrades are inside!" the soldier exclaimed.
Alex ignored him. Although they didn't belong to the same team, Alex was the temporary captain of the Red Arrow Battalion, which meant that he was in charge while Louis was missing.
His expression remained rigid. "Be careful," he said calmly. "If you find any of our enemies, aim for the arms to disable them."
"Yes, sir," everyone answered in unison. Although they did not understand what Alex was doing, it was their duty to follow orders. If they had any problems, then they would have to wait until the battle was over.
Once again, Alex lifted his rifle, and without warning, he began shooting one mound of dirt after another.
In the barren desert, the sounds of the gunshots were ear-piercing. But for the people buried under the ground, it was the sound of death. Every time a gunshot rang out, someone would collapse under the dirt.
Alex knew that the people he was shooting were all hidden enemies. With each shot, one more enemy would collapse, no longer a threat.
Eventually, there was no more movement from underneath the dirt. Anyone left alive didn't dare move for fear of being shot.
Alex turned to the soldier who had come out of the dirt and said, "Send a signal to all your men. Tell them that it's safe to come out and tell them to come quickly."
He had been buried earlier himself, so he knew how uncomfortable it was and how much they would want to escape. He thought that being buried alive was more terrifying than drowning. It had been difficult to breathe, and he had begun choking, so the ones that were still buried must be in agony.
The soldier followed Alex's orders and immediately sent out a specific signal, indicating that it was safe to come out. Alex's eyes were locked on the collapsing underground world, paying attention to the movement inside, and ready to pull the trigger at any time.
After a moment of silence, dozens of men started to emerge from the rubble at the same time, but some of them were the enemy.
"Damn it!" Alex cursed. Unbeknownst to them, the other side had used the same method to contact everyone at the same time.
Alex pulled the trigger again and took down another enemy. He didn't wait for them to get up; he just shot them in the shoulders so that they couldn't use their weapons.
He had to reload three times before they were all taken out. Every time one more would appear, Alex would take him down. It was like playing a game of whack-a-mole.
Sawyer and the others watched in horror as Alex shot indiscriminately at the men. It seemed like he was going to kill everyone.
"Sir!" the soldier said, wanting to stop him.
"Carry out the order!" Alex shouted, interrupting him. He pulled the trigger again. When he was finally finished firing, he removed the magazine from the gun. Sawyer and the others nervously looked around at the underground world and the bodies that were piling up.
Because these people were all covered in dust, they had no idea if the men were their enemies or their comrades, and they wondered if Alex was seeking revenge on the special forces.
Everyone knew that the members of the special forces had some hostility toward the soldiers of the Red Arrow Battalion, but that was because the Red Arrow Battalion had suppressed them.
In the past, the two armies had been equals, but after the Red Arrow Battalion had started to show greater power and strength, the soldiers of the special forces had become bitter toward them.
The resentment and chagrin started to become apparent when the two troops had begun working together. At the military base in Baltimore, Alex and Louis hadn't addressed the situation because there simply hadn't been time.
Now the soldiers from the special forces were visibly angry and hostile, but they didn't dare act out their aggressions. Especially while Alex had a gun pointed at them.
Sawyer and the others saw no need to shoot them, and they looked on with worry. The soldier who had first come out of the dirt glared at Alex, but because of his orders, he couldn't stop him. He was among those who had a hostile attitude toward Alex's actions. He knew that Alex was trying to prevent a counterattack, but that still wasn't a good enough excuse to shoot buried soldiers. That kind of excuse might hold up in military court, but it still seemed wrong.
Alex touched his belt and found that he was out of ammunition. "Give me another magazine," he demanded from no one in particular. He didn't notice everyone else's expressions, and no one responded.
He turned his head and found that everyone was looking at him strangely. The soldier from the special forces looked furious.
"Did you not hear me?" he asked. "Bring me another magazine."
"Sir, it's not only our enemies in here but also our comrades," the soldier said indignantly. "Why are you doing this?"
Alex scowled at him. "Cut the crap," he said. "Bring the magazine over. If you have anything to say, then wait until the battle is over."
He was furious at the soldier's challenge. He just wanted to ensure that the enemies didn't get away. At this point, they had lost all ability to resist, so this was the best time to attack. If they were delayed by even one more minute, then their enemies could escape, and Alex didn't think he should need to explain this to them.
"I won't give you the magazine if it means that you're going to kill my men!" the soldier said firmly. "I refuse to carry out this kind of unreasonable order."
"You can disobey my orders, but don't you dare disturb me again," Alex snapped at him. Then he looked at Sawyer. "Bring me the magazine."
Sawyer hesitated for a moment, but he chose to trust Alex, and he casually tossed two magazines over to him.
Alex loaded the gun, and then he aimed at the collapsed underground world with a cold expression.
The soldier from the special forces looked at Alex and hesitated. Then he gritted his teeth and grabbed Alex's rifle. "Sir, I can't let you kill my comrades!"
Alex was furious. "I don't have time to explain everything to you now. Sawyer, control him!"
Sawyer pointed his gun at the back of the soldier's head.
"Put down the gun and get on your knees," he said. The soldier slowly bent down, laid down the gun, and got on his knees.
"I don't want to hurt you," Sawyer said. "But if you get in Alex's way again, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger."
Just as he said that, dozens of people began crawling out from the piles of dirt. Their faces couldn't be seen clearly because they were covered in dirt from head to toe, but Alex knew that they were all special forces.
He smiled smugly and shouted, "It's safe to come out!"
Everyone was shocked. When they saw Alex and the others, they immediately ran toward them.
"Take out your spare weapons and give them to our comrades," Alex commanded his team.
He kept giving out orders while keeping a look out for enemies that might launch an attack.
"What the hell?" Louis said, stalking over to Alex's side with gritted teeth. "Didn't I ask you to assist us in the outer region? What are you guys doing here? What was that big explosion? What the hell is going on?"
Alex laughed and said, "We were assisting in the attack, but there was a wall blocking our way, so I used explosives to blow it up. I had no idea that it would cause multiple explosions."