Grey: Monsters

The view from above was nothing but disaster and ruin, with Nephilim moving throughout the area. Houses and facilities lay flattened to the ground, yet, shockingly, the walls still stood intact.

Among the choppers hovering over Hokkaido Base was one designated for Squad Seven. I stood by the window, looking down at the land of ruins.

I swept my gaze over the faces of everyone in the chopper. Saiya, Nagato, and Captain Leonard were calm—a reaction I'd come to expect from them. But Haruchi and Kitetsu were different. Kitetsu's expression was somewhat composed, but I couldn't say the same for Haruchi.

As the choppers descended, stopping a few feet above ground, the door swung open. We readied ourselves to drop with our weapons. A long rope unfurled down for us to descend, but that didn't seem necessary for Saiya, Haruchi, and the Captain—they simply leaped from the chopper, landing with ease. Damn. I wasn't ready to take that risk.

"Remember the mission goal, and don't fall behind."

When the mission was assigned, the briefing wasn't entirely clear, but the heads had come to a conclusion: Hokkaido Base wouldn't be habitable anytime soon. Major reconstruction was needed, and that required moving all civilians to Shibuya, then exterminating all Nephilim in the area to prepare for rebuilding. With the population reduced to just five hundred civilians, this plan became feasible.

Today's mission was divided into three phases. The first involved reaching the "docking point," which led to the underground bunker where the civilians had taken refuge. The second phase required moving the civilians onto choppers bound for Shibuya. The third and final stage was to eliminate any remaining Nephilim.

We landed far from the docking point to avoid attracting Nephilim attention towards that point and began making our way there on foot.

"Are you scared?" Kitetsu asked Haruchi suddenly as the three of us trailed behind Captain and Saiya.

"I—I'm not scared, dude. Just… cautious."

Haruchi was clearly scared. His eyes were wide, brows furrowed.

"You don't have to hide it, Haruchi. Anybody would be nervous; the place is crawling with Nephilim, and they could attack anytime," Kitetsu replied.

Truthfully, my fear wasn't of the Nephilim. I dreaded getting pushed to the point of transforming. If Saiya hadn't intervened last time, Nagato would've killed me. And this time, not only Nagato but also Captain Leonard and the others were here. I'd better stay careful—

"Nephilim attack!" someone yelled.

Suddenly, Nephilim poured from every corner, surrounding us before we had a chance to react. The air filled with the echo of gunfire.

I cocked my rifle and began firing. This time, I felt power surge through me and into the gun—likely a result of my suit's upgraded capabilities.

When the gunfire finally ceased, Nephilim corpses littered the ground, dark blue blood staining the ruins. I scanned the faces around me; some were weary, but when I saw Captain Leonard's glint of concern, I knew something was up.

I walked up to Saiya. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Hey, still alive?" she smirked.

"Haha, like I'd die that easily."

"Figured."

"So, what's wrong? Why's everyone looking so… tense?"

"You really don't get it?"

"What's there to get?"

Saiya tapped her wrist, bringing up a holographic screen displaying the area.

"We couldn't pick up the Nephilim. It was a surprise attack."

"How? Are our suits malfunctioning?"

"That's one possibility, but for every suit to fail at once? No. More likely, they're jamming us. And given what we've seen, that shouldn't be a surprise."

"So, we need to be extra careful?"

"Yeah. Don't die, okay?"

"You're the one I should be telling that to."

She went on ahead to regroup with Captain Leonard and Nagato.

I noticed Captain Leonard holding a pistol—his only weapon. Now that I think about it, I've never seen him fight. Is he even strong, or just the type of strategist who stays behind the front lines? So, what's he doing here?

After a long walk, we reached the docking point, where a few people awaited us. They seemed to be important figures—probably other captains, though I didn't recognize their faces.

Captain Leonard walked up to a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. They exchanged a long look before hugging tightly. The two of them, along with three others, left us at the docking point.

While we waited, a group approached, led by a girl with a lean, almost malnourished appearance. Looking keenly, everyone from Hokkaido had the same gaunt look.

"Hello. I'm Fumie from Squad Two. While the captain's meeting is underway, we'll show you around."

It wasn't a bad offer, so we agreed. Anything was better than standing around.

Though it sounded like a simple tour, it was really a walk through hell. The ward where civilians sheltered resembled a sewer, reeking of decay, with the stench of rotten food and corpses lingering in the cramped space. It was hard to tell the difference between someone sleeping on the floor and a lifeless body.

It was difficult to believe these people had survived here for so long.

"F-Fumie?" I called out.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been in this bunker?"

"I stopped counting after the first month… but I think it's been two months."

"How many people made it in? And how many are left?"

"About twelve hundred entered. Now, there are roughly five hundred left."

I didn't need anyone to explain what these people had endured. Honestly, if you asked me, I'd choose death over surviving two months in this hell.