Although the ruins of Baikal City were not covered by a signal-blocking field, these reinforced concrete structures themselves could be regarded as a kind of barrier. To maintain uninterrupted contact with the base in the rear, they had to rely on aerial drones as signal relay stations—first transmitting communications signals to the drone, then having the drone send the radio signal back to the forward base from high altitude, where there were no obstructions.
In some extreme situations where radio could not be used, drones could even use laser communications to ensure the signal remained uninterrupted.
However, for the 19th Reconnaissance Squad, which had lost its drone, both radio and laser communications had become meaningless.
"Maybe we can borrow a drone from a nearby squad?" the female soldier suggested.
"No... there aren't any squads near us..." The captain shook his head. "The 20th Reconnaissance Squad was originally behind us, but half an hour ago, their captain, Levi, sent me a message saying their drone's electronics had malfunctioned and they needed to return to base for repairs... According to the deployment plan before departure, the nearest squad should now be the 16th Reconnaissance Squad, six kilometers northeast of us, assuming they've been advancing according to schedule."
"Six kilometers? That's way too far..." Maxim said dejectedly.
"Speaking of which, Maxim, did you notice what was going on inside that building just now? Did that shadow show up again?" asked the sixth person in the squad, a medic with a Red Cross armband wrapped around his arm.
"The captain just slammed me onto the ground. How was I supposed to see anything? With my ass?" Maxim shouted.
"It didn't appear." Glazkov, the sniper, answered in his place. He still maintained his firing position; not even a chunk of rubble striking his helmet had