Chapter 221
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: End of April (8)
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Day four of the hunt. Winter and the task force had expanded their area of operations to about 70 kilometers north of the outpost, near Santa Rosa, and under reliable air and intelligence support, they eliminated nineteen Tricksters and two Grumbles. The mutants' movements had become widely disorganized. Thanks to that, the surviving troops were now too numerous to count one by one. There might still be some Tricksters alive in the areas they'd swept through, but even without the "Silent One," it would be quiet enough.
Viewed purely in terms of results, it was tremendously encouraging.
However, the task force members' moods weren't exactly bright. It wasn't just because they were tired and exhausted.
The problem lay in the nature of the enemy. Ever since witnessing the infected giving birth, none of the monsters that appeared were ordinary. They were weak in combat power but mentally draining foes.
Currently, only one person was showing mild symptoms of apathy. However, since preventing combat fatigue beforehand was best, Winter had stopped assigning fire support requests to the soldiers from a certain point on.
'The footage we're about to see won't even be usable for PR.'
The helmet cameras replaced via airdrop boasted excellent performance. They were made by the top company, ignoring time and cost. He learned that from a letter enclosed in the product box. It seemed the CEO had written it by hand.
It read, "We did not accept payment. It is enough for me, our employees, and people around the world to see and hear your battlefield more clearly. Our company is always grateful for your dedication. Please kill all the plague's bastard offspring."
Plague's bastard offspring. A idiomatic expression, but right now, it felt close to the truth. The Department of Defense's public affairs office would edit this footage. Winter picked up the handset on the satellite communicator.
"Marigold, Marigold. This is David Actual. Requesting fire support. Over."
Winter's call sign had reverted to David, as it once was. This, too, was an order from above. Apparently, many people associated him taking down the giants (Grumbles) with David.
[David Actual, this is Marigold. We accept your request. Transmit firing data. Over.]
An immediate response came from Beale Air Force Base near Yuba City, which relayed all support requests for survivor rescue operations. The call sign Marigold came from a gravel quarry north of the base.
Bulky measuring devices were a hindrance in emergencies. They were using the TRIGR now. The scope-like rangefinder provided real-time updates on the enemy's constantly shifting positions. In the twilight-shrouded field, even in the dark visibility, the high-tech gear clearly detected the targets.
"Coordinates, Papa X-ray 5-3-0-2, 4-8-3-7. Repeat. Papa X-ray, 5-3-0-2, 4-8-3-7. Target, approximately 200 immature specimens including Ghouls. Scattering northwest. Did you copy?"
[Solid copy. Are you certain most are immature specimens?]
"Affirmative."
[Please confirm no friendlies near the strike point. Over.]
"None visible from current position. Based on enemy movement speed and patterns, no survivors nearby. Over."
The mutants' characteristic slow steps to conserve energy. Few were moving actively. They were probably the ones replacing scouts. Marigold would see that too. They'd adjusted the surveillance satellite's focus right after receiving the coordinates. Governments had donated so many satellites they were overflowing.
[Understood. Passing specs now. Stand by.]
As they waited, the response came after about twenty seconds.
[From Marigold FAC to David Actual. Call sign Reaper 1, two AC-130s entering operational area overhead via IP Hood. Break. Two 105mm howitzers, two 30mm autocannons, four cluster guided munitions, two laser weapon systems ready. As of now, activate your beacon. Will consider all movement within 1 klick radius hostile.]
The beacon was the infrared IFF device issued to all soldiers. The task force followed Winter's hand signal. Click. Flipping the switch changed nothing visibly. But on the gunship's monitors, it would appear as twinkling starlight. They could pour precise fire from over 10 kilometers up.
'That said... lasers?'
It was an extravagant weapon for monsters.
But reconsidering, it seemed necessary for the current situation. Even if enemies and friendlies were extremely close or mixed together, support fire would be possible with just the beacon. No need for high power to burn enhanced human flesh.
Flash.
The first barrage resembled lightning. The immature night flashed, followed by the whistling of shells and earth-shaking booms. Kaboom! Crash! A pair of airbursts with microsecond delays. A rain of steel fragments pelted the wide ground. The mutants' wide spacing was meant for this, but this was overwhelming firepower that ignored it. Over forty caught in it. Torn flesh, shattered bones, scattered entrails rained like hail. To Winter, who had acquired "Environmental Adaptation," it was like broad daylight.
Kreeeeee-!
Immature screams echoed from overlapping distances. Targeting that clamor, thinner deaths began pouring down. Smaller than before but still larger than grenades, explosions every few breaths. Each one seemed to kill at least one. Impressive marksmanship from afar, incredibly high lethality. The gunships, loading each round with murderous intent, traced burning trajectories against the night sky, muzzle flames flickering.
The few Ghouls were completely wiped out. Their burly enhanced bodies stood out among the small ones.
The night shook again. Tooth-rattling blasts rippled the wind. Tiny shadows scurried in all directions across the plain dotted with lingering fires. Without control, their escapes lacked consistency. Knowing this, the skies attempted a drive hunt. Suppressing fire on every fleeing path. The sluggish ones just fled death, but ended up trapped in a cage of firing lines, spinning in circles.
It might be an illusion, but Winter felt the crew's anger.
"They're really going all out. Rare to get this level of support."
The faint remark amid the roars came from Schultz. Shadows on his face that darkness couldn't hide. Was there a special reason he was particularly gloomy since the baby mutants' deaths? Winter didn't stare long. There'd be time later.
As mutant numbers dwindled, faint beams etched the sky. Laser strikes on stragglers. Probably a test run too. How effective high-tech optical weapons were against monsters. In a movie, it'd be vivid colors, but in reality, quiet and transparent light. The visible trail was just air dust and moisture scattering it.
But hits were different. They burned white and brilliant. Unbound immolation. Precise auto-tracking meant no escape, no matter how they ran. Screams from laser searing lasted no more than 5 seconds each. Sizzling corpses piled up neatly.
Some happened to charge toward the task force's ambush point.
Winter's corrected vision surpassed Sicilian fishermen. Meaning the childish deaths—blood boiling, flesh burning—were clear even without binoculars. Naked bodies, gaunt with protruding ribs, screaming as they ran, each evoking a Vietnam War scene. Like the famous photo of the girl burned head to toe by napalm.
After the last body fell, the radio crackled from Beale Air Force Base.
[From Marigold to David Actual. Confirm target status.]
Winter scanned the battlefield calmly before responding.
"This is David Actual. Firing mission complete. Confirmed total destruction of target group. Thanks for the support."
[Copy. Firing mission complete. Sending firefighters soon. Marigold out.]
"Colonel. This doesn't make sense, does it?"
No sooner had the comms ended than Alejandro asked.
"For the past three days, we've only been running into young ones. Chasing ammo-less survivors whining around, I get that this is enough. But the more I see, the weirder it gets. They don't seem like normally infected kids."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because in killing thousands, I haven't seen a single one wearing clothes."
"..."
The private's words matched Winter's expectations and the team's shared unease. It was probably why they'd reconfirmed with slight doubt when calling targets to Marigold. Were they really all young ones? So many immature ones didn't add up.
"Kids who can't untie shoelaces wouldn't undress. No way others stripped them. Unless they tore them off because they were cumbersome. But still, all of them naked is abnormal. Shouldn't at least rubber band underwear or sock ankles remain?"
"So, Ayle, what do you think this means?"
"That's why I'm asking you, Colonel. I even... "
"Even?"
"Even thought maybe they were doing human experiments on kids even before the West Coast infection."
Only a bit over a year since Morgellons landed. Meaning not enough time for offspring between mutants to grow to elementary or middle school age. So the Hispanic private's concern wasn't entirely baseless.
Even before mainland infection, America suffered from refugees and illegals. Kids in dark times are easily abandoned. Especially poignant for Hispanics.
"Well."
Winter saw it differently.
"Looking back now, quite a few adults were naked too. Not many, but consistently noticeable. Maybe increasing over time. Were that many people infected naked?"
"So..."
"Hard to explain with human experiments. More rational to assume their growth is much faster than humans, or something accelerates it."
Of course, this was far more horrific. Morales let out a deep sigh.
"Ha. That's... pretty bleak. Damn it. No matter how many we kill, their numbers might increase."
"No. Not necessarily. Probably the first time immature ones appear en masse like this."
Even fetal mutants. If common, soldiers wouldn't be shocked now. Atascadero and April Pacific were exceptions.
"Ayle said they're using small ones for chasing stragglers since they're sufficient... Even if true, with leeway, adults should come first. Interpreting this as no leeway to deploy only underdeveloped ones for hunts... too much?"
"Uh..."
"You know. The state of the blockade lines. And even if the liberation op failed, it's California-limited."
As he said that, propeller engine noise crossed the night sky. Aircraft spotted ground fires, corrected course, and dumped water from high altitude. The firefighters Marigold promised. With survivors scattered, uncontrolled wildfires over hundreds of acres would turn survivors to charcoal.
The smell of burned meat spread with the smoke.
After the foul wind passed, Winter ended with encouraging reassurance.
"Chin up, everyone. If I'm right, the war situation isn't that bad."
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Physical Book
I heard from the editor that physical books aren't selling much anymore, but we've broken even. Based on total production costs, including labor and ads, not just printing.
This counts as successful in the physical book market.
Relieved I wasn't losing money on every print run.
Thanks for the support.
#Q&A
Q. Curry Rice-nim: @Seriously requesting: No plans to make Little Prince premium? Novel passes are expensive now, and few worthwhile ones, so passes feel wasted ㅜㅠ
A. Please use Naver for per-chapter payments. Advantage: no need to read author's notes!
Q. Non-Crying Cicada-nim: @Most impressive work since starting novel payments on Joara recently. Took 4 days to read up to 220! Now sad there's no more ㅠ. Tossing 27 coupons from 40,000-year-old relic to help. Hope you enjoy candy without issue! Heading to buy the book!
A. That's a decent amount, but you read it all in 4 days... trembling... Author is moved...
Q. Whitefield-nim: @Sudden curiosity... In ch. 198 note, you said Humpback's identity is in ch. 10-20, what is it! What did you hint at?!
A. You didn't miss anything. I just mispredicted the length.
Actually, around ch. 100, similar thing happened. Said a pure-hearted event soon. Meant Yang Yongbin's nuke launch, thought it'd be within 20 ch. But reality: 79 ch later...(...)
Hard to gauge how much text a head plot becomes.
Q. Guaaaaak-nim: @Dreaming of sine cosine tangent. Handling such advanced math. Nightmare in itself.
A. Yes. Even more nightmarish for this author, a math dropout despite high school homeroom teacher teaching it.
Q. Master Calsolum-nim: @Finally finished binge. Dream of trig demon stealing innocence, huh. Sharing my innocence via coupons. But-dipping demon!
A. But-dipping evil, dipping evil, so best Korean solution: eliminate tangsuyuk itself, the root.
Q. KTH-nim: @Among special mutants, do Ghouls lead packs via radio like Tricksters? Or communicate to set hierarchy? Ghouls seem to evolve from normals, so is there something making Grumbles, Tricksters, Melville, etc.?
A. Only Tricksters use radio. No yes or no on latter question.