Explosions, Gunfire, and Roars (2)
A massive swarm of bats blackened the sky, spreading out relentlessly. It was like every bat in existence had fused into one colossal beast, gliding through the air with enormous wings spread wide. My eardrums rattled. Its roar swept across the entire mountain and forest, nearly knocking me flat. And then the mountain roared back.
The beast's cry echoed from every corner of the peak—as if in defiance, as a warning, reverberating thunderously. Just like the human beasts barking as they charged me, the animals deep in the mountains howled in response.
The Riverine boats sliced fiercely through the rapids, charging straight across the river. And then the bats came for us. Fast. Incredibly fast. The heavy gunners on the Riverines swiveled their miniguns, M2s, and M240s toward the black sky chasing us down.
At that moment, the underbrush stirred. The forest and bushes rippled like waves in unison. Grrrrowl, grrrrrrr! With savage snarls, shadowy waves surged down the mountain, shoving aside the sunlight.
"Fire!" The minigun gunner bellowed at the top of his lungs, and every gunner on both Riverines pulled their triggers in unison.
The Special Forces and spec ops troops aboard raised their personal weapons, unleashing a hail of bullets into the sky. Flames bloomed instantly across the 10-meter decks like a field of flowers. A storm of rounds sprayed in every direction. It wasn't sporadic gunfire. It buzzed like a swarm of bees. Brrrrrrrt—brrrrrrrt— My eardrums shook again.
I gritted my teeth and looked up. Incoming bats were shredded and pierced by the countless bullets, disintegrating into fragments that rained down like confetti.
The Riverine driver yelled at full volume. "Three o'clock! Three o'clock!"
The gunners on the left side whipped their barrels toward the forest. The bushes waved like an ocean. The wave approached. It hit the riverbank!
Brrrrrrrt! The miniguns and M2s erupted in fiery blossoms, pouring out a torrent of lead. Clatterclatterclatter! Empty casings cascaded like spilled coins.
Kyaaak! Kyaeeeek! Grrooaaar! Screams and roars exploded from the woods simultaneously. Grass, branches, blood, and flesh sprayed into the air in flashes. Trees struck by bullets shattered, hurling debris everywhere. A cocktail of splashes, wood chips, grass, and thunder slammed into my face. My skin stung all over.
I spat out the grit and whipped around. The bat swarm, which hadn't even dared approach under full fire, was closing in slowly. The forest wave surged ferociously, overtaking the Riverines. And in the next instant, beasts burst from the trees.
Grrooowl! Massive creatures leaped straight into the riverbank in a single bound. Their hulking bodies crushed the water, sending up explosive sprays like bombs detonating.
"Shit!" The driver cursed and yanked the wheel hard. The Riverine, barreling down the river's center, dramatically carved through the current and drifted toward the opposite bank.
The gunners staggered. Some toppled over. "Hold on tight! Don't fall off!" Seong Gyu-hyuk shouted.
I grabbed Seong Ga-yeon's hand and clutched the deck handle for dear life. Screams? I couldn't tell amid the chaos of sounds.
Once the boat steadied, I lifted my head. Bats chased from behind. Beasts ahead.
...A pack of dogs. The same ones from the village. At least twenty of them!
I released Ga-yeon's hand and drew an Ingram from my thigh holster. I couldn't let go of the deck handle. Do that, and I'd get flung off this bucking boat.
The bats behind still had some distance. But those dogs ahead—plunging into the river one by one—we'd collide in seconds. They had no intention of letting us go.
I shoved the Ingram forward between the gunners, aiming at them. A transparent reticle appeared before my eyes. Damn it, the boat's shaking too much. One slip, and I'd hit the bow minigunner's thigh. Tsk. I clicked my tongue, spun back, and thrust the Ingram toward the sky. I could at least keep the incoming bats at bay with—
Then the earthquake hit. An earthquake?! No. It was a sound! The entire mountain trembled.
Roooooooaaar! A deafening screech tore through the air from every direction, overpowering even our buzzing heavy guns.
Trees splintered and crashed, revealing a colossal silhouette. It was like a whole hill coming alive. Casting a massive shadow, it leaped toward the distant river.
Kyaeeeek! Kyaeeeek! The monster dogs roared in the water. No—more like screams of agony.
It slammed into them amid furious splashes. The giant beast's maw gaped impossibly wide—not a mouth, really. Like a crocodile's, it split from throat to jaws. It looked like a pitch-black boar, but I'd never seen a boar this vicious.
The lord of the mountain. A monster wild boar.
Its plunge created a massive wave. The wave swelled into a tsunami and crashed over us.
"Fuck!" The Riverine, hugging the bank, collided with it.
"Gah!" Both boats were swept ashore by the surge.
US troops and Special Forces tumbled into the mud, rolling everywhere.
Ptoo! Covered head to toe in muck, I jerked my head up. The troops were scattered along the bank. I wiped the mud from my eyes.
Looking down, the Riverines were beached far from the water. I gritted my teeth and stood.
"Fuck!" One minigun gunner screamed, pinned under a boat. I had to save him!
I splashed toward the US troops, glancing at the distant sky. The bats were coming. Damn it, incoming!
I raised my Ingram. This alone couldn't take them all! As I reached for another with my free hand—
A thunderous roar boomed from behind my head. Brrrrrrrt!
At the same instant, a barrage like spears of light engulfed the descending bats. Kieeeek! Kieeek!
Man-sized bats had wings ripped off, legs severed, disintegrating midair and crashing to the ground in heaps.
I sucked in a breath and turned. The US base! We'd made it right to the doorstep!
From the barracks rooftops, a dozen miniguns, M2s, and personal weapons unleashed tens of thousands of rounds per minute, blanketing the sky and sealing off the bats completely.
"Whew." I exhaled, gripped the Riverine's deck with one hand, and heaved it up. "Hrngh!"
Grind. My teeth ground together. Could they hear me? This thing! Crazy heavy!
As I strained, a US soldier and Special Forces trooper rushed to my sides, helping lift the boat. Seong Ga-yeon dashed over, pulling the pinned gunner free. His crushed legs thrashed against the ground. Finally, he was out.
"Run! To the base!"
Extract and strike. That was the plan from the start. Contingencies like this were always possible. But all three alphas showing up at once? No one saw that coming.
Did provoking one rile up the others? Who could've known?
The capsized boats left multiple wounded. Special Forces and spec ops hoisted the injured over shoulders or supported them, bolting for the base in unison.
Brrrrrt! Brrrrrt! The base's covering fire streaked overhead as I dashed after them, Ingrams in both hands.
A dozen miniguns plus heavy and personal weapons. Pretty damn fierce. Bats were no longer a worry...
Rumble rumble! Crack! Crunch! A chilling roar erupted from the right.
The massive monster in the river—the alpha boar—was devouring the dogs. The huge Jindo leading the pack climbed its back, biting furiously, but it was outmatched. Weight class difference was too vast.
Crunch! Snap! Bone-crunching sounds. The boar, effortlessly munching the dogs hampered by water, raised its head. Rooooaaar!
It plunged its head under. The massive Jindo clamped on its neck got dragged down.
I watched the scene while running. Monsters fighting monsters. Insane!
Moments later, the water bulged like a whale breaching. The giant beast thrust its head up, sprays flying everywhere. It looked ready to scoop up the whole river.
Half-torn human-beast limbs sailed through the air amid the foam. Crunch! More bone-cracking.
I blocked the water with my arm and looked up. The monster boar had the giant Jindo in its jaws, chewing.
Crunch! Snap! Its body heaved with each bite. Muscles bulged like they might explode. Even then, its bulk began to swell further.
...That crazy bastard.
As it chewed the dog, it lowered its head. Huge, pitch-black eyes. Staring right at me.
I stared back. A chill ran down my spine.
And simultaneously, my heart pounded.
Yeah. See me? Come at me. I'll kill you.
A smile crept unbidden onto my lips.