The direction of humanity
Tricking the lizard’s vision was easy. Their eyesight was poor.
Even with night-vision gear, poor visibility is unavoidable. Proper preparation. Proper tactics. Darkness works in our favor.
Agent Io, you are a sly jackal and an unblinking owl.
(Enemy is)
No moving targets. No heat signatures. Enemy objects likewise undetected.
A convenient situation.
Lay in wait in darkness, set the trap, strike in one breath with a fatal blow.
Some lizards are in terrible shape from Hartie’s directional explosives—yet if they never felt pain at all, that might be mercy.
First, this floor is clean.
Ioh eliminated the Weedran unit on the same level as promised. Not a single one escaped.
No one can match Io in close-quarters combat within darkness. Naturally, no one can escape either.
"No enemy scent detected. Self-check."
"Hartie, check complete."
"Boomer, confirmed."
"Gelero, clear."
Each member enters self-check while maintaining vigilance.
Battle after battle, adrenaline overload often dulls awareness of injury.
Verifying gear and armor remains an effective way to cool a fevered mind.
"Io, seriously—this time, you’re practically a goddess to me. I’m grateful."
"Even a man like you, afraid of death?"
"No room for fear. Not eager to die either."
"Is that so. I don’t want you dead either."
Boomer shrugs, indifferent.
Io ignores him, moving toward Gelero 2.
She kneels beside Gelero 1—dead, like Sergeant Zaji—and closes his eyes.
Zaji... damn it, Zaji...
She bites down, suppressing sobs.
Sergeant Io hesitates just behind her, places a hand on her shoulder.
Gelero 2, enemy forces may not be limited to this.
This area is already under enemy control. We must decide what to do before reinforcements arrive.
I know... but... I’m sorry... just ten more seconds... please...
Io nods. Calls out to Pax.
Pax, enemy forces are cleared.
That’s what I figured.
...Sergeant Zaji didn’t make it.
A clatter—like something hitting the ground. Pax has fallen.
I’m coming right away.
No. Wait here until we come for you.
After ending the transmission, Gelero 2 rises.
Sorry I kept you waiting.
...I appreciate it, Sergeant Io. I’ve heard good things about you.
Gelero 2, this is Kate. Rank: Special Lieutenant.
Special ops? Fine. I was ordered by Major Yualis to guard you.
Guard? That’s all? What about the operation details?
Only that the assault unit that went in ahead of you has gone dark.
...I see.
Gelero 2 pauses, then retrieves Gelero 1’s recognition tag and hangs it around his neck.
Important operation. Might be able to eliminate the entire Weedran force that’s infiltrated.
...A large-scale demolition? You said special rank. Not a direct command unit then?
Hartie interjects. There’s an unmistakable unease toward the Gelero team.
No idle talk. But I’ll tell you this about the operation.
Destroy the main streams of both Oxanun’s underground and water systems. Cause a ground collapse.
Kill friendlies too?
Only the perimeter will be dropped. Only enemies remain.
I don’t think there was room for such a large-scale setup.
Opposite. The infrastructure was originally built with that scenario in mind—Oxanun was designed with self-destruction in mind.
I see.
Humans who’ve waged war for so long develop truly twisted logic.
Oxanun was apparently developed from the start as a self-destruct city.
Why wasn’t the command center equipped to trigger the destruction? We could’ve avoided all this hassle.
It’s a “dangerous ace.” The higher-ups decided it couldn’t be integrated into the network.
Boomer’s voice rises, cheerful—but he winces, pressing a hand to his side.
Ah—damn. This is actually pretty good. The Karaaf Front Army comes up with a decent plan once in a while, huh.
The enemy is targeting the reuse of infrastructure in Oxanun. Whether they’re planning something after capturing this position, I don’t know, but it’ll buy us considerable time.
Killing the enemy and preventing the base from being reused—double benefit.
Io grinned at Hartie.
Good job, Hartie. Pull this off and we’ll earn two or three more medals.
Still worried they’ll stone the civilians who escaped Karaf.
Gereiro 2, Kate sighed.
...Easygoing bastards. Jealous.
—
When Pax was hauled out of the maintenance hatch, his face was once again crumpled.
“Uh, Lieutenant Kate…”
“About Zaji—he’s fine. We’ve made our peace.”
A clumsy salute. Gereiro 2 weakly smiled behind the skull face.
The team sprints down the staircase toward the lower levels.
So, what exactly should I do next
A control block is hidden in the lowest level of the water purification facility.
Access the central system using a specialized authentication key.
Doubtful. Oxanun is vast. Can one water purification facility really manage it?
Not one. Multiple task forces carried out the same mission under Major General Yualis's command, just as we did.
Half of them didn’t make it back. Failure was not an option.
Gelero 2 moves forward at the lead—calm, almost unnervingly so, for someone who moments ago was seething with rage.
Turn off the light. Enemy presence.
Presence? ……I thought the same a moment ago. Can’t you be more specific than 'smell' or 'presence'?
Enemy presence detected. Location to be determined. — Satisfied now?
When reaching the seventh basement level, Iō’s senses detected enemy presence.
Gereiro 2 spoke with a disdainful tone. Boomer could not suppress a laugh.
—Useless, Gereiro. It’s not about logic. The way this one fights is instinctive.
But as far as I know, this one has always outmaneuvered the enemy. Never the reverse.
Iō seized Gereiro 2 by the shoulder and pulled him forward.
—I’ll lead. Don’t fire until I say so.
Hartie, Pax—trust me with that. I’ll have to push limits a little.
—You’re used to it. Your reckless moves are routine.
The enemy had noticed the commotion above. They had deployed every available weapon and gear inside the narrow maintenance facility, waiting in ambush.
Considered leaving Pax behind. But the surrounding conditions were chaotic. Enemy location remained uncertain. Iō’s field of view offered the safest coverage.
The course of action remains unchanged. Move as quietly as possible, strike first, eliminate with precision.
The enemy, on alert, detected immediately. Iō paid no mind. Used whatever was available.
Repeatedly forced breaches, seized enemy equipment and ammunition, drove the opposition back with startling speed.
Only five. One was a boy soldier unable to endure combat. Yet this small force overwhelmed enemy units several times their number.
Explosions of gunpowder and plasma. Firing sounds layered so thickly that voice transmission became impossible.
Collapsing structures. The number of Weedrun corpses increased.
A lizard’s blood splatter, pulverized into fragments, stained the wall. Guerrero 2 chuckled, satisfied.
Ha ha! Look at that! Lizard blood—perfectly visible on the wall…
Their death and the gunpowder—they make us stronger!
You're sick, Guerrero!
Boomer scoffs at Guerrero 2, though he too had loved explosions. No one here rejoices at Weedran's death—none at all.
Take the flank! Hartie, follow me!
Cover up! No safe retreat—watch out for grenades!
Pax! Don’t expose your head! You’ll die!
Kill, kill, kill. Unafraid of misunderstanding, combat is enjoyable. It’s only unpleasant because comrades die. The exchange of fire holds thrill. Exploiting an enemy’s gap, their weakness—there’s no greater pleasure.
Misunderstanding? Whose misunderstanding do I fear? We’re at war.
Killing Weedran is the highest virtue for the Sitalskian species.
After a fierce assault, Io’s unit finally eradicates the enemy.
The operation unit that had lost contact was indeed dead—Io’s team found their bodies stacked like bulky waste, haphazard and crude.
“Lizards must’ve caught on to our operation. That’s why they wanted details—tortured us to get them.”
Boomer chuckles, pressing a hand to his aching side. Gerello 2 laughs with the thrill of battle, mocking.
“They were searching the control room but missed the mark....This way.”
Gerello 2 led them to what looked like a storage closet. Inside, only shelves lined with tools and a small cargo elevator.
Gerello 2 stepped into the elevator, smashed the small window beneath the outdated control panel, and pulled out some kind of hidden input terminal.
Cramped into the narrow elevator, descending further. The display panel shows nothing. A floor that does not exist.
The space beyond the elevator door is a makeshift room, resembling a rabbit hutch. A dusty locker room, but the terminal installed there holds all the system's data.
"Communication封锁 has been lifted."
Gerello 2 speaks under the pale blue glow of the interface.
"When? During combat?"
"Can't tell. But enemy reinforcements may be coming."
"Move. Where's the key?"
Gerello 2 pulls a plate no larger than a fingertip from the side pocket of the armor.
Looks like something you’d bite into if told it was chocolate.
As it connects, Goblet floats in midair.
'Unusual data connection detected.'
(What’s so suspicious about it?)
Goblet falls silent. An unusual posture from her.
Ioh stares at Gerello 2, continuing the operation.
“What are you doing right now, Gerello?”
“What’s the matter? I’m busy. Can’t you wait for questions?”
Goblet drifts closer to Ioh’s side.
——The upper reservoir filtration system has been disabled.
Water purification agent tanks are activating.
This is an operation unnecessary for the large-scale destruction campaign Gerello mentioned earlier.
Ioh’s nape tingles. A violent sense of dread.
The tactical unit we found earlier was sizable. All eliminated.
If the crucial operation Yuarlis spoke of could be completed with nothing more than Gerello 2’s current actions, such force would be superfluous.
A mere distraction. As it is, Weedran has detected us and launched an attack. This should have been executed from the start by a small elite unit alone.
Io presses a hand to his nape. Beneath the armor's reinforced fibers, he feels a violent surge of blood.
What did you tamper with! Speak, Gerello!
What’s wrong, Sergeant. What’s the rush?
Hartie steps in, sensing danger.
Gerello shut down the filtration system. And some kind of agent has been introduced into the reservoir.
Wait—agent?
We’ve decrypted data recovered from the squad we found earlier.
They swapped the contents of the purification tank.
We can only speculate, but this… this could expose humanity to grave peril…
Gerello shoves forward, reaching for the terminal. She resists, pushing back against Io.
Io slams Gerello down, pinning both arms, pressing the handgun to her throat.
Boomer tries to intervene—Io cuts him off.
Stop the terminal!
Why?!
Just do it! Me or this one—what’s your bet?!
Boomer tries to intervene—Io cuts him off. Pax shifts his gaze uneasily between Io and Geller.
“Geller, the contents of the tank—”
“Step aside. The longer we delay, the more our allies are exposed.”
“Kuraf virus?”
“What?!”
Hartie lunges at the terminal in panic.
Attempting to interfere with the water purification facility, but the tank release sequence is already irreversible.
“Damn it, stop…! Stop, you piece of junk!”
Idiot!
Hartie abandons the controls and screams, turning the gun on Geller. Boomer clicks his tongue.
“Geller, you serious about that just now?”
“…Mission. …Mission, ours!”
“You don’t know what happened to Yoldbyk or Kamishiton!
We’ve shot our own allies, civilians!”
“If it’s necessary to defeat Weedran, I’ll do anything!”
You don’t feel the urgency! Not even now!
They’ll just grow more filthy, those savage lizards! We’re abandoning the Goblet! No consequences!
Agent Io erupted. The coolness, the cleverness—everything she’d cultivated—was gone.
Can you say that to the ones who died protecting the Goblet?
She threw the handgun with force. It bounced off the floor and rolled.
Io staggered back from Gereiro Two, falling hard on her rear. She tossed off her helmet, letting it roll.
Scratched at her eyes, her cheek, her temple. The grimy gloves from combat smeared her face black.
Goblet leaned in, close, as if to comfort.
‘Agent Io’
Damn it…
‘Agent Io, humanity is choosing its own destruction.’
Damn it!
The silence that followed was so thick it stopped breathing.