Chapter 15: Dragoon

Now, here’s the question.

Could I, alone, take on all the Insectum at the mining site?

Well, no. Obviously not.

That’s why I redefined victory as rescuing Shinzo and the others who’d been left behind.

In that case, it’d have to be a lightning operation—a blitz. To pull that off, I needed Shinzo’s group to have mobility, and I needed a way to contact them.

“Well then.”

I pulled out my binoculars and focused on the storage vault where Shinzo and his team were holed up.

Typical Shinzo. He’d set up barricades, but also deliberately left openings to lure enemy fire, drawing their lines of attack into predictable paths. It wouldn’t be easy for them to break through.

At least, not until their ammo ran out.

A race against time. That’s what this was.

I gripped my bone necklace, flicked on my timer. Three minutes.

Think.

“…”

I thought. The answer came.

“All right. I’m S1 with Horse Unit. Snake and Rabbit Units will form S2. Dog Unit will be A1, Rooster Unit A2. Rat, Ox, and Monkey Units are C1. The final objective is B1. Team leaders are me, Rabbit, Dog, Rooster, and Rat. First priority is to thin out the enemies around B1. Team S will snipe targets near B1 to scatter them. S2 will focus on stealth sniping from B1’s front. Hind Sniping only.”

“Beep!”

“C1, until you get the signal, focus on guarding S2 and drawing attention. Keep them from spotting S2’s position.”

“Beep beep!”

“A1, A2. Sorry, but you’ve got the hardest job. Recon. Sweep the mining site, locate enemy positions. Avoid combat as much as possible. Report to C1 leader, Rat Unit. Rat, compile their intel into a map. Send it to me.”

“Beep!”

All units confirmed. I took a deep breath.

With a single command, I’d sent my team into battle. I made sure to feel the weight of that.

Closed my eyes. Opened them.

“Anyway, win. Order to win. That’s all.”

“Beep!”

For morale, we all fired a few rounds skyward.

All right then, Insectum.

Time to dance.

***

I left the front to S2.

Which meant the other three directions were mine.

The mining site was a maze of blind spots. That meant I’d need to move and shoot. In other words, this called for…

“Mobile sniping. Dragoon Sniping. Let’s go, Horse Unit.”

“Beep!”

A map popped up from C1 leader Rat Unit, showing fresh enemy data gathered by the recon teams.

I picked a sniping point from the mental map in my head. Leaning forward, dropping my center of gravity, I gunned Horse Unit’s throttle. Activated semi-autopilot. Half-letting the machine handle itself, I rode the Monok around the perimeter.

“Stop in fifty meters.”

Horse Unit obeyed, screeching to a halt.

I raised my rifle. Through the scope, I counted three targets.

Inhale. Hold.

Pulled the trigger.

Three shots. Three kills. Still good.

“Next. Three hundred meters straight, then turn back.”

Two more. Took them both in two shots.

“Next point’s far. Let’s loop around.”

Four of them. My breath was ragged. The barrel shook. There were too many. Couldn’t use the Centipede’s lock-on at this range.

Deep breath. Missed the third. Took five shots.

I glanced at the mini-map overlay in my goggles—it looked like a game HUD.

The next spot was close, but it was a whole group. Too many for just me. But Dog Unit was nearby. I pulled up the map overlay on my terminal and flagged a new point—B2.

“S1 to A1. Need a pincer attack in fifteen seconds. Hold at B2. Think you can manage?”

Response: Piece of cake.

Good.

“Let’s go, Horse Unit. Dog Unit’s in trouble.”

Because of me.

That last thought came with a wry grin.

Horse Unit answered with a roar and a plume of dust. You really pulled through for me. I patted the frame and peered back through my scope.

I saw them. Eight in total.

I was breathing hard. No way I could kill them all.

Made the call.

Go rapid. Aim rough. Make noise. Be a distraction.

I reloaded fast and loud, firing to draw attention. Pathetic accuracy. Six shots, two hits. But that was fine. I wasn’t trying to kill them.

From behind them, Dog Unit burst through the gaps in the buildings—literally tore into their flanks.

Caught between me and Dog Unit, the ants faltered.

I watched it unfold through the scope as I calmly reloaded, exhaling.

Focus.

Somewhere in my mind, I heard a clock tick.

Tock. Tock. Tock.

Slowly, but quickly, I pulled the trigger.

Of the eight, five were shot down. Two were torn apart. The last was cut down.

With its excellent reconnaissance and high combat abilities, the Dog unit was incredibly reliable.

***

An hour passed.

Running, shooting, killing.

And finally, the moment came.

Report: B1 perimeter patrols dispersed.

That came from C1 leader Rat Unit.

I’d been waiting for that. I linked up with Snake and the others at their hideout, positioned where we could see B1’s front. I took off my cap. Strapped on my Arakane head armor. The mobile sniping phase—Dragoon Sniping—was over.

Time for the finish.

“S1 leader to all units. Showtime. Let’s earn our pay.”

“Beep!”

All units acknowledged.

I took a deep breath. Gripped my necklace. Gripped the Horse Unit’s handlebars.

“All units, charge. Go ahead. Follow me.”

Boys love that line. And I’m a boy. So—

“Charge.”

I spurred Horse Unit forward, taking point. From either side, ants rushed in to block my path. I didn’t stop. An outstretched claw raked the Horse Unit’s Centipede.

Didn’t stop.

An ant half-blocked my path, throwing its body into my lane.

“Horse Unit.”

“Beep?”

“Run it down.”

“Beep!”

It slammed through. Tore it apart.

Didn’t stop. Didn’t plan to.

Ahead was the barricade Shinzo had deliberately left open, funneling enemy fire to protect the vault.

I ran. Horse Unit ran. The other Monoz followed.

A lightning strike.

A blitz.

A spear of speed and mass tore through the Insectum’s thinning encirclement.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! Cavalry’s here!”

I grinned as I greeted Shinzo for the first time in two hours.

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