Chapter 95

Even if the combat is with just a handful of individuals, I’ve had experience engaging with the riffraff that only brings harm in the wasteland.

I’m not bragging about how I took out a few of them or how good it felt; I just wanted to emphasize that I have some useful experience. …But unfortunately, after compiling the data from each takedown, the conclusion was disappointing.

“…There’s no need to overestimate them, but don’t underestimate them either. Think of the external gang members as surprise boxes that might contain anything.”

You can picture it like a graph that has points scattered all over the place without any sense.

On average, their armament was terrible, but since there was no uniformity, a grenade could pop up unexpectedly.

There are those who are distracted by trivial things during a mission, as well as sharp killers who are watching for an opening.

It’s not surprising that there are no qualifications to become a thief, but the fact that it’s annoying from the perspective of those facing them remains unchanged.

– Understood. –

Anyway, information is still information.

With a confident answer, Zero entered the corridor first.

Bang!!

The sound of metal hitting the floor and the fierce noise of joints operating invaded my ears.

Aside from the commotion heard beyond the walls, this place was quiet.

According to the crew member, they hadn’t reached this front compartment yet… or perhaps they hadn’t come because the cargo hold was the target.

“…What should I do? I now have business over there.”

I muttered to myself as a reminder to prepare for the gunfight I would experience after a long time.

Following Zero, who was expertly clearing rooms, I passed through the medical bay and the bar, arriving at the security door without a moment’s hesitation.

It seemed like a bit too much work for something suddenly thrown at me.

After breaking through whatever heavily armed gangs I don’t know how many there are, I had to check on Rosaline and Asyef in the middle of that chaos, and I also needed to confiscate the gang’s toy cars for scrap.

Above all, the continuous distant gunfire intensified my urgency.

These guys… the triggers are way too light.

Most likely, they’re shooting as a threat, but what if we reach the back compartment only to find a sea of blood from innocent people…?

Ugh!!

“…Hey, hey! What if I’m told to compensate? I can’t take responsibility!”

– In situations like this, the travel insurance included in the fare automatically becomes effective, so as long as it isn’t a loss of life, Ahsa has no responsibility. In fact, you should prepare a list of claims in advance. –

“……So that was a bundled pitch?!”

My knowledge had increased.

No wonder it seemed that a one-way ticket was over two hundred thousand credits; it must have been a packaged product. Really rotten humans.

Grumbling inside, I placed my hand on the circuit board of the security door that had been opened for Zero to hack more easily.

Access Authorization Confirmed, Load Verification List.

…Override existing priorities, add Anonymous Guest, and open.

Beep.

It opened smoothly as if it had recognized a card key, though the cover had been tossed away, without any loud sparks or complicated calculations.

There was no need to change my line of sight since both the target I was looking for and the operation were clear, and the hacking was completed in an instant.

For a moment, I felt a sense of accomplishment with how proficient I was becoming.

As the steel door slid aside, I stepped forward, anticipating the cargo hold to be filled with boxes, but… there were customers in a much bigger hurry than me.

“Uh…?”

“What…?”

Both sides, caught off guard, stared at each other in a peculiar silence.

I quickly glanced around to pick out only the necessary information for situational awareness.

First, the opposite security door that had clearly been pried open was crumpled, lodged in the corner, and the people standing in a line were seemingly in the middle of unloading and looting, holding boxes in both hands as they stared blankly.

Their skin was sunburned and sweat dripped down, possibly having been neglected, and their clothes were all sand-covered and haphazardly worn, lacking the robust image of an underground society.

And to top it off, there was a shotgun barrel shoved towards us and a thick finger resting on the trigger…?

**Thwack—!!**

“Are you insane?!”

Sparks flew next to my head at the doorframe.

It wasn’t that I miraculously dodged it, nor was it that the opponent was a terrible shot. It was just that shotguns were meant for those kinds of idiots.

I simply had Zero there to react in my stead.

The triggers really are ridiculously light. I almost died…!!

– If you’d like to observe the interior further, I will block it. –

“No?! I’ll pass…!!”

Bang! Noise! Bang bang!!

Ratatatata—!!

With bullets starting to rain down, fireworks exploded against the reinforced steel next to my cover, and I stopped Zero from trying to block it with his body casually.

I’m genuinely annoyed that even low-life thugs don’t shoot bullets lightly.

As I lightly shook my arm, deformed bullets that had lodged in my armguards fell to the ground, and while it might be a method to tell him to charge in, I felt it was better to address any risks.

It wasn’t guaranteed that the cheap rounds that had missed by mere luck were the only ones left.

“What the hell was that?! What was that dark chunk of metal just now?!”

“Mother! There’s only a conductor behind the door on the other side, so don’t worry about it at all!!”

“Brother! There’s a droid! Doesn’t anyone have an electric taser or a flamethrower?!”

The fleeting glimpse of the situation seemed to intensify the fear among the enemies, making my head pound.

It seemed I was out of their line of sight, at least…

I extended my hand slightly to respond, but all I got in return was the metallic sound of ricocheting bullets. They seemed to hunker down. My efforts to provoke them with just a pistol appeared to only speed up their ammunition consumption.

However, simply engaging in a war of attrition wouldn’t work….

“…Do they have any reason to endure?”

If I drag it out, they’d abandon what they couldn’t take and run away.

In the end, we would have to push through and bring them down.

Ugh… The entrance is too narrow, and it’s obvious that fire will concentrate there; should I just trust Zero and tell him to break through?

Ping…!

In the midst of my repeating thoughts, the clattering noise of a shattering light bulb illuminated this compartment.

They had probably accidentally triggered it while laying down suppressing fire, as the density of bullet rain lessened for a moment.

“…Hmmm.”

Is it now…? Is this the opportunity?

Even if I create enemies, I don’t want to create a nemesis.

Thanks to the overly protective carebot, I felt safer, but if I were to be ambushed without any warning or caught up in unrelated troubles, I probably wouldn’t survive the stress.

But if the opponents just hate me for no reason… It would be easier to silence them so they never hate me again than to give them a reason to dislike me.

In the darkened view, I licked my dry lips and checked my handgun grip, as Zero’s body thrummed like a bowstring pulled taut, understanding my intent.

The LED indicators that existed to signal whether power was properly flowing to each connection pulsed vibrantly like battle paint.

“The ones with heavy weapons just went to break through the rear cargo hold!”

“Damn, so we’re just abandoning the things here?!”

“…Really, huh?”

Seeing them grow quiet, they began to murmur amongst themselves.

Wait, are they seriously just spilling crucial internal information because they’re impatient?

This could work. I could push in using force while providing adequate cover fire.

Having generally established a plan, thoughts of the cargo hold structure I had seen briefly and where they might have taken cover came to mind as I realized why it looked dimmer than other compartments.

……The cargo hold didn’t have separate windows due to security reasons.

“….”

I scanned the darkened area once, then the carebot that would be unaffected by the absence of light. Lastly, I recalled the location of the lighting on the other side.

Thank you very much for a great idea…!

Clang! Crash!!

“Whoa?!”

“Damn it. Turn on the light!”

As shards of glass rained down, I ducked my head and pressed my back tightly against the wall as I watched them enveloped in darkness.

Waiting any longer would be a luxury. The battlefield had been set, so I had to send out my champion.

“Zero, go all out.”

– Entering extermination mode. –

Suddenly, a will-o’-the-wisp appeared in the chaotic room filled with vulgar curses and insults.

I thought there was a chance they wouldn’t notice in the frenzy, but humans instinctively recognize the imminent threat of death.

The sounds of pigs squealing had ceased, leaving only tense breaths in the dark.

I have no idea how the ghostly figure of Zero was reflected there. All I could do was speculate based on their reactions.

“Fire! Shoot everything you have! If we get close, we’re dead…?!”

Their screams, and from there, the spreading fear.

As the first shot was fired, the tide of battle shifted rapidly. For them, it was a fall into irreversible ruin.