“Comrade Inspector! Isn’t this different from what we were told?!”
Major Felix, commander of the sentry company at Limansk Arsenal, shouted at Yegor Ivanov.
With already insufficient manpower, our allies were being killed by mutants. Even the defensive lines we had set up were being attacked by the mutants without distinguishing between friend or foe.
One of them was Sergeant Maxim Stepanov, who barely managed to escape after being ambushed while trying to return to the defensive line upon detecting an intrusion.
“Healthy soldiers are dying like dogs! Why are our own killing each other?!”
“Lieutenant Colonel Karl, that’s exactly right. What is happening here?”
“I apologize, Comrade Inspector. Their intelligence is close to that of a rhinoceros; they can’t distinguish between friend and foe yet.”
“Make sure to improve this in the future. The empire’s sword should not turn against the empire itself.”
“I will try various methods.”
Lieutenant Colonel Karl bowed his head as he spoke to Yegor. However, there was no word of apology for the commander of the sentry company who had lost troops uselessly.
While Lieutenant Colonel Karl was in charge of the Limansk Arsenal, the captain of the sentry company responsible for its management was Major Felix.
Was it possible that there was no mention at all about the sentry company members who were mindlessly dying, instead of the inspector’s group?
Felix grabbed the lieutenant colonel by the collar, his anger boiling over.
“Comrade Lieutenant Colonel! Are you only telling this to the inspector now!? We need to come up with a plan for our soldiers who are dying right now…”
“Calm down, comrade. There was nothing they could have done anyway.”
“Even if it’s the inspector, speaking like that is…”
The moment Felix’s head turned, he saw a clear g*n barrel. Bang! Before he could react, the trigger was pulled, and the b*llet pierced through Felix’s forehead accurately.
Splash! bl**d splattered on the wall as he fell lifelessly to the floor.
“This is unfortunate. The sentry company commander was killed by external rebels.”
Yegor said without hesitation. Sergeant Maxim Stepanov, who barely survived, felt his vision go white.
“Isn’t that right, comrade commander?”
His red eyes turned towards Sergeant Maxim this time. Maxim felt a chill run down his spine and prostrated himself on the spot.
“Yes! Comrade Inspector!”
“But there is one problem.”
“What is it?”
“One entity has died.”
Lieutenant Colonel Karl added calmly. How could a mutant d*e so soon after being deployed? Yegor twitched his eyebrows.
“It might be because these rebels are a motley crew. There seems to be a mage among them.”
“A mage?”
Red October was one of the strongest factions among the rebellion groups, but it did not have high-level personnel like a mage.
They were a group formed by commoners and slaves who fled, having no real power.
If they had such talent, they would have seized wealth and honor through loyalty to the empire rather than joining an organization like Red October.
“How do you know that?”
“I am the designer of the mutants. I know their weaknesses. Current mutants have not yet developed resistance to magic. Unless vital organs are targeted with concentrated fire or large-caliber bullets, it can only be explained by the presence of a mage.”
Lieutenant Colonel Karl said confidently. Yegor, after a moment of contemplation, seemed to realize something and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, I thought it couldn’t be…”
“Did you find any clues?”
“Do you have any other artifacts stored here besides those used for mutant development?”
“Besides the devil’s factors used for mutant development… the only artifact we have is the Pearl of Prognostication.”
“Then it must be the Ukranians.”
There was no other possibility.
Only a force like the Ukranian Principality could deploy a mage as part of regular forces to fight against mutants.
It would be absurd for the Walter Tri-Countries or the Polanian Republic to attack Limansk.
If the goal was to steal the Pearl of Prognostication, there was enough justification for a raid. After all, it was the plan of the great mage Sony Chepelin herself.
‘She would certainly send a detachment for that.’
According to the ‘internal collaborator’ from Ukhraine, she seemed to be plotting something.
Could this be the assault on the Limansk Arsenal?
Yegor Ivanov exhaled sharply at the still smoking g*n barrel and then spoke to the robed figures waiting behind him.
“The intruders here are from Ukhraine. Make sure to eliminate all but a few. Show these reckless invaders the methods of the Intelligence Corps.”
The robed figures did not respond. Instead, they immediately rushed out of the room as soon as the order was given, drawing their concealed pistols and channeling mana.
Mages of the Intelligence Corps—specialists in killing people.
Seeing this scene, Sergeant Maxim Stepanov swallowed hard.
“Comrade commander.”
“Yes, yes…”
“Can you secure the survivors and destroy all the data from the defensive lines?”
Data destruction.
It was something he learned when he first became the guard commander of the arsenal. Preparing to burn all experimental data in case of a potential intruder.
Maxim nodded vigorously, emphasizing his reasons for survival.
“Of course, comrade!”
“I entrust this to you. Once everything is settled, I will tell the emperor about your contributions.”
“Just leave it to me!”
Not only granting mercy to save his life, but also promising generous rewards. Maxim Stepanov had no other choice.
He quickly saluted Yegor and hurriedly left the room where the commander’s body lay sprawled.
“Colonel, you should also prepare for evacuation. If mages are involved, the survival of the mutants becomes uncertain. Your survival is crucial for the empire’s mission to continue.”
“I already have separate documents prepared for such situations.”
“How thorough. I like that.”
“And… I also set up a device that automatically explodes the entire facility after some time. Should I activate that too?”
Of course, Colonel Karl Schumann was the more insane one compared to Yegor Ivanov.
*
“Th-this is the experimental warehouse.”
A captured soldier from the arsenal stammered as he spoke. Given the situation with the g*n pointed at his temple, he had no choice.
I shook my head, and the first squad leader, Hilton Callia, cautiously opened the door. The fierce warrior she displayed during combat was gone, replaced by a shy and introverted demeanor.
‘How does her personality change so quickly…?’
Although curious about such a unique personality, now was not the time for idle conversation. The recovery of the Pearl of Prognostication was the top priority.
As the prisoner said, the warehouse was indeed filled with various items used in experiments.
Bottles containing unknown potions, demonic factors, reference books, and magical tools.
Among them, the most noticeable was a large gemstone placed on a luxurious silk cushion.
The Pearl of Prognostication.
As the intelligence suggested, it was indeed stored in the Limansk Arsenal.
After retrieving the Pearl of Prognostication and placing it in a pre-prepared container, I knocked out the prisoner unconscious.
It wouldn’t do to keep holding prisoners when swift and covert actions were needed.
Having secured minimal human intelligence, more personnel would only waste mobility.
“Alright, since our mission objectives are complete, let’s start our withdrawal immediately.”
Cleaning up the survivors was the responsibility of another battalion, not us. Although the 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion took on the infiltration, the 3rd Mobile Battalion was assigned to manage and clean up the area.
Given that mutants were freely roaming the facility, it would be difficult for the Soviev Empire to publicize what happened at the Limansk Arsenal.
The expected response would likely involve the purge of non-core researchers and managers.
Both the Soviev Empire and Ukhraine would benefit from covering up the development of mutants and the special forces operation.
However, judging by the decrease in gunfire, the first and second squads must have successfully dealt with the mutants and informed the other units. Regardless, as fellow battalion members, they should at least be brought back alive.
Thinking this, I ordered the troops to withdraw.
Kyeeeng—
The sound of a magic circle activating. Before I could react to the instinctive threat, Roxanna pulled me towards her and deployed a defensive barrier.
“Commander, it’s dangerous!!”
Ice chunks flying towards us were intercepted by Roxanna’s Magic Missile, while the ones that slipped through were shattered by the barrier.
Bang! Bang!!
The squad members quickly assessed the situation and returned fire, while others hid inside.
“Enemy mages!”
Indeed, it felt too easy. A research unit dealing with mutants would naturally have mages.
But even a few mages wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide. Their weapons were just pistols. In such cases, one had to push relentlessly without giving them a chance.
“Full assault! Don’t give them any openings!”
At the mention of “assault,” the first squad leader’s eyes lit up. Responding to the keyword, Lieutenant Colonel Hilton pulled out her pistol.
“Charge! Charge!!”
She screamed and charged forward, leading the fourth squad.
“d*mn it, the squad leader’s switch is on again!”
“Charge! Charge!!”
They mercilessly fired at the mages hiding behind the walls. The gunfire ceased, and Lieutenant Colonel Hilton threw the collapsed enemy in front of me.
“Cleanup, complete!!!”
Hilton Callia.
No matter how many times I saw her, she was an impressive woman.
