Chapter 55

” cough…! Ugh… cough!!”

The thick smoke blurred my vision, making it difficult to grasp the precise situation.

The police visor I wore just moments ago shielded me from the dust, but my body, caught in the shock, was demanding that I cough violently as I struggled to breathe.

In the midst of the chaos, I couldn’t even tell whether the finishing material powder I was blankly staring at was falling from the ceiling or simply swirling around on the walls or floor in the wind. It was quite absurd that I was being told to breathe if I wanted to live.

“Ahsa! Right now…!!”

I barely understood that first near-shriek, my ears ringing as if I were submerged underwater, preventing me from hearing anything else.

I knew the enforcement unit was fully committed to rescuing the intruders…! But seriously, who was the idiot that connected that thought to sending a bomb attached to their elevator down?

“Ugh…!!”

I struggled to turn my creaking body over, propping myself up on my elbows.

If there was any silver lining, at least this much of an explosion had occurred without any troops inside, so it would be alright to calmly prepare for a fight…

“……ha.”

Crack… crack…!!

Shattered glass pieces crunched under enormous mechanical legs, as a ghost emanating a chilling aura rose from the debris in the now-empty elevator shaft.

It was strange to say something had exploded inside… but the broken entrance door of the elevator, which had completely caved in, was being roughly pried open by a metal claw.

Creeeeak—!!

Debris flew in all directions.

The metal plate easily crumpled, raising suspicions of shoddy construction… and it was undoubtedly the steel provided by Paradise that revealed itself.

Powered Exo-Skeleton Armor.

A weapon that the user pilots, developed by the machine-loving conglomerate Exatech, embodying the quintessence of modern warfare.

The defensive capabilities and various resistances provided by the precision alloy that makes the exterior.

The high-capacity batteries and ultra-capacitors equipped enhance strength and maneuverability.

Above all, the most important thing is… that even without special talents or qualities, one can fully exhibit its performance through training.

However, from the very moment the head, which should be most carefully protected, was exposed, the purpose of this hope for destruction became clear.

“I… I can’t accept this ending…?! Lena!”

“Shut the hell up!!”

The exasperation slipped out involuntarily.

This wasn’t some bomb that had gone off.

The source of the shockwave strong enough to send a person flying was merely the force of gravity. True, the effect of gravity had increased, but with Anne, who hadn’t even undergone decent modifications, moving about with ease, I could guess the specs of the suit.

“Why are you going this far…!!”

“If you won’t kill me… then I’ll have to make it so you can… at least in that way, together…!!”

The obsessive love-hate built up over five years, nearly two thousand days, had not yet been concretely realized by Helena, and Anne interrupted her.

Apparently, asking her to kindly disappear from life was a significant disqualification for her.

But, focusing solely on Helena in such a defenseless state… I wouldn’t be so soft as to miss the third chance to shoot (Clean Shot).

I slowly lowered myself back to the ground, gripping my peacekeeper pistol that had returned to my hands.

…Now, I could finally grant the rest that the person desired.

“……”

I steadied my breath and aimed at the fated target that I gazed upon with an indulgent stare.

With my left hand covering the opposite side of the gun-holding right hand, I positioned my thumbs as if to pierce the target.

Though the debris of the ruined structures scattered throughout were somewhat bothersome, they were so close that it would be hard to miss.

I didn’t think my shooting skills were bad to begin with, but recalling the experience I had being half-forced into being instructed by Helena, who burst with pride the moment I mentioned applying for the combat police, came to mind.

In that training, let alone controlling the recoil, merely stabilizing the firearm had proven tiring, and I was dismissed due to poor evaluations.

Instead, I would maintain a simple armament with a weapon I was familiar with and, armed with the precise and steady skills I had honed through repeated training, aim to put an end to this accursed fate.

Bang—!!

The trigger was pulled.

Clang!!

“What?!”

“!!”

Anne’s arm, swung like lightning, deflected the bullet.

I had thought the attack was from a perfect blind spot; how did she… react without even looking at the muzzle like someone else would?!

There was no time to confirm the details of that question. Anne, shockingly evading death, wore a surprised expression at her own skill as she regained her composure and roared.

“You…! Don’t interfere anymoooore…—!!”

“You crazy…!!”

The suit, with fingers sharp as beastly claws, hefted up a large piece of the shredded elevator door. Rather than “lifted,” it felt more like it had snatched it up with a hook.

In an instant, a bullet of a size incomparable to the small one I had fired was loaded into Anne’s launcher.

I hastily attempted to rise from a crouched position, but it was too late.

With a thundering roar resembling airplane engines powering up, a mass bomb was launched.

…Ah, shit. I’m dead. I was convinced as I watched the meteor rush into my sight.

Come to think of it… the Powered Exo-Skeleton Armor from Neo Haven had an automatic environmental recognition system.

It occasionally allowed me to ignore damage… and it was such an obvious option that I couldn’t recall the name until now.

I thought to myself that when I eventually amassed enough credits to afford such luxuries, I’d definitely treat myself… as that escape from reality was coming to an end.

Kraack!!

“Ugh?!”

“Ahsa!! Why are you just standing there?! That was close!”

Our superhuman, equipped with only the low-cost-enhanced implant, wrapped around my waist and helped me dodge.

Due to the rapid movement that nearly twisted my neck, my head was spinning, and I almost bit my tongue, but… I could confidently answer anyone asking. It was better to look slightly silly than to be crushed.

“Lena… Lena…!”

“……”

No longer any words to mix, Helena dashed back into the fray head-on against Anne, who had now appeared as a definitive enemy right after helping me escape.

Currently, I found myself positioned in a far corner, right next to a middle-aged bearded man who had fainted amidst this chaos.

…I admit there was a significant difference in physical capabilities, but I can’t claim to be so worthless as to receive such treatment.

Therefore, this was not a tactical retreat but rather a change of battlefield.

A maneuver to confront the enforcement unit, which had secured a more effective means of attack than a gun, and had started to enter a different location rather than the collapsed Elevator Number 3.

Crack!! Thud!

The duel between the two separated further.

I thought I might be receiving consideration again, but judging by Anne’s reckless, devastating onslaught that nearly crushed everything in sight without regard for anyone but Helena, it didn’t seem like there was any room for that.

It’s hard to imagine her losing, but… her sword wouldn’t be invincible either, and my assistance would soon be needed.

– Ensure the squad stationed at the gate No. 3 was wiped out without even a proper briefing. Additionally, in case of emergency, the autonomous injection of the test subject PK-013 is authorized. –

This certainly wasn’t about me… they’d probably be targeting Helena, who had caused the accident.

“Whew… I’ll wrap this up and be right back.”

Though the already distant person couldn’t hear, I made a bold promise to myself and focused my mind.

The item I traded for my pistol in the busy moments was my terminal, which I had retrieved.

With a splat… I submerged into my consciousness.

Compared to the vast virtual world, I detached from the painfully small human brain and moved into the computation device. Passing through the signal generator of the circuits, I accessed the harvesting zone network through the backdoor I had opened earlier.

Deeply… deeply… even deeper. It was the first Abyss dive since the lab, and it proceeded smoothly.

Feeling as though my psyche was clarifying while seated on my throne crafted from darkness, even the slightest hand gesture allowed me to observe everything.

“Now, what to do with them……”

I confirmed the scale of the enforcement unit charging in through the cameras set at each entrance.

These mad war maniacs. Were they really planning to go to war against a single intruder, bringing along smart-guided scatter bombs and large high-explosive grenades?

I wonder… Even if I succeeded in seizing authority, do I really have enough troops to handle this…?

There isn’t even an armory, and the structures being scanned here are just scattered medical devices akin to those in a prison; the only useful things left to me are… wait, why are there so many?

There are dozens of operating rooms coming up in the search. Moreover, various robots connected to the system.

“…You all are unlucky.”

It seems they planned to engage in urban warfare with brand-new, high-tech equipment… But sorry, under these conditions, I’m not merely an individual.

Thus, I will personally assist in helping you feel the unprecedented terror of the environment itself, all surrounding machinery, turning against you.