I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 128 – The Enemy Base

- Oliver -

Oliver stood frozen, unsure of where to look or what to do. His chest felt tight as he surveyed the aftermath: fallen Rangers, a newly shattered group, and—above all else—Emma’s haunted look. Her expression, teetering between grief and shock, made him feel helpless and unsettled.

Emma remained seated on the damp ground, her gaze locked onto Elliot’s lifeless features as though peering into some hidden reality only she could see. Almost all of her armor was deactivated—she wore only the lower half—revealing dark stains of dried blood on her legs. She cradled Elliot’s hand in one of her own, gently stroking his cheek with the other. Even as Oliver called to her, the young Ranger offered no response. Eventually, her tears ran dry, and Oliver realized there was little he could do to ease her anguish at that moment.

Turning away, he noticed Chloe dragging bodies toward the edge of the clearing, tucking them beneath the overhanging boughs of tall trees. Without waiting for an explanation, Oliver rushed to help—lifting limbs and easing torsos to more concealed spots. Even the remains of those who had betrayed them were carefully hidden.

“We need to hide them,” Chloe said, voice low and urgent. “Otherwise, some creature will try to devour them. And these two traitors… we need to identify them. This wasn’t any ordinary incident. It’s rare to hear of a Ranger sabotaging a mission—especially one aimed at the Orks.”

Oliver paused, then asked, “Can we call for a rescue?”

Chloe took a moment to consider. “Maybe. But we have to make sure whoever receives our signal isn’t in league with the ones who sent those three traitors.”

“What if we broadcast a distress call on an open channel?” Oliver suggested. “That way, any tower within the Half Wall could pick it up.”

“It may work,” Chloe replied, removing the communicator from Alex’s lifeless form. “But I’ll need to modify this device first. In the meantime, you should carry on with the mission.”

“What?! Continue?” Oliver echoed, incredulous. He cast a final glance at Emma, realizing that, for now, he had no choice but to leave her grieving in silence.

Chloe’s tone was unflinching as she examined the grim scene around them. “Whoever wants this mission to fail clearly doesn’t want us reaching the Orks’ base—or discovering whatever they’re hiding there.”

Oliver tore his gaze away from Emma, who still refused to respond to anything happening around her. He mulled over Chloe’s words for several moments, a thousand questions clamoring in his mind.

“I need to stay to modify the comms equipment and watch over her,” Chloe added, nodding toward Emma. “I’ll look after the bodies, too. Even if more Blights show up, I still have enough Energy to set up a few fortifications near the clearing.”

It was evident that Oliver was reluctant to continue with the mission, especially without knowing the risks ahead.

"You don’t need to take any risks; just gather information about what’s at the site and return," Chole said, trying to calm him down and explain what he needed to do.

Oliver nodded, finally agreeing to continue.

‘Traveling solo might be easier and perhaps safer.’ He thought.

“Can you hear me?” Oliver spoke into his comm.

“Loud and clear,” answered Chloe, her voice crackling through his earpiece.

“All right, I’m moving out,” he said softly, throwing one last glance at the clearing before heading off.

Before advancing into the forest depths, Oliver remembered the notification that had flashed earlier in his HUD. He paused, opening it.

| Ranger Killer [Secret Trait]

| Kill a Ranger

| [Click to Redeem]

‘So there are Traits I won’t even realize exist until they’re unlocked.’ Oliver thought as he tapped to redeem his reward.

| Select a Status to Improve

| - Strength

| - Constitution

| - Agility

| - Energy

Oliver stared at the options, debating what he needed most. There was no time to overthink it; he clicked Energy.

‘It’s what saved my life against that Yellow Ranger,’ Oliver reasoned. ‘I'd be dead if I hadn’t outmatched him in raw power. Just gotta make sure I don’t blow myself up with the recoil.’

He expected only a minor boost—perhaps a single point. But a large, six-sided die materialized in his HUD and spun rapidly. It finally landed on a face with six dots.

“Even when I’m lucky, I manage to feel unlucky,” Oliver muttered.

| Status Improved

| Energy (17 => 23)

| Rank Up

| Energy [Knight] => [Bishop]

‘Rank up? Seriously?’ He felt a surge of power course through him as he realized his Energy had ascended to a new tier.

No further notifications appeared. ‘So I get no clue how this changes my Boons,’ he mused. ‘Guess I’ll have to figure that part out on my own.’

With no time to linger on the mysteries of his newfound strength, Oliver trekked onward, skimming his holographic display for map data as he pressed deeper into unknown territory.

Oliver crept through the forest, pressing himself behind trees at every unusual sound. He smeared moss and leaves across the bluish paint of his armor to hide better among the trees. Step by step, he advanced further into the forest.

Suddenly, his vision blurred. For a panicked moment, he worried he had been poisoned—or perhaps was on the verge of passing out. But the reality was far simpler and far more human: tears clouded his eyes.

Oliver couldn’t name the exact emotion coursing through him—maybe it was terror, maybe grief. After all, he’d come so close to death, faced betrayal, and been forced to take another human life. He’d lost mates yet again. With no one around to see, his mind finally allowed all that fear and adrenaline to spill over, and he stopped to sob quietly under the towering branches.

A sudden crackle from his communicator made him jump. “Still alive?” Chloe’s voice asked, snapping him back to the moment. Pressing a hand against his pounding heart, Oliver sniffled, trying to sound normal.

“Y-yeah,” he managed, voice shaky. “I’m about ten minutes from the target location.”

“Okay,” Chloe replied. A brief silence followed before she continued. “I can hear everything, you know. I left your comm open. Relax. Crying, feeling desperate, witnessing death—those things happen in our line of work.”

Oliver bobbed his head in acknowledgment, though no one could see it. Resuming his journey, he noticed the air growing hotter and thicker with a powerful, pulsing energy that seemed to radiate from somewhere far ahead.

‘Am I more sensitive to Energy now?’ he wondered, remembering his sudden Rank Up. But self-reflection would have to wait. Something massive and terrifying lay only a few meters away—so strong, he could sense it even at this distance.

At last, the trees began to thin, revealing the abrupt end of the forest. Beyond the final row of trunks, a vast clearing opened before him. Oliver stepped carefully onward, adrenaline still coursing through his veins, bracing himself for what might lie ahead.

Instead of the expected grassy meadow, beyond the treeline lay a colossal excavation site—a massive chasm plunging hundreds of meters straight into the earth. The sheer magnitude of the pit was staggering, and Oliver felt a surge of disbelief wash over him.

He dropped to a crouch and crawled forward, keeping low as he approached the edge. Carefully, he peeked over, and his eyes widened at the sight that unfolded below. An enormous structure dominated the depths of the excavation, surrounded by a labyrinth of tunnels and shafts that branched out in all directions. The heat emanating from the pit was oppressive, almost suffocating. A giant stone staircase spiraled down the chasm's walls, connecting the various levels carved into the rock.

Oliver detached the scope from his rifle and brought it to his eye, adjusting the focus to get a clearer view of the lower levels. What initially appeared as tiny, scurrying ants were actually figures moving methodically across the excavation. They were Orks—thousands upon thousands of them.

"What the hell is this?" Oliver muttered under his breath, his heart pounding. "How is this base supposed to be abandoned?"

He scanned the vast expanse, trying to comprehend the scale of the operation. The Orks were laboring intensely, but he could not understand the purpose of their toil.

Above the grand staircase stood several dozen Orks adorned in elaborate armor, each suit more intricate and menacing than the last. Their armor bore a brutal and chaotic aesthetic, reminiscent of the Rangers' suits but twisted and aggressive, bedecked with spikes and jagged edges.

They shouted commands in booming voices that echoed throughout the cavernous pit, audible even from Oliver's distant vantage point.

"Tagog! Bring forth the next!" bellowed the Ork at the top of the stairs, his voice like thunder.

At the base of the excavation, chains clattered as hundreds of humans, along with captured beasts and monstrosities, were herded forward. They were led to the center of a vast sigil etched into the ground—strange symbols that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly light.

A red-skinned Ork ascended the steps to stand before the commanding figure.

"Let us begin! Rayuart duwudz!" the commander roared, his eyes gleaming with fervor.

Surrounding Orks began a guttural chant, a haunting chorus that resonated deep within Oliver's bones. Though he couldn't decipher the words, the sinister intent was palpable. An unsettling energy permeated the air.

The runes carved into the earth ignited, glowing with an intense crimson light. The temperature surged, heat waves distorting the air above the ritual circle. The captives cried out in agony, dropping to their knees as unseen forces tore at them. Their screams melded with the ominous chanting, creating a cacophony of despair.

Then, one by one, the prisoners exploded in violent bursts of blood and viscera. Oliver recoiled, a mixture of horror and nausea gripping him as gruesome fragments scattered across the sigil.

At the pinnacle of the staircase, the commander made a swift, brutal move—decapitating the red Ork beside him. Blood spurted from the severed neck as the body collapsed. Holding the severed head aloft, the commander allowed the blood to cascade over the sacrificial site below. From within the skull, he extracted a small, glowing crystal. Even from this distance, Oliver could sense its immense power—a Unique Crystal radiating with an overwhelming amount of Energy.

The chanting intensified, rising to a fever pitch. The spilled blood and gore within the circle began to writhe and coalesce, moving as though possessed by a malevolent will. The grotesque mass absorbed the remains around it, growing larger and grotesque. Even unsuspecting Ork workers were ensnared, their bodies consumed by the burgeoning abomination.

The monstrosity heaved itself upward, towering above the pit. It let out a deafening roar—so powerful that it rattled the ground beneath Oliver's feet.

"Another TITAN LIVES!" the commander exalted, his voice filled with triumph. "Bring me MORE! Solu Ankeluz!"

"Chloe! Chloe!" Oliver whispered urgently into his communicator, his voice edged with mounting anxiety. "Is the channel open?"

There was a brief crackle of static before Chloe's calm voice responded. "Yes, just a moment. Go ahead."

Oliver exhaled, his breath shaky. The oppressive heat from the massive excavation behind him made the air heavy, and the distant sounds of the Orks' monstrous activities sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Switching frequencies, he opened the channel to all allied communication towers. "Alert! Alert!" he announced, his voice firm but urgent.

Almost immediately, multiple voices chimed in:

"Southern Communication Tower here, we read you."

"Northern Communication Tower standing by."

"Central Command receiving."

A momentary pause ensued, filled with the subtle hum of background transmissions.

"Hold on. Is this signal open to all channels?" the officer asked, his tone indicating confusion.

Oliver could hear the murmurs of concern and the rustling of hurried movements on the other end. Although broadcasting on an unsecured, wide-band frequency breached protocol, the gravity of the situation left him no choice.

Before anyone could cut him off or demand identification, he pressed on with urgency. "This is Oliver, Blue Ranger Identification ZX7429," he declared. "We have discovered a Titan production facility. Repeat: We've found a factory where the Orks are manufacturing Titans in Olympus.”