Chapter 283

At the end of that hallway, how far is it to where we were?

Bethany Manager, flying over with a speed that would put any combat agent to shame, decorated her landing with a flashy slide as she clung to my leg.

As for me… I was so busy trying to stop Masanari from shooting the assailant that came at us reflexively that I didn’t even have a chance to resist.

“Hic… Hah… I really appreciate you saving me, but… Hic! It’s just that when she moves suddenly, people seem to explode everywhere! Especially the blood, the blood…!!”

“No, no. Manager! I get that you’re in shock, but please try to calm down a bit… Why are you rubbing your cheek against my thigh!? First, clean up your tears and snot! Zero! Do you have any handkerchiefs??”

Even though she definitely had a bit of a clumsy streak, how many people get to experience a mature, beautiful woman in a suit kneeling and clinging to their feet for the rest of their lives?

Especially when she’s crying uncontrollably, throwing dignity out the window and sobbing so loudly that the whole neighborhood can hear her; as someone who considers myself a gentleman, this entire situation was just immensely awkward.

The silver lining was that it was the Manager who had just playfully poked at my face earlier, so I didn’t have to ask for permission to wipe away the tears and the smeared makeup.

“…Hey.”

– I considered safety from all angles and did my utmost to protect you. –

I tossed a handkerchief I pulled from the storage compartment to Zero—who, like always, had its content linked to the Plaza’s network—and directed the first unit, which was twisted in a grievance of sorts, to take good care of the second unit while casting a confused look that seemed to ask what all this was about.

It takes some talent to output feelings of grievance through a lifeless mechanical voice.

To clarify, without delving into complex principles or technical explanations, all droids are essentially Zero’s fingers.

They’re real puppets equipped with dedicated antennas and amplifiers to reliably receive commands and move freely.

Unlike the past when someone was inside the body, any resulting issues with response time delays or errors are essentially managed by the computational devices and action correction modules within each droid, which means that I’ve spent a lot of credits on complex programming.

To me, it felt like they simply multiplied without any downgrade, and I thought to myself that it’s all good, as long as it works out.

Unit Zero is my original body that I saved up meticulously for, only to buy it with a windfall from a (fake) life insurance policy.

Given the memories we both share, it maintains enough operational combat specs by continuously replacing various components, but since we only travel together, it’s unavoidable that battles turn into brawls.

In contrast, Unit One is a standard fire support type sniper created by swapping parts on a locally-sourced droid base borrowed from Exatech facilities.

It’s designed to first identify and eliminate targets with high-grade scanners.

Rather than jumping in and flailing, it engages in long-range combat, firing at enemies from a distance with heavy caliber weapons and suppressing them with makeshift cover! It sounds quite romantic, doesn’t it?

Although I didn’t initially anticipate a terrorist event and didn’t allocate resources accordingly, I expected a far more sophisticated performance from Unit One, deliberately selecting it for the task….

Why the hell have things turned out like this?!

– I understand your concern, but in such ambiguous situations, the likelihood of armed conflict arising is almost guaranteed to lead to a prolonged hostage crisis. –

“…Sorry, I get it. I’ll believe you.”

Between Masanari, who has had a rare sense of competition since earlier, and me, the uncomfortable question of whether any aspects were lacking circulated; I accepted the response as plausible and let it go.

Upon closer inspection, not only was her body clean, but so was Unit One’s body, devoid of a single drop of blood, so it’s probably not as dire as it seemed.

To be honest, I’ve had enough outrageous experiences to feel somewhat numb about these things now, as before, I would have been racing with adrenaline and endorphin in the hail of bullets but would later succumb to my own pain.

So, what about you, Bethany? Hmph! Wipe your nose… Oh dear, your pretty face is a mess.

…Uh, is it inappropriate for a gentleman to mumble such things?

Eh, who cares. I’m half a gentleman and the rest… let’s leave it at that.

“Hic… Hah… Sorry. No, not sorry, I’m so thankful. I knew I shouldn’t act recklessly with the borrowed droid but…”

“Are you feeling a bit more composed now? You really should have just stayed in the upper waiting room; it’s not as if this lower level is designated as a shelter.”

With the ongoing excitement, it seemed that it would take a considerable amount of time to clear up the absurd misunderstanding as she repeated her apologies. So I decided to ask her what she was doing here at this time.

If she was hiding, the options above would’ve been better, and if she was escaping, she could’ve already broken through an emergency exit or window.

The way this broadcasting station is structured, with clear purposes assigned to each floor, logically meant the Manager had only one reason to come down.

Surely, it was to meet someone given the emergency, was it not?

“Our announcer… Erin is getting beat up in the newsroom up there, bleeding… I know it’s unreasonable, but I thought I could help with the security robot, so I rushed down, but it’s far worse than I imagined… I’m truly sorry…!! I’ll repay you somehow!”

“Pfft…! No, don’t worry about repayment! There’s no damage here.”

Noticing that even holding my leg seemed an imposition, I stood her up while stopping her from making a proper apology gesture.

As I laughed with a hint of amusement, the Manager, reassured by the excess power around us, gradually calmed down and steadied her trembling legs.

In reality, my feelings leaned more toward enjoyment rather than mere amusement. Knowing we were heading in the same direction felt quite pleasant, wouldn’t you say?

While it’s certainly not bad to huddle in a secure location like the studio staff, what tugged on my heart was that my instincts told me to act as I would when cornered, casting caution to the wind.

Furthermore, someone might argue that those who don’t help out at all and lack the capability to change the situation are merely compounding the issue, but it’s a beautiful sight when someone who’s usually scared finds the courage to step over the line for someone else.

“We’re here to check things out too… just stay close to me and follow calmly. Got it? The experts here will clear away any remaining obstacles…”

“…Would it be okay if I kept my eyes shut the whole time?”

Finally, it seemed that the Manager understood I wasn’t just a bystander now; I had my own frustrating problems to solve.

With much more relaxed tones, the Manager answered and turned her attention to the target.

Not knowing the exact condition of the newsroom, having Bethany with us wouldn’t necessarily be a burden, as I assessed that her presence could be beneficial in some way.

As it turned out, I would soon face a troubling scenario where her knowledge would prove essential.

“…What the hell?”

Feeling frustrated, I muttered an expletive under my breath and then started to gauge the atmosphere in the newsroom again.

“I will now begin reading the conditions for the release of hostages set forth by the Arcadia sect… One, expand the official boundary of Neo Haven to include the surrounding Harlem area and increase the support supplies by a minimum of fifty times. Two, close down artificial intelligence-controlled jobs and restore those jobs back to humans…”

We successfully reached the front of the newsroom, where the soothing yet melodic voice of the announcer echoed the conditions I had only overheard before on air.

It seemed to be of value for having interrogated the hostages despite the Geneva conventions falling by the wayside; we successfully managed to apply our sharp blades before they noticed, and now only the plan of sweeping through and eliminating them remained.

What Erin was currently reciting was merely a script designed to buy time and deceive by bringing in a city negotiation team. The actual plan was to blow something up and slip away once the operation was done.

Having gathered additional forces that specialized in small-scale combat, I had come to trust that as long as we reached this point, there wouldn’t be significant obstacles… but then a minor issue arose.

…The newsroom was actually much larger and far more awkwardly structured than I’d anticipated, rendering a surprise attack fundamentally impossible.

It appeared mostly flat. However, various broadcasting equipment arranged around the news desk installed on one wall obstructed movement. Annoyingly, visibility was wide open, but it offered no real cover.

Moreover, there was only one entrance that faced the hallway directly.

Though the door itself had been removed, making it easier to enter, the stage of being spotted upon entry was still very much an issue, which I found quite displeasing.

To top it off, news staff members were scattered around, terrified while trying to present the news. Among them was a Paladin leading the squad and an odd Crusader-level combatant, along with a few amateurs who barely knew how to shoot.

Thus, to resolve this without any additional casualties, let’s see.

As soon as I confidently stepped through the front door, I needed someone capable of swiftly and accurately neutralizing the enemies without harming any of the hostages among the many.

Uh… Masanari! I want to ask this irresponsibly, but can you really do this?

“I wish I could give you a positive answer. However, I can’t guarantee that no civilian casualties will occur. Even if Zero assists, a cornered rat will ultimately bite someone…”

– I understand your concern, but if conflict arises in such an ambiguous state, any prolonged hostage crisis that you feared is almost certain to occur. –

“Just as I thought…?”

Even if this were a dumb game where the enemies had their backs turned, quietly taking out each one would be difficult. When the enemy and allies are mixed and scattered in an open area like this… it seems having more skilled shooters would have solved things easily.

Ugh, if I had anticipated this, I should’ve brought in a strike team to take out their command instead of merely letting the guards draw attention away.

No, even if that were the case, incapacitating the Paladin with just a couple of bullets wouldn’t be easy, considering he is a veteran mercenary… This is difficult.

“Um, is it just necessary to hide…?”

“Yes? While it wouldn’t be that easy, it would change things if there’s a means to do so.”

Just then, the Manager chimed in tentatively, suggesting she had something to share.

“Well, originally, the supply closet next to here was part of the newsroom. Due to sound resonance issues, they filled the inside door with soundproof walls and only made an entrance at the hallway… If you go in there, there should be a makeshift staircase leading up to the support beams used for light repairs.”

“!! That’s perfect!”

As soon as she pointed to the ceiling, her finger lightly prodded the spherical-hinged door next to the entrance of the newsroom, where we had passed through. I was elated.

For some reason, despite the building being old, it seemed odd that such a shabby door would exist next to a big shooting area.

…Creak!

Treading cautiously, wanting to ensure everything was as expected, we opened the supply closet door and checked inside.

The desk was in disarray as if someone had hurriedly left, with a toppled chair. There was a large first aid kit and various medical kits scattered across the shelves. From the amount of related equipment, it looked like it would be used for emergency responders on standby.

And… it’s probably an unwritten rule not to strike medical personnel even during a war, right?

…Who was it that said there’s nothing shameful about risking people’s lives?

Ah, was it me? I thought I’d never have to engage in this embarrassing tactic again since that time. Sigh.

“Um, Manager, how far are you willing to go for Erin the Announcer?”

“Um… as far as it takes!!”

This time, at least I had a comrade willing to feign fear alongside me. Good then.

The personnel distribution was set with me and Bethany as distraction clowns, Masanari above, and Unit Zero dealing with the front.

Finally, Unit Zero wouldn’t offer any more hands than needed, but since there was a bit of strategic leeway, I would send it below.

Even though it felt uncomfortable engaging in mischievous behavior that wouldn’t help public safety at all… since the primary objective was tracking down the main base, eliminating the Arcadia folks here would only be a personal loss for me.

Apologies, but those among the broadcasting network who have contaminated the codes with cyberware need to survive for a better future.

Now, shall we head to our positions, synchronize on signal, and then breach?

Ah, Zero? Can you whip up a script reminiscent of something a doctor would say at a time like this? …With a bit of an enema style.