Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shells from the Minotaur self-propelled artillery whistled through the air, crashing into the oncoming tide of mutants.
Explosions created pockets of vacuum in the mutant horde, but those gaps were quickly filled by the seemingly endless wave of creatures, screeching as they rushed toward the defensive line of the Guard.
"Open fire!"
Arye Rogue, the company commander, glared with his single mechanical red eye as he was the first to pull the trigger. The other soldiers on the line quickly followed suit.
Automatic rifles and heavy machine guns spewed fire, their crisscrossing streams of bullets tearing through the oncoming mutants, turning flesh and bone into flying debris.
Under the suppressive fire, the mutant tide halted momentarily, like a wave smashing into a dam.
But this reprieve didn't last long.
Mutants from the rear stepped over the corpses of their fallen and resumed their relentless assault.
Soon, scattered mutants began breaking through the gunfire, charging at the defensive line.
"Heavy infantry, stop them!"
Rows of heavily armored soldiers emerged, clad in shell-like armor.
Wielding power axes and chainswords, they intercepted the mutants that breached the defense.
One by one, the mutants collided with the heavy infantry, only to be cut down, their blood spraying everywhere.
Despite the dense defense, some mutants still managed to slip through, attacking the unprotected, ordinary soldiers.
"Argh!"
One soldier was knocked down by a mutant, his belly torn open.
He screamed in agony before a hail of bullets hit him and the mutant together, killing them both.
It was an unspoken agreement among the soldiers—to end the suffering quickly.
No one retreated.
Because just five kilometers behind the front line was a residential area, their families were there.
"Die, you bastards!"
Arye swung his chainsword, slicing an attacking mutant in half.
Blood splattered across his face, making his glowing red mechanical eye appear even more sinister.
He roared, "Hold the line! Just fifteen more minutes, and we'll wipe out these damn creatures!"
This was the second mutant horde this month, and the Guard had become experienced at dealing with them.
As the battle dragged on, however, fatigue set in.
More and more soldiers were overrun by the mutants, torn apart with no chance to resist.
Screams of pain echoed throughout the defensive line.
"Damn logistics! We can't even fill our stomachs—where are we supposed to get the strength to fight?!"
The Guard's supplies were managed by the Court District's logistics department.
But the bureaucrats didn't care about the soldiers' lives.
As the pressure on the Guard grew, their rations had been severely reduced.
Their meals were barely better than those of the workers—how could they maintain their combat strength like that?
"Kill! Take down these disgusting monsters!"
Arye shouted as he charged forward, but in a moment of distraction, he was knocked down by a mutant.
He pulled out his pistol, blasting the mutant's head to pieces, but more were already closing in.
There was no time to react!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sweet sound of a bolt pistol rang out.
Bullets struck the oncoming mutants with precision, sending them to meet the dark gods of Chaos.
"Still alive, Cyclops?"
A calm voice came from behind. It was Kaes Light, the cunning junior officer, reloading his bolt pistol as he spoke.
"Still kicking. My father always said I'd outlive everyone else."
Arye spat out some blood and got to his feet. "And so they all died, and here I am, still alive!"
He glared at Kaes, demanding, "Where were you hiding just now?"
Kaes had a reputation for being cunning and cautious within the company.
Whenever the fighting started, he seemed to vanish.
Yet strangely, he always reappeared at crucial moments, racking up impressive achievements.
"Where else? I've been behind you, observing the battlefield."
Arye was known as a battle-hardened veteran, and staying behind him was relatively safe.
"Cunning little brat."
Arye sneered at Kaes' methods. "A real man faces fear head-on!"
"I'm just using my brain, unlike you—an animal."
Kaes said this as he raised his gun, pointing it behind him, the barrel landing directly in the mouth of a mutant trying to sneak up on him.
Squeal?
Boom! The mutant's head exploded before it even knew what hit it.
"I clawed my way out of the underhive. What do you expect?" Arye growled, grabbing a mutant by the neck and slamming it to the ground before crushing its head underfoot.
He panted slightly and looked at Kaes. "Do you notice anything strange?"
"Yeah, don't you think this mutant tide is much weaker than before?"
"Now that you mention it, they're not as fierce as last time," Arye muttered as he hacked down another mutant. "These things aren't putting up the same fight."
"They're running."
Kaes frowned as he pieced it together. "No, they're fleeing!"
"Fleeing? From what?"
"It means something far worse is chasing them, and it's almost here!"
Realizing this, Kaes made a quick decision. "Find the communications officer. We need to report this to the commander and get everyone on high alert!"
Boom!
Just as he was about to act, a massive explosion shook the distant front line, sending dust and smoke billowing into the air.
That was the first pipeline line of defense!
The explosion came from behind the line, meaning something had completely broken through their defenses—and the blast's location was right at the command center where their commander was stationed!
This was bad!
"Dammit, what do we do now, kid?" Even Arye was momentarily stunned.
"Let's focus on our own line first."
Kaes' face darkened. He listened carefully, then looked toward the dark, gaping mouth of the transport pipe. "Something big is coming our way!"
The rumbling sounds from within the transport pipe grew louder and more distinct, like a massive creature charging through, causing the very ground to shake with each thundering step.
Arye swallowed hard. "That's one big monster!"
"Judging by the footsteps, it must weigh at least five tons!"
Kaes took a deep breath. "Prepare for defense!"
By now, no more mutants were emerging from the pipe, and the scattered ones remaining were quickly taken down by the soldiers.
All eyes turned to the transport pipe, where the rumbling grew louder. Something far more terrifying was about to emerge!
"Prepare for defense!"
Arye roared, "Aim all weapons at the pipe entrance! As soon as something comes out, blast it to pieces!"
Following the order, the self-propelled artillery was repositioned, all targeting the mouth of the transport pipe.
The soldiers re-formed their ranks, aiming their weapons at the dark entrance.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the creature to appear.
ROAR!!!
A terrifying howl echoed from inside the transport pipe.
The sound was piercing and horrifying, as if it could tear everything apart!
The sheer pressure of it sent chills down the soldiers' spines, fear gripping their hearts.
The monster had arrived!
(End of Chapter)