>>6023605As he struggled to free himself, a shell exploded nearby, the force of the blast driving him deeper into the mire. Panic surged through him as he sank, the viscous mud clinging to his limbs like a monstrous grip. He thrashed and clawed at the air, but the more he struggled, the more the mud seemed to swallow him whole.
The weight of his gear dragged him down, his cries for help muffled by the cacophony of war around him. In those final moments, K-3331's vision blurred, the world above dimming as he was consumed by the suffocating embrace of the earth, drowning in a foot of dirt and mud.
V-0899's eyes narrowed as he spotted the glint of a sniper's scope in the distance, barely visible through the haze of smoke and dust. With practiced precision, he raised his rifle, steadying his breath to slow his racing heart. He focused intently on the tiny target, ignoring the chaos erupting around him. The sniper was perched atop a ruined structure, a deadly threat that could decimate their squad in seconds. V-0899 exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger, the rifle bucking against his shoulder. The sharp crack of the gunshot was drowned out by the roar of artillery, but he saw the distant figure jerk violently and fall from their perch. The sniper was down, neutralized with a single, perfect shot.
P-7752's blood ran cold as he looked down to see the outline of a land mine beneath his hand. Heart pounding, he froze, barely daring to breathe. The seconds stretched into an eternity as he prepared for the worst. But as he gingerly lifted his hand, he realized the mine had not detonated. With a mix of disbelief and cautious relief, he examined it closely and saw the unmistakable signs of a dud. The tension in his body released slightly, but the reminder of their precarious situation remained stark. Brushing off the near miss, P-7752 quickly rejoined his squad, the sense of imminent danger ever-present.
