Chapter 2: Pioneers Squad
After receiving permission, Lu Cheng took out an old friend who had accompanied him for many years—the Type 95 rifle.
His tactical vest was equipped with six spare magazines, and among the additional tactical gear, he also considered bringing a gas mask and a chemical protection suit.
Ultimately, Lu Cheng decided against the chemical protection suit, citing ‘inconvenience of movement’ as the reason, but decided to bring the gas mask.
Lu Cheng arrived at the opened portal and met his three comrades.
He didn’t know their real names, but their codenames were Iron Ring, Kite, and Poster.
Due to the limited crystal energy, sending a four-man team to explore the other world was already the limit.
Iron Ring was the oldest and tallest member of the team; Lu Cheng stood in front of him, and Iron Ring was at least a head taller.
Lu Cheng noted that Iron Ring had extensive experience in jungle and urban warfare, and was an excellent demolitions expert.
Next was Kite, the team’s scout and also a sharpshooter.
When the leader introduced him to Lu Cheng, he said, “There’s no one in the team who can shoot more accurately than him.”
Finally, there was Poster, the observer for Kite and the team’s logistic medic, and the only female member.
“Is this like playing a game?” Lu Cheng patted the back of his neck. “Demolitionist, sniper, medic… Well, I’m just joking. I’ll skip the self-introduction for now. Just know that the upcoming mission is the first exploration of another world for us… no, for all of humanity on Earth.”
Lu Cheng walked back and forth in front of the three soldiers, observing their unwavering gaze.
“Are you ready to leave the first footprints on the land of the other world and take a picture to upload?” Lu Cheng’s next words made Kite’s cheeks tremble slightly.
He looked like he was about to smile, but he forced himself to hold it back; this was not a situation for smiles.
“That’s all for the briefing. The operation code is ‘Pioneer.’ The mission objectives have been communicated to you.”
Lu Cheng walked around them, and they turned neatly to face the wall where Lu Cheng was.
At this moment, Lu Cheng clenched his left hand, and the crystal on it emitted a glow, projecting a circular door on the wall large enough for five people to pass through.
The scenery projected behind the door was a forest…
The three soldiers finally showed some change in their expressions upon seeing this scene, and Lu Cheng could catch the excitement in their eyes.
What could be more thrilling than being the first people in the world to explore another world?
Lu Cheng glanced back; the researchers and support staff in the underground laboratory were ready, and Professor Li sighed once more, giving Lu Cheng an OK gesture.
“Commence the operation!”
Lu Cheng chambered a round in his rifle and, at the command, rushed into the portal.
As he stepped through the portal, Lu Cheng left humanity’s first footprints on the land of another world.
…
The forest was safer than Lu Cheng had imagined. They encountered neither the dragons he had hoped to see nor any beast-like creatures. They only saw a few squirrel-like creatures jumping from tree branches.
However, the entire team remained vigilant and patrolled their surroundings.
“Captain, I have a new discovery.”
Kite’s voice came through the radio, and Lu Cheng called the other two members to quickly gather at Kite’s location.
Kite had found a high vantage point in the forest, specifically a cliff. Stepping out of the dense forest, Lu Cheng looked down from the cliff and saw a town in the distance.
“Is that a city?”
Lu Cheng quickly took out his binoculars and observed the scene from afar. Less than a thousand meters from the cliff, there were numerous piles of rubble. Judging by the patterns on the rubble, it appeared to be the remains of some kind of intelligent beings’ buildings.
“Captain, I think ‘town’ is a more fitting description, but it’s already a ruin,” Kite said.
Through Lu Cheng’s binoculars, the distant town appeared to be a pile of ruins, with many buildings no longer recognizable.
“That doesn’t look like damage from an explosion. It seems to have been destroyed by some kind of impact.”
Iron Ring, a demolitions expert, quickly deduced that the buildings were likely knocked down by some force.
“An impact? Mammoth?” Lu Cheng couldn’t imagine what kind of creature could have destroyed the buildings. “Perhaps it’s Godzilla; this world should be called the Land of Dragons, right?”
The other three didn’t know how to respond to Lu Cheng’s comment.
But soon a terrifying roar revealed the answer.
It was a gigantic creature, at least three people high, resembling a wolf but without fur. It was covered in a viscous crimson fluid that continuously dripped from its body and evaporated.
“Is this a creature similar to those pterosaurs?”
Lu Cheng used his binoculars to focus on the horrifying ‘giant wolf’. The initial pterosaurs that arrived on Earth had a similar feature: a crimson fluid continuously oozing from their skin, which quickly evaporated, leaving only their skeletons when they were transported to the underground lab.
This reminded Lu Cheng of the Giant Warrior from “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.”
“Captain! There are… humans! Humans are being chased by that monster,” Kite reported.
“Prepare to shoot.” Lu Cheng ordered Kite.
Kite immediately placed his main weapon, the Type 88 rifle, on the ground, set up the rifle’s support, and aimed the scope at the giant wolf in pursuit of a middle-aged man. The man’s clothing was very worn and dirty.
“Parallel world?”
Lu Cheng was surprised to see humans, or well humanoid beings, in this world.
The middle-aged man was frantically running through the city ruins, managing to hide in the gap between two buildings, but these unstable buildings wouldn’t last long.
The giant wolf’s violent impact was causing the surrounding buildings to collapse.
“Captain, our position is exposed,” Poster, who was observing the wind speed, suddenly said.
“That’s why I didn’t order Kite to fire.”
Lu Cheng continued to observe, checking if there were more monsters in the area. The town seemed devoid of other humans.
“Captain, there’s a child,” Iron Ring said suddenly.
A girl, looking around eleven or twelve years old, emerged from the other side of the ruins. She seemed terrified of the giant wolf but kept shouting something at the middle-aged man being chased.
The giant wolf suddenly turned its head and focused on the girl, who was less than ten meters away. The wolf could easily devour her with one bite.
“Fire.”
Lu Cheng gave the command, and Kite pulled the trigger.
With a loud bang, the bullet shot out and precisely pierced the giant wolf’s head, creating a large opening in its forehead where the crimson fluid flowed out.
Its enormous body staggered and fell to the ground after taking a few more steps, lifeless.
“Target eliminated,” Kite reported.
Lu Cheng continued to watch the situation in the town through the binoculars. The little girl knelt in the ruins, crying in fear. The middle-aged man ran out and, in a panic, hugged the girl, then looked in disbelief at the fallen giant wolf.
Soon, an elderly woman emerged from the ruins. The middle-aged man walked to the giant wolf and knelt, speaking to it.
“What are they saying?” Kite asked curiously.
“Praying to the gods,” Lu Cheng said softly.
“Praying… are they performing some sort of religious ceremony?” Kite asked again.
“They’re praying to us.”
Lu Cheng looked at the figures kneeling and chanting in the distance.
“In this situation, with the giant wolf that was hunting them suddenly dead… they can only think of it as divine punishment.”
“As the gods they are praying to, we should go meet them. There is only that family left on the outskirts of the town… anyway, let’s make contact with them first,” Lu Cheng continued.
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