Chapter 172
Finally, Kusei Maki turned her gaze to Efnir, her expression as indifferent as ever.
"I'll leave the guiding to you."
"I'd be happy to help, but I need a few people."
"Can."
34. Intuition
The drizzle on the ground showed no signs of stopping.
The setup of Defense Line, the maintenance and pre-activation of the Boundary Stele System, the laying of the Lure Net, the transfer of backup power, and the erection of temporary communication lines as strongholds...
Everything is progressing in an orderly manner.
Because the work had been done during prior training, the soldiers were able to maintain a fairly high speed.
"Using this place as a temporary base and command center... that's quite a bold decision."
It has to be said that Kusei Maki is strangely similar to Masaki Hina in this respect.
It is said that they actually knew each other, after all, they were all top students who graduated from the military academy in the Central Province, and were also combat veterans with military medals. It is hard to imagine that they had no connection at all.
In reality, however, they showed neither obvious hostility nor any "friendly demeanor" towards each other.
"Isn't this the best option?"
After all, it's right under the Boundary Stele, so from a safety perspective, it's definitely the most straightforward choice.
"But what about those remaining Dregs underground... is it really okay to just leave them like this?"
"We will begin the final cleanup once the Boundary Stele has been reactivated and all initial preparations are complete."
Will reinforcements arrive here?
"If nothing unexpected happens."
After a brief exchange, Efnir and Anilas gathered all the remaining combat-capable agents from both teams.
Kusei Maki removed her oxygen mask and heavy armor plaque from her body and gave a brief explanation of the combat situation.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and distinct.
Raindrops fell intermittently, accompanied by sporadic gunshots, and every now and then an explosion would come from the horizon—in order to prevent the Erosion Entity from gathering nearby and to provide a safer operating space for the subsequent transition between the Boundary Stele and the "Shielding Device," it was necessary to draw the Erosion Entity away as much as possible.
"Then, Efnir will give a detailed report."
Kusei Maki gestured to Efnir, Efnir stepped forward and began explaining the upcoming "Tunnel Cable-Laying Operation."
"Okay, let me add some details to the action plan."
"... This operation is roughly divided into three phases. First, we will start from the underground passage buried within the 'Maesakagawa Garrison District Plant and Ecological Science Research Institute (ICS Research Institute for short)' and lay tunnels using cables left over from the Old Era... The mission will be carried out sequentially with time as the reference point. In addition to the planned cable laying task, the team also needs to go to the Relay Station to carry out clearing and guidance tasks to ensure the safety of the line. Therefore, this operation will inevitably involve direct contact and combat with a large amount of Dregs and Erosion Entity."
Once the circuitry is set up, all efforts will be wasted if the operation of the circuitry and equipment attracts an attack from Erosion Entity. Therefore, the squad led by Efnir also needs to ensure the safety of the ground circuitry and Relay Station. The best way is to coordinate the laying of Lure Shell with the combat arrangements of Anilas and others who are stationed at the temporary base.
The reopening of the "Boundary Stele" will inevitably have a strong impact on all Erosion Entity within the Maesakagawa Garrison District area in an instant.
Like pouring a bucket of water into an anthill, the "Boundary Stele Barrier" not only suppresses the power of the Erosion Entity, but also immediately plunges Erosion Entity into an abnormally frenzied mode of action.
At this point, it would be necessary to use the Lure Bombs laid along the route from the Beyond the Boundary region to the Boundary Stele to divert all the Erosion Entity rushing toward the temporary base and the Boundary Stele. That would also be the opportunity for Efnir's squad to launch an attack—while the Erosion Entity were weakened and attracted by the Lure Shell, they should quickly lay out the route, capture the Relay Station, and complete the necessary setup work before the Boundary Stele's backup energy ran out.
This series of tasks must be completed within half a day, the sooner the better.
"Of course, we've already dispatched small teams for reconnaissance and search missions, and we'll soon be able to determine the situation near and below the tunnel entrance. Ideally, we'll complete all tasks while avoiding large-scale combat."
Once the "Boundary Stele Barrier" is restarted, the subsequent cleaning work will be much simpler.
During the confirmation of combat personnel, Efnir added her own requirements:
"I need an additional twenty soldiers, fully equipped with ammunition and gear, carrying demolition explosives, extra decoy grenades, and preferably two heavy machine guns. In addition, the engineering team also needs..."
In addition to the pre-assigned line-laying and maintenance engineering team, other combat personnel are also required.
The tunnel was filled with a considerable amount of Dregs, belonging to victims who had sought refuge inside and ultimately succumbed to Mutation and death. In this context, guns and bombs proved to be quite effective.
In addition, the soldiers were also responsible for staying behind and protecting the engineering team to ensure their safety.
Furthermore, considering the partial collapse of the tunnel and the need for work closure and obstacle removal, explosives for blasting are also essential.
These equipment were all drawn from the weapons.
"Besides that, I also hope that Fifina and Kite can accompany me. These are the candidates."
As a Fitina, Yukina's exceptional eyesight and support capabilities are key to significantly increasing the success rate of operations.
To be on the safe side, Efnir also added a Second-Generation Agent with excellent close combat and on-the-spot adaptability as an assistant.
The adjutant asked, "Are these enough people?"
That's enough.
Efnir nodded in response.
Seeing that Efnir was certain, the adjutant said no more, but instead organized the battle plan and relayed it to Kusei Maki.
In the end, the engineering team actually had more members than the combat squad.
Although it was a highly important operation, the focus of this operation was not combat, but rather the laying of lines.
Moreover, since there are no suitable vehicles in the tunnels left over from the Old Era, the amount of manpower required to lay the line is even greater.
And... Efnir alone is enough to rival an entire squad; her strength is an undeniable fact, even Kusei Maki has to admit it. Therefore, the adjutant did not raise any objections to Efnir's arrangements.
"Then, let's get moving and prepare all the equipment and weapons— Anilas."
"Yes!"
Anilas stepped forward and looked at the Agent Squad that was already waiting there.
"Kite, step forward! From now on, you will follow Efnir!"
"Yes!"
The sound of boots clicking on Kite's feet rang out as she gave Efnir a crisp military salute.
Yukina naturally followed behind Efnir, at which point the adjutant also arrived with a squad of fully armed soldiers.
Efnir asked her adjutant, "Has the reconnaissance team sent back any messages?"
"Report, not yet."
"Not yet?"
Efnir glanced at the electronic bracelet on her wrist.
Even before Efnir and Kusei Maki were in the underground control room, Anilas had sent people to the research institute to scout out the situation.
It's been so long; since it wasn't a combat mission, the message should have been sent back by now.
Puzzled.
And a bad feeling.
A sense of unease told Efnir that something was wrong. She stared at the electronic display on her bracelet and frowned slightly.
She raised her gaze and looked at Yuan and her adjutant.
"You all stay here and get ready, I'll go check on the situation."
35. Cutting
Several small greenhouses were built directly south of the ICS Research Institute's experimental base, and the entrance to the underground cable tunnel was nearby.
Having suffered damage from Erosion Entity and chaotic disasters, this greenhouse had long since collapsed, with lush green plants sprouting from between the burst plastic and the collapsed railings.
The desolation and lush greenery are intertwined, like a courtyard overrun by weeds.
The air was filled with the fresh, damp scent of earth, and raindrops fell, making a soft, pattering sound.
Efnir wore a snow-white hooded long coat, with an assault rifle hanging at her waist. The tight-fitting fiber clothing extended all the way into her boots, and leather straps were tightly bound to her thighs, creating shallow cleavage. A knife, a magazine, and a grenade were strapped to her sides and waist, respectively.
She slowly bent down, parting the waist-high green leaves and weeds, her raven-black hair flowing out from under her hood, cascading down one shoulder and tied to a light blue ribbon.
Efnir looked around, her brows furrowing slightly.
"... Strange... didn't the investigation team come here?"
The marker stopped there, and no sign of the dispatched soldiers was seen.
She noticed that many of the plants here had been cut down with some sharp instrument, leaving only half of them.
Efnir plucked a blade of grass and examined it closely.
Did the soldiers in the squad use their knives to cut down the grass that was obstructing their view?
However... most of the grass blades were cut unusually neatly. Or rather—it looked more like they had been cut by a harvester than "sliced with a dagger or knife".
Moreover, the cut was very rough, not like it had been cut by a sharp weapon, but more like a tree branch that had been broken by a great force.
Efnir suspiciously held the half-eaten blade of grass, slowly stood up, took a few more steps forward, and squatted down.
When she last came to the Maesakagawa Garrison District, Fengling Shiyin accidentally discovered an underground tunnel next to the ICS Research Institute while searching for survivors, and went down to conduct a brief search.
Due to the urgency of the situation, after failing to find any survivors, Fengling Shiyin returned to Efnir's side. After returning to Xijing City, she searched again for the tunnel that was not on the map and learned that it was an abandoned passage left by the Old Era. She then briefly explained the existence of the tunnel in the form of a report.
Fengling Shiyin told Efnir everything about the tunnel, which is why Efnir remembered it.
However, the investigation of the tunnel was solely the responsibility of Fengling Shiyin, Efnir only knew the approximate location of the tunnel. That's why Anilas took the lead in sending people to search and conduct preliminary investigations.
This is also to save time and ensure mission safety.
The survey team consisted of only a few people, and they left "marking lines" while searching for the tunnel entrance— Efnir followed these markings all the way here.
But the marker abruptly stops here.
The soldiers had vanished without a trace.
Faint gunshots echoed from the distant sky. Efnir crouched down, parted the "weeds" in front of her, and searched carefully.
Those "weeds" were all research projects and achievements of the ICS Research Institute. Now, the hard work of these researchers has been wasted due to the disaster. The Subtropical Plant and Ecological Science Comprehensive Research Institute in Maesakagawa Garrison District, or ICS Research Institute for Maesakagawa Garrison District. As one of the branches of several major research institutions of the Human Federation in Maesakagawa Garrison District, the ICS Research Institute is responsible for a large number of research projects related to livestock and poultry farming.
Maesakagawa provides nearly 25% of the grain production for Xijing City, making it one of the Xijing City's most important grain supply bases. The ICS Research Institute, located in Maesakagawa Garrison District, is responsible for various tasks related to the development and improvement of existing crops and livestock farming.
In this era where human living space is constantly being compressed, population, land, and resources are the decisive factors for a city's survival. Based on this, the final output per unit of cultivated area or breeding time is a very important indicator.
To support ICS's research projects, the Xijing City allocates a large amount of funds to it every year.
And ICS and the organization behind it have indeed delivered satisfactory returns to Xijing City.
Incidentally, the research institute where the Yanase couple works is the upstream agency of ICS, which is much higher in status and level than ICS. Although it is not at the level of the Central Province ministry, it is still an administrative branch with a high level.
As a child, Efnir always had a strange fondness for people wearing white coats.
However, Yukina always disliked that kind of attire, so much so that the Yanase couple never wore their business suits at home.
"Sir!"
At that moment, a loud male voice came from behind Efnir. It was a fully armed soldier, and Efnir recognized him.
"Lieutenant Colonel Anelace asked me to convey to you that our soldiers are almost fully prepared, regarding..."
"Let them gather here first... and tell Iris and Fifina to be careful, something's not right here..."
Halfway through her sentence, Efnir suddenly paused.
Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Efnir keenly sensed something "foreign"—she parted the grass, and behind the hidden blades of grass lay a bronze-colored bullet casing.
And, half a footprint, and the blood red that had been almost Trace washed away by the rain.
Efnir held the spent cartridge between her fingers and examined it closely.
Just then, a sudden change occurred—alien "dust" suddenly appeared and drifted in the field of vision, a piercing explosion suddenly rang out in the air, followed by several dark green whips that lashed straight down from behind the grass towards Efnir and the soldiers behind her.
Efnir's eyes narrowed slightly.
--Something was definitely wrong!