Hillclimb

— Special equipment confirmed for Red Crest Unit. Identification code: Firefly.

"Pancake?"

Before the word even left his lips, Io kicked open the door of the concealed dwelling and tossed a smoke grenade.

Beside him, Boomer also launched his own specialized grenade. A high-pitched detonation followed, scattering yellowish powder that shimmered in the light like reflected glass.

— Firefly confirmed. Io, we're being toyed with here!

— Stay calm. Get down.

Both dropped to their knees, pressing their heads so low to the ground it felt like licking the dirt. Immediately, the Weedrun fire opened up.

— Energy grenade can neutralize Firefly! Just for a moment!

— Hm.

Bullets punched through the wall, passing overhead. Firepower capable of piercing layered steel and concrete. A direct hit would leave even Sinclair’s armor helpless.

Enemy, thermal signature detected. Smoke grenades ineffective.

Enemy, special ordnance confirmed. Identification code: Showerbug.

Ten by five centimeter mobile suicide device. Thirty-two units approaching.

(Stop it?)

To interfere with the enemy ordnance requires proximity. Breaking through the Red Crest unit's protection will take time.

The bomb will grow legs and leap in while you're still pinned, unable to lift your head.

Io looked at Boomer. He was brushing shards from the shattered door.

Boomer, Showerbug approach anticipated.

Indeed, that’s a dire situation! The bug’s mobility system isn’t like the Firefly—older, clunkier. An energy grenade won’t stop it!

Gunfire continues. The roar drowns out speech.

(Snake Eye)

Snake Eye, activated. Nanomachine operational rate increasing.

Capable of detecting minute heat emissions from Shower Bug's motors.

(Well done, Goblet)

...hehehe

An astonishing ability to locate enemies even through thick concrete. A standard, yet fatal tactic.

Approximately fifteen hostiles. Scattered in front of the house, a few attempting to flank from behind.

And a swarm of terrifyingly small weapons approaching from the front. Resembling cockroaches.

Boomer, we’re exiting through the back door.

Great idea! They’ll definitely be waiting in ambush!

I know that. Trust me. We can still break their encirclement now.

...I’m betting on you, Io!

Immediately, the two roll toward the rear entrance of the house.

Boomer pulls a plate from his tool pouch—slightly larger than his palm.

Pressing a single button, two sharp, compact tripods spring out from opposite sides. Boomer slams both into the ground with a sharp impact and activates them.

"Trap set! Might reduce the Shower Bugs—but it's like pouring water on a burnt stone!"

"Shake them off."

Kicking open the grimy door reveals a high-rise building riddled with holes, directly beside them.

Eight meters away, just as the crumbling structure they just fled from. A warped contrast in wealth, stark and undeniable.

Snake Eye’s detection range is at its peak. Io locks onto the moving target thirty meters ahead.

Two approach from the rooftop. Two more round the alley.

The alley. Io doesn’t hesitate.

"Come on, Boomer. Eliminate the enemies in the alley."

Full sprint. Enemy response closing in. Rubble and leaning signs, metal trash bins line the grimy alley.

Sprint to the corner. Enemy will come here.

"IO, what's wrong?"

"Jump unit—up to the building. Move quietly."

Boomer leaps without question. A moment of stillness, calming the trembling hands.

Red Crest unit—unlike the lizards seen before—never exposed themselves recklessly from the corner.

Gun muzzle controlled. Advancing slowly, eliminating blind spots.

IO switches to hand gun and lunges in. Blocks the enemy’s muzzle at the burst, presses close, fires in rapid succession.

One down. No satisfaction. Mind cold, detached.

No time to wait for Boomer’s cover. Standard procedure. Use the corpse as shield, thrust the hand gun forward.

Two shots. The crimson crest’s torso was hit. The creature screamed—ugly, shrill—but did not fall. It twisted its white tail and struck the hand gun from the grip.

Body in motion. Vulnerable. The barrel aims. The world slows. But Boomer is already in position.

Boomer, perched above the enemy, fires again—another crimson crest collapses.

Boomer descends via jump unit.

—Damn, these are White Scale. Weedrun Special Forces.

No wonder they’re throwing in Fireflies and Bugs.

A detonation behind. Boomer’s trap has triggered.

They know we’ve killed two. Feigning death in the blast is impossible.

—Any special grenades left?

—Four. Not enough to scatter Fireflies.

—Reinforcements requested?

Deployed, but no unit has broken through the front line to reach this far.

The Garuda is in the sky.

Garda... you.

Snake Eye, function enhancement. Tracker activated. Io peers into Little Lady.

The enemy shadow captured moments ago by Snake Eye has altered course—moving toward blocking the alleyway.

The main force, firing recklessly from the front of the structure, has begun its movement.

No distance. Lizard moves fast. Can't shake it off.

Garda approaching. Target does not appear to be you.

Goblet's report. A massive shadow engulfs the building, accompanied by a distinctive high-pitched whine of flight.

Garda pivoted midair, trailing light, and landed atop a crumbling building.

Io—your overhead’s blocked.

Their target isn't us. Give us a moment.

Instead of doing anything obvious, it begins firing the long-range artillery in scattered directions.

(What is that doing? Why has it landed?)

Garda is suspected to operate some weapon systems and propulsion functions using the same power source.

Attack efficiency increases in stationary state.

A shudder ran up Io’s spine. An idea had formed—bold, utterly insane.

—Seize Garuda—

Not recommended. Evacuation via urban elevation gradients or sewer networks is advised. From a success rate standpoint...

Goblet cut off her words there.

From the corner of the视野, as if emerging from its usual position, it locks eyes with Io—direct, unyielding.

— No, the Blue Goblet cannot make that judgment.

Io—you’ve always overturned situations like this.

(You're needed)

If you're going to fight, then the answer is YES.

A phenomenon humans describe as inexplicable sensation.

The computation has already finished, yet you compute even the possibility of surpassing that computation.

……Proceeding to select internal route progression.

The Goblet kissed Io and vanished like mist.

Io kicked the lizard’s corpse onto its back and reached for its streamlined armor.

A battery in the side pocket. Rectangular, with a diagonal cut—indistinguishable at first glance. Pulled out the Defender from the pouch.

As he performed the battery swap, he spoke to the increasingly agitated Boomer behind him.

We’re taking the Garde.

What the hell are you talking about?

You serious? Did you take something?

Our mission is to destroy the enemy line. If we don’t act, both our forces and the Reaper will be eliminated.

We’re the mummy that’s been taken by the mummy.

No matter the route, escape is impossible. The enemy will locate us instantly. Even now—

Boomer was laughing. He seemed not to know why he was laughing.

Good. Let's do it.

Io nods once and sprints forward. Activating the jump unit, she scales the crumbling wall of the abandoned bar.

Boomer, two enemies are occupying high ground and scanning for us.

Leave the decoy to me.

The rooftop concrete was cracked—crushed further with each step as the pace continued.

Activate the jump unit. Ascend vertically.

Discovered.

Contact!

Io instantly shifted posture, twisting midair as the jump unit ignited.

Running up the building's wall. After he passes, enemy bullets pierce through the air where he was.

Found it—cover me!

Boomer identifies the enemy's position through gunfire and applies suppressive fire.

Io secured the cover point and joined in. No words. Switched roles. Boomer began to run.

From the main shaft—straight to the building!

Switching now! Come on, Io!

Kick the outdoor unit of the hidden building, spraying compressed air. Proceed toward the Boomer, continuing fire through the large hole on the building's side.

The sound of fireflies buzzing reached him as he barely escaped into cover. Four airborne pancakes circled outside the massive crater.

Boomer detonates a special grenade. Light like scales swirls through the air, and the firefly loses track of him, scattering detection lasers in every direction.

Scrap metal.

Boomer fired at the malfunctioning Firefly, spitting out curses.

Fifteen rounds per unit. At the moment the second unit was downed, the remaining two drones activated defensive protocols—scattering to evade.

Let's go—route’s mine to decide.

Io starts sprinting across the scorched mat. Boomer follows, swapping out the magazine.

He pants, voice rough.

I did join the operation—but haven’t you ever been called insane?

Ain’t no shortage of that.

——

‘Weedrun Unit, deploying inside the building.’

Chasing the light line Goblet marks.

Crushing crumbling walls, prying open locked shutters, moving upward.

(Does Garuda show signs of fleeing?)

Garuda is maintaining fire on friendly units. He underestimates you.

But I’d do the same in his position.

(No point in second thoughts now. Don’t say it, Goblet.)

Garuda requires a minimum of 120 seconds from thruster shutdown to liftoff.

Time your assault accordingly.

Ascend the dim emergency staircase. Above, the floors are buried under rubble. A detour route is indicated.

—Boomer, reroute. Five lizards ahead, forty meters up the dead end. On alert.

—Ammo’s nearly gone already.

—I’ll handle it. No issue.

Io cuts the sound before reaching the dead end and slips into the adjacent room.

Activate Snake Eye. Set up a quick defensive position. Five lizards block the corridor.

Io holds his breath. The world slows, thick as syrup.

Fire from the far right. The sudden cross-wall shot—Weedran won’t even know what hit him.

Kill them all before they return fire. Second, third—fourth, as it lunges from the position—fifth, as it tries to flee.

The building’s walls are high-strength resin. Far easier to penetrate than metal or concrete.

“All clear.”

……Visual confirmation. Getting used to your ESP skills.

I can sense the presence.

Snake Eye was going offline. Overload from prolonged combat or the heat radiating from Io’s occipital region.

“Route update. Straight path through the mid-level hall is unsafe.”

Ambush.

To Boomer, Io’s words were a soliloquy.

“Don’t get it, why did the Karaaf Front Army lose with you around? Oops, I’m actually serious right now.”

“Not lost yet. My defeat is when we all lose the will to fight.”

Following Goblet’s lead, they veered off and descended one level.

Together, they forced open the bent shutter and reached their objective.

“Eight above. Secured below.”

“Final explosive. Just three energy grenades left.”

Diet success. You’ve gotten noticeably lighter.

You… I’ll tell you my body fat percentage later.

Boomer jumps up using the jump unit, plants explosives on the ceiling.

After evacuating, detonates immediately. The ceiling collapses, raining debris, dust, and Weedrun down.

Shoots them down from the edges. Six. When the remaining two peer into the hole, Iō leaps up.

Grabs the armor, drags it down.

Strangles one on the spot. The lizard’s movements slow, its gasps weaken.

Boomer snaps the other’s neck, then smashes its skull with the rifle stock.

Climb. Just a little more to reach Galda.