Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: #Seventh California, Camp Roberts (1)
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Once the camp defense battle had settled down for the time being, the battalion commander summoned the company commanders and higher-ranking officers. There was one exception. In a room full of captains and above, Lieutenant Winter stood out purely by rank. No one dismissed him as a junior officer. A few just looked a bit uncomfortable.
The battalion commander looked pale. He reeked of hangover. His alcohol-soaked body odor was somewhat off-putting. He had probably drunk more than usual to celebrate Christmas. Rubbing his temples hard, he asked.
“Report.”
The officers, standing at ease, glanced at each other. It was already odd to gather the responsible parties while the situation was still being handled, but just ordering them to report out of the blue made no sense. Things outside were still urgent.
In times like these, it fell to the senior officer. Able Company Commander Captain Markert asked reluctantly, but with no choice.
“Sir, what exactly are we reporting?”
“Everything!”
The battalion commander barked.
“The operations officer knows nothing! What the hell happened! If you were on duty, shouldn’t you at least know how the battle started? It took nearly an hour after the engagement began to regain command! Has there ever been a case like this!”
Then he pointed at Winter.
“You! They say you were the first to report the danger. Is that true?”
Winter raised his head slightly and replied.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you must know more than that guy! Explain from the beginning!”
The operations officer being singled out was pitiful. His face was flushed red.
The battalion HQ radio operator had been eyeing the commander for a while. As soon as communications recovered, higher-ups were surely calling for him. But with no information, he couldn’t respond, so he had hastily gathered the commanders.
To Winter, the battalion commander seemed to be deliberately raising his voice. He was trying to clarify responsibility for all the chaos and casualties in the defense battle, the critical loss of control.
It’s not my fault, the implication went.
The intent was so obvious that the officers’ expressions soured. That only made the commander shout louder. A vicious cycle.
Winter had no desire to cooperate in a public execution. Still, he had to answer.
“I was deployed yesterday with 3rd Company, 1st Platoon Leader Lieutenant Jeffrey Brown on a mission to respond to anomalous transmissions. It was basically reconnaissance, but if the source was a 「Trickster」, we were ordered to capture or kill it if possible.”
“I know that far! You caught the bastard alive, right? Why did you think it was dangerous?”
“The mission was too easy. It felt strongly like it had let itself get caught on purpose.”
“Isn’t that just a personal hunch?”
“No, sir. The one we encountered in Atascadero first used infected babies to test our firepower or lure us into traps, showing cunning. But this one moved alone, no traps, and didn’t resist after capture.”
“Right. Definitely suspicious. Very suspicious.”
The battalion commander raised his voice. After a brief pause, Winter continued.
“Things like this can’t happen simultaneously in multiple places. The same goes for the multiple helicopter disappearances. So I assessed that a 「Trickster」 had intentionally infiltrated and requested the base heighten alert to the officer on duty.”
“But your request was denied anyway?”
“……Yes, sir.”
“The operations officer said Charlie Company and part of Able were the first to respond, already in combat positions even before orders, but he didn’t know why. Were you involved in that too?”
“Yes. I privately pulled in Captain Capston and some Able Company men.”
Winter emphasized “privately.” A strong hint not to waste more time on blame. Who would now question a boy officer’s initiative? The battalion commander shut his mouth.
Captain Capston didn’t miss the opening.
“Sir, reports can wait. We need to handle the situation first.”
“Situation? Isn’t the engagement over?”
“Fire’s spreading along the riverbank. We need to put it out quickly.”
“There’s barren land between the riverbank and base perimeter anyway. The base isn’t in danger, is it?”
“It still is. If visibility’s blocked, it hampers firepower deployment. Close air support, even mortar fire right now—it’ll be disrupted. And we need to prepare for follow-up attacks.”
If you can’t confirm where shells land, long-range firepower beyond mortars becomes useless. The battalion commander asked back.
“You think there’ll be another attack?”
“Jamming persisted throughout the defense battle. Meaning there’s at least one more—or several—「Trickster」s leading the offense. We can’t let our guard down.”
A realistic warning. Considering their cunning, they might exploit the laxity after the successful defense. Thick smoke reduces vigilance and shortens engagement ranges.
But the battalion commander remained negative.
“Isn’t sending out troops in this situation risky too?”
This time, Bravo Company Commander Russell Asher spoke.
“It’s necessary even to calm internal unrest. The water facility across the highway’s at risk too. If the fire spreads to the main Salinas River east channel, suppression will be extremely difficult. We need to hurry.”
The Salinas River, flowing down long from the north, splits east-west about three kilometers north of Camp Roberts. The western branch is the Nacimiento River where the fire started; the east is the main Salinas channel.
The problem was California’s decade-plus drought. The Nacimiento survived, but the eastern main channel had dried to bedrock. Recent rain restored some flow, but only neighborhood stream levels. Not enough to handle the vast riparian forests formed when the river was full. Even with manpower, if too late, it’d be hard to contain.
Repeated requests firmed the battalion commander’s resolve. Having shifted the topic, his earlier agitation had subsided somewhat. Once decided, orders poured out swiftly. A side of him Winter hadn’t seen before.
“Fine. Use the refugees. Able and Charlie handle it. Able west side, Charlie east. Company commanders, mobilize manpower at your discretion, deploy troops to protect suppression sites and secure perimeters. Use vehicles as needed. Besides water trucks, we recovered a fire truck before, right?”
“Yes, sir. Secured one from San Miguel.”
“Which side should we send it to?”
“West side, sir.”
Captain Capston answered immediately. He didn’t want a turf war with Captain Markert over it. The battalion commander nodded.
“Got it. Bravo and Delta handle camp defense and refugee control. Ordnance section, prepare EMP countermeasures and rush facility repairs! Get to it!”
“Sir, I have a suggestion.”
The boy officer’s words made everyone hesitate. Even the battalion commander. He hadn’t raised his voice at Winter earlier. Guilt weighed on him psychologically.
To save time, Winter spoke without waiting for permission.
“The 「Trickster」 wasn’t caught just here. As you’ve probably guessed, attacks happened at other bases too. Shouldn’t we prepare rescue teams just in case?”
A point everyone had overlooked amid handling the immediate crisis. Either they hadn’t thought of it, or deliberately ignored it amid current struggles.
“Company commanders, dismissed for now.”
The battalion commander waved them out. The company commanders saluted and hurried off. Amid it, Captain Capston briefly met Winter’s eyes. He was worried.
Once everyone left, the battalion commander asked the operations officer.
“Any news from elsewhere besides HQ?”
“Fort Hunter Liggett, Sierra Depot, Barstow Depot, Marine Mountain Warfare Camp, Vandenberg Air Base—all report safe. No info on others.”
“San Luis Obispo?”
“Contact lost.”
San Luis Obispo’s camp was close to the city but had a larger refugee camp and civilian protection zone than Camp Roberts. Accordingly, its garrison was bigger. “Seventh California” 1st Battalion was there too. The commander likely felt a special bond with his regiment comrades.
Though dozens of kilometers away, Camp Roberts was the closest U.S. base to San Luis Obispo. If something happened there, “Seventh California” 3rd Battalion had to provide support.
The battalion commander shook his head.
“No, they’re probably just still restoring comms. It’s where the regiment combat team was stationed. They wouldn’t fall that easily.”
Winter pointed out again.
“A surprise attack might be different.”
Now the battalion commander sighed.
“Even if so, we lack the capacity. Replacements are few compared to accumulated losses. Considering camp safety, we can’t spare much. We’re short even one company as is— what could one do against an enemy a regiment couldn’t handle?”
“Better than nothing.”
“Hmm…….”
After a moment, the battalion commander waved him out.
“I’ll consider your suggestion. For now, help Charlie Company. Markert’s close with the Chinese, so no manpower issues, but not Capston. You’re needed there. I’ll call if otherwise.”
Meaning Winter would be included if a support force formed. Whatever. It didn’t matter to him, so Winter saluted and left.
Reflecting on the commander’s words, even seeming so negligent, he clearly grasped the camp’s power dynamics.
‘Competence and will don’t always align.’
On the way, he saw ordnance soldiers’ grueling work. Repairing electronics, wrapping wires in insulation then foil packaging.
Arriving at the refugee zone, a few Charlie Company men were struggling. 2nd Platoon Sergeant Mozel wasn’t particularly close to Winter, but lit up seeing him. Last night’s events and the current situation played a part.
“Lieutenant, good you’re here.”
“Still no manpower secured?”
“No, that’s sorted. The cadres here cooperated well. But the mood’s off—asked why, no answers. Felt uneasy leaving, so the captain left me. Trouble if a riot breaks out, right? Was debating searching every tent.”
If everyone clammed up identically, it’d be odd; meant he’d asked the few communicative ones, got nothing. Communication itself was the hurdle. Winter replied.
“With me here, it’ll be fine. I’ll find out why. Go ahead—they’ll follow soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the sergeant left, Jang Yeoncheol approached.
“You’re here, boss.”
Winter read anxiety on his face.
“Everything okay last night?”
“Oh, yes. Thanks to your warning……. Told all reachable organizations; hostile ones prepared anyway. The finance chief said this let him ID a few more moles from other groups.”
Good outcome. But the anxiety’s source remained. Winter asked again.
“So, what’s up?”
Yeoncheol hesitated, then sighed.
“We tried handling it ourselves before you knew, boss…….”
“Too late. Tell me.”
“……Better see for yourself. This way.”
He led Winter to an ally tent. Faint groans leaked out. Enough to guess the situation.
Inside, people startled at Winter’s appearance. The woman in the center protesting with a weapon too. Swinging it to keep people back, she froze like a statue seeing him.
“Boss……?”
Winter saw the child lying behind her. Limbs tightly bound, gag in mouth. Skin darkened or bluish. Face showed clear bite marks.
Winter drew his pistol.
“Don’t!”
The woman charged, swinging her knife. Winter aimed at her first. The blade tip halted at arm’s reach. A beat-late scream rose from the watching crowd.
Calmly eyeing the woman, Winter lowered his gun.
“Your son?”
The simple question choked her; she just nodded, unable to speak. A muffled sob. Overlaid by the infected mutant’s stifled growl. Winter scanned around. Many sturdy men. Some held clubs. They’d tried restraining it forcibly; shallowly injured, bleeding men visible. No severe cases.
Mothers are tough indeed. Holding off that many men till now. No short time.
Winter said.
“That’s no longer your son. Something else occupying his body.”
Her grip tightened. Winter continued.
“You know what I have to do.”
“No……I can’t. No one touches my baby! Touch him and you die!”
Her eyes rolled half-back. Winter nodded.
“Do it.”
“What?”
“If you want to stop me, stab.”
「Survival Instinct」 warned fiercely by all means. Tingling nerves, vivid red AR alerts, attack predictions. Fifty-fifty odds. Half chance of death.
Objectively, better to subdue her. But his chest stone felt too heavy. Laughable against a virtual persona, futile—yet thinking of his rose, Winter followed his heart.
What’s left a boy but heart?
No acting. Sincere after so long, spoken gently.
“I won’t resent you even if you kill me. I get it. But we can’t leave your son like this. It’s my duty. When I became 「Winter Alliance」 leader, I promised to protect people.”
“…….”
“Truthfully, I think it’s a mother’s role. But since you won’t, I must. Someone has to close eyes.”
The blade tip touched him again as he approached. Pushed back helplessly by his steady advance. The limp knife left one small cut, startled by the beading blood, pulled away.
She never stabbed as Winter knelt before the writhing mutant. Clinging sobs, tugs—his resolve unyielding.
Winter pressed the muzzle to the mutant’s temple. The blade touched his nape. Hand and knife trembled like dry branches in wind. Blade edge sharp on skin. After a pause, Winter quietly permitted.
“I told you. It’s okay to stab.”
The mother collapsed.
Winter pulled the trigger.
============================ Author's Note ============================
1. Thank you, Akku-nim. Sorry for the author's terrible pun making you suffer.
2. For those wanting straight serial updates, here's how: Retrieve the stockpile Blood Raven stole.
3. Lots asking if the cover change means a publishing deal. No. Fanart made with innocence by Maundy-nim.
Posted to the author's garden on July 9th, but author never checks it, so didn't know... Sorry, Maundy-nim.
No deal yet. Had a meeting today, learned a lot useful stuff.
4.
Q. Great Seal-nim: @Come to think, with enough money, couldn't you make a body and enter even in brain-only state? Looks feasible from what the chairman does.
A. Technically yes, legally no. Chairman acquired all body rights. Related in intermission.
Q. qoewh-nim: Author! Don't torment Winter! Don't foster weird perverts! Don't sneak in dark stuff!
A. Reader-nim! Never tormented! Never fostered! No dark stuff!