CHAPTER 17

AERIAL SUPREMACY

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“Ahmad Yani Airbase has deployed Squadron-11, Commander. They have entered Surabaya. Marine Cavalry Regiment is on the move. Navy fleet is deploying patrol boats. Abidin Airbase is also deploying squadron-21.”

Listening to an officer's report, Bullhead stood with his waist ruffled. He observed the battle from the edge of the boundary wall. Flying monsters appeared less frequently. They were replaced by ground monsters, all of which were huge. There were Magnaterra, Ankylodrake, huge Triceratops-like species, and another species that looked like Stegosaurus. The smallest was the size of a minibus. Velomodrake was a dozen strong, and even then, they died first because they were trampled by other monsters.

“Cavalry Boy, eliminate ugly-ass-looking stegos and Triceratops with huge dildos on their nose. Leave the rest to others.”

“Understood.” Two Leopard 2 Tanks moved.

There were indeed fewer ground monsters than wyverns. But the Red Zone was just barely mitigating them because machine guns were no longer useful. Fortunately, some of the 50-cal guns did damage. A sniper could kill Ankylodrake with one or two lucky shots in the head. Bigger calibers were obviously more lethal. 40mm Bofors and 30mm IFVs were once again used to ward off the crawling monsters.

The bad news was that ammunition stocks were running low. The corpses of the monsters were piling up, and reinforcements had yet to arrive due to traffic. Supply access to the Red Zone had been isolated.

“Commander, a call from a Supply and Transportation personnel.” An officer handed over a radio.

“Why you guys so long, huh?” Bullhead asked as soon as he grabbed the radio.

“People are going crazy, Commander. Streets are in chaos! They're fleeing out of town in panic!” reported the S&T personnel in charge of retrieving ammunition. “We are dead stuck here!”

“Beat them up if they won't move. Or throw a grenade.”

“But commander—

“Do it now, or I'll be there to organize the road with my way.”

“Ahh, roger, Commander!” The S&T personnel chose to break through the traffic jam.

The Leopard tank was on the verge. The cannon shells were running out. The Magnaterra, meanwhile, kept coming out of the portal. 30mm caliber was less effective against the rocky monster. The bullets did penetrate, but not enough to finish off vital points.

“Tsk! I have no choice.”

"What will you do, Commander?” asked an officer as Bullhead was about to jump.

The lieutenant colonel stretched. He looked at a female captain and said, “Accompany Major in command. I want to release a steam.”

“Yes sir!”

The lieutenant colonel jumped for real from a height of 20 meters. The word ‘normal’ was no longer appropriate to describe a real monster. He easily killed a rock creature the size of a house. He tore Magnaterra's body apart like a two-dollar fast-food crispy chicken. Let alone Ankylodrake, their bodies were thrown tens of meters away with just one blow.

“We're occupied here! Do your job! Leave the rest to others!” shouted Captain Nadine who was temporary in charge.

***

Somewhere in City Outskirt

“You know what? The monster actually never existed on Earth. It's just a government conspiracy.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I heard it from my friend. He's a walker.”

“Woaaaaa!”

Hearing the word "Walker", his friends were enthusiastic. They were the heroes who saved Earth 25 years ago. From then on, no monster roamed around. That was what everyone knew from the internet and history books at their school.

“Does Walker get power from the system?”

“Yes. They can level up. And you know what? My friend is a magic archer! He's been traveling to another world for the past two years.”

“Woaaaaaa!”

The cafe was always crowded with middle schoolers. And everything about walker would never old to be a topic. The were more popular than actors. Sometimes, teenager compared their mighty hero to something else.

“Which do you think is better, an archer walker and a soldier with a battle rifle?” A bully-looking guy asked in a deviant manner.

“Isn't it obvious? Firearms are only a few times stronger than arrows. Whereas a beginner walker can be 10 times stronger than a normal human. Are you stupid or something?”

Getting an answer from the bespectacled nerd, the large boy burst into laughter.

“Are you kidding me? Do you know the kinetic energy of a longbow as heavy as a human body? Only 129 joules. That's even at point blank. And do you know what the kinetic energy of a 7.62x51mm battle rifle is? 3800 joules! Do the math.”

The conversation between the two teenagers immediately heated up. The military freak was still laughing and holding his stomach. Meanwhile, the teenager in front of him, the fantasy addict, did not accept his opinion being laughed at.

“You've never read Manwha, have you? It's clear that firearms are useless against monsters.”

“Manwha my ass! Stop fantasizing. No wonder you've never had a girlfriend.”

“It's nothing to do with my lonely life! I'm single because I hate romance!”

Wooooooom!

Just as the argument was getting heated, suddenly, sirens were heard throughout the city. The cafe customers were confused. Some were panicked. They became more frightened when there was a sudden earthquake and the sound of explosions in the distance.

The air became deafeningly quiet afterwards. As the earthquake subsided, everyone hid behind the tables. The city's sirens continued to sound. All of the customers left the cafe with puzzled expressions to see what was going on. Surabaya's streets were packed with people. The entire city had apparently fled their buildings.

“What's happened?”

“Why was the siren on?”

“Is this a simulation?”

The whole neighborhood was confused. They talked to each other and looked around. Others busied themselves with their cell phones. Suddenly, someone screamed as they saw a live stream from a smartphone.

“Monsters! There's a monster escaping from the Red Zone!”

“Kyaaaa! They're preying on humans!”

When creatures were spotted soaring across the skies, the atmosphere got frantic. Screams resonated throughout the city. Everyone dashed into the building. They observed the winged monsters eating people in the streets. It had the appearance of a dragon, although it was much smaller. It was only the size of a truck. Everyone took cover. Including the two teenagers that were arguing earlier.

“Wyvern, it's a wyvern! They're Rank-C monsters! Why are they in town?”

“How the hell I know?”

“Where's the military?”

”Why did you ask for the military, huh? Why don't you ask for your mighty walkers?”

“Have you ever read Manwha? Military guys are heroes's errand boys!”

“Close the shop! Hurry up!”

The atmosphere was becoming strained. Everyone was jammed into the building. The electricity went out. They couldn't see anything after the store was closed. They were horrified when they heard the official statement.

“Attention to citizens. Seek shelter immediately. Code red! Surabaya is under attack! This is not a drill!”

They were terrified inside the building without being able to see anything. The sound of screaming could still be heard. So was the sound of the explosion, which was getting louder and louder. A teenager quietly looked for a gap to peek through. The atmosphere on the street became horrific. Bodies were lying on the side of the road. He saw for himself dozens of wyverns tearing apart humans out there.

“Blueeehhhh!”

“Gross! Don't vomit here!”

Craawwwww!

Some people peed their pants. The commotion caught the attention of the flying lizards. Some wyverns turned their heads towards the cafe. They could smell some humans hiding inside it. Their lives were in danger. However, before they could get closer, one of the wyverns died with a broken head.

Craawwww!

Fyuuuuutt!

Splash!

One by one, the wyverns met their end. They didn't know what or where the attack came from. Neither did the teenagers in the cafe. They were also confused. Some started peeking around to find out who killed the monsters. But they saw nothing but a quick flash of light.

“Whoa! It's an autocannon! 30mm!” The military freak immediately recognized it.

“Huh? I don't see anything.”

“They're shooting from over a mile away!”

“Impossible! They were supposed to shoot at close range!” Fantasy addict could not believe it.

“Oh my god, the fire control system had been invented decades ago. Stop using Manwha as a reference!”

“Even in Hollywood, tanks always fight up close.”

The military freak completely ignored his friend's remarks. He kept peeking at the wyverns, which were scattered because of the mysterious attack. After a while, he finally knew who the attacker was. They were eight-wheeled armored vehicles with 30mm autocannon. More precisely, BTR-4Ms, Russian-made amphibious IFVs for the Indonesian Marine Corps.

“Please evacuate to Navy Headquarters. Move!”

The citizens cheered. All of them ran to the military truck, which was escorted by the Marine Mechanized Infantry Brigade. Hundreds of wyverns could be seen in the sky. However, they didn't dare approach the armed forces. They preferred flying than to dealing with human weapons, which easily penetrated their skin.

Unfortunately, in the sky, the flying monsters had lost their air superiority.

***

“Bravo One, Zero Zero Five, squadron 11 Army Aviation, several aerial target is heading on you position.”

“Arrow One, contact, I saw several dots on radar, setting up for an engagement.”

Pip!

“Arrow One, tally, I saw individual targets in visual range.”

Pip!

”30 milimeter will do the job. Save hellfire for the main course, prioritize the Red Zone.”

Pip!

“Engage!”

Tratatatatatatat!

Several wyverns dropped like deflated balloons when their bodies were struck by M230 autocannon. Two AH-64 Apaches spread out to attack aerial threats. On the other side, the wyverns saw two dots, which attacked them from hundreds of meters away. They tried to retaliate. However, even though their top speeds were slightly faster than those of rotary-wing aircraft, attack range was the issue. The Apaches attacked while moving backward to evade their onslaught.

“Target escaped.”

“Move forward. Leave it to Squadron 21.”

“Roger.”

Two Apaches continued their flight without bothering to change their course. As ground support, they weren't designed to do aerial combat. Another squadron from the Air Force had been engaged for air superiority. And the squadron obviously wasn't fast movers (fighter jets), which were too overkill for mere wyverns. Several dots flew fast. Both Apaches slightly spread out when an airplane passed between them.

Trat-tat-tat-tat!

Crawwwww!

“Hot zero one, two target down.”

“Weapon free, four target, four zero three.”

”Understood.”

Trat-tat-tat-tat!

Simple but effective was the suitable word to describe the EBM 314 Super Tucano, a Brazilian-masterpiece piston-engined aircraft armed with a 12.7mm machine gun. They had just arrived from Squadron 21 Abidin Malang Airbase, the nearest city, which was about 80 kilometers away from Surabaya. They responded quickly after the call. Several wyverns fell to the ground each time they fired from behind.

“Tally, more flock to sweep.”

“Copy that. Continue dry.”

Four Tucanos kept flying back and forth in Surabaya's sky. Although they were designed for coin warfare (contra insurgency), Tucanos were highly effective at shredding bat-winged lizards. The airplane had more endurance than a fighter jet. Despite their lower speed as propellers, Tucanos were faster than any wyverns. They could hunt them all day long with WW2 dogfighting style.

“Switch to zero three five, Navy is keeping them at bay. Continue.”

Dam! Dam! Dam!

Splash!

A flock of wyverns fell to the sea after Tucano left. They were attacked by 57mm Bofors L/70 naval gun shot by fast-attack navy vessel. Modern fire control was so fully computerized that they could hit flying monsters from far away.

“18 wyverns spotted, 135 knot to the east.”

“On my way.”

***

Since escaped from The Red Zone, winged monster kept spread out from the Red Zone. All branches of the Armed Forces had been mobilized under Regional Command V/Brawijaya. The Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy were busy holding the wyverns off. Military planes were capable showing air superiority. Naval vessels fired auto-cannons along the city's coast. So did the Marine armored vehicles equipped with AA guns. The police were also on the move, fighting hard to protect civilians.

However, the situation was out of control. Let alone a wyvern, a loose tiger would have sent residents into a panic. The television media eventually reported, of course, spouting negative news about the armed forces, which were said to be incompetent. The politician also became a wet blanket. They were getting chatty and acted like a boss.

“Commander, council members make a fuss!” An officer spouted bad news while the lieutenant colonel was busy taking out monsters.

“What?”

“They are asking for our responsibility.”

“Responsibility? What?”

The bullhead was so calm as a commander. He was a wise person, except when dealing with politicians. His temperament was always like a grenade without a pin. The lieutenant colonel was furious and went after any monster he came across.

“Those assholes refused evacuation. When citizens attacked, we take the blame?”

“Calm down, Commander!’

Several officers panicked as hot vapor rushed out of the bull mask's nose. Particularly the female captain who was assigned to be his aide. She knew the lieutenant colonel's temper by heart. Captain Nadine sent a drone to calm him down before the bullhead did something crazy.

“Please cool your head, Commander. Don't make any more trouble. You have many cases.”

“If council members keep bitching around, I'll blow up their house! Fuck!” He expressed his anger while jumping to the top of the 20-meter wall. 

The second day was less chaotic in the Red Zone. Situation had subsided in Sector 1. Sadly, Surabaya City was in terror. Even the situation on the nearest perfectures were not good either. Everything was a mess.

“Some Wyverns are passing through Surabaya's airspace, commander. There are reports of their sightings in Jember. There's news of casualties in Lumajang.” A lieutenant gave the report.

“Leave it alone. Trust the others.”

Bullhead wiped his body with a towel. His demeanor was calm. He even relaxed as the officer pointed at the special radioactive sensor.

“Commander, the attack scale has been raised again to Bravo Five!”

Thud!

An officer dropped his radio. 

“Commander! This is a national disaster!” He spoke with a pale face.

The wave was so big that it was even bigger than the attack 25 years ago. The danger was more pronounced because the military was on the verge. There were many monsters left down there. All the officers were shaking from the report they had just gotten.

Still, bullhead was so calm behind the mask. His responsibility was great. He replied to the officer's words without slightest panic in his tone.

“We have a lot of homework here, lieutenant-boy. Don't panic. Act more, think less.”

The Red Zone was occupied with fighting monsters. Wyverns were coming out frequently. Their numbers weren't as outrageous as before. It was a mystery how those monsters could appear in the Surabaya Red Zone, which was categorized as a C-grade tower. Even the towers in Nevada weren't that big. The soldiers slightly trembled when they saw the portal vortex getting bigger, which covered almost an eighth of the zone tower.

“Until our past drip of blood! Protect your wife and child! Clear the remain before the next wave!”

“Freedom!”

Bzzzzttttt!

“Woaaaa! Reinforcement!”

Thankfully, in the midst of despair, reinforcements came in. The soldiers cheered when they heard a loud hum in the sky. The distinctive sound of EC 725's helicopter made the cheers grow louder, and they got even louder when they saw two AH64 Apaches following behind. They were reinforcements from the 11th Air Squadron that were late in arriving due to hunting down the wyverns.

“Army Aviation, Squadron 11 Ahmad Yani Airbase Semarang, handing over command under Lieutenant Colonel Pramono Danuarta.” The Apache pilot contacted him by radio.