Chương 339: 308. Gunners Sudden Attack PT.3

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Sico could see the panic in their ranks as the Minutemen pressed the attack, forcing them to retreat further and further toward the shore. The Gunners' lines were breaking.

The explosion of Robert's assault still echoed in the distance as Sico and the Minutemen charged through the breaches, their renewed momentum carrying them across the rubble-strewn battlefield. They moved with grim determination, weapons blazing, cutting through the ranks of Gunners caught off guard by the sudden counterattack.

Sico felt the surge of adrenaline course through his veins as his rifle spat fire, picking off Gunners who struggled to regroup. The mercenaries had clearly not anticipated such a rapid retaliation. Caught between their crumbling artillery positions and the relentless wave of Minutemen pouring from the Castle, their formation began to falter.

Sico stayed at the front, leading his squad as they advanced through the chaos, pushing the Gunners toward the shore. The mercenaries' retreat was disorderly, and panic was spreading among their ranks. Sico spotted a cluster of Gunners falling back behind a series of makeshift barricades near a partially collapsed tower. They were digging in, preparing to make a stand.

"Keep the pressure on them!" Sico shouted, firing another burst toward the barricades. His shots pinged off the metal and stone, but one of the Gunners slumped to the ground, clutching a wounded leg.

Beside him, Sarah fired her laser musket in quick bursts, hitting a Gunner attempting to lay down suppressing fire. "We've got them on the ropes!" she called, her voice edged with excitement. "If we keep pushing, we can break their lines completely!"

But even as she spoke, Sico could feel the shift in the battle. The Gunners were disorganized, yes—but they were professionals, and they weren't about to let their entire force be swept away so easily.

Just as Sico was about to give the order to push harder, a new figure stepped into view behind the barricades—a tall man in heavy combat armor, his face obscured by a dark visor. He moved with purpose, not in retreat, but to rally the Gunners. His voice rang out over the din of battle, sharp and authoritative, cutting through the panic of his troops.

"Hold your positions!" the man barked. "Regroup on me! Form up and prepare to counterattack!"

The effect was immediate. The retreating Gunners stopped their chaotic fallback, quickly reorganizing into defensive positions around the figure. He was clearly their leader, and his presence was enough to turn the tide of panic. Within moments, the Gunners' disjointed line began to solidify, their weapons trained on the advancing Minutemen.

Sico recognized the danger. This leader wasn't just some officer shouting orders—he was a seasoned commander, and his presence was steadying the entire Gunner force. If Sico didn't act fast, their momentum would stall, and the Gunners would regain the upper hand.

"Get down!" Sico shouted, throwing himself behind a low stone wall as the Gunners opened fire. His squad followed suit, diving for cover as bullets and energy blasts tore through the air.

The battlefield erupted into a deadly stalemate. The Minutemen had pushed the Gunners back but were now pinned down by the heavy fire from the reinforced barricades. Sico gritted his teeth, his mind racing for a solution. They had been so close to breaking the Gunners' lines, but now, with their leader in the field, the mercenaries were regrouping fast.

Sarah crouched beside Sico, reloading her musket. "That leader's no joke," she muttered. "He's got them back on their feet. If we don't do something, they're going to hit us with everything they've got."

Sico nodded grimly, peeking over the edge of the wall to assess the situation. The Gunners had formed a tight defensive line around the leader, their weapons trained on the Minutemen's positions. More mercenaries were moving up from the rear, reinforcing the barricades and preparing for a counterattack. They wouldn't stay on the defensive for long.

"We need to take him out," Sico said, his voice low but determined. "If we can drop their leader, the rest will fall apart."

Sarah glanced at the leader, who was directing his troops with calm precision. "Easier said than done. He's got half their force between us and him."

Sico clenched his jaw. She was right. Charging headlong into the teeth of the Gunners' defenses would be suicide. But they couldn't afford to sit back and wait for reinforcements, not with the Gunners already regrouping for a counterattack.

Just as Sico was about to speak, a deafening explosion rocked the battlefield, shaking the ground beneath them. He looked up to see a plume of smoke and fire rising from one of the barricades. A direct hit from a rocket or grenade had torn through the Gunners' defenses, creating a gap in their line.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent as both sides processed the explosion. Then, without hesitation, Sico seized the opportunity.

"Now!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "Push through the gap! Take them out!"

The Minutemen surged forward, firing as they advanced. Sico led the charge, his rifle blazing as he sprinted toward the breach in the Gunners' defenses. The mercenaries scrambled to cover the gap, but they were too slow. Sico's squad hit them hard, their combined firepower tearing through the Gunners who tried to hold the line.

Sico dove behind a broken piece of wall, firing at the Gunners still trying to regroup around their leader. The mercenary commander was barking orders, but even he couldn't keep his troops from faltering under the Minutemen's renewed assault.

"We're breaking them!" Sarah shouted, firing a shot that dropped one of the Gunners guarding the leader. "We've got to take him out now!"

Sico nodded, but before he could respond, the Gunner leader stepped forward, raising his weapon—a high-powered plasma rifle. He fired a volley of shots toward the advancing Minutemen, forcing them to dive for cover.

"We can't let him regroup!" Sico growled, gritting his teeth. He signaled to Sarah and the rest of his squad. "Flank him! I'll keep him busy—go!"

Without waiting for a response, Sico broke from cover, charging toward the Gunner leader. Plasma bolts sizzled through the air around him, but Sico didn't stop. He fired his rifle in quick bursts, forcing the leader to duck behind a metal barricade.

Sarah and the others moved quickly, flanking the Gunners from the side. They opened fire, catching the mercenaries in a crossfire that tore through their ranks.

Sico closed the distance to the leader, his rifle blazing. The commander fired back, but Sico was relentless, dodging and weaving through the hail of plasma. Finally, with a well-placed shot, Sico hit the leader's rifle, sending it spinning from his hands.

The Gunner commander cursed, drawing a combat knife as Sico closed in. The two clashed in a brutal melee, the commander slashing with his knife while Sico parried with his rifle. For a moment, the fight hung in the balance, but Sico's superior speed and skill won out. With a swift motion, he disarmed the commander, sending him crashing to the ground.

Sico stood over the fallen leader, breathing heavily as the sounds of battle raged around them. The remaining Gunners, seeing their leader defeated, began to falter. The mercenaries who had once been so organized and relentless now wavered, their morale shattered.

"Minutemen!" Sico shouted, raising his rifle high. "Press the attack! Drive them out!"

The Minutemen surged forward with a renewed fury, overwhelming the remaining Gunners and pushing them back toward the shore. The mercenaries broke and ran, fleeing in disarray as the Minutemen pressed their advantage.

Sico's voice echoed across the battlefield as the Minutemen surged forward, relentless in their pursuit of the retreating Gunners. The once-formidable mercenaries had been reduced to a panicked, disorganized mass, scrambling to escape the Minutemen's relentless assault. But Sico knew better than to let up now. If they didn't wipe out or capture as many of the fleeing Gunners as possible, the mercenaries could regroup and launch another attack. That wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"Don't let them escape!" Sico called to his squad, his voice hoarse but commanding. "We need to finish this now!"

Sarah, her laser musket still smoking from her last shot, nodded in grim determination. "We'll clear them out. Let's make sure they can't come back."

Sico took a deep breath, adrenaline still coursing through his veins as he sprinted toward the shoreline. The Gunners were retreating fast, but their desperation made them reckless. Some threw down their weapons entirely, while others tried to fight in scattered groups, only to be quickly overwhelmed by the advancing Minutemen.

"Fan out!" Sico ordered as he ran. "Cut them off before they can reach their boats! We need prisoners for intel on where they came from."

The Minutemen followed Sico's lead, spreading out in small squads to flank the fleeing mercenaries. The sound of gunfire and shouted orders filled the air, but Sico's focus remained on the goal: wipe out the Gunners and ensure they couldn't return to the Castle.

As they neared the shore, Sico could see the remnants of the Gunner force scrambling for a small cluster of boats moored by the water's edge. The mercenaries were abandoning their positions in a desperate bid to escape, but their retreat was chaotic and disorganized. Some made it to the boats, only to be picked off by Minutemen snipers stationed along the battlements.

Sico raised his rifle, taking aim at a group of Gunners trying to haul one of the boats into the water. His shot rang out, and one of the mercenaries fell, clutching his side. The rest hesitated, fear flashing in their eyes as they realized they were surrounded.

"Put your weapons down!" Sico shouted, advancing with his rifle raised. "You're done! Surrender, and you might live!"

For a moment, it seemed like the Gunners might try to fight back, but then, one by one, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. The Minutemen quickly moved in, disarming the remaining mercenaries and securing the boats to prevent any further escapes.

Sarah jogged up to Sico, her musket still at the ready. "Looks like we've got most of them," she said, her voice breathless but triumphant. "The few that made it to the boats aren't getting far. Our snipers are picking them off before they can even launch."

Sico nodded, scanning the shore to ensure no Gunners were slipping away unnoticed. "Good. Let's round up the prisoners and make sure the area is secure. We need to sweep for any stragglers hiding in the rubble."

Sarah grinned, wiping sweat from her brow. "Roger that. I'll take my squad and start clearing the buildings. Can't leave any loose ends."

As Sarah moved off to organize her squad, Sico turned his attention to the captured Gunners. Several of them had been herded into a makeshift holding area near the shoreline, where Minutemen stood guard with weapons at the ready. The captured mercenaries looked defeated, their shoulders slumped and their eyes downcast. Some of them were wounded, others simply too exhausted to resist.

Sico approached the group, his gaze hard as he surveyed the prisoners. They were dangerous, even in defeat. The Gunners weren't just a band of raiders or scavengers—they were professional soldiers, and that made them a serious threat even when captured.

"Who's in charge here?" Sico demanded, his voice cold as he addressed the prisoners. "I want the name of your commanding officer. Now."

For a moment, the prisoners remained silent, exchanging uneasy glances. Then, one of them—a woman with a bandaged arm and a grim expression—spoke up.

"You already killed him," she muttered, glaring at Sico with barely contained anger. "The boss is dead. We've got nothing left to tell you."

Sico studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Good. That means there's no one left to give you orders."

He stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the prisoners. "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You're going to tell me everything I want to know—where your base is, how many men you've got left, and whether there are any more attacks planned on the Castle or the surrounding settlements."

The woman scowled, but before she could respond, another Gunner—a younger man with a nervous look in his eyes—blurted out, "We don't know! We were hired for this job, that's it! We didn't sign up to get slaughtered for some half-cocked raid on a fortress!"

Sico narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the young mercenary. "Who hired you?"

The man hesitated, glancing at the other prisoners as if seeking approval. Finally, he sighed. "Some guy named Mercier. He's the one who put the whole thing together. Paid us good money to take this place, but…well, you saw how that turned out."

Sico filed the name away in his mind. Mercier—whoever he was—had clearly underestimated the Minutemen. But the fact that there was someone out there orchestrating attacks like this meant that the Castle might not be safe for long.

"Where can I find Mercier?" Sico pressed.

The young Gunner shook his head quickly. "I don't know, I swear! He didn't tell us where he's holed up. Just gave us the job and the equipment, said he'd pay more once we took the Castle."

Sico clenched his fists, frustration boiling beneath the surface. But there was no point in taking it out on the prisoners. They were pawns in a larger game, and the real threat was still out there.

He turned to one of the Minutemen standing nearby. "Take them to the holding cells in the Castle. Keep them under guard until we can interrogate them properly. We need every scrap of information they have."

The Minuteman saluted and began herding the prisoners away, leaving Sico to survey the battlefield once more. The smoke was beginning to clear, and the sounds of gunfire had faded into the distance. The Castle had held.

But Sico knew this was only the beginning. Mercier and whoever else was behind the attack would regroup, and next time, they might come with even more firepower.

Sico allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before turning back toward the fortress. "We've got work to do," he muttered, already thinking ahead to the next battle. Still, for now, the Castle was safe, and the Minutemen had won a hard-fought victory.

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• Name: Sico

• Stats :

S: 8,44

P: 7,44

E: 8,44

C: 8,44

I: 9,44

A: 7,45

L: 7

• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills

• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint

• Active Quest: -