Chapter 97

“Bi… Bisaang…! The corporate bastards were hiding in the front cargo compartment—!”

“There’s not a single accurate word except for ’emergency!!'”

At the urgent shout, the gang member outside rushes in to see what’s happening.

Seeing that, I glare at the receding back of the annoying witness like a biological warning light, leaving an elongated echo.

Now that I think about it, there was something similar in games.

When the battle turned unfavorable, a type of enemy would flee and bring reinforcements back, running off like an alarm.

The difference is… that guy saw a scene too intense, so they probably wouldn’t come back. Still, leaving it like that would mean announcing to the whole neighborhood that we were coming, so I tried my best to follow.

Kwah!

– …?! Confirmation of high-velocity armor-piercing bullet usage. I will reorganize the display. –

Firmly, and heavily.

From Zero’s shoulder, filled with body as we carved our way down the corridor, shattered armor fragments flew.

It was a valid hit, of a different level than minor scratches. If Zero hadn’t sharply reacted and twisted their upper body, a key component would have certainly been pierced during that aerial bombardment.

Until now, we managed to advance rapidly without getting caught, but it seemed we had to clash with the enemies who began preparing from this point.

“Ah! Seriously…!”

In battle, hesitation is akin to death, so with a bang! I threw myself into an empty room almost demolishing the door, just as madly erupting sparks flew at the position we had been standing in, and the metal plates supporting the floor caved in.

“I’ve cornered them…! Finish it quickly!!”

“…Wait, what? You want me to go right up to that terrifying Droid and start shooting? Damn, you go yourself!”

I could hear our enemies yelling at each other to chase us, saying we entered the room.

Thank god. They were too busy shouting among themselves; none had the guts to step into Zero’s combat range first.

If they had rushed in, prepared for a blade stab as a surprise attack, they would have surely been like a rat caught in a trap.

“Run a self-diagnosis, and report the damage!”

– Mainframe check, operation and armament systems all clear. I will continue to engage. –

“Great…!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

As soon as I heard the brief damage report, I pressed my pistol against the corner of the doorframe and pulled the trigger wildly, firing with only the barrel sticking out. I fired until the magazine was completely empty, showing that we were still intact.

Was it a stroke of luck that they were hit and fell? I didn’t expect that at all. The footsteps that had been approaching hesitated and then retreated just like that.

I thought that fighting in a narrow corridor would still be better than being surrounded by multiple enemies in a wide space, but even in a straight passage, the numerical advantage became apparent in a gun and sword fight rather than from branches and rocks.

“…That’s tricky.”

This… sorry, but Zero has to bear more risk and take on the hardship…

Ting—.

“…?”

A strange noise interrupted the brief lull of gunfire.

If it hadn’t been for the tension sharpening my focus, I might have missed that small metallic sound.

I flinched at the chilling clip sound that I’d definitely heard before, and Zero responded like a ghost.

– Ahsa, your head…!! –

Before they could finish speaking, the blade, which had been put away due to the severe hindrance in a narrow passage, shot out.

My body froze, utterly unable to move any fingers, yet I could faithfully observe the visual information and situation provided to me.

The tip of the extended sword danced.

To prevent delivering an excessive impact and causing horrifying results, it moved delicately and gently. In 0.4 seconds, it redirected the trajectory of the rolling grenade towards the opposite compartment, and in 0.8 seconds, I confirmed it was a delayed detonation and closed the open door.

Beep——!!

All the nearby windows shattered within one second.

Fortunately, the scattered glass fragments were mostly carried away by the wind, and only a few landed on this side.

Even though most of the impact was taken by Zero throwing themselves in, the compressed air that seeped through the gaps caused my hair to rise up.

Furthermore, the explosion that occurred so close by made my already ringing ears completely lose their functionality.

‘It’s not like this is a desperately needed nourishment, but… I always seem to forget at the worst times!’

The gang wasn’t like the police, restocking equipment, so such explosives had to be items individuals carried themselves.

If it were a means of restraint intended to bring us all down, it would be better to use them openly rather than having someone dying to self-destruct.

However, they had definitely expended even the grenades they had been saving, so it was obvious they would be forced to come in.

If that’s the case… I need to devise a more stable countermeasure.

Hoping miraculously that bullets would miss us both? Denied.

Charging in with Zero at the forefront? Then it would be identical to the earlier situation.

Hoping the enemies blunder while we holed up? Not worth discussing.

The way I could be helpful in direct combat, given my inadequacy, was always to remain as calm as possible and strike with high potential and ingenious schemes.

“Go! Quickly!!”

– …I’ll clean it up soon. –

I wasn’t even sure if I said that correctly. Not having enough time to explain in detail, I gestured towards the opposite compartment, trusting that they would understand.

At this moment, a foggy smoke and sand pouring in from outside obscured my visibility.

There was no time to leisurely reload with spare bullets into the empty magazine.

I fumbled in my pocket and roughly swapped in the half-used magazine from the cargo area.

I whipped my staggering legs to get my body, which had been cornered, up.

Unless the anvil extends before the hammer strikes, the flanking maneuver won’t work.

“Damn, they’re still on the move…! Heavy footsteps are right there!”

“So did I say to throw it in the room?! Can’t you play it a bit less ambiguously…?”

“If you don’t want to die, scram, you bastards!”

Hearing the rumbling sounds in the corridor, I retorted roughly and leaned my head against the doorframe, catching sight of the pale silhouettes of the enemies through the explosive aftermath.

The numbers were one… two… three?

It was absurd that after smashing through at least twenty in the cargo compartment, I was only obstructed by three.

Still, it was a pleasant sight to see them passing the lead back and forth.

If necessary, I had a plan to backtrack through the corridor, shooting wildly to draw their attention; but there was no need for that.

As these guys abandoned their posts and wasted time closing the gap, Zero had already caught them from behind.

Kakang!

Pashuush….

“…Huh?”

Fools who sensed the delayed unease from the rough metallic sounds and falling grains of sand behind them turned their heads.

Well, there wasn’t even a need to call it a grand operation.

Since these guys had entered directly, the train access door must have been wide open, and the grenade they kindly tossed opened up an extra entryway on the opposite room’s outer wall that even a Droid could use.

In the end, they had become so focused on the epicenter of the explosion that they neglected their vigilance, leaving the Droid that went around openly unobserved.

When I blew away the smoky fog from the broken window, revealing a bright gaze.

Zero appeared scanning the enemies, who had now presented themselves in the open hallway, which lacked any cover.

– ……. –

There was no need for lengthy words. They weren’t the kind to listen to trivial last words.

Except for joint-type modifications, only three new components had been added.

Since they reinforced close combat with the hidden blade, it was only natural to install armaments for long-range combat as well.

The armor over what would be the bicep for a human opened up on both sides, and the revealed muzzle…

Dagaagaagaagaack—!!

“Ow.”

Blood, or whatever, scattered as I ducked my head instinctively.

The ones caught in the gunpowder storm didn’t even scream and were torn apart in an instant.

The specifications of the torrential bullets… were the same large caliber high-speed rounds as my peacekeeper. What more explanation did I need? All my spare ammunition was virtually inside their stomachs. Save it for something more useful!

And… if only it was compatible with the standalone wrist joint, I would have picked a model that fired from the palm, but that was a bit disappointing.

I nearly asked if the cleanup was done only to realize my hearing was still dulled, so I stepped out into the corridor carefully, choosing my footing to avoid stepping on the scattered debris.

Zero rushed over urgently, perhaps sensing my discomfort in forcing my stiff body to move.

I questioned why they were in such a hurry, but then saw them.

“……Ah, filthy wait-and-see types.”

Whether they had stuck to their original position from the beginning or if they had noticed the impending threat and hidden, seeing the fourth man who popped out from another room eased my confusion.