As the men began to contemplate their plan, Axel, who had a knack for simulating strategies in his mind, suddenly jolted awake. A flash of memory ran through his mind as he recalled what had happened during their atmospheric entry, an insect had crawled onto one of his team members, and at the checkpoint, that member had been discovered to be already replaced by an impostor. With a flash of ruthlessness, he gave the order.
“Everyone strips right now! Make five files for amongst yourselves! Drop your weapons five meters on the left, your armor five meters on the right, everyone who’s fully stripped line-up in the middle of your gear, five meters apart. We’ll conduct an inspection immediately.”
Upon hearing this, the squad leaders were stunned. They had verified their men almost every day, but seeing Axel’s face, indicating he would not take a no for an answer, everyone all complied.
As the spearhead of the mission, they had a vague understanding that Axel was their superior. One by one, they began to unequip their gear, even Winter 01, who had been checked earlier, stripped off his clothes.
The squad leaders were a little hesitant, but seeing Winter 01 taking the lead, they chose to follow suit, fully aware that this small delay might be a lifesaver in the event that someone had truly been replaced. Some team members were also unfamiliar with this type of scenario, so they could only sigh and comply with the orders given.
The brandy, now about to fulfill its purpose, was being used as a disinfectant for the operation. While it might not be as effective as rubbing alcohol, it was the only available option for maintaining a hygienic procedure. Doubts crept into the minds of some men from other teams, but they remained silent, their eyes glued to Team Comet as they began to pierce the sides of the squad leaders with precision.
The organ checks followed, moving from the heart to the lungs and then down to the intestines and stomach. The process was excruciating, but the squad leaders understood the necessity of ensuring no impostors were among them. Complaints simmered beneath the surface, but they were quelled by the gravity of the moment.
Once the squad leaders were verified, they donned their gear and initiated checks on their own men. Noticing most of them lacked the proper medical skills, Axel and his team stepped in, ensuring the procedure ran smoothly. The squad leaders stood guard near Axel’s team who were conducting the medical checks, making sure any impostors would be swiftly dealt with. All of sudden, a cry of appeal broke the silence.
“I… I… I’m scared! Captain, you have to help me!” A member from team Bombardier voiced his fears, panic evident in his pleading eyes.
As Tamaki prepared to plunge his knife into the man’s side during the operation, he noticed the man shaking. Instinctively, he abandoned the procedure and took shelter behind a nearby rock. In that instant, the man erupted in a shower of blood.
The operative from the opposing side was none other than a chrysalica, a creature resembling a mass of worms, with eyes that resemble flies scattered among its tentacles. In an instant, Bombardier 01 transformed his Winston into a longsword, cleaving the malevolent creature in half.
Before the shock of the moment could settle, two more operatives exploded into grotesque figures, each coming from team Summer and team Spring, only to meet the swift blades of Rainy 01 and Autumn 01, who dispatched them in a flurry of steel. The three impostors were now being pummeled to mincemeat as if these squad leaders were venting out their frustrations.
The unarmed men stood frozen in fear, as blood and flesh splattered everywhere in their naked bodies. Half of the operatives, unaware of such horrors, couldn’t help but feel a shudder run down their spines. The men in the nude looked at their weapons on the floor as if gazing at a lover, vowing to cherish their weapons with every heartbeat, even in the next life.
Axel and his team also underwent the inspection, knowing it was a necessity. After ensuring everything was verified, he looked at the men with a questioning yet authoritative tone.
“Are there any questions?” he asked, noting the doubtful gazes they had directed at him and his team before the procedure began.
The operatives couldn’t help shaking their heads like the tail of a dog excited to see its cherished owner.
Seeing this, Axel knew he had gained some semblance of trust from these men. Once all the wounds were bandaged, he glanced at the six squad leaders, ready to discuss the next course of action.
He then pointed to the entry point they had come from and called on Tamaki, who was well-known for his vivid descriptions, to recount the horrors they had witnessed.
After a few minutes, the squad leaders couldn’t help but grind their teeth, their eyes blazing with fury. The soldiers who overheard the conversation felt their rage deepen as they realized that these creatures were truly spawns of hell. They even dared to make playthings of their fellow men and women, on top of that they didn’t even spare the children.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Eyes sharp!" Axel then pointed toward the location of another exit they had found that led to the river.
He reported the finding of his team members that the area might be guarded, as operatives could be hiding underwater. They may need to launch a full assault for that exit to be used as a checkpoint.
Spring 01 turned to his fellow operatives, offering a succinct briefing of their mission.
“Our objective is clear, we are to extract arcanists trapped on the fifteenth floor, enslaved as laborers. Our rally point is on this hill, and we have the option to move with you. These survivors can wield arcane, so the steep exit on the seventh floor will pose no hindrance to us if we need to utilize it. That is all.” He then pointed at Sainte-Catherine Hill which was fairly close to Saint Ouen Abbey.
Bombardier 01, an old man with all white hair who was seemingly in his seventies, took the attention of the squad leaders by raising his hand, signaling he had something to say.
“We have a different main mission. We are tasked to neutralize a facility within the compound. Classified details cannot be shared at this time. I can confirm it is located in the second floor. That is all.” Bombardier 01 stated, adding critical intel as he pointed decisively to a marked section of the second floor on the map.
“There’s an exit near the facility we are tasked to demolish that leads directly to the Le Gros-Horloge clock,” he continued. “However, intelligence suggests it’s heavily fortified. We’ll avoid that route and instead recommend demolishing this area to create a diversion. We can accompany you as backup, however, we may not meet your timetable.”
Axel analyzed the contributions, mentally simulating various operational scenarios. He turned to the remaining team leaders from Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Desert, and Rainy, seeking their strategic input. The teams affirmed their commitment to support Team Comet in the mission’s execution. This alleviated some of Axel’s tension, although the necessity for overwhelming firepower in a rescue operation puzzled him.
They also organized the logistics to ensure that every team member was armed. He handed out three crossbows to the team leaders accompanying him and then entrusted a crossbow and five bombs to the Bombardier team, wishing them godspeed. The old man acknowledged him with a grateful nod.
The team settled on using the eleventh floor once everyone completed their objectives. Tamaki had noted that the ship was sizable enough to accommodate hundreds, ensuring their exit would not raise suspicion. With a force of fifty-six well-trained operatives, they were confident in their ability to break through if confronted. Stealth remained their priority, but they were armed and ready to engage should the situation demand it.
“Look alive, men! Eyes on the clock! Let’s move out!”
Like a well-oiled machine, the Bombardier team split up, while the six teams headed toward the twelfth floor. What they found was an array of equipment sufficient to outfit an entire brigade. This gear appeared to be what the lizardmen were using, suggesting a common manufacturer. They now had a clear picture in their minds, the operatives were planning to turn Rouen into their stronghold for spreading the plague.
The team quickly grabbed some leather armor and suited up, each even bringing a pair of extra leather body armor as Axel suggested. Once they were finished, they encountered several guards from the huechromixix operatives, who they swiftly eliminated. One guard attempted to flee but was shot down by Wong.
As they descended the stairs, the terrain began to steepen. They estimated their downward altitude to be about two hundred meters, which alarmed and puzzled them. How could such an intricate tunnel system go undiscovered?
As they continued down, the surroundings changed dramatically from rugged stone caves to ornate tiles that illuminated the tunnel. The tiles vaguely resembled the stained glass commonly found in cathedrals. The leaders of each squad exchanged glances, wariness flashing in their eyes.
Further down, they spotted a stone door guarded by two lizardmen. These creatures were similar to the ones who had deceived the Marshal, wearing skin resembling that of a human. However, before they could react, two bolts struck them in the eyes while the other teams swarmed in, hacking them down with their swords.
Unable to hide the bodies, the men quickly shoved them into a corner as if they were merely sleeping. They then used the spare leather armor they had looted to cover the corpses, a precaution specifically designed for scenarios like this.
Axel, a bomb specialist and combat engineer, had participated in multiple demolition operations throughout his career. Although he might not look the part, his expertise was undeniable.
The stone door stood at an imposing ten meters wide and twenty meters high, he and the other demolition experts analyzed the structural integrity of their target, conducted a terrain analysis, and determined the number of explosives needed for the mission.
After careful consideration, they devised a plan utilizing the bomb provided by Berg. Axel explained the bomb's specifications to his fellow combat engineers, detailing his strategy for breaching the door without completely demolishing it.
He reasoned that if they opened the door entirely, they would risk being immediately surrounded by backup forces coming from above ground and if hostile forces were indeed present on the other side of the door, they would be overwhelmed by a flood of attackers. Instead, by creating a breach just large enough for a person to fit through by crawling, they could minimize the threat from enemies on all sides.
Furthermore, he anticipated that any reinforcements moving through the destroyed door would be hindered, as they would have to squeeze through the narrow gap left after the initial breach.
Axel was also mindful of the risks they faced, knowing that getting trapped could lead to disastrous consequences. He planned for a second breach upon their exit to fully destroy the door, however if the forces from above-ground proved overwhelming, they would need to find another escape route.
After hearing Axel's plan, the team of experienced combat engineers were convinced of its viability. The team was then re-deployed to gather the lizardmen corpses, which were now considered valuable resources. The bodies of the huechromixix operatives were exceptionally durable and heavy, it perfectly suited their needs as it can dampen the impact of the blast, allowing it to focus and create a small hole.
Axel was surprised to discover that the bomb even came with instructions for detonation, which involved igniting it using just the friction against the wall.
[Mission Duration: 03:14:07 – Currently Ongoing]
[France Time – 21:15]