It was only after the wolf-headed figure reset her heart that the woman snapped out of her dazed state.
But then, the two skeleton soldiers standing behind her instantly hoisted her up, walked to the edge of the cliff, and simply threw her down.
Falling into the giant 'volcano' emitting an eerie red glow, the result was predictable.
Immediately after, the wolf-headed figure did not stop weighing.
The teenage youth, who was behind the woman, was forcibly pushed forward by the skeleton soldiers and had his heart removed and weighed in the same manner.
His heart was heavier than a feather.
Seeing this, the wolf-headed figure immediately picked up the heart and threw it onto a 'bloody pile' nearby.
Through his long-range vision, John discovered that the bloody pile consisted of countless... still-beating hearts.
The wolf-headed figure walked up to the dazed youth, opened its mouth, and spat out scorching flames.
The youth was engulfed and burned by the flames, but he made no struggle.
Within seconds, the flames burned the youth, whose heart was heavier than a feather, until his flesh and internal organs were 'completely clean', leaving only a complete skeleton.
Finally, that youth turned into a skeleton soldier and, led by a mummy, left the area.
...
Observing the scene unfolding in the distance,
Carl, who was in a sniping position on the city wall, couldn't help but exclaim to John, "John, those might really be Anubis from Egyptian mythology.
The wolf-headed humanoids, although slightly different, also use scales to weigh human hearts..."
"Uncertain," John said calmly.
"I've spotted twelve anomalous wolf-headed humanoids, and counting the 'hell rift' that resembles an active volcano, there are a total of thirteen anomalies causing this outbreak."
"Thirteen..." Myron, who was on alert behind the two, turned his head and grumbled, "That's an unlucky number."
"Huh?" At this moment, Carl seemed to recall something.
He suggested, "John, Athena is a Greek goddess. Do you think she might know about those 'Anubis'?"
"Possibly," John nodded.
"Master Chief," Cortana reported over their comms,
"I have recorded everything we've seen, and I've also conducted a simple analysis of that 'hell rift'.
I found that the temperature around the rift is normal, averaging around 27°C, which certainly isn't the temperature of a volcano as we know it.
Furthermore, based on the weighing behavior of the wolf-headed humanoids, it is similar to Anubis.
And that woman whose heart was lighter than a feather likely passed its test, and was thus sent to the afterlife, 'Duat'.
From this, I infer that the 'hell rift' should be an entrance to another world."
...
Hearing Cortana's analysis, Blue Team fell into a brief silence.
Then John stood up, walked down the city wall, and said calmly, "No matter what, we must stop these anomalies.
First, let's leave here and rendezvous with the Major, then collectively evacuate the barrier zone and upload all the data we've gathered to the UNSC Infinity."
"Yes." (x2)
Myron and Carl responded in unison, then followed John off the city wall, preparing to leave the ancient ruined city.
The three Spartans once again utilized their Mjolnir armor and physical prowess to quickly sprint south.
During this time, with Cortana's assistance, they successfully contacted the Warthog convoy, which was lingering five kilometers away.
--------
...
Soon after,
a Warthog convoy stopped in a depression between two sand dunes. Michelle, leading the Berserker Sharks, guarded the perimeter of the convoy, while several paratroopers kept watch from high points on the dunes.
Those who remained in the vehicles were civilians, and UNSC soldiers and police also followed the Berserker Sharks to protect the vehicles.
As for Blue Team's Myron and Carl, they both stood on the sand dunes on either side, assisting the paratroopers in their vigilance.
John, Michelle, and a group of Berserker Shark squad leaders stood in front of the lead Warthog of the convoy, discussing the retreat route.
"Major," John asked Michelle calmly,
"Have you made any new discoveries during our separate operations?"
"Yes, we have." Michelle took out a paper map from his waist pocket.
Then Michelle unfolded the map and smoothed it out on the Warthog's hood.
John and the squad leaders gathered around Michelle, their gaze fixed on the map.
The map showed the extent of the barrier zone, their convoy's current location, and 'X' marks drawn by Michelle with a red marker.
(Image)
Michelle's right hand pointed to each red 'X' in turn, explaining to John and the others, "Gentlemen.
According to the survivors we rescued, here, here, and here, large numbers of Hell Servants have gathered.
These are the Demon Soldiers we encountered before.
Furthermore, there are still a considerable number of UNSC forces and local police resisting in these towns, and our agents are likely among them.
However, due to complete loss of communication, they cannot receive support.
If we proceed south along the Nile, we will encounter a large number of Demon Soldiers, as well as armed forces still resisting."
"We can't go south," John shook his head.
"Although going south would allow us to support allied forces and rescue civilians, it would take at least eight hours to exit the barrier zone."
"Indeed," Michelle agreed deeply.
He added, "If we retreat southwest, we'd have to cross four hundred kilometers of desert, and we can't be sure there aren't any Demon Soldiers stationed there.
So the only quick direction is east, towards the border between Israel and Egypt, which is about one hundred kilometers away.
If all goes well, we could exit the barrier zone in less than an hour, but...
This route is too close to Cairo, and we might encounter pursuit from those large wolf-headed figures.
Master Chief, what do you think?"
"East," John said without hesitation, "Informing the UNSC Infinity of the information we have is our top priority."
"Haha," Michelle chuckled, shaking his head, "I already guessed you'd say that, Master Chief. Then we'll evacuate east."
"Mm."
John nodded stoically, then gripped his plasma rifle and calmly ordered,
"Major, Blue Team will cover the rear of the convoy. You and the Berserker Shark company will protect the civilians following us."
"Yes." Michelle and the squad leaders saluted in unison.
Then everyone began to act according to John's orders.
The Berserker Shark paratroopers began boarding the vehicles, gathering civilians in the center of the convoy, while they positioned themselves at both ends of the convoy.
Michelle, as the commander second only to John, was also protected in the middle of the convoy by the paratroopers.
In the last Warthog, John was the driver, Myron was the Gauss cannon gunner, and Carl, armed with a Gauss sniper rifle, was the co-driver.
"Click!"
Carl pulled the trigger, glanced at her comrades, and smiled, "It's time to get back to the UNSC Infinity."
"Ah." John nodded silently, then ordered over the comms, "Move out."
"Vroom—"
Accompanied by the unique low hum of the hydrogen engine, the Warthog convoy began to move quickly along the planned route.
"Yee-haw!" As the gunner, Myron still shouted, trying to lighten the mood,
"I don't care if you're hell or not, I'm gonna blast you back!"
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