ushernet Chapter 59: Metacraft Cybernetics (6)
Chapter 59: Metacraft Cybernetics (6)
Metacraft Cybernetics (6)
The fourth area was not a re
“Leave the most important thing behind?” I asked.
[I’m not ignoring the danger these infected creatures pose, but their threat is also a variable beyond combat.]
A recording of my earlier words played back.
[Infected creatures merged with the lab’s latest technology. That’s a variable both outside and within combat. We didn’t factor in something like this before we left. There’s no guarantee that what’s beyond is something we even need. The risk is high compared to the potential reward.]
“Hmm…”
Her words made quite a bit of sense. After pondering for a moment, I made up my mind.
Click!
I pulled the safety pin from a flash grenade.
Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
As I removed the pin, the waiting squad members also pulled their pins in unison. Naturally, we were all still holding onto the safety handles, ready.
Part of me thought about just turning back, but it felt too much of a waste to come this far and leave without the final reward. And compared to the poorly trained reservists, we had a squad of robot soldiers, each with a steel body and top-tier combat skills.
“Sorry, but I need to see this through to the end.”
[I figured you’d say that.]
Artemis said, as if unable to stop me.
One flash grenade flew to the end of the corridor. And then, after a brief moment.
Bang!
Though not as powerful as a grenade, a significant explosion echoed, filling the tunnel beyond with a bright white flash.
“Kyaoooo!” A screech, different from the typical infected creatures. Dark silhouettes rose from the end of the tunnel.
“Next.”
The second flash grenade flew out.
Bang!
The screech grew louder, filled with anger and murderous intent. The third flash grenade followed suit.
“Kyaom—”
Bang!
The screech was cut short with the third explosion. Then, the fourth flash grenade flew out.
This was a technique I often used in my former unit. Enemies always expect one or two flashes before an assault, and it’s hard to cause real confusion with just that. But by throwing them one after another, I disoriented their senses and vigilance, until they had no idea how many more were coming. Of course, this strategy was meant for human opponents. I had no intention of attacking first when unknown monsters were lurking ahead.
Bang!
By the time the fourth flash grenade went off, the creatures seemed to realize where this annoying attack was coming from. I could feel their fiery gazes fixating on us as they rushed forward at incredible speed.
After throwing the remaining flash grenades, everyone’s guns simultaneously erupted in fire without anyone needing to call it out. It was the same situation as when we had wiped out the hordes of infected creatures in the previous research facility. However, there was a problem. They were approaching too quickly. Moreover…
“They’re zigzagging!”
Unlike other infected creatures, these weren’t just charging mindlessly; they were moving in zigzags as they closed the distance. Despite the common belief that such movements slow you down in real combat, these creatures moved with terrifying speed, making it highly effective.
Before even half of the magazines were emptied, one of them had already reached the lead squad member’s face. They moved so fast that it seemed as if they disappeared and reappeared intermittently.
“Damn it, it said 2.5 times faster!”
This was far beyond 2.5 times.
[Fall back!]
Before Artemis could warn me, I was already retreating. My squad members moved forward, forming layers of steel walls in front of me.
“Kuweeeek!”
The lead creature collapsed right in front of us after taking countless bullets. The problem was, it wasn’t alone. Another one, weaving through the hail of bullets, swung its arm.
Clang!
With a fierce impact, one squad member’s neck sparked, and his left arm hung limply. The hydraulics connecting to the left arm had been destroyed. But these steel soldiers felt no pain or panic. With his functioning right arm, the squad member fired back at the mutant.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite firing one-handed, there was barely any deviation, but the creature was dodging wildly, moving side to side. It was hard enough to track its movements with my eyes, let alone shoot it. Even for a security robot, hitting a target with such rapid, erratic movements one-handed was nearly impossible.
Bang!
Before it could fire his fourth shot, the mutant struck its neck again.
Clang!
The K2 rifle fell to the ground as the squad member lost power in both arms, the hydraulics destroyed.
“Those hands…”
The creature’s fingers were more than twice as long as a human’s, glistening with a metallic, dark blue hue, sharp as blades. Though riddled with bullets, the creature finally collapsed.
“Gyaaarrrgh.”
No matter how fast they moved, we outnumbered them, and our calm precision gave us the upper hand. However, once they got too close, the risk of friendly fire limited our shooting, and that’s where cracks started to form.
One squad member blocked an incoming claw aimed at its neck with his rifle.
Shhhh!
The mutant’s razor-sharp fingers sliced through half of the barrel and magazine, but the squad member swung the stock of the rifle in retaliation.
The stock, aimed at the mutant’s jaw, hit nothing but air. The mutant, crouching on all fours like a frog, leaped onto the squad member, sending them tumbling together. The mutant landed on top, in a mount position.
Clang! Clang!
Scratch!
It wildly swung both arms, slashing at the squad member, who raised its arms to protect its neck and face. Moments later, support fire rained down from all directions, turning the mutant into a shredded mess.
The squad member, who had been pinned, stood up and drew his backup rifle from his back. Although he had avoided fatal injuries, only three fingers remained on his left hand, and his right hand was nearly severed, making proper aiming difficult. And yet, he didn’t even get to fire a single shot.
Crunch!
Razor-sharp fingers pierced through the back of his neck. As the mutant withdrew its hand, sparks flew, and the squad member collapsed, motionless. A nearby squad member fired at the mutant, but it was already gone by the time the bullets reached. He fired again, but missed, and by the third shot, the creature had closed the distance.
Crunch!
The K2 rifle, raised instinctively to block, was split in two. The squad member, realizing it was too late to draw his backup weapon, rushed in for close combat. But that attempt was thwarted. Another mutant appeared out of nowhere, as if using teleportation, grabbing his right arm, while the original target seized its left.
Snap!
With a sickening crunch, both arms were torn from the squad member’s body. Sparks flew from the stumps, and he stood there, disoriented, until the next moment, when a mutant slashed his throat.
Despite the losses, we didn’t go down without a fight. In the brief clash, we quickly established a response strategy. All units, except those guarding me, spread out and crouched low to avoid friendly fire risks.
Any squad member who allowed the creatures to get too close focused on protecting their vital areas. While their rifles were quickly destroyed, each had a spare strapped to their back.
The attacking mutants, now more predictable, were shot from the sides and rear, outside their field of view. It was a tactic based on allowing some level of enemy approach and attack, something a human squad could never pull off. Now I understood why the original garrison had been wiped out—half of them likely died from friendly fire.
“Kyaaarrrgh!”
The last mutant collapsed, riddled with bullets, and the battle came to an end. After glancing beyond the dark tunnel for a moment, I scanned my access card at the fire control room's entrance again. This time, the door opened. That meant all threats in the underground lab had been neutralized. In total, there had been 12 mutated infected creatures.
This was the first real battle, rather than a one-sided slaughter, since I had started leading these robot soldiers. We had taken losses, but they were within acceptable limits. Three security robots were rendered inoperable, two had their combat efficiency reduced to less than half, and eight sustained light damage. Eleven K2 rifles were also destroyed.
Having overwhelmed ordinary infected creatures so far, I had almost believed these steel soldiers were invincible. I had underestimated the unpredictability of these new enemies. That was a mistake.
[Welcome, Commander Seo Jinsoo.]
The fire control room door opened, revealing the control systems inside. There, sitting in a duty officer’s chair, was a corpse wearing a uniform adorned with two stars. Beneath its limp right hand lay a handgun and a barely smoked Marlboro cigarette.