"Wait, why is the radar suddenly... breaking down at such a crucial moment?"
"It's not a malfunction, it's signal interference. 'Noisy Pack.' They always follow the main force of the Reptor."
The professor, hanging onto Ezal's exosuit in a panic, explained calmly.
The red dots on the radar screen disappeared one by one as the dust cloud approached.
"Even though their technology is inferior to the Dome, it's not as if the Reptors are completely helpless when they engage. That interference device renders not only radar but also guided missiles, low-power communications, and even second-generation pure electronic firearms useless."
"Damn! It reminds me of the old days. I guarantee that it's impossible to take out the Noisy Pack from a distance. They use the toughest vehicles and the thickest shields in the Reptor."
"Joh, do the Reptors use shields too?"
"They do, but in small quantities. They still maintain and use the military-grade shields from the Third World War. They are incredibly resilient. Our top priority will be to disrupt their formation. Once the Noisy Pack is neutralized, the rest can be taken out with the Dome's guided weapons."
"That's our goal. The Noisy Pack is in the center of the formation. It's impossible to strike them with an exosuit or any other stealth weapon. We need to clear out the boulders first."
"Boulders? What do you mean?"
"Why, Beck. Don't you know?"
"No, I've never fought the Reptors... but when you say boulders, something comes to mind."
"Hmm... What is it?"
"Dinosaurs."
"Wow, that's right!"
"Yikes! Really?!"
Rumble!
Swishâ
The dust cloud grew so thick it obscured their vision, and the sound of tracks and the pushing of earth was deafening.
"Ugh, really them."
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
[To all personnel. From now on, use code names for allies, and unnecessary conversation during combat is prohibited. All exosuits, maintain 50% mobility power, 20% shield, and 30% external repulsion barrier.]
"Ah, Ezal, you've never seen them, have you? Tanks, they are tanks."
"Tanks? Tanks?"
Ezal, focusing on the vague silhouette visible through the dust, recalled the tank designs he had studied. But this was completely different, almost like...
"A bulldozer?"
"Hehe! They were called that on the battlefield too."
"But... I've never seen anything like this in the war history I studied!"
"No wonder. This isn't an official model. It was created as a last resort when production facilities were destroyed at the end of the Great War."
The Third World War. A catastrophe that began with calamity, was fueled by greed, and ended by destroying everything without purpose. It was a war that mobilized all of humanity's resources and was as meticulous and ruthless as it was.
The primary target of bombings was always production facilities. Even a small component for advanced equipment, if production stopped, could drastically reduce the enemy's combat effectiveness.
The peculiar tanks now approaching were a makeshift model created to withstand the enemy's long-range direct fire and railguns when the production of high-power refractive shields for modern tanks became impossible.
"Triceratops, T-7 tank. As befits its reputation as the successor to the infamous Type 6 tank, it boasts a nightmare-inducing front armor."
"It's insane. The front armor is a meter-thick layer of Taranin alloy. It's weak in turning and the sides are almost completely exposed, but it can't be penetrated even by a city-mounted railgun from the front."
Boom!
As the professor finished speaking, the main force of the Reptor finally emerged from the dust cloud.
As the name suggests, the front armor was wide and thick, completely covering the front, with a cannon protruding like a horn in the middle.
Dozens of such tanks were lined up seamlessly, forming a massive steel wall.
Sniff, sniff.
"Hapben, this is..."
"Ah, damn it. I never wanted to smell this again."
"You can always smell this when they pass by. Whether people die or not, it's always there."
The black smoke emitted from the massive tanks. In a world where gasoline was scarce, the Reptors chose an alternative resource, the easiest to obtain in the wasteland, burning it to produce a horrific aroma.
The fuel for the Reptor's tanks was mostly bio-diesel extracted from humans. Wherever the Reptors went, the smell of burning corpses lingered heavily.
"Demons... demonic bastards..."
"Not entirely wrong. The prophets of old said demons would descend from the sky and destroy the world. Since the world was ultimately destroyed by human hands, perhaps someone in this world deserves the name demon. And the soldiers who actively participated in it might be the closest to that."
The professor, with a heavy heart, leaped off Ezal's exosuit.
Clangâ
At the start of the act, the sound of the service ribbon in the uniform he received from the Enforcement Division jingled, making his heart heavy.
***
"Indirect fire weapons are intercepted. Precision-guided weapons are jammed. The rest... are all blocked by those stone-headed bastards."
"What about the sides? At such a slow speed and with no turning, the sides must be incredibly vulnerable, right?"
"Think about it, Ezal. These things only move during a full-scale engagement. Who else but the Dome can engage the Reptors in a full-scale battle in this wasteland?"
"The Dome... Ah!"
"Yeah, man. The Dome's main force is the Dome itself. The city-mounted facilities can't perform flanking attacks. The exosuit units can, but the Reptors can defend against them to some extent."
This was a weakness of the Dome, which mostly fought in a defensive position. They couldn't use the battlefield dynamically.
It's ironic. Even though the world had been destroyed once, the full-scale battles in a world filled with advanced weapons like railguns and shields took on the form of medieval line battles.
Ezal, looking at the front armor of the Triceratops tanks now visible to the naked eye, doubted his eyes.
"Is this... possible? The Taranin alloy I know... it's five times heavier than regular iron. How can they move with that much armor on the front of a tank?"
"Without using high-power tank shields, they have excess power. They added an electronic power unit on top of the diesel engine. Since almost all the power of the advanced tanks is used for movement, this became possible."
"Such a crazy thing..."
"War creates many things. The problem is that it mostly creates things for destruction rather than production."
Rumbleâ
The steel wall, which had been approaching slowly, decelerated and then came to a complete stop. The movement was precise, without a single error.
"Always sharp. They stopped at the exact distance needed to intercept indirect fire weapons."
"Ian, you said you were with the Reptors?"
"....Yeah, for quite a while."
"Then you know better than me. I think the most effective attack for us to move is to induce chaos on the sides through ambush. Agree?"
"Tsk. Not a bad idea, but..."
Ian, habitually putting a cigarette in his mouth, realized he had no lighter and began rummaging through his pockets.
"It's going to be tough. A wall made of T-7s. On either side, the Reptor army's combat vehicles follow like wings. Let's see... Hey, Homo, do you have binoculars?"
Confused by Ian's words, the group soon realized who 'Homo' referred to and turned their gaze.
"Damn... Sir! I'm not Homo!"
Whirrâ
"That's because you named yourself 'Gaybar.'"
Thud!
Ian, grumbling, took a quick look at the enemy lines with the dungeon binoculars and passed them to the professor.
"Look at the end of the dinosaur heads."
"...Infantry. Large-caliber rounds to penetrate the latest shields and insane firepower from city-mounted defenses. Infantry, and so many of them?"
"They wouldn't be useful otherwise. Look closely."
Following Ian's words, the professor examined the infantry through the binoculars. Some were on vehicles, others lined up in groups of five. Their heads were higher than the combat vehicles? Were they tall? Black gas masks, strange pads on their uniforms...
"Ah!"
He thought he understood what Ian was about to say. In Sector 45, they had seen these figures pushing through narrow passages like tanks.
"Those flamethrower guys?"
"Their official name is 'Mini Shooter.' The flamethrower is a special weapon for special operations, but their main weapon is the Gatling gun next to them."
"Gatling gun... that thing? Mounted on the vehicle?"
"Not mounted. Just leaning against it."
"That... mini?"
They looked more like armored game characters than people. Black, bulky pads on their uniforms and large frames. Equally large Gatling guns.
The professor, with a bewildered face, answered Ian's chuckle.
"It's a kind of irony. Their main weapon is the mini gun. They are an exosuit-dedicated unit. Enhanced with various performance-enhancing drugs, they are incredibly tough. A group of five Mini Shooters can take on one exosuit."
"That's why they are grouped in fives."
"Actually, the exchange rate is a bit worse than that."
After rummaging through his pockets for a while, Ian finally managed to light his cigarette with gunpowder from a shotgun shell, exhaling smoke with a satisfied expression.
"Phewâ! Damn, trying to look cool is a pain. Anyway, a normal approach won't work for a side breakthrough."
"What about an unconventional approach?"
"When I was there... it happened a couple of times. Once, a dozen or so Dome special forces with long-range sniper rifles took out about 30 Mini Shooters outside the radar range and started the attack. Another time, a 200kg impact hammer, no longer in production, disrupted the formation while a special forces unit with camouflage gear caused chaos inside."
"No sniper rifles... and an ambush with impact...?"
"Hmm."
The professor, stroking his chin, and Ian, scratching his temple, both looked at Beck simultaneously.
"Uh... me?"
"Doesn't it seem possible? I've never seen it, but you've never failed when asked."
"Professor Park, you passed out, and I was half-crazy, but I once took out a squad with a sword that had no edge."
"Perfect, then?"
"Absolutely."
"Uh... uh?"
Chomp!
Unable to keep up with the conversation, Beck's shoulders were placed by the two men.
"Hapben? Joh? You can't be serious... me?"
"Who else?"
"Trust us, rookie. We'll provide solid backup. You just need to do what you do best."
"When learning to use a sword, you're taught to aim for the abdomen, not the neck or heart. The abdomen, full of organs, is not protected by ribs. Just stab in."
"Yikes, easy to say...!"
"Just do what you've been doing, just do it, hehehe!"
Whirrâ
Thud!
"Ow! Handle the supplies gently, Professor Park! But really, are you going in? All three of you?"
The professor, who had thrown the binoculars without looking, answered confidently.
"Phewâ! People call us legends and superhumans. I don't know if what we've done is that great, but..."
"Hmmâ! I can smell the battlefield."
"Hmm... feels awkward. The new sword doesn't fit my hand."
While Beck grumbled and examined his new sword, Ian ruffled his hair and slung a heavy iron bag over his shoulder.
Naturally, they left a space in the middle as the two moved forward. The professor said,
"If we're really legends, shouldn't we do this much?"
With that, he joined the two, donned a sand-colored poncho, and began a wide flanking maneuver.
"Those crazy bastards..."
Crackleâ
[All personnel, prepare for engagement. The objective is to protect the city from enemy artillery. Hold for 15 minutes until the main cannon is recharged. The homeless reptiles will be finished then. Stay calm, don't panic, and act as usual. Understood!]
Crackleâ
[EZ-07.]
`It's a transparent boundary visible only to us. If you touch it, the exosuit will lose control. Stay calm. Focus on the visual guidance and you can avoid itâ'
[EZ-07! Rookie! Are you listening!]
"Ah!"
[Get a grip, you idiot! This is real combat! Forget the 'practice games' you've been running in Sector 47! If you lose focus, you die! The enemy is the Reptors! They capture prisoners to extract fuel from humans!]
[Yes, yes...]
[Damn, report any anomalies!]
"Yes, sir!"
Startled by the harsh curses, Ezal snapped back to reality. His mind couldn't keep up, but his body, trained to the point of nausea when he joined the Surveillance Division, reacted instinctively to his superior's orders.
'Anomalies... anomalies...!'
[I, EZ-07, no issues with combat performance! Anomalies! Support force HIV flanking the battlefield!]
[Good... no, what? Speak clearly! Who went where?]
Crackleâ
[Silver Guard. This is the Operator. Briefing on the recent communication. Support force HIV flanking the battlefield. Was this discussed? What's the objective?]
Crackleâ
[Speed Bump activation complete. High-angle rail shooters, 12 ready. Silver Guard, stand by. Silver Guard, stand by.]
Ralph Montclaire struggled to maintain his composure amidst the chaotic communications. In a few seconds, they would clash, but where did those guys without proper equipment go?
[HIV! Report the status of the support force! They plan to break through the enemy's side and disrupt the formation after colliding with us!]
[...Head Center. Acknowledged. An action befitting their reputation. Wishing them luck.]
[Operator, enemy commander's tank confirmed. Transmitting video.]
"Without me knowing, what else have they been up to..."
Ralph, thinking of the professor's group who had passed by like a wave in the midst of the communications, closed his eyes tightly. It was out of his hands now. His job was to command the Surveillance Division's exosuit unit, the Silver Guard.
Ralph, gritting his teeth, saw the video appear before him. Behind the steel wall, a man in a black uniform stood in front of a large loudspeaker, holding a wad of paper.
"Ah, it's been a while, stinky rat friends."
The man's voice echoed across the Dome's courtyard, slightly distorted by the signal interference.
[...All Silver Guard personnel, ready.]
"I can't greet you formally. I am Sol Amar, the pack leader of Reptor's 8th Legion. Although you rats are not worth eating, Reptor's battles are sacred. Here, I've written down the reasons why you will die like dogs today. Read them carefully and appreciate them."
Boom!
The man paused, setting the paper on fire.
"Enjoy it in hell."
Boom!
The tanks fired without warning, their shells stopping just in front of Ezal due to the electromagnetic net.
"Phew, phew, phew, phew!"
[EZ-07! Anomalies!]
[None!]
None, he was terrified. The sound of shells exploding outside the net made his eardrums feel like they would burst, and the exosuit unit's mission was to go outside the net and buy time.
'Electric Pole. The city's power is transmitted forward, and the net extends forward. We have to hold the empty sector with our lives...'
Until the city's main cannon broke through the Reptor's defense, the exosuit unit's role was a dynamic energy barrier. As a result, the most casualties occurred in the early stages of combat, when the net was extended forward.
But Ezal, gritting his teeth, took a step outside the gray net zone visible through the visual guidance.
'If we're really legends, shouldn't we do this much?'
Even with only infantry equipment, the three figures running towards the enemy lines.
Ezal, recalling their backs, ripped the collar of his tight combat suit.
"Damn it... I can't just be a pampered young master!!!"
Clank! Clank!
With a half-twisted, lopsided smile, the exosuit with an energy shield began to advance.
[Ha ha ha! EZ-07! You still have some guts! I was going to play with you until you retired if you froze!]
[Shit! Next time I'll come out in a diaper!]
[Sorry, but we used all the prepared diapers, EZ-07. Tough luck, you'll have to lose your pants.]
[KT-05, MJ-06! Shut up and hold the shield! When the Electric Pole activates, you need to hold for 45 seconds outside the net! Focus on defense!]
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clankâ
Boom!
"Ugh! Oof!"
A shell hit Ezal's shield directly. Although the battery was still sufficient to block it, the power level dropped sharply, and the shock inside the shield made his stomach churn, causing saliva to drip from his mouth.
'Strange... the combat doctrine says that once the Silver Guard advances, the Reptors will deploy combat vehicles to reduce the artillery range, and the battle will shift from an artillery duel to a melee... but these guys are continuing the artillery barrage while retreating.'
If this continues, the Dome's victory is certain, but the Silver Guard, who have to withstand the barrage without the net's protection as the Reptors retreat, will suffer.
'The battery won't last until the main cannon is recharged! Damn, hurry, hurry...!'
Ezal, looking at the fading shield, desperately wished the three men ahead would do something.