Basically, taking camouflage effects into consideration, this time around I selected brown armor, but everyone on the battlefield had turned completely white.
The Tech Gobs had taken on an appearance as if they had applied some kind of war paint—indeed, they had been drawing something with black paint before departing—and the Sylvanians, who were running around the terrain and firing bullets at the Nosferatu from close range, were now in a state resembling white rabbits.
Still, they hadn’t exhausted all their ammunition before reaching the building.
“Deploy the barricades!”
〔aye-aye!〕
〔quickly!!〕
Following the order, the reserve Fifth Platoon scrambled out of the APC, dragging out deployable armor. Once stuck into the ground, these deployed spikes and supports, and the front two-layer structure would slide open upwards, creating a tall barrier.
Our higher-level forces are often called the muscleheads of a nation, but in war, our doctrine is based on essentially winning through fortifications. Thus, most of our weapons are built with high traversability, consisting of quadrupedal to octopedal designs, and our artillery also emphasizes mobility.
We would rapidly build permanent fortifications within a short time—and of course, after satellite orbital attacks have been thwarted—creating a wedge to hammer through the enemy’s ranks like splitting rocks.
Advanced three-dimensional forming technology, the extensive experience of continuously building colossal structures like the Ringworld to a level that leaves other countries astonished, and seamless data-link among our soldiers make this possible.
Now, despite our current non-electronized soldiers, they’re supported by Selene’s processing power, enabling functional simulations.
We started constructing a base as soon as we latched onto the building.
At the most vulnerable tip, we placed an especially sturdy “Sashigame,” and then positioned “Dicotomus 4” in a pentagonal formation from there to create a wall. In between, we placed our deployable barriers and simultaneously set up light machine guns that Selene had smugly prepared just in case.
The machine guns were of the coil type, larger, and not exactly designed for high-speed combat despite being called such. However, with the focus on defensive and withdrawal battles, we had only produced ten of them, never expecting that they would serve such a use here today.
〔enemy incoming!〕
〔let’s go!!〕
The barrage of bullets from the light machine guns repelled the Nosferatu squads that were attacking us en masse to remove us from exposed structures. Each box magazine served as a colossal battery and ammunition holder, with spherical ammunition storing five hundred rounds per container, ensuring an extraordinarily high level of continuous engagement capability.
Moreover, they were designed with sufficient firepower comparable to rifle rounds, making them the perfect armament for this situation.
“Everyone, don’t stick your heads out too far from the barricades! And keep those suicide bombers at bay!!”
[Got it, but redistribute the ammunition! The cylinders are empty!!]
As Ridelberdy shouted urgently while reloading his spent coil gun with rotating rifle-style cylinders, the limitations of carrying too many cylinders here became apparent.
Their firepower, capable of taking down two Nosferatu with a well-aimed shot, was enticing, but perhaps we should have updated them with magazines?
Still, the simple structure that could handle rough usage was a major advantage I didn’t want to lose, so it was a trade-off, a dilemma indeed.
“Selene! Do we have time to let the Fifth Platoon recover some cylinders?!”
“Loaders are stored in the vehicles, so it should be possible within five minutes.”
Five minutes, a crucial time that could make blood drip, but there was nothing we could do.
We needed to hold this ground until the fortress construction was complete, so we had to bear with the efficiency trade-offs.
“Once the fortress is done, we’ll give you the green light! Then, select personnel with minimal equipment wear and form a commando squad to break into the interior!”
“Understood. By the way, the light cavalry division is whining about their next task.”
“They are a critical reserve for making a hole in the enemy’s ranks when we retreat! Tell them I’ve given a direct order for them to stay put quietly!!”
It’s a bother having allies with too much fighting spirit in times like this. I want them to stay quiet in their positions, but I understand their eagerness to fight, making them difficult to handle.
Then again, if we fail to breach the interior structure and get surrounded while retreating, cavalry with the power to break through will be indispensable for disengagement. We can’t afford to lose anyone here, so we just have to ask them to wait.
“Selene! Sorry, but Falken is complaining about assisting Nozomu! What do we do?”
“Tell him that the artillery is the lifeline we need to die defending!!”
Requests to deploy had come even from their ranks, quite a conundrum. Damn it, Falken, I thought you had improved a little, but your stubbornness is still alive and well. If he survives this and returns, I’ll have him run ten laps around the “Great Mother” as punishment.
“Captain, the defensive formation is 65% complete. Simultaneously, we have identified the enemy’s rough internal structure from the block structures.”
“Great work, Selene!”
Alright, we’ve secured the position to buy time, and we’re ready to strike at the enemy’s core. Based on the precedent set by “Tiamat 25,” cutting off the head of these beings should render them silent, so we should just rush into the interior.
“Disembark! Initiate automated combat protocol!”
“I have control. Good luck, Lieutenant.”
Though handing over the controls to the AI causes a bit of unease, Selene simply doesn’t have the memory capacity to handle the “Sashigame” operation as well, so I had to step out reluctantly.
I jumped down using the exoskeleton’s jumping capability and retrieved the “lock-breaking bomb” from one of the troop transport vehicles.
This device, a directional OQ-bomb belt that fires inward, is specialized gear for breaching locked doors or walls and is used to enter enemy structures when they’re exposed externally, such as this time or when infiltrating space vessels.
“Has the special task force been assembled?”
“It’s done… now! Captain, this is insane!”
“I know, but battlefields are always like this!”
While I completely understand Selene’s complaints, I’ve never seen a battlefield that isn’t busy or laid-back. Yes, it’s true she’s handling electronic warfare, wide-area command, and artillery aiming all alone this time without shared memory fields, but the field is just as busy in its own right.
After all, considering how truly fortunate I’ve been so far—handling just a squadron of 16 units and a couple of hundred drones, receiving commands passively from HQ, with electronic warfare managed separately, and causing havoc as ordered in designated areas—I realize now why my peers resist promotions. I, too, have repeatedly rejected promotions. If we survive this and receive accolades from higher command, I’ll decline any advancement within the military. Perhaps I could even retire with Selene and live leisurely for a hundred years before rejoining the local defense force.
Or maybe I’ll write a book. Something like, “Returned After a Life-Changing Experience in a Fantasy World.” As a non-fiction piece, it might even sell well.
“Everyone assembled?”
[Aye!]
[Yes!]
The seven-man breach team had been formed, with three rear guards from the Tech Gobs, three front guards from the Sylvanians, and myself. Meanwhile, attached to my exoskeleton’s back using three sub-arms was the decommissioned “Holy Lance.”
The remaining three sub-arms held newly constructed computers prepared for electronic warfare. By linking with the “Corrupted Male Deity,” we might be able to counter-hack and extract some data.
“Ridelberdy! I leave the on-site command to you! Follow Selene’s instructions!”
[What?! Don’t keep dumping these heavy responsibilities on me, Chief! Hurry up and finish your task!]
Amid the mixed insults of encouragement, our team launched the dual-barrel high-altitude wires equipped on our shoulders toward the building towering before us.
The wire’s tip was equipped with anchors using Van der Waals forces—or the gecko wall-climbing principle—and magnetic adhesion mechanisms that perfectly attached to the weathered anti-scaling paint on the surface of the building.
After checking that it was secure twice, thrice, we activated the hoisting mechanism and started scaling the wall vertically with our feet against it. This is when the high-tier forces’ exoskeleton standard equipment truly shines. Since infantry’s primary task is urban warfare, equipment for climbing buildings or securing high ground is indispensable. It has plenty of other applications as well, not just high-altitude work.
Since the anchor’s range was limited to 25 meters, after climbing that height, we secured our bodies by driving pegs into the wall. Then we fired the anchors again to reach the rooftop—though calling it a roof when it was originally buried underground might be debatable—and ascended even higher onto another stacked block structure.
[Ammo incoming! Bullets are coming!]
[Stay calm, Peter! With our shields on our backs, it’s no problem!!]
The enemy must have realized our intentions. They started shooting from the ground, but the upward angle and the relatively low-powered guns pose no issue. Our exoskeletons’ primary armor panels can deflect them, and the additional shields provide extra security.
“Alright, here we go!?”
“Yes, Captain. That’s the entrance to the shortest breach route.”
I plastered the lock-breaking bombs onto the highlighted red wall section, keeping everyone at a distance. I took position above where the hole would be made and planned to “knock” and rappel down into the breach simultaneously.
“All units, draw your blades! Prepare for close combat!”
[Drawn!!]
[Drew!!]
After confirming everyone’s readiness, I initiated the explosion. The circular external part that had been cut out flew inward, and the sound of something being crushed reached our auditory sensors.
Of course, they were swarming inside as well.
As my feet pushed off the wall, I extended the wire to the appropriate length and swung backward, using the rebound motion to enter the premises. Upon landing, I maximized the clock speed, and every enemy within my 360° vision was highlighted instantly.
There they are, swarming Nosferatu. Moreover, these seem to be the royal guard type clad in armor. Putting the cheaper models on the outside while keeping the proper security force inside shows these guys are actually pretty smart.
As I thought about this, I drew the railguns from the holsters on my thighs and extended my arms to both sides, unleashing a stream of rapid-fire shots using the landing posture. Based on the armor material’s quality, the railguns’ power output was sufficient even in energy-saving mode. The FCS captured and applied the aim correction almost instantly, and I hammered each bullet into the heads of the nearest enemies, blowing them away.
Facing front doesn’t matter. With this type-C prosthetic body and exoskeleton, I can see everything through the auxiliary monitors, and thanks to the processing speed, attacks released simultaneously to both sides hit accurately. Keeping a stance reminiscent of an old film, I continued firing for about three seconds, and the horde that was swarming in the corridors was silenced in an instant.
“Interior cleared! Reinforcements, come on in!”
[Entry!!]
[Cleared!!]
After confirming the breach team had entered, I pulled one canister from the grenade pouch on my chest and hurled it to the opposite side of the passage leading to the central control that Selene had pre-visualized for me.
The canister, about ten meters away, exploded after a five-second delay, filling the passage with soap-like foam, completely sealing it off.
This is the “foam metal wall grenade,” used for delay combat inside ships or to cut off enemy reinforcements. The foam appears soft and fluffy but has the hardness of steel, obstructing the way. Moreover, as the wall is constructed from countless individual bubbles unlike a sheet of plywood, it provides only two less-than-ideal options: blowing it up and risking damage to the ship or picking at it piece by piece. This quite malicious equipment was nicknamed the “Devil’s Foam” by those who didn’t get along with us because we regularly used it while advancing straight towards the enemy’s core, throwing several back and advancing simultaneously.
“Advance! Push all the way to central control with full force!!”
After confirming we had thoroughly cut off the rear, I led the way by stepping on the white fluid and racing down the shortest route.
The captain leading the charge is standard in the high-tier forces.
Prepared for close quarters combat, I returned the railguns to their holsters and pulled the single-molecule atomic blade, extending it to a position near my waist for easy drawing once more.
No matter what lies ahead, I have resolved to cut my way through. As I turned the corner…
【Planetary Exploration Note】All external skeletons are equipped with gear prepared for three-dimensional combat in urban areas. For this reason, the land division of the higher forces has earned the nickname “geckos” from opposing nations.
I realized I had made a mistake in setting the scheduled posting time.
The update time is still expected to be around 15:00 on 08/16/2024.
