LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 49: Part 45
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Having completed the regular recovery process, I left the pod. Even though the nanites gave me protection and immense strength, my body needed rest, and the regenerative capsules were the best way to do it. Perfect sleep, supported by medically injected various compounds directly into the body, gave calmness and confidence in the future. The fear of death receded again, and I was ready to rush back into battle, because, as you know, if you want to do well, do it yourself. It may not always be effective, but sometimes you have to get your hands covered in blood to make even the most obtuse realise that you are a force to be reckoned with.
I tried to bring peace to the state under my control and to bring the fruits of civilisation to these savages, but they took it as weakness! Well, now I'll have to show them who's boss. What started the war, you ask? It's quite simple. Armed savages, seeing that their neighbours, whom they had robbed for centuries, had something, decided to remember the glory days and seize slaves, women and some wealth. Such is the flight of fancy of primitive peoples. The raids provoked discontent among the people on the border of our lands and neighbouring states. And after a couple of months of ruinous campaigns of one warlord a living ocean of thousands of desperate people poured into our small 'kingdom' creating a humanitarian catastrophe. Further separatists, religious fanatics, reactionaries and other rebels wishing to grab a piece of the 'pie' of the state falling into the abyss of anarchy.
In a matter of days, the capital fell and a prince was executed in the central square. Such a thing cannot be left unanswered.
Dressed in heavy armour for an assault operation, I slipped on a jetpack and ordered the landing. A moment and hundreds of open parachutes filled the sky over the desert. Landing over the completely blackened palace I only growled angrily and why now? We were just starting to build a normal state. The plasma rifle was in my hand, and a moment later I began to monotonously mop up my city. I didn't take it over so that because of some humanitarian collapse everything would fall apart into autonomous pieces. When I saw the armoured vehicles that the radical fanatics had managed to seize, I threw a vacuum grenade that blew off the tank's turret about three times.
Taking the gravity gun from the hands of one of the fighters, I continued to target the vehicles, aiming at the area of the tank. One shot, one explosion!
The nanites allowed me to target the enemy with maximum efficiency, like a living machine I found and immediately suppressed any pockets of armed resistance. Vacuum grenades, plasma rifle and gravity cannon became a direct extension of me, giving me terrifying marksmanship. Remembering my youth in the jungles of Vietnam, I sighed tiredly, but the war does not change, that there and here everything is the same, only the toys are different. Having blown up the last BMP, I leaned against the nearly collapsed wall of the school built a month ago, now there was no stone left of it. Well, who's better off for it? War is always scary. War is always blood, sweat and tears. War is always chaotic and destructive, but why does everyone so safely forget about it? Why are humans such hypocritical monkeys? Their memory is too short when it needs to be, isn't that convenient? Anyway, I don't care, we've lost the city, as well as all its infrastructure, and now we'll have to rebuild practically from scratch.
- Professor, we've taken the palace. - reported the fighter in a military manner.
- Well, now at least we can get a foothold in the city. - I said tiredly.
With a laconic nod, the fighter growled something to the team of engineers, who were already clearing the central square for a runway for our transports, the guys only nodded meagrely, lighting up the signal oni. You managed to fly out before the sandstorm started, but now it's already in full swing, leaving us with no line of sight within ten metres. That's why our attack stopped at the palace building with the central square, and to move further into the city without the main forces was just suicide, so we'll wait, transports and after the deployment of the base we'll continue the attack, the storm will not let anyone escape from the capital.
Having installed a rifle optic with a thermal imager, I habitually took the highest point on the roof of the palace and began to cold-bloodedly take aim at the enemies that were gathering in groups of more than ten people. Peaceful citizens have nothing to do on the streets now, so all the jackals roaming there are a priori our opponents. Without unnecessary hurry aiming at the most armed of them, I used to keep a mental 'countdown', because it was always easier to set a goal and act than to reflex and snot. Another rifle shot finished off the last group that loomed at the perimeter of our camp. I sipped from a flask of invigorating composition of various herbs and conditionally 'useful' chemistry and noticed three rusty pickup trucks with large-calibre machine guns, which were driving at maximum speed to the central square, where we had set up our advanced camp. It seems that they decided to destroy all the 'invaders' with a generous burst of machine guns. Well, it's a two-man game.
Putting aside the plasma rifle and smoothly reloading the gravity gun, I just mentally recited a prayer for the repose of the souls of my enemies.
In a couple of seconds I caught the driver of the first pickup truck with a black mask on his face in my crosshairs and immediately fired a shot. A fraction of a second and the ruptured bonnet of the car with a part of the cabin immediately knocked out of the game the first pickup truck, which turned over three times still stops, but for good. Two more almost synchronised shots and the next group of 'reactionaries' ceased to pose any threat.
- Professor... - was heard over the general communication. - The unknown has completely destroyed the Alpha squad that was sent for reconnaissance to the telecentre. - the officer reported dryly. - Repeat, the unknown has completely destroyed the Alpha squad. From the scraps of communication we managed to find out that he is a mutant with the ability to pyrokinesis, at least. What are the orders? - the fighter asked sparingly.
- All of you, secure your positions and hold the approaches to the camp until reinforcements arrive. We'll deal with the mutant later. We need him alive if possible. That thing will answer for our boys. - Having given all orders I sipped again from the flask with an invigorating composition and began to control the perimeter of the base through optics with thermal imager.
Half an hour later our 'birds' appeared in the sky, having dropped 'parcels' the first transports went back to one of the surviving bases of the kingdom. Reflexively noting that our armoured vehicles landed right on the GPS markers, I nodded thoughtfully to my thoughts now we can move into the city, there is, of course, a danger that we will be shot from RPGs or something else almost at point-blank range, and there are enough crossing houses for that. On the other hand, who does not risk, does not drink champagne, so everything has its price. But I'm not ready to trade the lives of my fighters for such foolishness, and I hope I'll never be ready....
In another five minutes, the reinforcements appeared, and that confidently left the gut of the plane.
Brave warriors in heavy armour with reinforced exoskeletons and high-capacity guns were impressive. It was a good thing that not all the army had scattered, and who would have thought that the entire structure of the security agencies would collapse like a house of cards because of the slightest collapse. But, however, what else to expect from them, they are used to that their own skin is always more expensive, this so-called 'mechanism' has long been worked out and has proved itself quite well for the purpose of survival. So it will be necessary to take it into account in the future and not to make the same mistakes, and all these 'deserters' then should be collected and shot on the central square, because it is because of such rats we came to complete anarchy and lawlessness. So this kind of thing should be severely punished, so that it does not happen again, and it is better to reduce these useless 'bureaucrats' as much as possible, because they are all sitting on their salaries, and the benefit is minimal!
Maybe we should put well-regarded soldiers at the head of these departments? Let's completely militarise the system and for deliberately 'subversive' activities or treason we will simply shoot them as enemies of the people. China and North Korea are doing this and they haven't collapsed yet, so it looks like we'll have to play dictator for a while. On the other hand, we have already tried diplomacy and progressive monarchy, so now it's time for a banal military dictatorship. And we need to find out what the secret police has been doing all this time, or maybe it's no use anymore. And if it's not useful, it should be abolished, shouldn't it?
And we should rethink the way we govern the lands under our control. Enough of playing democracy, it has already shown its failure in this region, so let's use other tools and methods of influence. However, again, we should not go overboard, but all those responsible should be punished. A showy execution with live broadcast on TV will be just right, people love spectacle, how was it bread and spectacle? We'll have entertainment soon, but we should think about bread, and then there's the damn humanitarian crisis. I thought I'd just got rid of the refugees, but they're coming again, only more. What do we do with them? Send meat back to the States for gang warfare? Not wise...
I sipped from my flask and looked thoughtfully at the soldiers, who were already preparing armoured vehicles to go into the city.
Three BRDMs were already ready for a sortie, and two tanks were thoroughly entrenched near the camp, ready to repel an attack from either side. Leaving my observation point and ordering two men to replace me, I scrutinised the arriving vehicles. It wasn't new, but it was still fit for our purposes and plans for the city. Even though the capital was still in ruins, but it had to be taken from the various factions that, having shown their true colours, were not going to surrender without a fight, and who would let those jackals do that now? We can't leave these snakes at our backs, so we'll burn out all the chases and mind-eating contagion with a hot iron.
With orders to move out, I got on the armour of one of the BRDMs with the guys. Driving through the ghetto and the old town we easily pushed all the burnt-out hulks of various cars, trucks and equipment that should have blocked the road according to the separatists' logic. But our armour didn't care what to push from the road and it didn't matter whether it was a burnt-out BMW or a police Ford, it was all just unnecessary iron.
Going further and further into the most impoverished neighbourhoods, we also came across completely burnt out houses. According to the map, there was a big cinema built during the reign of the old king, and two concrete boxes burned to the ground. You can't tell now if it was set on fire or if it burned down on its own. However, with the anarchy that reigned in the city, it wasn't surprising. The entire fire station had been looted and the engines burnt, and the radical fanatics had done the same to the capital's hospital, the hulk of which was clearly visible from here. Ruins and nothing more... What kind of savages are these?
The walls of the police department, which was supposed to contain the lawlessness in the ghetto, were melted down, but now there were no walls left. Could our pyromaniac have done something about it? At least it's the first sign that he won't be taken alive, and I'm always short of 'material' to work with and explore, so that would be sad, but losing more of my guys over it? No. If anything, I'll personally strangle that fiery bastard. How did he manage to take out the Alpha team? However, now it's not this firebender, first the reconnaissance, and then the mop-up, and then to the TV centre is not far away.
When I passed another deserted block I decided to switch on the thermal imager, which was built into my visor. Now the empty streets were not so dead deserted, and I could see something, like some civilian opening a window and pulling something out. Stop. Instantly pulling out my gravity cannon, I take a aimed shot towards the window. Noting that the silhouette had stopped moving, I continued to search for any other 'shooters'. Local fanatics are known for their blind devotion to the spiritual leader, and in essence each parish was an autonomous sect, where the local 'cleric' held all the power. And I was fine with that as long as they stayed out of our affairs, but who knew that the maximum damage would be done by these 'peaceful sheep' blindly following their 'shepherd'.
As I drove past the partially destroyed temple, I just shook my head. Anarchy had caught up with them. Well, everything has its price and for their recklessness they paid for their destruction. They fought each other for power, though what else would you expect from fanatics led by power-seekers who can't see beyond their own noses? They wanted the city! And here we are... Chaos, lawlessness and anarchy everywhere.
When I saw the flames on the thermal imager, I immediately tensed up, but it was too late. A targeted volley of five grenade launchers from the side of the temple destroyed the first BRDM that was ahead of the column. Immediately catching those bastards in the optics, I fired a shot from the gravity cannon, which has already proved itself quite well. But I was a fraction of a second too late, and some clever fanatic had already fired a charge at our car. I was instantly blown away by the blast wave, knocking me into the burnt-out hulk of some small car. The wave of adrenaline immediately accelerated my perception, and the nanites did not allow me to switch off, but only strengthened my muscles, giving me the opportunity to get up instantly. Calmly noting that we were surrounded, and the first destroyed BRDM had blocked the road and now we were trapped, I only cursed with feeling.
Not having found a weapon at hand and not commenting on it in any way, I quickly pulled out my old Colt 1911 from the holster and with the first shot killed the asshole with RPG, who was already aiming at our last BRDM. Next came a vacuum grenade into the biggest cluster of fanatics, who were chanting some prayers and shooting at our stunned guys who survived the shelling. When I spotted some kid with an RPK, I sped up and knocked him down, instantly breaking the guy's caddy and taking the weapon. Throwing out my tactical visor, which cracked from the blast wave, immediately losing my thermal imager, I cursed in three languages and immediately began to search for new targets that almost blended in with the surroundings. The sandstorm was playing tricks on us and without the thermal imager I couldn't see much, but the fanatics kept singing, so I started firing at the sound of prayers and bursts of gunfire.
Soon I was joined by the rest of the fighters, and we finally suppressed the bastards with fire.
Having collected all the survivors and loaded the wounded into the surviving car, we started to inspect the 'ambush' and killing all those who had not been killed, showing mercy with one meagre shot, because today we do not take prisoners. In one of the buildings we found a French-made army radio, next to it there were open boxes with RPG charges, in the distance we could see boxes with cheap and not so cheap alcohol. The floor of the building was generously strewn with used syringes, and that spoke volumes. At least now it was clear why they were so brave and reckless. On the other hand, it's easier to fight junkies and other scum than it is to fight someone with ideas. So maybe it's for the best, although it's a shame about the guys who got killed. So many fighters died for nothing. But there's nothing we can do now, so all we have to do is take the city so that our losses won't be in vain!
There was a smell of smoke coming from the TV centre. Turning around, I saw a huge column of smoke and bright flames from the neighbouring houses. Looks like it's time for a pyromancer's fire. I don't think I can guarantee that I'll get him alive. I'll give it a try....