The Players of Fifth Squad and Sixth Squad passed through a narrow, dim tunnel. The space before them suddenly opened up, but it also made them suck in a breath. They had entered an enormous residential district.
Before them stood densely packed rooms, connected to one another and staggered at varying heights, like a hive built from steel and concrete. More troubling still, the open areas between the rooms were covered in tangled barbed wire. Faint bulges beneath it silently revealed the presence of landmines.
As for the enemy, apart from a few snipers who thought they were well concealed in windows or on rooftops—but had actually long been clearly marked by "white outlines" in the Players' vision—there was hardly anyone in sight. Yet no one believed there were only a handful of enemies in the entire area.
"Why is there a residential district inside the Mid-hive Factory?" one Player could not help griping, his tone full of confusion. "Wasn't this supposed to be a place with no labor rights? I thought workers just slept under the machinery after finishing work."
"Maybe it's where the overseers and factory managers live?" another Player guessed.
"There's no point guessing here," the Squad Leader of Fifth Squad promptly cut off the discussion, sweeping his gaze across the complicated area. "Let's think about how to take this place. I took a careful look just now. I'm afraid there's no way around it."
"Let's pick off the snipers first." A Player holding a laser sniper rifle cautiously leaned out and aimed at a "white outline" behind a distant window.
As a blinding red laser beam tore through the dim air and struck its target with precision, it seemed to trigger some kind of signal. The once-silent residential district instantly erupted. Dense gunfire and the howl