Chapter 40: Ah… Asifort!

The flight deck on the aft side of Wave Cold Winter.

Two gray‑white‑painted CH‑53 Super Stallion helicopters are being inspected by ground crew wearing reflective‑striped vests.

On the inner open area of the deck, combat personnel are gathering.

Among them are Epsilon members dressed in black combat suits, equipped with octopus heads and Mechanical exoskeletons.

As the company's current elite and most silence‑loving USS, the twenty Epsilons, after confirming all members are present, immediately board the nearest CH‑53 cabin.

Joining the Epsilons in the cabin are the Caron Task Force, whose standard uniform is jungle camouflage, though each member adds personal flair.

The most eye‑catching task‑force members are Chris and Gil.

Chris wears no helmet, a deep‑green vest over his bullet‑proof vest, wields an M14EBR equipped with a scope, and carries a Remington M870 with a wooden stock on his back.

The "stunningly beautiful" Gil wears jungle‑camo combat trousers like her comrades, a black tight‑fit combat short‑sleeve top, elbow guards, a bullet‑proof vest, a combat belt, and her signature beret.

The beret, however, has been changed from navy to black, and its insignia switched from the Raccoon City Police STARS to Umbrella's red‑white umbrella.

Since this operation targets humans and known B. O. W. s, there are no strict requirements for combat attire.

Moreover, these "protagonists" dress individually, which should allow them to unleash their true "protagonist" power.

The final unit remaining on the deck is the 54 UBCS that Sui Bian brought back from Paris to Raccoon City three days ago, now renamed Olympus Spear.

However, this largest task force inherits the most classic UBCS combat uniform.

White short‑sleeve shirts, dark‑green combat pants and combat belts, and black bullet‑proof vests still bearing the UBCS insignia.

According to Sui Bian's expectation, Olympus Spear will be regiment‑size; due to the upcoming purge of the Asifort family, it has not yet been expanded.

Michel Vick leads Olympus Spear, with Carlos and Tai Lun as his deputies.

Now, including Carlos and Tai Lun, the 53 task‑force members stand neatly on the deck in five rows.

Victor, wearing a dark‑red beret and throat‑mic headset, stands before them with his hands clasped behind his back, his solemn face looking toward the younger subordinates.

He pauses.

The veteran platoon leader who once steel‑clashed with Stalkers in a game raises his voice and shouts, "Children! You once fought only for money, soulless, aimless walking corpses!"

"Now the company places great expectations on us, revealing the truth behind this world; for family, for parents, for lovers and children, even sacrificing your lives is not a burden!"

"Got it?! You little brats!"

"Hoo‑ha!" the task‑force members roar in unison.

These soldiers, already loyal to the company and of "good" conduct, find their morale soaring under Victor, a former "Old Russian," leading them.

"Hmm! Not bad!" Victor nods approvingly, then raises his right hand toward the CH‑53 at the deck's edge and says, "Shake your fat butts and roll! Board!"

"Yes!"

A group of task‑force members turn in unison, jog toward the CH‑53 that can hold 55 fully armed soldiers, and then enter the cabin one by one.

Following the troops, Victor reports in a low voice through his throat mic, "Sir, all combat personnel are ready, roger, understood."

As he speaks, Victor has already boarded the cabin.

Immediately, the hatch closes under the pilot's control and the helicopter engines start.

The two helicopters' rotors and tail rotors spin faster, and under the direction of two ground crew holding glow sticks, they lift off the deck one after another.

As the two CH‑53s ascend, two AC‑130 gunships sweep over Wave Cold Winter.

"Bzzzz—! Bzz—!" the 20mm Fire God cannon sweeps.

"Pong! Pong!" the 40mm autocannon fires intermittently.

"Boom—!" the 105mm howitzer delivers absolute fire suppression.

Then the remnants on Lockford Island will be struck by those three calibers, leaving them no chance to threaten the CH‑53 formation.

The CH‑53 loaded with Olympus Spear flies first toward Lockford Island, while the CH‑53 carrying Caron and Epsilon hovers dozens of meters above the deck.

Ahead on the deck, a massive gate opens, and the ship's built‑in crane lowers a cable that lifts a small black container, its sides bearing the red‑white umbrella insignia.

The crane moves the container to the deck's center, and with ground crew assistance, the CH‑53's cargo hook lifts the container.

All set, this CH‑53 accelerates toward Lockford Island.

After the two CH‑53s depart, the aft gate of Wave Cold Winter lowers, and four LCAC‑type air‑cushion landing craft exit the ship's dock one after another.

The landing craft carry two hundred elite security troops, two M2 Bradley armored vehicles equipped with 25mm chain guns and dual‑tube box missile launchers, and several black‑painted military Humvees.

Over eight hundred people take part in this operation, the largest military action Sui Bian has commanded since taking charge of Umbrella.

Scene shift.

The CH‑53 bearing Olympus Spear arrives first over Lockford Island, flies over the forest fringe, and hovers at the far end of the airfield runway.

The small hatch beneath the cabin and the rear hatch both open, and the task‑force members inside toss ropes for rapid airdrop.

Within a minute, all 54 task‑force members are on the ground, and under Victor's orders they split into five combat squads, sweeping the airport facilities with mutual cover and assistance.

The CH‑53 that completed the drop does not return but circles at low altitude, providing heavy machine‑gun support for Olympus Spear.

Meanwhile.

The CH‑53 carrying Caron, Epsilon and an unknown cargo container flies over the airport area toward the island's control center, the Asifort Castle built by Alfred.

The CH‑53 hovers at the edge of the castle.

At thirty meters altitude, the cable holding the container snaps, the container free‑falls ten‑plus meters and "Boom!" lands in the castle's front courtyard.

"Clack—!" the container's hatch slowly opens.

"Dong! Dong!" heavy footsteps echo from inside; a nearly three‑meter‑tall giant steps out.

The giant's face is hideous, his left eye sewn shut, he wears a black, tightly‑fitted bullet‑proof coat, and thick red veins like tree roots adorn his clavicles.

The hulking figure raises a multi‑round rocket launcher in his right hand, swings soft purple tentacles with his left, and, mouth agape showing his gums, growls:

"Ah… Asifort!"

(End of Chapter)