Chapter 1451
Daigo: Call for help!
"Daigo...this fog..."
"Don't speak." Daigo stared ahead, his voice low. "Listen."
The new city held its breath.
A sound came from within the mist, not the sound of wind, not the sound of water, but a sticky, wet, wriggling sound, like countless worms crawling at the same time. Occasionally, a few muffled groans were mixed in, like a person struggling to squeeze out from deep in their throat when their mouth is covered.
Daigo's pupils contracted.
He saw shadows moving in the fog.
It wasn't just one person, but many, many people, drifting slowly through the fog in an unnatural, stiff posture. Something glowed behind their necks, purple and pulsating.
“Parasitic organism…” Daigo’s voice was so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.
"what?"
“Instructor Cui said that this monster can split into parasites and control humans.” Daigo slowly reversed the car, his movements as light as if he were defusing a bomb. “Don’t make a sound, don’t step on the gas, don’t turn on the lights, back out.”
Xincheng did as instructed, sweat dripping from his forehead down his chin onto his collar.
The patrol car, like a startled cat, silently glided out of the fog. As soon as they left the area, Daigo immediately grabbed his communicator, his fingers trembling.
"Instructor! This is the GUTS team! Daigo!"
"Speak," Cui Ming's voice came from the communicator, as calm as if he were listening to a weather forecast.
"Anomaly detected! A large amount of unidentified fog-like reaction is occurring in the direction of Fog Mountain. Some villagers have been parasitized by an unknown creature, causing them to become stiff and their numbers are unknown. It is suspected to be a cosmic monster!"
"coordinate."
"East longitude... North latitude..."
"receive."
Daigo originally thought that at most they would just send someone to take a look.
He and Shinjo sat in the patrol car, panting heavily, waiting for TPC to send a few fighter jets and armored vehicles for support. At most, they'd add Choi Myung, carrying the Radiant Device, and Saeko Busujima, and the two of them would charge in and blast the monster to smithereens.
but……
Da Gu underestimated the caution of Instructor Cui Ming.
"Air formation! Take off!"
"Tank formation! Move out!"
"Tank formation! Move out!"
"Mech formation! Move out!"
"Start! Start! Start!!!"
A series of commands came through the communicator, Cui Ming's voice still calm, but his pace was as fast as reciting a menu. Daigo and Shinjo exchanged glances, not yet reacting, when a rumbling sound came from afar.
First, the sky.
Twelve armed helicopters emerged from the clouds, their missile pods opening in unison, their searchlights illuminating the entire mountainous region like the sun. Next came fighter jets, their supersonic roars making the car windows vibrate, their exhaust trails leaving white streaks in the night sky.
Then there's the ground.
Tank tracks rolled over the gravel on the mountain road, producing a screeching sound of metal scraping against metal. One, two, ten, twenty tanks, their cannons standing erect like a dense forest, aimed at the fog-shrouded village.
The tank formation followed closely behind, with armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, and electromagnetic pulse vehicles forming a long steel dragon, their headlights illuminating the night as if it were daytime.
Finally, the mech formation.
The massive mechanical legs shattered the ground, and five combat mechs, each over ten meters tall, rose from behind the ridge. Their shoulder-mounted beam cannons, fully charged, emitted a buzzing roar. Inside the cockpits, EDF veterans chewed on energy bars, their fingers hovering over the launch buttons.
Daigo and Shinjo sat in the patrol car, completely dumbfounded.
"Is this...is this fighting monsters or a world war?" Shinjo's voice was barely audible.
"I...I don't know..." Daigo's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg. Then they saw something even more outrageous.
On the turret of a tank, Spike sat atop it, its two front paws resting on the edge of the hatch, its massive head protruding, its large, bell-like eyes gleaming in the night sky. A steel pipe, seemingly salvaged from somewhere, dangled in its mouth, and its tail wagged wildly like a victory flag.
"Woof! Woof woof woof!!!"
"Spike?!" Daigo and Shinjo screamed at the same time.
The tank hatch opened, and an EDF veteran poked his head out, waving at them: "Hey! Victory Team! Get out of the way! Don't block the gun line!"
"No...you guys..." Shinjo stammered, "Does...do we need...so many to fight monsters?"
"That's what the instructor said!" The veteran grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "'Suspected cosmic monster parasite. Response at the highest level. All formations mobilize, saturation attack, leave no survivors!'"
He mimicked Cui Ming's tone, then pulled back the hatch and slammed it shut.
Spike was still barking wildly on the turret, his voice shaking the tank.
Daigo and Shinjo exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.
Instructor... aren't you being a bit too cautious?
No, this is not caution.
This is...this is...
"Are they going to flatten the mountain?" Xincheng muttered to himself.
“Probably…” Daigo swallowed hard, “Probably… yes…”
In the village shrouded in mist, the parasitized people still wander about, oblivious to their surroundings.
Unbeknownst to them, the parasites on their necks were still wriggling and throbbing.
Unbeknownst to them, on the other side of the ridge, firepower powerful enough to destroy a small country was slowly being aimed at them.
Cui Ming was standing in the command vehicle, tapping his fingers on his holster, his gaze as cold as ice.
"Parasite?"
His lips curved slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes.
"Saturation attack".
"Leave no one alive."
Hearing Cui Ming's words, the others were so frightened that they quickly told him that there were still villagers inside.
"Instructor! Wait!" Daigo was the first to jump out of the patrol car, scrambling to the command vehicle, his face pale. "There are still villagers inside! Lots of villagers! We can't use a saturation attack!"
“That’s right, Instructor!” Shinjo caught up, his voice trembling. “We just saw a lot of people walking in the fog. They’re not dead yet! They’ve just been parasitized!”
Horii's voice came through the communicator, trembling with tears: "Instructor! I analyzed the composition of the fog; it's neurotoxins secreted by parasites. The villagers still have vital signs! There's still hope! There's still hope!"
Cui Ming stood in the command vehicle, his fingers resting on the holster, and remained silent for three seconds.
Then he sighed.
"understood."
He jumped off the command vehicle, put the illuminator back into his waistband, and then took out his communicator.
"Tom, Jerry, Spike, come here."
"Meow."
Tom peeked out from behind the tank, his blue-gray fur still smeared with engine oil, his ears perked up, his back hunched, as he crept closer. He blinked, looking at Cui Ming expectantly, his tail twitching as if asking, "Any mouse to catch?"
"squeak."
Jerry peeked out from the gap in the mecha, his little eyes darting around, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. He darted to Cui Ming's feet in a few quick movements, patted Cui Ming's boots with his little paws, then stood up, crossed his arms, and gave him a "this is going to be interesting" look. (End of Chapter)