Dark combat

Io likes darkness as a situation in action shooting games.

Combat in the dark is good. Especially when using night vision.

Depending on the game, you usually get the first strike. Hold your breath. Observe the enemy. Strike in one fluid motion.

Leave nothing behind. Not even the afterimage of battle.

Especially this... still unnamed immersive shooter offers high freedom in combat. The more cautious and cunning Io is, the more overwhelming the enemy becomes.

Io in the dark was invincible.

A wet sound.

A starving jackal. Sharpened senses detected the enemy's presence.

The sewer continues to echo with the sound of flowing water. The Reaper ahead stops mid-motion, does not turn back, and scans forward with suspicion.

I can hear it too. I don’t know what it is.

Certainly here. Close by.

Io steps forward without hesitation, past the Reaper.

We swap positions and advance through the sewer. At the T-junction, he raises a hand, halting the Reaper behind him.

Wait.

Crouched low, he peers into the right branch of the T.

An abnormally swollen occiput. A quadrupedal beast with a mouth like a leech, clinging to a rat the size of a dog.

Reachdog. A grotesque, oversized sewer rat, grinning as it feeds.

This repulsive enemy character—fitting, I suppose, for the sewers.

Three Reachdogs. Master nearby.

Io reports, then eliminates them instantly. The suppressor dampens Raven’s gunfire with certainty.

Clear. Move.

Hmm…

The Reaper advances quickly. Io follows.

Continues to move swiftly through the route. Encounters Reachdogs twice. Io detects both and eliminates them instantly.

"Exactly as the Charger reported. Not just good hearing."

"……I see."

"Keep it up. We’re nearing the objective point."

It meant encountering Weedran, not Reachdogs.

The Reaper signals Io as he touches the final door’s touch panel.

Io takes position on the opposite side of the door from the Reaper, ready to breach immediately.

Light leaks through—appears to be illuminated inside. Disables night vision.

"Opening it."

A faint sound of air pressure shifts as the door slides open. Io enters instantly, checks the front-right quadrant.

"Right side clear."

"Clear on this side too."

The Reaper follows, dropping to a crouch to check the front-left. No sign of the lizards.

The air here was unmistakably different from the sewer passage they had traversed so far.

Flasks of unknown purpose, surgical instruments, protective cases—scattered haphazardly. Documents of some kind littered the floor.

The Reaper had said this sewer facility had been repurposed as a temporary research site.

Beyond this point, the path was nearly a straight line.

—Something ahead. The lizards are agitated.

—They’re scrambling to unlock a lock, probably.

—Wait. That’s an enemy-installed sensor.

—Where?

Goblet swam through the field of view.

—Visual enhancement activated.

Instantly, parts of the wall and ceiling pulsed with violet light. An egg-shaped device, camouflaged but distinct from the surroundings.

—Is this it? Didn’t notice it.

Their quiet advance had just been compromised.

The Reaper’s sharp intake of breath.

The device to disable it was lost in the previous combat. Can be destroyed, but… well now, what to do about it.

Blue Goblet swims through Io’s field of view.

—I can disable it. Approach within the sensor’s detection limit and bring the terminal close.

—…Reaper, I’ll handle it here.

—You? How?

Corporate secret. Io ignores the Reaper’s question and moves closer to the sensor.

—The enemy will not detect the sensor’s deactivation.

—(Indeed, complete surprise.)

—Action. Six seconds until deactivation.

Precisely six seconds later, Goblet reports completion.

At the same time, the egg-shaped sensor loses its purple glow.

—Such outdated terminals… not bad. We don’t have units like that even in our ranks.

—Enemy hasn’t noticed us. We can do it.

—Hey, wait.

Io advances down the corridor. Pauses at the door leading to the next section, ears straining.

(Goblet, activate Snake Eye)

'Sensor range is being restricted by surrounding equipment. Proceed with caution.'

(We'll manage somehow.)

'Snake Eye, activate.'

An orange humanoid form materialized in Io's vision. Four Weedlans, visible through the door—two standing rigidly in a corner, one crouched over some task, and another seated on the floor near the door.

Hand on the door, breath held, observing. Two motionless near the wall. One bent forward, engaged in work. One seated on the floor close to the entrance.

'One on the left, three on the right....Morale is low. Completely unguarded.'

'How can you tell? Don't say it's because of footsteps.'

'Snake Eye, shut down. Recharge: 120 seconds.'

The source of power for one unit remains unclear. The area is drowned in the roar of large sewer fans—louder than the sound of flowing water.

'Faster to ask than to wait.'

…That’s true. Whether you’re right or wrong, the action remains unchanged.

Flashbangs?

Her reply was a shrug.

Then I’ll go first. Hold the door.

Reaper touched the wall’s touch panel to open it.

Io took position opposite Raven, still facing the door.

Sergeant, opening it now. Minimize facility damage.

Whenever you’re ready.

Three count. Three… two… one…

Io held his breath, peering through the Iron Sight of Raven.

Go.

Reaper’s quiet command. Time slowed. Everything entered slow motion.

Goblet’s voice.

‘Combat support initiated.’

Blue Goblet’s assistance. During sniping or assault, it drastically extends Io’s perceived time, tilting combat in his favor.

This is what it means to see things stop.

The door opens with agonizing slowness. Io has already locked on.

Left side. A Weedran seated with his back against the wall—down. Double tap. One shot to the torso, one to the head.

Shift the view right. A unit working on a large computer. This one is sluggish. Delayed. Put it on hold.

Further right. Two Weedran who seemed to be in conversation—fumbling for rifles.

But in Io’s world, where everything has slowed, even that is too late.

Two shots each. Bodies armored in scales collapse, blood spray blooming.

Then, the one left behind earlier—target acquired. This unit twists, drawing a handgun-like weapon from the waist.

Io didn’t let it happen. Two shots to the torso. Weedran collapsed backward into the computer behind him, struck by the impact.

……Clear. Equipment damage minimal.

Cover, check. ……Okay, clear.

Good arm. Leaves me nowhere. What kind of training do those enhanced soldiers go through?

The Reaper who entered later glanced at Io.

Face hidden behind the helmet, but surprise was evident.

Proceed with the mission.

Io’s refusal to answer went unchallenged. The Reaper turned toward the large computer.

After confirming life signs in the fallen Weedran, dragged him to the floor, and leveled the rifle.

Fired. The skull exploded, flesh fragments scattering. The Reaper resumed work as if nothing had happened.

Good. You’ve surely wasted time here, even if you did just pull the trigger.

— Initiate data extraction. Samples must be collected too.

The Reaper operates both computer and personal terminal.

Io steps toward the back of the room, a space resembling a storage archive.

The Reaper halts him.

Sergeant, that place is no good.

Hm?

Nothing there. Except the corpses of my comrades.

Io says nothing.

That one.

After a moment, a large refrigerated storage unit, clearly added later, opens.

Inside: two palm-sized packages.

Too few.

Data and samples. With these, mass production can begin immediately.

The infected can be treated too.

Let’s get this over with. The unit’s waiting.

A bit more time needed for data extraction.

— Data extraction… huh…?

This… is not right.

Io thought, typical. This kind of situation.

Enemies pouring in from all sides. Defense until time runs out.

Standard in shooting games.

Io replaced Raven’s magazine as they spoke.

—Enemy incoming. Darken the lights.

—Huh?

—Data transmission active in vicinity. Likely Weedrun.

Goblet spoke almost simultaneously.

—

—Expected this outcome. Prepared for it.

—How much longer?

—Less than five minutes.

Reaper, operating the terminal.

Ah, right. Io checked their gear and moved toward the door.

—Lights.

Reaper extinguished the light as requested. Night vision activated. The world turned green.

—After data extraction, detonate this room. Need to plant the charges.

Just a moment—wait.

I’ll do what I can.

Io listens in the makeshift lab ahead, the egg-shaped sensor installed in the previous chamber.

Multiple footsteps. The scrape of metal. The unpleasant cries of the Weedlans.

They’re approaching. A lot of them.

“Snake Eye.”

‘Snake Eye activated. Simultaneous alert.

Nano-machine load is accumulating. Use only when necessary.’

‘Better than being eaten by lizards.’

Io glares at the wall. The Weedlans are preparing to breach outside the room.

The door is locked by Reaper. They’ll use force to break in.

Two-legged lizards appear in the green field of vision, flanking the door, waiting in a single-file line.

Same as before—the simultaneous use of Night Vision and Snake Eye distorts the field of view too severely. Requires adjustment.

"Goblet, can you penetrate the facility wall with Raven’s rounds?"

『Penetration confirmed at the control room door and surrounding area.』

Two orange silhouettes adhere to the door. Installing something.

Io murmurs into the terminal.

"Reaper, begin."

『Make it flashy.』

Io opens fire. First, the center of the vertical line. The two silhouettes explode backward, falling into the sewer.

Next, the two working on the door. A slightly heavier burst. Then they lie flat on the floor.

A screech from the sewer. Intense gunfire erupts inside Io’s chamber.

『Snake Eye, shutdown. Recharge in 120 seconds.』

Bullets from the sewer pierce through the wall, shattering the interior in an instant. A round whizzes over Agent Io’s prone head.

Glass shards, fragments of structure, scatter—debris strikes Io’s cheek.

If I can shoot, so can they. Of course.

Rolling across the floor, ducking behind a desk. Swapping magazines.

Then silence. Holding breath. Still. Waiting.

『Agent Io, return fire』

(Shooting blindly means losing.)

Snake Eye still has a long cooldown. Firing at random won’t guarantee a kill.

This game doesn’t spawn infinite ammo. No point wasting it recklessly.

『Weedran is breaching』

(That’s exactly what I’m waiting for.)

As Io and Goblet exchange words, gunfire from outside ceases.

No pause. The door explodes with a detonation. A twisted mass of iron flies inward as Weedran breaches the threshold.

In the dark, he studies it through night vision. Io feels like whistling.

(Oh—beam shield. Sci-fi, huh.)

He nearly lifts his visor to confirm.

The lead Weedran advances, holding a round shield—fifteen centimeters in diameter—out front.

What’s interesting is the translucent blue membrane forming around the shield’s center.

Probably stops bullets. Impressive. Io smirks.

『Enemy count: 8』

(Surprisingly low.)

『Further reinforcements expected if time is prolonged』

(OK.)

Weedran moves cautiously through the dark, shield raised for protection.

Io hides behind a crushed desk. Not visible at a glance.

Gyaa, gyaa—unpleasant cries. Relaying data to the rear.

Weedran advances, shield raised. The following units breach the interior.

Still, still. Wait. The moment the enemy closes to a killable distance.

(If it’s darkness, that’s our advantage.)

Even if the enemy uses night vision, poor visibility remains unavoidable.

…if only. Can’t account for every detail of the enemy character’s performance.

Io draws the handgun and lunges out. Target: Weedran with the shield. A strike to the flank.

Ultra-close range. Firing wildly, pressing the barrel directly against the opponent.

Immediately uses the enemy as a shield, locking the rest of the Weedran unit in a chokehold.

Give the enemy time, and we lose. Io charges forward, still locked in the chokehold.

『Combat Support Sustained』

Full hyper state. A burning action sequence.

Time slows abruptly. Sound recedes. Every enemy movement becomes readable.

Knocks the following unit back, sending it crashing. Shoots down the one behind it.

Twists the Weedran’s arm in his grip, blood spraying. Forces the beam shield forward.

The shield effortlessly absorbs the enemy’s furious gunfire.

『Won’t hold for long』

The translucent membrane sags under the impact, stretched too far to absorb more bullets. Not an infinite defense, it seems.

Would be unplayable otherwise. Io shoots down another unit. Crushes the head of one lying at his feet with a solid kick. The crunch of bone through the sole registers clearly.

（This shield stop bullets from inside too?）

A minor inconvenience. Still, the performance is unparalleled regardless.

The handgun’s ammunition depleted. A spare magazine exists, but no time to reload.

Picking up the weedran-made handgun dropped by the enemy, he fired aimlessly. Thanks to avatar support, handling was effortless.

The enemy’s reinforcements, avoiding the chaos, fled outside the room. Amidst the disarray, eight weedran were reduced to fewer than half.

Io reached for Raven, slung across his back.

——