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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: #Clown (3), Santa Maria
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As befitting a city where the evacuation had been successful, the streets of Santa Maria were relatively clean.
Yet traces of the containment operation lingered. High walls meant for variants were just as daunting for humans. Pits and obstacles stretched out in continuous lines, blocking the straight path ahead. The way forward was direct, but they couldn't take it straight.
A checkpoint piercing through the barricade. Variants burst out from the shadows. Distance: 25 meters. It closed in an instant. Ranger Platoon slowed their pace. They never stopped, switching to tight strides for aimed fire on the move.
Thud-thud-crack! Crack-crack!
The variants crumpled from the front. Still, they pressed on with sheer mass. They had been too close from the start. But this was a Ranger unit, excelling even in close quarters.
Collision. At arm's reach, they blew heads off with precise shots, slammed into centers of gravity to topple them, trampled the tangled ones, and fired at their feet while passing. Even when grabbed, it was more annoyance than anything. One soldier, upon being seized, didn't scream in fear—he grumbled in irritation. Crack! He smashed its jaw sideways with his rifle butt. The variant's neck twisted, and it died.
Two closed in on Winter. One from each side. In the moment it seemed they would grab him, Winter leaned into one instead. He jammed his muzzle into its snapping jaws. Crunch—the variant staggered from the neck-snapping impact. It reached out with bulging eyes. The boy planted his foot firmly, swinging the bitten monster to align it with the other on the same line of fire. His selector flicked to burst. Fire.
Drdrdrack! Dull gunfire muffled in the skull. The bullet shattered one head and punched through to crack another.
Winter's sidestepping gait spun him away. The fleeting face of the one with its skull caved in the back dropped limply. It bid farewell with a single powerless gesture.
Seeing Winter keep up effortlessly, the platoon leader wore an unexpected expression.
The platoon hugged the side of the checkpoint. A gate chained shut. They couldn't see the other side. As they risked shooting the chain—
[BOOM!]
The gate shuddered violently. Through the sudden gap, starving eyes gleamed.
"Damn it!"
The soldier fell back. The platoon leader shook his head and tried comms.
"Drone team! What's the situation?"
「Civilian group, separated! Twenty-seven heading south on Broadway! Nine proceeding along West Donovan Road! Twelve dead so far!」
"Where the hell were all those hiding?!"
The platoon leader muttered a low curse. How long could the civilians hold out? They had to hurry. Even trained to conserve words, the hopeless situation gnawed at him. His mind had been fraying from accumulated fatigue for a while.
Sporadic shots punctuated the comms. Though his aim was the fastest, Winter conserved his trigger. He couldn't burn through ammo. He stuck to one reliable direction. Single shots only, one bullet per target. He shrugged off the silencer's reduced accuracy with skill compensation.
"Reloading!"
A soldier with an empty mag called out. Cover my sector while I do—meaning exactly that. It still only took a second to swap.
"You, you! Grenade!"
The platoon leader pointed at two men. Time to breach. Two arcs sailed over the wall. Kaboom! A momentary ground-shake. Then wails mimicking human cries. Dying whimpers seeped through the wall. The soldier at the gate finally snapped the chain. Metal shards flew.
He kicked the gate open. A variant leaning against it tumbled. Shredded by grenade shrapnel, its back was flayed to the bone.
From houses on the right side of the road, new ones crawled out. They spotted the platoon. Aaaahhh! Screams tearing throats. They all looked alike, but each had patterns. The pathogen's drive to spread hosts shoved the puppets forward blindly.
"Hug left!"
The left side of the road was separated by houses and walls. Press tight to one side, focus fire. But numbers soon overwhelmed them.
Two drones whirred overhead. Incoming from company HQ.
「Wolf Three, from Wolf Leader: Break left.」
Following orders revealed an easier path. Variants chased desperately from behind. Platoon leader's hand signal. A grenade lobbed rearward. Soldiers dropped low immediately. The vibrating blast rolled past their feet.
Now company HQ, with reserve drones up, took command.
「Wolf Three, moving without mission approval? What the hell?」
"Civilian spotting and rescue was always part of the mission! Other teams are too far! Too many civilians! Can two dick-sized helos evac them all? I made the best call!"
「Big dick must be nice. Prepare for disciplinary action. Proceed from North Miller Street to East Sunset. You have 3 minutes.」
"3 minutes?! Fuck, where's East Sunset? Sarge, possible?!"
No time to pull a map. The platoon leader glanced at Perry the sergeant. The cop familiar with the area nodded.
"Run like hell!"
The SWAT officer's marksmanship rivaled the Rangers'. Full sprint with directed fire. Mag empty, he drew his pistol seamlessly. Flawless bursts downed five variants. Even as the rest closed in, he ignored them. He trusted the Rangers.
「Wolf Two, deploying to combat zone. Wolf One entering from north city side. Helo insertion over op area in 40 seconds. Post-insertion, helo call sign unified as Firefly. Platoon drone teams designated Fisher One through Three.」
Fresh troops from company HQ incoming. But still far off. Even by vehicle, they'd be late. At least one platoon pushing straight from the north was a relief.
「This is Fisher Three. Southbound survivor group, two more dead. Position: 10 south from Foxtrot basepoint. Western Motel. Temporary concealment. Expect detection soon. Wolf Three, hurry.」
"Fuck! Hide! We're gonna get swamped!"
A burly black-white mixed sergeant groaned. Already over 1km run, and the rest matched it. Fighting while tense on comms over that distance was grueling.
Winter sweated too. Not exhaustion, but his body lagging behind his mind. Intense physical drain dulled his skills. Shaky aim. Shots weren't as true. So he used his blade on the nearest. A greatsword plunged into its temple; it stuck out its tongue. Stride forward, snap—withdraw. Speed held. Bayonet under the barrel.
Some fast soldiers checked abandoned cars. No keys. Faster to run or hotwire? No guarantee on gas anyway, so platoon leader said keep running. Soldiers panted too hard to speak.
Helo rotors approached fast. Thud-thud-thud-thud. The gale chasing them overtook the platoon in a flash. Helo banked tail-around, dropping altitude. Like a battleship opening gunports, it exposed its side. Unarmed itself, but the four soldiers aboard weren't.
"Down!"
Someone yelled. Momentum sent them tumbling. Grenade salvo passed overhead. Six-barrel launchers from two men each—firestorm of blasts and shrapnel swept the variant horde. Hot wind shoved Winter's back. Rolling, he saw a rotting leg. Grabbed it. Ankle. Yanked up.
Kreeek!
The grabbed variant's leg tore front-to-back. The boy drove his greatsword into the face turning toward him.
The helo supporting fire climbed sharply. Opposite side poured lead too—the road Winter peeked at was cleared. The helo flew straight for the survivors.
Remaining distance: about 200 meters. Dense housing meant the "clear" path clogged fast. Crawling under half-open garage doors, dropping from roofs, smashing through windows—filthy things poured out.
No choice. Perry veered again. Detour faster than fighting.
「Warning to Wolf Three! 11 o'clock, Boogie Three inbound!」
Drone team's scream.
A house exploded. When a massive body slammed full-force, destructive power rivaled shells. The monster that bulldozed five houses locked onto the panicked platoon. Roaring Grumble. Its bellow shook their bodies. Maw gaping wide. Winter fired reflexively. The beast staggered.
Bought a brief moment.
"Casualties! Cover!"
A sergeant's cry. House debris bloodied five soldiers. Two in the Grumble's melee range. Right where it had reeled back. The recovered monster clamped its jaws. Melee pattern.
The support gunner ignored machine-gun bursts; rock-like fist smashed both simultaneously. Boom! Flesh pulped with stone dust.
"Nooooo!"
Eyes bloodshot, a staff sergeant charged with grenade, perfect distance. Tossed at the predictably roaring beast. Simultaneously, a rocket lanced into its palate. Winter had snatched the dropped tube—whoever missed it. 「Personal Firearms Proficiency」 at 29% efficiency, but enough.
Armor-piercing rocket burrowed deep into soft flesh. Explosion. Head ballooned. Two seconds later, grenade in its esophagus blew.
The bloated muscle mass knelt. Bubbling blood foam.
Winter tossed the empty launcher. It bowled over a struck variant. Another soldier finished it.
The two casualties looked worse than they were. Much bleeding, no vitals hit. But one was trouble. Wooden shard pierced his abdomen.
During first aid, unexpected reinforcements joined.
"Dex? How're you here?"
Platoon leader's shock. The squad left to guard Circus had followed.
"They're soldiers too! Told 'em to watch their own asses!"
The squad leader shot back cockily while spraying all around. The support gunner properly mounted his MG, mowing down Grumble-spawned trash in droves.
Yet numbers swelled relentlessly. Platoon leader called HQ.
"Damn it! Road's blocked! HQ! Critical casualty! Requesting evac! Vehicle support possible?! Give rally point!"
「Wolf Three, withdraw.」
"What?!"
「New variant horde incoming from central-south city. No approach routes viable from your position.」
"Wait..."
「That's an order. Even forcing it, you'll run dry on ammo.」
Company commander nailed it shut. Sky view meant the field was that dire. Worse than ground level, at least. Wolf Three—3rd Platoon leader—ground his teeth.
「Firefly Two! LZ too hot! Can't set down!」
Precarious scene nearby. Helo descending for survivors dodged a thrown car by inches. Superheated tracer revenge from aboard. Useless against the physics-resistant monster. Had to hit vitals.
Another Grumble hurled infected. Flailing variant clipped rotors. Splat—bisected midair, guts rained like sleet. Second, third flew ballistic. Ninth grabbed a soldier's leg dangling outside. He strained not to fall. But it bit his calf. Infected.
Despairing soldier threw himself off. 30-meter freefall. A feast dropping from heaven for waiting ones. Feast killed two; rest fed. He'd pulled several grenade pins falling. Explosions erupted.
「Fisher Three down. Out of fuel.」
First drone crashed. Fuel had been marginal.
Repeated misfortunes convinced the platoon leader. Company HQ kept urging retreat over comms.
Mission fork arrived. Withdraw: safe. Advance: peril.
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