Chapter 157: | 157 | Getting out of the Chaos
*BBRrrrrrtttt!!!*
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
"These bastards are crazy!" A Minokin expressed while holding onto his trigger, firing at the direction where the rebels were charging at. Their opponents were mad as they appeared to not care about their own lives at all.
The only thing that seemed to matter was these bastards killing them.
"Just keep firing! The communication operator is contacting the Guardian for Exfil." The squad leader Minokin declared while firing at the crazy rebels. Hearing him, the surrounding Minokins continued shooting at their enemies.
'How did this even start?' The squad leader thought to himself, wondering how their precarious circumstance began. It was supposed to be a fight for liberation, but out of nowhere, the ones they liberated turned against them. 'They ambushed us out of nowhere!'
He was annoyed since he had unexpectedly lowered his guard around them. The result of this foolish act was simple. One of his men was stabbed in the chest by the rebels. Luckily, with the tough body of a Minokin, his subordinate survived.
At the moment, he was being treated in the back by their medic. It was for this reason why he had ordered the communication operator to call for Exfil. It was time for them to get out as they couldn't handle an entire city around.
'I hope that reinforcements would immediately come. Otherwise, the southern colony would become a lawless island in this state.' The squad leader understood that the rebels must be taken care of. After all, with the rebels around, the situation might worsen for the southern colony.
"Sir, I have made contact with the Guardian. An Osprey is heading towards our location. We will be sent to a Forward Operating Base in the north of the island." The communication operator of their squad saluted and reported to the squad leader.
"Has the situation worsen?" The squad leader questioned, wanting to know the situation outside of the city. The communication operator looked at him for a moment before replying. "It has unfortunately worsen, Sir. The Special Response Unit is barely handling the south."
"I have heard from the Guardian that reinforcements from Crescere will arrive into the southern colony. It shouldn't take long before our counter-offensive." The communication operator further explained and continued reporting the order of the Guardian.
"At any rate, the plaza in the center of the city has been marked as the landing zone of the Osprey. We must reach it quick since we only have an estimated time of 30 minutes." Hearing the words of the communication operator, the squad leader understood that they must be fast.
The Osprey wouldn't take its time waiting for them. Especially when the plaza was in the middle of a hostile-infested city. Its landing needed to be quick.
"Understood, we will be heading towards the plaza." The squad leader nodded in confirmation and looked at his men. He squinted his eyes and yelled out. "An Osprey will be picking us up for Exfil in the Plaza, let's get there fast!"
The Minokins turned their heads toward the squad leader and soon nodded their heads. They turned their eyes towards the direction of the plaza. It would be quite a journey until they reached their required destination.
"Alright, maintain formation. Be cautious and be swift!" The squad leader signaled his men to follow him as they sprinted through the empty and dusty streets of the city. Cries and screams echoed throughout the city as the rebels were getting crazier.
The civilians met the brunt of the rebels, bringing about a hellish sight. On the other hand, the remains of the colonial military were totally avoided, signifying the deep-rooted fear of the rebels towards the local garrison.
As the SRU squad passed through the streets, a group of rebel fighters emerged, roaring at them while crying out maddened words. A Minokin with a heavy machine gun pointed it towards the rebel fighters and immediately pulled the trigger.
*BBRRrrrrrttttt!*
The rebel fighters were met with a torrent of metallic lead, swiftly bringing them down to the ground, writhing in pain. Blood dripped out from their bodies as they cried in despair. Though, the SRU squad didn't care and continued moving.
Any tinge of mercy and care towards the rebels had long been gone. The battle they had gone through made them cold towards these crazy bastards.
"Continue moving! We only have less than 30 minutes until Exfil!" The squad leader reminded, prompting the squad to move faster. They passed through several alleyways, meeting stray rebels, and subsequently dealing them without any mercy.
"Sir, the rebels are gathering in the square near the plaza. What should we do?" A Minokin reported while observing the gathered rebels in the distance. It appears that they were arming themselves for battle. It shouldn't take long before these rebels became organized.
At that moment, these crazy bastards would become an actual military threat.
"Stay in the building nearest to the plaza. We will be holding it until the arrival of our transport." The squad leader ordered, causing the Minokins to nod in agreement. They turned attention to the nearest building of the plaza and started moving.
The squad then noticed a group of rebels guarding the streets, creating blockades of their own. Luckily, the rebels hadn't noticed them yet. They slithered through several alleyways, making sure their movements were stealthy.
The squad leader observed the rebels and noticed that a chain of command might have been created in this city. This was a piece of bad news. It must be destroyed before it solidifies its foundation. But the priority at the moment was getting his men out of his hellscape.
So, he faced a difficult a choice. Should he try taking down the leadership of the rebels in this city, risking the lives of his men? Or will they continue to hide until the arrival of their transport, which was risk free when compared to the first option.
'I'll make that decision once we arrive in the chosen building.' The squad leader thought and continued moving through the alleyway. It didn't take long before they arrived into their destination. They immediately arrived near the doorway and were about to open the door.
The Minokin near the door noticed that it was locked. He frowned and knew that he had to bust the door open. He glanced at his squad leader, asking for permission. On the other hand, the squad leader saw the gaze of his subordinate and understood that it was lock.
The squad leader nodded his head, giving the Minokin his needed permission. After being given permission, without any hesitation, the Minokin punched the door open. A loud noise resounded as the squad swiftly entered through the building.
Cries sounded out, prompting all of them to frown. Inside the building were slaves, beastfolks that hadn't join the rebellion yet. The only problem was that it was hard for them to let their guard down around slaves. Not after what had happened.
All of them maintained their seriousness along with their cautiousness, not wanting to be stabbed at the back. Nonetheless, the squad leader stepped forward, gazing at the fearful slaves before him.
'Things are becoming complicated with them around.' The squad leader thought as he wondered what to do with them. They could simply ignore them and continue on. Or they could save them from the chaotic city. But a single question consumed his mind.
Could they trust them?
"P-Please save us! We want to return home!" A female beastfolk cried out to the Minokins, who merely kept a cautious distance away from the slaves. One never knows the weapon they might be hiding in their ragged clothing.
"Get down on the floor and don't resist our search. We'll check your body for weapons." The squad leader ordered the slaves, who unsurely followed his command. They laid down on the floor with their body spread out while the Minokin carefully searched them for any weapons.
"They are clear, Sir. They don't have any weapons in them." A Minokin reported, which made the squad leader furrow his eyebrows even further. He turned his gaze towards the communication operator and gave another order.
"Contact the transport, and tell them about the extra-heads. Also, report this to the Guardian." The communication operator nodded in understanding and responded. "Understood, Sir." Without delay, he began relaying information about the slaves to their transport and the Guardian.
*Has their bodies been checked for weapons?* A voice from his radio communicator sounded out.
"Their bodies have been thoroughly inspected. They are clear of weapons." The communication operator answered to the radio. *Good, escort them to the Guardian. Regardless of the situation in the south, we must not forget our initial goals.*
*I have already relayed your reports to the commanding officer. He has accepted them to his vessel. Send them to the Forward Operating Base for further inquisition.* Afterward, the connection was cut off.
The squad leader heard the radio and understood the current directive. He looked at the tensed slaves and questioned. "How many of you are there?" The female beastfolk, although shaken, still replied. "There's about a dozen of us, Sir. Please help us return home."
"We will help you return home. Don't worry about that. As long as you follow our orders, you'll be coming with us and return to where you actually belong." The squad leader calmly stated and turned his attention to his men.
"Our transport should be here in any minute now. Prepare for the Exfil." He ordered his men and then pointed at the slaves. "They will be coming with us. The Guardian has given us the directive to do so. Complete it no matter what."
The Minokin straightened their backs and saluted to their squad leader.
""AFFIRMATIVE!!!""