SS1 6.2 – Kill Zone

In span of four hours, I and Ariel managed to eliminate three sentries that guarded the path to the nest, along with one sentry in the nest entrance. We even took out a group of four goblins who patrolled the area.

Up to this second, it still shocked me that we managed to kill all of them and reach the nest. Most of all, every single one of our victims tumbled down straight into afterlife without having the chance to figure out who pushed them.

This kill stroll with Ariel convinced me that she truly possessed eyes, ears, nose, and instinct of a wolf, maybe it was even better as she could adjust their sensitiveness. She was also good at reading map, reading terrain, and tactically navigated through it. With such excellent tracking skill and fieldcraft, hunting became no different than a child play.

That’s my assessment on Ariel as she kneeled in the nest entrance while sniffing the air. A moment later she turned her gaze to me.

“It’s only two days old.”

“How many opposition we have?” I asked.

“Five Minotaur and eleven orc.”

“And the shape of the nest?”

“About three hundred meter long straight tunnel, connected to nest center when the monsters sleep in their box.”

“I see. Let’s finish them off.”

“Roger.”

After my first experience of shutting down a nest with Pukin’ Dogs, I found that my method to burn the target in their sleeping box was rather inefficient. It did made me look smart and gave me a chance to show my skill, but now, it made me felt like an idiot every time I recalled it.

Unfortunately, that was how sapper grew and developed their skill, and most of the time it took starts from something that later would you deemed stupid after you found better way. But you had to start from somewhere even if it was stupid, or you would never grow and stuck in place.

As for the current hunt, I would use an entirely new method. Something simpler and easy to prepare, but would deliver expected result. With a firm step, I entered the nest and stopped at a spot 100 meters from the entrance. I then asked Ariel to put the dead orc and goblin she collected on each side of tunnel floor, covering 20 meter distance.

In total we had 24 dead bodies, and I planned to put a piece of 81 mm high-frag mortar round on each body, right at their waist beneath their clothes. To detonate it, I would use 2G cellphone command-detonated.

There was no commercial cellular network in the area, but I could make my own with radius a few hundreds meter to all direction and this was more than enough to get the job done.

“Berg, is this okay?” Ariel asked me in low voice after she put the last goblin on the floor.

“It is,” I calmly replied. “Now, watch my back.”

“Roger,” Ariel replied before kneeling facing the entrance.

Without delay I started the shopping. In a glance, 24 pairs of 81 mm mortar round and 2G cellphone sound a lot and took lot of money, but it was not as expensive as second-hand Hilux. I also believed I need that amount of firepower to get a sure kill result. Most of all, the money from a single Minotaur kill was more than enough to cover the cost.

Stolen story; please report.

A few minutes later I already started the work to assembly the mortar round and the 2G cellphone to demo package. I had done it hundreds times using dummy round and several times using live-round in real combat ops. So, for me, it was as easy as making windmill toy made of used paper and chopstick. It took me about 90 minutes to complete the brand new kill zone.

After taking a final glance at nest center in the distance, I turned around and approached Ariel. “Everything is set. Let’s go to final firing position.”

“Roger.”

Wasting no time I and Ariel went to the spot next to nest entrance. I was on the left, while she was on the right. We sat on the ground and leaned our back on the base of cliff wall.

When Ariel turned her gaze to me and looked at me straight in the eyes, I asked her, “Ready?”

“Ready,” Ariel replied with resolute face. “If the ambush doesn’t go as we hope for, Ariel will lead the quick retreat.”

“Yeah.”

I then took out my ready-to-fired RPG from inventory, kneeled before the nest entrance right in the middle, and took aim at the nest center.

SUOOOOOOSSHHH!

BLAAARRRRR!!!

The HE round reached the nest center in a blink of one eye, hit the wall, bloomed into deafening and dazzling explosion, and woke the monsters up.

ROOOAAARRR!!!

It seemed the leading Minotaur was very angry. I immediately switched to my MPX and opened fire to the nest center.

Ra-tatar! Ra-tatar! Ra-tatar!!!

A consecutive short burst managed to draw the monster attention. They immediately formed a line and went straight to approach me. Two Minotaur became the head of formation. They held a huge shield while moving forward with steady steps. Behind them, the rest of the pack walked with drawn weapon.

The fragment round couldn’t penetrate the huge shield. It only scratched its surface while creating small spark. Wasting no time, I switched to mil-grade AP round. It managed to penetrate the shield and leaving behind 6 mm wide holes, as expected from a round that its intended purpose was to penetrate things.

However, it didn’t stop the incoming formation. It didn’t even slow it down. I also didn’t have clear line of sight to the leading Minotaur’s head. So, I canceled my intention to head shot them and continued with consecutive short burst. And finally, the formation fully entered the kill zone.

I immediately took cover on the cliff wall next to the nest entrance, reached out for remote detonator in my chest and opened the safety lid.

“Fire, fire, fire!” I calmly signaled Ariel to lower her hearing level, and then gently gripped the detonator.

Tu-la-lit… Tu-la-lit… BO-BO-BOOOOMMMM!!!

Deafening explosion shocked the air, followed by strong wind and heat wave that blasted out of the nest entrance. When I turned my gaze to Ariel, I found she had a very tense face. It seemed this was the first time she encounter such large explosion.

I immediately said to her, “Check it.”

After giving me a light nod Ariel immediately put her right ear to the edge of nest entrance. A few seconds later she said, “No movement. No breathings.”

“I see.”

I immediately used corner-EO to get visual confirmation. Once I was sure there was no movement or heat signature of living being in sight, I said to Ariel, “Let’s get the final touch.”

“Roger.”

With full alert, we entered the nest. When we reached the killing zone, we found there was only a small amount of monster remains, mostly in small chunks of charcoal. Well, that’s the result I expected.

The blast fragmentation from 24 mortar rounds with ease shred those monsters to bits and pieces. Then, the heat wave burn it. It was not as hot as heat wave from Thermobaric munitions, but in closed space it would get the job done. This combo destruction was beyond the regeneration of low-rank monster.

Wasting no time we then continued our walk and reached the nest center in no time. After Ariel ensured it was empty, I immediately put body counts, equipment, and anything else that belong to Jie Ten Bie in the middle of the room. After that I inserted the dissolver coin to mana refrainer orb and made a quick retreat.

‘I hope Sum Ting Wong and the rest don’t become vengeful ghost and knocking window of my room on the 7th night of their death,’ I muttered as from a healthy distance I watched the nest crumbled and disappeared. Then, I turned my gaze to Ariel. “Let’s find a quiet place to rest and tonight we will cremate your Big Sis.”

“Mhm,” Ariel firmly nodded.

*****