Chapter 2: Full Firepower

Chapter Two: Full Throttle Fire

At 120 meters, the Type 201 machine gun unleashed a barrage.

7.62mm rounds poured forth, mercilessly striking the creature's hardened hide.

Each bullet drilled into its flesh, then punched cleanly out the back.

In the machine gun's roar, the rounds carried tremendous stopping power, nearly pinning the beast in place, affording He Shuo a chance to aim and fire.

“Bang!”

Without hesitation, his finger squeezed the trigger; a single 12.7mm round slipped from the barrel of the Type 10 sniper rifle, striking the monster's head dead on.

In an instant, a mist of blood exploded like fireworks.

The creature's massive body lurched forward and collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Target eliminated!”

He Shuo reported.

Close behind, Lei Jie, the support tasked with primary battlefield observation, spoke up:

“Not just one!”

“Six, four, and nine o’clock—aberrant heat signatures spotted, 200 to 300 meters out, more than five of them!”

“Captain! Your two o’clock!”

As Lei Jie’s words faded, Chen Jian instantly swung his muzzle.

Just as Lei Jie had said, another monster, identical to the one just felled, had silently crept within a hundred meters of him without anyone noticing.

Without hesitation, Chen Jian pulled the trigger.

The Type 191’s steady recoil sent the bullet with pinpoint accuracy into the creature’s lower half; after less than half a magazine, its mantis‑like thigh snapped, and it toppled to the ground.

Chen Jian steadied his aim, and a single round found the beast’s brain.

Though the 5.8mm round lacks the stopping power of a 12.7mm caliber, even so the monster thrashed a few times before collapsing for good.

Chen Jian let out a slight sigh of relief.

What he feared most was that this thing would be impervious to blades and bullets.

Yet it was obvious that, despite its thick cuticle, it was still a carbon‑based lifeform!

.

A .22 round can drop an elephant; my 5.8mm is like a grandfather swatting a grandchild!

He adjusted his aim once more, while at that moment Lei Jie’s side had already made contact.

The bad news: all he had was a 9mm QCQ171 pistol—hardly enough to dent the monster, and even hitting a person at 150 meters would be a stretch.

—

The good news: he was the squad’s demolition expert.

And slung across his back was a QLU-131 sniper grenade launcher!

While observing the battlefield, he had hastily set up his bipod; now the muzzle of his “individual heavy weapon” was trained on the direction from which the monster charged.

“Boom!”

A deafening blast rang out—nothing remained but ash.

Flesh and blood sprayed across the ruined street, then dripped down from the sky.

Having fired once, Lei Jie didn’t pause; he swung to another angle, laying down suppressing fire on the monster that had just peeked its head out.

At the same moment, Chen Jian issued a new order.

“More than five!”

“There are far too many; this open ground offers no defensible position!”

“Fall back to the building’s facade and use the structure as rear cover to set up a defense!”

“Copy that!”

Everyone sprang into action.

Lei Jie and Shen Yue laid down heavy fire while Chen Jian and He Shuo fell back swiftly.

Upon reaching the position, Chen Jian first swapped the magazine on his Type 191, then slung off his LG6 from his back and opened fire, taking over Lei Jie’s role.

Explosive flashes flickered incessantly down the street, and the monsters’ silhouettes darted through the flames.

Even amidst the fierce battle, Chen Jian felt a chill creep up his spine.

What in the world are these creatures?!!

They are huge, yet move with astonishing speed.

Their dark‑toned exteriors, plus the thick pads on their soles glimpsed in Chen Jian’s fleeting glance,

These monsters were born to hunt.

To be precise, they were made to ambush in the dark!

Just one is tough enough; worse still, they appear to hunt in packs.

Could it be that everyone in this city has already been slaughtered by these things?!!

No way!

Where’s the army? The tanks? My massive Land Shield 3000? No time to wonder—Chen Jian’s view already showed no fewer than ten anomalous heat signatures.

He didn’t even have time to prioritize; he simply trained his weapon on the nearest target and opened fire.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

Explosions erupted all around, and two monsters dropped instantly.

The situation seemed to be turning hopeful, yet Chen Jian keenly sensed something off.

“This won’t work!”

“They’re closing too fast; if even one gets through, we’re all dead!”

“Shen Yue, interdiction fire—slow their assault!”

“Lei Jie, take out the right‑hand scaffolding; let it collapse and block the main street!”

“He Shuo, forget the ten—use your twenty‑six!”

“I’ll keep them busy; go for the head!”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

The squad shifted tactics once more; Chen Jian grabbed the nearby Type 191 and fired rapid bursts at any creature within a hundred meters, slowing their advance, while at the very moment the aircraft appeared, the ever‑ready He Shuo snapped his CS/LR4 sniper rifle to a monster’s head and fired.

“Bang!”

A 7.62mm armor‑piercing round ripped through the monster’s skull; after it staggered a few steps, it finally collapsed to the ground.

On the other side, accompanied by two successive deafening blasts, the scaffolding on the right of the street began to topple toward the road.

The sharp, screeching scrape of metal rang across the battlefield, followed instantly by the thunderous crash of heavy objects hitting the ground.

Smoke and dust billowed up, shrouding the entire street as if a smoke grenade had blanketed it.

Yet through the lenses of the Type‑20 thermo‑fusion night vision goggles, every enemy lay exposed, nowhere to hide.

But what Chen Jian hadn’t anticipated was that the monsters’ movements had slowed.

Were they trying to flee?

The thought flashed through Chen Jian’s mind, and in the next instant he realized the truth.

They weren’t running; they were preparing to ambush!

Their sight could pierce the smoke as well!

Damn it!

Chen Jian cursed aloud, and a more terrifying notion rose in his chest.

These monsters possessed intelligence.

They could even adapt to the shifting battlefield, attempting to exploit their physical advantages.

We couldn’t afford to delay; we couldn’t let them discover that we could see them too.

Chen Jian no longer hoarded his scarce ammunition; switching his rifle to single‑shot mode, he flung caution to the wind and aimed for the monsters’ heads amid the haze.

"Bang bang bang bang—"

The gunfire instantly became a dense barrage; in a heartbeat, several monsters fell.

They too seemed to realize that the smoke offered no cover, and their pace quickened once more.

The distance between the two sides had narrowed to fifty meters.

For the monsters, even with the scaffolding obstructing them, crossing that gap would take only five seconds.

There was no time left.

Earlier we had been able to hold them off because their spacing was uneven, giving the squad a chance to pick them off one by one.

Now, however, four monsters advanced in perfect synchrony.

The moment to gamble our lives had arrived.

Chen Jian raised the Type 191, flicked the fire selector to full auto.

"All out, fire!"

(End of chapter)