The soldiers nodded, but one of them, Lieutenant Ramirez, had the courage to ask.
"Captain, why is it so important to investigate these wreckage?"
Marcus looked directly at Ramirez, his eyes full of coldness.
"This information is confidential, but we were authorized by our superiors to share it with our squadron because the prison ship was designed to be one of the traps for the rebels."
The soldiers nodded in understanding. With the historic capture of Caesar, the voice of the rebels, the Union spared no effort to end the rebellion once and for all. Marcus continued.
"We've already spent many resources preparing for this trap, including a master. We can't fail. The presence of the emergency ship's wreckage indicates that something happened, and our superiors want to know."
Another soldier, Sergeant Lee, added an important question.
"What if there are survivors?"
Marcus acknowledged Sergeant Lee's concern.
"That's why we're here, Sergeant. Our mission is to eliminate any threat, find out what happened to the emergency ship, and bring whoever was on board back to our superiors."
As the squadron prepared to move forward, Marcus considered the mission. The prison ship was a fortress, and any security breach would be a severe blow. The superiors were desperate to know what had happened to their plan.
Marcus shouted loudly to his soldiers.
"The prison ship is a fortress, and any security breach is unacceptable. We need to understand what happened and ensure that there are no more threats."
The ARES squadron was equipped with state-of-the-art military technology. Each soldier wore reinforced combat armor, designed to withstand high-impact blows, as well as provide protection against bullets and explosions. Their helmets were equipped with a visor for better vision and protection.
Each member of the squadron carried a next-generation assault rifle with piercing ammunition against beasts and users of special abilities. Finally, each soldier carried fragmentation and smoke grenades, as well as high-resistance combat knives.
What really set the ARES Squadron apart were their unique abilities. Each soldier possessed superhuman abilities derived from a rigorous genetic enhancement program and intensive training.
"Remember, men!!" Marcus said, his voice thick with authority.
"We're not just investigating wreckage, we're restoring order in our nation and punishing the traitors who turned their backs on their home. Let's show them why we're the ARES Squadron."
As they advanced, Marcus received an update from one of the reconnaissance drones they were authorized to use. The leaders above spared no resources to capture or rescue those on the ship.
"Captain, we've found new footprints at the entrance of a nearby cave."
Marcus frowned as he analyzed the information.
"Alright, team. Let's investigate these footprints. They may lead us to survivors or anything else that might be hidden here."
The squadron moved quickly towards the cave, their steps rapid but silent, unfortunately, the snow made their steps difficult to keep silent, making a surprise attack difficult. Upon arriving at the entrance, Marcus raised his hand signaling for everyone to stop.
"Stay alert!!"
The soldiers activated the thermal vision in their helmets, scanning the area for signs of life. Slowly, they advanced deeper into the cave, following the tracks left in the snow.
As the ARES Squadron moved through the icy cave, Captain Marcus observed every detail around him, looking for any sign that might indicate the presence of survivors. The cold air made his breathing visible.
"I want a full search!" Marcus ordered, his voice echoing softly in the cave.
The soldiers spread out, examining the terrain. It was then that Lieutenant Ramirez noticed something strange. There was a sleeping bag on the ground, apparently abandoned.
"Captain, I found something!!! Come see this!!" he pointed to the sleeping bag.
Marcus approached, frowning. The sleeping bag looked new, but it hadn't been used. He crouched down to inspect it more closely, but before he could do anything, one of the soldiers disturbed the sleeping bag.
"DON'T WAIT!!"
"BOOM!!"
Suddenly, an unexpected explosion shook the cave. The force of the explosion was enough to stun the soldiers, but thanks to their superhuman bodies, they didn't suffer serious injuries. However, the explosion released a cloud of tear gas that began to spread rapidly.
"Everyone back!" Marcus shouted, trying to keep calm. "Ramirez, use your wind power to dissipate that smoke!"
Ramirez, who had the ability to manipulate the air, concentrated and began to move his hands, indicating out of the cave. Slowly, the smoke began to be sucked out of the cave, creating a whirlwind that took it away.
"Continue, Ramirez. We need total visibility!!" Marcus ordered, watching their progress closely.
Gradually, the smoke dissipated, and the visibility inside the cave began to improve. Marcus looked around to check if all his men were okay. But he noticed a new and strong smell that had emerged from the cave. A strong and unknown odor.
"Can you all smell that?" he frowned.
The soldiers nodded, also noticing the strange and unbearable smell. Before Marcus could think of an explanation for why this trap had been set, a terrifying scream echoed from outside the cave. It was the sound of beasts. But not beasts, but rather dangerous wild creatures that inhabited the region.
"Stay alert!" Marcus ordered, raising his hand to signal everyone to prepare.
The soldiers quickly took defensive positions, their assault rifles ready for any threat. The strong smell seemed to be attracting the beasts without them realizing it now, while their screams were getting closer and closer, interrupting any thought.
Marcus, who was not a hunter but had knowledge of the beasts on this planet, realized that they wouldn't attack without reason. He soon understood that it was this strong smell that was attracting them.
"Ramirez, get the smoke out of the cave now. We need total visibility!!"
Ramirez continued to manipulate the air to ensure that the smoke didn't return to the cave while other soldiers prepared for an imminent confrontation.
"Captain, what do we do?"
"Hold your position. Don't let anything in!!" Marcus responded authoritatively.
The screams of the beasts were now very close. But it wasn't a problem for the ARES Squadron, which was ready for battle.
"Remember who we are. We won't let these creatures stop us from completing our mission!! We are the sword and shield of the Union, we are the light of our nation against all evils!!" Marcus made a speech in an attempt to inspire confidence in his soldiers. Because at that moment, Marcus needed his squadron's morale to be high to survive.
"Is this really the only exit you found?"
Viktor was the one who asked this question. There was a terrible scowl on his face as he crawled on the ground. They were in a completely dark tunnel. It was a tiny tunnel that a normal-sized adult man could barely pass through. But with pursuers just a few meters away from them, this gave them more than enough incentive.
"Do you know where we're going?"
"..."
John remained silent.
Viktor sighed and muttered as he looked at the secret passage blocked by the ice that John had created to delay their pursuers, the ARES Squadron, who were moving away as he crawled.
"Huff, huff, hufff—"
John, who was crawling in front, began to sweat coldly.
He began to speak sarcastically, but with a lot of anger.
"Sorry if you don't like where we are. But as you can see, we're being pursued now because of you, so shut up!!!!"
This was an older and less used secret escape route for hunters. But it was still very useful and easy to access for those who knew how.
"Let's keep going now."
John's voice made Viktor tremble with rage, and he began to crawl quickly again. He sighed.
"I hope the trap I set gives us some time.
It was true, he wasn't very confident in the trap he had prepared in a hurry.
At that moment, he heard Atlas's voice. It had a decently warm tone.
'USER! THE CHANCES OF THE TRAP WORKING ARE BELOW 10%.'
Viktor was discouraged by the response.
"Thanks, Atlas."
'YOU'RE WELCOME, USER!'
"....."
"It won't work!" John interrupted the conversation, but he was in a panic.
"It's the damn ARES Squadron! It won't work!" John was starting to panic.
Curious about the response, he wanted to know more about who their pursuers were. But he spoke in a friendly voice so that John wouldn't panic more than he already was.
"Hey, John! Who are they? You seem to know about them?"
John sighed deeply before responding.
"The ARES Squadron is known by all the criminals and rebels on this planet. They are one of the most cruel squadrons, the favorite hunting dogs of General Brutus. If he wants something, he calls the ARES Squadron. They don't give up or back down until the mission is complete. They are a big headache and a nightmare for anyone who faces them."
"So they're Brutus's dogs..." Viktor murmured.