Jacob didn't know what the commander was going to do. He might be able to order them to return to the high ground and get out of the interference zone, or he could be asking them to move forward.
For a while, it seemed that Armin himself had not decided, but then he made a sign to go.
It looks like they're moving on.
They now stand at the last location of the missing servants. Each Chapter servant will carry a locator so that the monastery's complex positioning system can detect their location.
After walking all the way, everyone found that the traces in the twisted woods ended in front of a stone wall. The only way forward was to enter a cave entrance on the side of the mountain.
The veterans cautiously stepped forward to investigate, and Jacob also stepped forward cautiously with weapons raised, as if the cave was the mouth of some creature that would suddenly close and swallow him.
Everyone's vigilance was raised to the highest point, and more than a hundred bolt guns were pointed in all directions around them, including the sky.
As they got closer, the strange smell became stronger, and Jacob became even more uneasy.
He didn't know why, but he felt that there was something in the darkness of the cave that he didn't trust or didn't like. It felt more rotten than the surrounding woods.
There was also a strange smell, like the fishy smell unique to some kind of reptile, but he wasn't sure because his biological knowledge was not profound.
Carefully, Jacob walked to the entrance of the cave and looked into the darkness.
But nothing was seen.
The command team gathered again for a meeting. They were obviously uneasy about this mysterious cave, but they did not dare to enter it rashly. Moreover, the previous intelligence did not show that there was such a forest area, which meant that it was formed not long ago.
Some people suggested blowing up the entrance of the cave directly, others suggested marking it and then returning to the fortress, and then using large machinery to dig it directly. For a while, Armin seemed undecided.
After much consideration, Armin decided to seal the entrance of the cave first, and then call in a robot from the monastery to use the robot to explore the interior of the cave.
Just as they were told, the recruits quickly cut down several large trees, blocked the thick trunks at the entrance of the cave, and filled the gaps with rocks. Soon the entire cave was tightly blocked.
They even deployed induction mines near the entrance of the cave. Even if something breaks through the roadblock, it will be the first to receive fresh flames and steel.
But when Armin tried to use the communicator, he found that the signal here had almost completely disappeared, and he had no choice but to lead the team back to the edge of the forest.
It was getting late, dark clouds were approaching, and an uneasy atmosphere filled the mountains and forests. At this time, Armin faced a difficult choice.
There is still no communication signal. The fastest way is to send people to places with signals and send out communications. However, there are obviously enemies nearby, so sending a small team may be dangerous.
But if too many people are divided, the strength of both teams will be weakened, which may be what the enemy wants to see.
They can also abandon this place and move to a safe area first, but in this case, the clues they finally found may be destroyed, and the enemy may take advantage of the night to move or destroy all traces, including the cave.
Armin realized that the fundamental reason why he would face such a dilemma was that he had no idea what the enemy was going to do.
Are you preparing to ambush them?
Or should we target the monastery and fortress?
Or is it just harassment and trouble?
Or to attract their attention and then do something in the mortal world of the hive?
Various possibilities were intertwined in Armin's mind, but none of them were concrete, they were just vague guesses.
Just when he was in a dilemma, he was suddenly told that he had found a location where the signal could be sent, so he quickly came to the huge rock that could send the message, and sent out the message that he needed combat robots and a certain number of mortal servants.
Afterwards, the 10th Company set up camp on the spot, waiting for support to arrive.
Armin estimated that support would arrive from the air in five hours at the latest.
So tonight is the top priority. The enemy is likely to jump over the wall in a panic, so he ordered everyone to be on alert and be ready for battle at any time.
Just like the previous camp, everyone simply built a few bonfires, and then the sentinels hid in the darkness.
But the difference this time is that the number of sentinels has increased a lot.
Jacob also took on the task of keeping watch. His eyes quickly adapted to the darkness, and the sound of his comrade-in-arms squatting behind a stone next to him made him feel more at ease.
This was very helpful at a time like this, when his first real battle since leaving his homeland was approaching.
He forced himself to concentrate on a prayer he had learned, keeping fear, worry, and any emotion that would affect his chances of survival away from his mind, and prayed to the Emperor to guide him through the battle ahead.
At least Jacob believed that he was prepared for the coming battle.
But the premise of all this is that there must be a battle.
Jacob is still not entirely sure whether there will be a conflict. At present, his keen senses have not sensed anyone or anything approaching them. Maybe the so-called enemy is just some kind of imagination.
But at the same time, he also knew that this was just an idea, and it was dangerous to question his superiors because they had many years of experience practicing what they were doing.
There is little chance of Armin making a mistake.
Moreover, Jacob's own intuition told him on a deeper level that danger was near.
The night passed minute by minute in this torment, and just when Jacob was bored enough to start counting the stones on the ground, a hand signal from the corner of his eye let him know what his comrades had discovered.
After a while, he heard a faint sound of footsteps, like the sound of shoesless feet on wet sand——
"coming!"
With tension and excitement, Jacob tightened his grip on the weapon and prepared for action.
The recruit's body tensed up like a huge spring, and he felt that the sergeant beside him was also ready.
Jacob looked into the darkness and saw a humanoid shadow approaching them, as quiet and hidden as a wave rushing up the beach.
Then his heart sank when he saw how big the crowd was—it must have been hundreds, maybe even thousands.
Then he suddenly felt someone moving and heard something sucking away the air next to him.
After a moment, a light came on in the darkness, and an explosion occurred among the approaching crowd, with a thunderous sound.
Jacob realized that someone had thrown a grenade, and in the next second, the light of the explosion burned the horrific scene into his mind.
In that brief moment, in that hellish light, he truly saw for the first time the "enemy" they had been chasing for so long.