[[[ The Tavern ]]]
(Marwan): This isn't the first time... they've been coming to us over the years, and every year their demands and assaults increase more and more whenever we refuse or delay... they want protection fees, and there's no one we need protection from except them... it's truly disgusting.
(Sorai): What about the young man in that call?
_ That's my brother... and this is my village... when things started getting worse, I decided to join them to earn a high rank and help my village... I had combat skills that enabled me to do that, and they made great use of me... I was forced to commit crimes for them and became wanted by the Union.
(Sorai with a laughing smile): Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you?
_ Do whatever you want... Shall I continue?
_ Go on, I was just joking. I'm not interested in doing extra work for the army.
_ This gang gave me what I wanted in return... they lifted the sanctions on the village and we got some privileges too after I became a leader there... then their demands became more brutal and criminal... and when they started a project to kidnap civilians for ransom, I felt deep guilt even though I didn't participate in those acts.
_ Let me guess, they asked you to join and you refused?
_ Yes... they had modern combat mechas that I used in battles for them... when I decided to escape, I took one with me... and now they're hunting me for it and because I killed many of their members... they haven't found me but they took every friend I had, and they took my brother... the one you just saw and the other, a boy two years younger.
_ So you know where to find them?
_ It's no use... without an army, you can't storm the place... I tried to sneak in and failed. They're not a small beginner gang... their leader is a former army officer, and they have gene fighters up to level four... individual power won't work against their weapons and mechas... the only reason I survived is that my mecha is exceptionally fast among its peers.
Sorai leaned back and fell into deep thought.
""We might use up our ammo too early.""
(Sorai): We'll study the situation in detail... tonight, do you have time?
(Marwan): You know I don't have much time.
_ So, do you want to go fight them where they're already expecting you, and you've already failed before?
Marwan stayed silent, and Sorai continued.
_ We'll study all the details. Follow me.
...
(Two hours later)
(Repair Workshop on the Mountain Top)
The mechanic had already finished repairing the mecha, and it wasn't in the location.
Zeus, Sorai, Marwan, and Beatrix gathered there, trying to devise a plan after Marwan showed them all the details about the enemy base and military power.
Simply put, getting in and out was impossible.
The enemy had advanced sensor devices at their base and many strong individuals and military forces.
Just dozens of regular soldiers—without gene enhancements—were enough to bring down a gene fighter in a direct battle.
The enemy base was located in a complex network of endless mountain tunnels.
This made it especially difficult for outsiders unfamiliar with the area.
Sorai was certain he'd get lost in that place every minute unless he had a map, and maybe wouldn't have considered entering at all without one.
The number of enemy fighters reached up to 150 soldiers, including some level-one and level-two gene fighters.
In addition to that number were the leader and elite members, of whom Marwan was once one. These were level-three gene fighters like Sorai, Zeus, and Beatrix—with the leader and his deputy being level-four gene fighters.
Sorai wasn't afraid of confrontation, since a higher-level gene fighter only meant the ability to operate stronger, more defensive suits... so if the stronger fighter had poor skills, the lower-level but more skilled fighter could win over time with accumulated strikes.
Also, we must not forget the effect of weapons and gear that can turn the tide of battle—along with luck and circumstances.
Victories weren't determined by numbers and levels but by skill and intelligence first and foremost.
Well, maybe if the numbers were extreme like 150 vs. 4 in terrain fully in the enemy's favor... maybe in that case, the battle would be about numbers.
Sorai couldn't come up with any viable plan since his focus was primarily on freeing the hostages, whose exact location in the base was unknown—let alone fighting the entire group.
Even the map was quite incomplete, as Marwan only had details of some main areas he had personally visited.
It was complicated.
Hours passed, and eventually Zeus went to sleep, and Beatrix didn't stay up either, leaving only Sorai and Marwan.
...
(3:00 AM)
Sorai heard a distant, deep sniper gunshot and asked curiously:
_ Did you hear that?
(Marwan): There's a strict ban on civilians using weapons... I don't think that was a random shot.
Suddenly, they began to hear intense gunfire in the distance.
Sorai shouted loudly:
_ Zeus! Beatrix! Wake up now!
Beatrix rushed out of the room immediately, and Zeus came out of the second room a minute later with a sleepy face.
(Zeus angrily): You bastard, couldn't you wait until morning!? ... What are those sounds? ... Is there a battle nearby?
Zeus looked around as his vision cleared and saw Beatrix preparing a beautiful silver sniper rifle, and Sorai was placing bombs in the compressed compartment of his suit made for such grenades.
Suddenly, they heard the loud engine of a mecha outside the house.
(Sorai): Get ready quickly. I brought your gear from the car.
Zeus found an assault rifle with a 100-energy round capacity and a 1 km range, equipped with a specialized scope.
It was a mid-to-long-range spray rifle, but nothing stopped it from being used up close.
(Zeus): Bro, I'm a close-range fighter, I don't need this weapon.
(Sorai): We're not fighting up close... this isn't our battle. We'll join as regular backline soldiers if needed... You must not reveal that you're a gene fighter too... we need to understand what's happening before anything else... you will follow my orders precisely, got it? ... This is a battlefield, and I'm not your friend—I'm your commander.
(Zeus): Wait, when did we appoint you as commander!?
(Beatrix): We played rock-paper-scissors.
(Zeus): Wait... what about me!?
They didn't say a word, but their expressions said everything. Zeus instantly knew their reply was: (Are you kidding us!? ... You're not fit to lead, you'd just get us killed.)
(Sorai): Switch to serious mode, enough playing... let's go.
Sorai left after saying that. Beatrix followed him immediately, and Zeus followed them in silence, resigned, carrying his rifle lazily.
(Zeus): This mecha's amazing, man... no wonder it's fast like they said... the beast it's built from is one of the fastest desert birds.
The mecha, a hybrid of machine and the organic parts of a beast, had the extra trait of seeming alive rather than mechanical.
When the pilot connected with the beast's brain—stored near the energy core—he would partially behave like the creature without realizing it.
Zeus watched as the mecha automatically fluffed its feathers with its eagle-like beak.
Marwan spoke through the mouth of the Alvaro bird:
_ Get on. I'll drop you on the mountain top near the entrance... and hold on tight—I'm not responsible if any of you fall.
The trio climbed aboard, and the massive mecha—3 meters tall with wings spread 9 meters wide—took off into the sky.