Chapter 43: The Hellhound—Mingchuan's Support

“What is this? Why is this happening?”

“Why are there so many dogs! Help! We can’t hold on much longer!” Inside the fortress, all members were engaged in combat against a horde of hideous hellhounds, some with their bones exposed. Yet the sheer number of these beasts was overwhelming.

“HQ, HQ, requesting backup! There are simply too many enemies—we can’t break through!”

“HQ copies, HQ copies! A squad is already en route with ample ammunition. Hold your position!”

“Damn it!” Hearing that HQ still wanted them to hold the line, Andrew was already feeling battle fatigue. After all, these hellhounds seemed endless.

“Wolf Pack members! Are you still good on ammo?” Andrew asked the pilots of the Wolf Pack, who specialized in sustained attacks. Their answer was grim: none had more than 200 rounds left.

“This is bad! I don’t think we can hold out!” Andrew muttered to himself.

“Ellen! If possible, can you provide long-range support?”

“That’s impossible! I can’t even see what’s inside anymore! Winchester, can you do anything?” Ellen, at her wits’ end, turned to Winchester for help. But...

“Sorry, it’s beyond my targeting range. Even if I fired in, I’d risk hitting our own!”

“Do we need reinforcements?” Suddenly, Narukawa’s voice came through the comms. Hearing the whir of helicopter blades, Ellen and the others looked up to see Narukawa circling above in a chopper.

“Sorry, but if it’s long-range sniping you need, why not let me give it a try?” With that, Narukawa mounted the machine gun on the helicopter.

“Don’t act rashly! It’s too easy to hit our own people...” But Narukawa seemed not to hear, unleashing a series of precisely aimed single shots.

“Careful! At this distance, you could easily hit someone!” Winchester warned those inside the fortress. Yet, each rapid shot expertly burst open the head of an attacking hound.

“Everyone, don’t move around! Otherwise, you might not get shot in the head, but in the foot instead!” Narukawa’s warning was baffling; from such altitude, accounting for air resistance and bullet trajectory, how could he possibly hit their feet?

But when they heard the bullets ricocheting off the floor, they realized Narukawa was intentionally bouncing rounds off the ground to hit his targets.

“Don’t just stand there—find out what’s causing so many hellhounds! Let’s send them back to the underworld!” Narukawa shouted.

“Easier said than done! How are we supposed to get through your hail of bullets?”

“There’s an exit on your left. I’ll throw a smoke grenade in ten seconds—make a break for it!” They glanced over and, sure enough, there was a safe door.

“But how did you know?”

“Five, four, three...” Narukawa readied his ammo.

“Three, two, one, go!” Smoke billowed out, and seeing this, they dashed for the exit without hesitation.

“Switch to night vision, infrared, and thermal imaging. Once you’re out, the mission is more than half done!” After a reckless sprint, they made it through the door Narukawa had directed them to.

“Next, use the map I sent you. Head to the surveillance room—you’ll find the source of those ‘hellhounds’ there. Seal it off. I’ll rendezvous with you soon!” Suddenly, the comms cut out; Narukawa’s signal and even calls to HQ were lost.

“What now? Do we trust Narukawa’s map?”

“There’s no other way. Let’s move!” ...

——Author’s Note——

January 24th marks the first birthday of “Mech Warrior Dynasty” and also my first anniversary as a knight and an author. So, this time, Happy Birthday! (Of course, although the first chapter was on January 21, the official writer application and article approval were today! That’s why I set today as the birthday of “Mech Warrior Dynasty.”)