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ch103
by BlankTLBeyond dizzying, I focused on the violently shaking view, to the point of nausea.
The instinctively aimed gun is struck away by a swung arm.
The hidden blade mercilessly pierces the upper body opened by the recoil, and lest they try any funny business before their breath is cut off, the fired bullet penetrates the thug’s forehead.
As one is dealt with, the view violently shifts again.
Zero, who must have used the wall as a support to leap, grabs another’s head and slams it into the floor, traversing the upside-down train car.
Each time a bullet ricochets and a blade flashes, flesh bursts and skin splits. And the whitish bodily fluids are just…
“…Ugh.”
“…? Are you feeling hot, Miss? Shall I lower the cabin temperature a bit more?”
A hot flush rose from below my neck, and as I fanned myself, I declined Rosalind’s kindness, who chattered, assuming it was due to the temperature rising as various parts of the vehicle were damaged.
I merely wanted to avert my eyes from the literally blood-soaked scenery… as that was all I could barely manage.
It wasn’t that I was trying to awaken a sudden, peculiar taste, nor was I, who doesn’t have much tolerance for gore, forcibly watching this.
There was also the purpose of confirming how well Zero could fight, but…
There was too much room for things to go wrong if I hastily made a judgment without confirming the current state—remaining forces—of the Taito gang, which included some pretty gruesome modified humans, so I was forcibly exerting patience.
…Well, then, couldn’t I just look at the sound pressure prediction model or whatever it is that Rosalind made?
If I could understand the situation from looking at such a poor bird’s-eye view, I would be a skilled soldier, not a newbie mercenary pretending to be a hacker.
I didn’t realize it when I was deeply synchronizing my consciousness, but when I only tried to borrow the sight, the disconnect between the still body and the moving screen was no joke.
Is this that VR sickness thing…?
Going out into the hallway and crossing a few train cars would reveal a vivid scene that wasn’t virtual but just reality, but anyway.
“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here for rescue activities, Miss. But thanks to you, I’ve been saved in many ways. You seem to have a knack for adapting to Five Eyes… how about you give it a try?”
“……No, thanks!”
When Asif, dripping with blood, made a joke-like offer, I politely refused, and for some reason, Rosalind next to me was disappointed.
Fortunately, most of the blood didn’t seem to be his but from the lump of flesh lying far ahead, but fatigue was already pouring out of his complexion.
…This guy has a lot of generosity.
If asked to risk one’s life to save a stranger, anyone would start with ‘Me? Do I have to? Why?’, but I think it’s amazing that he can dedicate himself to the point of exhaustion like this.
Well, is that why he can boldly roam around even with a resistance fighter label? A solid character might be a strength in itself.
…If you try to mislead Asha-nim with strange words again, I will knock you unconscious this time. –
“I was just giving a compliment.”
I calmed Zero, who was bristling at Asif, saying it was dangerous to get involved with such a violent wanted man who wielded an axe on someone else’s property.
…He seems uncomfortable being next to the opponent he was fighting no matter how I look at it, but it was funny that he was trying to convince me by attaching a reasonable reason to it.
“Haa… fine.”
Now that the people I was worried about are all safe, all that’s left is to clean up this mess… no, just chase those thugs out.
Come to think of it, cleaning up is the job of the corporate after-care team that’s rushing over, not my role.
I cleared my throat and recalled the recommendation I had prepared.
“Could you turn up the communication output so that those guys can hear it well too?”
Confirmed. –
Crack!!
Zero’s leg, taking a big step, loudly crushed the arm of a corpse.
Even amidst the loud gunshots, the noise of the steel alloy crushing bones was distinct enough that the attention of the seemingly distracted crowd was clearly drawn to Zero.
Wide-open mouths, shaking eyes, anxious expressions.
Annihilated special forces, a disconnected other team, a dragging assault plan.
Well, this should be more than enough to create an atmosphere of fear.
Then, let’s try recommending surrender and have them leave on their own accord….
“D… Droid! The corporate bastards are here…!!”
“Huh.”
“Eh?”
……. –
“Um…?”
The finger pointed along with the Taito gang’s piercing scream was, of course, Zero, who openly occupied the hallway.
I don’t know if Asif, who was standing next to him so that he could continue the gunfight at any time, was included in the pointing, but looking at the wary gaze fixed on him, it seemed he was being treated as an equal threat.
Rosalind and I in the rear simultaneously checked the location of the current support troops and then looked at each other, asking if we knew anything. The two at the front, knowing each other’s affiliations, glared askance, asking if the other was the source.
It seems I’m not the only one who finds it difficult to understand the logic contained in that shout.
So… the… Droid is a super expensive combat weapon, so corporate troops must have arrived! …Is that it?
It’s not wrong because it’s following a somewhat violent but plausible theory… no, it’s completely wrong this time.
“Uwaaa… finally…! It was worth gritting my teeth and holding on!”
“Shit, damn it. Boss!! What do we do now?!”
The passengers cheered as if the appearance of ruthless public power was more than welcome right now.
Conversely, the criminals and prospective corpses, sensing irreversible doom, turned pale.
Even though we haven’t even brought up the reason for our visit yet, let alone introduced ourselves, they were terribly busy whispering among themselves.
“Where’s the guy who was keeping time?! How many times have I told you to tell me right away if it gets dangerous…!”
“He got hit by Big Boy and exploded earlier!”
“It’s a complete mess!!”
“Those guys are just like cavemen!”
“…This is a little embarrassing.”
I, if not as much as Rosalind, who was breathing heavily, also felt a slight miscalculation.
Considering that they boldly decided to rob a cross-Metropolis train, that they had a Hovercraft as an escape route and a wedge, and that the number of subordinates was quite large.
I thought a cool negotiation would take place between the gang’s leader and me, but was it just the actions of a terribly safety-conscious petty person?
I scanned the Taito gang, who were now lined up.
Indeed, there was not a single error in the internal information that the main force had moved to the rear.
As if wary of getting caught up, they were fumbling to pull out gunpowder and crude homemade bombs that they hadn’t dared to take out until now, a veritable feast of glass cannons.
The bodies of the two, confirming the attitude of the opponent who seemed ready to self-destruct now that they were ruined, were also as taut as bowstrings.
……Did I push them too hard?
Originally, I was planning to guarantee a safe retreat with a feeling of reluctantly giving up the fight.
I recalled the boxes of supplies stacked neatly in the corner of the Hovercraft.
It would be a significantly smaller amount of loot than they hoped for, but on the other hand, the number of people to divide it among had been halved, so wouldn’t they be willing to accept it and run away…? My modest expectations were ruined at the point where they had no intention of backing down.
That’s why I was trying to create a way out for them, but why are these bastards foaming at the mouth and preparing for a desperate fight?
“Miss…? Unless you have a brilliant plan, can we just attack first? We can take down at least three right now.”
…Orders. –
I looked at the two who seemed ready to enter a powder keg that was sure to explode soon.
Since the opponents are a disorganized rabble, this duo, with a clear division of roles between vanguard and rearguard, would run wild to annihilate the thugs the moment the confrontation is resolved.
But.
“It’s too lame….”
I didn’t like even the slight risk that our side would have to take on to deal with these morons.
Again… the guns wouldn’t fire gently even if a baby pulled the trigger.
As I was wondering if there was a clever way, a very good idea came to mind.
Is there any need to clear up their misunderstanding? Either way, all we have to do is push them into the Hovercraft that has been tampered with, right?
Besides, I remembered reading a research result—an internet post—that people have a hard time noticing that a decision they made themselves is the result of being guided by the environment or surroundings.
Now that things have come to this, wouldn’t it be a really perfect lure if we accelerated the misunderstanding and added a bit of acting?
“Turn up the volume of what I’m about to say to the maximum, and add some noise too. To make it look more plausible.”
Even though I was only a temporary regular employee for a month or two, I had seen and learned the manuals and actual situations to the point of exhaustion under a supervisor who boasted the highest performance.
Therefore, let’s see if you guys can resist this.
Ahem… Ah… Aaa! This is FG-01 and subordinate search robots belonging to the Harvest Planet Border Guard. We ask for close cooperation in the investigation of armed robbery and explosion accidents. –