Chapter 102: Convoy Ambushed
While Luna Dawson’s family recounted the day’s encounters to one another, a different scene unfolded at Luke Locke’s convoy.
"Captain Rhodes, a massive flock of mutated birds is approaching us from the direction of the base!" Saul Eaton said, keeping his voice low.
Luke Locke furrowed his brows. "Damn it! We only have a dozen kilometers left, and now this!"
While staying overnight at a small private villa the previous evening, Susan Vaughn had insisted on grilling lamb chops outdoors, claiming it would be incredibly romantic with the snowy scenery.
In the end, they never got to eat the lamb chops. The smell had attracted hundreds of mutated rats, forcing the squad to fight until well past midnight to wipe them out. To make matters worse, a seemingly terrified Susan had stumbled over to the exhausted Luke Locke and thrown herself precisely into his arms. Shocked, Luke had shoved her away. As a result, from the early hours of the morning all the way through the day, he had walked around with a look of utter disgust on his face, looking as though he had swallowed a fly.
"Brother Rhodes! We’ve got terrible luck! Those mutated birds will be here in about fifteen minutes!" Sean Palmer estimated through his binoculars from the lead military jeep, looking like he had completely lost the will to live.
"Fuck! We’ve never had a mission where we hit consecutive massive waves like this! What rotten luck!" Hugh Palmer slammed his hands against the steering wheel in anger.
Saul Eaton turned around from the passenger seat, his eyes frantically signaling toward the RV at the back.
Luke Locke’s mouth twitched. He recalled the nightmare he had early in the morning—a dream where Susan Vaughn, dressed in her nightgown, tried to drag him into Ron Rivers’s bed—and subconsciously shuddered in horror.
"Find the nearest house for cover. Turn off the engines and do not make a single sound!"
"Got it!"
Byron Bell slammed on the RV’s gas pedal, closely trailing the military trucks.
The sudden acceleration pushed the resting Ron Rivers and Susan Vaughn together, sending them rolling into a heap. Ron’s elbow accidentally jabbed Susan’s left eye, causing it to swell and turn red instantly.
"Ouch!" Susan cried out.
Seeing this, Ron’s heart ached for her. He roared toward the driver’s cabin, "What the fuck are you doing! Do you know how to drive?!"
Immediately, the walkie-talkie under the pillow crackled to life, and Saul Eaton’s voice came through. "We’ve encountered a flock of First and Second Order mutated birds! We’re heading to a house for cover at full speed. Young Master Rivers, please ensure you remain completely silent the entire time to avoid unnecessary trouble!"
"I know! I know! This is so annoying!" Ron turned to Susan and softly apologized to her.
As if she had just woken up, Susan slowly raised her head, looking through one swollen, red eye. "Ron, I’m fine. Don’t blame others. It’s my fault for causing everyone trouble last night."
Soothed by her gentle and soft words, Ron grew less irritable. He helped her sit up. "Let’s get up and get dressed. Those smelly men outside might have to protect you in a bit."
"Okay."
The two finally got out of bed and dressed. They leaned against the window, observing the small courtyard where they had parked, lacking any sense of urgency about the impending battle against the horde of mutated animals.
Susan picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke in a gentle, hushed tone. "Thank you all for protecting us along the way. You’ve worked hard."
The occupants of the several military SUVs heard her tender words of care, but their reactions varied greatly. Byron Bell couldn’t help but think that Miss Vaughn was truly beautiful and gentle. He felt it was highly improper of him to have driven so carelessly earlier, which seemed to have caused her to get injured.
Luke Locke, on the other hand, continued to observe through his binoculars, completely ignoring her.
Seeing that no one responded to her proactive display of care, Susan felt puzzled. She picked up the walkie-talkie and added another comment. "I’ll brew some soy milk for everyone. This soy milk is incredibly rich in nutritional value."
Sitting in the driver’s cabin, Byron Bell felt a warm feeling wash over his heart. He thought about how wonderful it was and assumed Miss Vaughn would definitely hand him the first cup, considering he was the one who had been driving the RV this entire journey.
Just as Byron’s thoughts began to drift, static crackled over the walkie-talkie. "Shut up."
It was a low, teeth-gritting growl from Luke Locke.
Suddenly, a dark shadow swooped down, accompanied by the fierce howl of the wind. THUD! THUD THUD! A series of muffled impacts echoed as the entire RV violently shuddered.
It was a Second Order mutated bird! It had crashed straight into the roof of the RV.
Inside the RV, Susan was patiently preparing the soy milk in a health pot. The sudden, deafening noise made her entire body flinch. With a loud CLANG, the health pot slipped from her hands and smashed heavily into the sink, splashing boiling hot soy milk everywhere.
"Ah!" She cried out in alarm. Her left wrist turned bright red from the scalding splashes, and a sharp, piercing pain instantly shot through her entire body, causing a cold sweat to break out on her forehead.
The mutated bird on the roof had clearly locked onto the living creatures inside the RV. Its sharp beak continuously pecked at the roof, producing a rhythmic PECK PECK PECK sound, followed by a triumphant, raspy series of SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK calls.
This cry seemed to act as a signal. The high-altitude flock of birds that had already flown quite a distance away instantly changed direction. A dense, dark mass rapidly swooped down toward the RV. The WHOOSH of their flapping wings drew closer and closer, bringing with it a suffocating sense of pressure.
"Damn it!"
Hearing the commotion from the lead SUV, the veins on Luke Locke’s forehead bulged and throbbed. He forcefully grabbed the walkie-talkie and roared his command. "Attention, everyone! Open fire with everything you have! Shoot these damn birds down!"
As soon as the order was given, the sunroofs of the four military SUVs were simultaneously pushed open. The squad members swiftly mounted their heavy machine guns, their cold muzzles aimed uniformly at the sky.
RAT-TAT-TAT!
A dense barrage of gunfire suddenly resounded through the heavens and the earth. Streaks of scorching tracer bullets wove together to form a net of firepower, shooting fiercely toward the diving flock of birds. A few of the mutated birds leading the charge were instantly hit. With their wings pierced, they let out shrill cries of agony and plummeted straight to the ground, splattering black blood everywhere.
"We’re running low on ammo! Make sure you aim before you shoot, and conserve your rounds!" Luke Locke’s voice came through the walkie-talkie once more, carrying an unquestionable authority.
He then pushed open the car door and reached back to draw the alloy steel blade strapped to his back. With eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, he glared fixedly at the continuously circling flock of birds in the sky. There were actually over a hundred of them, including many Second Order mutated birds that exuded a much more formidable aura.
"Captain, there are more than a dozen charging at our left flank!" Saul Eaton’s voice was filled with urgency. The heavy machine gun he was manning had just mowed down a few, but even more mutated birds were lunging through the gap on the left.
These mutated birds had beaks like iron hooks and claws sharp enough to effortlessly slice through the vehicles’ sheet metal. If they were allowed to get close, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"I’ll hold them off!" Hugh Palmer yelled. He immediately freed up his left hand and rapidly channeled his superpower. Blazing Fireballs condensed in his palm, and a barrage of tennis-ball-sized Fireballs shot toward the flock on the left flank. The flames instantly engulfed three mutated birds. A stench of scorched feathers mixed with the coppery tang of blood washed over them.
However, the flock of mutated birds showed no signs of fear. Instead, they were enraged by the casualties of their companions, making their onslaught even more ferocious.
Luke Locke’s gaze darkened. Pushing off the ground with explosive force, his body launched like an arrow leaving the bow, landing on the roof of an SUV. The alloy steel blade in his hand turned into a blur of afterimages. "Sean, cover me!"
Wind Ability User Sean Palmer instantly activated his superpower. A fierce gale erupted, violently blowing several mutated birds near Luke off balance and thoroughly disrupting their rhythm of attack.
As Luke slashed through the mutated birds, he also unleashed his superpower. Dozens of flying metal blades pierced the heads of numerous low-flying mutated birds.
Even with the squad’s seamless teamwork, facing over a hundred fearless mutated birds while their ammunition was running dry slowly forced them into a bitter struggle.