Chapter 101 – Masquerade Party (15)

Bzzt— tzzzzt—

“Wait, why did the radars suddenly…? Are they seriously going out at this important moment?”

“It didn’t break. It’s radio jamming. ‘Noisy Pack’. The main squads of Raptors always bring them in tow.”

Gyosu calmly explained to Ezel as he hung onto the Exosuit.

The closer the cloud of dust approached them, the red dots on the radar disappeared again.

“Just because they have less technology than the Dome doesn’t mean that they’re just sitting ducks. Those jamming devices not only block radars but also render guided missiles, low-powered comms, and second-generation electronic firearms useless.”

“Hwack-tu! Reminds me of the old days. I guarantee you won’t be able to kill those Noisy Pack guys at long distance. They have the sturdiest cars and thickest shields among the Raptors.”

“Jaw, do Raptors use shields too?”

“They don’t have much, but they have a limited supply of military shields that they used back in World War III. And they’re that much sturdier. Taking them out somehow will be the first priority. Once the Noisy Packs are gone, they can take the rest out using the guided missiles from the Dome.”

“And that is our goal. The Noisy Packs are positioned at the center of the formation. It won’t be easy to get in with a bulky machine like the Exosuits. Unless you can shake off all of those boulders in the formation.”

“Boulders…. Eugh, do you mean?”

“Why? Do you know what I’m talking about, Vex?”

“No, I haven’t fought the Raptors before… but since they took control of most of the army after the war ended, boulders remind me of something.”

“Mmm….. what is it?”

“Dinosaurs.”

“Oh, correct!”

“Aghh! Is it really them?!”

Rumbleeeeee!!

Fwshhhhhh—

Billows of dust completely blocked their vision. The ringing sounds that make their heads hurt. And the sound of dirt pushing forward.

“Ugh, it really is that…?”

“That? What are you guys talking about?”

[Attention all troops. From this moment, all allies will be called codenames, and do not say anything that is not essential to the battle. All Exosuits, maintain mobility output 50%, shield 20%, and external repulsion barrier at 30%.]

“Oh, Ezel, you probably wouldn’t have seen it before. They’re tanks.”

“Tanks?”

In response to Gyosu’s answer, Ezel concentrated on the silhouette that could be vaguely seen through the dust. Through files, he knew what tanks looked like. But that wasn’t something that he saw in the textbooks, but……

“A bulldozer?”

“Keheheh! They do call it that on the field.”

“But…. the history books I studied didn’t say anything about that thing!”

“That’s only natural. That isn’t an official model, but an improvised vehicle made near the end of the Great War when all of the production facilities were demolished.”

World War III. It had started as a disaster, was fueled by greed, and brought the final end to the old society with its merciless and indiscriminate destruction.

The war had called the entire society to arms and was that much more complicated and grueling.

The top priorities of air attacks were always production facilities. Since the production of even the smallest bolt that is a part of the gear stops, it causes a massive decrease in the enemy’s power.

And the odd-looking tanks that were approaching them right now were a makeshift model to defend against the enemy’s ultra-long-range railguns without the help of a shield when the production of high-output refraction shields that went into the newest model of tanks became impossible.

“Triceratops, Tank T-7. Like the infamous Panzer 6 that was its predecessor, it boasts a hellish frontal defense.”

“It’s a maniac’s design where they slapped on telanin alloy panels, meters thick, onto the front. It’s bad with turns, and the sides are basically as good as exposed, but not even the city’s mounted railguns can pierce that front.”

Rumbleeee!

As soon as Gyosu finished his sentence, the main forces of the Raptors finally revealed themselves from within the dust storm.

Like its name, a large, thick plate covered the entire front of the car, and a cannon stuck out in the middle of it like a horn.

And dozens of such tanks were lined up against a massive metal wall that was approaching them.

Sniff sniff.

“Hepburn, this is…..”

“Hah, f—. I really never wanted to smell this again.”

“You can always smell this scent wherever the guys went past. It didn’t matter whether there were corpses or not.”

The black smoke billowed out of those massive tanks.

In a world where gasoline was a rare resource, the alternative source they have chosen, one that was the easiest to find in the Wastelands, let out its horrifying scent as it burned.

Most of the oil that powered the Raptor’s tanks was biodiesel they squeezed out of humans. So wherever the Raptors were, the scent of burning corpses always filled the air.

“Devils….. They’re demons…..”

“You’re not completely wrong. All those crazy prophets in the past did say that demons were going to come down from the sky and destroy the world. Since the world was destroyed by humans, someone living on Earth right now needs to hold the title of demon. And wouldn’t the soldiers that participated most actively in that be the closest beings to them?”

Gyosu jumped down from Ezel’s Exosuit with dread weighing down his body.

Clink—

The sound of the dog tags he was given by the Executive Department before the play started rang through his heart.

“Normal howitzer weapons will be intercepted. Precision-guided firearms are jammed. And the rest…. will be blocked by those rock heads.”

“What about the sides? Won’t it be really weak to flank attacks if it can’t even turn?”

“Why don’t you try to do something called thinking Ezel? Those only come out when it’s a full-scale battle, and aside from Type 3 mutants, is there anyone else out there that can fight with them like this other than the Dome?”

“The Dome is…. oh!”

“Yeah. The Dome’s main strength is the ‘Dome’ itself. But the Dome’s mounted facilities can’t do anything like side attacks. It may be possible with the mobility of the Exosuit squad’s mobility, but if they use all of their forces to defend, then they could block the Exosuits to a certain extent as well.”

This was the Dome’s weakness; it mostly took the defending side in the battles. They had a mobility disadvantage on the field.

It was a little absurd. Even if the world did get completely destroyed once, the society where high-tech weapons such as railguns and shields were common had a similar battle formation to those back in the medieval era.

Looking at the front panel of the Triceratops tanks that were now close enough to see by eye, Ezel thought maybe his eyes were tricking him.

“Is that.. even possible? If it’s the telanin alloy that I’m thinking about…. then it’s five times heavier than normal iron, and it’s possible to move after adding that much to the front of the tank?”

“Since they don’t use high-output shields for tanks, they have energy left over. I heard they added an electronic output device on top of the diesel engine to use the thing. Since they poured all of the energy of a high-tech tank into just mobility, they’re able to pull off that sort of thing.”

“How could something so ridiculous…”

“War creates many things. Although it’s a problem that they usually make something destructive, not constructive.”

Grumbleeeeee—

The steel wall that had been crawling forward started to slow down, and then completely stopped. A movement without a single inch of error.

“They’re as sharp as always. They’ve stopped at the exact spot needed to shoot down the howitzer weapons.”

“Ian. You said you were with the Raptors, right?”

“….Yeah. For quite a bit.”

“Then you should know better than me. I think that the most effective method of attack for the three of us will be an ambush to cause confusion on the flank. Do you agree?”

“Tch. It’s not a bad idea, but….”

Ian habitually took out a cigarette, but clicked his tongue after realizing that he didn’t have a lighter and started to rummage through his pockets.

“We’ll have a rough time. There’s a wall of T-7s. And to the side of those will be an entire line of Raptor combat vehicles protecting it. Let’s see…. Oy, homo. You have binoculars?”

The rest of the group that had been confused by Ian’s question soon realized who he was referring to as homo, and turned their heads toward him.

“Hey… mister! I said I’m not homo!”

Wsh—

“You’re the one that named yourself ‘Gaybar’.”

Pt!

Ian quickly scanned the enemy with the binoculars that Ezel tossed to them, then handed them over to Gyosu.

“Over there, look at the tips of those dinosaur heads.”

“…..Infantry. There’s large caliber ammunition to break shields and crazy firepower from the city’s mounted defense systems on the battlefield, and they brought infantry, and that many of them?”

“They would have been useless if they were normal infantry. Look closely.”

Gyosu looked back at the small dots through the binoculars. There were some riding on vehicles, and some lined up on the ground. They’re taller than the combat vehicles. Are they tall? They’re wearing black gas masks and uniforms with some weird pad attached to them…..

“Ah!”

I think I know what Ian was trying to say. In Area 45, they had charged through the narrow hallways like tanks.

“The guys holding the flamethrowers?”

“Their official names are ‘Mini Shooters’. The flamethrowers are secondary weapons for special operations. The gatling guns next to them are their primary weapon.”

“Gatling guns….? That? The ones attached to the cars?”

“They’re not mounted. Just leaned against them.”

“They call that…. mini?”

They looked more like some sort of video game character than real people. The tall figures in uniforms with thick black pads attached to them. And gatling guns as tall as their height.

Ian snickered at Gyosu’s bewildered expression as he continued.

“It’s a bit of sarcasm. After all, their main weapons are called miniguns. Those guys are the main opponents of the Exosuits. They’re sturdy enough to make pulse rifles and shock rifles for kids toys. They said about five Mini Shooters can handle one Exosuit.”

“Is that why they’re in groups of five?”

“The actual conversion rate is a little worse than that.”

After rummaging through his pockets for what seemed like an eternity and finally managing to light the cigarette in his mouth using the gunpowder he took out of a shotgun bullet, Ian spoke with a satisfied expression as smoke floated out of his mouth.

“Hahhh—! Damn it, shouldn’t have showed off back there. Anyway, normal tactics won’t work even if we flank them.”

“Then what about abnormal tactics?”

“When I was still with them… They got through once or twice. One was when the Dome’s special ops team used an ultra-long sniper outside of the radar’s range to pick off about 30 Mini Shooters, and another was when they used 200 kilograms worth of impact bombs that they can’t even make anymore to break the formation, then the special ops sneaked in with camouflage equipment and caused a ruckus inside.”

“We don’t have any equipment for sniping…. but a surprise attack….”

“Hm.”

Gyosu, who was stroking his chin, and Ian, who had been scratching his temple, both turned to Vex simultaneously.

“Uh…. me?”

“Don’t you think it’ll work? I haven’t seen it in person, but he never failed before.”

“Gyosu, when you were knocked out, that guy wiped out an entire squad half out of his mind with a bayonet that didn’t even have a proper blade.”

“That’s perfect then.”

“There couldn’t be anyone better for the job.”

“Huh….. huh?”

Pat!

The two men’s hands were placed on Vex’s shoulders, who still hadn’t fully caught up to the conversation.

“Hepburn? Jaw? Don’t tell me…… I am?”

“Who else would be able to do it?”

“Trust us, shortie. We’ll back you up for sure. All you have to do is go in and do what you do best.”

“Don’t you learn to go for the stomach first when learning how to use a knife? Deep into the spot with a bunch of intestines without the rib cage to protect it.”

“Eeeek, that’s easier said than….!”

“Just do what you’ve been doing. That’s all you need to do, heheehee!”

Wsh—

Pt!

“Agh! Be nicer to the equipment, Gyosu! But are you guys seriously going to go in? Just the three of you?”

Catching the binoculars Gyosu threw at him without even looking, Ezel asked them with a shaky voice, to which Gyosu replied confidently.

“The people talk about us like we’re superhuman, adding all sorts of weird nicknames. I don’t know if the things we’ve done until now could be considered that impressive….”

“Hmmmm- ahhhh. The smell of the battlefield.”

“Mmm….. It feels weird. This new knife. I’m not used to how it feels.”

Vex was grumbling as he checked out his new knife, and Ian ruffled up the short man’s hair while slinging on his heavy metal bag.

Watching the two men walk away first, a space between them left open like it was natural, Gyosu spoke back to him.

“If we really are legends, shouldn’t this be easy for us?”

And with that final statement, Gyosu caught up to the two, put on a sandy-colored poncho, and started to go around to the side of the Raptors.

“Those crazy bastards….”

Tzzzt—

[All troops prepare for battle. The objective is to defend the city from enemy fire. If we manage to hold them at bay for 15 minutes, those homeless lizards are done for. Don’t be nervous, but don’t let your guard down. Just do as you always did, and nothing will happen. Do you understand?]

Tzzzt—

[Silver Guard, this is Operator. Speed Bump’s charge will be completed in 30 seconds. It will be sent to the visual guide device in 3 seconds. 3…..2…..1.]

Phwit—!

Without even a moment to think, a hazy border appeared in front of Ezel. This was all the information that he had learned before.

‘The Dome’s combat is based on defense. Until the city’s main cannon is charged, we have to distract the enemy and make sure the city doesn’t get damaged. The enemies use bigger bullets that the Exosuit’s shield can’t block. I’ll die if it lands a direct hit, but it should be fine since the Speed Bump is there. From what I learned, the incredibly strong micro electromagnetic net makes any projectile within its range lose their speed….’

Tzzzt—

[EZ-07.]

‘It’s a transparent barrier that only we can see. The Exosuits won’t be able to work if it touches them either. Relax. As long as I concentrate on the visual guide device, I’ll be more than able to dodge—’

[EZ-07! Rookie! Are you listening?!]

“Eep!”

[Get out of it, you stupid bastard! This is the real thing! This isn’t some ‘practice game’ like the operations and patrols that you’ve done until now! You’ll die if you don’t keep your mind straight! Our opponent is those lizard bastards! They capture people to squeeze oil out of them!]

[Uhh, yeahhh…..]

[Motherf—er, you….. Report! Any remarks?!]

“Y-yessir!”

Ezel was startled out of his daze by the sharp curses that shot through the comms. His head was still behind in terms of processing the situation, but the grueling training that he received after coming into the Investigation Bureau made him react automatically to his superior’s orders.

‘Remarks….. remarks….!’

[E—EZ-07, no issues for operation completion! Remarks! Support forces HIV currently approaching the enemy towards the flank!]

[Alr…. wait, what? Say that again! Who… is going where?]

Tzzt—

[Silver Guard. This is Headcenter. Requesting briefing for current communications. Support forces HIV approaching the enemy. Was this agreed upon? Their objective?]

Tzzt—

[Speed Bump dispatch is complete. 12 high-angle rail shooters are ready. Silver Guard, on standby. Silver Guard, on standby.]

Ralph Monclair struggled to keep his hold as the situation continued to spiral him into confusion. They were going to charge in within just a few seconds, and those guys with not even a proper weapon were going where?

[HIV! Support forces reporting the situation! After allies initiate an attack, they will use the midst of chaos to attack the enemy’s flank and disperse their formation!]

[….Headcenter. Roger. They live up to their reputation. I wish them luck.]

[Operator, confirmed tank commander of enemy vehicles. Sending video feed.]

“When did they have the chance to do this under my nose…?”

Ralph thought about Gyosu’s group through the waves of comms that were coming through but ultimately tightly closed his eyes shut. The matter was already out of his hands. What he had to do right now was to command Silver Guard, the Investigation Bureau’s Exosuit squad that was under his responsibility.

While Ralph was clearing out his mind, a video appeared in front of his eyes. Behind the steel wall was a man in a black military uniform with a large megaphone and a stash of papers.

“Ahh, it’s been a while, my smelly rat friends.”

Most likely from the effects of the jamming, the man’s voice came out a little staticky as it rang out in front of the Dome.

[…Silver Guard squad is ready for battle.]

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to say I’m glad to see you, even as a courtesy. I am Sol Amar, Pack Leader of the 8^th Raptor Corps. Although you may be rats that don’t even deserve to be ripped apart, a Raptor’s battle is a sacred one. Here, with a declaration of war, I have written down many reasons why you should all die off like house flies, so be grateful as you take each one into consideration.”

[It’s the declaration! Silver Guard! Raise your barriers!]

Whmmmsh—!

The man in the video stopped talking momentarily and lit the papers that he had prepared on fire.

“In hell, of course.”

Ba-b-b-b-bang!

With the papers burning up into ash, the tanks initiated fire without warning.

P-p-p-p-pwht!

Looking at the massive tank bullets right in front of him, stuck in the electromagnetic net, Ezel unconsciously held his breath.

“Hah, hah, hah, hah!”

[EZ-07! Remarks!]

[Nonaaaaah!]

That was a lie. He was scared out of his mind. His ears were about to explode from the sound of cannons going off beyond the electromagnetic net, and in the midst of this situation, the Exosuit squad’s mission was to go past the net and buy time.

‘Electric Pole. We push the equipment outputting the city’s power forward, and the electromagnetic nets can come forward that much more, and we risk our lives again to reinforce the empty space….’

Until the city’s cannon broke through their defenses, the Exosuit squad’s role in the battle with the Raptors was just a mobile energy shield. Because of this, the part of the battle where most casualties happened was the beginning of it, when they were pushing the border of the electric net forward.

But even knowing this, Ezel clenched his teeth and took a step forward, towards the gray area on the visual guide device, beyond the protection of the net.

‘If we really are legends, shouldn’t this be easy for us?’

Even if they were newer models, the three had run toward the enemy forces with just infantry gear.

Thinking of them, Ezel yanked out the neck area of the combat suit that had been tightly clasped around his throat and pulled it open.

“I…. can’t let them think that I’m some spoiled brat!”

Clunk! Clunk!

With a crooked grin, an Exosuit holding an energy shield started to venture out to the target zone.

[Kahahahah! EZ-07! I see the screw didn’t tighten itself yet! If you stayed all frozen up like that, I was going to tease you about it until you retired!]

[F—! I’m wearing a diaper next time we go out!]

[Sorry, but we’re using all of the diapers, so there aren’t any left for you, EZ-07. It’s a shame that you’re going to soil your pants.]

[KT-05, MJ-06! Shut up and raise your shields! You know that we have to stay another 45 seconds outside of the net if the Electric Pole explodes! Concentrate on defense!]

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Cl—

Baaanngg!

“Aghk! Urgh!”

The shot directly hit Ezel’s shield. He did block it, as there was still a lot of battery left, but he saw how much power dropped just from a single shot, and the shock of the hit made it all the way to his guts and made him drool.

‘It’s weird…… The combat doctrines said that when the Silver Guards were dispatched, the Raptors would change to their combat vehicles and that it changed from an artillery battle to a melee one…… But those guys, they’re retreating but still maintaining their artillery.’

This would almost guarantee the Dome’s victory, but because the electromagnetic net couldn’t go forward as much as they retreated, the Silver Guards, who were going to take direct hits from the artillery, were going to suffer.

‘Our batteries aren’t going to last until the cannon is charged! Damn it, hurry, hurry….!’

Seeing the color of his shield become lighter, Ezel desperately prayed to the three men that had gone forward.

‘Please hurry up and do something!’