New Equipment

Ratatat!

Gunfire erupted through the village and rainforest: sustained bursts from 7.62 mm weapons and even .50-caliber guns.

If the Rebel Army had been firing like that, it would have been no surprise.

The rebels entrenched nearby had never received military training. They knew nothing about controlled bursts or rapid fire. They just held down the trigger until the magazines ran dry.

But the sustained fire was actually coming from the soldiers who had jumped from the aircraft and landed without ropes.

Their black combat uniforms, red "Λ" insignia, and "ARS / 3rd Infantry Company" shoulder patches identified them as members of the Third Infantry Company of the Atlas Rapid Response Force.

Their gear had also grown considerably heavier.

Every infantryman wore an Exoskeleton. It let them mount extra armor plates over vital areas, carry more ammunition, and easily make a rope-free drop from twenty meters.

That was not all. The full-face helmets worn by the Rapid Response Force had built-in HUDs that helped identify targets in sight and worked with their Exoskeletons to calibrate their aim.

The soldiers were rigorously trained and experienced in combat, so even during sustained fire, they remained extraordinarily accurate.

Seen from above, the thirty-odd soldiers of Third Company were spread across the village in teams of three.

Two of the Rapid Response Force soldiers were dressed as heavy troopers.

With specialized Exoskeletons, full-body modular armor, shoulder-mounted micro-missile launchers, and 40 mm grenade launchers, they were practically walking tanks.

Rebels and Infected alike came under rapid or sustained fire the moment they entered a team's firing range.

The dense barrage of 7.62 mm and .50-caliber rounds had enough penetrating power to tear torsos, limbs, and heads apart.

Bang!

Splat!

The sounds of bodies bursting and breaking echoed between the village and the rainforest. Blood mist filled the air, while blood soaked the soil and scraps of flesh littered the ground.

Against the Rapid Response Force's overwhelming lead in equipment, weapons, and training, the Infected and rebels had only one fate: death.

And overhead, an A-10, an AH-1W, and a CH-53E fitted with a rotary machine gun provided fire support.

Surrender?

The Rapid Response Force ignored the rebels' attempts to surrender. They had seen the Infected and mutants, witnessed Atlas's new equipment in action, and had little time to complete their mission.

In fact, Atlas had already used vehicles from Earth-01's United Defense Force to develop several more maneuverable prototypes. But those were still in testing, and there was no reason to reveal them prematurely. The vehicles assigned to this support mission were therefore still older models.

Now...

"..."

Leon rose to his feet, somewhat dazed.

He looked at the Rapid Response Force soldiers advancing slowly into the rainforest behind the two heavy troopers, who served as mobile cover. Then he looked at the HK USP in his hand and shook his head with a sigh.

A soldier with red paint on his shoulder armor approached Leon. He opened his visor, revealing a thick beard, and held out his left hand.

"Sergeant Gideon Elimo, First Platoon leader, Third Company, Rapid Response Force. You all right, trainee?"

Leon put the safety on and holstered his HK USP, then shook the sergeant's hand. "Your timing was perfect, Sergeant. Thanks for the help. Another two minutes and I might've had to fight them with a knife."

"Just doing our job." Gideon released his hand and looked toward Sears and the others emerging from the sheet-metal building, even more bewildered than Leon. He continued, "Our orders are to eliminate every threat and find God's Flower, the source of all this. We need you to come with us and act as a go-between. Talk to Quill Sears and the other civilians, and help us find it."

"Yes, Sergeant. Leave it to me."

Leon nodded, then went over to Sears and the others and briefly explained the situation.

Meanwhile, the gunfire dwindled from a steady barrage to scattered shots. First Platoon of the Third Infantry Company had swept the area with overwhelming firepower and was now searching for stragglers and finishing them off.

The Infected and mutants were intelligent enough to use guns and fight as a group, but they did not know how to take cover. The Rapid Response Force wiped them out with ease.

The rebels, seeing that they had lost, scattered and fled.

But turning their backs on an enemy was a fatal mistake. They became easy targets. Some were cleverer and tried to hide in the rainforest until they had a chance to escape.

The heavy troopers fired several reconnaissance rounds into the rainforest from their grenade launchers. With the rounds' motion detection and outline scanning, plus the thermal images supplied by the full-face helmets, the rebels had nowhere to hide.

The small-scale clash was over soon after.

With the fighting finished, the CH-53E that had been circling overhead found a suitable place to land and unloaded a large group of technicians and engineers.

As soon as they left the aircraft, the technicians in black protective suits began collecting bodies and samples and carrying out decontamination procedures.

The engineers, dressed in black work clothes and orange-yellow vests, also disinfected a selected area. Then they used the tools and materials they had brought to begin construction. It looked as though they intended to establish an outpost in the village where testing and experiments could be conducted immediately.

At the same time, two other technicians drew blood from Leon, Sears, and the students, following standard on-site testing procedures.

Every result came back green and clear. Only then did the two technicians leave to attend to other tasks.

After taking a moment to recover, Leon pressed a disinfectant pad to his neck where they had drawn blood. He looked at Gideon beside him. "Sergeant, is the company planning to...?"

"Contain the situation. Second and Third Platoons have already deployed to Lojia Town. Until we've minimized the effects of God's Flower, the company's going to have its hands full around here." Gideon had barely finished explaining when he gave an order over comms. "Michelle, you and Fire Teams Eight, Nine, and Ten stay here. Protect the technicians and engineers, and wait for the others to arrive."

"Yes, Sergeant."

"Mm." Gideon acknowledged the reply, then turned back to Sears and the others. His tone left no room for refusal.

"Professor, you're coming with us into the rainforest to find the ancient city and God's Flower. Atlas will pay you and your students a generous fee. The company will also recruit you and offer you better working and living conditions."

"Well... of course." Sears understood that they had stumbled into another side of the world. After seeing the Rapid Response Force kill the rebels without mercy, he knew what refusing would mean.

"Good." Gideon closed his visor and headed toward the rainforest to the north. He raised his left hand and gave a small circular signal as he issued another order.

"Everyone except those staying behind, follow me. Let's see what's hiding in this rainforest."