tls123

This chapter felt like a mess. It's also short. Thanks for reading?

Inside a certain forest, an APC drove through the night across the uneven terrain, mowing down the flora in its path. The Gunner who had appeared earlier was seen sitting in the commander's seat, and right in front of him was the Tactical Operations Centre.

A red dot lay motionless on one of the screens in the TOC which was the location of an M10 Helmet, the one belonging to the recently AWOL Recon.

"At exactly 6:47 pm, a member of the Scout Team's readings showed signs of combat before abruptly being cut off. Unfortunately, his M10 Helmet was not equipped, thus the encounter was not recorded. During this period, another member had discovered the whereabouts of the Xenomorph Hive. While retreating to basecamp, he was pursued by 3 Xenos, one of which was a Drone, and at exactly 7:28 said Drone overwhelmed the Marine before unarming and retreating with him back to their Hive. However, this is not the most important part. Seconds later, another Xeno appeared within the M10 Helmets camera, recording the following footage."

The 12 Marines who were fastened to their seats paid close attention to one of the screens the commander motioned towards. All of them wore grim expressions throughout the short 30-second video.

On the blurry, static screen was a vague figure within the bushes eating one of its own, something that is extremely uncommon.

"I suspect this alien to be the culprit behind Phalanx's death, as it is the same one who had escaped me and my teams attempt to capture it. Not only that but the unique situation reported to the Avant-Courier was likely caused by this alien as well."

Low whispers were shared between the Marines sitting at the back expressing their thoughts on this until eventually the APC slowed to a stop.

The commander left his seat accompanied by the 4 marines sitting to the sides of the main door.

Outside the doors were marks left behind bullets or acid, clear signs of a recent battle. Further along the destroyed path were shredded pieces of marine equipment, the most conspicuous being the wrist device used for mapping out terrains, and one belonging to the now missing Recon.

"Retrieve our comrades gear and return to the APC. Our mission is to explore the depths of the caves and destroy the Xenomorph Hive before a Queen is born. We have second priority to capture the unique alien so be sure to fire at non-lethal areas"

***

[New Mission Updated, Thrill of the Hunt!]

[The host must feel the thrill of hunting first hand. Hunt an opponent stronger than you!]

[Rewards will be given upon completion. The quality and quantity of your rewards will vary depending on your performance. Happy Hunting!]

Raya who was hiding outside the cave was alerted by the systems new Mission. The description of said mission was a little worrying to her though.

⌈ What is considered something stronger than me? ⌋

⌈ No answer huh. Can I at least choose not to take the mission? ⌋

[Failing to complete a mission will result in either of the following; Deduction of points, regression of skill levels, or divine punishment]

Raya immediately lost interest in dropping the mission. The higher the risk, the better the reward, right?

The sudden interruption of an engine roaring through the jungle brought her mind out of the clouds. 

Pushing her senses to the max, she came in contact with a large moving object, vaguely resembling a vehicle.

⌈ They've finally arrived... ⌋

Her carefree lazy attitude disappeared with the appearance of the tank and was replaced by a cold natural killer.

Saliva gushed out of her mouth down her lips and fell onto the leaves and dirt beneath her. 

It was a natural reaction to the enormous life energy emitting from the APC, even from the long distance between them, it was strong enough to urge her to rush right into their group.

A marine who stepped out of the APC stopped where he was and focused his eyes directly where Raya was hiding.

"Recon, what's wrong?"

"I felt a slight killing intent just now but it abruptly disappeared"

"I don't feel anything. Are you sure you aren't over sensitive right now?"

"I hope so"

The marine who was staring into the jungle averted his gaze and joined the others who were preparing for the show.

[Awakened Human. Marine Fireteam Elite Soldier. 5.1 Bio-energy points]

Raya raised an imaginary eyebrow to what she read. She didn't bother to ask the system as it won't respond unless absolutely necessary, so she had to rely on herself.

⌈ Does it have something to do with his sharp senses? ⌋

That was most likely it. 

Having pondered for a while about this and that, she calmed herself before following the 13 man squad in the dark.