27. Airport
A week after the mobilization day, hunters gathered at Houston Airport. They were assigned shuttles according to the movement date and platoons notified three days prior. That day, a total of 9 shuttles had completed flight preparations at the airport and were waiting at the tarmac for the hunters they would carry. Though it was early autumn, the midday sunlight was intense, and heat waves rose hazily on the runway. Square container boxes were being loaded into the shuttles one by one, with Celtic cross patterns engraved on the box surfaces. Inside the huge shade of the tarmac, men in black protective suits gathered in groups smoking cigarettes.
When April's team arrived at their assigned shuttle, other hunters had already taken seats inside. People sat on long benches attached to the shuttle's outer walls, saying nothing. Whenever new people entered, they looked at those standing awkwardly with arrogant eyes, as if feeling superior for having claimed seats first. In such awkward places, having allies was a great strength. April also glanced over the people inside once and quietly sat in an empty seat. After newcomers sat down, the earlier arrivals soon relaxed their gaze as if interest had disappeared, but one man in particular kept watching newcomers and exuded a strong impression. When about 20 people had boarded the shuttle, that man suddenly stood up from his seat.
"Greetings, everyone! I am 'Palmer,' a high-ranking hunter within the top 1,000 hunter rankings. I heard they mixed rankers into each platoon to balance things out... It seems I'm the highest ranker here. Everyone has clearly tense eyes, but you don't need to worry too much. As long as I'm in this platoon, if you just follow my words well, you'll all be able to complete your mission safely."
When he showed his white teeth in a nice guy pose, April looked at Supremer with eyes suggesting she had discovered another lunatic in the group. Supremer raised his palm as if dumbfounded.
"From years of combat experience, this battle requires a leader's excellent command ability. Therefore, one of us must become a leader to lead the organization on everyone's behalf... It seems I, with the highest ranking, should do that job. Don't worry. I'm already an experienced person with mission experience in Murmansk and know the geography there well. Also, formations and tactics suitable for large-scale battles..."
"I agree!"
Before the man finished speaking, April raised her right hand high without even looking at him. People were startled by the woman's resounding voice, and O'Brien and Supremer quickly caught on to what her crazed eyes meant.
"I agree too."
"Me too."
When O'Brien and Supremer also expressed agreement, people watched and began saying they agreed one by one. But the agreement procession didn't last long, and after a seventh man shouted agreement in a barely audible small voice, no one said anything more. Palmer was flustered by the sudden procession of people's agreement, but soon said thank you as if satisfied. April thought it might quiet down now, but he continued fervently speaking about how he would operate the organization and where he would lead his assigned platoon, making her sick of it. And just as he was about to mention needing to divide duties, a man in protective gear sitting in the passenger seat came to the cabin and interrupted him.
"Who here is Mr. O'Brien?"
At the man's question, O'Brien lowered his head, and April, grasping the situation, pointed her finger and informed him that 'that bald man with his head down is the person you're looking for.' O'Brien glared at April once with a frown as if caught, then said he was O'Brien. Then the man asked him to come to the passenger seat for a moment and returned to his seat. When O'Brien went to the passenger seat, Palmer continued what he had been saying. The man who called O'Brien from the passenger seat was Nick, the 1st Armored Squad Leader. He brought up things O'Brien needed to cooperate on as a high-ranking hunter, and O'Brien made an extremely annoyed expression.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
In another shuttle, a man who seemed to be from headquarters was in the middle of explaining to hunters.
"Murmansk is divided into a total of 8 regions centered on Golden Tower. Where we're going is the 8th Corps, where a total of 3 platoons will be deployed. The 8th Corps area is narrow, so there aren't as many madmen as other places. When we arrive at Golden Tower, you'll receive firearms provided by headquarters and be deployed to the field immediately."
"Where do we sleep?"
Feng, who had been listening intently, asked the headquarters person.
"Temporary barracks have been set up in each area."
The seated people began to murmur. They began to grumble as if at least one hotel should be cleared for people taking risks.
"As you may have already heard, this mission will proceed under strict headquarters control. You must note once again that you cannot move independently as usual. Since the entire area is covered with madmen, no place can be safe."
"How do we eat?"
Feng asked another question.
"I can't tell you everything in detail one by one now. Headquarters has already prepared sufficiently for such matters, and there will be no problem at all in carrying out your mission."
"You said firearms would be provided—must we only use supplied firearms?"
Feng asked another question. Feng had many questions.
"You may use firearms you personally possess. However, as you'll discover when you get to the field, it will be very difficult to handle multiple madmen with the firearms you have now. Although everyone has their own fighting style, this time you'll be moving according to platoon operations, so supplied firearms will be used effectively."
"So do we take them when the battle ends?"
"Of course... no, no! Of course you must return them!"
When the headquarters person stammered, some giggled and laughed. The headquarters person finally said to show a more serious attitude as this mission had many casualties, then returned to his seat with a red face.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
While Pringle was smoking a cigarette outside, two young hunters sat next to Bracket who had entered first.
"Hello there. I'm Bracket from Irington. Where are you young friends from?"
When Bracket spoke to them, the red-haired boy smiled and said.
"I'm Will from Kraka Island."
"Kraka! The island in the southern Angelisk coast?"
"Yes."
"You've come from really far... but..."
Bracket hesitated for a moment.
"Isn't it near the 5th crater?"
Angelisk was an area that disappeared a few months ago when a child volcano of the 5th crater erupted. Displaced people scattered to the southern Paran branch and northern Kast branch. The boy smiled at Bracket's question and nodded silently. Bracket stopped asking about his home region and looked for other topics to change the subject.
"By the way, is that staff your weapon? It doesn't look particularly dangerous..."
When Bracket pointed at the red staff the boy was holding, the boy looked at his staff and smiled silently. That smile seemed to simultaneously mean he had heard such talk a lot and that opinion would change before long.
"Hey Bracket. What are you chatting about?"
Pringle entered, reeking of cigarette smell.
"They're young friends. Nice to meet you. I'm Pringle. I wonder if this old man bothered you again with his meddling. We've worked together for 30 years and still this busybody habit hasn't been fixed."
Pringle sat next to Bracket, placing his hand on his knee. Bracket smiled awkwardly.
"Anyway, they said they'd put us on a plane but gave us this cargo porter instead. Who are they treating like cargo? This is why you can't believe headquarters people's words at face value."
"Exactly. Last time they distributed waterproof raincoats, but the raincoat absorbed water like a sponge. Thanks to that, I caught a severe cold and lay sick for a week."
The young boys laughed at the old men's words.
"Where do you guys operate? I don't think I've seen you in Pramo."
"We came from Luja."
"You mean the pasture area next to Zaporizhzhia. There aren't as many people there as in Pramo—the mobilization notice went all the way there? The southern office's jurisdiction seems quite wide."
While Pringle was talking, outside the shuttle, the mechanic signaled that flight preparations were complete, and the captain closed the shuttle door and announced departure preparation. Hunters hurriedly pulled holders on the wall to their chests to secure their bodies. A fan sound rang loudly from the jet engine at the shuttle's bottom, then a sound like a rocket explosion was heard as the shuttle slowly rose into the sky, raising a dust storm on the ground. Nine shuttles sequentially rose into the sky, then the shuttle April was riding took the lead and flew north.