WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

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◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

00036 <-- The Little Prince of the Ossuary -->

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#The Clown (3), Santa Maria

As expected of a city that had a successful evacuation, the streets of Santa Maria were relatively clean.

However, traces of the containment operation remained. High walls that were obstacles for mutants were also high for humans. Trenches and obstacles blocked their path. The way forward was straight, but they couldn't go directly.

A checkpoint cut through the barricade. From the shadows, mutants sprang out. 25 meters away. They closed the distance in an instant. The Ranger platoon slowed down. They never stopped, advancing with short strides, shooting from the shoulder.

Dududud! Dudud!

The mutants fell from the front but kept pushing forward with their mass. They were too close from the start. However, the Rangers excelled in close combat.

They collided. At arm's length, they aimed and shot heads, knocked down others by hitting their center of gravity, trampled the entangled ones, and shot those beneath their feet as they moved. Being grabbed was more annoying than frightening. One soldier, when grabbed, reacted with irritation rather than fear. Crack! He struck the mutant's jaw with the butt of his rifle. The mutant's neck snapped, killing it.

Two mutants approached Gyeoul, one on each side. Just as they were about to grab him, Gyeoul stuck to one side. He jammed his rifle into the snapping jaws, the impact breaking the mutant's neck. The creature, its eyes rolling up, reached out blindly. Gyeoul planted his foot firmly, swung the rifle-muzzled creature into line with the other, and squeezed the trigger on full auto.

Ratatatat! The muffled gunfire echoed inside the skull. The bullets exited the first head, piercing the second.

Gyeoul stepped aside, the broken skull falling, its lifeless face saying farewell with a weak wave.

Seeing Gyeoul following without difficulty, the platoon leader looked surprised.

The platoon reached the side of the checkpoint. A door bound with chains. They couldn't see the other side. Just as they were about to shoot the chains off, taking the risk—

[Bang!]

The door shook violently. Through the gap, hungry eyes glared.

"Damn it!"

The soldier stepped back. The platoon leader shook his head and tried to communicate.

"Drone team! What's the situation?"

「The civilian group is separated! Twenty-seven heading south along Broadway! Nine moving along West Donovan Road! Twelve dead so far!」

"Where the hell were they hiding?"

The platoon leader muttered a low curse. How long could the civilians hold out? They needed to move quickly. Trained to be concise, he couldn't help the feeling of helplessness in this dire situation. The strain on his mind was evident.

During the communication, intermittent gunfire occurred. Despite having the fastest aim, Gyeoul saved his shots. He couldn't waste ammunition. He covered one direction, firing single shots, each bullet hitting its mark. The silencer reduced accuracy, but his skill compensated for it.

"Reloading!"

A soldier called out. It meant to cover his direction for a moment. It only took a second to change magazines.

"You, you! Grenades!"

The platoon leader pointed at two soldiers. They were going to break through. Two arcs flew over the wall. Boom! The ground shook momentarily. The dying groans of humanoids echoed through the wall. The soldier at the door finally broke the chain. Metal shards scattered.

They kicked the door open. The mutant leaning against it toppled over. Shredded by grenade fragments, its back was stripped to the bone.

New mutants crawled out from the houses on the right side of the road. Spotting the Rangers, they screamed. Even if they all looked the same, there was a pattern. The pathogen's will to increase hosts drove the puppets forward.

"Stick to the left!"

The left side of the road was separated from the residential area by a wall. They pressed close and focused their fire. But soon, they were overwhelmed by numbers.

Two drones flew overhead. A transmission from the company headquarters.

「Wolf Leader to Wolf Three, take the left path.」

Following the order revealed a relatively easier path. The mutants chased them desperately. The platoon leader signaled. A grenade flew back. The soldiers ducked. The ground vibrated with the explosion.

The company headquarters, now deploying reserve drones, took command.

「Wolf Three, what are you doing moving without mission approval?」

"Isn't finding and rescuing civilians part of the mission? Other teams are too far, and there are too many civilians! Can two small helicopters rescue them all? I'm making the best decision!"

「Great, keep up that attitude. Prepare for reprimand. Move from North Miller Street to East Sunset. You've got three minutes.」

"Three minutes?! Shit, where's East Sunset? Sergeant, can we make it?!"

No time to check the map. The platoon leader looked at Sergeant Perry, who nodded.

"We'll have to run like hell!"

The SWAT officer's shooting skills rivaled the Rangers'. Running at full speed, he fired accurately. When his magazine was empty, he drew his pistol. His seamless rapid fire took down five mutants. He didn't worry about those closing in, trusting the Rangers to cover him.

「Wolf Two, moving into the battle. Wolf One entering from the north. Helicopter insertion above the operation area in 40 seconds. Call sign Firefly for all helicopters. Drone teams will be named Fisher One to Fisher Three.」

Reinforcements from the company headquarters were on the way. But they were far off. Even by vehicle, they wouldn't arrive in time. At least one platoon was entering from the north immediately.

「This is Fisher Three. Additional two civilians dead. Position 10 south of base point Foxtrot. Western Motel. Temporarily hidden but likely to be discovered soon. Hurry, Wolf Three.」

"Shit! I'm out of breath!"

A large, mixed-race sergeant gasped. They had run over a kilometer, with more to go. Covering such a distance while fighting was exhausting.

Gyeoul was sweating profusely. Not from fatigue but from his body not keeping up with his mind. Extreme physical exertion was reducing his abilities. His aim wavered. Shooting wasn't as precise as before, so he used his knife for close enemies. A bayonet to the temple silenced a mutant. A quick snap pulled it out, his pace uninterrupted. He attached the bayonet below the rifle muzzle.

Some of the faster soldiers checked abandoned vehicles. No keys. It was debatable whether running or hot-wiring would be faster. There was no guarantee the gasoline vehicles had fuel, so the platoon leader ordered them to keep running. The soldiers were too breathless to speak.

The sound of helicopter rotors approached quickly. Thud thud thud. The wind rushing past their backs overtook the platoon. The helicopter lowered its altitude, turning its tail. It revealed its side like a battleship opening fire. Though the helicopter itself wasn't armed, the soldiers on both sides were.

"Get down!"

Someone shouted. Everyone rolled with their momentum. A barrage of grenades passed over them. Two soldiers fired six-shot grenade launchers. The storm of fire and shrapnel swept through the mutants. The hot wind pushed Gyeoul forward. As he rolled, he grabbed a rotting leg, yanking it.

Screeeech!

The mutant's leg tore apart. Gyeoul plunged his bayonet into its face.

The helicopter, having finished its fire support, quickly ascended. The path ahead was clear. The helicopter flew straight towards the civilian group.

About 200 meters remained. In the dense residential area, the supposedly clear path was soon blocked. Filthy creatures crawled out from under half-open garage doors, fell from roofs, and broke through windows.

They had no choice. Sergeant Perry turned off the road again. Taking a detour to avoid fights was faster.

「Warning to Wolf Three! Boogie Three at 11 o'clock!」

The drone team's frantic warning.

A house exploded. The massive creature's impact was comparable to a shell. After crashing through five houses, the monster spotted the disoriented platoon. The Grumble roared. Its howl could be felt in their bones. Its gaping maw aimed at them. Gyeoul reflexively fired. The monster staggered.

They gained a brief reprieve.

"Injuries! Cover fire!"

A sergeant's desperate scream. Five soldiers were bloodied by the house debris. Two were within the Grumble's range, caught in its stumble. The monster, regaining its balance, clamped its mouth shut. It was preparing for a close attack.

Ignoring the machine gun's torrent, the rock-like fist smashed the two soldiers simultaneously. Thud! The sound of bodies breaking mixed with debris.

"Nooooo!"

A red-eyed sergeant faced the creature with a grenade. A precise distance. He threw it as the monster roared. At the same time, a rocket embedded itself in the Grumble's palate. Gyeoul had grabbed a discarded launcher. Though it only had 29% efficiency with his "Firearms Mastery," it was enough.

The rocket, capable of piercing metal, burrowed deep into the soft flesh. An explosion. The head swelled. Two seconds later, the grenade stuck in its esophagus detonated.

The massive muscle-bound monster collapsed, spewing blood foam.

Gyeoul discarded the empty launcher. The collapsing mutant was finished off by another soldier.

Two of the injured were in better shape than expected, though bleeding heavily, they weren't mortally wounded. However, one had a splinter piercing his abdomen.

While they were administering first aid, unexpected reinforcements arrived.

"Deck? How are you here?"

The platoon leader was surprised. The squad left to guard the Circus team had caught up.

"They're soldiers too! I told them to take care of themselves!"

The squad leader responded confidently, firing in all directions. The machine gunner set up his weapon properly, mowing down the horde attracted by the Grumble's roar.

However, the numbers seemed to keep increasing. The platoon leader called the headquarters.

"Damn it! We're blocked! HQ, we've got severe injuries! Request vehicle support for evacuation! Give us a rendezvous point!"

「Wolf Three, fall back.」

"What?"

「A new group of mutants is entering from the south-central part of the city. There's no more access route from your current position.」

"Wait a minute..."

「It's an order. Even if you attempt a forced breakthrough, you'll run out of ammunition.」

The company commander made it clear. The battlefield observed from above must have seemed worse than what they saw on the ground. Wolf Three, the 3rd Platoon leader, gritted his teeth.

「This is Firefly Two! The landing zone is too hot! We can't go down!」

An intense scene unfolded in the sky above. A helicopter descending to rescue the civilians narrowly avoided a car thrown by a Grumble. The soldiers aboard retaliated with suppressing fire, but it was ineffective against the resilient monsters. Vital hits were necessary.

Another Grumble threw an infected mutant. The mutant, flailing, collided with the rotor blades, splitting in half mid-air, showering the area with entrails. A second and third mutant flew through the air. Finally, the ninth mutant grabbed a soldier's leg as he hung out of the helicopter. Desperately trying not to fall, the soldier was bitten on the calf, becoming infected.

In despair, the soldier threw himself from the helicopter. A 30-meter free fall. To the awaiting creatures below, he was a feast falling from the sky. His descent killed two, but the rest began to devour him. It seemed he had pulled a few grenade pins during his fall. The resulting explosion was loud.

「Fisher Three down. Fuel depleted.」

The first drone deployed finally crashed. Its fuel had been running low for a while.

The string of setbacks convinced the platoon leader. The headquarters repeatedly urged retreat.

The mission had reached a critical juncture. Retreat was safe, advancement perilous.

--------------------------- Author's Note ---------------------------

Hehe... I spent 14 hours writing this...

Footnotes:

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