Standard Terra Calendar, 941.M41
planet Amydodon, subcontinent, gray desert
Three salamander scout cars are trekking through the dry plains, forming a loose triangular formation under the cold moonlight.
From a height, they were walking at a speed, raising waves of dust behind them.
In front, a thick yellow-brown fog was slowly approaching, blocking the moonlight like a wall.
Fareke Sommer closed his eyes for a while, staring out of the slit and scope of the moonlight, and his eyes were sore.
The Salamander Reconnaissance Vehicle is also a light armored vehicle made based on a Chimera chassis. It is mainly used for reconnaissance missions. It is very fast and can rank among the top among many vehicles of the Astral Army. However, it also has a feature that the crew hates - the armor is very thin, so the soldiers also call it "naked women".
Another feature of the Salamander reconnaissance vehicle is that it does not have a closed turret, it is equipped with automatic cannons, as well as the commander, communicator, and navigation, remote and backup communication equipment are installed on a platform at the rear of the vehicle body, and the driver and the gunner who operates heavy bombs on the vehicle body are located in the front of the vehicle, and the engine of the vehicle body is installed in the middle of the tracks on both sides of the vehicle body.
This design causes two occupants outside to suffer a lot, especially in harsh environments.
Therefore, Sergeant Sommer decisively lifted the gunner into the car and replaced the heavy bomb gunner himself.
To soothe his vision, he occasionally raises his perspective and looks at the night sky - those false stars and comets, and the fire lines passing through the night, like a nightmare that has been entangling him.
Since the defeat of Ashes Plain, he has been retreating, retreating and constantly retreating for most of his time. Because some people reported his "desergeant" behavior on the battlefield, he was deprived of his position as the captain of the Hellhound and sent to the most dangerous reconnaissance battalion to "make meritorious service". After a long evacuation, his battlefield has been transferred from the main continent to the subcontinent.
“We will be back in the mist in a few minutes.”
Suddenly, the voice of the No. 2 captain in the team came from the communicator. They were all guilty, but Sommer served longer, so he naturally became the captain of the team.
"The investigation distance required by the above is 100 kilometers. We are almost here soon, right?"
"It's almost the same."
Sommer shrugged, even though the other party couldn't see her.
"But it's hard to determine where we are now, this map is a little dated."
The other party did not reply, and the low sound of the machine surrounded Sommer again, shaking her in the noise.
A few minutes later, as the commander of the No. 2 said, the thick fog swallowed them.
At first, the fog barrier seemed to be a cliff made of gradually expanding fog above them, and then surrounded them, quickly passing through the lenses of their periscopes, rolling like the mud and sand deposited at the bottom of the river.
Sommer controls his fears caused by his instinct.
For a moment, it was like they were sinking rapidly in the deep, dirty water.
He focused his attention on the storm and watched the blue icons representing the storm number two and storm number three approach themselves from left and right, and under normal circumstances, they would dissipate and rely on the storm to keep in touch, but now they are at the forefront, so get as close to each other as possible.
Afterwards, they advanced for another half an hour, crossed the road with wreckage, through the rusty metal frame, and through the pond full of solidified sludge.
The sound of the track and the exhaust gas disappeared into the heavy water vapor like pus. No one spoke, not in the vehicle, nor in the telegraph. The only noise was the hissing sound of the engine driving the track and air into the cabin.
“Stop is required.”
Suddenly, the voice of Captain No. 3 came from the phone, causing Somo to jump up.
"What's wrong?"
The sender made a crackling sound, and it took a while to recover.
“The sound of the track has changed.”
The voice of the No. 3 carriageman was filled with fatigue.
"Maybe the metal is a little tired, and I don't want to push it again."
"OK."
Sommer swallowed his fatigue, his mouth seemed to be in the stool of sand, and the back of his eyes also felt ache.
"But just rest on the spot."
After saying that, he blinked, shook his head, and tried to regain his attention.
If they stay outside for a long time, they might not be able to drive back, so he opened the team communication channel:
"All vehicles, park for fifteen minutes, cool the engine, keep the megaphone and the birdie on."
The other two commanders confirmed the order, but it failed to hear them clearly because he felt like he was about to fall forward.
But with a shiver, 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 while trying to tell where they were, perform calculations, and compare the horrible landscape they passed by with the glowing map on his podium.
But this is useless.
After calculating the distance for the second time, he found that his eyelids were trembling.
The engine has also been turned off and the vehicle is staying stationary.
Must be awake...
must……
Sommer's eyes widened, his head suddenly raised and hit the hatch above.
The severe pain drove away the afterimage of a dream. His head not only felt pain from the impact, but also felt dizzy.
Sommer swallowed, trying to remove the smell of bile from his mouth.
Suddenly, the salamander reconnaissance vehicle trembled.
Sommer was stunned, is that true?
It doesn't feel like the vibration of the machine running, but like the land beneath them shaking.
He slowly turned his head to the driver, the guy was sleeping soundly beside him, as if he was just Sommer's own illusion.
Sommer sighed and pulled his collar upwards. Perhaps it was not true, but just an echo of his dream that had not yet completely disappeared.
But the vibration just now still lingers, as if someone had a nail on his forehead.
So he carefully turned on the internal sender.
"Did anyone feel it?"
No one replied, he repeated it again.
The next second, the tremor came again, and the driver changed his position, but did not wake up.
Sommer opened the external field of view and pressed the eyepiece onto the viewfinder.
The outside world has not changed much - it is still a high wall made of rotating thick fog, exposed to the somewhat faded white-green infrared field of view, opening and closing in the dark, like a brief opening of the door, revealing the corridor behind the door.
Under his breath-condensing gaze, he finally found that somewhere in the distance, a light spot bloomed with heat, spreading and disappearing in the thick fog.
A second later, Sommer heard the rumbling explosion.
He immediately switched to a normal viewing angle, and after a heartbeat he saw a ball of orange light forming, leaving snowflakes on the vision.
The explosion was far away from them, but it happened to be on their way back.
Orbital bombing?
Maybe.
Long-range artillery or rocket?
But the vehicle was still still, something else was shaking the earth.
Just as he pondered, the vibration came again, and then again, as if he was answering his thoughts.
This slow rhythm made him feel like he was alone in the dark forest, listening to the invisible, horrifying sounds wandering around the edge of his vision.
"Somer."
Suddenly, the communicator responded, and the voice of the No. 3 driver sounded exhausted and cold.
Chapter completed!