Chapter 82
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Night of the Empire (6)
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The soldier classes in Hearts of General are broadly divided into four categories.
Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Magitech.
Excluding special classes granted based on national characteristics or the later-unlocked 'Aviation' class, any and all soldier classes can be categorized within these four frameworks.
Of course, within these categories, they are further subdivided based on roles and equipment, such as firearm squads, light infantry, and airborne units.
Furthermore, as technology research progresses, the very atmosphere of a class can change dramatically.
For instance, with the advent of internal combustion engine technology, Cavalry could transform from simple horsemen into 'Armored' units operating tanks and vehicles.
Artillery also evolved from units that merely rolled around mobile field guns into a powerful class operating anti-tank self-propelled guns and railguns.
However, for Infantry, while personal firearms could improve, the class itself rarely underwent a dramatic transformation.
Ultimately, an infantry unit's combat power is determined by the quality and variety of its weapons.
Light Infantry, Anti-Tank Infantry, Special Forces—all may have different roles, but the fact remains that a single rifle is their entire arsenal, and their bodies are frail enough to be torn to shreds by a single bullet.
Because of this, Hoje had two technologies that could bring a radical change to the infantry class.
Those were Mutants and Cyborgs.
A Cyborg, as the name implies, refers to a soldier made of metal. It is, in effect, the final stage of the infantry tech tree.
While possessing power comparable to that of 'future warfare' thanks to the existence of the supernatural ability known as magic, its greatest drawback was the incredibly high technological requirement, preventing it from appearing until the very late game.
It was treated as a kind of decisive weapon.
A ridiculously overpowered unit that, despite being infantry, possessed the defense of armor, the firepower of magitech, and the mobility and combat effectiveness of infantry.
If a single Cyborg battalion had the combat power of an entire general infantry division, that would say it all.
Occasionally, users would talk about a 'Fast Cyborg' strategy, but since it was a strategy that threw away all other forces to focus solely on Cyborgs, it was the most inefficient of all the 'entertainment' builds.
Even an entertainment build has to be somewhat usable to be worth pursuing.
However, Mutants are different.
They are a special infantry type that can be invested in from the very beginning of the game, and if timed correctly, can even be used on the Ukran-Sovye front line, which opens up early.
They boast several times the frontline endurance and breakthrough capability of a regular soldier, and they have a suspiciously high resistance to fatal blows.
However, their greatest drawback and problem is that Mutants can only be developed through 'unethical human experimentation.'
Therefore, to pursue the Mutant tech, you must have 'non-national' test subjects nearby.
Since the moment human experimentation is exposed to the outside world, it draws immense condemnation from the international community and can sometimes be treated as a legitimate casus belli leading to war, it had to be conducted in secret facilities with every possible security measure in place.
"Damn it."
They had stumbled upon one such research facility by chance. And it was in the underground of an armory they had secretly crossed the border into, in order to seize an artifact!
"What do we do now, Captain...?"
The soldiers were visibly shaken. I don't know how Sergeant Claude knew about 'Mutants,' but what was important now was the very high probability that Mutants still existed within this facility.
Even the 8th Assault Magitech Infantry Battalion, handpicked from the so-called 'best of the best' in Ukran, would be at a disadvantage against Mutants.
This was true even just looking at the numbers, but another disadvantage was the fact that the existence of Mutants wasn't widely known to the world yet.
Humans are, after all, creatures of experience.
No matter how powerful an enemy is, fear subsides if you face it multiple times or receive training on how to deal with it.
But what if you have absolutely no information?
What if you're confronted by a horrifically shaped human that tears your comrades apart right before your eyes? Would the unit members really be able to avoid falling into a panic?
'In the end, there's no choice but to leave it to luck.'
We don't know how much the Sovye Empire has developed its Mutants. However, judging by the timing, they probably aren't ready for immediate deployment on the battlefield just yet.
Initial Mutants had high resistance to physical damage, but were particularly weak to magic—especially red magic.
This was because the monster genes used as development factors were that of Trolls and Yetis.
"From this point on, we will reorganize our formation. I will take the vanguard, and the squad leaders proficient in red magic will accompany the front line of the formation."
"What do you mean by...?"
"Responding belatedly will be too late. First, since we have failed to complete our mission, we must advance."
The core of this operation is 'speed and precision.' We have not yet directly encountered the Mutants, and we discovered their traces, meaning the information advantage is still on our side.
"As you can see, they are horrific creatures. Brace yourselves."
As I exchanged glances with Claude, he nodded and took his place right beside me. Lumia, being a 1st Class Red Magician even before becoming the battalion's adjutant, voluntarily took the lead formation.
If my expectations are correct and these are prototype Mutants, the firepower of magicians alone should be enough to repel them.
"The spell we will use is the intermediate magic, Rapid Fire Arrows. We will concentrate firepower within a narrow barrage to burn them down before they can regenerate."
"Understood!"
"Rear guard will be handled by the 2nd Squad. Squad Leader Bell, will that be alright?"
"O-Of course...!!"
While anyone could see she was struggling, Bell Mayer held onto her resolve until the very end. If the squad leader stepped up like this, the morale of the squad members couldn't possibly drop.
They supported Bell Mayer as they loaded their rifles. With the mindset to kill whatever monster might jump out.
With a revolting stench of blood vibrating in the air, my 1st Company began to boldly advance deeper in.
The underground of the Rymansk Armory was as complex and narrow as befits a space for secret experiments.
It was an incredibly inconvenient structure for intruders, but the problem was that it was just as inconvenient for the soldiers stationed at the armory.
"Damn it, you heard the gunshots? Fucking hell, who's causing all this racket?"
"Don't know. It's probably those damn red bastards. Of all times, for this to happen when the Intelligence Directorate is sending personnel..."
"But is this the right way?"
They had been peacefully guarding the underground of the armory. The underground facility had been thrown into utter chaos by the sudden intrusion of invaders.
Somehow, under the control of their superior, the squad leader, the two of them were moving to defend the underground facility corridor connected to Area C.
Of course, they had failed to grab an indoor layout map and had ended up lost.
"Fuck..."
Meanwhile, the sound of gunfire was getting closer and closer. There were likely dozens of troops. Even if the corridors were narrow, there was no way they could handle them with single-shot rifles.
How many of their allies were even left? Did a defensive line even exist in the first place? Was this a suicide mission to buy time for the squad leader and the inspector to escape?
It didn't take long for the continuous fear and doubt to take over the soldiers' thoughts.
"Should we just surrender at this point?"
"You think the Red October bastards would allow that? They've seen everything we've done up until now."
"Th-That's true..."
From the start, the personnel in charge of the underground security were seasoned veterans. New recruits newly assigned to the armory, or those who couldn't keep their mouths shut after witnessing the underground facility and the events within, were sent elsewhere.
Thanks to that, they were in a relatively warm and cozy posting.
However, even they, as humans, couldn't help but feel repulsed by the 'abnormal' experiments being conducted within.
"In the end, we have to fight anyway."
It was a moment when one soldier was steeling his resolve.
KWAAANG!! KANG! KWAAANG!!
With the sound of something shattering from up ahead, the ceiling collapsed. What was that? As the soldier in front slowly approached...
"GRAAAAAHH!!"
A giant with a grotesque appearance burst out from the dust cloud that obscured his vision.
"F-Fuck!!? What the hell is th—!!"
He couldn't even finish the words that had instinctively spilled from his mouth. The Mutant ripped the soldier in half the moment it saw him. *Splurt!* In the unreal, dream-like scene, the remaining soldier collapsed right where he stood.
Just seconds ago, he had been talking with a comrade, who had now turned into a literal chunk of meat.
The Mutant roughly shoved the comrade's flesh into its mouth, then turned its head toward the remaining soldier.
Suver Soldat. A lifeform no better than a beast, incapable of distinguishing friend from foe, reveling only in slaughter and consumption.
The soldier desperately tried to move his legs, but it wasn't just his legs that had gone numb. His sphincter gave way, and he felt a warm sensation down below.
No, even if he could move, he wouldn't have been able to escape.
The soldier sensed his end. He squeezed his eyes shut, just as the Mutant's massive arm reached out toward him.
"FIRE—!!!"
A voice that made his mind go clear rang out.
Soon, chunks of crimson fire swept past the soldier's eyes. It was magic.
"Krah-ack, AAAAAAAHH!!!!"
*BOOM! WHOOSH!*
The Mutant struck by the magic let out a pained roar. The flames that surged up in an instant wrapped around the Mutant.
*TANG! TATATATANG!!*
The sound of thunderous discharges echoed continuously from right in front. The Mutant swung its arms wildly in resistance, but the more it did, the higher the flames surged.
Bullets dug into its skin, and the resulting flames immediately seared the wounds, preventing even a quick regeneration.
Hunting a Mutant.
They were hunting a monster that made one's spine shudder just from thinking about it.
The soldier who had miraculously survived could only stare blankly at the scene. As a blond man approached him, he hesitantly opened his mouth to express his gratitude.
He didn't know who the man was, but he owed him his life.
"Th-thank you..."
"Roxana! Secure this man! We're taking him as a prisoner!"
"Yes! Understood! It might get a little stuffy... J-just hold on for a bit?!"
"Huh?"
And then, in the blink of an eye, his face was covered with a mask, and he was forcibly knocked unconscious.