Chapter 255: Storming Up
After being wounded by Zhang Jue, the last of the Four Saints, Sarn, changed into a huge snake and obliterated both Zhang Jue and the nuclear silo's above-ground portion. Zhang Jue died after falling into the silo's deep hole.
The enormous snake's rage did not go away. It lashed its enormous tail and destroyed many nearby structures. It was fortunate that Smith and Kenneth's squads received departure instructions from Zhang Jue at the earliest chance since that prevented them from being impacted by the waves.
But the enormous serpent gritted its fangs, caught a whiff of them, and circled in the direction they had run. In order to complete the final objective here, Angelo dispatched two squads of vipers and yellow warblers, and was once restocked with supplies rather than having them withheld.
As a result, even though they are currently alone, they are well-equipped and have plenty of ammunition, indicating that the battle is much greater than typical on a line.
Kenneth backed away from the enormous serpent and prepared a counterattack. Now that the nuclear silo has been destroyed and there is no longer a threat, Kenneth instructed the crew to remove all heavy weaponry, promising to engage the enormous serpent in a life-or-death struggle.
Smith and his squad members are skilled at guerilla warfare, outdoor survival, and street fighting. Zhang Jue wounded the last of the Four Saints, Sarn, who then transformed into a massive snake and destroyed both Zhang Jue and the above-ground portion of the nuclear silo. After sliding into the silo's large hole, Zhang Jue perished.
The massive snake's anger persisted. Many surrounding structures were destroyed as it slashed its massive tail. It was lucky that Zhang Jue gave Smith and Kenneth's squads instructions to leave as soon as possible because that kept them from being hit by the waves.
Kenneth and his Yellow Warbler squad, however, have long been through innumerable practical training. As a result, they are naturally more qualified than the black pearl this "mud leg" when it comes to using a variety of complex weapons head-on.
You should be aware that SCP-682 can be contained by a typical MTF. Despite the strong artillery bombardment from the Yellow Warbler crew, the enormous snake proved to be unexpectedly challenging. It has a very peculiar capacity for self-healing. Anytime the cannon fire leaves a hole in its body, a black breath will quickly fill the space, and it will quickly return to normal.
They were unaware that, although only being able to contribute a very little portion of the power that four saints' faith in Sarn provides, that power is sufficient to support its enormous bulk. These minor, harmless wounds are nothing to it if the Yellow Warbler team is not able to deal significant damage to it quickly.
Kenneth gave the order for the squad to battle and flee, while warning Yang Xue and the remaining employees to be ready for evacuation because they might not be able to hold out for very long.
Kenneth expressed concern while commanding the troops to assault, saying, "I wonder how Advisor Zhang is doing."
Smith looked over at the ruins of the silo, "Advisor Zhang said that the only person we don't need to worry about while we're on a mission is him, he'll be fine."
Kenneth nodded, but his face was dejected. They were already overextended from dealing with the big snake's strike; there was no time to save Advisor Zhang; they could only now pray that he would be fortunate.
The two teams worked together to repel the big snake's attack. The frontal attacks were carried out by the Yellow Warbler team, and the Black Pearl squad harried the flanks. After transforming into a huge snake, Sarn appeared to have gone utterly mad and was acting solely on instinct, using no strategy at all.
The two teams now had a chance to win. However, they soon recognized that it was a trap since, given the destructive potential of that enormous snake, they didn't really need to utilize any strategies because, as long as they were in its sights, they would either perish or suffer harm.
As the number of casualties on the two squads increased and the artillery fire was reduced, the gigantic serpent got even more irrational. They soon arrived to the site's main building, where Yang Xue, who was in charge of the personnel, was waiting for them in the distance.
Kenneth continued to speak while glancing at the enormous snake that was coming closer. "Captain Smith, please lead Dr. Yang Xue and those employees outside."
Retrenchment is nearly always the best course of action, Smith nodded. "What about you?"
"I received the command to hold here for seventy-two hours, and now that there is still one day remaining, is to die, I will die here!" said Kenneth as he turned to face his team members who were firing and loading.
Smith wanted to tell him that there was no need to die here because the silo had been demolished, but ultimately refrained from saying so. The Yellow Warbler was a regular army of the Foundation, in contrast to the Black Pearl squad.
The first rule of becoming a soldier was to follow orders. You only have two options: complete it or die, regardless of the goals of your superiors or how absurd the orders may be. As a result, even if the silo was demolished and the Yellow Warbler squad gave it their best, they would have had to continue fighting to the bitter end if they hadn't heard the rallying cry.
One may argue that as soon as they received the order, their fate was predetermined. Smith acknowledged and supported Kenneth's decision because he himself had served in the military. When an unexpected development materialized ahead, Smith had just assembled his team and was prepared to retreat.
A pillar of purple and black light suddenly appeared from a nearby demolished structure. In contrast to the earlier light emitted by Sarn, which was no longer there, the pillar of light that emerged into the moonlight rose straight up to the clouds.
The air was constantly crackling and sparking, as if there was a very high voltage inside the pillar of light. A vision plummeted from the skies. Everybody's attention, including the enormous serpent, were drawn to the mysterious light pillar, and it appeared as though time had stopped.
Kenneth gasped, merely a gigantic snake has left them exhausted to deal with, if any other monsters, the already flimsy form is likely to go down right away.
A team member with gray hair approached Kenneth at this moment and inquired, "Captain, what should we do? Should we take a shot at there?"
Of course, he was talking about rockets. Kenneth strained his eyes and debated whether to initiate contact. There was no time to think again because the opportunity was so brief.
Kenneth was ready to give the command when Smith interrupted him. "You see where that is, right?"
Kenneth momentarily stopped before realizing that he was standing in front of the first silo, where Advisor Zhang had vanished.
He looked at Smith, "You mean-"
Smith nodded.
It seemed unimaginable that Advisor Zhang could have died that quickly, so there had to be a reason why he hadn't shown in such a long period. He believed that the black and purple pillar of light had been produced by Advisor Zhang.
The gigantic serpent appeared to recognize the threat as the pillar of light grew in size and began to rear up towards Zhang Jue's direction. It easily crawled over to the launch shaft ruins because of its enormous size and the absence of the Yellowing squad to prevent it. The hue of the light pillar also changed at this point, becoming steadily darker and more solid-looking.
Green venom spilled from the big snake's bleeding jaws as it opened, covering the entire devastation. Steel and concrete nearly instantly disintegrated under the venom's corrosion. It sank along with the poison.
In this manner, it would eventually erode to the area where Zhang Jue was. The enormous serpent lowered its massive head and appeared to be searching for Zhang Jue as well.
Everyone's throat was dry of breath. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the debris and assumed a Superman-like position while yelling violently.
"Uraagghh"
Only to see the man erupt from the venom in the shadows and slam his fist into the jaw of the enormous snake.
Because of his strength, the enormous snake was knocked over and had its entire body pounded. The man paused in mid-air, lazily slapping the venom on his body, and muttered while paying little heed to the beaten huge snake.
"This new body looks great, I must say."