Chapter 421: Interlude – Flesh-colored Tango
Chapter 421: Interlude – Flesh-colored Tango
“This is Hotel Hive. Tango-Three-Five, come in.”
The voice crackled through the harsh metallic interior.
I immediately extended my consciousness to receive the transmission.
“Copy, this is Tango-Three-Five. What’s the situation?”
Judging by the cadence of the hail, it wasn't an urgent call. I replied leisurely, and the response came back shortly.
“Do you see a five-story building ahead of you?”
Where exactly is ‘ahead’? Just give me the coordinates, I grumbled internally, but I slowly turned my head to scan the surroundings.
As I moved, the visual link devices mounted on the tank’s exterior transmitted the environment directly into my brain.
“You mean the one with its head blown off? The one that’s a 4.5-story building now?”
I sent the reply back to command with a bit of a joke mixed in, hoping to inject a little levity into those stiff-necked officers.
“Can you let one fly at that building?”
It seemed a bit of humor had rubbed off on the Communications Officer.
‘Let one fly,’ he says. He’s got a bit of a personality, this one.
However, granting the request was a different matter.
“That doesn't sound like a job for us.”
An enormous number of artillery units had been deployed here; why us?
It was too risky to respond optimistically with a ‘Sir, yes sir, one shell coming up!’ when we didn't know when one of those crazy flesh monsters might pop out.
We were talking about human-sized monsters capable of going toe-to-toe with a tank. We currently had special shells loaded specifically to neutralize them; we couldn't just swap them out to hit a random building.
Even if technology had advanced to the point where swapping shells didn't take long, I’d seen plenty of comrades die during those few seconds. It would definitely create a vulnerability for us and the infantry we were supporting.
Besides, the communication didn't seem urgent enough to suggest a major problem. If it were truly desperate, they would have just told us to shut up and fire.
“The request came from the artillery side. Apparently, that building is sturdier than expected and won't go down, and it’s blocking their line of sight.”
So, the building’s missing ‘head’ was the artillery’s handiwork.
But because the foundation was so solid, it refused to collapse no matter how much they blasted the top. Well, in that case, there was no helping it.
“Understood. Tell the infantry to clear out.”
After ending the transmission, I spoke to my crew.
“You heard him. Swap the shells.”
I gave the order to the loader, who was already in the middle of the process.
It was only natural. He’d heard the radio too, so he knew exactly what he needed to do.
However, the way a loader swapped shells these days wasn't by manhandling them like in the old days. Modern tanks were equipped with automatic loading modules as a standard, and swapping out a chambered round was a common feature.
Unlike old doctrines that only had to worry about anti-infantry or anti-tank combat, we never knew what kind of traits the enemies we faced today would possess.
Naturally, it was too much for a loader to manage alone, so the role of a ‘loader’ was now more about operating the various devices attached to the tank. In short, swapping a shell was as simple as tapping a few buttons.
“Swap complete.”
“We’re only firing one, so set the next one back to the original type.”
If it didn't fall after this, the artillery boys could figure it out themselves.
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright then, get ready.”
Should I rotate the chassis a bit?
Responding to my thought, John nudged the tank slightly.
Shuing slowly aimed at the base of the building.
“Fire.”
Boom.
Even though the headset over my ears dampened the sound, the roar that leaked through tickled my eardrums. The vibration from the recoil shook the entire tank.
However, the vibration wasn't that strong—only slightly more intense than firing a rifle against your shoulder.
Even if it was a next-generation tank made by the Management Bureau, reducing the recoil this much took the fun out of firing it. Considering the specs of the enemies we had to face, the better the performance, the better for us, but it felt like the gunpowder-scented romance of the job had vanished.
“Is the artillery’s headache gone?”
I asked my team, venting a bit of my dissatisfaction.
“Yes, it’s down,” Shuing replied.
The gunner was staring into space with vacant eyes. He was likely seeing the result through the enhanced vision linked to his mind.
I didn't like that either.
I knew how inconvenient it used to be to check things through those tiny viewports. But for someone who had spent over a decade driving ‘crap-cans’ with that limited vision, having a wide-angle view better than human eyes forced into my head was enough to make me motion-sick.
If it was this bad for me as the commander, I could only imagine how it felt for the gunner, who was linked to things a normal human shouldn't even be able to see.
Regardless of my complaints, the order from command had been executed.
“Alright, reset the shells. Back to standby.”
With that single command, everyone relaxed their brief tension and returned to their usual selves. They weren't slacking off, but they massaged their hands to stay limp or leaned their heads back to stretch.
Specifically, John the driver and Shuing the gunner were doing that.
Perhaps because he was the new recruit, the loader remained stiff and ‘by the book,’ still tapping away at his computer and monitoring the surroundings.
What was his name again? Haiyan?
I wasn't sure if that was his last name or his first. We hadn't talked much.
Well, I understood why he wasn't blending in well. The previous loader, Howard, had been transferred to another team, and being the new guy joining an established crew was always tough.
I didn't feel the need to force him to integrate. Whether they liked it or not, once they rolled around the battlefield together, the men inside this small metal box would become closer than family.
Thinking that, I rubbed my eyes to shake off the lingering dissonance of the visual link.
“Um, may I ask you something?”
The loader, who was still staring at his monitor, finally spoke.
“What is it?”
I asked back before the other two idiots could react.
“…The Defense Force is an organization meant to protect people, isn't it?”
The Young Man’s voice was still calm as he asked the question.
“That’s right.”
The name itself—the Defense Force, directly under the Management Bureau—implied as much.
“…Then why are we killing people?”
His voice remained steady.
No, that wasn't quite right.
This Young Man was frozen by the gap between what he knew and the reality before him. His strict adherence to protocol wasn't his natural personality; he was simply following the manual etched into his body to forget the phenomena occurring before his eyes.
Realizing this, both John and Shuing gave bitter smiles.
It was a path they had all walked before.
Of course, this was their first large-scale operation, but everyone had faced a similar dilemma at least once.
‘What should we do?’
Using my authority as Tank Commander, I cut the rookie out of the four-way link and sent a message to the other two. This was another new technology applied to these tanks. Even if it only worked inside the tank, the ability to share thoughts was quite convenient.
‘Should we just leave him be?’
‘It wouldn't hurt to comfort him.’
Different answers came back.
‘It doesn't matter what anyone says; if he doesn't wrap his own head around it, he’s done for.’
‘Shouldn't we do what we can? We don't know when The Enemy will show up.’
Both had valid points, so I chose one. If this were a normal battle, I would have sided with John, but this was a battlefield where that monster could appear at any moment. As the leader of this small group, I had to do everything I could to keep them alive.
“Is this your first live combat?”
Thump.
I nudged the loader, who was sitting in a rigid posture, with my foot. His body felt hard as a rock through my boot. He was completely paralyzed with tension.
Protocol or not, he was frozen solid. If I left him like this, he’d cause a major accident.
“…I’ve done a few subjugations.”
“None of them were Mutant-Type S?”
“No, sir. They were all Monsters or beasts.”
That made sense. How often would a tank be used against a Mutant? To those damn things, a tank was more like a target. No matter how thick the armor or how much mobility was increased, Mutants above a certain rank could toy with a tank using their overwhelming speed.
“You’ll realize this later, but this situation isn't much different from Mutant subjugation.”
As I spoke, I linked my current field of vision to the loader.
A wide-angle view showing the entire situation surrounding the tank. Within that view, several scenes came into focus.
Infantrymen were firing wildly at entities that looked like humans. Even flamethrowers, rarely seen these days, were being used to torch buildings. It was a thorough war of extermination that could hardly be called ‘defense.’
Perhaps the only saving grace was the fact that they weren't human.
They screamed when shot and writhed disgustingly when burned, but the moment they stopped breathing, they turned into liquid. That was proof they had transformed into something non-human.
However, not all of them were like that.
Every now and then, there was one.
An entity that remained a corpse.
Was it because they distrusted the Defense Force, or were they simply in a situation they couldn't escape? There were those who died as humans without turning into liquid.
It was a tragedy.
“…Isn't that a person?”
“He was.”
But no great emotion stirred within me. This, too, was the work of defending the world.
“…There’s a saying that it’s better to let ten criminals go than to harm one innocent person.”
“It’s a nice sentiment, but there’s also a saying that you can't chop wood without making chips. We aren't fighting criminals. We’re fighting monsters that kill people.”
As I spoke, I saw something in my vision.
“That’s just… sophistry…”
A voice of disagreement drifted from the front, but I didn't have time to respond.
“We’ll debate later. We have work to do.”
A flesh-colored bubble in my vision. The omen of his arrival.
The moment I linked that image to the crew, the atmosphere inside the tank shifted instantly. It became sharp and refined. They looked upon The Enemy with cold eyes.
Grrrrrrr.
They had managed to handle the chassis control and recoil, but they couldn't do anything about the tank’s actual weight. As we turned the hull, the sound of the heavy machine crushing the pavement echoed in our ears.
“You’re okay with monsters that aren't human, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
The Kid who had been whining just a moment ago hadn't forgotten his job; he began tapping away at his computer.
“Alert issued.”
“Alert issued!”
The loader repeated my command. The infantry in our sight began to scatter quickly, making sure not to get caught in a fight between monsters.
“Confirm shell type.”
“Shell type confirmed!”
Clack.
The information about the shell loaded in the barrel flowed into my linked mind.
High-Explosive Incendiary Shell. A specialized round for dealing with enemies weak to fire.
“Aim.”
No verbal confirmation came this time. Instead, I heard the sound of Shuing licking his lips, and beyond our vision, the horrific enemy began to take a human shape.
Fire.
I didn't say it out loud. From this point on, we had entered a full crew link. The four of us now operated the tank as a single mind.
In this state, you could argue that one person per tank would be enough. But maintaining a full link for too long was dangerous, so the crew was still staffed to allow for normal operation.
Boom.
A slight, extremely controlled recoil shook our bodies, and red flames erupted in the distance. My vision was obscured by the fire, hiding The Enemy’s condition.
However.
Enemy survived.
Information from Shuing’s vision linked into my mind, confirming The Enemy was still alive. It was data sent by numerous sensors.
I immediately put the tank in reverse while preparing the next shell.
Thump. Ka-thump.
As the tank rumbled across the ground to open the distance, the Flesh Monster emerged from beyond the flames.
A smooth, featureless, human-sized monster. One arm was gone, likely from the direct hit, and its skin was melted in various places. Yet, it sprinted toward us, its two legs moving in a blur.
What a crazy monster.
It was faster than the new tank’s top speed in reverse. This kind of sight was common in battles against named Mutants. But this thing was just a nameless monster on this battlefield, and it had specs like this? It was truly absurd.
Of course, even so.
Our will did not waver.
Fire.
Our advantage in range hadn't vanished. Even if The Enemy was faster than us, we weren't just sitting still.
Boom.
Flames erupted again, but before we could even confirm the kill, we opened as much distance as possible.
It was the right call.
The Enemy wasn't dead yet. One of its legs was twisted, but it was still smiling as it charged at us.
The shock only lasted a moment.
Fire.
The reload finished, and we sent the next shell flying immediately.
I could hear Shuing’s thoughts. ‘He’s fast, but he’s an idiot.’
He was right. The creature seemed to have intelligence lower than a beast. No matter how great its mobility, if attacks like this were raining down, it should have taken evasive maneuvers. Instead, it just charged mindlessly in a straight line.
Because of that, no matter how fast it was, it was just a simple target.
All three shells we had fired so far were direct hits. Because of those three shells, The Enemy had lost an arm and both legs. The distance had closed significantly, but since The Enemy had lost its legs with this last hit, our victory was assured.
And yet, The Enemy in our sight was still smiling. Even with both legs gone and only one arm remaining.
It began crawling toward the tank using its single arm.
We aimed the next shell at it.
Clang.
The sound of the reload echoed in all our ears.
Fire.
The moment the next shell was launched.
We all sensed victory.
But at the same time.
“Shit.”
The curse escaped my lips. Because I realized our sense of victory was an illusion.
He’s throwing himself?
In the split second between the shell being loaded and fired, the monster with only one arm left slammed its hand into the concrete. Using that momentum, it launched itself into the air.
Dammit. It was coming.
The shockwave from the shell we fired pushed the airborne monster’s body, and the gap between the flying creature and the tank closed rapidly.
The loader was frantically tapping his keyboard, firing the auto-aiming machine guns in a continuous stream. But the monster acted as if the bullets were nothing, flying toward us with a smile even as holes opened in its body from the large-caliber rounds.
Opinions clashed within the link.
We have to hit it in mid-air.
No, the machine guns will stop it.
No, retreat first.
Amidst the flurry of thoughts.
I made the decision.
“Step on it.”
The words left my mouth. They were carried out faithfully and immediately.
Vroom.
The tank, which had been backing away from the monster, rapidly reversed its gears and lunged forward toward the creature.
The monster, which had been falling toward our feet in a predictable parabola, was struck by the hull and sent flying. Then, the tank rolled right over the monster as it hit the ground.
Thump.
The sensation of crushing something hard vibrated through the tank as it lifted slightly. The feeling was more gruesome than I expected, but it was manageable.
“Bio-signature. Lost.”
Through Shuing’s voice, I knew the battle was over.
Thank god.
“Whew.”
The link deactivated, and the mental fatigue from using it came crashing down. The others seemed to feel it too, as they slumped in their seats.
“You guys. Take turns resting. The operation isn't over yet—”
Just as I was about to tease them with a smile.
A dark-red intuition surged through me. The same intuition that had protected my ‘steel family’ until now, even in fights against beings that transcended human common sense. It screamed at me.
“Reverse!”
I immediately reached out and smacked John on the back of the head while screaming.
“Reverse?!”
John’s voice was full of confusion even as he repeated the command and slammed the tank into reverse.
Thrust.
A massive sound echoed in our ears. A flesh-colored spear erupted from the ground, piercing the spot right in front of the loader’s nose.
The spear held our gaze for a brief moment. Then, it turned into liquid and melted away.
“…”
Silence fell.
It was a final strike delivered by an enemy whose life signs had clearly vanished. The attack, launched while we were off-guard, could have caused a catastrophe. Fortunately, no one died, though it left a massive hole in the tank.
Clunk. Clunk.
As if to show that a single hole wouldn't stop it from moving, the tank slowly backed away until we were far enough to see The Enemy’s remains. We could see the completely melted enemy stuck viscously to the twisted asphalt.
“…”
While everyone held their breath and stared blankly at it.
“…Send the data to command,” I ordered firmly.
“Tell them not to let their guard down. Even if the flesh monsters’ life signs are gone, they can still move for a short time.”
Fortunately, it was information we had gained without losing anyone.
Did my calm tone finally make them realize the battle was truly over? The three who had been incredibly tense finally relaxed.
The loader, who had nearly died just seconds ago, either hadn't realized how close he’d come to death or his senses had been numbed like those who face death daily on the battlefield. He was simply carrying out my orders by the book.
I spoke to him.
“You were saying something about ‘defense’ earlier, right?”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Wipe that thought from your head for now. We’re in the middle of an operation.”
We’d be pulled from the front lines briefly for repairs, but we’d be deployed again soon.
“Finding answers through contemplation is important, but shouldn't you look after your own life first?”
Thump.
I extended my leg and nudged his shoulder. His shoulder, which was now slumped and relaxed, unlike before.
“Let’s just focus on staying alive for now.”