The Path to Ark No. 23 (3)
The four Carriers carrying 640 commandos flew toward the aqueduct control center under the escort of Sweeper squadrons. Dudududududu....
"Monster pack sighted. Engaging."
"Confirmed."
Occasionally, a few Sweepers peeled off to deal with incoming hordes, but at least two remained glued to the Carriers, guarding them to the end.
"Landing zone confirmed. Prepare for descent."
When the drop point finally came into view, the Carrier pilots ordered the soldiers in the cargo bays to ready themselves.
"Time to get off, you bastards! Gear up and chamber a round!"
"""Hoo!"""
The 7th Special Forces Battalion—the Ark Army's first independent unit—began its descent at designated points while Sweepers circled overhead, suppressing monster approaches. The thunder of autocannons with every drop reminded them how critical their mission was.
"Descending!"
Kiiing!
Dozens of ropes dropped, and soldiers began rappelling down with their ascenders. The advance team of several dozen landed first, swept the area, and breached the control center.
"Krrrk..?"
"Kyaaak!"
"Monsters spotted. Engaging!"
Dududududu-!
Inside the facility, only small monsters were present; no medium or large ones. To these veterans who had already fought through hell, this was nothing. Bullets tore through flesh without hesitation, and the monsters were sent flying by exoskeleton-clad boots.
"Establish defensive positions! Follow-up teams, descend!"
"Follow-up teams descending now!"
With a heavy roar of rotors, the remaining troops began dropping from the Carriers. Once all personnel and supplies were down, the four companies split up and began fortifying positions inside the control center in anticipation of monster waves.
Crash!
They knocked out windows for rocket firing points, stacked sandbags at the main doors and mounted heavy machine guns, and placed ammo crates and medical supplies in the corners. Of the 160 troops per company, only 40 remained on the surface while 120 descended underground. The underground force split into two groups of 60, as the cramped, narrow passages made moving over a hundred soldiers together impractical.
"Radio silence effective immediately."
Radio silence began. Using exoskeleton lights to pierce the pitch-black darkness, they moved as quietly as possible to avoid drawing monsters. They had even fitted suppressors—rarely used in standard operations—but in these enclosed spaces, gunfire still echoed loudly.
"Halt. Three small monsters, forty meters ahead."
"Single shots only."
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Even with suppressors, the 6,000+ joules of muzzle energy couldn't be fully silenced; the shots were muffled but still registered as loud reports. Thud! Thud! Thud!
Fortunately, all three monsters dropped instantly, heads destroyed, and no others appeared. The unit paused briefly, checked their maps under flashlight beams to confirm position, then plotted the next stretch.
"Listen up. Two hundred meters ahead, turn left, then one hundred forty meters. After that, turn right. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then let's move."
*
While the underground team crept forward, the surface team—now fortifying the control center—fought a desperate battle against the monsters pouring in. Despite radio silence, the roar of helicopter rotors and the sight of Carriers hovering overhead had drawn the creatures in growing numbers.
Tat-tat! Tatatat!
"Nine o'clock! Large monster emerging!"
"Firing rocket! Watch the backblast!"
Shuuu.... BOOM!
"Gyaaaaaaa!!!!"
Tudung! Dududududu!
"Heavy machine gun ammo! Bring it now!"
Continuous fire kept the number of monsters reaching the center surprisingly low, but it was no reason to relax. The moment they let up, dozens would appear and charge. If they failed to maintain suppressing fire, even if the underground team succeeded, everyone would die together.
Dudududududu-
"Sweepers!"
"Heads down, everyone!"
Fortunately, radio silence did not mean the end of air support. The Sweepers knew exactly where the control center was, minimizing friendly-fire risk, and clearing clustered hordes from the air was far easier than hunting them individually.
Vwooooom!
"Ugeeeeee!!!!"
The chain guns raked the street, reducing the monsters to chunks of meat. In the lull, the defenders quickly treated the wounded and rebuilt their lines.
"Carrier incoming!"
"I'll grab the supplies when they drop. Cover me."
"Good luck, Sergeant."
Resupply was essential. While the Sweepers carved through monsters, a Carrier dropped ammo crates in front of the now-vacant center, then joined the fight with its own weapons while broadcasting at maximum power. The transmissions were meant to lure monsters toward the city outskirts and ease pressure on the surface team.
But that action brought unforeseen disaster.
*
"Monster pack ahead! Prepare for contact!"
"Monsters approaching from behind! Captain, we're surrounded!"
"Goddamn it...!"
"Iyaaaaaaaak!!!!"
The massive radio emissions from the surface woke the underground monsters from dormancy. They surged toward the surface—and straight into the underground team. The infiltration was over; now it was all-out war. The underground force switched their exoskeletons to combat mode without hesitation and began a desperate breakthrough toward the objective.
Tatadat! Tatatatatat!
"Kiiiiiik!!"
"Push through! If we get pinned, we're finished!"
Dudududu! Dududu!
"Leave anyone who falls behind! Run like your life depends on it!"
In the pitch-black underground, the battle between those trying to break through and those trying to devour them began. Every sway of the exoskeleton lights revealed mutated monster faces, and the glowing barrels looked like tracer rounds frozen in midair. Reaching the objective offered no guarantee of survival, but they were soldiers. Completing the mission mattered more than living.
"Turn left!"
"Kraaaak!"
"I said left, you bastards! Now!"
Tang! Tatatat!
"Kieeeek!!!"
In the chaos, all they could see were comrades being impaled by tentacles or sliced apart by blades. At least the company managed to make the left turn. With monsters charging from both front and rear, the central troops alternated panicked glances in both directions.
"Rocket! Fire the rocket!"
"But the backblast..."
"Fire it, damn it! We die if you don't!"
"...Firing rocket! Everyone down!"
"Get down!!!"
The company commander ordered the rocket trooper to fire into the monsters piling up ahead and behind. While riflemen stayed prone and kept shooting, the rocket trooper stood tall, angled the launch so the backblasts wouldn't overlap, and fired.
Fwoooosh.... BOOM!
"Now! Run! Right turn at the next corner! Pass it back!"
"Right at the next corner! Right at the next corner!"
"Right at the next corner! Confirmed!!!"
"Ugyaaaaak!!!!"
The rocket cleared a path, but it had only killed ten out of a hundred. Even as they ran, soldiers at the rear were silently dragged down and killed. Turning to shoot meant being overtaken instantly; shooting while fleeing only delayed the inevitable.
After more than four minutes of pouring fire forward and back, the 1st Detachment finally reached the corner.
"Riiiiight!!!!!"
"Uwaaaaaa!"
They rounded the corner, fighting inertia, and the faint sign reading "Aqueduct Control Room No. 4" brought smiles to their faces.
"What are you standing around for? Get inside! Harper! Jerry! Set up the machine gun! Martinez! Don't hold back on the rockets—unload everything!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
But now they were completely isolated. They would have to face the monsters that wanted to tear them apart with even fewer men and less firepower. On the faces of several soldiers, despair began to creep in.