Chapter 189
[I think I know who the culprit is. It seems that bastard is targeting me too. Why are they beggars? Did they notice that I know? How? It’s too late to run. You see all sorts of things in life. To think the day would come when I’d be done in by a Customer I took on…]
Below that was hastily scribbled handwriting.
[If you are reading this, be careful. They probably―]
It cut off there.
Hina, who was reading the note with me, burst into anger.
“No, it cuts off here? If he thought he knew the culprit’s identity, he should have written down who it was!”
I agreed. But it seemed we shouldn’t blindly trust Nigel’s note either. Couldn’t he have intentionally set up this device to avoid suspicion and then hidden himself?
While I was coolly analyzing the situation, Angela, who had been unusually quiet, opened her mouth.
“Hmm… Strange. 'A Customer I took on'?”
At those words, Hina suddenly raised her head, as if she remembered something too.
“Ah! That’s right.”
What is it? Why are they the only ones figuring something out and exchanging meaningful glances?
“A Customer? What does that mean?”
When I couldn’t hold back and asked, Angela and Hina both trailed off.
“Ah, honey. About that…”
“Come to think of it, Mister wouldn’t know…”
Ugh, how frustrating!
Just what amazing thing did they figure out that they’re stalling like this?
Just as I was about to urge them to hurry up and tell me, the Shaolin Monk suddenly shouted.
[Patrons, someone is coming.]
No, you’re cutting the flow at this time?
“In a Lower Levels condominium like this, nearly a hundred people live on just one floor. Of course there would be one or two people passing by.”
[It is not one or two.]
Huh?
At the Machine Monk’s words, the atmosphere turned serious.
Angela’s previously relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be found as she glared beyond the wall, her bright yellow pupils shining like a cat’s. She was trying to use her Eye Implant.
She seemed to concentrate her mind for a moment, then soon spoke in a low voice.
“He’s right. A total of 8 people are armed with bulletproof vests and firearms. They’re coming this way from the Platform.”
A coincidence? It couldn’t be. Didn’t Nigel’s note also say, 'If you are reading this, be careful.'!
“Wh-what do we do? Do we have to fight here?”
There were 8 armed personnel. This was enough to be considered a single team carrying out an operation.
It was a situation where troops operated by a corporation or the DCPD were chasing a mere four people.
Hina, an ordinary high school girl, shouted in panic and terror, and I… ugh, I don’t know either!
In a game, even if a surprise attack situation like this occurred, everything would be solved by just shooting them to death, since the player character is the strongest!
But this world is not a game. How was I supposed to know how to fight against an unidentified strike team?
The only ones I could trust were the experts, Angela and the Shaolin Monk.
The Shaolin Monk, who had proven his class, was one thing, but Angela in particular was incredibly reassuring.
She was a hitman in name and reality, wasn’t she? Wouldn’t she have experienced similar situations?
Even though equipment helped a lot, she had also held out against that Shaolin Monk for a surprisingly long time.
As terrifying as she was when she was an enemy, thinking of her as an ally made her feel reliable.
Surely she wouldn’t suddenly become weaker like the 'Enemy Turned Ally' cliché that often appears in movies or games, right?
Hina hurriedly shouted.
“Right, the disk! Do you have more of that laser-emitting disk you used earlier? Couldn’t you kill them all with just one of those?”
“That one was the last one earlier. There’s no way I’d have multiple of such a ridiculously strong weapon, right? That’s a military prototype you can’t even get anywhere else. Even for me, I was saving it like a special move… Ah, thinking about it now makes me really regret it!”
…I think she really did get weaker.
“No, you said it was a Special Move, but you used it just to run away from us?”
When I asked in disbelief, Angela shrieked.
“I couldn’t help it! This kid kept saying terrifying things about chewing me up alive or killing me with her own hands, and on top of that, none other than a Shaolin Monk was blocking my path. I thought I’d die if I wasn’t careful. No matter how precious the weapon is, my life is more important!”
She had a point.
Right, there’s nothing as precious as a life… Anyway, this is all because of that foul-mouthed high-school girl.
If we had just approached a little more peacefully, we might have had that laser disk right now.
[I believe we must leave first. If a gunfight breaks out in a narrow indoor space, I cannot guarantee everyone’s safety.]
“Let’s do that!”
At the Shaolin Monk’s words, Hina hurriedly nodded.
He was right. If we tried to fight gun-wielding enemies in this narrow room, we would immediately be riddled with bullets.
The Shaolin Monk, a Steel Monk, and I, wearing a suit, might be safe, but Hina and Angela would be in danger.
There was no guarantee that a wide space would be safe, but it would at least be better than being trapped helplessly in here.
“If we’re going out, now is the time!”
As Angela shouted, the Shaolin Monk boldly threw the door open. He covered the front with his large metal body, and taking advantage of that gap, the rest of us slipped out and ran down the long, exposed passageway.
Bang, bang, bang, bang――――!
The loud gunshots, and the sound of bullets ricocheting, rang chillingly in my ears. We were only able to catch our breath after barely turning the corner and taking cover.
[Ouch, that stings.]
If the Shaolin Monk hadn’t shielded the others with his broad back, it wouldn’t have been strange for at least one person to have died by now.
“Wow, they’re shooting from this distance? They shouldn’t have even been able to see us properly? Are they wearing X-ray vision goggles or something?”
Angela was astonished.
“Honey, it seems like those bastards came fully prepared. It’s definitely not the NCPD… A corporation? Did Dysis Waste send them? We’ll never win if we fight them head-on. Ah, and don’t stick too close to the wall. They might shoot right through it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a gunshot rang out like a ghost, and the Shaolin Monk reached out his hand to block the bullet that was shot through the wall.
His hand rose, and a crushed bullet fell from its thick grip.
Seeing that, Hina and I quickly moved away from the wall.
Does this make sense? Things are getting this dangerous? I didn’t come prepared for a bullet-riddled battle with corporate private soldiers!
While we were stuck, unable to do this or that, Angela shouted.
“We have to do something about this! While the Monk holds out in the front, we need to circle around back and reduce the enemy’s numbers. I think that’s the best option!”
Aha, while the tank holds out in the front, the damage dealers flank?
In slang terms, a flanking strategy!
I’ve played my fair share of games, so I’m somewhat used to these kinds of tactics. I was about to nod my head when I paused.
Wait, 'we'?
We are a first-person plural pronoun. It is a word that includes me and the other person.
It didn’t seem like the other person she was talking about was Hina. Unless she was crazy, why would she carry out a surprise operation with a civilian high-school girl who only had a foul mouth and didn’t know how to fight?
The Machine Monk had to take the front, so he was out of the question.
The only one left was me.
“E―Eeeek.”
In my panic, a dumbfounded sound popped out of my mouth. Fuck, what do I do about this?
Should I launch a surprise attack on gun-wielding corporate agents advancing as a team from behind? There’s no way something like that is possible for me!
My brain froze, but there was no time to think. While I hesitated, bullets ricocheted through the wall once again. Angela was already going down the stairs heading to the lower floor over there.
“Honey, what are you doing! There’s no time to think. Run! To the upper floor! Let’s split up, top and bottom, and strike!”
Me, the Upper Floor?
I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed better than staying still. I frantically ran and went up to the Upper Floor.
I was startled when I ran into residents evacuating their homes at the sudden sound of gunshots - or perhaps a sound somewhat familiar in a dystopian future society - and bumped shoulders with someone I didn’t know…
Thud!
“Hey, aren’t you keeping your damn eyes open?”
While running, I ran into a brute with scars and tattoos on his face.
At his menacing appearance that seemed to scream, 'I’m a thug,' I bowed my head, apologized, and tried to pass by, but the holster and handgun hanging on his swaggering waist suddenly caught my eye. The grip was glossy and shiny, making it look like a nice piece.
A thought flashed through my mind. 'Shouldn’t I have some kind of weapon at least?'
It was a ridiculous situation where I had to launch a Surprise Attack on a Strike Team sent by a corporation from behind.
I didn’t think I could face off against Corporate Private Soldiers with a single handgun, but it would at least be better than bare hands.
To survive in this harsh world, I need a gun, a gun after all!
I NEED A GUN!!!
By the time I came to my senses, I had already reached out and snatched the gun from the holster. There was no separate locking device, so I was able to take it easily.
A sudden action that surprised even me. The opponent must not have imagined such a scenario either, as he blinked his eyes and stared, before putting on a furious expression and trying to throw a massive fist at me!
[Combat Mode Activation. Kinetic Drive Activation.]
In my panic, I threw a punch first and smacked the brute’s face.
It was a heavy straight punch right out of a textbook, just as I had trained at the gym and with the exercise assistant from the suit!
“Keuhuk―.”
Having been hit squarely on the jaw, the thug foamed at the mouth and collapsed right then and there. Seeing the thug trembling made him look incredibly wronged somehow.
Then again, all he did wrong was make a threatening expression, but he suddenly had his handgun snatched away and even got punched, so it made sense… Somehow, I felt like the villain.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
I bowed my head and apologized belatedly to the fainted brute, then gripped the handgun tightly and ran.
Anyway, I apologized, so isn’t it okay?
Being sorry is one thing, but now is not the time for this. There was no time.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t get a grasp on it. How was I supposed to attack the armed personnel sent by the corporation? Was this really something possible for me?