POV : WASTELAND OUTSIDE FORT BONE
The Chinese soldiers braced themselves as the monstrous horde closed in, their knives the only line of defense between them and the terrifying creatures. Snarling beasts, with claws like steel and eyes glowing a sickly green, rushed forward in waves. They were demon dogs, with twisted forms, saliva dripping from their jaws, and the stench of death clinging to them.
A young private, barely able to steady his breath, whispered a prayer under his breath. “天佑我 (Heaven help me),” he muttered, gripping his combat knife so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The first demon dog lunged, its maw wide open, aiming for his throat. With a desperate cry, the private ducked and slashed upward, catching the beast’s neck. Black blood splattered across his face, burning his skin like acid. He screamed and kept slashing, his knife sinking deeper into the demon dog’s flesh until it collapsed at his feet. The knife from Earth also snapped. The brittle steel had already outdone itself by staying useful for a kill.
“我们要活下去! (We will survive!)”
Another beast tackled a soldier to the ground, its claws tearing into his armor. The soldier fought back with everything he had, ramming his knife into the creature’s side, again and again. But the demon dog was relentless, its jaws snapping inches from his face. Gritting his teeth, the soldier pulled a smoke grenade from his belt, yanked the pin, and shoved it into the creature’s mouth. The dog howled, choking on the smoke, and in a final desperate of energy, the soldier kicked it off and scrambled to his feet.
Explosions of smoke filled the battlefield as the soldiers deployed their remaining grenades, trying to buy themselves time. The thick fog obscured their vision, but the monsters’ glowing red eyes still pierced through the haze, hunting them.
A lieutenant, bleeding from a gash across his cheek, took charge of a small group. “坚持住! (Hold the line!)” he ordered, his voice shaking with the strain of fear and adrenaline.
The group formed a tight circle, backs to one another, as the beasts circled them like the hungry predators they were, waiting to strike. The men heard the low growls, the rustling of claws against the dirt. Then, in an instant, one of the demon dogs burst through the smoke, pouncing on a soldier. His scream echoed as the beast’s jaws latched onto his shoulder, teeth sinking through armor and flesh. The others rushed to his aid, stabbing at the creature until it released him, but the damage was done. Blood gushed from the man’s wound as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
The man screamed one last time in protest, “不——！” (nooooo…!”) as his life drained out of him.
Another wave of monsters rushed in. The soldiers fought with every ounce of strength they had, their knives flashing in the dim light. One soldier, a veteran with a scar across his neck, ducked under a leaping demon dog and plunged his blade into its belly. The intestines dropped out of the wounded beast. He twisted the knife and yanked it out, but before he could continue, another creature tackled him from behind, sinking its fangs into his leg.
The ground was slick with blood and desperation, human and monster alike, but the soldiers didn’t falter. They fought with desperation, knowing that falling back meant certain death. A soldier slashed through another demon dog’s throat, watching as it crumpled at his feet, but more kept coming. There were always more.
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“坚持住! (Stay strong!)” the sergeant yelled again, his voice hoarse. His own combat knife was stained black with demon blood as he fended off two creatures at once.
One lunged for his chest, but he sidestepped just in time, slamming his knife deep into its side.
The battle raged on. One soldier, pushed to the edge of exhaustion, fell to his knees as a monster approached, its eyes locking onto him. With no strength left to fight, he closed his eyes and waited for the end. But before the beast could strike, the sergeant roared, slamming into the creature with the full force of his body, driving his knife deep into its heart.
The beast collapsed, and the sergeant, gasping for breath, offered his hand to the fallen soldier. “起来! (Get up!)” he shouted.
But they all knew it. They were running out of time, out of strength. The monsters were unrelenting, and for every one they killed, two more seemed to take its place.
‘‘‘‘
The battle was all but lost. The soldiers, exhausted and bleeding, could barely keep their knives up as the demon dogs closed in for the kill. Their numbers had dwindled to thirty, the last of their unit standing in a loose, ragged circle, backs pressed together as they waited for the inevitable.
The lieutenant, his chest heaving with every breath, raised his knife one last time. ‘We fought hard… but this is it.’
Just as the monsters prepared for their final strike, a new sound cut through the chaos. A powerful, rhythmic ‘THWIP‘ ‘THWIP‘ filled the air, followed by the cries of dying monsters. Crossbow bolts flew from the surrounding cliffs, striking the demon dogs with deadly precision. The beasts howled as they fell, some twitching, others dropping instantly.
One of the soldiers blinked in disbelief. ‘What... what's happening?’
The lieutenant turned toward the direction of the bolts. His heart surged with hope when he saw them—Atlas and the Portal Crushers. He had read the extensive files prepared by the Chinese government. In it, Atlas’s role as either a saviour or enemy had been undermined. The answer was now clear.
Atlas led the charge, his lithe frame unmistakable, wielding his twin swords like a man possessed.
“Yeehaw!" Alexander’s booming voice echoed through the wasteland as he loosed another volley of bolts, taking down a demon dog mid-leap.
Isabella was a blur of motion, slicing through monsters with twin blades that danced through the air with lethal grace. She never lacked determination or conviction.
"Crushir! Portilla! Take the left flank!" Atlas commanded. The two teen trolls, larger than most of the warriors and twice as fierce, charged into the fray, their green skin covered by the newly repaired armor. Portilla grabbed a demon dog by its throat, slamming it into the ground while Crushir barreled through another, his club pounding the monster until it stopped moving.
“Bad doggie!”
The Red Fairy, still watching from her floating perch, giggled sweetly. “Oh, looks like Atlas is here to save the day. How cute!”
The thirty remaining soldiers were wide-eyed as the reinforcements cut through the demonic horde. Their relief was evident as they saw Atlas slice through the largest of the beasts, his sword cleaving it in half with a single stroke. Black blood splattered the ground, sizzling as it hit.
“Ahwwwwwooooo……” The massive alpha dog was no match for the alpha of Fort Bone.
The sergeant, still alive but barely standing, stumbled forward. “我们得救了…” (we’re saved…) he whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
The demon dogs, sensing their impending doom, began to retreat, their snarls turning into frightened whimpers as they slunk back into the shadows. The last of the fleeing demon dogs was felled by a precise strike from Isabella, who wiped her blades clean with a swift flick of her wrist.
Atlas strode up to the lieutenant, offering him a hand. "You’re safe now. Fort Bone’s got your back."
The lieutenant, shaken but grateful, clasped Atlas's forearm. "Thank you. We... we thought we were done for."
‘Seems like the universal translation system has kicked in,‘ thought Atlas.
Atlas nodded, glancing over the wounded soldiers. “We’ll get you back to the fort. You’re not alone here.”
A loud cheer erupted from the remaining soldiers as they realized they had survived. The Portal Crushers had arrived just in time, and with them, a newfound hope.
‘‘‘