The autocannon exploded in a dazzling shower of molten metal and shrapnel, sending the gunner flying backward in a charred heap.
His assistant, caught in the deadly spray, crumpled beside him, writhing in agony as the ceramo-metal alloy of his combat armor proved useless against the high-velocity heated fragments.
"Target down!"
Julian's voice crackled through our secure comms, sharp and clear.
"Nice shot! Stay there and start picking them off!"
I barked, bracing my rifles stock against my armored ribs, muzzle pointed upwards, the HUD lighting up with enemy positions.
The rest of the chain waited for my lead, tension visible even through the round crimson visors of their helmets painted In white skulss.
I could feel the adrenaline and combat stims coursing through my veins, my heart pounding against my chest plate like a war drum.
"The rest of you, after me! track formation, from right to left!"
I ordered, voice edged with urgency.
I bolted from the cover of the dropship, running like my life depended on it. The ground exploded around me as enemy rounds smacked into the rocky terrain, sending up plumes of dirt and molten rock.
I dove to the ground, gripping the angled foregrip of my rifle, and started squeezing the trigger, sending 6.8 mm nanocomposite bullets toward the enemy positions.
"Run! Run, you f*cks!"
I roared, watching Airid dart past me on my right from the corner of my view, sprinting a few meters before he too dove to the ground, firing back at the Slug mercs.
The rest of the chain followed in sequence, each one advancing and diving into position, forming a rough line in the formation.
Bullets and laser beams crisscrossed through the air, the roar of battle a deafening symphony around us.
"Fritz, advance!"
I shouted as I emptied my magazine into the enemy's direction.
"Fishman, Scrooge, Weeb, suppressive fire!"
Darius and I stood up, sprinting forward for a brief but critical three seconds, moving like our lives depended on it while others Intensified their fire power.
We crashed back to the ground, sliding into position and resuming our onslaught of gunfire. Darius's light laser machine gun cut through the fog of smoke and debris, the intense heat warping the air around his line of fire.
"Keep moving!"
I bellowed.
"We either kill them or they kill us there's no other scenario!"
We continued our advance, leapfrogging forward, trading volleys with the slugs, who were frantically trying to hold their ground.
At a hundred meters, I ran dry once again, my rifle's bolt clicking empty again with the holographic ammo count next to the mag In my view showing a fat red zero.
"Changing mag!"
I roared, rolling onto my armored back as I switched the selector switch to safety, released the empty magazine. I slammed in a fresh one, released the bolt, and immediately pressed the trigger after rolling back onto my armored stomach and switching back to single fire mode.
The smart rifle barked in my hands, sending a precise stream of bullets downrange. One round found its mark, punching through a xeno's neck, green blood gushing from the wound as the alien desperately tried to stem the flow with its hands, collapsing into a twitching heap.
"Underbarrel HEs on my count!"
I ordered, preparing to unleash the underbarrel grenade launchers.
"Three, two, one, fire!"
We launched a volley of grenades in unison, the shells arcing through the air before crashing into the enemy line with devastating explosions.
The ground erupted in a cloud of dust, rock, and dismembered limbs, a cacophony of screams and shrapnel filling the air.
"Stand up, advance, and fire!"
I commanded, we rose as one, advancing while firing, swaping the mags on the go, the rhythm of battle pulsing in our veins.
At 25 meters, the resistance intensified. A grenade flew out from a crater ahead.
"Frag!"
I roared, diving to the ground. Everyone hit the dirt, but Airid was a split second too late. The grenade detonated near him, a deafening blast followed by a piercing scream of pain and agony.
"F*ck!"
I cursed, my heart sinking as Airid's scream which was the scarriest thing I ever heard In my life cut through the chaos. I flicked my rifle's selector switch to full-auto, roaring.
"Fritz cover fire, scrooge, fishman get weeb stabilized!"
I charged forward out of reflex without thinking, bullets and laser beams zipping past me and occasionally scratching and scorching my armor plates.
I dove into the nearest crater, coming face-to-face with a xeno merc. I squeezed off a short burst at point-blank range, the rounds tearing into its chest armor plate despite Its technologically superior alloy and sending the humanoid f*cker sprawling back.
Another xeno loomed into view, and I unloaded at full auto at It as it raised its weapon. The blue laser beam seared through my thigh, the sudden, searing pain dropping me to my knee with a roar of agony.
"F*ck!"
I roared, gripping my rifle as best I could, the pain blurring my vision. I fired wildly, the rounds ricocheting off a Slug in exoskeleton armor, barely making a dent. My magazine clicked empty.
"F*ck"
I cursed at top of my lungs, releasing the rifle and grabbing the pistol strapped to my hip. I pulled It out from my holster and fired several shots, the bullets cracking through the air and striking the xeno's laser rifle, causing it to malfunction and explode, catching the alien in a blast of blue energy the moment he tried to pull the trigger.
As the taller than me xeno thanks to added height from his exoskeleton armor staggered, I ditched the pistol, drawing my combat knife from its sheath fixed to my armored vests left shoulder strap with my right glowed hand.
The slug charged at me, swinging its armored hand with the Intent to crush me to a pulp. I ducked under its swing, my injured leg barely holding my weight.
The impact of its strike glanced off my armored ribs, and I felt the jarring dent of my armor plate and the crunch of my ribs fracturing under the blow.
The pain was blinding, but I gritted my teeth, the world narrowing to the xeno in front of me.
"Come on, you c*nt!"
I snarled, lunging forward. I drove my knife into its neck, twisting hard as green blood sprayed out.
The xeno gurgled, clawing at me with desperate strength. It grabbed my wrist, squeezing until I felt the bones crack, but I didn't let go.
I pushed the blade deeper, twisting with all my might, until the xeno's grip stopped Increasing, and it collapsed at my feet, twitching once before going still.
I stumbled back, gasping for air, my broken ribs and wrist sending sharp stabs of pain with every breath.
Blood dripped from my scorched thigh because of the opened up wound from movement, and my wrist throbbed with every beat of my heart, but the adrenaline kept me moving.
I limped back towards the edge of the crater for cover while injecting myself with shots of painkillers and combat stimulants from my first aid med kit.
Darius, Paul, and Robert had managed to drag Airid behind a boulder, working furiously to patch him up.
Airid's armor was scorched and smoking, his face under his fully enclosed helmet rapidly loosing color as he gasped for breath, but he was alive, still.
Julian continued to pick off the remaining targets with precision from his vantage point, the report of his sniper rifle echoing like a steady drumbeat.
"Airid, stay with me!"
Paul urged, applying anti-bleeding spray on his wounds as Robert injected more painkillers and combat stimulants to keep him going.
"I'm… not going… anywhere,"
Airid gasped, his voice strained barely a whisper.
"Hey, hey! Stay with us you f*ck! F*ck vamp, weeb Is losing consciousness!"
Paul roared into our communications channel as he frantically smacked Airids helmet.
I leaned against the crater's edge, struggling to keep my vision from fading. I tapped into the comms, voice ragged but resolute, devoid of any emotion, because now wasn't the time for emotions but cold hard logic.
"Chain… sitrep."
"No one Is firing back anymore"
Darius said, his voice tight but steady as he fired off another burst just to make sure.
"I think that's It we killed them all"
"Cezar what do you see?"