episode_0024

“Understood, Commander-nim. I will participate in the mission.”

I didn’t forget to add a condition.

“If the mission is completed, I understand that the issue of compensation for the damaged unit will be resolved.”

At my reply, a satisfied smile appeared on Commander Gideon’s lips. He nodded as if he had expected my reaction.

“A wise decision.”

He said, operating the control panel on the dais.

“Good. Then prepare immediately.”

He gave instructions to Yuna.

“Yuna, your team will coordinate the details. Departure is in four hours.”

“Understood, Commander-nim.”

Yuna replied respectfully.

Commander Gideon no longer showed interest in us and turned his gaze to the massive hologram screen in front of him.

We saluted silently and exited the command and control room.

A heavy silence hung between the four of us as we rode the elevator back down to the general area.

As the elevator doors opened, Yuna spoke to me.

“Before departure, you’ll need to retrieve the necessary equipment and supplies, and familiarize yourself with the assigned unit. Time is short, so it’s best to hurry.”

“Assigned unit?”

Yuna replied as she walked down the corridor.

“You’ll be using Icarus’s standard issue unit. Follow me.”

She led me to a hangar that was much larger and more imposing than the Hangar Area 7 where we had disembarked earlier.

There, dozens of mechanical units, appearing to be the same model, stood in rows, either undergoing maintenance or in standby.

“IKM-4 Harrier.”

Yuna said, pointing to one of the units.

“It’s the current main mass-produced model of the Icarus military. It’s much higher performance than the Bugbear or Sparrow trainer units. The basic control system is similar, but the weapon systems and sensors will be completely different, so it would be best to familiarize yourself with it as quickly as possible.”

I examined the unit named Harrier.

Overall, its design gave an impression of both sleekness and solidity.

A medium beam rifle and missile pod were mounted on its shoulders.

At its waist, there was also a close-combat weapon that appeared to be an energy sword.

It certainly looked incomparably more powerful than the Bugbear.

“Board the cockpit and check the systems. The technical team will prepare the necessary supplies and equipment for you.”

Yuna said.

She looked at me for a moment, then added.

“And… don’t worry too much. I’m going with you on this mission.”

I couldn’t tell if I should feel comforted by her words or think I was being monitored.

I silently climbed into the Harrier’s cockpit.

The interior was incomparably more complex and sophisticated than the Bugbear or Sparrow.

Numerous hologram displays and touch panels, along with ergonomically designed joysticks and pedals. Everything was state-of-the-art, yet simultaneously unfamiliar.

I turned on the system and began checking the unit’s status.

*****

After boarding our respective units and performing final system checks, we moved one by one into the transport ship’s cargo bay.

As the four heavy units were firmly secured to the restraints, the transport ship took off and began flying towards its destination, Sector Echo-14.

A flight that would last several hours.

The cargo bay, where only the faint vibrations of the transport ship could be felt, was relatively quiet.

Yuna briefly called over the cockpit communication.

[All personnel, disembark from your units for a moment and gather in the center of the cargo bay. We will have a final briefing and equipment check.]

Following her instructions, we opened our respective cockpit hatches and stepped down onto the transport ship’s floor.

Four pilots—Yuna, Titan, Doctor, and myself—stood facing each other.

Yuna displayed a holographic map of the operational area and spoke.

“After dropping at the target point, maintain standard infiltration formation ‘Delta-4’ and quickly move to Research Building 3.”

Her gaze swept over us one by one.

“Titan, you will take the lead in obstacle clearing and breaking through defense lines. Doctor will provide electronic warfare support and enemy situation analysis from the rear. And… Jinwoo.”

Her gaze turned to me.

“You will be responsible for left flank security and cover. I will command the overall situation from the high ground in the rear and provide sniper support. Has everyone understood their roles?”

Delta-4 formation. Left flank cover. It was a position I was familiar with from games. I nodded silently.

Just then, Titan folded his arms and looked at me.

There was a slightly testing tone in his voice.

“Wait, are you properly familiar with the Delta-4 formation? If not, I can explain it now. If the formation breaks in actual combat, we’ll all be in trouble.”

I replied calmly.

“I know. In the Delta-4 formation, Titan, as the main attacker, is responsible for obstacle clearing and breaking through defense lines at the front. I’m on the left flank. Doctor provides electronic warfare support and enemy situation analysis from the rear, while also defending the rear of the formation. Yuna controls the overall situation from high ground or a vantage point, providing sniper support as needed. Correct?”

At my explanation, Titan looked at me as if momentarily speechless.

“Ho, you’re even proficient in theory…”

Shortly after the brief final briefing, the transport ship began to lower its altitude.

Outside the window, the desolate, abandoned industrial complex was visible below.

[Arriving above target point. Descent sequence initiated.]

The massive ramp door at the rear of the transport ship opened, and a strong wind rushed into the cargo bay.

The first to move was Yuna’s Silvera.

Her unit leaped out of the ramp without a moment’s hesitation, free-falling for a brief instant before igniting powerful boosters and soaring towards the ground like a bullet.

Next was Titan’s unit.

A heavy upper body sat atop a lower body with four massive tank treads, and large-caliber Gatling guns and missile launchers were mounted on its shoulders.

It looked like a moving fortress.

His unit, the Atlas, briefly ignited its boosters and descended skillfully, and upon reaching the appropriate altitude, deployed a massive parachute-like deceleration device from its back.

The heavy unit began to descend gracefully, like a cruise ship, relying on the deceleration device.

The third was Doctor.

His unit, the Pathfinder, looked sleek and light.

Various types of sensors and antennas were attached to its shoulders and back, and its arms appeared to be equipped with specialized devices for launching auxiliary drones or operating electronic warfare equipment, rather than direct weaponry.

The Pathfinder lightly leaped out, then sprayed its boosters in a stable posture as it descended.

Finally, it was my turn.

I leaped from the ramp, free-fell to a certain altitude, then ignited my boosters to decelerate and head towards the landing zone.

[All units, arrived at landing zone. Re-form formation and move to target point.]

Following Yuna’s instructions, we quickly formed a line at the landing zone and cautiously advanced towards the abandoned research facility.

As expected, the facility was old and dilapidated from long-term neglect, but a strangely eerie atmosphere hung about it.

It was just as we almost reached the entrance of the target building.

[Front! Multiple high-speed approaching units detected! It’s an ambush!]

Almost simultaneously with Doctor’s urgent shout, several mechanical units appeared rapidly from within the broken building debris of the research facility and beyond the surrounding hills, launching an attack on us.

Boom! Whizz!

Beams, projectiles, and missiles exploded around us.

“Let’s do this!”

Titan shouted, spraying his Atlas’s Gatling guns.

“Enemy units identified.”

Doctor shouted.

“They are units belonging to the Chronos Mercenary Group. Multiple mass-produced Bugbears, and… at least two custom units are included!”

The Chronos Mercenary Group? Did that Bulldog guy finally send a pursuit team all the way here?

Or were they hired by another faction related to this facility?

Either way, it wasn’t a welcome situation.

“All units to combat readiness! Hold your positions and respond!”

Yuna’s calm command came down.

A blue flash erupted from her Silvera, positioned on the high ground in the rear, piercing straight through the cockpit of one Bugbear.

“Khahaha! Try and stop me!”

Titan’s Atlas, at the forefront, blocked incoming attacks with its heavy frame while unleashing Gatling guns and missiles from both hands like mad.

Before that overwhelming firepower, several Bugbears instantly turned into scrap metal.

Doctor’s Pathfinder quickly flew into the sky, broadcasting ECM waves to disrupt enemy sensors.

It launched small reconnaissance drones to ascertain the enemy’s position and scale, transmitting the information to our forces.

Thanks to his support, we could more clearly understand the enemy’s movements.

In the battle that erupted in an instant, I had to find my role among them, piloting the Harrier.

I took out my beam rifle and aimed at the Bugbears trying to flank around Titan’s barrage.

For a moment, the faces of Sparky, Jinx, and Cog4, who had participated with me in the last mission for the Chronos Mercenary Group, flashed before my eyes.

“Kill or be killed.”

I muttered to myself to clear my head.

It’s a common saying in the mercenary world.

Yesterday’s enemy sometimes becomes a comrade, and a comrade an enemy.

If I hesitate, I die.