Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Chapter 126 The shadow underfoot ([-])
Lower part of Alpha Base.

Tommy sat on the first step, checking the equipment he had brought with him.He held a cleaning device and meticulously fiddled with the MA5B rifle in his hand.

After a long battle, the weapons carried with them will almost undoubtedly undergo tremendous torture and tests from the surrounding natural environment. If a soldier cannot discover and deal with the malfunctions and maintenance problems of the firearm in time, then in subsequent battles Among them, there is a high possibility that the weapons will temporarily go out of business, or worse, poorly maintained firearms will explode in the hands of the soldiers themselves. For a soldier, this is simply a nightmare.

He looked into the space recessed into the mountain on one side. A whole company of Marines were fully armed, waiting for the cutting torch to cut through the metal mesh.Rebekah is not one of them. She is not a rock-hard, battle-tested Spartan capable of remaining competent after such intense combat—she is ultimately just a little girl who has just joined the military.

But no matter how stubborn a human being is, there are limits, and Spartans are no exception.Tommy always felt a dull pain in his chest from time to time, and long-term sleep deprivation made his brain dizzy - these threats were no less than the Flood.

Bright, flickering sparks splashed down into the hellish darkness below, and every warrior man and woman wondered what lay ahead.Will they survive?Or do you want to stay at the bottom of this deep cave forever?None of this is known.

First there was a loud "clang" sound, and then six white lights like small suns lit up, illuminating the inner surface of the stairwell and shining directly on the filthy and smelly floor below.

Several steel ropes swung down, connecting to the pulling device at the top of the stairwell.Tommy put away the equipment, pulled the rope to confirm its stability, then jumped lightly and landed along the rope to the bottom of the well.

The Helltroopers came down next, not down the stairs one at a time, where the Infected Flood might pick them off one by one.Six at a time they swung down the rope.In this way, they can land on the ground one after another within a few seconds, assuming a half-kneeling position, with their backs together, facing outwards, and their weapons at the ready.

The helmet worn by each Helltrooper has two headlamps and a camera.As their heads moved back and forth, the soldiers repeatedly scanned the surrounding walls. The signals were transmitted to the metal mesh panels above, and from there directly to the top of the mountain.

The tactical light at the bottom of the assault rifle swept left and right vigilantly. Tommy saw four huge arched holes deeply embedded in the wall at the bottom of the stairwell. They needed to be sealed to block the way to the ring-shaped building. the way.

No sign of the Flood was found for the time being. Tommy waved his hand, and several hell paratroopers hunkered down and approached the arched hole.He opened the commander's communication channel and said: "Lieutenant McKay, do you see the four holes in front of you?"

"I saw it, sir, the video image is clear," McKay replied.

"Good," Tommy said, "We need to seal them. I want to see the 'stopper' reach the bottom of the stairwell within three to ten minutes before the Flood can take advantage of it."

"Received, sir."

As Tommy relayed the order, Ellie was calculating the exact dimensions of each arched hole so Navy technicians could create metal "plugs."These "plugs" will be lowered to the bottom of the stairwell and then manually installed in place to block the original arched holes.

A few minutes later, the computer-generated "plug" outline was laser-shot onto the metal plate. Several Navy technicians walked up quickly, the cutting torch was ignited, and cutting began.Engineering was not Tommy's strong point. He stepped on the solid rock ground and looked around.The walls at the bottom of the stairwell are covered with surrounding reliefs and familiar Forerunner writings.He wanted to get closer and take a closer look and touch the images that had been burned here for a long time with his fingers, but the sudden rustling sound in the arched cave made him immediately point the muzzle of his gun inside.

"Enemies encountered!" a Marine shouted urgently, "I saw something moving!"

Tommy was just about to take a closer look, but the flood of demons came in like a tide, saving him from such trouble.The impending death sends adrenaline rushing through the bloodstream, driving away all pain and exhaustion.He pulled the trigger decisively, and the fierce gunfire echoed through the walls for a long time.

"Marine, fire!" he ordered while tugging on the rope trapped around his waist. The latter shook twice in response, and then a powerful pull from his waist lifted his feet off the ground.

Seven firmly anchored winches pulled the entire company into the air, out of reach of the Flood from the ground.The soldiers fired while rising. Some marines who had only seen corpses and videos were so frightened by the ugly monsters that their faces were distorted. They cursed loudly at the fighting Flood who was leading the charge to hide their inner fear.

The yelling Marine sprayed bullets, reloaded his rifle, cocked his weapon and kept firing.The combat-type Flood he was targeting jumped into the air 15 meters high, wrapped its tentacles around the waist of the Marines, and slammed a rock into the heads of the human soldiers.

Then he picked up the assault rifle hanging on the shoulder of the fallen Marine. The monster climbed up the rope like an oversized monkey, aiming directly at the upper platform.

"Calm down, they are also made of flesh and blood, keep the firepower!" Tommy reminded loudly and calmly, grabbed the rope and swung it for a while, came under the Flood warrior, reached out and grabbed the legs and feet to pull them off, and then he It was smashed into pieces by the incoming armor-piercing bullets.

Sergeant Lister was still standing on the metal mesh, aiming his pistol directly downwards. Three bullets penetrated the Flood soldier's head from top to bottom. The monster hanging on the rope fell downwards, and finally disappeared in the In the sea of ​​​​alien flesh surging like a tide.

"Move, guys!" shouted the sergeant. "Drop the bait and drop the bomb!"

Plasma beams chased the whirring winch and jumped upwards one after another. Tommy and the hell paratroopers kept rising. More than 20 grenades fell under the metal mesh and exploded in the ragtag crowd.

None of them are fragmentation grenades, because the shrapnel emitted by the fragmentation grenades will hurt the soldiers above, while the plasma grenades can effectively burn the chaotic Flood monsters and cause a series of explosions.

The successive flashes of dazzling blue light caused most of the screaming Flood demons to evaporate, leaving the rest vulnerable to the hail of bullets and a new round of grenade attacks.

Ten minutes later, news came that the "stopper" was ready, and a combat team was sent down the shaft, followed by four technical teams.The arched hole was finally blocked perfectly, the stairwell was sealed, and the metal mesh was restored.It's not a done deal, but you can rest easy for the next day or two - which is the whole purpose of this mission.

(End of this chapter)