Assassination Operation

Io marked Weedran at random. He had known this beforehand—Snake Eye’s stamina varied drastically depending on whether engaged in combat or not.

Especially when paired with Goblet’s combat support, it lasted no more than a few minutes. A necessary compromise for game balance, though.

Mark enemy. Route analysis.

Information sufficient. Updating enemy patrol route prediction.

The more Io studied the enemy, the more Goblet highlighted viable movement paths. Alleyways ideal for ambush. Houses suitable for concealment. All meticulously detailed—so much so that traces of former residents’ lives lingered in the air.

Second floor of a single-story house, shattered concrete and exposed rebar scattered as if from artillery fire.

A charred doll lay scattered on the ground. In overseas games, dolls are often used as metaphors for dead children. Could this be one of those too?

Agent Io observed the enemy outside through the shattered window.

Mark additional enemies. Transmit data to Charger.

Understood. Charger is en route. Approaching Salt Hill Church based on enemy distribution data collected by Agent Io.

Establish contact with him.

Connecting.

Agent Io dropped from the hole in the wall after completing enemy observation.

Advancing with RX-3 drawn. Charger responded to the communication immediately.

This is Charger. Progressing smoothly.

That’s right.

Thanks to the finest reconnaissance agent in history, I’m making easy work of this.

Planted explosive charges for diversion. Planned for use during extraction.

What about you?

I found the target item.

The target item?

I’ve been partial to Tomas—those Weedrann types—for a while now.

Planning to request rental access.

...I see.

Agent Io slips through the makeshift tents and scattered equipment left by the enemy.

No unexpected encounters. Such mistakes are not made.

"Starving jackal." Sharp senses always keep Io one step ahead.

"Target marked....Solo."

One Weedrann sits slumped against the wall.

Even lizards appear to doze. Io advances silently, no hesitation, no delay.

The knife splits the ribcage and plunges inside. Cold body twitches twice, then stills.

—Threat eliminated. Agent Io, this is Marker Number Beta’s patrol route.

—(Goblet, good work.)

—Appreciated. Honored.

Four careless Weedrann have been eliminated so far. Goblet advises on corpse concealment whenever needed.

He tosses the Weedrann corpse into a drum can and rolls it into the shadow of debris.

Nightfall. No one will find it.

—Approaching Tomas. Eliminate the operator—

Slightly southeast of Io’s final objective, the Central Association, Tomas and Cyphs are stationed.

Unlike elsewhere, lights remain on even at night, and Weedrann patrol frequently. A high-risk zone.

One Techno-Officer operates a terminal before four aligned Tomas units.

Io waits for the moment, then shoots. He drags the corpse from the dark and pulls it into the undergrowth.

—Twenty seconds to control seizure. I’ll maintain false status until Tomas activates.

—So?

—The Weedrann won’t realize Tomas has been taken.

—Perfect, Goblet.

—…huh.

Huh? Did that AI just laugh out loud? This one.

—Well, fine. He’s starting to grow on me. Might as well enjoy the show.

Io suppresses his presence and activates Little Lady.

“Charger, no issues?”

‘None. But time is short. Meet up soon.’

‘Tomas’s rental is set. Just thanking the gentle lizards. Heading your way.’

‘Hurry.’

Charger was already near Salt Hill Church.

Io rises carefully, scanning the surroundings.

‘Multiple marker routes overlap. Recommend detour through interior.’

‘Guide me.’

‘Copy.’

A faint blue light appears in his vision, forming a smooth, straight line that extends past the corner.

Following Goblet’s navigation, Io advances and opens the gate of the aged, crumbling structure.

Among the rubble pile that resembled a Scorched Pull, this section showed relatively minor damage—possibly a school or something similar.

No lock. Lizard tracks, but no presence inside.

Possibly used as a supply depot.

Io chuckled. Might be able to seize enemy gear. A Weedran Defender—battery drained, barely functional. Been wanting to play with that SF-style shield for a while.

But as Io stepped inside, the stench of fresh blood made the brow twitch.

—What… is this?

Dozens of Weedran corpses lay scattered. No body bags. No protective measures. Yet all were arranged with hands clasped—something ritualistic in the posture.

Every corpse has a chest wound. Minimal damage elsewhere. Unusual for combat fatalities.

Warning to Agent Io

Enemy?

Io crouched low before the row of corpses, posture tight, awaiting the enemy.

All bodies arranged in rows test positive for the Kraf virus.

Inactive state, but infection risk remains non-zero.

Io fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly.

Connect to the Charger

――

Charger—found something uninteresting.

Io moved cautiously through the alleyway, speaking.

Specify it concretely.

The corpse of Weedran.

You've probably grown tired of things like that by now.

Infected with the Karaf virus

Silence returns.

The church is close. The Charger should be waiting nearby in the garage.

He said it was Weedran scattering it.

Will we be infected too? They’re all fools, after all.

Not surprised if the virus management failed.

‘Then that’s fine.’

‘Charger, silence is gold, huh.

Apparently can’t lie. So not saying anything really is the right move.’

‘There’s plenty of things you don’t need to know. Things you know won’t help you.’

Io grunts. Kicks off the roof of a burnt-out wooden building, leaps to the next house.

The garage where the Charger waits is right in front. Rechecks the RX-3’s status.

If I were using bacteriological weapons, I’d have the antidote ready.

All the lizards we found were shot through the chest and euthanized. Their bodies were neatly folded, arranged with care. If there’d been an antidote, they wouldn’t have been treated like that.

Conversely... why was the Sitalskia Coalition able to develop a treatment so quickly after discovering the virus?

— Arrived, it seems. Unlock the lock.

Impact on the ground. A wet crunch. The earth was muddy.

Open the garage door. The Charger stood hunched forward.

— Io, do you really want to know? Things you don’t need to know.

— Lying would be pointless.

The Charger tosses something. A patch?

A blazing fire. A skull embedded within. A black serpent slithering through the eye sockets.

— The Sinclair emblem.

— What of it?

— Sergeant Io, I hold you in high regard.

I know your miraculous combat record and your abilities are neither mistaken nor exaggerated. I know your devotion to humanity.

— Wear this. Come to Sinclair. Become a comrade. Then I’ll tell you.

Route divergence? Hey, hey, hey—should’ve warned me about this kind of thing sooner.

No, you don’t have to tell me—but at least lay a little more groundwork.

"Your operational objective seems to be ‘preserving humanity.’"

"That’s right. I’m currently executing a subordinate task toward that end."

"Is protecting the 3552nd Squad really that?"

I sympathize with the boy soldiers. It’s not supposed to happen.

But at the same time, they’re not the only ones crawling through hell.

We’re just tiny soldiers, after all… but still—consider this: is saving the boy soldiers or fighting alongside us more effective for humanity’s survival?

…And even if you weren’t clinging to them, 3552 would be extracted soon enough."

Io shrugged.

"(So what do you think, Goblet?)"

Current data processing suggests Crewk McGibbon does not hold higher priority.

(That’s odd. Even if he’s an enhanced soldier, he’s still a child.

What reason is there to place such expectations on a girl like that?

…No. Never mind. Stupid question.)

Game mechanics, probably. A slender, muscular man in armor looks less impressive than a porcelain doll of a girl.

“Charger, after consideration… answer is NO.”

Responding with exaggerated flair, approaching Charger.

Peering challengingly into the helmet’s visor.

“What’s it gonna be? Kill a fool soldier sniffing around classified data?”

He didn’t raise his weapon.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. You and I are allies. We’re currently on the same mission.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re not a rigid type.”

Keep that patch. If your curiosity brings danger—should you feel your life at risk—

Count on me then. Though that’s only if I make it back alive.

They locked eyes for a moment. The Charger spoke.

Target confirmed. — Initiating.

――

The church housed multiple sensors and surveillance monitors. The lack of heavy security, despite the command unit's presence, was due to this.

Weedran is physically strong but not numerous. They compensate for their small numbers with superior technology and weaponry.

Yet their defenses were disabled by the Charger. The human side wasn’t just going to stand by and take it.

Eliminate the sniper stationed at the church spire. Neutralize the eight guards in sequence—quietly, without alerting others.

Eliminating the guards at the key point will trigger alarms immediately. Io and Charger slip through the back gate, silent.

—Fire only if necessary. If you must, kill quietly.

Even seconds, if not tens, could delay enemy alertness.

—Charger, I’m leading.

Two enemies at the corner. Io already knew.

Dart out—RX-3 fires. A dull, unidentifiable mechanical sound. The suppressor in the handguard dampens the noise.

Charger covers him—after one breath from Io’s shot, the second enemy is down.

Lift the falling Weedran, support his weight, lay him gently down.

—Silence is gold, huh.

—Hmph.

Io snorts at Charger’s sarcasm. They move forward without pause.

One and a half minutes since penetration. No surprise if the enemy detects the anomaly now. Accelerating naturally.

Right, left, right—move without hesitation according to the Charger's command. Stop at the instruction before a certain room.

The target room. Ioh activated the Snake Eye.

...Only one of them. Sitting on a chair, motionless. Asleep. No sensors of any kind.

Why would you know.

The Reaper asked the same thing. I’ll answer it for the record.

Things you don’t need to know, Charger—

—Initiating breach. Cover me.

Before the words finished forming, the Charger fired at the door handle.

Three shots fired—metal fragments scatter—immediately kicked apart. Io scans the rear.

Weedran, inside, was rising from the chair. Noise like that would wake anyone.

The Charger offered no resistance. It fired immediately, and Weedran, still rising from the chair, collapsed like a sack against the desk. Io sprinted toward him.

Closer to the terminal, snapped a photo. Black scales, milky-white skin. No doubt—this was the target.

"Confirmation complete. Objective achieved."

"Getting noisy out here, Charger!"

Io's auditory sensors picked up the usual garbled screech.

A motor hum echoed from somewhere. The sound of Cyphs moving.

"Enemy comms array rigged with explosives. Detonating now."

A deep thud vibrated through the gut. Flames rose in the distance. The window flashed bright for an instant.

Sunlight crept in—faint, but present. Dawn.

"Set Tomas loose. Combine with comms sabotage—enemy will collapse into chaos."

Agent Io, initiating Tomas alone—likely to be suppressed within minutes.

But Charger, won’t last long. Establish contact with the accompanying Condor.

Understood. Let’s move.

Exiting the room, sprinting forward. The number of presences now overwhelming compared to earlier.

Detecting enemy group ahead. Same on the rear.

Charger, flanked!

Over here—come on!

Charger vaults onto the hallway bench, leaps, crashes into the stained glass.

Falls through the shards into the foliage. Io follows.

Distance to pickup point: 2000 meters!

Do not stop. Eliminate any encountered enemy. Break through!

Cover him, Charger!

Io raises the RX-3 and advances.