King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga wasn't encountering mortar fire for the first time. From the sound of the blasts, he could tell these were 60-millimeter light mortars.

There was no time to dwell on how the National Guard had the audacity to bomb people with mortars on American soil.

As soon as the first round of explosions ceased, Joe Ga sprang up and dashed out of the pine forest, tilting his head to locate the drone directing the strikes from above.

Soon, he spotted a tiny black dot in the sky...

Using the Talus system, he rapidly locked onto the target, activated the 'Spearhead' missile pack on the truck, and shouted, "Spearhead missiles, six rounds, fire~"

At Joe Ga's command, the pickup truck launched six more missiles.

The missiles exploded around the drone, swiftly blinding the enemy's eyes in the sky.

Joe Ga didn't waste time confirming the results. As the second wave of mortars began falling, he dove back into the pine forest, dropped into a depression, and urgently pressed the communicator, shouting, "Spurs, Orange Cat, Medic Bird, status?"

Spurs and Orange Cat were crouching in the bushes, stacking three captives together to form an impromptu barricade.

Hearing their boss's call, Spurs lifted his head to check...

One of the prisoners had been hit in the waist by shrapnel and was groaning in agony...

Shaking his head, Spurs drew his pistol and ended the man's suffering. He exchanged a glance with Orange Cat, and both stood up, each hoisting a prisoner over their shoulders. While sprinting, they called out, "Boss, we're fine! Stay hidden, we'll be there soon…"

Compared to their situation, Medic Bird's side was in far worse shape...

One of the second wave's mortars exploded near the HRT casualty Medic Bird was treating...

Dizzy and disoriented, Medic Bird struggled to his feet, glancing at the soldier whose leg wound he had just bandaged. The explosion had blown open another leg, leaving a horrifying open wound...

Medic Bird swayed, then collapsed to his knees, using a tourniquet to halt the bleeding from the soldier's thigh. He hooked a traction strap onto the metal clasp on the injured man's back and hauled another lightly wounded soldier to his feet. Supporting each other, they dragged the casualty toward the cabin...

As Medic Bird moved the injured toward the cabin, the third wave of mortar fire struck.

The HRT members huddled inside the cabin couldn't contain their anguish as they watched Medic Bird and his team get thrown back once again by the shockwave. The medic finally reached his breaking point; he tossed his weapon aside, let out a furious roar, and dashed out.

Depp, consumed by rage, charged out after him. Amid the smoke and chaos, he supported Medic Bird, tightly gripping the traction strap to pull the injured soldier into the cabin.

Watching the medic assist another man into the cabin, then crawl to the severely wounded casualty and check him over before pounding the ground in despair...

Depp boiled over with anger. He stormed over to a captive in a black suit, drew his pistol, and pointed it at the man's head, shouting, "Who the fuck are you people?!"

The man in the black suit clearly had no clue what was happening. He widened his eyes to explain, but the fifth wave of mortar fire struck once more...

An explosive shell hit the side of the cabin, tearing a gaping hole in the long-neglected wall.

A piece of shrapnel struck the captive's jaw, ripping off a ghastly portion of his lower face.

Depp watched the captive convulse in pain and collapse to the ground. Cursing furiously, Depp was about to order everyone to prepare for an escape when Medic Bird stood up, raised his hand, and shouted, "Stop! These are National Guard forces. Call your boss...

Our boss will make them stop…"

.........

Two kilometers away on a temporary encampment…

A group of Oregon National Guard soldiers were joking and laughing as they continually adjusted six mortars, intent on expending all the exercise rounds allotted to them before packing up to head home for dinner.

It had been a long time since these men had used mortars, and they had no idea why their superiors had suddenly ordered such an exercise.

Still, for the meager operational allowance, they chose to follow orders.

After firing a standard load of ammunition, a second lieutenant suddenly received radio orders. Irritated, he spat a curse and shouted to his comrades, "Get up, grab more ammo from the truck. We're firing another batch before calling it a day."

A middle-aged veteran frowned at the officer and said, "Sir, shouldn't we confirm the damage effects?"

The second lieutenant waved him off, saying, "I don't know. The folks in the rear claim they can assess via drone. We'll fire one more round and go home.

FUCK, I hate this job…"

The older soldier frowned deeper and said, "Sir, is there something we're not being told?"

The second lieutenant waved dismissively, saying, "It's not your concern. Just follow orders…"

As the second lieutenant instructed his men to fetch more ammunition, a sharp whistling noise suddenly pierced the air from above...

Instinctively looking up, a barely formed "Air strike—" got caught in his throat, too late to shout...

'BOOM BOOM BOOM…'

Twelve Springblade 600 drones detonated violently over the temporary mortar encampment.

The high-explosive payload of the Springblade 600 dwarfed that of its smaller cousin, the Springblade 300.

The blasts hurled snow and black soil into the air as massive clouds of smoke billowed skyward.

Several mortar rounds armed with fuzes were triggered by the explosions, resulting in sympathetic detonations that obliterated the encampment.

When the second lieutenant crawled out from under a pile of mangled corpses, his bloody face frozen in a stunned expression, the scene around him left him utterly speechless...

Staring blankly at the carnage—comrades who were laughing mere moments ago either dead or shell-shocked—he opened his mouth to issue a desperate cry.

But no sound came out; he hadn't yet realized he was deafened by the blast. Frantically screaming into his radio, he couldn't hear a single response...

When he finally recognized his condition, he slumped to the ground, kicking his feet in frustration before collapsing against a truck's rear wheel, breaking into guttural sobs...

............

At this moment, Boss Joe realized they'd stirred up a hornet's nest...

Leading the group outside the cabin, he motioned for Spurs and Orange Cat to take the two captives inside. Then, turning to Medic Bird, he asked, "Medic Bird, can you keep going or not?"

Medic Bird rose unsteadily, staggered to the wall, and heaved dryly before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "Boss, I'm not in good shape…"

Witnessing Medic Bird's earlier exertion, Joe Ga nodded slightly and said, "Medic Bird stays behind. Spurs, Orange Cat, you're with me.

The National Guard is closing in. We need to hold them off and buy Cooper time to take down their leader…"

As Joe Ga spoke, the distant rumble of helicopters grew louder...

No time remained for idle chatter. Joe Ga turned to Depp and shouted, "Take care of my people! Get to the bush area and don't fucking act like some inexperienced rookie…"

Then, gesturing to Jack and Bone Crusher, Joe Ga took the lead, sprinting toward the highway.

Their goal was to enter the forest and use the skirmish with 'Bloody Mary' to draw the National Guard further away.

Only if Cooper secured evidence and took down the National Guard's senior officials could this damned fight come to an end.

Joe Ga would've never guessed that the National Guard would start shelling without provocation.

Retaliating with Springblade 600 drones felt satisfying, but the situation now left no room for negotiation.

Watching Joe Ga and his team disappear into the distance, Depp kicked the cabin wall in frustration, as if reaching a decision...

"'Bandage,' cover for Medic Bird. 'Raphael,' 'De Niro,' with me. The rest of you, retreat to the bushes and raise the HRT flag...

FUCK, the world's gone insane!"

Glancing at the fallen medic and other lightly injured men, Depp gritted his teeth. "Someone's going to pay for this…"

With that, Depp rushed out of the cabin, chasing after Joe Ga and his team's fading silhouettes.

HRT medic 'Bandage' followed without hesitation. Earlier, Medic Bird had done what should have been his job, and now 'Bandage' had no qualms about stepping up.

Raphael and De Niro from the Fallen Angels Squad exchanged a nod before taking off in pursuit as well.

During the sprint, Joe Ga spotted four Little Bird helicopters...

When they began strafing from high altitude, Joe Ga didn't hesitate. Despite the distance, he locked in and shouted, "Spearhead missiles, twelve rounds, fire~"

The remaining twelve missiles launched from the pickup truck. Due to the range, they exploded about 100 meters short of the helicopters.

Thick gray-black smoke enveloped the skies. Startled, the four Little Birds ascended rapidly, and their gunners ceased fire immediately.

When the helicopters emerged from the smoke and vigilantly ascended higher, Joe Ga's team had already crossed the highway and plunged into the pine forest to the west.

Upon entering the forest, 'Dart' and 'Pliers' from the rear suddenly issued a warning...

"Boss, we've spotted at least a battalion of National Guard heading your way. Should we engage?"

Joe Ga hesitated briefly but eventually shook his head. "Don't engage recklessly. Maintain concealment. Launch Springblades in batches to cover us.

Shit, we've really stirred up a hornet's nest this time. Let's hope Cooper moves fast…"

He glanced at Ronnie, who had risen ghost-like from the snowy ground, and frowned. "Everyone into the forest. Stay out of range of the helicopter's fire."

Ronnie nodded slightly. "Follow me. Stick close to my tracks. I've placed flash mines along the way..."

Joe Ga slapped Dorian's arm as a signal to follow, then paused momentarily to look at the four members of the Fallen Angels Squad trailing them...

"Spurs, Orange Cat, you used to work with them. Keep them in line.

FUCK, nightfall's almost here. Hope you all brought night vision gear."