Chapter 114: Kush

Basil was still in midair. Upon seeing the two defensive heavy machine guns, he relaxed his body completely, surrendering without resistance.

“I refuse to give up! This isn’t a military base!” Manfred shouted, raising his first-class heavy axe high. As an elite warrior of the highest tier, he had never feared anyone in direct combat.

Yet, the situation before him extinguished all hope. If the vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns might still allow for escape, these defensive heavy machine guns, firing twenty thousand rounds per minute in such a confined space, were an insurmountable force.

Of course, this was assuming they lacked exoskeleton armor, just like the two of them.

One warrior was airborne, the other on the ground—it was as if the world had paused amid a sudden summer downpour.

Countless bullets pierced through Basil’s body in midair. The expensive bulletproof vest he wore was no more than a sheet of paper, continuously perforated by the hail of rounds.

His body shattered in flight, turning into a crimson rain that fell and merged with Manfred’s equally fragmented body on the ground.

David ordered the Type-II Land Tiger armored vehicle to descend into the courtyard. As a seasoned battlefield veteran, the scene before him was hard to accept.

The defensive heavy machine gun’s terrifying rate of fire could only display its true destructive power when a target was genuinely present.

Judging from David’s assessment, if armed with sufficient first-class ammunition, mounting it on such a defensive heavy machine gun could probably sweep away even warriors clad in exoskeleton armor.

He silently thanked Jim for providing him with such a genuinely effective military-grade defensive weapon.

Suppressing his nausea, David sifted through the indistinguishable chunks of flesh and retrieved two first-class weapons, both completely undamaged.

At the same time, the Shadow Servant flew over and absorbed the souls of the two fallen.

David had no time to inspect further. He knew police—and possibly military personnel—would arrive soon.

He placed the two first-class weapons inside the Type-II Land Tiger armored vehicle, then quickly sent a hovercar to transfer two exoskeleton armor storage crates into the armored vehicle.

Afterward, he controlled the hovercar to return to its original position and stood beside the armored vehicle, waiting for the arrivals.

“Brother David, are you alright?” The military warrior squad was the first to arrive. Lieutenant Elmer, accompanied by five armored soldiers, arrived aboard a military transport spaceship.

Skynet had detected gunfire here and initially notified the police station. But since military weapons were involved, the military was given priority notification.

The military knew exactly whose residence this was. Once the news broke, Lieutenant Elmer promptly came with his on-duty soldiers.

“I’m fine. These two tried to enter my courtyard but were detected and eliminated by the defense system,” David stepped forward, pointing at the scattered remains on the ground.

“Good to hear you’re unharmed. You have a mercenary mission underway, but since you’ve earned the Silver Star Medal, it’s likely to be canceled within a day or two. You should stay indoors for the next couple of days,” Lieutenant Elmer surveyed David carefully, relieved to see no injuries.

David hadn’t expected the Silver Star Medal to carry such benefits—that even his mercenary assignments would be revoked.

“These brainless mercenaries dared to approach such an obvious military installation!” Lieutenant Elmer looked down at the shredded corpses without a flicker of emotion, his voice grave.

“By the way, when does your transfer order arrive?” David asked, not wanting to focus on the grisly scene.

Elmer, having earned the Iron Star Medal, was due for a promotion, which David learned from Jim.

“Ha! That’s thanks to you! But I’m not planning to leave Perlan City. Since Shover City merged with Perlan, our city defense squad will be upgraded, and both I and Eaton will be promoted to captain. The orders should arrive any day now,” Elmer confided quietly.

David nodded without pressing further. The fact that Elmer could share such news now showed great trust.

At that moment, several police hovercars with flashing lights flew in. David saw Officer Bob stepping down from one of them.

“Restless even in this weather!” Officer Bob complained, waving to shield his face from the dust and sand. Spotting Lieutenant Elmer clad in exoskeleton armor, he immediately saluted. “Lieutenant!”

“Officer Bob!” Elmer returned the salute and said, “Help clean up here. I’ll arrange for someone to repair the walls.”

“Lieutenant, I’m not in charge today. Senior Officer Cush is on that hovercar. He demands the scene be sealed off and for investigators to enter,” Bob said discreetly, glancing at David then speaking to Elmer.

“Call that Cush here. Is he the sheriff or the mayor, giving orders from a hovercar?” Elmer, a man of authority, immediately recognized Cush’s attempt to cause trouble and glared fiercely.

Cush, unwilling to confront the military face-to-face, had just arrived in Perlan City and lacked influence within the police department. Being embarrassed by the military now would only hinder his future standing.

Yet, he couldn’t avoid the confrontation. Hearing Elmer’s words, he stepped down from the hovercar and approached the group.

David sensed the same aura from Cush as he did from Trainer Jeremy—one of cold calculation.

Without the protection of Elmer and the armored soldiers, David would have preferred to keep his distance from Cush.

“There’s been a serious homicide here. The residence must be sealed off immediately. The police need to conduct a thorough search. Mr. David, rest assured, we will enforce the law impartially,” Cush said with a smile, his tone strictly professional.

Cush had long been curious about David’s new residence, purchased just after Jeremy’s disappearance.

In fact, the information about this place had been leaked to the two mercenaries by Cush, leveraging his organizational connections.

His plan was to have the mercenaries infiltrate the courtyard. Success meant capturing David here; failure still provided grounds for a lawful search.

He hadn’t anticipated the military’s prior arrival. The moment he saw them, a bad premonition filled him.

“Cush, have you had your brain kicked by a larva?” Lieutenant Elmer exploded, jabbing a steel finger in front of Cush’s nose. “This defense system was built by the military, and the residence is registered with the military. Do you want to search our city defense squad’s armory next?”

Cush’s face flushed red and pale by turns. His fists clenched so tightly that if not for his restraint, he might have struck Elmer.

Cush had previously worked in Kya City, a metropolis where neither the military nor government officials treated him with such blunt disrespect.

“Lieutenant Elmer, look at that wall—it was breached by a weapon of grade level. I suspect David is hiding grade-level weapons here. I need to search and find them as critical evidence!” Cush pointed at a large hole in the wall.

This military-grade special alloy wall could only be breached by grade-level weaponry or large cutting machinery.

“Cush, this residence and the armored vehicle David uses are both under military protection. If you want to search, you’ll have to apply to the military,” Elmer said coldly.

“No sign of you during the Zerg invasion, but you show up when dealing with the city’s hero. What a fine officer you are!” Cush raised his voice again.

“I’m just doing my duty without any other motives,” Elmer shot back.

At this, everyone present turned to look at Cush with disapproval. He was not a local; he had been parachuted in from another city.

For a police officer imposed on the local force to target the city’s hero, David, it stirred a strong sense of unity and antagonism among the hometown officers.

“I will write a report on this matter,” Cush said, sensing the hostility, then boarded his hovercar and left.

Officer Bob smiled slightly and nodded at David.