Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Blade Bee Encounter
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There was no thrill.
Just the feeling that it was only natural.
Among the academy cadets, no one couldn't handle even three Armor Spiders.
As for lacking ranged weapons, any regular soldier could sweep them away with just a single gun.
Still, I liked the 'process' at least.
'I won't get chewed out for this.'
I inspected the wreckage, wondering how Roze would have rated it if she were watching.
Inside the shattered armor, the circuits infested with neural parasites were fully exposed.
I crushed even those underfoot.
-Multiple Armor Spiders approaching. Squad Leader.
"Hoo... No, hold position."
-Will you engage?
"I could use some stress relief. Wait just a moment. No support needed."
-Understood. We'll report any anomalies.
I'd been planning to withdraw, but I changed my mind.
It seemed a lot of stress had built up without me realizing it.
I wasn't originally this violent of a person.
'Well, if you don't change in an environment like this, are you even human?'
The distinctive whirring mobility sound of Armor Spiders echoed from all directions.
My sharpened senses picked up at least thirty of them.
But combat drones stripped of ranged attack capabilities were little more than sandbags for stress relief.
A short while later.
The well-established firing line soon became a chaotic mess of shattered Armor Spider remains.
*
Right after the engagement, I analyzed the neural parasites.
Unfortunately, I found no useful traits applicable to me.
Perhaps because they were subservients produced by the infection burrow, the information volume was extremely low, so I only stored the data for collection purposes and discarded the rest.
"Did you relieve your stress well?"
"Much better."
Sergeant Smith nodded, saying it was a relief, then continued.
"While you were handling them, Corporal Nolan climbed a building and scouted the surroundings."
"Did he find anything?"
"Looks like you took out all the Armor Spiders nearby. There were some bigger ones, but they were at a distance."
Then we could double-time it to the search point.
"Which way's the fastest?"
"I've shared it."
"Thanks."
"Thanks to Corporal Nolan. He's got sharp eyes."
I manipulated the tactical visor to check the info.
Using the marked route, we could arrive without further encounters.
"Let's move out."
"We'll do a forced march."
I took the rear.
The infantry close-combat armors worn by the squad members had basic thrusters built in for mobility assistance.
They worked by sucking in and expelling surrounding air, with low battery drain and quite effective at reducing physical exertion.
The downside was they weren't very fast, so I had to match their pace.
'...Is this it?'
We arrived at the destination.
The building, resembling a lab, was dark and gloomy like a ruin, with a foul stench wafting from inside.
"Looks like an infection burrow, alright."
My personal alien sensor was reacting.
Considering the distinctive 'smell' of infection burrows, this was definitely one.
"Shall we split into fireteams?"
"Yeah. Me alone, and split the squad into two—that makes three teams total. Sound good?"
"Excellent judgment."
Given the alien contamination level on the sensor, this infection burrow wasn't all that dangerous.
Even if there were threats, five soldiers could handle it easily.
For search speed, we'd split the squad into three.
Internal exploration went about as expected—not too difficult.
We encountered two Armor Spiders, but that was it, and the other teams handled their Armor Spiders without issue.
"Hmm... Mission success."
"What about the infection nest?"
"I'll take a look. Can you check for any hidden items around?"
"Got it."
It seemed the infection nest—thought to be the final search objective—was guarded by about twenty Armor Spiders and automated turrets.
Unfortunately, by the time I heard, Sergeant Smith's team had already found and wiped them out.
They'd asked me about destroying the remaining infection nest, so I'd requested a brief hold.
'I hope this doesn't disappoint.'
Infection nests are hard to rate for danger level.
It varies wildly depending on what they've infected.
If discovered early like this, you can easily take out a defenseless one, but otherwise, even superhumans might struggle to eliminate it.
Infection Nest [8990]
Surprisingly abundant.
Nearly twice as much as the Grade 2 danger Blade Bee.
Even with the abilities I'd diligently mastered, it would take quite some time.
But the surprise was short-lived; as I analyzed, my face frowned.
'What is this? Most of it's just meaningless garbage.'
No different from the neural parasites produced by the infection nest.
The genetic info constituting the nest itself was only slightly better than that of the Grade 1 danger Breath Worm, and the rest was basically dummy data randomly transmitted from infected targets.
'No, no. There has to be something useful.'
Seizing the rare opportunity, I dove deeper into the analysis just in case.
The harvest was ultimately a bust.
I just rediscovered a fact I already knew.
Infection nests are a sort of alien data warehouse.
They transmit collected info upward to rebirth it into something for fighting humanity.
In other words, the vanguard for aliens mimicking humans over the past century.
'So this is how it...'
Even knowing it intellectually, the real-time info flowing through my mind during analysis was chilling.
Could humans really defeat these monsters?
"Squad Leader, search complete. Here's the inventory."
I'd only collected the data terminal for records before burning the infection nest.
Since I'd carried out the mission with the full squad, the points awarded more than doubled.
"Whoa? This much?"
"Our sharp-eyed guy did some good work."
Turning, Corporal Nolan gave an awkward smile.
"Nice."
"Head to the next objective?"
"Hmm, no. Let's take a break and grab a bite. Of course, outside this stinking place."
"Yes sir! Prepare to move out!"
Packing up was done in an instant.
The squad clearly didn't want to linger in this filthy spot any longer.
*
The practical test proceeded smoothly.
We synced better and better with the squad, boosting our search speed.
On top of search point yields, we lucked into random resupply on day two, allowing a fairly luxurious meal for the battlefield.
And today was the third day of the practical test.
After completing two missions in the morning and resting, I spotted something noteworthy.
"Hmm...,"
Rough vibrations transmitted through the air, along with flashing lights.
Relatively nearby, what seemed like superhuman activity was causing a commotion.
"Isn't that the highest-point zone?"
"Looks like someone's gunning for big scores."
Cadets had choice in missions.
You could abandon unwanted ones midway, so it was possible to tackle higher difficulties than your capability.
Of course, I was a safety-first guy with no such thoughts.
"It's not one team. Looks like at least three competing for the same mission."
As Sergeant Smith said, competition had broken out over the same objective.
Probably cadets who hadn't earned enough points the first two days trying to catch up at the end, or ones who thought they could handle it now.
But what were they fighting?
"Blade Bees, sir."
I squinted, hoping focus would help me see better, when Corporal Nolan spoke up.
Sure enough, it was.
Blade Bees flying at incredible speeds were swarming and fiercely attacking a single building.
Occasional explosions meant they were using explosive stings too.
'Hope the soldiers are okay.'
Blade Bees were tough for soldiers with current gear.
A moment's lapse and they'd be dead for sure.
Even hiding inside, casualties were inevitable under that assault.
Fortunately, the superhumans' abilities seemed potent; Blade Bees were getting caught and dropping one by one.
'Ah, that's a shame.'
I swallowed involuntarily.
The 'Tough Wrists' trait from Blade Bees was incredibly useful.
It boosted most hand-related stats, aiding not just Roze-style training but weapon techniques immensely.
Completing it with this fragment would definitely advance my abilities.
"Will you join in too, Squad Leader?"
"Haha, that obvious?"
He must've thought I was eyeing the mission from my contemplative look.
I held my tongue for now.
I hadn't faced them directly, but for me alone, Blade Bees were no big deal.
But including the squad?
No special abilities, just my body—I couldn't cover them all against that speed.
'Yeah, better skip and do something else...'
I was organizing my thoughts to speak when Sergeant Smith voiced his opinion first.
"Don't worry about us. We're not here to hold you back, Squad Leader."
"But still..."
Can't just abandon them.
We'd built some rapport over three days; being callous would be hard.
"Soldiers have their soldier ways. Allow me to demonstrate."
Sergeant Smith showed his first smile in front of my hesitation.
*
We advanced cautiously, hugging the left building.
With senses fully focused, my ears caught the high-pitched wingbeat buzz of Blade Bees.
'Coming. Two of them.'
I lowered my stance slightly.
Blood rushed to my legs, calves subtly swelling.
The moment the Blade Bees rounded the building, my bent knees snapped straight, heel slamming the ground hard.
My body shot up diagonally like an arrow.
The instantaneous high pressure battered my whole body.
The Blade Bees reacted swiftly too.
The instant I charged, it leveled its spear straight at me and thrust precisely.
No wasted motion.
But that was it.
Deprived of 'spacing' without time to think, the Blade Bee could only watch as I slid along the spear, my heel mercilessly severing its neck from its body.
'One down.'
Humans can't fly.
Without sustained aerial thrust, gravity pulls you down—basic physics.
Aerial combat was Blade Bee territory.
As I fell countering its attacks, I focused solely on defense.
'Using it better than me, huh.'
I had to concede the Blade Bee's spearmanship.
I'd tried to seize it but failed.
Defense was all I could manage.
Then, a beam from perpendicular struck the Blade Bee's wing dead-on.
The reeling Blade Bee lost balance and me in the process.
"Nice shot."
I tossed out the words and kicked off the ground again.
As the Blade Bee dodged with evasive maneuvers against suppressive fire, I wrapped my body around its swung spear and clung, successfully dismantling it.
The poor Blade Bee crash-landed before it could even touch down, all its weapons stripped.
"It's done. Hold position."
-Roger.
I raised my hand in a big signal.
Sergeant Smith and the squad were about a kilometer away on a building rooftop.
They'd pulled off long-range sniping support.
'Elite is elite.'
Pure marksmanship, no other aids.
Hitting over 20% while the Blade Bee evaded spoke volumes of their skill, nodding my head in admiration.
They were assisting in the best way possible.
I smirked faintly, dragging the Blade Bee corpses to a corner.
One instant death, the other half-blown but still alive.
'This enough?'
The moment I'd awaited had arrived.