S1E1
The Wild Men in the Mountains
The tide of history changed often. There you had the Sacred Union State standing dominant in western Mederum, then the next moment they collapsed to the Ophiric Coalition. After the Transatlantic War, the Ophirics thought an age of peace and prosperity would follow their victory, but all promises had fallen empty in front of the harsh being called truth. Next moment, we saw the Ophirics bathe in blood as the Federal States and the Federal Republic fell to pieces.
Such is history, it raises you high up, give you the delusion of power and wealth, then on the next moment, you are crushed under the wheels of historical progress. We are one of the next in line, but until then, we shall write our page in history.
-Unknown
We have received intelligence about a suspected confidential project of the Jainnagaran regime to develop a new superweapon. By satellite images and reports from our partners within enemy territories, we have a reason to believe that they are currently attempting to construct a supergun array throughout their held territories, and that it has already reached the phase of construction. If they were allowed to proceed with it, the array, in the hands of the Viṣuvatyuga Order, would become a huge threat to the stability in the region. Yet, we must first burn through the many layers of camouflage and disguises our enemies made in order to cover up their ambitions. We know an approximation of the guns' locations, but we would need to destroy the gun in a more subtle way. The geopolitical situation around us does not allow the luxury of reckless strikes.
Thus, your mission is to infiltrate the Jainnagaran side of the border, meet up with our partners behind enemy lines and locate the supergun in constructions in the region, then destroy it with any means you see fit.
Wansui to the People's Republic!
The Wild Men in the Mountains I
Station 218
Sino-Jainnagar Border Region
Azamany
People's Republic of Sinica | 华夏人民共和国
January 15, A.C. 479
6:15 PM CST
Three small black dots appeared above the horizon from the direction of Samukada.
To most living by this segment of the Sino-Jainnagar Border, tonight would just be another insignificant ordinary night never worthy to be told in the tales of their life. They would carry on their day as usual, then fall into asleep as the serene night in the countryside fell on the land. It is hard to believe, despite the fact that the place had been a frontline of an near-80 years old geopolitical conflict, life on the Samukadan segment of Sino-Jainnagar Border Region had been mostly peaceful, so peaceful that almost everyone forgot that they were living bordering a hostile nation born under the long-resolved shenanigans between the former Liangan and Zhouese countries in the 390s.
The collapse of the Federal State of Euphemie and their Ophiric allies caused a chain effect to the world, and with it, changes. The People’s Republic was hit hard in the aftermath of the incident now coined as the Great Ophiric Collapse, but there were always people hit harder by it. The Republic of Zhou, long reliant on the Ophirics, collapsed into a god-knows-how-many-way civil war following their former patrons’ demise. The Zhouese people were intelligent businessmen, but not so much on politics. When all meanings were lost on the pages of certificates of equity and the surface of bank notes, the former Republic shattered, like a dandelion to the flow of wind.
The Zhouese bathed in blood amongst themselves, then rose back up with only seven of them left, tired, ravaged by war and impoverished. The corruption to the Liuist ideals over the many decades and the Third Warring State Period of Eastern Sinica, more commonly referred to as the Zhouese Corporate War, had finally eroded the notion of an independent Zhouese State from within, to a state that when the rest of Sinica came gently knocking on the door, the whole rotten structure came crashing down.
The teachings of Liu and their predecessors which the Zhouese fervently upheld for decades were finally thrown out of windows, when the salvation offered by their long-separated Sinican brothers reached the ears and eyes of the very men and women that served and fought to keep the pan-Sinican ideals out of the land of Zhou, and Sinica came one step closer to unification.
The patron had fallen, but dawn broke like usual on Jainnagar the next morning. The Jainnagaran Question did not come to an end with the fall of Zhou. Perhaps benefitting from their system closely inspired by that of the infamous Hessler from many years ago, the Jainnagaran regime defiantly prevailed against the tide of history. What used to be imported were now produced locally, the Jainnagaran people lent their fate no longer to the hands of foreign parties, but to themselves. Yet, to say the Jainnagarans had taken no toll in this would also be one of the most ridiculous lies of the century. Ever since the fall of Zhou, Jainnagar had only become more totalitarian, and when what had guaranteed their totalitarian rule for so many years, an economy backed by the golds left over from the overthrown Udaynarpuran monarch in the 390s, came close to an end, dissents arose.
Jainnagar now stands at the center of the crossroad of history, shaky amidst a geopolitical storm forming around it.
All of these, however, were irrelevant to the general public living on the Sinican side of the border in their little peace. Yet, the peace they enjoyed was not undisrupted. Just two years ago, the infamous 477 April 18th Incident had finally awakened the public from their delusions. There were no peace since the beginning, but a strong standing military force shielding the country from chaos beyond borders. The burden was always there, but some carried the weights of the Zhuque and Sun Banner so that many more doesn’t have to.
The black dots soon revealed themselves in the shape of helicopters. Among the three
To-38 IV[1] utility helicopters approaching the border guard post held the centre of the April 18th incident, Lan Ruomei.
In the passenger compartment of the To-38 IV, listening to the sound of rotor and engine, Ruomei looked out of the window. Outside was the serene green of the Border Region, decorated with a touch of mandarin from the setting sun, slowly fading away and replaced with a touch of blue, then black. Beneath the green was the rocky mountains, Ruomei could still vaguely recall that two years ago she would be looking at the place from another perspective, but it was all about a distant past that she could no longer return to.
“This is Black Widow of the 418th Helicopter Wing, requesting for landing.” The voice of the pilot came out from the crew compartment.
“Seems that we have arrived.” The man sitting next to Lan spoke in a calm tone.
“We are lowering attitudes, ETA 5 minutes.”
“I know, Deqin.” Ruomei said, turning to her soldiers. “Five minutes, you hear that? Pack up your belongings, we will disembark when our ride touches the ground.”
“Yes ma’am!”
The To-38 IV descended, eventually coming to a full stop over one of the helipads of the outpost. Lan slid the door of the To-38 IV open, then stepped off from her ride, her short dark brownish hair swinging around freely to the airflow around the helicopter.
An officer was waiting by the side of the helipads, appreciating the black airframes of the helicopters. Noticing his expected visitors coming out from the helicopters, he stepped forward, offering a handshake.
“I am Lieutenant Wang Yunqing, pleased to meet you.” The Captain smiled, extending both his hands. The captain looked to be in his 40s, with a typical army buzz cut under his helmet and tanned skin from the strong sunlight of Azamany, a typical feature among servicemen and people in this region.
“I am Captain Meng Shuhua, from the Unit 815 of SIB Tactical Branch, nice to meet you.” The female officer of another unit extended hers and shook his left hand.
“Captain Li Guohao of the Unit 816, the pleasure is mutual.” The male officer from the other helicopter also extended his to shake the right hand of Yunqing.
Yunqing then turned his left hand towards Lan.
“Lan Ruomei, Unit 817.” Ruomei extended her hand and shook it.
“This way, please.” Yunqing gestured for the group to follow. “Our men are already ready waiting in the briefing room, we would be ready to head out immediately after briefing.”
“I see that all men and women involved in this operation had arrived.” In the briefing room, a man in his 50s stood up from a chair next to the projector. “Name is He Moshe, Major. Let’s get straight to business.”
He turned on the Strategic Command Interface projector beside him. The wall behind him flickered, and soon, a projected map of the region south of the border showed up behind him, with presumed Jainnagaran military sites near the border labeled on top in clear glowing neon blue symbols, whereas a few of them were enlarged and given a name in this particular map.
“I am sure most of you here had heard of the rumour that the Jainnagarans were running some secret black projects before you arrived here. Our military satellite had observed an abnormal structure in the mountains of Northern Jainnagar a few weeks ago, and further investigation proved to us that it was not the only one of its kind around Jainnagar. Combining the satellite images, aerial surveillance photos and reports from our partners south of the mountains, we have come to the conclusion that the Jainnagaran regime and their running dogs were constructing a network of strategic large-caliber artillery system, or in more common words, super guns, within their borders.”
“Your task here is simple, but easy neither.” Moshe continued. “Which is why you are here instead of normal people. The headquarter wants you to infiltrate the Jainnagaran side of the border and take out that suspected supergun.”
“Just the 15 of us...” One of Lan’s subordinates rose up in complaint. “...and you want us to cross a heavily defended border like that, infiltrate that deep into Jainnagaran territories and destroy a probably heavily-guarded secret military project site? Are you fucking kidding me!?”
“Liuli, sit down!” Ruomei ordered.
De Liuli was unfazed. “This is suicidal! Why don’t you just directly strike that part with standoff weapons already if you know there is something out there!?”
“And why are you here?” Moshe gave a cold glance at Liuli. “I thought we don’t have cowards in the SIB Tactical Branch.”
“This isn’t a matter of cowardice but reasonable self-preserva-”
“If you don’t know what you are talking then I advise you stop. Have you taken into consideration the geopolitical situation around us? The People’s Republic is strong but not invincible. We cannot afford the diplomatic backlash caused by a reckless strike on a neighboring nation, even when they are our enemies. There is a tension between the two countries, but there is no official state of war. We cannot openly attack their assets like that.” Moshe explained. “Besides, you were never meant to be going alone on this mission, stop making yourself an idiot and listen to the briefing in whole before you speak.”
De Liuli wanted to argue more, but the young man sitting next to her gently pulled her back on her seat.
“Just listen to the Major, Liuli. He isn’t wrong.” Chengzhi said.
“I know this is a high-risk mission by nature, and we would prefer not to send soldiers straight into dangers if we have an alternative, but this is your job to begin with. If you cannot take the heat, don’t go into the kitchen. You are here because we thought you are capable and ready to take risks, if you are not, you are free to apply for reassignment.” Moshe turned to Ruomei. “I know your unit was just formed not too long ago, but I hope you can discipline your men,” he took a quick glance at Liuli. “...and
especially women in the future. Our military was known for its discipline, I hope your unit would not become an exception.”
Moshe muttered to himself, wondering why out of all units of the Tactical Branch the new and inexperienced Unit 417 would be chosen to conduct the mission.
“Let’s get back to business.” Moshe cleared his throat. “Your shenanigans delayed us 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Corporal.”
Liuli grinded her teeth quietly.
“You are not alone on this task. Beside limited support elements we can provide from this side of the border, you also have the aid from local resistance against the oppressive Jainnagaran Viṣuvatyuga Order regime operating around these parts.”
Moshe clicked a button on the projector, a new yellow dotted line showed up on the map, leading from the Sinican side of the border to the whereabouts of the supergun.
“Our partners had managed to open a small gap at the border for us just around an hour ago.” Moshe looked at his watch, then pointed at a segment on the border, whereas the label of a Jainnagaran border checkpoint faded to grey. “We have at best around 30 minutes until their headquarter would realize the destruction of the post, and an hour or two until their reinforcement arrives at the scene depending on how good the guerrilla fighters would distract them. We will utilize that gap to cross the border and meet up with their leader south of the border.”
Moshe pointed at a red dot on the yellow line. “This is our designated meeting place. The man who would be accompanying you on your journey is Mahinder Vemulakonda. The local cell commander of the guerrilla resistance cell against the Jainnagaran government.”
He pressed another button on the projector, revealing the photo of a beardy central Mederune man with a cigarette in his mouth, his age seemed to be about the same of Moshe.
“The rest of the trip would just flexibly follow the direction of that line. Decide your path according to the actual situation you face at the scene, there is no need to follow that route closely. Just as long you can make it to the cannon and destroy it, we would be fine with however way you approach the site. After that, take the original route back, exfiltration would be provided once you get back to their hideout. That is all for the briefing, the map and related information had been uploaded to your wrist computers, any questions?”
When Ruomei and her soldiers finally stepped out of the briefing room, the sky was already dark. They are now inside their rides once again, this time heading towards the other side of the border. According to plan, they would be dropped off the farthest they could into enemy territories before carrying on foot to the meeting place. The arrangements for the meeting had been delivered to the squad leaders respectively after the briefing. The radars near the border would be jammed while they fly cross the border, combined with low-altitude flying, it should be rather safe for them to cross the border undetected by enemy air defense network in the region.
Everything outside the window was pitch black, with only occasional sightings of light from Jainnagaran facilities glowing in a distance making a contrast to the darkness of night. It was a quiet night, with only the
rumbling sound of the helicopters’ engines and rotors breaking the silence. Ruomei worried if the noises made by their ride would alert Jainnagaran patrols, but nothing happened. Soon, the little orchestra of machinery and trees was joined by raindrops.
Maybe these guerrilla fighters took the patrols out with the post? She thought.
“Deep inside hostile territories late in night and in heavy rain, what could be worse?” Liuli complained.
“It helps washing our footprints and scents away.” Ruomei said. “I would rather count it a blessing. I hear the Jainnagaran border guards keep rather good hounds.”
“Yikes!”
“Calm down, Xian’er.” Ruomei said, turning to the trembling girl in her team. “You have a gun. A pup on the other hand, however large and fierce it could be, has only teeth, just put a few bullets to it if we run into one.”
“Ri...right...” Xian’er nodded, trying to control her tremble.
“Raj, there are signals all over the radar screen!” Inside the radar station not too far from Ruomei and her team, a Jainnagaran radar operator called to his superior.
“Try turn it off and on again. It’s probably just a malfunction. 70 years old radar be like that sometimes.” His officer casually remarked while staring into the television in the corner of the room currently airing an Utsanji comedy show, undisturbed by his subordinate’s report at all.
The To-38 IVs slowly came to a hover over an open land over the woods. Under the cover of night, the Sinican special operatives quickly descended to the ground below with their equipment from the helicopters.
“The meeting place should not to be too far from here. Maintain radio silence from now on. Good luck with your mission.” The soldier on one of the To-38 IV said as he closed the slide door on the helicopter. Soon, the helicopters turned their direction, and began flying their way back to the Sinican side.
“Man, I really envy them, just having to drop us here like this and they are done with their work.” Liuli complained. “Unlike us boots on the ground.”
“Stop complaining.” Deqin said. “Bitching don’t get you out of this place alive. You would just get us killed with these noises you make instead.”
“Yes...yes sir...”
The group carefully proceeded through the forest as planned. Luckily for them, there was nothing standing in their ways, only occasional visual of dead Jainnagaran border guards, their blood washed away by the rain. Eventually, the wreckage of a downed Jainnagaran MH-88 appeared before them. By the look of it, the helicopter had been down for a while. The fire on the wreckage had died down to the rain, though if one lose close enough, they could still subtly see smoke rising slowly from the remains of the aircraft in the middle of night. Ruomei wondered if the guerrillas intentionally chose today for the attack, so that any fire and smoke caused by the battle would be suppressed by the weather.
“Damn, I will give them one, these guerrillas sure wrecked this place.” Chengzhi said.
Due to the mission’s nature, they were all in disguise obscuring their national identity. Mercenaries fighting for different factions were far from a rare sight around these parts, and even anti-government resistance was not an exception. Beside people from the less well-off parts of the continent, people of northern Mederune look, be it Sinican, Utsanji, Gulan or even Oriental Euphemian, were not exempt from the list of providers for mercenary service. Their equipment was largely replaced with market-flowing electronics and weapons to obscure their identity in case their mission went south, which, for people like them, was a scenario they always need to take consideration into. Thanks to the increasing influence of Sinican manufacturers in the international arms market following the former Ophiric military industrial giants’ demise, it became more convenient for them to use weapons they were more familiar with in operations like this.
“We are almost there.” Guohao said.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a local species of bird coming out from not far ago. The group knew it was the indication that the guerrillas had spotted them, so Guohao made the response, imitating the same sound. Then all went silent, back to the serene state of night.
One second passed, two seconds passed, three seconds passed. The group quietly waited for response.
Suddenly, a bush next to them went alive. Then, from depth of woods a spark of fire flickered, then with it, half of a smiling beardy man’s face slowly emerged from darkness through the glow of a lit cigarette, his other half shielded with the night and his rather worn out boonie hat.
“Well, hello, my dear comrades.” The man spoke. “We’ve been expecting you, come with me.”
The Wild Men in the Mountains II
Mukt Manushy Hideout
Sino-Jainnagar Border Region
Northern Jainnagar
Jainnagar
January 15, A.C. 479
11:45 PM CST
“The place is way cramped compared to your comfy military bases, but trust me, this place served us way better than you would imagine against these government’s hounds.” The beardy man laughed, leading the group into his tent. Just outside of the man’s quarter was a temporary camp built with wood and tents, hidden well behind the cover of woods, mountains, and clever disguises. The darkness of night only served as the frosting on cake in hiding the hideout away from unsuspecting eyes. If they don’t reveal the place themselves, Ruomei could imagine that it would take quite a while until the Jainnagaran government could discover this place, if they were still here by then.
“I’m sure Moshe has already introduced me back at your briefing. Name’s Mahinder Vemulakonda. You can say I’m a communicator and somewhat a cell leader of the Mukt Manushy resistance group in this region.” Mahinder said. “You may call me a reluctant hero of our people, perhaps, ehehe.”
“Reluctant?” Deqin raised a brow.
“Well, I didn’t choose to lead a life as a freedom fighter, a freedom fighter life chose me.” Mahinder continued, obviously trying to make a reference from some old former Euphemian action film quotes. “You just gotta take up responsibility for your people at times don’t ‘cha?”
The Sinicans looked at each other, clueless of what to say.
“Well, what is your plan about the supergun?” Deqin ignored the boastful remarks of Mahinder. “You have a plan, don’t you?”
“Of course, of course, now you’re speaking it my boy.” Mahinder’s face showed excitement. “You Sinicans like to say ‘Know thyself, ever-victorious’. I fully agree with that. Over the past weeks our men had infiltrated the whole region keeping track of troop movements and all other details. I tell ye, sonny, I know the patrol routes and defenses around that gun as if they were all naked in front of me!”
Ruomei was unimpressed by the metaphor of the Jainnagaran man. “Eh, that does help, but even if we get through, how do we destroy that gun? We didn’t bring any heavy weapon, you aren’t expecting us to destroy that structure with small-caliber firearms are you?”
“Great question m’lady!” Mahinder said. “Now you’re asking, now you’re asking! I tell ye, I aren't no expert in my field. You may call me a guerrilla academics, even. What is one key quality required for guerrilla warfare? Creativity, of course! We sure aren’t tearing down that little pesky toy of the Viṣuvatyuga Order with mere bullets and small explosives. Well, maybe with small explosives somewhat.”
“What do you mean?” Deqin asked, questioning the capacity of the man before him.
“You need both the bullet and the gun to shoot, sonny.” Mahinder put out his cigarette with the bottom of his shoe, then casually tossed it on the ground, it was just moist earth, after all. “Our IEDs won’t even scratch that thing, so we will borrow some bigger ones from them. They have these prepared ammunitions of the gun stored nearby. Quite funny how they got the shells sorted out before the gun is even close to finish. I suppose they are asking for it.”
“I see...” Ruomei noted to herself the plan. “But how do we get near the gun, you aren’t expecting us to tear through their defenses are you?”
“Haha, I like your attitude, with so many questions! I bet you make a great tactician for your team?” Mahinder smirked, seemingly amused with Ruomei’s question.
“...Maybe?” Ruomei was unsure how to respond, embarrassed.
“We of course would avoid fighting as long as possible. It took us a while, but we managed to find a safe way in. There is a secret entrance the underground structure below the gun, where the ammunition was stored. If we could sneak in and detonate that chamber, the gun would not survive to see the morning sun of tomorrow.” Mahinder said. “...and it is perhaps the last time we can simply walk in like this. They will reinforce the security details of the gun very soon. We received reports from our insiders that they are sending reinforcements to its defense very soon.”
He picked up his rifle, despite his seemingly unruly mannerism, Ruomei could notice that the Virsharan T-394 Late Production Version Rifle in his hand was rather well-maintained, its body even gently reflecting the light from the room’s lantern.
“I know the plan, now you know the plan. Let’s get going.” Mahinder said, his face turning serious. “Time doesn’t wait for us, victory neither.”
The Wild Men in the Mountains III
Wilderness
Sino-Jainnagar Border Region
Northern Jainnagar
Jainnagar
January 16, A.C. 479
1:24 AM CST
They were once again out in the wilderness, this time joined by Mahinder and his men. The guerrillas somehow managed to get a hold on some 4x4 ATVs, so they luckily did not have to travel all the way on foot. The guerrillas sure were familiar with the place, with them, navigating through the forests and hills became much faster.
Suddenly, Mahinder, leading at the front, came to a halt. He made a gesture, telling the rest of the group to wait, then rode forward alone. Minutes after, he came back. “There is a narrow open field with a checkpoint ahead of us, but our other men will deal with them, just cross the zone while they are distracted.”
“Are you sure you can hit that checkpoint’s officer quarter with one shot?” One of the guerrilla fighters asked his comrade, who was busy adjusting his mortar at the building.
“Worry not, I study ballistics 18 hours a day.”
BoomAs the sound of explosion came into the ears of the group, gunfire erupted in a distance.
“Let’s go.” Mahinder said. “They can handle it.”
The group sped towards the edge of the woods, but something unpleasant entered their sights. A Jainnagaran
AH-46 attack helicopter. To make it worse, it was pointing right at their direction, though the helicopter pilots were probably unaware of the group yet.
Before the group could do anything on it however, a rocket-propelled grenade flew out from the woods nearby, missing the helicopter by an inch or two. Yet the AH-46 seemed to be unfazed by the attack from its side at all, the helicopter was still looking this way, seeming to be searching for target.
“Guess we have to take it down ourselves.” Mahinder turned back to the group.
The AH-46 snapped out of the confusion caused by the ambush, it quickly turned towards the source of the attack, and opened fire with its autocannon. The guerrillas returned fire with another round of RPG, but it missed again.
“Are you sure you guys are experts?” Liuli questioned. “Your men had already missed two rounds on a target not even far from them despite the advantage of surprise attack on the first.”
“Don’t complain.” Mahinder said. “We don’t have the luxury of night vision appliances like you do.”
Unit 815 had taken the initiative to fire at the helicopter. With a careful aimed shot from the designated marksman, the 12.7mm round had pierced through the cockpit window and, while only whoever’s left in the cockpit would hear the splattering of blood from the distance, the weapon of the helicopter stopped firing. Evidently, the shot took out the gunner. An anti-tank rocket then flied towards the helicopter. An explosion soon erupted near the rotor of the AH-46 as it lost balance and crashed to the ground.
“Let’s go!” Mahinder said, speeding forward. As the group hurried through the gap, they could see guerrilla fighters assaulting the checkpoint from the other side. Apparently, whoever poor bastards they were to defend this station was outgunned and sandwiched.
Before they could notice, the scene of crossfire was far behind, whatever audible noise that remains muffled by rain. A freshly shot down MH-88 quietly sat beside them, its wreckage burning, lighting up the surroundings a bit, its occupant presumed dead.
“From now on things would become much easier for us.” Mahinder said. “These cowards do not dare to step too deep into the forests because of us. As long as we avoid heading too close to open fields we would mostly be free of troubles. Don’t let your guards down, though.”
As the group proceeded carefully through the hills, they could hear gunfire erupting from distant, though that part was no open area.
“Must have been a few unlucky bastards wandering too far away from their normal patrol routes. Our boys will take care of them.” Mahinder remarked.
The group carried on through the hills and forests, the trip had been relatively calm, with occasional gunfire in the distance, but so far nothing stood in their way.
“Do you think we may be able to sneak all the way past without interference?” Liuli asked.
“Don’t let your guard down.” Mahinder replied. “Better safe than sorry.”
The silence was soon broken as something made a sound approaching from the bushes. Behind the cover of local vegetation and the night, the group could not exactly make out what was approaching them with just sounds, but to their slightest relief, the being sounded nothing mechanical. The group carefully got off from their ATVs and moved into cover, anticipating trouble.
ROARThe vegetation next to Ruomei suddenly moved, with a huge shadow launching out straight towards her.
“Careful!” Mahinder said, raising his rifle but hesitated from shooting, knowing it was very possible for him to hit her by accident had he fired.
Ruomei responded quickly, rolling sideways to dodge the attack. The object, or rather, beast, landed on where Ruomei was standing at mere seconds ago with a thud. Under moonlights, the group could make out the shape of the animal. It was a Vajrayan Tiger, and it looked hungry and angry,
very.
“Oh my god...” Xian’er trembled, stepping back. “Th-that isn’t a ho-hound, right?”
“That’s a tiger, dumbass!” Liuli pointed her rifle at the tiger, keeping a close watch on the southern beast. “It’s not even remotely a canine!”
Without hesitation, Ruomei immediately turned over her rifle and smashed the rifle stock onto the forehead of the tiger with her top strength.
The tiger was still recovering from the thud. Suddenly, it was hit hard in the head with a blunt object. The tiger staggered from the impact, but attempted to fight back by tackling itself towards its attacker. Ruomei attempted to jump sideway to dodge the attack, but the tiger was one step quicker than her. Thanks to the shock caused by the hit however, the tiger was unable to unleash full strength in the tackle, Ruomei was pushed back a few inches by the attack, but she managed to stabilize herself from falling.
The tiger shook off the dizziness, it is now
more angry than ever! It shifted its target to Chengzhi, jumping him with its sharp claws. It has already lost its element of surprise however, Chengzhi, who had been closely keeping his eyes on the tiger, dodged the attack with ease. In an instant, he unsheathed his bayonet, but it slipped out of his hand, falling to the muddy ground below.
“Damn it!”
Liuli took a quick aim with her silenced rifle, then, with little hesitation, opened fire. Perhaps because the aiming time was too short, or maybe it was the night and weather, the bullets missed by inches. Thank god, it didn’t hit anyone.
The tiger seemed undisturbed by the bullets that just flew past it at all, it once again turned to face where Chengzhi stood. Chengzhi had already pulled his bayonet out from the ground, poising to strike at the beast.
The tiger once again got the first hand, it charged forward, trying to bite its foe. This time, Chengzhi was unable to dodge its attack. Barely having avoided the fate of being torn into pieces by the beasts’ razor-sharp teeth, he was knocked on the ground by the beast. It was now poising to conduct the finishing strike. Chengzhi could see the reflection of himself in the big sharp eyes of the beast, angrily staring back at him.
“G-get away from him!” Xian’er raised her GPAW LMG, taking a few careful shots. This time, the shots hit, but they were not fatal enough to kill the beast. These bullets did do the job of forcing the tiger to back off from her teammate, however.
Mahinder took the chance and fired his gun. This time, the bullets went straight through the head of the beast. It fell to its side with a stagger, then fully stopped moving, presumed dead.
“That was close.” Chengzhi slowly helped himself up from the muddy ground. “I owe you one there.”
“I-it’s nothing.” Xian’er looked away.
“Well, that happens a lot around these parts.” Mahinder examined the body of the tiger. “Wilderness, sonny! Human is not the only thing you should keep an eye on, mother nature can be a killer at times, too. Her part time job, maybe.”
Deqin ignored Mahinder’s attempt to a joke and picked up Chengzhi’s HABR sniper rifle. “Be more careful next time.”
“Hey are you insensitive or something?” Liuli pointed a finger at Deqin. “He just barely escaped from death!”
“I’m not going to argue with you.” Deqin climbed back on his ATV. “We have made enough noises.”
“You...!” Liuli grinded her teeth.
Chengzhi gently tapped on the shoulder of her.
“It’s fine. No one here wants to leave a dead body behind. He may just be a little more unique in the way he expresses it.”
“Well, if even you have no qualms with this, I guess I’m not in the place to complain...” Liuli sighed, then got on her ATV.
“Did you got hurt?” Ruomei asked.
“No, not really. Just a little bit startled, maybe.” Chengzhi swept off some mud stuck on his clothes.
The team proceeded forward. Thanks to the ATVs, they had already crossed half of the zone, but everyone in the group knew that things were only going to get more dangerous past this point.
The tiger attack had got Ruomei wary of the various dangers the local environment could provide. While riding through hills and forests, she carefully kept a watch on the surroundings, anticipating much more than a single angry Vajrayan Tiger for the night.
Suddenly, she spotted a four-legged being lying on a rock. Its profile resembled that of the tiger earlier, albeit much slimmer in comparison. Its head also looked slightly different. With the help of moonlight, she could vaguely make out the pattern on the animal’s fur. Instead of the black and orange stripes she expected, there were instead dots all over the animal’s body. It wasn’t a Vajrayan Tiger, it was a Vajrayan Cheetah.
The cheetah was fast asleep, causing no trouble.
The following part of the trip had been calm, though none in the group dared to let their guard down with the experience from earlier.
“You talked about a safe way in earlier,” Deqin asked. “But how? Were there secret entrances to the underground structure of the gun?”
“Yes and no. The entrance was located somewhere away from the main site of the gun, but it was not
that secret to us. We have insiders infiltrating the site.”
As the group reached another hillside, they were suddenly alerted by an approaching rumbling sound from the slope on their right.
“Embrace yourselves!” Mahinder alerted.
Boulders started rolling down towards the group from the slope, loosened from where they were formerly stuck by lubrication of rainwater.
Ruomei attempted to dodge all the boulders coming at her, but the slippery ground had caused her trouble. Her ATV slipped and flipped sideways, throwing her away from the vehicle.
Right after she was thrown away, a boulder rolled onto the ATV, crushing it under. The sound of metal and rock grinding against each other as the ATV was reduced to a pile of twisted junk quickly reminded her of the dangers. Her right arm hurt from the impact with the ground, but thanks to protective gears it shouldn’t be too serious. She was secretly grateful about being thrown away from her ride however, had it not happened, she would have been a goner.
After forcing herself to stand up, she quickly checked her surroundings. It seemed that the boulders have stopped. She dashed towards her teammates, ignoring the pain in her body from the fall.
“Are you guys alright?”
“I’m perfectly fine.” Chengzhi gave a thumbs up, indicating that he was fine.
“I’m not going to die in this middle of nowhere.” Liuli answered.
“I’m still in one piece.” Deqin said. “But what about you? That fall seemed like it hurts.”
“I’d be fine, it hurts but I think it is nothing serious.” Ruomei said, moving her arms to show that she was fine.
“Don’t push yourself, one of the last things we need is a wounded to tend for in this mission.”
“I-I’m fine.” Ruomei said, quietly grinding her teeth, enduring the pain on her right arm. “What about Xian’er?”
“I-I guess I’m ok...” Xian’er said, visibly shook. “...b-but that guy over there...”
Xian’er pointed towards a pile of boulders, blood was flowing out from below, mixed with fragments of steel and a mixture of god-know-what organic matters.
“Oh my...” Ruomei didn’t know how to react. Lucky enough for her, the crushed body below the pile of boulder was not one of her men, but it was saddening enough to see a fellow Sinican soldier die such horribly.
“Is everyone alright?” Mahinder checked.
“...We lost one over here.” Li Guohao reported, staring at the pile. “Damn it, I should have watched over him better!”
“It is not your fault.” Mahinder said. “War has casualties. We were just unfortunate enough to lose one of us here.”
“My condolences.” Ruomei put her hand on the left shoulder of her colleague.
“His sacrifice would not be in vain.” Guohao said, holding his fist. “We must destroy that gun in his place. Let’s get out of this place quick before we lose another of us here.”
Ruomei now shares an ATV with Deqin, her own being smashed by boulder. Everyone was rather silent for the rest of the trip. It was all fun and game until someone among them started dying, now the sense that they were in the middle of a battlefield had become real for them. Sinica had not experienced any mentionable military conflicts for decades, and today, the group had become the unlucky ones to taste it first-hand.
It only made things worse for them that the deceased soldier was not even killed in battle. It was almost like he died for nothing.
On their way, another tiger showed up in front of them, but this one lacked interests on the group and ran away. The lack of human standing in their way proved that Mahinder was indeed right, the Jainnagaran patrols stayed out of these parts. Venture deep enough into the forested zone, and all that would stand in your way would be wild animals and environmental hazards.
They were now on the edge of the next open gap. Anything past this point would be hostile, but this also means they were just one step away from the gun itself now.
The Wild Men in the Mountains IV
Wilderness
Sino-Jainnagar Border Region
Northern Jainnagar
Jainnagar
January 16, A.C. 479
3:40 AM CST
The supergun stood in vicinity, its profile blurred by rain. Despite the effort the Jainnagarans put to blend it into surrounding environment, the cannon was simply too large to perfectly hide. It was good enough to fool surveillance planes and satellites peeking from above, but anyone who came close enough would effortlessly spot the cannon.
Mahinder and his fellow fighters took this operation very seriously. When Ruomei and the group reached the next point recorded on the tactical map saved on their wrist computers, they were surprised to find a large and well-armed group of Mukt Manushy fighters waiting for them near the gap.
“Blowing up that gun aren’t no small deal.” Mahinder explained. “They will watch out for us and join the fight if the situation demands so. Our men are hidden on both sides of this road ahead of us. It is not yet the time for them to patrol around this part, we can cross this gap safely.”
Mahinder took a careful look into the sky searching for possible Jainnagaran helicopters flying above them, then gestured for the group to cross.
They were awaited by a similarly huge group of guerrillas on the other side. One of the fighters who seemed to be the leader of them approached Mahinder.
“Today’s wind blows
West.”
“What did the wind say?”
“The ants crawl out of the anthill at 5. The newspaper man does not deliver anything today.” The guerrilla fighter recalled. “And also, the queen is in the hill.”
“I see.” Mahinder nodded.
“God speed.” The fighter saluted.
Mahinder led the group deeper into the forest. They were now walking on foot, leaving the ATVs behind with the guerrillas. As they walked, the rain gradually became smaller, yet the fog caused by the rain remained. Occasionally, they could hear sounds of rotors above them, but in current weather condition, the efforts made by the defenders of the cannon in identifying intruders early from the air are futile.
They soon came across a lone bunker standing in the middle of trees. Mahinder told the rest of the group to hide behind cover, then intimidated the sound of a local species of bird like he did earlier. One of the guards standing by the bunker then talked to the others briefly, then walked towards them, his flashlight flickering in a certain pattern, seeming to indicate something. Mahinder gestured for the group to hold fire.
“In what direction does the wind blow today?” The Jainnagaran soldier looked at his surroundings, then approached the tree Mahinder was hiding behind, whispering.
“Today’s wind blows west.” Mahinder replied in low volume.
The Jainnagaran soldier gave a sigh of relief.
“The brothers are ready to support your operation. Everyone at this bunker right now are our men. We got spare uniforms in the bunker. The next shift would also be our men, you have until 5 in morning before we are out of control.”
“Thank you, comrade.”
The insider led the group inside the bunker, showed them the changing rooms, and went to watch out for the group. Apparently, everyone guarding this bunker right now were on Mahinder’s side. They changed into disguises, hiding their faces behind balaclava masks.
They locked gears that were impossible to hide under their disguise into lockers. Were they unable to retrieve it after, it would not be a problem. They brought in nothing that wasn’t already flowing in the market, after all. When everything was ready, they returned to the soldier.
The soldier scanned at them, the nodded, approving the disguises as sufficient. He then opened the hatch into a tunnel for them, gave them a thumb up in wish of good luck for them, then watched the group descend into the tunnel before joining them himself, closing the hatch behind.
“This way.” The soldier gestured, leading the way.
In their disguises, the group managed to get past several unsuspecting guards passing them. The tunnels under the cannon was built rather broad, supposedly designed so to support vehicular transportation under the cannon. There needs to be a way for the gigantic ammunitions of the gun to be transported inside the underground facility, after all.
From the look of the tunnels, things were orderly within the Jainnagaran military, albeit the look on the soldiers’ face made a hint on the aftermath of Zhou’s collapse finally showing itself decades after within the ranks of this country’s military. Perhaps it was how Mahinder and his men managed to penetrate the interior of this facility. The Jainnagaran army stood defiant against odds, but not everyone inside the structure was content with the status quo, especially when the fortune left behind by the former prince that had sustained the country’s economy is coming to an end, and they were embargoed by all sides involved in the region.
“Halt!” One of the soldiers in formal uniform approached the group, his escorts on his sides.
“Sergeant Pramond Anand, who are they?” The political commissar asked. “I don’t recall these face around this part, that is, if I can even see them through the masks. Tell them to take it off.”
“These are reinforcement from the headquarters, special operatives, sir!” Pramond replied, of course lying. “They aren’t supposed to be revealing their face even to you.”
“Oh...?” The commissar sneered. “So you are saying that, a group of so-called ‘spec ops’ just randomly walked in, and you trusted them without even seeing their face? I wouldn’t be surprised you’d one day bring the, god forgive me for speaking the forsaken word, Sinicans, into this place.”
“Guards!” He raised his hand, gesturing his escorts to act. “Take off their balaclava!”
His escorts stepped forward, about to drag off the team’s masks.
Mehinder was quick to react, he tossed an object onto the ground without a word. One of the guards picked it up and handed it to the commissar. On closer look into the object, a shocked look arose on the face of the commissar.
Trembling, he handed the object back to Mahinder with the best manner he could manage. “I’m sorry, sir, we didn’t know you were sent by the emperor. Please proceed with your work as you will.”
The commissar gestured for the guards to step aside, then saluted, inviting the group to proceed. Mahinder casually put the object back into his pouch pocket, then gestured for Pramond to lead the way.
“To answer your question, sir, I did check who I was talking to.” Pramond leaned forward towards the commissar. “Unlike some
amateurs.”
He gestured for the group to follow, laughing as the commissar looked at him in anger.
Once the commissar was far behind them, Ruomei whispered. “Is that really alright for you to taunt him like that?”
“Not like I’m staying here much longer.” Promond smiled.
The gate to the shell storage quarter now stands before them. Between them stood guard a rather heavy security detail for a tunnel. Two sandbag protected machinegun nests on the sides with a whole line of armed-to-the-teeth soldiers standing between, Ruomei could also observe a few short towers behind the line, presumably an indoor underground watchtower of some sort.
One of them stepped forward, from the patch on his shoulder, he was the highest-ranked and likely command officer of this gate’s security. “Identify yourselves.”
“Sergeant Promond Anand, these were special operatives sent directly from the emperor. We would like to inspect the ammunition storage.” Promond saluted.
“Why is the emperor sending special operatives to inspect the ammunition storage?” The officer asked. “We received no prior report of such inspection.”
Mahinder showed that object again, this time, Ruomei could see that it was some type of badge, probably the kind that shows one’s authority granted by the Jainnagaran Emperor.
The officer took the badge and examined it carefully, then handed it back to Mahinder. “The badge is real, I suppose I can trust you. I don’t know what is up the emperor’s mind that he would send special operatives out of all people to inspect the ammunition storage without prior notice but, go ahead.”
“You should not question the emperor.” Mahinder said, gesturing the group to follow. “We will inspect it on our own, you need not sending any men with us.”
“You, wait outside here for us.” He pointed at Promond.
“Yes sir!” Promond saluted.
The officer made a gesture, the man at the security kiosk pressed a button. Mechanical sounds came out from the walls as the gate slowly slid aside, opening the way for them.
“The gate is open, please proceed, sir.” The officer stepped aside.
As Mahinder made his step, the officer suddenly stopped him.
“Wait.” The officer said. “Hand me your weapons and every ignitable on you. No ignitable allowed here.”
Mahinder tossed the officer a pack of cigarette, then handed his rifle to Promond. The rest of the group followed suit. “There you go.”
“Your kitbag?” The officer pointed at the kitbag on Mahinder. “I don’t see why you need to carry it into the ammunition storage.”
“Confidential documents.” Mahinder said. “I’m supposed to keep them by my side all the time.”
“...documents that thick?” The officer raised a brow.
“Of course not, there are other things, but you have no right to look at the inside of the bag. Unless you are planning treasure against the Emperor...?”
“No, of course not, please go ahead.” The officer backed down.
The interior of the ammunition storage quarter was vast and spacious. On first sight, Ruomei could finally understand why they needed such broad tunnels – The artillery shells that stood quietly in the quarter were gigantic. Even the warhead alone would be taller than a well-grown man, let alone including the casing. There would be no way to transport them inside this place had the tunnels been a little smaller.
“Let’s be quick.” Mahinder said, carefully taking charges out from his kitbag. “The longer we stay here, the more risks we take.”
“Sergeant Pramond, are you sure these special operatives were trustworthy?” Outside of the quarter, the officer questioned Pramond.
“Of course, why not?” Pramond said. “They have the
Tiger Head Badge[2], how can they be imposters?”
“Badges are objects, they can be faked or stolen.” The officer said. “Were there anything strange you noticed about them?”
“Of course not, I’m professional. I was suspicious of them at first and kept a close watch on them, but there was nothing that can point to the conclusion of them being imposters.”
“...I see.” The officer nodded. “I hope you are not lying. Sinican and Vajrayan collaborators are running rampant in the country lately, I am not optimistic enough to believe that we have not been infiltrated by these traitors yet. You better not be one of them.”
Pramond smiled. “Haha, how is that possible. Why would I collaborate with, say, god forsake it, Sinicans, against our proud and prosperous country?”
Deep under his mind, Pramond may be thinking of something else, but there were nothing for the officer to learn about. The officer sighed.
“I hope what you speak is genuine. It is hard to distinguish who is a faithful patriot or a dirty traitor these days. Look at that incompetent Order’s Commissar in our base, he calls himself the most faithful follower of the emperor and the Order’s ideals. I bet he would betray us without hesitation if he gets handed enough money.”
Ruomei carefully connected the timed detonation device to the dough of plastic explosives stuck on the side of the casing.
“We are done here.” Ruomei said, in low volume.
“Good.” Mahinder said.
The gate and walls were thick enough to hinder all voices from inside the quarter to leak to the outside, but it’s better safe than sorry.
There was no surveillance camera in the quarter, probably out of the fear that even the slightest spark from a wiring failure would ignite a detonation. It is unlikely, but nonetheless, when handling explosives of this scale, you would want to be extremely careful as well. This caution, however, had compromised their ability to keep a watch on the happenings inside the room and gave Mahinder and his men lots of room to exploit to their eventual demise. Quickly setting up explosive charges and hiding them behind the cover of huge shells on the racks, they finished their task with no hindrance. Afterwards, they poured a transparent mixture of ignitable liquids disguised as bottled water in their kitbags all around the place. The only thing left to do is to get out of here in one piece and wait for the greatest “firework show” in a while to happen.
Back to the entrance, Mahinder pressed the button by the gate, requesting the security guard to open the gate from the outside. The gate opened slowly and steadily. They stepped out of the quarter and took back their belongings from the guards. The officer saluted and wished them a good luck in their future missions, still unaware of their true nature.
The officer watched the group disappear at the end of the tunnel, then casually looked around. Suddenly, he noticed something on the ground, taking a closer look, it seemed to be footprints left behind by liquids. Even though he was made aware that the weather was rainy yesternight, there is no way for a shoe to still be wet after going all the way through the base to here, let alone going inside the storage. He took a closer look into the footprint, then sniffed, an irritating smell soon filled his nose.
“This isn’t water, this is chemical!” He shouted. “Quick, report these imposters to the commander and sound the alarm!”