Only a few hours ago, this corridor had carried a neat, quiet air. Now it had become utter chaos, with screams echoing through it and people tangled together in a frenzy.
From within that confusion, the first thing that caught my eye was a researcher clinging to the foot of a Technology Liberation Alliance member, sobbing. It was such a pitiful sight that it could have rekindled even the last embers of fading humanity.
"Please help me... Dongrang... please save me..."
Dongrang met the dying researcher's gaze with a sharp snap, then opened his mouth toward the Liberation Alliance member.
"My employee is asking to be spared... and you have no intention of letting him go? If you want information, I'll give it to you. Tomorrow was our team dinner, and I was going to take everyone to a good barbecue place. It'd be a little sad to smell incense instead of meat, wouldn't it? Right?"
"Information. Not needed."
Dongrang tried to persuade him with a smiling face, but the Alliance member had no intention of playing along and flatly rejected the offer.
...If information isn't the goal, then what do they want? They don't seem to have that machine they brought earlier, either... Did they finally come here for a suicide charge?
"Hah, you came empty-handed this time? Weren't you lot only bringing those machines to do the fighting for you because you didn't have the guts?"
"We don't need our robots anymore. There seem to be plenty of good things here."
What did that mean—
"...No way?"
With Otis's low groan, a bad possibility surfaced in my mind. If, hypothetically, the Technology Liberation Alliance hacked K Corp's drones? If researchers led by K Corp's former top researcher, Ran, managed to breach K Corp's security net, even if only partially?
If that happened, then our opponent would be...
"I was ordered to extract the terrorist force. Objective: full-body extraction."
"...I'm having a really bad feeling right now. Otis, if you can hear me, could you deny that for me?"
"....."
"Why are you both like that? We outnumber them by a lot. At this rate, wouldn't we win easily?"
If Ishmael was right and they were just going to fight us head-on, there wouldn't be a problem—but—
"Ran's main specialty was machine theft. She was more of a hacking specialist than a combat specialist."
Ah, damn it. Why is it that bad premonitions are never wrong? I've lost count of how many times I've said that.
[Welcome. This is K Corp, always committed to your safety.]
"Huh... this..."
[For your safety, if a deserter appears during combat, a collapse ampoule will be injected according to protocol. It will fire if the target falls within 120 meters, and there is currently approximately 49 meters of remaining distance.]
"...Ugh..."
[If you do not attack the enemy within the next 5 seconds, a collapse ampoule will be injected according to protocol. 4 seconds remaining.]
K Corp's ampoule-injection drone lit its eye sockets red and pressured the extraction unit. ...At least one consolation was that the Technology Liberation Alliance hadn't completely hacked the drones and had only managed to change the target.
Whether that was even something to be relieved about was another matter entirely.
"Wait, the enemy... that means we're the enemy now?"
"Dante, set the identity. I'd like Seven this time."
"Eh, huh?"
While Dante was still struggling to process what was happening, the extraction unit's club swung toward Meursault.
"Damn it... no choice..."
Thud!
"...!"
"Why...!"
Don Quixote wore a sorrowful expression as if she couldn't believe it, but the extraction unit's behavior did not change.
"Of course... I don't want to get hit by a collapse ampoule, so I want to live..."
[Current status: pleasant conditions, with no one abandoning the front line. Those receiving regeneration ampoules, please line up in order.]
"...I see."
Well, even he, who looked like a machine, must have a survival instinct. Meursault's expression, which had been slightly thrown off by the blow, returned to normal once he understood the cause and effect.
...Isn't that thing the real machine?
"That one is also a being who has placed both his own life and ours on the scales. Please permit combat."
"...Got it."
"Thank you. Everyone, prepare for combat! Form up!"
Clang—
At the same time, identities were equipped through the identity tickets plugged into Dante's terminal, and we instantly entered combat stance.
*
Come to think of it, it had been a while since I'd handled a Seven identity. The DH identity had been so good up until now that I'd left this one sitting around for ages.
Thanks to all the resources I'd stockpiled so far, I'd already pushed its growth more or less to the limit. Still, there might be situations where I'd need to use a more minor identity.
Whoosh!
"Kgh..."
As I casually dodged the K Corp extraction unit's attacks, old memories naturally came back to me. The day Don Quixote caused trouble at the checkpoint... that had been awful in every possible way.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Hit me... hit me already!"
Mm-hm. Then maybe it was about time to attack? I'd been deliberately holding back because if the drone fired a collapse ampoule at the wrong time, the fight could end in a pathetic instant, but it wasn't moving much at all. Since its basic mechanism still followed a standard K Corp drone, I supposed that made sense.
Either way, it was definitely to my advantage. If they were responding passively, then I could keep killing these zombie-like people as the ampoules kept getting injected.
"Huff... huff..."
So if they aren't hit at all, they won't inject the ampoule regardless of HP? That's useful information too, record it... Ah, attack.
"...Shall I?"
Swoosh— Bang!
"Ugh..."
The shield was a lot sturdier than I expected. Hard to punch through head-on. As expected of a second-rate extraction unit, it was tougher than the ordinary guards. The difference was just a bit of bodily enhancement and a shield? Not small, but... hm, this is worth recording too. Wings' information is the kind where even trivial details have demand, so nothing goes to waste.
...Did I forget something? Ah, right. The battle!
"...You're toying with me, aren't you? You didn't look like that kind of person, but I guess you can't trust appearances... huff..."
I had nothing to say. I couldn't deny that I was, in fact, making a pretty thorough mess of him for the sake of information gathering. In truth, it was just because I couldn't break through cleanly!
...Was choosing Seven a mistake after all? No. If anything, considering the variables I could create with the weapon... Ah, maybe I should try that.
I put a little distance between myself and the extraction unit in front of me, then gripped the spear in one hand. Left foot forward, right arm holding the spear drawn back—this became the stance for a javelin throw.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even have tried it, but I'd already drained my stamina, and with the enemy's hesitation from the earlier fight, plus the slowdown from the shield and uniform, the situation was different.
"...!"
Too late, even if he realized it now and rushed over. By the time he reached the range where he could attack me, I had already hurled the spear with all my strength...
Screeeech— Crack, crackle, phssht.
It pierced the extraction unit's helmet as he was facing off against Rodion, and tore through his brain.
"...Oh, nice! Nice one, Sara!"
Then the problem was this side...
"Hup...!"
Whoosh—
The moment the only weapon in my hand vanished, the K Corp extraction unit shoved his body forward like a brute and pressed in on me. With no weapon, it was only natural that I'd be reduced to dodging.
Honestly, I could probably keep evading like this forever if I had to... but I do have a backup weapon, you know?
"Huff... huff... How long do you think you can keep dodging? Soon enough..."
People who talk too much usually leave an opening. Right now.
Slash! Krrrk...!
"What the hell...!"
"Oops. I meant to slip it between the helmet, but I only scratched the front plastic."
What I held in my hand was the thin one-handed sword most commonly used by the Seven Association. The same one that had done plenty of work when I captured Guido before. It would be making a small contribution in this fight too.
"....."
Maybe he'd become wary because I had a weapon again. The extraction unit in front of me fixed his gaze on me and raised his shield into a defensive stance. But...
It's not like I'm the only one here.
"Found your opening~!"
"Damn it...!"
Wham, crunch!
Rodion, who had appeared from behind the extraction unit, split his head in two with an axe. See? You can't let your guard down. You saw with your own eyes what happened to the comrade who let his guard down earlier.
"Here, Sara! Your spear."
"Ah! Thanks. It was hard to go pick it up during combat."
"No need to thank me that much. Though if you're really grateful, then in kind..."
...I don't think I've ever been that grateful, but you're awfully mercenary. Still, I already have plenty of money, so... I guess it's not a big deal.
"We can just restock the break room snacks later, right? I'm sure Mr. Vergilius won't complain if we buy them with our own money, so let's pick some up when this request is over."
"K~ As expected of my dear. I like how well we get along."
"But the fight... ah."
...This was exactly the problem with Seven identities. Once you got into combat, you became so absorbed in information gathering that your sense of time got weird.
If Rodion, who had been fighting way over there, had made it all the way here while carrying a spear, that said enough.
But then what about the drone...
Zzzzt, zzzzt...
It was broken. That thing was expensive, too. We're fine, but Dongrang's side...
"Ah..."
Samjo was clutching his head, wearing an expression I couldn't even begin to describe.
...Dongrang really doesn't need to think about this anymore. The one suffering is Samjo. Hang in there, Samjo!