Chapter 485: The Victims — All Annihilated

Emergency assembly?

High‑risk anomalous creature?

The sisters and soldiers who learned of the alert on their phones, no longer enjoying their vacation, immediately went into combat‑ready mode and rushed out of the bar.

Naturally, before they rushed out of the bar, the sisters and soldiers who hadn't left a tip also didn't forget to pay the bill.

Seeing the scene, the civilians fell silent, stopped dancing, and the Vilin‑clan DJ, responsible for the venue's atmosphere, likewise turned off the music in time.

Because even if they drank heavily and partied wildly, they knew that something sudden must have occurred in Olivi Lan Town.

Outside the bar.

Tan Ya, Celesstin and the others, aware of the dangers of drunk driving, had not brought any vehicle or airship before arriving, and just as they were about to summon a nearby sky‑taxi with their phones, a Cormorant III transport aircraft had already arrived over the street.

Soon after, their group boarded the Cormorant and swiftly transferred, heading to a camp roughly ten kilometers away.

Inside the cabin.

The sisters and soldiers were first silent, using their personal phones to pre‑review information on the high‑risk anomalous phenomenon or creature.

Seated near the cockpit, Celesstin retrieved the supplemental file of the alert.

Opening it.

The document briefly recorded how the Security Bureau of Olivi Lan Town and the UNSC 3rd Army Battalion discovered an anomaly in the rainforest region.

2210/01/01 07:40–08:30.

That morning, four adult men from Olivi Lan Town, using the holiday to lead their respective children—a total of ten people—drove four civilian off‑road vehicles deep into the eastern rainforest for recreation, fishing, and camping.

Among the four adult men, two were retired UNSC Marine Corps members, legally authorized to purchase and use semi‑automatic pulse weapons, and all four possessed hunting licenses, enabling them to purchase appropriate crossbows and bolts, as well as vintage hunting rifles and shotguns.

Based on known information, the group carried two semi‑automatic pulse rifles, two tubular shotguns, and at least six hundred rounds of the appropriate caliber.

The group departed at dawn, while the wives of the four families also gathered and made purchases at the town's shopping center.

Until 16:04 that afternoon, after the final call between the parties, they completely lost contact.

At first, the four wives judged it to be just poor signal deep in the rainforest.

After all, the communication service they used was the locally cheaper high‑frequency electromagnetic wave, and quantum communication services, aside from Umbrella and the UNSC Army and Fleet, were not prevalent in Tai Luo Ke Er.

Primarily the price is relatively high, and additionally the colonists of Tai Luo Ke Er have only been stable for about thirty years, so they have no intention of further outward expansion and thus have little need for civilian quantum communication services.

The missing status lasted until 18:33, when the four wives, out of worry and anxiety, went to the Security Bureau of their district and reported the detailed situation to the on‑duty security officers.

18:40.

Understanding the severity of the situation, the Security Bureau was extremely concerned about the incident, promptly requesting a low‑intelligence artificial intelligence to perform positioning and attempting to restore communications.

In only half a minute, the Security Bureau obtained the positions of the ten missing individuals.

Vehicle tracking indicated the four off‑road vehicles were parked at a forest lake roughly 130 kilometers from the town center.

Yet phone and biometric data indicated that among the ten missing, only one adult man and two children remained at the lake shore, while the other seven were about forty kilometers from the lake and vehicles, still in motion.

What further chilled and despaired the four wives was that the low‑intelligence AI, using biometric data, determined that the adult man and two children at the lake had lost physiological signs, declaring them dead.

The Security Bureau, unable to console the victims' families, immediately recalled the security officers and special squad members who were on leave.

19:34.

The local Security Bureau dispatched three armed airships, transporting thirty‑six fully armed special squad members equipped with pulse and Gauss weapons, dividing into two groups to head to the forest lake and to the other seven who had ceased moving.

19:57.

The first group of twelve special squad members arrived at the lake shore first, confirmed, and discovered three victims: an adult male ■■, a ten‑year‑old ■■·■■, and a twelve‑year‑old ■■ {Since the victims include minors, we will not disclose their surnames and given names}.

Simultaneously, the first group found a large amount of shotgun shells near the lake shore and the vehicles, as well as traces caused by Shellless Pulse Ammo explosions.

On the moist soil, there was not only human blood but also a pale‑yellow unknown fluid and biological tissue.

A special squad member, using a handheld detection device, conducted on‑site sampling and analysis, learning that the pale‑yellow fluid and biological tissue did not belong to any known species on the planet Tai Luo Ke Er.

At this point, the Security Bureau classified the case's nature as "anomalous creature", beyond their jurisdiction, and uploaded the detailed files and data to the Umbrella branch in the metropolitan area.

20:20.

The second group of twenty‑four special squad members arrived at the side of the remaining seven who had ceased moving, learning that the final seven also perished, their bodies gruesomely stripped of flesh by some kind of blade or professional tool, leaving only blood‑stained skeletons.

20:23.

The second group of special squad members was attacked by an anomalous creature.

Below is the video footage captured by the helmet‑mounted solo camera of one of the special squad members.

Reading this, Celesstin, without hesitation, lightly touched the word '{Video}' in the document with her left index finger.

Immediately thereafter, the phone began to present to her what the special squad saw.

The screen first was dark, but quickly brightened, displaying the helmet screen of the special squad's powered armor.

Due to the late evening and being in the rainforest, the special squad enabled night assistance, and the dynamic detection radar in the screen's upper right corner displayed yellow dots representing the positions of nearby teammates.

The dense tree trunks caused extremely poor visibility, and Celesstin, through the solo camera, also witnessed a child who had lost all flesh, leaving only a skeleton.

!!

Seeing this, the normally peaceful Celesstin's anger ignited instantly, wishing she could smash and burn the anomalous creature outright.

At that moment, the detection radar showed dense red dots, encircling the special squad and all its teammates captured by the solo camera.

Sensing the situation, the special squad immediately steadied their pulse rifles, half‑crouching on the ground with two teammates, responsible for guarding the western side of their location.

Swoosh!

Rapid running sounds of some animal echoed around.

Thump!

Soon, the solo camera transmitted a burst of gunfire, and the special squad, using shooting calibration—displayed as a red box on the helmet screen—pulled the trigger toward the apparently empty, weed‑filled front.

Ah!!

But after a few seconds, the special squad heard on the communication channel the teammates' screams resonating.

The camera shakes violently, indicating the special squad is a bit distracted by a teammate, but at the same time, he is also swapping the rifle's magazine.

But just as he finishes changing the magazine and points the barrel forward again…

Roar~!

From the grass ahead at the center of the screen, an abnormal creature suddenly leaps out, opens its mouth dripping viscous liquid, and lunges at the special squad.

!!!

The special squad quickly pulls the triggers.

The rapid‑fire pulse rifle immediately fires dozens of Shellless Pulse Ammo in a slanted burst toward it.

Boom! Boom!

When the pulse rounds hit the creature's head, neck, and the scales or carapace on its back, a series of low‑intensity explosions erupts.

In an instant, the creature attempting a surprise attack is subjected to concentrated fire from the special squad and two teammates.

Within the few seconds it remains in visual range, the creature's relatively fragile abdomen is blown open, blood and entrails gush out, it collapses limp on the ground, and finally loses all attack and movement capability.

Looking closely, the creature displayed on the screen has bone‑white skin, while its covering scales and carapace are dark purple; its claws, fangs and slender blade‑shaped bones are blood‑red.

Its head and back feature symmetrical hole‑piercing structures, extremely unfriendly to those with trypophobia; overall, by human aesthetic standards it is ugly and also deeply disgusting.

Seeing the milky‑yellow blood spill from the abdominal wound makes Celesstin's inner desire to burn the creature to ashes grow even stronger.

Next.

More and more abnormal creatures appear on the screen, and some special individuals are not afraid of Shellless Pulse Ammo or spiked rounds at all.

Ultimately, the individual camera shows the special squad, after firing an empty magazine and losing teammate cover, being knocked down by an abnormal creature while changing magazines.

The screen falls into darkness again.

{Video} shrinks.

The file continues.

20:28.

In the five minutes of encounter with the abnormal creatures, the Security Department lost contact with the second special squad, and the physiological data transmitted by the power armor indicated that all twenty‑four members of the special squad were killed.

Security Departments on different planets and colonies possess weapons and equipment of varying specifications and grades.

Although Tai Luo Ke Er's domain is remote, the gold deposits here are four to six times that of Earth in the main universe, which is why in just half a century the colonial population reached 320 million.

Wealth and resources have driven Tai Luo Ke Er's economy to rapid growth, allowing the Security Department ample funds to purchase the most advanced weapons and gear.

For example, the twenty‑four special squad members are armed to the teeth, and their power armor even carries low‑power energy shields.

In fact, the Security Department's special squads are equivalent to a SWAT unit from two centuries ago; individual soldiers theoretically do not need energy shields, as they merely maintain urban and town security and deal with high‑risk criminals or militants.

Even so, the twenty‑four special squad members were completely annihilated, showing that the abnormal creatures ravaging the nearby rainforest are beyond the Security Department's ability to handle.

20:22.

Upon learning of the high‑risk abnormal creatures, Umbrella's branch in Tai Luo Ke Er's metropolitan area ordered the local intelligence department to dispatch appropriate specialists aboard Yuyou to low‑Earth orbit, then immediately proceed to the UNSC army camp at Olivia‑lan Town.

20:59.

Yuyou, carrying the specialists, arrived at the camp of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Regiment.

21:09.

Senior officials held a brief discussion, deciding that the 3rd Battalion will escort the intelligence personnel deep into the forest to gather sufficient intel and attempt to capture one of the abnormal creatures alive.

During the operation, a UNSC navy escort ship will station in low‑Earth orbit above the area, monitor the whole mission, and provide artillery support and ground airdrops if necessary.

…

After reading the documents from the 3rd Battalion, the atmosphere inside the Cormorant's cabin was rather solemn.

To be honest, neither the trainee sisters nor the UNSC army soldiers have ever experienced any sudden incident, nor any combat or campaign.

Things like the main‑universe's interdimensional storms and the great expedition the main universe launched against the 03 universe are matters of the early‑ to mid‑last century, and they have all been incorporated into textbooks or classic battle lectures.

At this moment, after everyone watches the individual footage and sees that abnormal creatures exist deep in the rainforest, nervousness is inevitable.

"Ha, alien scum! I'll burn them all to death and avenge those poor children!"

Tan Ya, however, gritted her teeth and said, apparently her anger outweighs her fear, and she can't wait to exterminate those "bugs".

"Hmm." Celesstin nodded in rare agreement.

Not long after.

The Cormorant then ferried everyone back to the camp.

When Tan Ya, Celesstin and the others left the cabin, the nanobots in their bodies had already metabolized the ingested alcohol.

They quickly used the restroom, then rushed to the large operations conference room with tiered seating that can accommodate over seven hundred members of the entire battalion.

As soon as they were seated, the elite captain and a female intelligence officer wearing a holographic visor approached the podium.

"Everyone!" the elite captain surveyed the entire 3rd Battalion, placed his hands behind his back, raised his voice and said, "Before you arrived here, you should already know the brief information about this incident.

No superfluous words are needed; now, our 3rd Battalion of the 12th Regiment will be the first to make contact with the abnormal creatures.

The 1st Reconnaissance Company and the trainee combat sisters will escort Redfield, the supervisor, and her team deep into the site where the Security Department's special squads were wiped out, conduct reconnaissance, and after gathering sufficient intel and biological samples, the air corps will retrieve you for a return to the camp.

The 2nd Armored Company will be deployed east of Olivia‑lan Town, constructing simple defensive works to guard against a creature‑led raid on the town.

The 3rd Infantry Company will cooperate with the town's security department to enforce curfew patrols within Olivia‑lan Town, ensuring all residents stay indoors and in buildings, and don't forget to defend the underground system; bug‑type things love to burrow underground.

Any questions?"

"None! Sir!" the group answered in unison.

"Very well, next the supervisor Redfield will state some precautions."

After speaking, the elite captain stepped back, and the female supervisor removed her holographic glasses and gave a brief speech to those present:

"I am the intelligence department supervisor of Tai Luo Ke Er, Zax Redfield. Based on the video footage captured by the sacrificed special squads, it is basically certain that they are some kind of alien insect race.

Before our intelligence department determines their threat level, please all take strict confidentiality measures to avoid causing mass panic."

(End of chapter)