Mercenary Black Mamba

"What a fight!"

The sign of a red triangle in a blue circle was the Odam Allied Forces. The sign of a blue hammer crossed with a fang was the Peshmer Brigade. Mu Ssang felt like he was watching a 3D war film in the most comfortable chair in the world. It was thanks to the full bionic vision and hearing provided by Garuda.

It was the first time Mu Ssang ever witnessed tank warfare. The vast scene of a howling sandstorm in which gigantic steel vehicles fought was quite a sight. The tanks charged, demolishing sand dunes. They set their opponent ablaze with one shot of their shells. He understood why the tanks were called the flowers of war.

"Ibrahim was tricked. He could have been fooled by hallucination."

The desert was an open space. Fighting with tanks in such an environment took mobility and high morale. The side where there was more trust between comrades and the will to crush the enemy wins. The AMX-10RCs divided themselves into offensive and defensive roles, but they were withdrawing because they already lost the defensive advantages.

Every tank that was shooting hull-down from the bottom of the wadi and the slope was a T55. It meant that Peshmer was lured by Bansiri's forces. The foot soldiers, three in a group, fired RPG-7 and AT-3 anti-tank missiles, then they disappeared before the enemy could retaliate. The shaman was helping the soldiers move and hide. With such supernatural expertise, the battle was going to be uneven from the beginning.

Tanks were powerful weaponry but also could easily be targeted. They could easily be decimated by cheap RPG shells fired by soldiers. The tanks were supposed to provide cover for the soldiers with their superior firepower as they were protected by accompanying soldiers. The combat vehicles housing soldiers moved together with the tanks.

Another reason Peshmer lost was due to the anti-tank artillery holding RPG-7s and AT-3 anti-tank missiles. The Peshmer soldiers unloaded from the AMX-10RC were decimated by mobile machine guns and RPG-7s, whereas the Odam soldiers backed by the shaman's sorcery appeared here and there throughout the battlefield. Such a maneuver was hard to track even with the modern war equipment they had.

* * *

"The RPG shooter at three o'clock direction!"

The turret turned. Flame exploded from the back of the turret. The 34-ton lightweight battle tank had superior mobility but weak armor.

"The turret is hit!"

"Get them! Get them this time no matter what!"

Captain Wyler's order was close to a scream. Their tanks were struggling because of the enemy anti-tank artillery. The third missile had already hit the troop leader's tank. Bullets showered from machine guns mounted on the command tank's hull.

"We missed it again, Captain."

The machine gunner's voice was lacking morale. Wyler couldn't blame him for it. His own was waning too.

"Fuck!"

Captain Wyler slammed his fist onto the engine console. He needed to command the troop, but they were busy defending the tank because of the enemy artillery. If they couldn't take it out, they were surely not going to see the sunrise tomorrow. But as soon as they targeted it, it vanished like a mirage.

"Smoke bomb! Evasive!"

Dark smoke engulfed the tank. The command tank ran out like a racehorse that had just been kicked in the butt.

"Gunner! Fire to the left, 800 meters!"

The T55 turret was flung mid-air, aflame.

"Great!"

The tank's turret, turning to the next target, abruptly came to a halt.

"Captain, the turret is stuck!"

"What? Fuck!"

Wyler's swear could be heard. The turret's hinge, after being struck repeatedly, finally caused trouble. The revolving turret was a key feature of a tank. With the turret stuck, the tank could only serve as a mobile machine gun mount.

"We are being targeted!"

The driver's scream was loud.

"Evasive!"

A T62 was seen in the lens, turning its turret toward them, 500 meters ahead. The driver stepped on the accelerator and steered. It was too late. The 36-ton heap of steel was struck and lost balance. The RPM rose rapidly, but the tank only turned in place.

"Captain, the right caterpillar is out."

"I know!" Wyler yelled.

With the turret and caterpillar gone, it was like the tank had lost its fists and legs. Now, they could do nothing but await a blow from the enemy.

"We took out two of them. Our death will not be in vain," Wyler muttered.

His country treated the family of deceased or wounded soldiers well. If crippled, they could spend the rest of their lives in a national nursing home. Their family members had an advantage when they applied for government jobs or private contractors connected to the government. If deceased, three generations of his family would receive ample pensions.

"A cannon at two o'clock!"

"No! That idiot."

The driver and Wyler shouted at once. The AMX-10RC shielded their tank. The armored vehicle, struck by an AT-3, was flung into the air. Smoke rose from its cupola. It wasn't completely destroyed, but its engine was turned off. An armored vehicle without mobility was an easy target. It soon was struck by a missile and set aflame.

"Get them!"

The front machine gun was fired.

"I got them!" the gunner squealed.

The 12.7mm rounds tore up the group of snipers who was about to vanish.

"Get ready! Maintain the front!" Wyler yelled into his walkie-talkie.

He knew his order fell on deaf ears. The Peshmer, ambushed while moving, was cut into small groups. Two platoons were not responding. He could guess the situation they were in.

"Our King, I did my best. I accept this dignified death. I believe that you will punish the wicked enemy with lightning. So, I don't even have any grudge."

Private Yair, the gunner, joined his hands together and prayed to the east.

* * *

"That's bad!"

"45 percent of the forces are lost. The rest will be eliminated in 15 minutes. Shall I scour the ground with my photon cannon?"

"You will end up killing my guys. Pick them off one by one!"

Mu Ssang let out a yell. The scouter analyzed the battlefield.

"Big vermin: 22. Small vermin: 56. The area: 6 square kilometers. It will take 95 seconds. Why do I need to do it this way when I have such a good weapon?"

Garuda swooped down. The first victim was a T62, turning its barrel to finish off Wyler's command tank. Garuda wielded its 70-meter long, 3-meter thick tail at hypersonic speed. Private Yair's prayer proved effective. The tank, struck by the sudden blow, was crushed like a caterpillar under a shoe. A BPM1, caught in Garuda's claws, was crushed like an empty cigarette case.

"It's really lightning!" Private Yair yelled.

"Ibrahim, we have something steely striking our foes. Their T62 is smashed."

Captain Wyler's frantic yell could be heard.

"Is Mu Ssang here?"

The ammunition loader and gunner opened the side hatch and poked their heads out.

"Whoa!"

The loader and gunner let out a surprised cry. A pitch-dark monster covered the battlefield with its shadow. It had wider wings than a large sailing ship. Its body was as big as a large battleship while its neck was long like a snake's. Its legs were like pillars of a Greek temple. It was an unimaginable monster.

Garuda flew low and wielded its tail relentlessly. It was the greatest whipping ever witnessed on earth. With each strike, a tank or an armored vehicle was smashed into pieces.

The human body couldn't withstand the blow that smashed 600-millimeter thick pressed steel. The crew of the tanks became paste without knowing anything. The anti-tank snipers crisscrossing the battlefield met the same fate. With the advent of an overpowered adversary, the battlefield turned into a chaotic massacre.

"A monster!"

"Dear Allah!"

The drivers overloaded their engines and attempted evasive maneuvers but it was to no avail. Quantum artificial intelligence-controlled tail identified the Odam tanks and vehicles and then smashed them.

"What is that?" Bansiri yelled.

He felt as if he was dreaming. He wiped his periscope lens and looked again.

"Idiots! It's in the sky! Shoot!"

The vast flying beast smashed the fist of Allah which was their force. It was a djinn. The tanks and BMP1s, finally coming back to their senses, fired and so did the anti-tank artillerymen. They fired at once. Heat bombs, RPG7s, and AT-3s kept hitting its body, but Garuda didn't care at all.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Ibrahim, having figured out the situation, yelled until his voice gave out. The surviving tanks and vehicles retreated hurriedly.

"Allah, are you abandoning me?"

Bansiri appeared out of a cupola and wept. Kaparuza saw a non-human human ruining a divine event. Now, an otherworldly beast appeared and ruined their great endeavor.

"Allah, curse them!" Bansiri yelled, flailing his fist.

"Is that Bansiri?"

Mu Ssang smiled cunningly. The man that was yelling out of his mind must be Bansiri. The man had his face covered with a bulletproof helmet and goggles, but Dimensional Sight could discern the man's energy.

"All fled. He's the only one left."

Mu Ssang paid no further mind. He was soon going to be paste. A dark shadow slammed Bansiri.

"No!" Bansiri screamed.

Then there was no scream. The smashed tank was flung 50 meters away. Bansiri was now definitely paste. Abu Bansiri, the notorious terrorist leader, disappeared like that. No one ended well after wronging Mu Ssang.

"Vermin eradicated. 98 seconds taken."

Garuda soared. A nozzle protruding from its behind breathed out a blue haze. A large text was written with a backdrop of a sunset-soaked sky. The evolving artificial intelligence acted on its own.

"I'm here!"

Garuda, accomplishing its task, disappeared out of the eastern sky. Thirty minutes later, Gazel fighter jets flew in at full speed. The cheering Peshmer mechanized brigade and trashed steel, which were scattered three kilometers around, welcomed them. Two hours later, the mobilized army of Mu Ssang cleaned the battlefield.

* * *

At the Bachilkile Valley, the headquarters of the Odam Allied Forces, the missile mounts were being charged. The artillerymen shouldering portable missiles ran about looking for cover. The jeeps, mounted with Shpagin DSHK-38 anti-air missiles, gathered and prepared for the incoming battle in which they would shower the sky with their missiles.

"Oh, it's gone!" the soldier manning the radar yelled.

The flying object, approaching them from the western sky, disappeared without a trace from the radar. The phenomenon was incomprehensible. The size and speed of the object didn't make such a thing plausible. He regretted sounding the alarm. He feared facing his boss about this.

Garuda flew around the Bachilkile Valley in stealth. The length of the entire valley was 28 kilometers. The entrance was only 5-6 meters, but the inside was a 2,500-meter-wide basin. Emerald-like ponds were scattered across the valley. There were some forests. Near the perimeter, there were a lot of wild animals.

The valley had the potential to be a tourist attraction, but it was already full of 'tourists'. There were hundreds of artificial caves on both sides of the beautiful valley, and turban-wearing people were scattered among ammunition and weaponry.

They would withstand bomber shelling in such an environment. There were anti-air ranges here and there. Countless bunkers too. If Mu Ssang were to personally take care of it, it would take days.

"Such beautiful scenery, but we have no time," Mu Ssang muttered.

He didn't show it although an ominous feeling latched onto his head and didn't let go. He needed to take care of it promptly and fly to Ituri as soon as possible.

"If you haven't used poisonous gas, I could have exercised some mercy. I pray to the Buddha!"

Mu Ssang, feeling some guilt, prayed to the Buddha.

"Erase them, Garuda."

The fusion reactor unleashed tremendous energy. The gigantic body purred. The three horns were clouded by dense plasma. When the energy output was maximum, it came out of stealth.

"It reappeared!"

The radar soldier transmitted the coordinates of the flying object to the missile ranges. At that precise moment, an 8,000-degree plasma beam struck the basin. Light filled the world and the valley vibrated. The soldier was disintegrated into atoms without even being able to scream.

Every natural or artificial object in the two-kilometer radius evaporated. A massive heat storm scoured both sides of the valley. The energy was compressed once again. The second plasma beam struck the valley. The ground was shaken.

The third beam struck the ground. Combined energy waves resonated. A 300-meters-per-second heat storm engulfed the valley. The depth of the Bachilkile valley ranged from 100 meters to 500 meters. The heat storm, caught in the basin, roared to the entrance. There was no scream. Humans turned to ashes at once. Steel weaponry melted down. Rock boiled over like porridge.