Chapter 11: Giant Wolf

Austronesian Empire, Imperial Majapahit, Nusantara, Streets Of Nusantara.

2000, 1, 1st Week, January.

Little by little, communication among the various parts of Austronesia was being restored. However, there was still no word from any other nations known to earth. It's as if the storm completely cut them off from the outside world. Despite this, they didn't have enough time to idle and so with all the reports coming in, the government was forced to order a full mobilization of the military to restore order throughout Austronesia, even if the storm were as violent as ever.

To make sure of the safety of the equipment, the soldiers were equipped with amphibious armor and vehicles. In the other parts of Austronesia where the flood was severe, the soldiers were forced to use an amphibious boat with amphibious armor to support them. Throughout Austronesia, soldiers were being mobilized to duty.

On a partially submerged street of Nusantara was a company of soldiers waiting for reinforcements. They were stationed at various floors of the house to maintain strategic views of their surroundings. They had abandoned the flooded streets to preserve their ammunition from being washed away, so they took refuge in houses lining the street to allow for a wide view of their blind spots.

It has now been a few hours since the time of distribution of higher class forms of communication devices, unfortunately since they were so far away from the command center, they weren't able to get one for the meantime. However, they knew that sooner than later reinforcement would arrive.

Hours had already passed and there were no fresh attacks from the monsters. The sudden absence of attacks left the soldiers extremely puzzled and wary. Just a few hours earlier, the monsters were attacking relentlessly. Now they have completely stopped. It is just so confusing for the soldiers.

Observing that the situation has calmed down, the soldiers entered back inside the houses as outside was so cold that you could practically store a salmon outside and you will be able to eat it afterwards. Earlier, they were all stationed at the different parts of the balcony and windows of the houses.

Now they have closed it and waited for the reinforcements, and furthermore, they were just watching on the windows to know if there will be another wave of attacks from the monsters.

Those soldiers that weren't doing anything sat down in a circle, talking amongst themselves and keeping each other's spirits up.

"Hey Carmel, what do you think is happening all around Austronesia? Just earlier they announced to the civilians to evacuate immediately, and now there's a sudden announcement of a catastrophic level of storm forming in the middle of Austronesia?" one of the soldiers, who appeared to be a Caucasian with a striking muscular body asked.

Another soldier, who appeared to be a white man with a long beard, interjected, "It's probably the Armageddon, Dallas. The end of the world is upon us and we're the first ones to perish." 

The muscular Caucasian male named Dallas replied back, "I am not too sure about that. Earlier, I've seen people frantically running inside and outside of the Austronesian Intelligence Division of the Constabulary, so it is more likely that they discovered something alarming and the government decided the best course of action is to save the citizens," 

"I see. So, it was those damn North Americans again? What are they trying to do this time? Have they summoned the demons from hell? It is the only possible thing, as we could all see that those monsters we have fought earlier had strikingly similar qualities to a demon, right?" 

"Let's not jump to conclusions immediately," another soldier, who appeared to have middle eastern heritage entered the conversation, "While your ideas have merit, it's important not to be too hasty in blaming the North Americans. If we base the rising tensions on the world, along with the sudden appearance of a catastrophic level of storm, it is highly likely that it is indeed the North Americans who may have done something, but we can't be certain. However, I propose a different theory. Maybe they had developed a new technology and tried to test it on us first, however things went wrong and they actually summoned the demons from hell, as they have broken the laws of the world."

"Gadiel's got a good point," Carmel said.

"Hm, that is indeed a reasonable theory, my Muslim friend," Dallas agreed, "However, we shouldn't always blame the North Americans for every problem that transpires before us. After all, doing so would make us no different from them. Let's all look towards a better view, and that is, whatever is causing this anomaly in our world. We should all pray to God first for guidance and strength as we face this challenge and fight for our people."

"You're right," the Muslim named Gadiel replied, "Let's stay focused on what you said and trust that we can overcome whatever obstacles Allah puts in our path."

"Now, let's all talk about the storm, shall we?" Carmel suggested. "This is the first time I've seen such a violent storm. Not only that, the lightning ignites fires that can't be put out, and the thunder we've been hearing lately is so loud it shakes our bones. Aren't you all frightened by it?"

"Of course we are all frightened by it," Dallas admitted, "But our sense of duty takes over us, and guidance from the lord keeps our spirits up. Even though we are all divided and practice different religions, we can all agree that defending the motherland comes first, and no matter which religion either be Catholic, Judaism, Islamic, or anything we belong to faith towards God or Allah or Yahweh will be beneficial." 

As the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish continued talking about their opinions and their daily lives, they eventually played games to pass the time, while some took out a cigar, albeit it being wet, it can still be smoked, so they had to get used to it.

However, as time passed by, their respite was abruptly shattered when a deafening roar echoed through the street outside, which alerted the soldiers as they spring into action. 

Cautious not to be seen by whatever was outside, they approached the windows carefully to observe. But just as one soldier moved to peer out, an enormous wolf crashed through the window and bit the soldier to death. The soldier's death cry reverberated through the house, sending shockwaves of horror among the others.

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The surrounding soldiers were utterly horrified. Just moments earlier they had been playing each other like it was some sleepover, only to be violently thrust back in, fighting monsters. The sudden attack took them by surprise, struggling to process the unexpected danger that had found them.

"Fire at that thing!" Dallas yelled out.

All of the soldiers immediately grabbed their assault rifles and aimed at the giant wolf and opened fire in unison. But to their shock, the bullets ricocheted off the creature's fur, leaving it unscathed.

As the giant wolf finished killing its first victim, it leaped toward another soldier. The soldier, in a desperate attempt to fight back, drew his knife and engaged in close combat. Unfortunately, the giant wolf bit down on the soldier's arm with brutal force. Despite the soldier's efforts to force open the mouth of the beast, he was unable to free himself.

With a powerful crunch, the giant wolf tore off the soldier's arm, causing a spray of blood and a horrific scene. The giant wolf tossed the lost limb away and went in for the kill, decapitating the soldier with utter ruthlessness.

The remaining soldiers watched in horror as their comrade fell, all while continuing to fire their rifles at the giant wolf. However, as if heaven dropped salt on them, all their bullets continued to bounce harmlessly off its body, as though it was bulletproof or its fur was as hard as steel.

The soldiers found themselves in a dire situation, facing a creature seemingly impervious to their weapons.

While everything was transpiring, the other soldiers from the different houses took notice of this and rushed out on their balcony, and tried to help the other squads from the house where the giant wolf was in.

Unfortunately for the soldiers trapped inside the house with the giant wolf realized they were at a severe disadvantage without rocket launchers like the other teams. They knew they had to act quickly or they were all killed by the giant wolf, so they made a desperate decision to escape the house and seek refuge in other houses where there are squads equipped with armor-piercing guns, RPGs, and other stronger explosive weapons.

The soldiers fled the house, each one making a run for safety as the giant wolf began chasing them. Unfortunately, one soldier was not so lucky. As he attempted to leave, the creature lunged at him, sinking its teeth into his shoulder and dragging him back into the house.

"Ah! Ahhh! Help!" 

Hearing his desperate screams, the other soldiers turned around and watched in horror as their comrade was pulled back, powerless to intervene.

Seeking an honorable death, the soldier that was dragged back into the house used all of his grenades in his packs and pulled out their pins at once, after which a loud explosion erupted, which resulted in the house being reduced into a pile of rubbles.

The other soldiers noticed this and observed the pile of rubbles, hoping the blast would have taken down the creature. Unfortunately, the rubble was raised and a deafening roar was heard, it became clear that the beast wasn't dead.

The other teams of soldiers from the other houses went out and prepared their rocket launchers, watching the debris closely and waited for the giant wolf to appear. When the beast emerged from the ruins, they checked behind to see there were no friendly soldiers there, and when there wasn't any, they all launched off the rockets.

The rockets streaked through the air at a blistering speed, leaving trails of smoke behind them. Just as the exact moment when the giant wolf stumbled out of the rubble, it was met with several rockets, which pulverized the beast to its death.

After the smoke cleared and while the rain was partially blocking the view. The soldiers were able to identify that the giant wolf was indeed killed and so they let out a cheer and celebrated.

Unfortunately, they couldn't have had much time to celebrate as they had to mourn for the people who have sacrificed their lives. They removed their helmets and held them to their chests in a solemn moment of prayer for the fallen souls that died in the battle.

After they were able to finish their prayers, a loud honking sound echoed through the streets. Afterwards they found that the reinforcements had arrived, but the soldiers felt a mixture of joy and sadness.

If reinforcement could only arrive in time, maybe they wouldn't have lost that many men and women, but that's just how things go.

Accepting the harsh reality of battle, the soldiers gathered their belongings and marched into the amphibious vehicles, their faces marked with the gravity of their recent experience. The reinforcements noticed the ashen expressions of the rescued soldiers, understanding they had arrived too late. Their hearts constricted and thought about the many lives they could have saved if they didn't arrive late.

This event was just one of the many events that were transpiring throughout the empire of Austronesia, and unfortunately for the soldiers, they knew their journey was far from over and that they would face even greater challenges in the days ahead. 

Their hardships were just about to begin.