SS1 11.5 - First Hunt

  The CQB house in our quarter was simple. Its wall was stack of tire being filled with rock and sand. It was about four meter high, big enough to offer complexity, but it didn’t have roof. It also didn’t have catwalk. When we wanted to observe and assess the flow from people who conducted the room clearing, we would just use the top of tire wall as catwalk.

  Today, after receiving the objectives and daily activities for our hunt, Bae In-nu took everyone to have short CQB training. She wanted to combine two teams into one strike team. Second Team and Third Team would take first turn, while First Team observe and assess their flow and coordination.

  And so, from the top of tire wall I watched Second Team and Third Team tried to put together a room clearing. They used pretty much a standard procedure for CQB training. First, they would do it with unloaded gun and made ‘Phew phew phew!’ sound effect using their mouth when they fired the target.

  In this phase mistake were popping out here and there. It couldn’t be help. When six men were trying to coordinate a room clearing and operated as a single-cell organism, it wouldn’t be easy. It would take time before each man understood their job and could run the flow smoothly.

  Then, they ran the flow with blank round for several times. If accident did not occur, they would switch to live-round TRP (Training Reduced Penetration). The 6.5 mm CBJ with tungsten kinetic penetrator was freaking expensive. To ease the training cost we used TRP round in training.

  Then, Ariel who stood next to me turned her gaze to me. “Berg, can we do one-man room clearing?”

  “We can,” I casually said. “But in basic training, as far as I know, no military or law enforcement CQB school will teach their student one-man room clearing.”

  “Why?” Ariel curiously asked.

  “In a sense, one-man room clearing is no different than team room clearing. It’s just that you have to do everything on your own,” I casually explained. “However, one of the fundamentals in CQB is coordination and teamwork.

  No matter how good your CQB skill as individual, it won’t worth a dim if you don’t know how to become team player. A CQB raid is not one man show.”

  “So,” Ariel said. “You need to graduate from basic before learning one-man clearing room.”

  “Yeah, I also learned one-man room clearing only after I joined my unit, and it was tough as hell.”

  “I see.” Ariel then turned her gaze to the gate. “Berg, we have guests.”

  I immediately checked our guests and found they were Matt, Tim, and another young dude. After asking the young dude to stand guard in the gate, Matt and Tim immediately went to CQB quarter. Wasting no time, I and Ariel came down from the tire wall while Toudor continued to record the training.

  In a glance, I could tell Matt and Tim looked far stronger than the last time I saw them. Their aura was so domineering. Fortunately, they still had smile and expression I knew well in their face.

  After returning their smile I took out Matt’s ATV from Inventory. “You can send me a message and I will run straight to your quarter to return this baby.”

  Matt smiled before replying, “Can’t do that.”

  “Why?” I curiously asked. “Do I can’t come to your quarter anymore?”

  “It’s not like that,” Tim said. “House of Hunter redeploys us to Torre City. I and Matt come back here to pack the rest of our shit in our quarter.”

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  “I see.” I then turned my gaze to the young dude in the gate. He stood ramrod straight holding his HK416D in low-ready position. “Who is he?”

  “A Canhead,” Matt replied before massaging his forehead. “And a fresh one from bootfuck.”

  “A marine?” I tried confirming.

  “Yeah,” Tim casually replied. “Torrak received him yesterday, and he started a fight with the team who tried to recruit him. Now, no team wants to recruit him.”

  After letting out a sigh Matt said, “Our hunt will be very frustrating for a while.”

  “Why is your hunt will be frustrating for a while?” Ariel who so far only listened to our conversation suddenly asked while giving Matt curious gaze. “Is that man crappy hunter?”

  “No, it’s not like that.” Surprisingly, Matt replied Ariel in casual manner as if she was ordinary human kid.

  “We are from army while he is from marine, because we grow in different culture, tradition, and doctrine, our relationship is rather complicated,” Tim explained.

  For some reason, Ariel’s curious gaze became deeper. “How complicated?”

  “Well,” Matt said. “As their older sibling, we love them and they deserve every bit of love we can offer. As fellow warrior, we respect them. We will gladly fight side by side with them. They can fight and good at it after all.

  But good God, they are morons, especially the ones who just left bootfuck. Those buffoons will just rushing off head-first into every hellhole in sight.”

  “They also love to live in sucky condition and treat it as an honor,” Tim added. “And if we give them a proper living condition, their alpha will take it as an insult for treating them as softie.”

  “That’s very complicated,” Ariel said while looking at the young marine in the gate with complicated gaze.

  “Yeah,” Tim replied. “But, our team lead is a former marine too, and he won’t have a heart to leave his junior on his own.”

  Ariel nodded and said, “I see.”

  “Well, let’s not talk about those Canhead,” Matt asked as he turned his gaze to me. “We come also to ask you for the last time. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us?”

  “It’s too late to change my mind now,” I calmly said. “I can’t leave my man.”

  “Well, in that case, this is our goodbye I guess,” Matt said while putting forward his hand.

  “Thank you, for lending me your guidance when I was just arrived as noob without connection or proper knowledge,” I said as I shook Matt’s hand.

  “It’s our pleasure,” Matt’s said. “And thank you for helping us level up to C-rank.”

  “And if you don’t mind second-hand stuff,” Tim said as he took out four hybrid-powered ATVs from his Inventory. “These are our parting gifts.”

  “I don’t mind. These are excellent vehicles in 80% conditions,” I firmly said. “But, don’t you need them for your own hunt?”

  “We already buy the new ones,” Tim replied.

  “I see.” After a smile I shook Tim’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Tim and Matt then left. I got a hunch it would be a while before I could meet with Pukin’ Dogs again, but I could do nothing about it. We had our own path now. Wasting no time, I then continued to observe the training in CQB quarter.

  ---

  After the CQB training in the morning, everyone spent their time in casual manner. After that we had dinner at 17:00, and then went for the hunt right. The formation was Third Team in the lead, First Team in the middle, and Second Team in the rear.

  We wore BDU pant with various pattern, but we all wore black sweater with Smoking Skull’s patch in our armored vest. Our HMV also had Smoking Skull insignia on each side. So, we had sufficient form of identification.

  In moderate speed we left the quarter. A moment later we already passed through the departure station where the team who would carry join hunt gathered. Then, we entered the main road and reached the south gate.

  The guard who was tasked to register our exit instantly frowned when he found everyone in lead HMV were wolforcs, but he said nothing and do his job properly. Then, when he arrived at second HMV, his eyes immediately widened.

  “Berg?” The guard or to be precise was Kurk said while giving me surprise look.

  “Yeah.” After a smile I continued, “How are you Kurk?”

  “Fine.” Kurk gave Toudor in the passenger seat a glance before turning his gaze back to me. “I heard someone form a hunting team of demi-human. I never thought it’s you.”

  “They are good hunter and very loyal. So, why not?”

  “I see.” After a short pause Kurk continued, “I also heard you killed Old Jack.”

  “Coincidently, he landed right before my aim,” I casually said. “I guess it was not his day.”

  “I believe it’s not that simple.” Kurk smiled before continuing, “But one thing is sure, you have gratitude from every border guard in Karmen.

  “I see.”

  “Well, happy hunting then. Kill them like there is no tomorrow.”

  “I will.”

  Kurk then went to third vehicle and a moment later we already exited the gate. Wasting no time, I pressed PTT button.

  “This is Farmer Leader to all vehicles, turn your EO/IR Ball on, watch your vector, and stay vigilant. Contact can occur at any moment.”

  And so, Smoking Skull went for its first hunt.

  *****