None of the armed infantry were spared... but there were a few lucky ones, like the commanding officer who had abandoned his weapons.
He was unarmed, running down the pothole-ridden road, desperately searching for safety. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and the buzzing of the blade drone swarm filled the air. The dark swarm flew through buildings, crashing through windows as they zeroed in on the soldiers running below, out on the street.
"Arrrrhhh! Here they come!" "Run! Save yourselves!" The cries of the soldiers echoed throughout the block as they tried to escape—fighting, running, or hiding. But none were spared from the fate of being turned into minced meat.
As the swarm swept through the street, slaughtering every infantryman in its path, the commanding officer was moments away from meeting the same end. But then...
The swarm split into two, like the branches of a river diverging, then converging again after safely passing the unarmed infantry commander. He remained completely unharmed.
Realizing this, the commander waited until the last of the blade drones had passed, then quickly returned to his old station where he'd left his communication device.
It took about five minutes to reach his destination. The commander hastily picked up his communication device and broadcasted a message.
"To all soldiers, This is Colonel Thomas Ruthger, if you want to live, abandon your weapons. The swarm will avoid you if you're completely unarmed. I repeat, abandon all your weapons—the swarm will avoid unarmed soldiers..." He repeated the message several times before setting it to broadcast on repeat.
"I guess this is all I can do. Don't know how many will hear it," he muttered to himself before heading back down to street level to find a place to sit.
Ruthger had a theory about why the drones spared unarmed soldiers: it was likely a PR move by Astral Corp to avoid international condemnation and maintain the facade of a moral high ground. It was nothing more than a political maneuver.
As one of the higher-ranking officers in the Seraphine Isles, a supporter of the Junta that ruled with an iron fist, Ruthger had always resented the international community for imposing their moral standards and dictating what they should or shouldn't do.
But this time, he felt grateful to that same international community. Because of them, he had a chance to survive. Otherwise, he might have ended up as minced meat like the others.
Ruthger sighed, pulling out a cigarette with trembling hands. He lit it and took a deep drag, trying to calm his nerves.
"Haaaahhh... I hope as many of them survive as possible," he murmured as he exhaling the smoke, expressing a heartfelt wish for his comrades who were still fighting in this hellish battlefield.
— Artillery Camp —
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At the artillery camp where the self-propelled artillery vehicles were stationed, the commander stood pale, horror and denial mixed on his face as he listened to the radio signals from the infantry at the front line.
Nicholas Sullivan, the war veteran, felt irritated by the slow pace of his soldiers in neutralizing the hostiles at the end of the hallway. He wanted to end this battle quickly, and at the end of this hallway was the key to ending the conflict.
In the room at the end of the hallway was Diego Carlos De Almeida. The moment that pig was apprehended, the battle would immediately end.
After waiting a few more minutes without any solid results, Nicholas rushed to the end of the hallway.
At that moment, an anti-tank rocket was fired at Nicholas. Given the hulking proportions of his power armor, it was impossible for him to dodge the attack.
Boom!
The anti-tank rocket hit Nicholas squarely, exploding as cheers erupted from the Seraphine Isles soldiers at the end of the hallway. Boosted by morale, they aimed to repeat the attack and kill at least two or three more Astral Corp soldiers.
But... what appeared before their eyes was the hulking black power armor of Nicholas. His suit didn't even have a mark after taking the anti-tank rocket directly to the chest. His armor was mixed with adamantium, making it nearly indestructible, and the horsepower within this hulking suit was powerful enough to win a tug-of-war with a heavy-duty truck.
"Kill him! Fire the next one!" The commanding officer panicked along with his soldiers, but it was too late. Nicholas Sullivan had reached them. He flanked their cover.
Boom!
With a shot from his super shotgun, all the Seraphine Isles soldiers behind the cover were turned into minced meat.
Nicholas signaled his soldiers to follow and clear the area. He then entered the command room where Diego was hiding.
Behind the door, Diego was cowering under a table, trying to make his large, obese body as small as possible. The women in the room were also terrified, huddled together in another corner.
Nicholas unhurriedly walked toward the table where Diego was hiding. No one in the room tried to stop him, knowing it would be useless.
Nicholas pointed the muzzle of his super shotgun at Diego's head, causing the latter to shudder as his pants became wet, the stench quickly filling the air.
"Diego Carlos de Almeida, do you want to live?" the war veteran asked.
Diego didn't answer with words; he only nodded repeatedly in desperate agreement.
"Then, tell all your forces to surrender," Nicholas demanded.