Chapter 56: Sacramento Defense Battle  (2)

The preparations were far more thorough than I’d expected.

United States Military helicopters were swarming so densely they blotted out the sky. At a glance, there were dozens.

However.

No matter how many helicopters, they alone couldn’t solve the fundamental problem.

What these people truly needed was a hero.

Dr. Yeon was standing right beside me, but because of the helicopter’s rotor noise, I could only hear his voice through the Radio.

“An unknown Monster is emitting electromagnetic interference in the area, so the helicopters can’t operate for long. We’ll spray insecticide and try to deal with as many Monsters out in the open as possible.”

I nodded, holding down my windswept hair with one hand.

“Most of the City Center is blocked off by Monsters stacking up barriers, so Tanks and cars can’t get in. Instead, you can use the Signal Device to request helicopter extraction.”

“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“There are Hunters and military forces on standby nearby. If you complete two out of the three objectives we discussed earlier, or if you become unable to continue, just press the Signal Device.”

It was all perfectly reasonable.

The only ones being sent into this operation were me and Pineapple Tool, and already, two Hunters with Rank S Awakenings had been deployed and killed.

I would have done the same, in their shoes.

“And… just now, another Rank S Awakener was killed in Sacramento. Tried to fight as a last stand before you arrived, Dr. Yeon.”

“I see.”

A short while later.

The helicopter landed on the roof of a building, and Pineapple and I disembarked.

A flicker of anxiety and hope crossed Dr. Yeon’s face.

But it was only for a moment; he quickly composed himself and gave me a salute.

“Good luck.”

***

I raised binoculars from the rooftop railing and surveyed the city.

Monsters were prowling everywhere.

Naturally, there wasn’t a single human in sight.

Wrecked Armored Cars lay scattered here and there, evidence of fierce battles.

“Collapsed buildings, overturned and burned-out cars… It’s brutal.”

Alien plants were growing here and there as well.

Blue and red plants.

Those colors, rare on Earth, now dominated the City Center.

To top it off, several birds with strangely vibrant, parrot-like plumage flew by. The Terraforming process had already begun.

“Pineapple. What do you think?”

“The situation doesn’t look good. And… there really aren’t any humans visible.”

An emoticon of furrowed eyebrows appeared on Pineapple’s face display.

There were plenty of dead humans.

Thanks to the attack helicopters sweeping through the city, a few Monster corpses were visible as well.

“Look over there. See how they stacked up cars into a wall?”

“Yes.”

“That seems to be the boundary of the Insect Swarm’s nest. The Insects piled up cars and junk, built a Barrier to keep out human vehicles. There are sentries posted too.”

I couldn’t see the entire city, but it looked like they’d built a wall in a giant circle around the City Center.

It was very similar to what we’d seen in Kaesong.

There must be an Insect Swarm with dozens of higher-tier Monsters.

Given the scale and how long the Gate has been open, there might even be more than a hundred. Who knows.

And weren’t there several Gates in this area that failed to be contained at the start?

“So, the Insect Monsters have occupied the City Center. Our goal is to lure the Slime horde right up to the entrance of the nest. The Slimes…”

Slimes didn’t have the kind of group intelligence the Insect Monsters did, but they did tend to cluster wherever they liked, like snails.

I traced a possible route along the road.

“That way.”

Just as I’d expected, dozens of Slimes were converging in a street piled with human and Monster corpses.

Just like snails after a rainstorm.

I met eyes with Pineapple’s camera.

[(9_9)]

“The way they’re all gathered is pretty disgusting.”

“There really are a lot.”

Now I just needed to lure the Slimes toward the entrance to the nest, as planned.

“But… how do you plan to lure them?”

“Slimes have poor eyesight.”

The plan was simple.

Slimes would chase anything that looked like food, and they liked bright light and mana as well. I’d just have to find as many as possible, grab the lure, and run toward the nest entrance.

We’d even prepared a special mana lamp just for this operation.

“I’m going to use this.”

“Oh, I see.”

Now that we knew their locations, it was time to put the plan into action.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Pineapple and I opened the rooftop door and walked down several flights of stairs.

“By the way, Doctor, do you think the Elevator is working?”

“No way.”

A worried look appeared on Pineapple’s display.

[?@_@?]

I pressed the Elevator button, half-doubting.

Surprisingly, the Elevator button lit up with no issue.

I soon heard the sound of the car moving behind the doors.

-Ding!

The building’s Elevator was still in operation.

Well, no one had destroyed it or cut the power.

Leaving a triumphant-looking Pineapple behind me, I got into the Elevator.

Then, down to the first floor.

I swept the area with my gun first. There were a lot of bloodstains and signs people had been dragged off.

Monsters must have raided this spot, slaughtered everyone, and taken the bodies.

“This way.”

Following Pineapple, we soon spotted the Slime horde ahead.

I hesitated, wondering what to call them.

“Pudding.”

A few Slimes turned to look at me.

Of course, it wasn’t like they were really looking.

The Slime Core could sense light, but since it was buried deep inside their translucent bodies, they probably couldn’t really see anything.

I held up the mana lamp for luring Slimes.

Immediately, the Slimes began to chase after me.

I hopped onto Pineapple’s back, holding the lamp high.

“Move, quick!”

Dozens of Slimes were in pursuit.

They weren’t especially threatening, but it’s not like Hunters never died to Slimes.

Some people got grabbed in dark caves or buildings, or got surrounded and killed.

“Pineapple. Try yelling something.”

At my words, Pineapple cranked up the volume.

“Everyone, this way!”

Pineapple’s shout rang loudly through the area.

I swept the lamp’s light around, and before long, a few more Slimes crawled out from inside buildings.

Probably ones that had just finished eating people inside.

“Creepy little bastards.”

More Slimes gathered than I’d expected, all chasing after me.

It felt like I’d become a shepherd boy.

“We’re almost there.”

Time for the final push.

I jumped off the Robot, took the lamp, and started running down the street on foot.

The horde of Slimes continued to chase me.

“So far, so good.”

The Insect Monsters had stacked up overturned cars between the buildings.

The wreckage of Tanks and other debris decorated the entrance to the nest.

I threw the Slime lure lamp into the heart of the Insect Monsters’ nest, then ducked into a nearby building to hide.

The Slimes splashed and squelched their way toward the Insect nest.

I held my breath and watched.

Soon, Pineapple crept up next to me.

The sentry Insects, massive in size, stopped and watched the Slime horde approach.

“It’s started.”

Crab-like Insects soon crawled out and began attacking the Slimes.

Of course, I’d expected the Slimes to win, but some Insects did manage to shatter a Slime Core with their pincers.

“Pineapple. You stay here.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want you getting damaged for no reason. As long as you don’t move, none of them should attack you.”

Pineapple nodded in agreement.

A few sentries couldn’t hold back a horde of hundreds of Slimes.

Tick—

I popped a Smoke Grenade and, using the confusion, snatched the lamp back.

Then, sprinted again, leading the Slimes deep into the nest.

Hundreds of Slimes followed me deeper and deeper inside.

At the nest entrance, the Slimes won the battle.

But the Insects adapted quickly.

The swarm soon reformed their lines and blocked the Slimes’ advance.

“Whew…”

As I took cover and caught my breath in a safe spot, the fight resumed.

This time, the Insects fought smarter.

The Insect Monsters worked together to avoid getting buried by the Slime tide, pulling each other out. The larger ones took the front line, using their long arms or pincers to target Slime Cores.

“Amazing tactics. No wonder humans lost to them.”

When the Slimes began to swallow the Insect front-liners, the Insects shoved their comrades’ corpses into the Slime horde, pushing it back.

For a moment, I considered attacking the Ants, but if I rushed out now, both sides might turn on me together.

“Guess I’ll throw another Smoke Grenade.”

The fight raged on, blood and ichor flying, until most of the Insect Monsters deployed to the field were dead or had retreated.

The Slimes paused, then began devouring their freshly killed foes.

That could take hours.

But just as I’d planned, the Slime wave now filled the streets.

The Insect Monsters clearly resented having this horde of Monsters inside their own nest.

Soon, the Slimes that hadn’t managed to grab food began to push forward again.

If things went well, maybe we could even take care of the Ant Queen’s Chamber or a higher-tier Monster…

Thud, thud, thud.

I instinctively shrank back at the heavy footsteps.

Peeking out, I saw it.

A Monster like the one I’d seen in Kaesong, a beast that could extract flammable toxins and cause explosions with them.

***

A massive explosion shook the air with a thunderous roar.

In one strike, the Monster wiped out several Slimes.

“Poor guys. Can’t help but feel sorry for them.”

The Slimes rushed the new foe, but were no match.

A few more blasts followed, and half the Slimes were dead or scattered.

Then, a giant Insect with forelimbs like sickles came out and started dealing with the survivors.

It was about time for me to join the fight directly.

Deep inside the Insect nest, traces of combat remained—missile and Grenade blast marks, an overturned Tank, blood sprayed across the floor…

Maybe they’d tried to clear the place with modern firepower. But the Monsters here, bigger than even the Tanks I’d seen, were truly top-tier.

“They wouldn’t go down to conventional weapons.”

I took out a fragment of a fake Gate.

In front of my hiding place, a living suit of armor appeared once more.

Fused with a Golem Core, this time it had taken the form of a full-fledged Golem in Armor.

Even at a glance, I could tell it was stronger and faster than before.

“All that’s left is to confirm this…”

I took out the item I’d packed in advance.

The Compass in my hand spun and spun.

If this thing’s supposed to find Monsters, it means I’m surrounded.

The Golem in Armor strode toward the heart of the nest, and I followed.

Just then, massive Insects emerged from between the buildings, as if to check out this new intruder.

I raised my newly upgraded Magic Engineering Railgun and aimed at the enemy.

A mantis-shaped Monster, bigger than a Tank, charged at me.

“Now.”

Bang—!

Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

Mana flashed along the giant insect’s armor, but the shot definitely hit home.

The Monster froze, staring at the fresh wound in its torso in disbelief.

Bang—!

Retreating, I fired again.

After a few more hits from the Magic Engineering Railgun, the Monster collapsed.

“Let’s move.”

I turned and gestured to the Golem in Armor.

It was once again surrounded and battling the Insect Monsters, but this was nothing we hadn’t done before.

I fired into the densest groups to provide cover for my vanguard.

The Insect Monsters, which had shrugged off Tank shells, took real damage from my Magic Engineering Railgun.

As things started going more smoothly, I felt a smile tug at my lips.

“This’ll be easier than I thought.”

Looks like I’ll be able to keep my promise to solve the problem within 48 hours.