Chapter 318 : The Trap
Chapter 318: The Trap
“……”
“……”
The air was strangely heavy.
Inside the transport helicopter, the only sound was the steady thumping of the rotor blades. Sitting with my arms crossed, I casually swept my gaze over the people seated across from me.
Raymond, the Yellow Fixer.
The Head of Security Division at Biotech.
The Commander of JH Foods' Special Security Battalion.
“……”
“……”
Yet they acted as though I didn't exist, not sparing me even a glance. Without even fastening their seat belts, they merely continued maintaining their weapons.
This time, I turned my head to the right.
Tyrant, the Green Fixer.
Lang Tao, the Purple Fixer.
The Director of Security Bureau at Perfect Life Service.
They, too, reacted indifferently, as if nothing at all was happening.
It was as though they had no curiosity whatsoever about what was about to unfold—or even about the people participating in this mission.
Nor were they the only ones.
Everyone aboard this transport helicopter gave off the same impression. No one looked anxious, and no one seemed even remotely interested in anyone else.
Of course, it wasn't strange that they weren't nervous. Everyone aboard this helicopter was among the strongest individuals in the city, and there was no reason for them to fear nothing more than exterminating a handful of escaped [Mystics].
Likewise, it wasn't particularly strange that they showed no interest in each other.
Perhaps they already knew one another too well.
Or perhaps they were simply people whose pride was so high that they had no interest in others whatsoever.
But...
'Something feels off...'
How should I put it?
It was so natural that it felt unnatural.
At the very least, it wouldn't have been strange if one or two people had shown curiosity toward others or appeared a little excited... yet there wasn't a single one. That left me with an unpleasant feeling.
And there was something else.
'They're all unfamiliar faces.'
Even though the other Special Mission Fixers had all participated in this mission, Kara the Red Fixer—the one I had at least grown somewhat close to—was nowhere to be seen.
Likewise, Lexus Bane, who had stayed by my side throughout the City Defense Battle, wasn't participating this time.
Neither was Vladimir Kharitonov, who had fought alongside me during the Behemoth raid.
Even Dwindrog, the Dragon I had personally introduced to the City Defense Force, was absent.
It was almost as though everyone close to me—or anyone connected to me—had been deliberately excluded.
'...No, am I overthinking this?'
Yeah.
Maybe I was just being paranoid.
Looking at each case individually, there wasn't really anything strange.
Lexus had only been temporarily mobilized during the emergency.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't a Government Special Mission Fixer.
Vladimir had only been summoned because he possessed a Game Changer-Class Module. His combat strength wasn't truly comparable to that of the Special Mission Fixers.
Besides, as Chairman of Militech, his father probably didn't want his only son disappearing again and might have used his influence to keep Vladimir off the mission.
As for Dwindrog...
Even if I had introduced him, his identity had never been properly verified, so leaving him off the roster made perfect sense.
Anyone would find him suspicious when he constantly radiated an overwhelming amount of mana just by breathing.
The only reason that issue had been overlooked before was because the City Defense Force desperately needed manpower, and I had personally vouched for him.
That didn't mean they trusted him enough to assign him to an operation this important.
In the end, aside from Kara, everyone else had a reasonable explanation for being absent.
Or perhaps...
Maybe I simply didn't know it, and Kara had been assigned a mission similar to mine somewhere else.
“Hmm...”
I decided to change my way of thinking.
Ever since arriving in this world, I'd spent every moment attracting attention no matter where I went or what I did.
Maybe I'd simply become too accustomed to that atmosphere.
You could say I'd developed a bit of an attention-seeking disposition.
'I'm getting overly sensitive.'
If I had to make an excuse...
It was probably because I'd fought nonstop throughout the entire previous night.
No matter how much of my body had been replaced by machinery—even if 70% of me was mechanical—perhaps the instincts embedded within the remaining 30% of my DNA couldn't simply be ignored.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
Until the transport helicopter reached its destination...
I decided to get a little sleep.
How much time had passed?
The sound of the helicopter's rotors gradually diminished.
The pilot's voice came through my noise-canceling headset.
[We've arrived at the mission area.]
[Mr. Chairman Aaron Stingray!]
Hearing my name, I slowly rose from my seat.
The helicopter was still hovering high in the air, but that wasn't much of a problem.
As the rear hatch opened, a fierce gust of wind swept into the cabin.
[Please switch to Channel 56!]
[Understood.]
After changing the communication channel, I heard a woman's voice.
[Communications secure. Communications secure. Can you hear me?]
“...Who are you?”
[Yes. Greetings. I'll be serving as your operator for this mission, Mr. Chairman Aaron Stingray. I look forward to working with you.]
“Very well.”
As I answered over the radio, the helicopter's rear ramp opened completely.
Even through the headset, the roar of the propellers made ordinary voices difficult to hear.
But the operator's voice came through the communications channel with perfect clarity.
[The mission is now commencing. Please descend.]
The moment she finished speaking, the soldier standing beside the exit gestured for me to jump.
There was no parachute.
But the height wasn't an issue.
Without hesitation, I leaped.
After flying hundreds of meters through the air, I landed lightly on the ground.
I had arrived in the middle of a forest.
Looking up, I watched the helicopter fly away to deploy the remaining personnel across their assigned regions.
Before long, I was left completely alone.
“So I'm a lost child in the forest. What am I supposed to do now? I was never properly briefed on this mission.”
[Your current location is Sector E5. It is the central area among the one hundred designated sectors. According to satellite observations, several high-risk Mystics have taken refuge here.]
“So I just eliminate them?”
[Yes, that's correct.]
“How large is Sector E5 exactly?”
[Approximately five kilometers in diameter. According to satellite observation data—]
“That'll do.”
I activated my High-Sensitivity Mana Detection Module.
Immediately, I identified every mana signature within a three-kilometer radius.
“Module Online, [Cloud Spider].”
Without wasting another moment, I extended my threads and sliced apart every detected target where they stood.
Once I confirmed that every mana signature had disappeared, I spoke into the communication channel.
“It's done.”
[Y-Yes... what!?]
The operator's bewildered voice came through.
She had sounded like someone with considerable experience earlier.
Apparently not.
Or perhaps she'd simply never imagined someone could clear an entire operational area just three seconds after landing.
“So what now?”
[Ah... u-um... p-please wait just a moment!]
The transmission cut off.
About three minutes later, her voice returned.
[S-Sorry for keeping you waiting. It appears Headquarters underestimated your capabilities, Mr. Chairman Aaron. Would you be willing to accept an additional assignment?]
“Sure.”
[T-Thank you very much. Then...]
Following the operator's instructions, I moved from sector to sector, continuing the Mystic extermination operation.
However, thanks to the abilities of my Lv.6 [Cloud Spider], I completely cleared the five additional sectors assigned to me in less than thirty minutes.
Every single time...
The operator reacted with complete disbelief.
[S-Sorry! Please wait just a moment!]
“At this rate, it would be more efficient if you simply assigned me an entire region.”
[I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.]
The operator apologized repeatedly.
The composed demeanor she'd shown during our initial greeting had completely vanished in less than an hour.
I continued the cycle of receiving another sector, clearing it almost instantly, and throwing the operator into confusion.
That continued for about an hour.
Only after I had personally cleared more than half of the entire operational area did I finally receive word that the mission had been completed.
[G-Good work, Mr. Chairman.]
“Is that everything?”
[Yes. We'll be sending a helicopter and escort personnel shortly, so please remain where you are and wait.]
“...Understood.”
Click.
The communication ended.
I sat down on a nearby tree stump to rest.
I wasn't particularly tired.
There simply wasn't anything else to do.
'That was disappointingly easy.'
I'd expected a classified mission to be somewhat difficult.
Instead, it hadn't even been enough to serve as a warm-up.
At this point, I wondered whether there had been any reason for me to participate at all.
Seriously.
Two Special Mission Fixers would have been more than enough to complete a mission of this level.
'Although, considering that... everyone assigned to this mission was a renowned powerhouse.'
It had been excessive force.
To be honest, after seeing the lineup aboard the helicopter, I'd expected Behemoth—or perhaps two or three monsters of that caliber—to be hiding somewhere in this forest.
Instead...
All that appeared were insignificant fodder I could split in half with a flick of my finger.
'Did the satellite observations get it wrong? Or was Headquarters simply being overly cautious? Then again... the City Defense Force has always been famous for its incompetence.'
As I accepted that explanation to myself...
I suddenly sensed something approaching rapidly from the distance.
According to my sensors...
Every single one of them was a High-Level Adaptee.
The very same people who had been aboard the helicopter earlier.
'Looks like everyone finished their missions and was told to regroup here.'
I should probably appreciate that they saved me the trouble of going to them myself...
Or so I thought.
“Hm?”
Suddenly...
I felt a sense of incongruity.
The excessive manpower.
The energy signatures rapidly approaching at a speed that could almost be called threatening.
And that strangely calm atmosphere inside the helicopter.
The completely unrelated puzzle pieces instantly assembled themselves inside my head.
“...Ah. So that's what it was.”
Heh.
That was absurd.
I couldn't help laughing.
I immediately attempted to activate [Cloud Spider] once more.
But at that exact moment—
Boom—!!
A bombardment came flying from somewhere.
It was as though a missile had fallen from the sky.
Trees throughout the area were uprooted and shattered.
The forest burst into flames.
A massive crater formed where the explosion struck.
Fortunately...
I managed to block the bombardment without suffering even a scratch.
But the very next moment...
A sandstorm large enough to cover the sky descended upon me.
Zooming in with my ocular camera, I realized every individual grain of sand was actually a lethal nanomachine.
'I can't block this.'
I kicked off the ground and immediately fled the sandstorm's range.
But I hadn't gone very far before another attack came flying toward me.
A gigantic blade appeared from nowhere and slashed toward my waist.
At the same time, an enormous mace swung down, attempting to crush my skull.
I caught both attacks barehanded.
I immediately tightened my grip, intending to shatter both weapons outright.
But suddenly...
Sparks erupted from my wrist.
The strength drained from my arm.
Taking advantage of that opening, my opponent successfully widened the distance between us.
However, perhaps wary of my reaction speed, they didn't immediately launch another attack.
Instead, they simply watched me cautiously.
I had no reason to recklessly counterattack either.
Remaining where I stood, I quietly muttered toward them.
“...Yeah. I knew something felt wrong.”
One...
Then another...
Figures emerged one after another through the dense nanomachine sandstorm.
Every single one of them had ridden aboard the same helicopter as me.
The unease I'd felt had finally become reality.
“I'm not even going to ask... why.”
“The answer is obvious.”
The Stingray Chairman was gone.
Kallia Stingray had disappeared as well.
The soldiers and employees of the Stingray Group had lost their leaders and were in complete disarray.
The military still possessed considerable strength...
But without someone at the top, they couldn't properly utilize it.
In other words...
The perfect prey.
Under these circumstances, the only obstacle remaining was Aaron Stingray.
To completely dismantle the Stingray Group and divide it among themselves...
They had to eliminate me somehow.
Naturally...
The Modules I possessed were also incredibly tempting.
While the Monster Wave was raging, they needed my strength, so they remained quiet.
But now that the immediate crisis had passed...
They had finally bared their fangs.
This so-called Special Operation...
Had been a trap designed to capture me from the very beginning.
“You people really are... all the same.”
I deliberately provoked them.
Yet perhaps because they were veterans with plenty of experience, not a single expression changed.
The only thing visible in their eyes was an unwavering determination to eliminate me under orders from their superiors.
'Yesterday it was the Stingray Ninja Corps and the Monster Wave...'
'Today it's the Special Mission Fixers and the corporate alliance...'
The fact that they actually believed this was enough to defeat me...
Was so ridiculous that it went beyond being laughable.
It was simply pathetic.
'Do I even need to fight?'
They were only following orders.
Did I really have to kill them?
Unlike those ninja bastards, these people weren't completely unreasonable.
It would be much easier to simply return to the city and crush the people at the top.
That would solve everything while expending far less effort.
'Yeah. Let's settle this peacefully.'
I already had the enormous problem of the Sky Dragon hanging over my head.
The last thing I wanted was to create even more enemies.
With that in mind, I activated the "new Module" I'd obtained from the Fox Mask.
“Module Online, Dimension Poi—”
...No.
Wait.
Wait.
Hold on.
Huh?
I immediately canceled the Module's activation and slowly examined the people surrounding me.
Raymond, the Yellow Fixer.
Tyrant, the Green Fixer.
Lang Tao, the Purple Fixer.
Yamato, the Orange Fixer.
And the others...
As though I were window-shopping, I slowly looked them up and down.
Then I reached a single conclusion.
“Your Modules...”
“They look quite impressive.”
“They'd be perfect for my people.”