Roger, Smitty, and Doss didn't waste a second, plunging into the inferno of the ridge as the naval artillery began to scream overhead.
Naval shells had a specific, terrifying whistle. If you learned the pitch, you could predict the impact zone, but the real killers were the shrapnel clouds and the blinding dust. For most, this was a visionless hell. For Roger, it was a playground of high-contrast data.
His Low-Light Night Vision (LV1) cut through the grey-black smoke like a laser. Within a hundred meters, the world was perfectly defined; beyond that, it was a sharp silhouette. This wasn't just helpful for finding wounded Federation soldiers for Doss—it allowed Roger to scavenge the battlefield for the one thing he was desperately short on: ammunition.
He had burned through his reserve of Garand clips during the retreat. He was down to his last few mags, a realization that triggered a deep-seated tactical anxiety. Fortunately, the ridge was a graveyard of abandoned gear. He moved from one fallen Federation soldier to the next, harvesting M1 clips and MK2 grenades.
He also found a classic: the Colt M1911A1. He strapped a second holster to his chest, relishing the weight of the .45 caliber sidearm. It was a perfect "oh-crap" weapon for close quarters.
Determined to fix his logistics problem, Roger opened the Omni-system interface and spent his saved skill point.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: TACTICAL CAPACITY (LV1)]
Effect: +50% ammunition capacity for all held firearms.
Passive: -30% load weight.
The effect was instantaneous. The heavy pockets of his fatigues suddenly felt light, as if gravity had been dialed back. More interestingly, he looked at the 1911 mag in his hand. Through some spatial manipulation of the Omni-system, the standard 7-round magazine now held 11.
Reliable. I like it, Roger thought.
While Doss and Smitty focused on dragging survivors to the relative safety of the cliff-side caves, Roger prowled the ruins, hunting Imperial operatives who had ducked into trenches to avoid the bombardment.
Whistle—
Roger judged the impact point, diving into a nearby trench a second before a shell detonated fifty meters away. As his boots hit the mud, he felt someone shift beneath him.
"Enemy!" a voice hissed in a tongue he now understood as Imperial dialect.
"Not today," Roger grunted. He didn't even reach for his rifle. He pulled the M1911 from his chest and fired.
Bang.
The .45 round was a hammer, dropping the operative instantly. The sound, however, was like poking a hornet's nest. From the shadows of the trench, more khaki-clad figures emerged. They were at a disadvantage—their long Type 38 rifles were cumbersome in the narrow confines of the trench, especially with bayonets fixed.
Roger, with his compact sidearm and Ballistic Proficiency (LV3), was a whirlwind.
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
He pulled the trigger until the slide locked back. He had fired eleven rounds without a reload. The "Tactical Capacity" skill had turned his sidearm into a high-capacity shredder. Not a single operative was left standing.
He began to reload when a massive tremor shook the earth. A shell had landed nearby. Roger braced himself, opening his mouth to equalize the pressure of the blast.
[NOTIFICATION: SENSORY ADAPTATION DETECTED.]
Skill Acquired: Sound Localization (LV1)
Effect: Acute auditory perception within a 200m radius. Allows for precise directional tracking of footsteps and breathing, even through heavy ambient noise.
The cacophony of the ridge faded into the background. Through the roar, Roger heard something else: the rhythmic, suppressed breathing of an ambush.
He raised his Garand, pivoting toward the sound.
"For the Empire!" an operative shrieked, lunging from a hidden alcove with nothing but a loincloth and a bayonet.
Roger didn't even blink. He pulled the trigger, and the man dropped like a sack of stones.
Realizing the power of his new hearing, Roger decided to go on the offensive. He scouted the area and found a heavy satchel charge near a collapsed Federation supply drop. With his Night Vision and Sound Localization, he followed a trail of whispers to a cave entrance concealed by palm fronds.
He stood by the entrance, listening.
"Stand ready! The bombardment is a temporary obstacle! When the smoke clears, the ridge belongs to the Guard!" an Imperial officer was shouting inside. The cave was packed with soldiers waiting out the artillery.
Roger smirked. These men thought they were safe because no rational Federation soldier would be out in this bombardment. But Roger wasn't just a soldier; he was a player.
He pulled the fuse on the satchel charge. Using Throwing (LV2), he launched the smoking package deep into the cave.
"Bomb! Bomb!" a desperate voice shrieked.
BOOM.
The ground buckled. A massive pillar of fire and dust geysered out of the entrance as the internal tunnels collapsed.
[TACTICAL DATA UPDATED: ENEMY NEUTRALIZED +120][SYSTEM ALERT: USER LEVEL INCREASED TO LV3][REWARD: 1 SKILL POINT GRANTED]
Roger didn't have time to celebrate his level-up. The thunder of the naval guns suddenly ceased. A heavy, ringing silence descended over the ridge, broken only by the triumphant cheers of the Imperial Guard emerging from their holes.
"Search the ruins! No survivors!"
Roger checked his magazine and stepped out of the shadow of the cave. He had one skill point, a fresh level, and a ridge full of targets. He took two steps forward and opened fire.