It is already midnight, and instead of trying to sleep, I toss and turn in my bed, with the thoughts of the words Mirai said lingering in my mind. What is she implying by 'not a random occurrence', and how, or rather, why, would humanity be going in the wrong way? I flick my hand and the tablet appears in my hand. As usual, there are only two sections, the arsenal which stores all of our weapons, and the archive, which saves information about the Intruders and their technology. Except for the arsenal, most of the information in the archive is constructed by Mirai's memories, there are no traces of memory about her identity that can be found. After more than half a year, there is still a sense of distance between us. Personally, peeking into somebody's private life is not my thing, but I just feel strange deep inside. Mirai also says that over time, she will let me know more about her identity. Guess all I can do is wait. The mysterious vibe that blends with the friendly and

I return to my room and close all of the windows. After making sure that nobody is near, I make a call to Issac. The call is also encrypted to avoid any third parties, just in case. After a few seconds, the other side picks up the phone. - Hi, Issac. What happened? - Yuusha. This sounds a bit weird, but... Is my secret exposed? - Yes? - I hesitate a bit. - There is a group of armed people visiting the university, and they specify that they want to visit the head of the department of Applied Science. I do not think that something bad may happen, but, do you have any idea? - I do not have any. But why do you ask me? - These armed people asked about the Huntly Mine incident. I freeze for a few seconds. Issac continues. - But no worries. I am not, like, suspecting you or something. I am just a bit concerned for your safety. - Oh, thanks for that. - I sigh in relief. I feel the other side of the p

According to Mirai's data, this gate is the most unguarded one among five to six entrances. The primary gate automatically opens, leading us to a smaller room. After we enter the room, the primary gate closes tightly. Two high-pressure pumps drain all of the water inside the room, leaving a dry space. The verification machine of the secondary gate emerges from the ground, asking for identification. - Give me a minute. - Mirai gives me a pat of assurance on my shoulder and approaches the machine which is protruding from the ground. A few connecting wires grow from Mirai's left arm. She plugs the wires into the machine and performs a hack. In exactly one minute, the machine is disabled, and after the primary gate, the secondary gate opens. - Okay, done. - Mirai retracts her wires. - Nice. I know the outcome of Mirai's attempt by heart, but a compliment does not kill. As the gate opens, there are specks of light, enough for us to switch back to no

- I see. I would help you fix all of the machines, but just a small favour. If you are chased already, try to lure all of them at once and hold your position until I can come for help. - Can. But please be quick. The message signal turns off. I stand in front of a humanoid, cybernetic Intruder holding a gun. - Finally, I found you! The higher-ups have planned to isolate the ship and assassinate you, but it seems that you are a step ahead. And you also waste not a small number of our forces. What an accomplishment. - The Intruder injects some sarcastic tone in his speech, but I know that otherwise, they are genuine. - Thanks. I have heard that countless times from your comrades, and you know their fate already, I assume. The Intruder seems unaffected by my boasting. - That is just a fluke. Right now, you are effectively trapped here. Just accept your fate. Straightforwardly, the Intruder points his gun at me. A red light beam i

I am forced to wake up by a rumbling that makes the whole cabin tremble. Then, I find my head lying on Mirai's lap. The weird softness makes me startled and sits up directly from the sleeping pose. So it is not a dream. - Good, you are awake. I think there is no need to explain right? - Besides the lap pillow, I would assume that the Intruders decide to level the whole central area. - Yes. Quickly gear up, we will bring this place down today. I wear the protective suit and put on my backpack. As soon as everything is ready, Mirai dismantles the barrier and we get out of the cabin. The place is like a mess, which is not what we saw before we entered the cabin. Besides the small buildings and stuff, the roads and plots of land have been completely ploughed up. They even go to the point of searching the underway. It is a miracle that they do not detect us. - Move with the way highlighted on your spectacle vision. We will head to the biggest