NOVEL WEB Chapter 154 - Tactical Explosion
Chapter 154 Tactical Explosion
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“It’s been a long time since I used the Mk.18 for its original purpose.”
Come to think of it, that’s true. Hahaha.
Fact）This was originally a designated marksman rifle.
If the firepower is good, can’t it be used for CQB?
Wow! Mid-range sniping! Lapua!
You used it like a slug shotgun all the time, right? LOL.
But in the past and now, it was rare for engagement distances to exceed 200 meters. What could I do?
The sensation of the trigger under my finger. Through the LPVO, a scope capable of variable magnification, I saw the enemy troops moving busily. And a little below that, Harmony was cautiously approaching.
I added to the communication.
“I’ll be providing cover and sniping simultaneously, so focus on the instructions. We have 30 attachment patches left. Does that match your count?”
“Yes. We have 30 patches for location identification and remote access, all functioning properly. The ground drones are also in good shape.”
“Alright, let’s go. I’ll mark a waypoint, move slowly.”
At the same time, I marked one. A stone wall 30 meters ahead of Harmony.
This mission had better odds of success with fewer people. It was a kind of infiltration operation. The ideal number was around four. But it was still good to have one infiltrator and one support providing cover and sniping.
To explain a bit more, the patches were, as the name suggested, attachments. They were about the size of a thumbnail, contained in a drone, and served as signal transmitters.
Once attached to any electronic device, they allowed for limited interference and control through the ICARUS Gear, and most importantly, they could be clearly seen on the HUD and minimap.
Moreover, the Aegis system we needed to hijack was designed for anti-aircraft attacks, not for targeting ground objects. This patch would break that rule.
In short, the term ‘firecracker’ referred to the mutual anti-aircraft missile attacks.
“Stop. Do you see the patrol ahead?”
“Yes, I see them. Their armament… is quite substantial.”
“No trailing patrol, no enemies within 70 meters. We’ll stun them with shock rounds and take them out one by one. The two on the right are mine.”
When they got close enough, I’d shoot.
The sound of the suppressed gunshots muffled through the silencer spread into the winter air as the steel core round pierced the head of the enemy at the center of the patrol.
Before he could fall, a shock round fired through a pistol barrel pierced his bulletproof vest and released a massive current upon contact with his body. The electric crackle paralyzed him, though not enough to knock him down completely, it was sufficient.
I fired another shot. His body was shaking, but it was enough to aim for the chest instead of the head this time. The second shot pierced his bulletproof vest, shattering his heart and lungs simultaneously, while Harmony planted two rounds of armor-piercing rounds in the other man’s head.
It was over.
“Should we just leave the bodies?”
“As long as we finish our task before another patrol comes, don’t worry about it. Check the new waypoint I’ve uploaded.”
From then on, it was a repetition of similar processes.
Sometimes we encountered patrols with dog-like robots equipped with grenade launchers, but it wasn’t significantly different. Machines or humans, they both malfunctioned when hit by shock rounds.
By this point, Harmony’s shooting practice paid off. When the patrols included more than four members, it was necessary to coordinate for a quick takedown. Harmony performed this task excellently.
The bullet passing through the suppressor pierced the enemy’s soft skin, causing them to fall and slowly cool down, while the Lapua Magnum round wrecked the body of the dog-like robot.
With a few minutes passing under the same principle, I saw Harmony again through the sparse branches.
Thinking of Washington, one recalls the White House, the memorial, and the long rectangular pond. Beside it is the World War II Memorial. Now it was time for Harmony to put in some effort.
“I’m going down. I’ll head toward the Lincoln Memorial along the lake, while you attach patches to every visible enemy target along the Potomac River line. Be very careful.”
“I’ll try.”
Creeeak.
Descending from the Washington Monument, I quickly moved along the pre-marked waypoints.
Meanwhile, Harmony’s ultra-quiet drone took off. The disadvantage was that it couldn’t rise more than 30 meters to maintain stealth, but its operational range was several square kilometers, so moving around directly was a hassle.
In just a few minutes, it passed Harmony’s location. Navigating among trees and encountering patrols multiple times, I just had to take them down one by one.
───Pew! Pew! Pew!
For 5.56mm rounds, sure, but a Lapua Magnum ensured a kill with a single shot to a vital spot. The patrol members fell as if punched, and the accompanying dog robots turned into scrap metal.
It seemed easy, but time was critical. A little delay would draw maximum attention, and after taking down all the enemies, infantry fighting vehicles would likely come to tear me apart.
No matter what, I couldn’t beat an armored vehicle.
Whoa! That’s refreshing. Wow!
The speed is amazing, really.
This person is running and shooting!!
Time magazine’s top Mk.18 advertiser, Yoo Jin. Haha.
The straight-line distance was roughly 300-400 meters, but as we approached the memorial and the underground Aegis system, the number of enemies increased, taking more time.
Even with a suppressor, the noise reduction wasn’t significant, especially for large-caliber rifles. Hence, it was time to switch to something quieter.
A stark contrast to the heavy and long-barreled Mk.18 Mjölnir. An unusual, flat-shaped gun unlike any ordinary weapon.
───Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The submachine gun spewed 7N31 rounds like a spray.
KRISS Vector.
A submachine gun equipped with an Osprey suppressor as long as half the gun fired high-penetration 9mm rounds. This weight made it almost non-existent, so my mobility didn’t drop.
The only downside was the rapid ammunition consumption. To ensure a kill, I needed to place three or more shots in the head, requiring concentration and stamina. It also demanded quick magazine changes.
But a dense number of enemies meant shorter engagement distances. After taking down the nearby enemies, I reached a kind of mid-point hub.
It was the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
“There’s a lot of people.”
The area was crowded.
The structures atop the memorial were broken and crumbled, and there were anti-aircraft missiles brought in from somewhere. Combat engineers managing them and enemy troops patrolling around.
It seemed I had to handle this alone.
Before that, I needed to check something.
“Is the marking going well?”
“Oh, yes! About one-third is done now.”
“If you hear combat noises from this side, don’t worry and focus on your task. Got it?”
“Uh…okay. You’ll handle it well, right?”
“That’s the spirit.”
Click.
I pulled out four grenades from the pouch and laid them neatly on the ground, followed by a seeker mine and sticky bombs. After briefly letting the Vector breathe outside, I put it away and took out the Mk.18 again to handle situations where one shot per enemy was necessary.
After marking all enemy positions on the UI, I grabbed a grenade in each hand and pulled the pins. After a brief cook-off, they arced in different directions.
There was no metallic clinking.
The cooked grenades exploded mid-air, scattering shrapnel in all directions.
───Boom!
“Ugh!”
“Enemy attack, enemy attack—ugh!”
“Everyone, battle stations!”
But then came two more grenades.
Exploding with a loud bang, tearing through the enemies, while a seeker mine rolled with a buzzing sound and sprang into the air, splitting with a boom and scattering a dozen incendiary submunitions.
The area within a 15-meter radius exploded with bright light, forming a large fire zone with thermite, napalm, propane gas, and other elements, melting the enemies mercilessly.
But that was just the beginning.
Bang!
With an ominous clang, a sticky bomb attached to the anti-aircraft missile pod.
By the time the rogue armies noticed, it had already ignited. Taking advantage of their confusion, Yoo Jin had escaped at least 50 meters away. Her escape speed was incredible.
If someone had seen her, they might have testified that an enemy with a snake tail on their butt vanished into the bushes at high speed, but not in this world.
Because they were all destined to die.
The flames began to burn brightly.
───Shhh!
“Damn, we’re all—”
Boom!
A blinding white flame erupted from the sticky bomb attached to the platform, melting the steel frame and touching the missile body and propellant.
The eerie silence was followed by a dazzling flash. To ensure target elimination, the embedded shrapnel and high-explosive rounds exploded at a much lower altitude than the intended 10km.
The chain explosion of missiles covered the enemy’s central hub. People were torn to pieces, and the launch platform turned into thousands of shredded metal pieces, causing secondary damage.
Seventy meters away, in a sparse forest.
Yoo Jin lay on the ground, covering her head and face.
She cautiously exhaled, scanning the explosion site with her eyes.
“…I didn’t need to use the gun here.”
This is why you can’t shake off the ‘serial exploder’ label. LOL.
Oh, I should use this tactic next time.
Look at the shrapnel stuck in the
trees. Haha.
If you hadn’t escaped, it would have been a restart. LOL.
Are you Michael Bay? Haha.
Complaining about the ‘exploder’ label after this? Maybe you swapped your conscience for that impressive tail?
But where’s a more effective method than this?
She attempted to argue that calculated explosions at precise points were different from reckless firework displays but eventually closed her mouth and sighed softly.
The mission had only just passed its early stages.
Wow, another national champion? Can advertise this everywhere? My life’s proudest moment is treating you to a meal and becoming friends. My heart swells with pride. But why is your avatar like that?
“Ugh, you’re hitting a sore spot. I just want to see cute characters, even in cyberspace. Don’t you understand the philosophy in this avatar? I’m Summit from TK1. You should just accept what I say.”
I don’t get the philosophy, but I know you’re a pervert. Anyway, how long are you resting? The guys are dying to see you. Anywhere you want to go? They’re thinking of renting a resort to drink and barbecue.
“I’ll be resting for at least three days. Just invite everyone who’s available.”
Alright. We’re expecting great things in the finals again. I’ll call once the arrangements are made. Just bring yourself. Got it? Bye!
“Hey, hey! It’s not even splitting the cost… Hey! Damn it….”
Click.
He hung up after saying his piece.
Do they think I’m broke, those bastards? It feels uncomfortable just taking their hospitality. But refusing when they’re gathering to celebrate me feels wrong too.
Life is full of dilemmas.
Anyway, it’s Monday. A day with no training or schedule. It’s the first time for such leisure. While some TK1 members were still immersed in practice for the upcoming KTM this weekend, not me.
After all, I went to the finals last year with three others – Dice from SSM and Ink from Xi – and visited the U.S., so I’d like a break from other competitions.
“Sigh.”
Thinking of food made me hungry.
But now, as a senior soldier close to discharge – though nowadays even senior soldiers get dragged into work – I just lay on the bed.
The great thing was, with advancing technology, food could now be ordered visually. I picked several dishes and quickly spent tens of thousands of won.
Spending money was so easy.
“By the way, what is that person doing…?”
Yoo Jin.
Even excluding the Tannhäuser match disrupted by Dice, she was someone I instinctively felt I could never beat. Now she’s my teammate representing Korea, and that’s incredibly reassuring, but…
I suddenly got curious. A few weeks ago, I spent a lot of time analyzing her streams, but now… what was she doing?
Naturally, my hand reached for the Tricky website. I didn’t need to search for Yoo Jin specifically. She was already on the real-time HOT broadcasts. Streaming with Harmony… with 54,000 viewers.
That’s a lot.
Click.
───Boom!
It might have been more interesting to watch this at night.
“…Main mission?”
No.
The map clearly showed the mission to secure Tidal Basin Forward Base, but why was there a fireworks display?
It didn’t take long for him to realize that the cause of the explosion was an anti-aircraft missile.
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