Chapter 643 Reconnaissance Convoy
Standard Terra Calendar, 941.M41
Planet Armageddon, subcontinent, gray desert
Three Salamander reconnaissance vehicles are trekking hard Crossing the dry plains, forming a loose triangular formation under the cold moonlight.
Viewed from a high place, they are traveling at walking speed, kicking up bursts of dust behind them.
In front, a thick yellow-brown fog was slowly approaching, blocking the moonlight like a wall.
With the light hole closed and the moonlight blocked, Farek Sommer closed his eyes for a while in the dark cabin. His eyes were sore from staring outside through the slit and the sight.
The Salamander Reconnaissance Vehicle is also a light armored vehicle based on the Chimera chassis. It is mainly used for reconnaissance missions. It is very fast and ranks among the best among many vehicles of the Astra Militarum, but it There is also a characteristic that the crew hates - the armor is very thin, so the soldiers also call it "naked woman".
Another feature of the Salamander reconnaissance vehicle is that it does not have a closed turret. The automatic cannon it carries, as well as the commander and communicator, as well as navigation, long-range and backup communication equipment are all installed on the rear of the vehicle. On a platform, the driver and the gunner who controls the heavy explosive shells on the vehicle are located at the front of the vehicle. The engine of the vehicle is installed in the middle of the tracks on both sides of the vehicle.
This design will cause the two occupants outside to suffer a lot, especially in harsh environments.
Therefore, Sergeant Sommer decisively pulled the gunner out of the vehicle and took the heavy bomb gunner's position himself.
In order to soothe his vision, he raised his perspective from time to time and looked at the night sky - those false stars and comets, as well as the lines of fire passing through the night, just like the nightmare that had been haunting him.
Since the defeat on the Plains of Ashes, he has spent most of his time retreating, retreating, retreating, and he was deprived of himself due to someone reporting him as a "deserter" on the battlefield. As a Cerberus commander, he was assigned to the most dangerous reconnaissance battalion to "pay for his crimes and perform meritorious services." After a long evacuation, his battlefield has been transferred from the main continent to the subcontinent.
"We will be back in the fog in a few minutes."
Suddenly, the voice of the commander of the No. 2 car in the team came from the communicator. They were all guilty. Although Sommer had served longer, he became the leader of the team as expected.
"The detection distance required above is one hundred kilometers, are we almost there?"
"Absolutely."
Sommer shrugged, even though the other party couldn't see her.
“But it’s hard to determine our location now. This map is a bit out of date.”
The other party did not reply, and the low hum of the machine surrounded Sommer again, shaking in the noise. Holding her.
A few minutes later, just as the commander of car No. 2 said, thick fog swallowed them up.
At first, the fog barrier seemed like a cliff of gradually expanding fog above them, then it surrounded them, quickly passing through the lenses of their periscopes, like mud deposited on the bottom of a river. Rolling like sand.
Sommer controlled his instinctive fear.
For a moment it was like they were sinking rapidly in deep, dirty water.
He focused his attention on the auspicious device and watched the blue icons representing Cars No. 2 and 3 approaching him from the left and right. Under normal circumstances, they would spread out and rely on the auspicious device. Keep in touch with the microphone, but now they're on the front lines, so get as close to each other as possible.
After that, they moved on for another half hour, through roads strewn with car wreckage, past rusted metal frames, and across ponds full of solidified sludge.
The sound of the crawler tracks and the exhaust gas disappeared into the water vapor as thick as pus. No one spoke, not in the vehicle, not in the microphone. The only noise was the engine driving the crawler tracks. and the hiss of air being pumped into the cabin.
"Need to stop."
Suddenly, the voice of Captain No. 3 came from the intercom, making Sommer jump.
“Something went wrong?”
The transmitter made a crackling sound and took a while to recover.
"The sound of the tracks has changed."
The voice of the third commander was full of exhaustion.
"Maybe the metal is a little tired and I don't want to push it anymore."
"Okay."
Sommer swallowed down his tiredness, his mouth felt like it was holding sand, and there was pain in the back of his eyes.
"But just rest where you are."
After saying that, he blinked and shook his head, trying to regain his attention.
If they stay outside for a long time, they may not be able to drive back, so he opened the team communication channel:
"All vehicles, park for fifteen minutes, cool the engines, and keep the microphones on "And augur on." The other two commanders confirmed the order, but he couldn't hear them clearly because he felt like he was about to fall forward.
But with a jolt, he suddenly pulled himself back to his seat. It was too dangerous here and he had to find a way to stay awake.
He spent a moment trying to discern where they were, doing math, comparing the horrific landscape they passed through to the glowing map on his podium.
But this is of no use.
After calculating the distance for the second time, he found that his eyelids were trembling.
The engine has also been shut down and the vehicle is remaining stationary.
Must stay awake...
Must...
Sommer's eyes widened and his head jerked up, hitting the hatch above.
The severe pain drove away the afterimage of a dream. His head not only hurt from the impact, but also felt dizzy.
Sommer swallowed, trying to clear the taste of bile from his mouth.
Suddenly, the Salamander reconnaissance vehicle trembled.
Sommer was stunned, is that true?
It didn't feel like the vibrations of a machine running, but like the ground beneath them was shaking.
He slowly turned his head towards the driver. The guy was sleeping soundly beside him. It seemed that it was just Sommer's own illusion.
Sommer sighed and pulled up his collar. Maybe it was not real, but just an echo of his dream that had not completely disappeared.
But the shock just now still lingered, as if someone had driven a nail into his forehead.
So he carefully opened the internal microphone.
"Does anyone feel it?"
No one replied, so he repeated it again.
The next second, the tremor came again. The driver changed his position, but did not wake up.
Sommer opened the outside view and pressed the eyepiece against the viewfinder.
The outside world has not changed much - it is still a high wall made of swirling thick fog, exposed to the somewhat faded white-green infrared vision, opening and closing in the darkness, as if for a short time. Open the door, revealing the corridor behind it.
Under his breathless gaze, he finally found a light spot blooming with heat somewhere in the distance, spreading and disappearing in the thick fog.
A second later, Sommer heard a rumbling explosion.
He immediately switched to his normal perspective, and one heartbeat later he saw a ball of orange light forming, leaving snowflakes on his horizon.
The explosion was far away from them, but right on their way back.
Orbital bombing?
Maybe.
Long-range artillery or rockets?
But the vehicle remained stationary, and something else was shaking the ground.
While he was deep in thought, the vibration came again, and then again, as if in answer to his thoughts.
This slow rhythm made him feel like he was alone in a dark forest, listening to the invisible and terrifying sounds lingering at the edge of his vision.
"Sommer."
Suddenly, the communicator responded, and the voice of the No. 3 commander sounded tired and cold.
"Do you feel it?"
(End of Chapter)