Infinity, The Arcade Age

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The deafening cry pierced the air, followed by a cacophony of gunfire and explosions as the camp erupted in chaos.

The rebel troops, caught completely off guard, found themselves immediately pinned under a hailstorm of bullets. Many fell where they stood, while others, equipped with specialized riot shields, tried desperately to retreat behind cover.

But shields that had previously withstood machine-gun fire with ease were today shredded—along with the soldiers holding them—by rifle rounds that punched clean through.

One of the adventurers, his shoulder adorned with the King of Fighters Team emblem, ground his teeth in frustration. He roared as he brought out a massive, heavy shield and charged recklessly into the fray, intent on pushing through the enemy's firepower.

His plan? As always, get up close and personal. In the Metal Slug world, a place dominated by firearms, combatants often neglected their physical prowess. Once in melee range, these low-stat enemies wouldn't dare fire their weapons recklessly, rendering them even weaker than minions in other worlds.

This brute had used this strategy to crush multiple government units, including single-handedly obliterating a squad of fifty soldiers in the past.

With a wild roar, his twisted expression reflected pure bloodlust as he barreled forward with his blue-grade shield raised high.

But he didn't make it far.

After only a few steps, he was engulfed by a storm of machine-gun fire. Sparks flew as bullets shredded his shield, deforming it severely, and blood spurted from the gaping wounds across his body.

His bold charge had made him a prime target, and two light machine guns quickly focused all their fire on him. Moments later, a heavy machine gun joined in, its barrel turning to unleash its devastating power.

These heavy weapons, specially upgraded by Qin Ming to dull-silver quality, were a tier higher than the brute's shield. Against the light machine guns, his shield might have mitigated some damage, but against the heavy machine gun, it stood no chance.

In seconds, the blue-grade shield was reduced to a sieve. The adventurer, riddled with bullet holes, collapsed in a bloody heap.

The machine guns, having finished him off, turned their sights on other targets in the rebel force.

But just as the guns shifted away, the brute's body twitched unnaturally.

Suddenly, the silver-white armor he wore shattered into fragments, revealing his unscathed body underneath.

Item: Silver-Grade Armor – Brave Warrior Armor

Origin: Ghosts 'n Goblins World

Effect: Protects the wearer from lethal damage by absorbing all attacks once while restoring their full health and status.

Drawback: Occupies all equipment slots, preventing the wearer from using any other armor, helmets, pants, or boots. The armor breaks permanently after one use.

Saved by his armor, the adventurer struggled back to his feet.

Realizing the enemy soldiers were preoccupied with firing at his comrades, he clenched his teeth and charged forward again. This time, he smashed through the camp's wooden fence with his shoulder, successfully breaking into the encampment.

Hearing the commotion, government soldiers, busy ferrying ammunition crates, stopped in their tracks and turned in shock.

Seeing an enemy breach the camp, they immediately dropped their crates, raised their bayonet-equipped rifles, and rushed to intercept him.

In response, the now-shirtless brute let out another furious roar, pulling out twin axes and charging at the oncoming soldiers.

Talent Skill: Iron Body

Effect: Converts one-third of the user's strength into defense, granting them dual-layered protection.

With his skill activated, the brute became a berserker, his attack and defense both skyrocketing. His face twisted with rage, his eyes bloodshot. The destruction of his hard-earned armor had sent him into a blind fury.

"You bastards! I'll kill you all—urk!"

His roar was cut short.

Despite his reinforced defenses, the brute's body froze mid-charge. His chest was impaled by several bayonets, piercing straight through him.

Wide-eyed, he stared in disbelief at the weapons lodged in his body, his mind blank.

But before he could process what had happened, more soldiers swarmed him, their rifles raised to deliver more stabbing blows.

Defense Breach Counter: +5

Nearly skewered into a human pincushion, the brute screamed in agony as bayonets stabbed him from all sides.

Finally snapping out of his daze, he swung his axes wildly, flinging the nearby soldiers away. Bleeding profusely, he turned and staggered toward the hole in the fence he'd created earlier, desperate to escape.

But he didn't make it.

From a parked vehicle, a soldier armed with a light machine gun aimed at him and opened fire.

The relentless stream of bullets tore into his back, sending sprays of blood into the air.

Before he could collapse, the relentless sounds of rifles joined the fray, and the adventurer was struck down by the combined firepower of over twenty soldiers. His body hit the ground with a thud, falling at the very gap he had broken through, his eyes wide with disbelief.

This so-called "Minor Monster Slayer," who had once mocked weaklings as if crushing them were child's play, who had survived countless skirmishes without even a scratch, never imagined his demise would come at the hands of a group of what he had always deemed "small fry."

With the intruder dealt with, the soldiers glanced at each other, shrugged, and holstered their weapons before returning to their task of hauling ammunition to the frontlines.

Why were they moving ammo instead of fighting?

There wasn't enough space for all the soldiers to stand at the firing points.Somebody had to supply the bullets for those doing the shooting.

The soldiers manning the guns were veterans who had been with Commander Qin Ming since the beginning. As for these newcomers, who had joined later? Naturally, the grunts got stuck with the dirty work.

Ironically, the men who gunned down the adventurer weren't even part of the main force—they were the reserve unit.

In the forest outside the camp, Sergeant Firestorm, the leader of the rebel Special Forces Unit, was crouched behind cover, holding his steel helmet with one hand as the overwhelming firepower pinned his team down.

"Where are my assault teams? Where's my vanguard? Push into the camp already!" Firestorm shouted.

A panicked teammate, also ducking behind cover, lifted his head in desperation. "They're dead! The assault team was wiped out! All of them!"

"What? They had custom riot shields! Those things can withstand machine gun fire! How could they all be dead?!"

"I don't know! They were shredded the moment they advanced!"

"Then where's Bull?! Get him to lead the charge! Where's Bull?!"

Hearing that the vanguard had been annihilated, Firestorm roared in frustration. He shouted for "Bull," the brute adventurer.

A teammate beside him began frantically waving his arms, trying to get Bull's attention. But instead of drawing Bull, his movements attracted a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.

BOOM!

The cover ahead of Firestorm disintegrated into a massive crater, as if a missile, not a rocket, had struck. Along with the crater, the unlucky adventurer who had stood to wave was blasted to pieces.

Firestorm blinked at the severed leg that landed in front of him, still trailing black smoke. His gaze shifted to the massive crater, his eye twitching uncontrollably.

Seeing his team taking heavy losses while making no progress, Firestorm gritted his teeth and made the call.

"Retreat! Fall back! Now!"

As the order spread, the disoriented Special Forces soldiers scrambled to their feet, clutching their weapons, and fled into the woods.

But before they could disappear into the forest, a deep rumble echoed behind them.

The rebels turned as one to see the camp gates burst open. A wave of tanks and armored vehicles roared out, charging toward them at full speed. Behind the vehicles came a throng of soldiers, yelling fiercely.

Leading the charge was a peculiar-looking Metal Slug Type 4 Tank, its unconventional design strikingly apparent even amid the chaos.

(End of Chapter)