novelraw Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“…….”
If it had been just a few hours earlier, he would never have imagined obtaining such power, yet his expression was far from bright.
It was only natural.
He was fully enduring a crushing pressure that threatened to drive him insane, along with every kind of negative emotion, and pain so severe that tearing his body apart might have hurt less.
Tremble, tremble…….
His fingertips shook.
A suffocating sense of fear surged up at any moment, but with the pain mounting, it felt as though he would be unable to keep his sanity unless he bit down on a cigarette.
Chiiik, hss-.
Inside the sinkhole where ruins and Creature corpses were tangled together, heavy cigarette smoke wavered.
“Haah.”
Of course, nicotine—hardly something good for the body—was unlikely to bring true peace of mind, but at least it did its job by masking the revolting stench of blood.
Moreover, perhaps he was gradually adapting to the pain, because it was no longer to the point where he could not pull himself together in a haze like moments ago.
“Recognition information.”
With a bit of leeway regained, he brought up the information he had been waiting for.
The chip obligatorily implanted in every soldier was an indicator that allowed one to objectively assess their current condition.
■User_Jin Crow(Jin Crow)
□Rank : Major
□Service Number(S.N) : SMCO55-1113027
□Gear(Gear) : ■Ri■(Error)
□Health Status : PTSD, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, drug addiction(???min), persecutory delusions, anger control disorder.
The recognition information that floated before his eyes soon appeared exactly as expected, even more of a mess than before.
The Gear was mosaic-blurred, and the same went for the drug addiction presumed to act as the trigger that drew out Jin Crow’s abilities.
‘Pentacle. It is certainly a powerful drug, but…….’
Its side effects could never be ignored.
It was not for nothing that even those affiliated with extreme factions like the Red Hand or criminal organizations only used it in their final moments.
Of course, this was hardly a time to be picky.
“Ghk.”
At some point, he casually tossed aside the cigarette that had burned all the way down and forced his creaking body upright.
Perhaps thanks to resting a bit.
Moving his body was easier than before, but instinctively he realized it.
He was certain that exhaustion would come before Pentacle’s effect wore off.
‘Oparts.’
No matter what, after dealing with this situation, it seemed he would need to find either Oparts or a stimulant with fewer side effects as quickly as possible.
Of course, dealing with the immediate chaos took priority right now.
He lifted his head.
The rough drop was about 10 meters.
For an ordinary person, even half of that would have been daunting, but even with a time limit imposed, it was not a significant obstacle for him in his current state as a perfect triple Gear.
“Hoo.”
After a short deep breath, he rotated the Gear, which now turned so smoothly compared to its earlier creaking.
What followed lay in the realm of habits engraved into Jin Crow’s very body.
He planted his foot on the ground and released refined energy.
Kwaaaang!
His combat boot rang out with a sound like an explosion, and his field of vision flipped rapidly afterward.
Tak!
Landing while his black coat fluttered, he immediately gripped his sword tightly in preparation for a possible ambush, but whether by misfortune or luck, all he saw around him were ruins.
There was an unpleasant sense of discomfort somewhere, but it was probably just his nerves being on edge.
“What a mess.”
Of course, it could not be called a good situation even as a formality.
Perhaps something had gone wrong with the colony’s system itself, because AI warnings mixed with static blared from all directions, and strewn throughout the ruins were only lumps of flesh that had once been people, mixed in with Creature corpses.
‘Let’s sort this out.’
The Composite State’s federal government—more precisely, the factions within the Ministry of Defense—had intended to abandon Rermal Planet, and the Defense Force, having realized this, launched a coup together with the Red Hand.
However, the Creatures were highly likely an unforeseen variable even for them.
‘Not just likely. It is certain.’
There were factions or groups suspected of being able to control Creatures, but they were nothing more than unconfirmed suspicions or outright false accusations.
At least, as far as he remembered, the Red Hand had not even been suspected.
No, if they had been able to control them, they would not have used them in such an idiotic way.
‘They are probably quite flustered as well. Still, they would not have given up right away. If that is the case…….’
Their original objective was probably the occupation of Atla Colony.
That was quite realistic.
First, by spreading to the residents of Rermal Planet that they had been half-abandoned, public sentiment would shift to some extent, and since the moment Lieutenant General Regchap’s aide betrayed them, they would have had all nearby military hyperspace routes figured out, making it troublesome even for the Federal Army to deal with them easily.
‘But the situation has changed.’
Creatures were natural disasters.
At least the Empire had pretexts like territory or legitimacy, but even now, there was no clear reason why they attacked the Composite State.
Everything was nothing but uncertain speculation.
In other words, they were variables like a rugby ball—too unpredictable to shoulder.
With things this tangled, there was no way they would continue along their original course.
Which meant their second-best option was probably…….
“Securing the cadets, weakening or seizing Federal Army power.”
That was the only immediate gain available to them.
In other words, there was not much time.
If it had been him, the moment the initial assassination failed, he would have gathered only what was necessary and scuttled Atla Colony entirely.
Even superhumans were still human in the end.
Even if they could endure for a certain period by operating psionic energy without gravity and with oxygen depleted, it was no different from pouring water into a bottomless jar.
‘A considerable amount of time has already passed.’
Thinking that, Jin Crow opened the dented hip flask and poured all the liquor left inside—about half—straight into his mouth.
Since stimulants did not stack, it might have seemed like a meaningless action at a glance, but what he wanted was not the awakening effect, but the buzz of alcohol.
There was no need for even a moment’s hesitation.
What he needed now was simply the ferocity of someone who would bite anyone who touched him.
Step.
Just as he was about to force his fatigue-soaked, waterlogged body to move.
“Ghk, ghuuugh…….”
From not too far away, he heard a groan mixed with pain, along with signs of someone’s presence.
He turned his gaze half unconsciously.
Just as expected.
From beneath the collapsed debris, a thin finger that had barely stuck out twitched.
‘Lucky to still be alive.’
If he had not seen it, that would have been one thing.
But having seen it, he could not just leave it and go.
His dreams would turn nasty otherwise.
Kugugugung!
Fortunately, it did not take much effort.
Whether it was luck or survival instinct, there was a deeply hollowed space where the debris had pressed down, so it was not a serious injury.
“Snk, h-hic. Ghk…….”
He had not known before clearing away the rubble, but it was a familiar face.
A navy-blue military uniform. Lieutenant insignia on the shoulder.
“Lieutenant Lee Hana?”
“……Th, thank. Ah? In, instructor. Ghk!”
As if she had only just realized that the concrete pressing down on her had been completely blown away, she stared at him with vacant eyes before trembling as the pain surged in.
“Ugh, it, it’s fine.”
Of course, just as she said, since she had merely been pinned under heavy concrete, she was able to quickly regain her senses and push herself up.
Perhaps she had rolled around quite a bit, because the navy-blue uniform was torn in many places, and the reinforced exoskeleton she was wearing sparked before losing its light.
Most likely, the reason she had been unable to escape on her own was because the reinforced exoskeleton had gone into meltdown during the fight.
“I thought I was going to die…….”
However, there was a difference between one’s body being relatively intact and one’s mind being intact, so she spoke to him with a half-tearful face.
Unfortunately, there was not much time.
Instead of responding to her words, Jin Crow took a deep breath to conserve as much stamina as possible and asked back.
“Current situation.”
“Yes?”
“Speak.”
He spoke in broken phrases from forcibly suppressing the pain, but the meaning got across.
Summarizing her long explanation that followed, it went like this.
Most of the senior officers, including Lieutenant General Regchap, were out of contact, a request for support had come in from the hangar, and the current situation was somehow being managed by the surviving 73rd Regiment Commander…….
‘Interpreted.’
Lieutenant General Regchap was probably dead, and it would be best to assume the hangar had already been breached long ago.
Time was truly tight.
‘The cadets’ dormitories.’
Still, rescuing Lieutenant Lee Hana had not been entirely meaningless.
Rather, it had been quite helpful in determining direction. He had been able to resolve the information imbalance to some extent.
“The building where the cadets……. Cough. Where they are staying—what direction should I go?”
“Go straight ahead, then head toward Section 12. Th, though, will you be all right? The monsters…….”
While she answered Jin Crow’s question obediently, she was inwardly worried about him.
Partly because he had saved her, but also because she had just seen it.
How cruel and savage the monsters…… no, the Creatures were.
‘Th, they clearly tore a special-duty officer apart.’
She did not recognize him since he was a Defense Force special-duty officer, but seeing a person torn apart like dried jerky was not a sight that could be made pleasant no matter how one framed it.
……Creatures tear people apart.
She wished he would not go.
Partly because he was an instructor at a special service academy, and partly because no matter how she looked at it, his condition did not seem good.
‘Right, people have to be saved!’
Even if he was a superior, she could not stop herself from trying to stop someone from walking into danger.
It was absolutely not because she was afraid of being left alone.
After wiping the liquid—whether sweat or blood—flowing down her forehead with the back of her hand, Lee Hana opened her mouth with a resolute expression that said she absolutely could not let him go.
“Instructor! Don’t go……! Huh?”
Soon after, she could only blink her wide-open eyes and let out a leaking voice.
Because, indeed, Jin Crow was already walking far away.
“Hiiing…….”
In the end, Lieutenant Lee Hana muttered with tears welling at the corners of her eyes.
“I, I’m scared!”
It was quite a pitiful remark.
-Kieeeeek! Kieeeeeeeek!
“Hm.”
Obia casually muttered as she melted down an entire mass-produced model that looked like an insect crudely molded into a human shape.
“It burns well.”
In truth, she had not possessed the knowledge to classify beasts she had not even known existed until recently, but as she looked into various things about Jin Crow, her related knowledge had quietly increased.
Thanks to that, since the Creatures’ attack on the colony began, she had easily melted down the ones that rushed at her and leaped up to the hangar ceiling.
Tung!
The hangar ceiling—of unknown composition but clearly sturdy—resounded.
After coming out from a long sleep, Obia rotated her stiff shoulders once, then lit flames at her fingertips with the firepower of a cutting torch and hummed a tune.
“Hm hm. Hm hmmm.”
Chijijijijik-.
The melted hangar ceiling extended through several layers, but it seemed unable to withstand the heat emitted by a Quad Gear special-duty officer, soon revealing a small hole.
“Let’s see…….”
Muttering like that, Obia lowered her gaze below.
Whether it was because she had chosen her position well, or because the inside was chaotic regardless of position, the interesting situation had already begun.
Just as expected.
Soon, from inside, voices that were both familiar and unfamiliar mixed together and reached her ears.
-Keheok!
-Unfortunate. I truly mean it.
“Well then, how will this turn out.”
Obia waited for the farce to continue, a faintly wicked smile spreading across her face.