Chapter 12

Drurururururuk—!!

Thud! Bang!! Thadadang…!!

An organization member riding on the back of a black society dump truck clawed at the walls of the bar with a mounted machine gun, scratching them madly. The noise was literally ear-splitting, and flames that were hard to look at poured toward the residents.

However, even though the aesthetics were horrendous, the outer walls of the bar, reinforced with multiple layers of steel plates for such emergencies, served as a sturdy cover, helping to continue the protest.

Piyung—!!

“Cough?!”

As the subordinate next to him fell, a clear bullet hole appearing on his forehead, the black society boss shouted urgently into the communication channel.

[You idiots!! Keep your heads down while shooting! Do you think this is some rural backwater?? Even the bar owner used to be a mercenary, damn it!!]

A settlement within sight of the Harvest Planet’s barrier. While many fools wanted to obtain citizenship, it was a place shrouded in non-human beings hiding everywhere, each with their own backstory.

Having escaped from the system established by the corporations, the specters that couldn’t let go of their regrets and delusions roamed the ash-gray boundary. Among them was the bar owner, who shot accurately at heads while merely sticking the muzzle of his gun through a window without making a sound.

“Wei Long! Our fellow countryman! Are we really going to take such a difficult path?! I’ll pay up to 8 million credits!!”

“Shut up and eat shit, Xiao Xun!! The Taito gang said they would prepare 20 million credits in cash! If all you have to put on the scale is this kind of threat and your pathetic bloodline, then just get lost!!”

The cunning rat-faced man made a screech and stuck his head back into the bar.

The black society’s first demand was simple.

They heard that Wei Long, the owner of the scrap shop in the settlement, had recently obtained a hovercraft and was making contact with other gangs to sell it. If such a thing suddenly appeared, it would upset the balance among gangs. So… either don’t sell it at all, or sell it to us.

Of course, while the words were spoken, their intention to openly threaten with force was clear.

Hand it over to us, or else this small symbiotic relationship will be over.

As a result, an urgent council was held among the residents, but… the conclusion was unanimous. Even if he was a real piece of work, the hovercraft was ultimately Wei Long’s private property, so they would leave the decision to him. However, if he really started firing, they wouldn’t just sit back.

Thus… while the greedy junk dealer, boss Xiao Xun, was coaxing and mollifying things, an anticipated accident occurred.

An impatient subordinate, unable to control his boiling blood or pride, drew a pistol and shot Wei Long in the leg.

Naturally, the scream of a drowning rat echoed, and negotiations were completely severed.

In the end, that idiot who caused the ruckus comfortably became a beehive and died. The blood-curdling standoff had continued up to that point.

Bang!!

“Damn it?!”

Unluckily, a bullet ricocheted off the armored plating of the APC, grazing past Xiao Xun’s head.

Prolonging the battle was welcome from his perspective. His subordinates scattered throughout the village would steal supplies, and by the end, if they successfully made off with the hovercraft, they’d gain everything they needed. But until then, he had to hold the frontline, or these foolish gang members wouldn’t do their part.

[Report the situation!! Those who have taken what they can, either start the engine and wait at the front door or come support! Damn it, move! And what about the hovercraft? Have you found it?!]

[……..]

[……..]

[We just found it and are on the way!]

While the others were too busy to respond, the salvage team most crucially responded to Xiao Xun’s communication.

[Get your ass to the central bar quickly!!]

[Yes……!!]

The faces of the gang members listening to the communication brightened.

Though they were the invaders, their lives were just as precious. Their sky-high boss was taking the sweet fruit of victory for himself, so there was no reason to complain.

“Dump everything you have!!”

Drududududuk—!!

Kaboom!! Kachung!

Under a heavier onslaught of bullets, the bar’s outer wall was mercilessly crushed. Bullets that entered through the windows devastated the internal decorations and shattered the liquor bottles on display.

Could there be no escaping such violence? Former mercenary and current bar owner Schneider, who had been shooting the outlaws using the windows as a kind of loophole, activated the emergency shutter and covered the windows with the outer wall.

Clunk… Kwaang—!!

The iron curtain was strong enough to guarantee immediate safety.

Inside the dimly lit bar, which had turned into a sort of bunker, the combatants who had been resisting the invaders without a second of rest finally sat down to catch their breath. However… their hiding did mean that the enemies were relatively free.

Although they had dealt quite a bit of damage, considering the number of black society thugs who initially appeared and the enemy numbers seen just before the shutter came down… what the remaining thugs were doing inside the settlement was something they could hardly imagine.

“Oh dear…!! You idiot! We’re losing all the precious liquor! How rusty are you to be struggling against them?”

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

Ting—!

Leaning against the counter, Schneider curtly retorted while removing the jammed bullet that had caused his firearm malfunction.

His sharp eyes lingered momentarily on Wei Long, who was lying in a corner receiving antiseptics… before dropping again. It was the outlaws and gang members who had fired first and caused trouble.

It was unreasonable to blame Wei Long for exercising his rightful privilege… but the thought of his wife and young daughter hiding at home made his hands tremble uncontrollably.

If he had known it would come to this, instead of telling them to hide, he should have taken them along to the store…

If he had anticipated that it would escalate into a full-blown war with each side turning against each other, he would have just killed the boss Xiao Xun first…

If getting embroiled in other people’s affairs would be like this, living in the city would have provided a better environment for his family.

“……”

Schneider’s anxious gaze finally landed on the wrapped bag in Valentine’s hands.

Two servings of synthetic meat steak lunch boxes, often sought after by residents, meant for times of dull emotions or when indulging in a bit of luxury.

Though he had never personally visited, he had heard many times that Valentine’s granddaughter, rumored to be a charming presence, had recently been seen at his store. Just with one more person, the drab machinery shop had turned into some aesthetic shop, or so the tale goes.

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

“Kuh…!! Kuhuk!! Cough!”

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

He was free-spirited and somewhat awkward. Kind as if raised in a blessed environment… but on the other hand, he bore his own darkness. While he had neither confirmed nor denied the questions of acquaintances, he never knew that they had all unofficially decided the matter.

“Hmm… she may be just a child to me, but she’s an adult who can manage her affairs. She’ll surely be safe. Well… who knows. This old fool might worry about dinner and come looking for her here?”

“……Is that so?”

Click…!!

As the worry and patience seemingly reached their limit, Schneider, still wrapped in the fierce combativeness of his mercenary days, stood up.

Drududu!! Drududududu!!

The outer wall was still shaking violently from gunfire, but no one questioned Schneider’s decision to end the brief rest and begin fighting again. They merely followed the retired mercenary in checking their weapons and ammunition once more.

Some had families to protect, while others simply viewed their possessions as what needed to be secured.

However, all those gathered here under the settlement’s guidelines were warriors. There was no one who disagreed with the notion of fighting to secure safety.

Kugugugugu…!

The bunker was dismantled.

Simultaneously, a sound came, the lifting sound of the hovercraft… and the panicked voice of a comrade.

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

“?!”

Without removing his gaze from the scope, he hurriedly accessed the residents’ network.

Usually, he would scold her for recklessly using cyberware and learning strange things, but… if she was safe, he could forgive everything.

[Daddy!! A really pretty sister is coming to help in a strange car! Daddy, hang in there!!]

“……What?”

As the imposing hovercraft arrived, the outlaws cheered, convinced of their victory.

Some wanted to escape as soon as possible and hopped onto the modified truck’s back, while the rest, including Xiao Xun, continued to suppress fire towards the bar until the vehicle entrance opened.

With a screech, the barriers opened to the sides, revealing… a somewhat smaller, pretty sister than Schneider had imagined.

Unlike the thoroughly disciplined soldiers, she seemed to have crossed a devastating line, her body covered in blood as her mouth opened.

“Fire in the hole, you bastard…!!”

With a small metallic sound, something thrown landed softly in Xiao Xun’s hand.

To Schneider, who had three visual implants, it was clear what it was.

“Open fire…!! Drive them out!!”