CHAPTER 14

DEATH METAL GRINDER

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People said that armored vehicles had become obsolete. Tanks, which once ruled the war, had degraded into the most protected asset. Portable manpads might easily pierce hundreds of millimeters of steel. MBTs had lost their fangs in modern combat. All countries chose infantry fighting vehicles, fire support vehicles, or less expensive medium tanks.

However, military doctrine had altered throughout the past 25 years. All countries were no longer concerned with territory in search of energy source. Oil was no longer sold. The war-making fuel had been replaced by cheaper and more environmentally friendly energy crystals. From then on, countries have been racing to revive obsolete military equipments.

Including tanks.

They had reclaimed their glory as the most feared machines.

Boommm!

“Target neutralized.”

“New crowd spotted, left, High Explosive.”

“On my way.”

“Up!”

Boooomm!

One 120x570mm NATO high-explosive round killed dozens of velos in the blink of an eye. An 16 kg (35 lbs) projectile traveled 600 meters (half a mile) in 0.6 seconds. The blast radius paralyzed tens more velos. The carcasses of the raptors had piled up. The Red Zone's firepowers overwhelmed the disaster.

Of course, the flow of the war had not changed just because of two MBTs.

Feewwwwwwww!

Booom!

Booom!

Booooom!

More velomodrakes were thrown away when they heard the death whistle. Several mortar teams slid 81mm rounds into the MO-3 firing pin, after dealing with the firing table and whiz wheel. The death toll was unimaginable. More and more soldiers were saved. Supply and transportation units were already on standby at the rear, just in case the tank and mortar team needed to be refilled.

“Back off!”

“Use the chance to retreat!”

The five-layer perimeter was no longer effective. All personnel were forced to retreat. The opponent's movements were faster than the soldiers changing magazines. The textbook defense procedure had to be thrown away. To make matters worse, the velos did something unbelievable.

“Mortar team, hold your fire.”

The strike zone for mortar salvos became thinner. The bullhead adjusted his resistance tactics when he saw the velos become smarter. The raptors grabbed some soldiers alive, as if they knew that there was no explosion around humans. They even spread out to avoid the crowd. Bullhead knew immediately that something was wrong.

“Cavalry Boy, stop wasting high explosive.”

“Roger.”

Watching the war in real time, the commander with a stupid bull mask stood proudly at the edge of the wall, not far from the tower. His manner remained calm. He knew exactly what to do. Especially when the opponent's movements suddenly changed. He knew there was something that made the stupid Velomodrakes become Einstein. The strage lieutenant colonel rubbed the radio when he saw some bigger velos acting like bosses.

”Crossbow team, do your homework.”

***

Krrrrkkkttttkk!

Hiissssshh!

Among the other velos, an unusual velomodrake was seen. Its size was bigger, and its length was roughly five meters, nearly twice as long as a common velos. Its appearance was also eye-catching with a camo-like skin pattern.

Bang!

Splasssshh!

The monster died instantly after being hit by a Winchester bullet.

“Crossbow One, alpha down.”

Click!

The sound of casings falling echoed in the silence. Dozens of soldiers were crouching atop the 20-meter-high wall, pointing the AX 308 bolt-action sniper rifle's muzzles at the battlefield below. The squad was designated marksmen for combat reconnaissance. They were shooting their weapons at the rare velomodrake they called the Alpha.

“Alpha spotted, Crossbow Two, zero-one forty-five, confirmed?”

“Roger that!”

Bang!

Another alpha fell again.

“Crossbow Two, alpha down.”

Their codename was Deinodrake, the extremely intelligent alpha of the Velomodrake family. They were able to lead other velos to surround the perimeter. Their body language was obvious. There was a long tassel on its head, bigger eyes, and a different hiss.

Deinodrake was so dangerous that it was the sniper's main objective.

***

2nd Perimeter, Sector 1

“Damnit! They are pain in the ass!”

The battle grew increasingly out of balance. The number of monsters overflowed the dome. More of Velos‘ variants had been spotted, and each of them had its own unique specialty. Some soldiers could not easy shot when they encountered velo's variants that could throw a sharp spike. 

“Damnit! They stung like bitches!”

“Pop their head!”

“Man down! Medic! There a spike on his ass!”

Their spikes were no match for modern balistic vests, which could absorb 9mm's kinetic energy. However, their appearance was an annoying distraction. The battleground became three-dimensional. Some of Velo's variants could even glide like dracos to attack from above. And another one could spit acidic liquid that burned soldiers‘ skin.

“Huwaaa! My rifle was spat on!”

Unfortunately, while the were busy in dealing with annoying velos, the battleground became hardcore.

“Big guys incoming!”

The dome's edges' color slowly darkened. It was a sign that the scale had risen. The radioactivity radar had significantly surpassed the Red Zone's threshold. The situation became even more dangerous when bigger monsters crawled out.

“Rifle bullets are useless! 

“Their skin is tough!”

The monster was nine meters long, almost as big as a 30-seat tour bus. Their code name was Ankylodrake, exactly the same version as their dinosaur counterpart. Their skin was extremely difficult for rifles to penetrate. Even with a 7.62x51mm machine gun, it needed so many hits to be killed.

“Even Ma Deuce is ineffective!”

“Pop their head! Don't hit their body!”

“Bofors! Bofors!”

Boom!

They died after being hit by 40mm anti-aircraft guns.

The battle was getting fiercer. All the perimeters had been deserted in two hours. The number of monsters was increasing. Not yet finished dealing with Ankylodrake, another monster as big as a house appeared.

“Tanker! Tanker!”

The first and second perimeters were getting pressured. The 40mm Bofors were getting busier, firing projectiles the size of soft drink bottles. The ankylodrake was easily defeated by their strikes. However, for the following monster, their attacks were almost useless. Magnaterra was the codename for the rock monster. It was the only foe that didn't belong to the dragon family. It had a stone-like exterior skin, moved slowly, and had six legs. Magnaterra might be described as a walking fortress.

“Don't shoot Magnaterra! Take out the Ankylodrake! Leave the rest to Cavalry!”

“Roger!”

Booom!

Blaaaasshh!

Still, the armor-piercing MBT sent killed them all like nothing. The body of a rock monster the size of a house was pierced by the 120mm cannon.

“Just shoot Magnaterra!”

“Copy that!”

The muzzle of the tank’s barrel was slowly moving. Each shot launched a kinetic bullet of arrow-shaped steel, the cheapest variant of the APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilizer Discarding Sabot). The bullet, while being cheap, easily penetrated 80 inches of rock armor. APFSDS destroyed Magnaterra's internal organs like a lump of sticky jelly.

“Target, Six-legs-rocky! Left!”

“Identified! On the way!”

“Up!”

Booom!

The ME-APFSDS’s power might not be comparable to tungsten or depleted uranium. The propellant was also lower because it costs one-fifth of the APFSDS on the market, roughly a thousand dollars. Still, the cheap bullet was designed to penetrate 500mm of modern steel. It could turn a walking fortress into a sitting duck. One by one, the Magnaterra stopped moving once it was hit by the 1500-meter-per-second steel arrow.

“Save your bullets, Cavalry Boy. We found their weakness. Back to depot. Get coaxial rounds and close combat. Leave the rest to Bofors and anti-material.” Bullhead gave the order.

The monster wave had not yet stopped. Nevertheless, the pace of the Leopards was unstoppable. They moved back to the rear and trampled on the small monsters. The cannon attacks had been replaced by 12.7mm coaxials, while two tank crews fired 7.62 x 51 mm from the muzzles of FN MAGs. They rained down on the monsters on either side that were trying to crawl.

“Ankylodrake, resistance.”

“Prepare for impact!”

Bam!

Thud!

An ankylodrake tried to ram the Leopard Tank. However, the MBT was superior in either size or weight. The shock was like a soft tap. The Ankylodrake's attack did not affect the tank's speed. Furthermore, the MBT was an Monster Eradication variant that had been modified in such a way as to fend off monster attacks. The reactive armor had been replaced with an anti-monster installment, a kind of large steel shield with spikes.

“Melee time, boy. Save your bullet!”

”Understood!”

Rrrrttttt!

The front of the tank had been modified mine plough equipped with a spikey steel bumper like a bulldozer. Leopard 2 RI-ME could advanced for melee battle. The bumper was also armed with a couple of large wood saw machines that killed everything in front of it. Ankylodrake was torn to shreds just because of a head fight. Velomodrakes were dismembered like cows in sausage factories.

“Slaugter One, Slaughter Two, I'll send an assistant. Get your ammos and go on rescue mission.”

“Roger!”

***

Between 2nd and 1st Perimeter

Some distance behind the Leopard, three soldiers had already left perimeter 2. They were Varg and his two men. All of them moved forward after receiving permits from the officer.

“You guys use SPAS. Focus on protecting yourselves and my back. Don't do any rambo-shits, got it?”

“Yes sir!”

First Sergeant Sukma Diki, the earth name of Jakel Varg del Valora, had mapped the battlefield with a drone. He knew the location of MIAs (Missing in Action). Carrying a large backpack, he grabbed all the ammunition on his way. He then threw them away to any soldiers, like a playgirl's chocolate on Valentine's Day.

“Bring in the wounded! Move! Move! Move!”

The prince cleared a path along the leopard's lane. Escorting the two MBTs, he made sure they did not step on soldiers on the battlefield. At the same time, he rescued the wounded in their lane. His adrenaline kicked in when he saw his comrades on the edge.

“You guys stand down! Protect the flanks! The rest on me!” He shouted as he threw the magazine clip.

For a moment, Varg was taken aback by his surroundings. The bullhead was not average commander. He mitigated the dangerous situation in no time, even contacting him, the only DOME soldiers available on the battlefield. Of course, a DOME soldier in disguise.

“Boy, advance to the tower. Clear the way for cavalry. Do your debut as a member of my elite detachment. And you are temporarily in charge of platoon commander. I repeat, you are platoon commander. Make me proud, boy!”

”Yes sir!”

After watching something at the gate, he understood his mentor's tactics. Vard ran as fast as he could because the latter would be a killing zone. The two leopards spread out after he gave a safety code.

“Buther One to Slaughter One and two, advance on position, I repeat, advance on your position.”

“Slaughter One, on the move.”

“Slaughter Two, rock ’n roll.”

The two MBTs moved away from each other to form a diagonal line on each side. Considering the fact that a leopard was only equipped with 42 cannon shells, shooting carelessly was not an option. Currently, the two leopards fire the modified 12.7mm coaxial, which was powerful enough to shred even the ankylodrake. Not to mention the two 7.62mm machine guns on top. Some soldiers also ride with battle rifles, herding the monsters to cluster in the center lane of Sector One.

That's when the real hell began.

Blaaaasshh!

Dozens of velomodrakes were swept away when Leopard 2 shot an hideous round. It was a close combat canister that sent hundreds of metal balls at four times the speed of sound. Even thick-skinned ankylodrakes died. Most of it victims were unrecognizable. Several velos flew hundreds of meter away and crashed to the sector's wall.

“Jesus Chris! They're sent back to isekai!”

“There was nothing left!”

120mm canister basically was a big version of a shotgun. To be precise, it was a damn gigantic shotgun from muzzle of the tank. If a standard 12-gauge combat shotgun could easily decimate Velomodrakes with its 11,000 joules of kinetic energy, a 120mm canister could generate 11,000,000 joules! It was overkill. And the bullhead had prepared more surprises.

“Party time, Boys. Shred ‘em up!”

Dab! Dab! Dab! Dab!

Deep, heavy sound of an autocannon tearing the air. Four German-made marders were lined up in the distance. They were almost similar to tanks from the outside, but actually, they were infantry fighting vehicles that were specially designed to accompany the leopard. Of course, as the ME variant, the IFV was completely overhauled. The main gun had been replaced by the Rheinmetall 30mm Skyranger, the most expensive modification for an IFV in Indonesia. Brigadier General Jimmy immediately requested it, even though many people were making a fuss. He thought it was better for the expensive IFV to be deployed to a real war than just for training or showing off. The IFVs’ battle power was so flashy that the soldiers gaped in unison.

“Eat that shits! Hahahahaha!” The soldiers cheered.

“Masacreeeeeee!”

Dozens of Ankylodrakes fell instantly to anti-aircraft bullets. Velomodrakes, in particular, had their bodies shredded into minced meat. Sometimes one bullet penetrated two or three of them. Some velomodrakes were even torn in half by the more than 100,000 joules of 30mm's kinetic energy. 

The main area became the scene of carnage. The machine guns of the two tanks and the autocannons of the four IFVs were more like meat grinders. Not to mention the 120mm canister. And even that wasn't enough. The bullhead had a trick to slay the waves of monsters that rushed in like a tsunami.

“Don't miss the party, boys! Show them what you made of.”

The other unit joined in the combing with any vehicles available. Let's say a Komodo armored car. The soldiers climbed on the hood and fired at the monsters. There were also 6x6 trucks that deliberately traveled backward. They were aligned like a U-net, giving the infantry soldiers a chance to fire from the tailgate using machine guns, holding back the velomodrake so they wouldn't be surrounded.

“Just a little more! Victory is in our hands!”

“Uwooooo!”

The tactic was so effective. Bullhead was able to think quickly in what should have been an impossible situation. No wonder Brigadier General Jimmy had asked him to take command. Furthermore, the lieutenant colonel had something very difficult to explain to science.

A strange power that only magical beings could feel.

***

Somewhere in 1st Perimeter

“Astagfirullah, I'm gonna die!” A member of butcher teams trembled in fear.

”Relax, ladies, trust me. Keep low profile. Use their carcasses as barricades.”

Not far from the massacre field, Varg was getting busier doing rescue missions. He was mentally calm because of his life-and-death experience in his special training. Scattered bullets were now like his neighbors. The prince stood like a boss as his men trembled among the piles of carcasses.

Baduup!

Ngiiiing!

Suddenly, he felt something strange. It was like the noxious aura of a dangerous race in another world. He immediately looked at the command tent on top of the wall, not far from the tower. Varg saw for himself the eerie black aura enveloping the tent.

“Can you feel it? Take it easy, boy. Carry on your work,” said Bullhead over the radio.

Varg was the only one who was aware of the aura. They were all monsters except for him. For a brief while, all velos stood still, making fearful signals. They then attempted to flee and smashed through the perimeter net of the combat vehicles, allowing Buther's men to move ahead.

“What's wrong with them?”

One of the members turned his head in surprise. The Velomodrake that had been besieging them suddenly ran past them. The monsters‘ behavior was strange. Varg didn't have the luxury of explaining the paranormal.

He knew that his commander wasn't a human.

“Our chance! Advance! Save our comrades!”