Ethan walked calmly, his eyes focused on the forest ahead. The ground beneath him hummed from the march of the tanks and heavy vehicles. The steps of the soldiers were loud and clear, echoing through the dense foliage. The Hasnian soldiers were on high alert, scrutinizing every rock, bush, and tree for signs of the intruder. Ethan knew that the Hasnians possessed cloning technology, and once they identified him as a threat, they would send hordes of clones to overwhelm him. He decided that stealth was his best approach.
As the army reached the crash site, the Hasnian commander observed the area with a steely gaze. "Fan out and search for the alien or his dead body," he ordered, his voice carrying authority. The soldiers broke into small groups, each heading in different directions to comb through the area.
Ethan, clad in a ghillie suit that blended seamlessly with the forest floor, observed the movements of the soldiers. He drew his twin Heckler & Koch P30Ls, each fitted with custom silencers. A small group of five soldiers moved near a bush, their eyes darting around in search of any anomaly. The lead rat noticed some abnormal grass on the floor and moved closer to inspect it.
In a flash, Ethan sprang from his hiding spot. His hands moved with lightning speed, squeezing the triggers of his pistols multiple times. The suppressed gunshots were barely audible, but the bullets found their marks with deadly precision. One by one, the soldiers fell to the ground, their heads pierced by silenced rounds. Ethan didn't pause; he moved swiftly to the next squad, his pistols ready.
The forest became a silent hunting ground. Ethan moved like a shadow, dismantling the squads one by one. Some soldiers saw death coming in the form of a muzzle flash and a precise shot to the forehead, while others didn't even have the chance to react before a bullet tore through their skulls. In silence, Ethan's lethal efficiency slowly whittled down the enemy numbers.
As Ethan killed the last group of soldiers, he looked into the distance at the crash site. The tanks and armored vehicles were on high alert, with Hasnian soldiers scurrying to move the spaceship's parts into containers and load them onto the vehicles. Ethan picked up a gun from the ground, a weapon resembling an AK-47, previously owned by a fallen Hasnian soldier. He fired a few rounds into the air, drawing attention.
The commander, riding atop a tank, turned toward the noise, a confident smirk spreading across his face. "They got the alien," he barked, ordering the tank to move toward the sound. He assumed his soldiers had killed the intruder. The tank advanced, flanked by foot soldiers, while the rest continued to load the cargo.
Ethan, perched silently on a tree branch, observed the advancing unit. As they reached the fallen bodies of their comrades, the commander ordered one soldier to check for any survivors. While the commander's attention was on that lone soldier, Ethan acted. With swift, precise shots from his silenced pistols, he eliminated the soldiers standing behind the tank.
He then holstered his pistols and drew a combat knife. In a fluid motion, he dropped from the tree and plunged the knife into the back of the commander's head, the blade piercing through the gas mask and protruding from the front. Ethan carefully laid the commander's body against the tank, ensuring those inside wouldn't notice anything amiss.
Moving stealthily, Ethan approached the tank's view port. The soldier who had gone to check the bodies turned around just in time to see Ethan's barrel aimed at him. A single suppressed shot ended his life, and his lifeless body slumped to the ground. Inside the tank, the driver saw the soldier fall and began to speak, but his words were cut short as Ethan shoved the barrel through the view port and fired, killing him instantly.
There were still two more soldiers inside. Ethan yanked the commander's body out of the hatch and fired two quick shots into the tank, silencing the remaining soldiers. The tank, now quiet and still, stood as a testament to Ethan's deadly efficiency.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Ethan turned his attention back to the remaining soldiers and vehicles at the crash site.
Ethan slipped into the tank's cramped interior, his movements cautious as he assessed the alien machinery around him. The Hasnian tank was a strange mix of World War II-era mechanics and alien engineering, combining a rugged, mechanical design with oversized levers, dials, and gauges labeled in the unfamiliar symbols of the Hasnian language. He scanned the controls, trying to find the turret mechanism. Luckily, the controls seemed to work on basic mechanics, with clunky gears and a hand-cranked turret that reminded him of old Earth tanks he'd trained on years ago.
After some initial struggle, he gripped the turret lever and began to turn the massive gun toward the soldiers' trucks, which were still parked by the crash site. The process was slow and required all his strength as he cranked the handle, feeling every groan of the rusted machinery echoing through the tank's hull. He muttered under his breath, hoping he wouldn't alert the soldiers outside until it was too late.
Finally, the turret aligned. Ethan's eyes narrowed as he leaned into the gun sight, his target perfectly framed: a cluster of trucks, each packed with soldiers and crates loaded with parts scavenged from the spaceship. Without a second thought, he slammed his hand down on the firing mechanism.
A thunderous explosion rocked the area as the shell struck the first truck. It erupted into a fiery inferno, scattering soldiers and debris in all directions. Panic set in as the remaining Hasnian soldiers yelled orders and scrambled for cover, their confusion mounting as they processed that one of their own tanks had turned against them.
Chaos filled the air. The soldiers, thinking they were under attack from another alien ambush, began blindly firing at the tank, filling the air with the deafening roar of gunfire and the sharp crack of bullets ricocheting off the tank's armor.
Ethan didn't let up. He swung the machine gun mounted on the top of the tank, his hands gripping the cold steel of the gun. Leaning out from the turret hatch, he pressed down on the trigger. The rapid-fire barrage from the tank-mounted machine gun sent streams of bullets into the remaining soldiers, who were now pinned down with nowhere to go.
The panicked Hasnian troops attempted to regroup, but their efforts were futile against Ethan's relentless assault. He mowed them down with precision, each burst of gunfire hitting its mark. The soldiers fell in waves, their cries drowned out by the relentless chattering of the machine gun.
As the last of the trucks went up in flames and the remaining soldiers were either dead or retreating into the trees, Ethan took a brief pause, scanning for any signs of movement. The battlefield was now eerily silent, the once-proud Hasnian forces lying scattered and defeated around him.
But Ethan knew this was only the beginning. If the Hasnians could clone their troops, more would be sent, and soon. He had made his presence known, and there was no going back. Adjusting his gear and gathering whatever ammunition he could find in the tank, Ethan climbed down, his mind already calculating his next move.
He melted back into the forest, knowing that the Hasnian command would likely send reinforcements soon. His focus sharpened, adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was now a guerrilla war, one man against an empire. Ethan was ready, and he would bring the fight to them, one calculated move at a time.