The first thing that assaulted Leki's senses was the smell.
The sour stink of sweat, the body odor of people long unwashed, the sweet, bloody reek of festering wounds, the smell of rations and military stimulants, and the stench of excrement and vomit that had not been cleared away in time...
All these odors fermented and mingled in this almost sealed, poorly ventilated space, forming a thick, almost tangible "human stink," steeped in utter exhaustion, fear, and a numbness on the verge of collapse.
Then he saw the "13th Armoured Grenadier Regiment."
Around fifty people.
Perhaps fewer, since some were curled up in the shadows, almost indistinguishable from the ruins.
They sat or leaned against things, scattered through the corners of this vast Underground Chamber and between its load-bearing pillars.
No one lay down. For them, that was too dangerous; they would be too slow to react.
Their mouse-gray uniforms had long since lost any trace of their original color, caked with dried mud, suspicious dark stains, and blood that had already turned black.
Many had no Helmet, their hair greasy and matted, their faces covered in dust and sweat stains.
Their equipment was incomplete: some Gun barrels were bent, some weapons lacked bayonets, and some men did not even have decent boots, their feet wrapped in rags. Most Ammunition belts were empty, their canteens flattened.
When the Chimera's roar and the sound of its hatch opening reached them, a brief, reflexive stir ran through these few dozen men, like a herd of startled animals.
Almost all of them immediately snatched up the weapons beside them, though those weapons looked far from reliable.
Dozens of bloodshot eyes, wary and utterly exhausted, turned as one toward Leki as he climbed out of the armored vehicle.
For a moment, the air froze.