Chapter 226: Trapped Like Rats
"Slow down! Slow it down!"
"I'd love to slow it down! But this train won't listen!"
"Pull the brake lever! Quickly!"
"Can't you see I'm pulling with all my strength?!"
"Move aside! Let me do it!"
Amidst the chaos inside the train, as Tarma struggled but failed to stop the speeding locomotive, Qin Ming pushed him aside and took over.
Grabbing the brake lever with bulging veins on his arms and forehead, Qin Ming used every ounce of his strength, attempting to single-handedly bring the speeding locomotive under control!
The fully engaged brake lever caused violent friction with the rapidly spinning train wheels, generating massive sparks beneath the locomotive.
Qin Ming's arms trembled uncontrollably, but he gritted his teeth and held on!
The high-speed locomotive, however, showed no intention of slowing down!
It was a head-to-head battle between brute force and unrelenting momentum!
As the struggle continued, Qin Ming's efforts finally bore fruit—but not in the way he hoped. The brake lever snapped...
With a sharp crack, Qin Ming lost balance and landed hard on the floor.
Looking down at the broken lever in his hand, his eyes widened in disbelief, and a sharp, panicked cry escaped his lips.
His scream immediately triggered the rest of the group to scream as well.
Huddled together, they watched the scenery blur past on either side, the surrounding buildings reduced to streaks of motion, and they couldn't help but cry out in terror.
Amid their collective screaming, the triumphant locomotive continued charging forward, its speed climbing even higher.
As the train approached another curve, the entire locomotive was suddenly cast in shadow.
Ahead on the tracks loomed two massive obstacles—tanks.
Specifically, two super-heavy tanks.
Standing six meters tall, six meters wide, and fourteen meters long, each weighing 500 tons...
The boss from Mission 4 of Metal Slug 1: the Shu and Kane Brothers!
Name: Heavy Armor Tanks - Shu/Kane
Weapons:
Main Cannon (Damage: 100–130)Twin Auxiliary Cannons (Damage: 60–90)Semi-Homing Rocket Launcher (Damage: 100–110)
Defense: 25
Armor: 2000/2000
Description: Always deployed as a pair, these collaborative heavy armor twin tanks boast overwhelming firepower that can support each other in combat. Designed for large-scale assaults on cities and fortifications, their firepower is terrifying. Each tank is named after a fallen rebel soldier as a tribute.
The two enormous tanks stood side by side, blocking the tracks entirely, their imposing front armor directly facing the incoming train.
Inside the locomotive, Qin Ming and the others screamed even louder at the sight.
Tarma frantically worked the controls, desperately trying to find a way out.
But what features could a simple train engine possibly have to deal with this?
Ultimately, the runaway locomotive collided head-on with the tanks. With a deafening boom, the train was sent flying.
Parts flew everywhere, and the locomotive was almost completely dismantled on impact. Somehow, it soared over the tanks, landing about 20 meters away before skidding another dozen meters to a fiery halt.
Sparks flew as the locomotive came to a screeching stop, thick smoke billowing from its battered frame. The train was now a twisted, ruined wreck.
Its wheels had been completely torn off, and it could no longer move.
Amidst the metallic groaning, Qin Ming kicked open the deformed door and climbed out, coughing.
Behind him, Kasamoto Eri—whom he had shielded at the last moment—and Fiolina, whom Eri had dragged to safety, stumbled out, dazed and disoriented.
As for the other two protagonists? Whether due to protagonist plot armor or sheer dumb luck, they escaped with only minor injuries.
Climbing out of the wreckage, the group looked up to see the twin tanks advancing menacingly with a large rebel force in tow.
Panicked, they quickly scrambled into a nearby building to hide.
They had just ducked inside when the deafening sound of explosions rang out. The toppled locomotive wreckage was hit directly by tank fire and blown into the air.
Hiding within the building, Qin Ming and the others peered out at the rapidly encroaching enemy forces and the two massive tanks.
Quickly, they pulled out their weapons and began exchanging fire through the windows.
Gunfire erupted in a continuous cacophony, occasionally interspersed with the sound of grenades exploding and tank cannons firing.
Kasamoto Eri and the others were battle-hardened soldiers, all top-tier special forces operatives.
Their expertise in mobile firefights was unquestionable.
Using the building as cover, they constantly shifted positions, managing to hold their own against the outside forces.
Even though the two heavy tanks continued to bombard the structure, turning it into a shell of its former self, they failed to land a single hit on the four inside.
After all, these two heavy tanks were just standard models, brought in by the Mordern Army specifically to deal with frontline resistance.
They were nothing like the experimental Goliath King tank Qin Ming had faced before.
Unlike the Goliath King, these tanks didn't dare recklessly ram into the building to bring it down, nor did they possess the firepower to demolish the entire structure with a single shot.
Even if the two tanks worked together, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Goliath King.
However, while their firepower and armor fell short of the Goliath King, they had one critical advantage: manpower.
Operating on their home turf, these tanks served as assault units, designed to break through entrenched positions.
But the true offensive force lay in the massive infantry units and armored vehicles accompanying them.
As the rumbling of engines grew louder, additional tanks and armored vehicles arrived from all directions, completely surrounding the building.
Even the six rail-mounted Mini Barth tanks had arrived, following the tracks to reinforce the siege.
The overwhelming barrage of tank and vehicle fire targeted the building, reducing it to a haze of dust and debris.
The intense firepower left Qin Ming and his team scrambling for cover inside, unable to mount any sort of counterattack.
For over three minutes, the relentless bombardment continued before finally subsiding.
Inside the building—now reduced to a barely standing shell—Qin Ming and the others, covered in dust and visibly disoriented, struggled to their feet.
Looking out at the densely packed army surrounding them, as well as the overwhelming number of tanks and vehicles, Fiolina and the others turned pale.
At that moment, from among the rebel forces below, the hatch of one of the tanks opened, and a man emerged.
Holding a megaphone, a smile plastered on his face, he spoke loudly.
"Major Hyena, correct? Frontline Commander! A pleasure to finally meet you!"
Hearing his rank being precisely called out, Qin Ming's face darkened, though he didn't seem particularly surprised.
Seeing that Qin Ming didn't respond, the man—his shoulder bearing the insignia of the King of Fighters Squadron—grinned and continued speaking cheerfully.
"I've heard so much about you. How about we make a deal? You help me take out those four protagonists and join us, and we'll call all previous grievances even. What do you say?"
He paused for a few seconds, lowering the megaphone, waiting for a reply. But when no response came, the man raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
"Alright then, how about this? To the esteemed members of the Peregrine Squad, let's make a trade! You take out this guy, and we'll let you walk free. Deal?"