Chapter Fifty-Two: A Direct Assault on the Stronghold

In the film "Edge of Tomorrow," the female and male protagonists, along with J Squad, easily commandeer a helicopter. It isn't until the next day, during roll call before battle, that Sergeant Farrell realizes the entire J Squad has vanished. J Squad, after all, is supposed to be the unit guarding “deserters.” That’s how the “deserter” syndrome spreads from person to person.

It looked so easy in the movie, and even now, it’s not difficult—regardless of whether the number of helicopters has doubled. High above the English Channel, Carter was teaching Zhou Shu how to fly.

“It’s actually quite simple. The assisted flight system on this model is very advanced. All you need to do is this, that, and then this,” Carter explained. “Just like now, you can simply use the cruise mode—set your destination and it’ll fly itself. Manual piloting is really only for emergencies, but in those cases, not even an ace pilot could do much. Death is the only outcome, so whether you learn it or not hardly matters.”

“Have you memorized the way I taught you to fly?” Carter asked.

Zhou Shu remained silent.

“I’m going to check the state of the powered exoskeletons,” Zhou Shu said.

“Hey, don’t go, Zhou, I was just joking,” Carter called after him.

But jokes aside, Zhou Shu could tell Carter was no expert pilot himself. For all they knew, they could be shot down as soon as they reached their destination.

He walked over to the exoskeletons to inspect them carefully, with Carter trailing behind. The two of them busied themselves preparing for the coming battle. Besides their own suits, there were several standard exoskeletons aboard. These weren’t backups, but decoys.

Once on site, they’d deploy these exoskeletons as well. Though not agile enough for combat, they could serve as weapons platforms, providing stable suppressive fire and drawing enemy attention—just long enough for the two to act.

Carter had programmed these exoskeletons for remote operation. No one expected them to hold off the aliens, but if they could distract the enemy for even a second or two, it would be enough. Zhou Shu had added his own little touch: each exoskeleton bore a sign on its chest reading, “This Side Toward Enemy.”

At a critical moment, these could be detonated, buying Zhou Shu and Carter precious time. Carter had managed to procure these with his position—sometimes, it’s not about rank, but about being in the right place at the right time.

Time passed swiftly, and soon they were flying over Paris. The city lay in darkness. Everywhere, water pooled and debris was scattered; even the Eiffel Tower had toppled. This was truly enemy-occupied territory.

As they neared the Louvre, they suited up. Carter linked the helicopter controls to his exoskeleton, piloting the craft through his helmet display and weapon interface.

“Not a single blip on radar. Could this be a false lead?” Carter asked, frowning.

Zhou Shu studied the shared visuals. He wasn’t sure either—he’d long deviated from the original plot, and the system might yet spring a surprise on him. It could well have placed the “brain” in the German dam.

Just then, numerous blips popped up at the radar’s outer edge, and the sky seemed to grow subtly brighter.

“Bloody hell, I knew I shouldn’t have said that!” Carter swore suddenly. “Zhou, hold on—I’m going to make a low pass. We need to change our plan!”

“Got it!”

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Carter dove the helicopter, skimming over the ground at high speed.

After flying a short distance, the source of the brightness became clear. It was a barrage of fireballs—alien artillery! Orange orbs soared over the helicopter.

Before they could catch their breath, another volley approached. This time, the shots were fewer but spread over a wider area, leaving them with no choice but to power forward.

BOOM—THUD—

A shell struck the fuselage, sending the aircraft into violent tremors.

“Carter, land now! We’ll charge in at ground level!” Zhou Shu shouted.

“No problem—hang on to your restraints!”

CLANG—SCREECH—

The helicopter slammed onto the ground, skimming over the shallow water, metal scraping against earth and sending up sparks.

The Louvre’s glass pyramid loomed ahead. The helicopter crashed into a nearby building, crushing the cockpit.

Fortunately, Zhou Shu and Carter were in the hold. The landing was nothing like they’d planned. The cabin was tilted, the lower hatch warped and jammed, but Zhou Shu quickly regained his balance, released the restraints, and said, “We each drag two exoskeletons out—have them fire to draw the monsters!”

“On it!”

Carter hurriedly opened the rear hatch, released the locks on two exoskeletons, and switched into rampage mode, hauling them out.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Explosions raged outside; fireballs landed all around them, and waves of monsters charged from the perimeter. From above, the glass pyramid was ringed by a great circle—each orange glow an enemy, a formidable force.

“Zhou, the brain must be here. You go destroy it—I’ll hold them off outside!” Carter shouted, half-mad with excitement as he set up the unmanned exoskeletons.

“Cut the crap!” Zhou Shu snapped, dragging his own two exoskeletons. “Let them open fire out here. While the monsters are distracted, we rush inside. I’ll make sure you see the boss!”

Seeing Zhou Shu so resolute, Carter gritted his teeth. “Let’s go!”

With their minds made up, the two sprinted toward the glass pyramid, activating all systems and firing at the scattered monsters. Zhou Shu, with all his stats maxed, possessed incredible dynamic vision even without slow-motion mode. Coupled with the exoskeleton’s targeting assistance, he focused on the monsters’ glowing cores, dropping one every three or four shots.

Thus, his gunfire was a steady, rhythmic burst.

Carter was busier—he relied entirely on the targeting assist, and had to control the “drones” outside as well, keeping up a constant, frantic barrage.

And then there were the “This Side Toward Enemy” charges on the drones.

Led by Zhou Shu’s charge, they quickly broke inside—only to be greeted by a shocking sight.

A huge blue monster, many times larger than the cannon-fodder beasts, charged at Zhou Shu like a runaway truck.

Zhou Shu sensed the danger, but his forward momentum and the heavy exoskeleton left him unable to react in time. The impact was brutal.

He was sent flying.

Carter reeled—it was a live Alpha. He raised his gun and fired.

“Die, die, die!” he screamed, spraying bullets.

The Alpha, hit by a few rounds, dodged aside, then, in a blur of blades, lunged at Carter in a place too tight for him to turn.

A barrage of mini-missiles struck, blasting the Alpha away. Zhou Shu had returned, launching his counterattack from where he’d fallen.

But he wasn’t in great shape—his frontal armor was destroyed, and even his helmet display was cracked.

“Zhou Shu, are you alright?” Carter called.

“Cough—damn, that nearly killed me. I think I cracked a rib!” Zhou Shu replied.

The Alpha, having taken several mini-missiles, fared no better: its armor shattered, a limb blown off, its blue core exposed, black-blue blood spattering the ground. But it wasn’t dead—it rolled behind a concrete wall and let out a roar.

Before Zhou Shu and Carter could respond, glass shattered and several cannon-fodder monsters burst in.

For all its brute force on the battlefield, this was the Alpha’s true role!