Chapter 9 - Task Force (2) (1/2)
Chapter 9 Task Force (2)
“Alright, let’s set out.”
The task force, which had been temporarily restructured, began to advance toward the pre-determined extraction point.
It had not left the biological company for long when the already dim skies suddenly turned dark, and rain began falling on the broken down city, accompanied by the sound of rolling thunder.
“Damn! It’s raining. Everyone find a spot to put on your raincoat.”
The team leader gave his orders, and the task force quickly entered an abandoned shop by the side of the street they were on. A portion of them remained on alert as the others drew out lightweight rain coats main from special materials and donned them.
The people of the wasteland called rain water as ‘rain of disaster’. Even though the mildly radioactive dosage in rain water was not lethal, it could still damage the human body if one was exposed to rain for a long time. As such, unless it was absolutely necessary, everyone stayed indoors. If one had to venture out, one would try all means to shield one’s body from the rain, to reduce the harmful effects of radiation.
“Boom~”
The sounds of thunder increased in frequency, and the rain grew bigger.
“Our damned luck!”
The team leader could not help but curse.
…
Raindrops splattered on the dim, long stretch of pavement as the task force continued its advance, the sounds of the soldier’s boots dwarfed by the thunder and rain.
Only three hours had passed, and there were less than two kilometers left to the extraction point. The team leader estimated that it would take at most half an hour’s time for his team to reach the rendezvous location at its slowest speed, and the mission seemed to be proceeding quite smoothly.
Fate, however, always went against one’s will, and today was going to be a bad day for the team leader.
“Splish splash–”
The dim skies were suddenly split apart by a huge, terrifying flash of lightning, and it struck a spot in the forest of mutated Chinese parasol trees beside the secondary school, the searing temperature instantly igniting the trees.
The task force was still advancing toward its extraction point along the long street.
“Team leader, something’s amiss!”
An experienced soldier said suddenly as he halted.
“What? Are there mutants?”
The team leader signaled for this team to stop as he questioned the old soldier. The old hand’s instinct had always been very accurate- it was a sense of danger he had acquired after going through many life and death situations, and it had helped the team escape from the jaws of death many times in the past.
“I’m not completely sure, but I seem to sense a presence near us.”
The old soldier said honestly.
“Everyone, be on alert and watch your surroundings carefully!”
The team leader slowed down on purpose and glanced around for any sign of danger.
“Team leader, is this too…”
A recruit said, as he could not spot anything after looking around. He felt that the team leader was being overly cautious.
“Shut up! Remain on alert!”
The team leader did not hesitate to cut him off.
The recruit acknowledged the order dejectedly before scanning the surrounding area again.
The team leader’s face was shielded by a mask, and no one could see his features clearly. From his stance, however, one could confirm that he could handle danger that came in any direction.
“All of you have heard it, right?”
The faces of a few experienced soldiers turned a little more serious as they heard their team leader’s words, but a few recruits were still clueless.
“Something is sprinting at the front the street ahead of us.”
A veteran shouted.
“Right, and there are… quite a number of them.”
The team leader had confirmed the veteran’s hunch.
As the task force neared the junction of the streets, the soldiers could finally see the huge column of flames shooting into the sky in the school’s direction, and they could fee the heat wave surging toward them even at such a great distance away. The team of soldiers were stunned- that was supposed to be their extraction point.