Here is the translated text:
When she pulled out the piercing sword, the last robot standing among the crowd fell. Seeing the countless debris of fallen robots around her, Esmeralda sighed, thinking she had overcome a hurdle.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
While Esmeralda was relatively calm in the tense situation, Green was panting heavily.
“Let’s rest for a moment and then move on?”
“No, we should go help since support has been requested.”
Unlike Esmeralda, who had faced numerous battlefields and near-death experiences before, this was Green’s first time in a fight where their life was truly at risk.
Though she didn’t feel paralyzed with fear due to her many combat experiences, there was indeed a different kind of tension spreading throughout her body compared to usual.
“No, let’s take a moment to rest.”
Hearing Green’s suggestion to proceed, Esmeralda firmly decided to stop. She judged that it would be much better to go after stabilizing their breathing.
“We don’t know what will happen ahead. It’s best to conserve as much strength as possible.”
“…Understood.”
Listening to Esmeralda’s words, who knew much more despite her lack of experience, Green sat down hesitantly.
“This is Team 1. We successfully eliminated the encountered robots.”
Having finished reporting to everyone via communication, Esmeralda sat down beside the sitting Green.
“You’re so calm in such a situation. Impressive.”
“It’s not just once or twice. I think other teams won’t have much to worry about either.”
“You handled yourself well despite being surprised.”
“If I lose here, I won’t have the face to meet my older brother.”
Seeing Green fighting solely for A, Esmeralda gave a faint smile.
“This is Team 4. We succeeded in elimination. We’ll join forces with Team 2.”
Hearing Siara’s report through the communicator, Esmeralda felt relieved knowing there were teams available for immediate support.
“Let’s head inside. We don’t know when A and Red will need our support.”
“Understood.”
They had previously recognized each other as enemies and had a few confrontations before. Was it because they constantly analyzed each other before every confrontation?
Their teamwork was so smooth that it felt like they had worked together many times, even during their first coordination.
“I usually use a spear, but now I’m using a sword?”
“It’s a bit uncomfortable due to the shorter distance, but it’s still fine. The opponent is a robot, not a person.”
“…There might come a day when we have to fight against people.”
Esmeralda had seen many battles while invading numerous planets. There were also cases where the inhabitants of a planet waged war against each other instead of fighting invaders.
Noticing from the side while observing A’s investigation, Esmeralda realized that the condition of the hyper-human was not good.
She knew the condition and treatment of the hyper-human were not satisfactory. However, the more she delved into it, the more serious the matter seemed.
“Perhaps.”
Esmeralda’s words deeply resonated with Green. Green had mostly given up on the thought of fighting for Earth and was ready to follow A into Spacystro.
After this operation, or perhaps after more time passed, Green’s enemy could become Earth itself.
Therefore, the idea of having a fierce battle against people didn’t seem like someone else’s problem anymore.
Unable to tell others about entering Spacystro, Esmeralda couldn’t share the details, but Green kept her words in mind.
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Not many. Can’t even count them.”
Unlike Green’s cautious question, Esmeralda’s response was straightforward. To her, who had already experienced pulling the trigger against people in numerous battlefields, killing wasn’t a topic that evoked repulsion.
After hearing her answer, Green didn’t ask any further questions. Though Esmeralda couldn’t tell what emotions Green was feeling, she hoped Green wouldn’t have to kill anyone with her own hands.
It wasn’t because Green was special. She just wished no one would have to experience killing another person with their own hands.
But now, wishing that Esmeralda hadn’t killed anyone didn’t seem convincing. So, Esmeralda remained silent too.
How much time had passed since then?
“Shall we get going?”
“Yeah.”
Following Esmeralda, who stood up from her seat, Green picked up her dropped sword and stood up as well.
“Don’t rush into the enemy when you encounter them. First, secure a space where you can protect yourself. The suit can defend against some attacks, but it’s not highly advanced. Don’t rely on it too much.”
“Understood.”
After taking a brief rest, the two moved to find other teammates inside somewhere.
The robot hordes kept appearing incessantly. Initially, they thought the robots were gathering to eliminate intruders, but gradually, they seemed to be blocking entry inside.
“Ugh!”
Yubin wielded her sword continuously, cutting down robots. After throwing the sword to block distant robots, she used the broken robot to crush other incoming ones.
Although she was supporting with a rifle, Yubin’s movements were so swift and accurate that it seemed unnecessary for her to need help.
“There’s no end to this.”
Due to robots chasing them along the way, they had to guard not only the front but also the rear.
“I wonder if the output will hold.”
The rifle they brought was rechargeable, not magazine-fed. Although they brought extra batteries, firing continuously at the incoming robots left only one spare battery.
It wasn’t just the rifle that had issues. The sword Yubin was using was in an uncertain state, potentially breaking at any moment. Despite its robustness, no weapon is infinitely durable.
Moreover, swinging the sword against metal objects made it resemble striking rather than slicing.
“I wish I had brought a better one.”
Though she anticipated risks, she regretted not bringing better equipment when faced with numerous attacks. Due to the secret nature of the mission, they could only bring minimal gear, but she wondered if better options could have been chosen.
However, regretting the past now wouldn’t change anything. The only thing left was to utilize what they had to the fullest.
“Come over here!”
Hearing a voice ahead, I turned around and fired the rifle at the approaching bullets, then ran toward Yubin. Bullets flew behind me, but I ignored them and continued running.
Yubin had cleared the robot horde ahead and opened a door, waiting inside for me. I rushed into the room and Yubin immediately closed the door.
Robots outside shot at the thick steel door, but it didn’t break immediately.
“This is Team 5. Request support from available teams.”
“This is Team 1. We are advancing inside. Please hold on a little longer.”
Upon sending the message, Esmeralda’s reply came just as the bullet sounds hitting the steel door faded away.
Realizing safety wasn’t guaranteed, they prepared for battle again. Inside the room, I found Yubin rummaging through boxes.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for something usable.”
Given the place deployed robots with lethal capabilities, it wasn’t strange to find weapons capable of responding.
“Anything useful?”
“I don’t know. If not, we’ll have to keep fighting with what we have.”
Following Yubin, we searched the boxes but found nothing useful. Each box contained only unknown mechanical parts.
“There’s nothing weapon-like here?”
“No, there’s plenty.”
Yubin took a heavy mechanical part, checked for a grip, and swung it in the air with both hands.
“That’s a method too.”
I put the rifle on my back and held the heavy mechanical part with both hands, meeting eyes with her. Despite wearing helmets, we could clearly see each other’s eyes.
Immediately after opening the door, she threw one of the mechanical parts at a robot aiming at us.
Recognizing the incoming object as a threat, the robot’s barrel aimed at the mechanical part flying from my hand. During that moment, I swiftly turned around and aimed the rifle at the robot, pulling the trigger to expend the remaining energy.
The rifle’s rapid fire destroyed the robots in the front row. Yubin dived into the smoke of the explosion.
The continuous gunfire gradually subsided as Yubin swung the metal piece, creating wind pressure that dispersed the smoke. Meanwhile, Milky Way appeared.
“Are you both okay?”
Behind us, Esmeralda approached to check on our safety.
“I’m fine.”
“Let’s go.”
Confirming no injuries, we continued moving forward. Though we didn’t know where the end of the corridor or the control room was, we felt no fear with increased numbers.
“Do you have any remaining batteries?”
“Here. Do you know the number of enemies?”
“Considering the ongoing attacks and the number we’ve faced, there must be more left.”
While running down the corridor, we exchanged information about the rifles’ batteries and a simple analysis of the current situation.
“There weren’t many robots on the path we came from. Based on reports that Teams 2 and 3 are engaged with multiple robots, it seems you and Red were funneled into that path.”
“And the number of robots increases as we move forward. Simply put, there must be important facilities ahead.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than we encountered a group of robots aiming their barrels.
“We have no choice. Let’s quickly eliminate them.”
Running at a similar speed, Esmeralda accelerated and surpassed me. At that moment, I noticed particles fluctuating on her right arm.
Her large mechanical arm emerged, enveloping her arm. Larger than even Esmeralda’s tall stature, I shouted to Yubin and Milky Way behind me.
“Get down!”
Simultaneously, I hit the ground, followed by Yubin and Milky Way without hesitation.
A massive vibration and deafening explosion followed, shaking the ground.
Extending her large mechanical arm, Esmeralda fired high-pressure electronic beams from her palm, destroying the approaching robot horde without a trace.
The walls and floor were charred black, and cracks spread everywhere.
“Is it okay to use that now?”
“The situation calls for it.”
After a powerful strike, her mechanical arm vanished like scattered particles. It was her main weapon often used in battles long ago, and knowing its performance, she worried about it.
“It seems we’ve arrived.”
After annihilating the robot horde, Esmeralda walked down the charred corridor, staring intently at the door at the end.
The design of the door was distinctly different from the many rooms they had passed. Security devices were visible next to it.
Reaching the destination without a break, she confirmed the important facility and used a hacking tool on the security device.
The door opened, revealing an important control room inside. The spacious area housed numerous computers, and large monitors displayed camera feeds from various locations within the building.
Some cameras were malfunctioning, unable to display footage.
“Phew…”
Relieved, I approached the computer at the front and powered it on. Despite its unusual appearance, finding the power button was easy.
“I’ll go help.”
The screen showed Teams 2 and 3 in combat and Team 4 moving towards them. Esmeralda had left for support, leaving Yubin, Milky Way, and me in the control room.
“We need to check what’s inside.”
I powered on the computer and took out the hacking hard drive from my pocket. Plugging the cable into the USB port, the hacking process began, with the percentage increasing rapidly.
To gather information during the hack, I placed my hands on the keyboard.
