ch12

Drrrrrrrrr—!!

Bang! Bang!! Bang bang bang…!!

The gang member who had climbed onto the back of the Black Society dump truck they dragged along raked the pub’s wall with the mounted heavy machine gun like a madman. The noise, literally tearing at the ears, and the flames, almost too intense to look at, poured down on the residents.

But while the aesthetics were terrible, the pub’s outer wall, reinforced with multiple layers of steel plate in preparation for such emergencies, served as a sturdy barricade, helping them continue their resistance.

Pshew—!!

“Guh?!”

As the subordinate right next to him collapsed with a clear hole through his forehead, the Black Society boss urgently shouted into the communication channel.

[You moronic bastards!! Keep your heads down when you shoot! Do you think this is some backwater village?? Even the pub owner is a former mercenary, you fucks!!]

A settlement with the Harvest Planet’s barrier within visible distance. There are plenty of fools trying to get citizenship, but it’s also an inhuman hellscape where all sorts of monsters with complicated stories are hiding.

Even though they’ve escaped the system built by corporations, they can’t let go of their lingering attachments and obsessions, and they’re like ghosts haunting that gray boundary line. The pub owner, who accurately sniped a head just by sticking the barrel of his gun out of a window without even a firing sound, is one of them.

“Wei Long, Misterrrr—!! Are we really going to take such a difficult path, as fellow countrymen?! I’ll pay up to 8 million Credits!!”

“Go suck a dick, Xiao Shun!! The Taito gang said they’d prepare 20 million Credits in a lump sum! If all you have to put on the scale is this kind of threat and your goddamn bloodline, then get lost!!”

The man with the cunning rat mustache made a squeaking sound once, then quickly ducked his head back into the pub.

The outlaw gang, the Black Society’s initial demand was simple.

They heard that Wei Long, the owner of the settlement’s junk shop, was contacting another gang to sell a Hovercraft he had recently acquired. If such a thing suddenly appears, the balance between the gangs will be broken. So… either don’t sell it at all, or sell it to us.

Of course, that’s what they said, but their intention to openly threaten with force was clear.

Hand it over to us, or this small symbiotic relationship is over.

Accordingly, an emergency council was held among the settlement residents, but… the conclusion was unanimous. He’s a pain in the ass, but the Hovercraft is Wei Long’s private property, so we’ll leave it to his judgment. However, if they actually start shooting, we won’t just stand by.

And so… while Xiao Shun, the boss, was trying to coax and appease the greedy junk dealer, a predictable accident occurred.

A subordinate, unable to control his petty pride or boiling blood, pulled out a pistol and shot Wei Long in the leg, who was stubbornly resisting.

Naturally, a scream like a drowned rat echoed, and negotiations completely broke down.

In the end, that idiot who made the mess conveniently died riddled with bullets. And the nerve-wracking standoff has continued until now.

Clang!!

“Goddamn it?!”

Unfortunately, a bullet ricocheted off the armor plate of the armored vehicle they came in and grazed Xiao Shun’s head.

For him, the prolonged battle was welcome. His subordinates, scattered throughout the village, would steal all sorts of supplies, and if they eventually stole the Hovercraft, he would get everything he wanted. But until then, he had to hold the front line himself, so that these inexperienced gang members who couldn’t tell right from wrong would do their part.

[Report the situation!! Anyone who’s taken enough stuff, start the engine and wait at the front gate, or come and support. Move your asses! And the goods. Did you find the Hovercraft?!]

[ ……. ]

[ ……. ]

[We… we just found it and are leaving now!]

The others were too busy with something to answer, but the most important recovery team responded to Xiao Shun’s communication.

[Get your asses to the front of the central pub!!]

[Yes……!!]

The faces of the gang members who heard the communication brightened.

They were invaders, but they still valued their lives. There was no way they would complain when their great leader was taking the sweet fruit and running away.

“Pour everything you’ve got into it!!”

Drdddddddd—!!

Crack!! Crrrrack!

With the increasingly fierce barrage of bullets, the pub’s outer wall was brutally dented. Bullets that came through the windows destroyed the interior decorations and shattered the displayed liquor bottles.

Was there really no way to withstand this scale of violence? Schneider, the former mercenary and current pub owner who had been using the windows as a kind of firing slit to shoot the outlaws, activated the emergency release device and covered the windows with the outer wall.

Clunk… Kwaaaang—!!

The iron curtain descended, guaranteeing immediate safety.

Inside the dimly lit pub, which had turned into a kind of bunker, the combatants who had been fighting the invaders without a moment’s rest finally sat down and took a breather. But… their hiding in the bunker meant that the enemies were relatively free.

Even though they had taken out a lot, considering the number of Black Society thugs who had initially appeared and the number of enemies seen just before the shutters were lowered… it was really unimaginable what kind of shit the remaining guys were doing inside the settlement.

“Aigoo…!! You bastard! All that precious liquor is going to waste! How rusty are you that you’re struggling against those guys?”

“……Just. If you’re not going to help, just stay quiet. Valentine.”

Ting—!

Leaning against the counter, Schneider retorted gruffly as he removed a stuck bullet that had caused his gun to malfunction.

His sharp eyes briefly stopped on Wei Long, who was slumped in the corner receiving an injection of hemostatic, and then fell away. The outlaws, the gang members, were the ones who fired first and made unreasonable demands.

It wasn’t reasonable to resent Wei Long for exercising his legitimate rights… but the thought of his wife and young daughter hiding at home made the trembling in his hands not go away.

If he had known this would happen, he should have brought them to the store with him instead of telling them to hide….

If he had known that it would develop into a full-scale war with everyone completely turning their backs on each other, he should have just killed the boss, Xiao Shun, first….

If he was going to get involved in other people’s affairs like this, living in the city would have at least provided a more affluent environment for his family.

“…….”

Schneider’s uneasy gaze reached the packaged bag held in Valentine’s hand.

Two servings of synthetic meat steak lunch boxes, often sought after by residents when they wanted to relieve their gloomy mood or indulge in a little luxury.

He hadn’t bothered to go himself, but he had heard several times that Valentine’s granddaughter, who was only rumored to exist, had recently been seen at his store. It was said that just one more person had turned the gloomy Machinery Shop into an aesthetic shop.

“……Valentine. Aren’t you worried about your granddaughter?”

“Cough…!! Cough cough!! Ahem!”

At Schneider’s sudden question, the old man, Valentine, began to cough as if he had choked.

Self-willed and somewhat clumsy. Kind, as if she had grown up in a blessed environment… but also possessing her own darkness. He hadn’t confirmed or denied the questions from his acquaintances… but he didn’t realize that everyone would just assume it on their own.

“Well… she’s still a child to me, but she’s an adult who can take care of herself, so I’m sure she’ll be safe. Well… who knows. Maybe she’s worried about this pathetic old man or the dinner getting cold and will come looking for me here?”

“……Is that so.”

Clunk…!!

Perhaps his worry and patience were reaching their limits, Schneider, who had once again wrapped himself in the ferocious fighting spirit of his mercenary days, stood up.

Drdddddd!! Drdddddd!!

The outer wall was still shaking violently from the gunfire, but no one questioned Schneider’s decision to end his short rest and start fighting again. They simply checked their guns and ammunition again, following the retired mercenary.

Some had families to protect, others simply had property.

But everyone gathered here according to the settlement’s guidelines was a fighter. No one disagreed with fighting to secure their safety.

Kugugugung……!

The bunker is being dismantled.

At the same time, they heard the sound of the Hovercraft floating, and… the panicked voice of a colleague.

“Uh…… Mr. Schneider?? Your daughter left a message on the network…?”

“?!”

He quickly accessed the resident network without taking his eyes off the scope.

He usually scolded her for using Cyberware recklessly, fearing that she would learn strange things, but if she was safe, he could forgive everything.

[Dad!! A really pretty lady said she’s coming to help in a weird car! Good luck, Dad!!]

“……What?”

The outlaws, seeing the Hovercraft’s majestic appearance, cheered, convinced of their victory.

Some, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, jumped onto the back of the modified truck, and the rest, including Xiao Shun, continued to provide suppressive fire towards the pub until the vehicle entrance opened.

As the blast door opened to the sides with a hiss, there was… a pretty lady, a little smaller than Schneider had imagined.

Unlike them, who had thoroughly followed combat doctrine, her mouth opened, covered in blood as if she had crossed a desperate line.

“Fire in the hole, you son of a bitch…!!”

Along with a small metallic sound, something thrown gently landed in Xiao Shun’s hand.

Schneider, who had implanted as many as three vision-related Implants, could see what it was very well.

“Open fire…!! Drive them out!!”