Chapter 38: Body is Unwell, My Apologies
As the most elite armed force in Chu Sheng City, the Security Team had always attracted attention from all walks of life since its appearance in the public eye.
So-called latest news about the Security Team would pop up in street rumors every month, and they never lacked popularity.
However, the content therein lacked any credible factual evidence for support; it was clear at a glance that they were merely self-imagined fantasies to attract attention, their authenticity questionable.
In reality, the Chu Sheng City base attached great importance to the intelligence blockade regarding the Security Team.
The movements of the Security Team had always been secretive.
Apart from a few guest appearances as bodyguards escorting visiting delegations from other city bases, they had hardly ever shown their faces in public.
Even the information about their establishment of ‘over two hundred combat personnel’ was something I only learned in the pre-war period of the dream.
However, even so, some rumors did indeed hit the mark, namely the Security Team's outstanding combat capabilities, especially their proficiency in conducting special operations in complex urban ruin environments.
I had witnessed this firsthand in the dream; otherwise, it would have been impossible to successfully guide the Witch ‘Tyrant’ into the predetermined trap while under her pursuit.
That was the result after the squad was split up for comprehensive defense of the operational area.
And now, the actions carried out by this complete Security Team squad impressed me even more.
"Their coordination and mutual understanding were astonishing."
In the ten-member squad, not a single person was redundant during their advance.
While maintaining all-around vigilance, their marching speed was also very fast.
Furthermore, under the reconnaissance of two snipers, they successfully avoided an area where a high-tier mutated monster was located.
This was far superior to the mercenary squad I was initially in.
After all, one was a hastily assembled squad of five mercenaries, and the other was a well-honed, ten-member Security Team squad with excellent coordination.
The two were simply not on the same level, especially Captain Luo Shi, who was in charge of commanding the squad.
No matter how poor my impression of him was, I had to admit that his abilities in both personal combat and command were quite something.
The obedience of those team members stemmed not only from the subordinate relationship of their positions but also from their high degree of trust in him.
To gain trust within an elite squad was something I believed I couldn't achieve.
Under the protection of such a Security Team squad, even being in the core urban area of this high-risk JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, my heart felt a slight sense of comfort, although I also knew that a single Security Team squad could not ensure true safety; danger still existed.
“According to the amplitude of the energy fluctuations, the Witch’s route has changed. The direction ahead is deviating eastward.” Han Nianling, who was in charge of directional command, issued new instructions based on the changing values while observing the display on the instrument in her hand.
The instrument in her hand was precisely that ‘rangefinder’ she occasionally took out from her briefcase.
During the operation, Han Nianling also explained the instrument’s purpose to me: to check and record the fluctuation intensity of dark energy.
And regarding the meaning of the term ‘dark energy’, Han Nianling also provided an explanation: a unified term for the accompanying energy magnetic field of Aether-like substances and unconventional energies.
Dark… what?
Faced with such an official explanation, I was still completely bewildered.
But none of that mattered; as long as I knew that this thing could be used to track the Witch, that was enough.
This was also the important basis for them to ensure they remained on the Witch’s trail, even though they had not yet determined the Witch’s exact location.
This also directly explained Han Nianling’s ultimate purpose in coming to the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area.
She had to take out this thing to observe at every certain distance, recording the dark energy fluctuations at different locations.
Wasn't this to find the Witch’s trail?
The encounter in the subway confirmed the Witch’s appearance.
Because her objective had been achieved and she had anticipated that the observation post would dispatch a Security Team squad, she immediately terminated her relationship with the mercenaries.
These interconnected links, the more I pondered them, the more I couldn’t help but feel admiration.
“Understood.” Luo Shi, walking in front, nodded and issued instructions through the communication headset, “Reconnaissance team, pay attention. Shift the reconnaissance range eastward. Maintain a safe distance and normal communication at all times.”
“Yes, sir.”
The reply from the other end came from a reconnaissance team composed of one sniper and one rifleman.
Their main task was to scout the road conditions ahead for the squad members following behind, always maintaining a distance of about three hundred to five hundred meters in front.
This not only ensured that the rear troops had sufficient room to maneuver or prepare for battle after receiving a warning, but also allowed them to receive timely fire support from the advancing rear team if they themselves fell into danger.
I just didn't know if this distance was too dangerous for dealing with the Witch……
I touched my communication headset.
This headset was no longer the semi-finished product with some functions removed that Han Nianling had given me before.
After connecting to the squad’s channel, I could also communicate remotely with these Security Team members in a timely manner.
Joining the Security Team’s communication channel as a mercenary felt very strange; I estimated that there probably wasn’t a second mercenary in the entire Chu Sheng City who could do this.
The so-called detection capability of that strange instrument was even better than I had imagined.
Not long after Luo Shi’s order was issued, an astonishing feedback was received.
“Tar… target found. Black windbreaker, giant scythe, and other characteristics match.”
This sentence from the reconnaissance team’s reply made the footsteps of the other people in the squad pause slightly.
The fingers on the triggers were also trembling slightly.
If the safety hadn't been on, there would have been a real risk of accidental discharge.
Even though they were actually separated by hundreds of meters, the oppressive feeling of the word ‘Witch’ already carried enough weight to cross this distance.
The Witch… the ultimate target they had been searching for all along had appeared so unexpectedly.
They all thought they were prepared, but when the moment truly came, the psychological preparations they had made beforehand didn't seem as sufficient as they had imagined.
However, as elites, their strong psychological resilience had already helped them adjust their mentality to the optimal combat state.
After a few seconds of silence, Luo Shi immediately made all preparations: “Maintain safety. Keep the target within your visual range. We have already located your signal point and are rushing to rendezvous with you.”
Already… found her?
I subconsciously touched my neck.
The figure from the dream and the figure in the subway overlapped in my mind, causing the hand gripping the gunstock to unconsciously tighten……
“Advance quickly!”
The squad’s speed suddenly increased, rapidly approaching the direction of the reconnaissance team’s positioning signal.
With the reconnaissance team’s prior scouting, their advance didn’t need to worry about high-threat monsters or the risk of ground collapse.
The few monsters wandering along the way were even less of a concern.
Even the other sniper in the team didn’t need to take action; the precise shooting of a few riflemen could kill them in one shot.
The firearms they used, like much of the Security Team’s equipment, were unfamiliar to me in terms of relevant data.
However, judging from their performance and shooting accuracy, they were truly impressive.
And the aiming devices, with at least one per person, were what I envied the most.
Unfortunately, my C06 submachine gun was too niche and had poor versatility.
It was almost impossible to attach additional general-purpose firearm accessories other than those specifically designed for the C06.
The under-barrel flashlight was almost the C06’s only universal accessory.
Raise gun to aim, pull trigger; every bullet ensured a quick and accurate kill.
And the sound of gunfire, filtered by suppressors, was astonishingly low.
They killed thirteen mutated monsters along the way without alerting other monsters.
There was a reason why the Security Team was regarded as Chu Sheng City’s elite.
“Three o’clock direction, one Tier 1 Swift Walker confirmed killed.”
“Eleven o’clock direction, two Headhunter Wild Dogs confirmed killed.”
The Security Team members responsible for different directions reported their respective achievements one by one.
They maintained their advance while shooting, and the sniper used his scope to check for any missed targets and make the final report.
In this way, they left behind one spent casing after another and the lingering smell of gunpowder in the air.
“Monster cleanup complete. The area ahead is basically safe… Wait! What’s that ahead… monster corpses?”
The sniper’s words had just allowed us all to secretly breathe a sigh of relief and prepare to adjust our condition, but the next sentence immediately pushed the tense atmosphere to its peak.
Following the sniper’s verbal direction, we each found the monster corpses through our binoculars.
And it wasn’t just one, but a dense patch of them.
Those filthy monsters, the size of hounds with black fur and covered in mud, were recognized by everyone present—Black Rats.
Not a single complete corpse could be seen in the large patch of bodies; they paved half the street.
Although they were all remains and fragments, a rough estimate suggested there were nearly a hundred of them.
Like Headhunter Wild Dogs, Black Rats were also mutated monsters that lived in groups, but their group numbers were even larger.
When they moved, they didn't hunt in an organized and orderly manner like Headhunter Wild Dogs, but rather gathered in a dark, oppressive mass, frantically gnawing at every prey they targeted.
It could be said that when walking in the wasteland, they were even more undesirable mutated monsters to encounter than Headhunter Wild Dogs.
“This is… done by the Witch?”
Those smooth cuts on the corpses could not have been made by human firearms.
Perhaps some mutated monsters with special attack organs could do it, but the reconnaissance team had already scouted this area for monsters and found no similar creatures.
Lower-tier monsters were even less likely to possess the strength to kill so many Black Rats.
Everyone in the Security Team immediately thought of that terrifying, scythe-wielding Witch.
To annihilate a Black Rat swarm single-handedly, relying only on a scythe rather than a weapon of mass destruction… Compared to the astonishment of the Security Team members, I and Han Nianling were much calmer.
Having witnessed the battle in the subway station, we didn't find this particularly incredible.
How could the Witch, who could kill a Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog, be no match for a Black Rat swarm of less than a hundred?
Moreover, the upper limit of the Witch’s combat power was definitely not just killing a Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog.