Chapter 601.2: Roar Of The Chimera

The hatch on the Chimera popped open, and Escaping Mole climbed out. He had his hand braced on the turret rim as he rolled his eyes.

“Please. Without me directing the battle, do you even know where to drive?”

These bastards!

When it’s smooth sailing, they brag that tactics are useless.

When it’s tough, they curse the commander for being trash.

Being their commander was exhausting.

Elf Wang chimed in with a grin, “Bah, we’re not bragging, but this ain’t the Army we’re fighting. All we need to do is to smack these savages who don’t even know how to build cover. We just need to charge and spray!”

Other players heckled along.

“Exactly!”

“Tactics my ass, just rush their ass!”

“You dare say we weren’t driving reckless enough?”

Escaping Mole coughed awkwardly. It was hard to deny.

Honestly, he had been reckless. There was no need to drive that far forward. They could have sat back and farmed kills.

But that wasn’t the point.

He managed to show off to everyone else and the rush felt good.

He tapped his helmet and cleared his throat, ignoring the heckling.

“All units, coordinate with infantry. Advance toward the ‘Old Residential Zone’ marker. Singularity City’s ruins are over there. Watch for Mutant Humans hiding in the buildings.”

Replies came quickly.

“Copy!”

Escaping Mole smiled with satisfaction.

It looked like the Chimeras were performing well across the lines. They weren’t shaming themselves in front of the other corps.

But that smile faded seconds later when an untimely voice broke in.

“... This is Chimera-3, we’ve hit trouble! Mutant anti tank fire knocked out our engine, we’re dead in the street, shit, there’s a sniper! Spread out! Into cover! Damn bastards are playing dirty!”

The squad leader shouted orders while reporting, the rattle of gunfire and clanging metal made the firefight obvious.

Sniper?

In this fog?

They must be hacking!

Escaping Mole stiffened. He quickly turned serious and snapped, “Report your position!”

The leader glanced at his map and peered out the vision slit, speaking fast.

“600 meters southwest of the department store. Near a subway entrance and an unmarked office tower, I’ve marked it on the map!”

Escaping Mole continued to ask, “What about the sniper’s position?”

“Judging by shots, they’re somewhere southwest of us, outside the main battle zone. Likely in the tallest building, or the one next to it. Can’t confirm exactly.”

“Circle it anyway.”

“... Updated the map!”

“Copy! We’re coming!”

Escaping Mole passed the sniper coordinates up the chain, then rapped the turret hard.

“Our brothers are in trouble. We’re going to bail them out... damn fools just had to sit on the roof showing off!”

Midnight Pubg stomped up with his Howler over his shoulder. “Do you need us?”

Escaping Mole eyed his oversized body and shook his head fast. “No, no. You keep advancing. We’ll clear it and loop back.”

Bringing him meant unloading their infantry to fit one big asshole. It was a bad tradeoff.

Midnight Pubg grinned. “Alright, good luck.”

After watching the Chimera roll off toward the crossroads, he waved to his men. “Keep pushing!”

...

By midday, the New Alliance vs Qi Tribe battle was blazing hot. With Chimeras tearing in, the stalemate turned into slaughter.

Most of the Skeleton Corps were veterans who had clashed head-on with the Army’s armor troops. Street fighting was new, but mowing down enemies was nothing new.

In hours, the Mutant Humans lost every inch of ground retaken the day before, casualties equaling the first three days combined.

Delu had already gone mad with slaughter. Still, like a gambler, he threw what was left of his men into frenzied attacks.

Anyone could see his defeat was only a matter of time.

Gaen had written the fool off, fortifying his base near the research district. At best, he could last a week.

If the New Alliance pressed harder, he might abandon the lab, even retreat south.

The Torch Church had no way to rein in those Mutant Humans and order them to fight to their death.

If they could, they would have done it already...

On the southwest flank, in a derelict office tower, an old man in exoskeleton watched the battle quietly.

At 80, most wastelanders were long dead. But he bore only wrinkles.

His name was Arzu. He was an Apostle, and he was more of a researcher than a fighter. He was like Yore. But unlike the young man, his faith was unshakable.

If not for mistrusting machines, he would have uploaded his mind to the Sanctuary ages ago to become a proud Pathfinder.

To him, the Sanctuary was a fragile fantasy.

Luo Qian proved it.

At the critical moment of completing the Torch Church’s puzzle, he vanished.

The chosen Apostle sent Arzu to investigate and finish the puzzle.

From the moment he set foot in the region, Arzu smelled betrayal.

Luo Qian’s chip remained, but it had changed.

Only betrayal made sense.

Hence, he never trusted the intangible. The human brain was the perfect sanctuary.

Nearby, a buzz-cut man squeezed his sniper’s trigger, coldly muttering the word, ‘two’. His cybernetic eye dilated.

In fog where visibility was under 20 meters, he seemed to see every twitch of the battlefield.

Another man with binoculars clicked his tongue. “... The New Alliance went all in. 30 armored vehicles have arrived. An entire battalion of them came.”

On the Wasteland, that was rare.

But with Boulder Town’s industry under New Alliance control, it made sense.

His name was Chimo. He was an Executor, the same type the missing Mountain Falcon. He had come to aid Arzu.

Unlike Mountain Falcon, he hated working alone. He always brought his partner.

HIs partner, Tang He, lay at his feet.

Blinded in a past mission, half his brain and one eye had been replaced with cybernetics. He was now left muttering about killing nonstop. He would even start to feel uncomfortable if he didn’t kill anyone that day.

Nobody knew how he saw the world. However, the Torch Church had plenty of farms to indulge him. Livestock victims never fought back.

He was unstable and did nothing but kill. As such, Chimo mostly conversed with Arzu.

Arzu watched the battlefield, then spoke. “I feel like the New Alliance isn’t the only one on to us.”

Chimo smirked. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

“New Alliance shines in biotech. For them to outmatch us in electronic warfare, they’ve got help.”

Chimo frowned. “You mean... The Enterprise?”

Seemed about right.

Just the day before, he tried to attack the Heart of Steel’s communication lines.

He was instantly countered.

Two distinct forces hammered him so hard he nearly fried Tang He’s brain. With cold sweat streaming down his back, he quickly cut the connection.

Arzu nodded once, then shook his head. “Not just the Enterprise. The Academy might be a part of it too.”

Chimo’s frown deepened.

The Academy...

If it were only the Enterprise, it was no big deal. They only cared about big prey like the Army. By the time they acted, the Kingdom of Heaven would span provinces.

However, if they added Academy, things would be was different.

Their fighters were weak, but their technology was absolutely absurd. They had tendrils everywhere! Worst of all... Nobody knew their motives. No one knew what motivated them to act.

To put it in comparison, they were basically using magic in gunfights.

Chimo sighed and scratched his head. “This is troubling... We’re just small flies... Why is the Enterprise and Academy hunting us down?”

Arzu chuckled mirthlessly. “To me, they’re all the same. Sooner or later, every parasite will die beneath us.”

He turned toward the stairs and started moving.

Chimo called after him. “Where you going?”

A distant answer floated back. “Don’t underestimate them.”

Chimo blinked.

Don’t underestimate? Them?

He meant the Enterprise and the Academy?

When had he ever underestimated them?

As he puzzled, a buzzing grew louder. At first, it sounded like mosquitoes, but quickly the rumble of rotors arrived.

Shit!

Tang He’s face shifted, eye leaving the scope. He looked skyward and cursed. “Shit...”

Chimo’s face fell too.

Through the fog, black crosses swept low, dropping black dots.

All they did was shoot twice at the enemy...

The New Alliance was sending a whole bomber squadron over to take them out?!