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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 11 - Arctic Tactic (part 4, final)
- Geez, these damn locusts just come without an end! Mirai, from the hill nearby, is busy setting up SAM turrets on the ground to repel the endless waves of autonomous drones that have been jamming our communications. Upon receiving the bad news, she is now handling even more burden. For my side, the drones by Mirai are helping clear some of the enemy drones from above, leaving some space for me to access the arsenal, although limited. I take out the Agility module, which is simply a pair of rollerblades with propellers, gear up and rush through the camp, in the direction of the two Intruders. Blasting through the air at the speed of a horse, I quickly catch up with the Intruders, who have noticed my presence. I withdraw the flamethrower and mercilessly roast their armour with the scorching streams of fire. They try to counterattack, but the module quickens my reaction, and I effortlessly dodge all the attacks. At a closer range, I withdraw a photon shotgun, and withi
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 12 - Huntly Mine (part 1)
- Okay, thanks for contacting me. I will arrange for a one-week accommodation for you in Perth, from 11 December to 18 December 2050. The visit to Huntly Mine will be guided by one of my people at the University of New South Wales from the applied science department. But why do you suddenly want to visit our bauxite mines? - My company is importing minerals, and I am asked to go around to check the quality of the ores in some places that the bosses ask me to visit. Sorry for bothering you near the end of the year. - Don't fret yourself about it. It has been quite long since you contacted me. Bye then. - Bye! I shut the holographic video call. The person that was on the screen is one of my classmates during university, Issac. He studied with me at Tokyo University, but after graduation, he decided to work as a professor in material science in Australia, where he had access to resources such as mineral ores and synthetic materials. We have been i
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 13 - Huntly Mine (part 2)
The bar becomes a mess, with all the gunshots scattering around, damaging the furniture inside. The bar is built with bulletproof and soundproof materials, so the bartender freely goes rampaging inside. We run to hide behind some tables. Luckily they are also bulletproof. The bartender slowly walks towards us, with the menacing barrel directed towards our table. I take out the photon shotgun SG-01 and quickly reload it with a full photon shell tube. Contrary to its brothers in the photon series, photon shotguns are generally not as strong as projectile shotguns, but that is the point. We need to keep that person alive. Mirai throws a flash grenade towards the bartender. It detonates and makes his vision blank. With the built-in propeller in her legs, Mirai kicks the table straight into the bartender's face. The table flies at him and breaks in half. I embrace the opportunity and shoot at his right hand. The impact blows his rifle away. I leap at the bartender, holding him down an
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 14 - Huntly Mine (part 3)
The second day of the trip to Australia comes. It is early in the morning, when one can still see the faint image of the moon in the sky. And yet, someone is interrupting my sleep. Someone that everybody in the world knows. - Wake up. We need to prepare for the expedition to Huntly Mine. Their people will arrive at the hotel to pick us up at eight sharp. - Mirai is throwing a pillow at me, who is currently half-awake and trying to hold his ground on the bed. For a freelancer whose life is always threatened by unexpected project invitations and weird customer demands, getting to sleep in bed is nothing less than a brutal fight with time. And now, as a self-proclaimed hero, there is no difference. - No... Five more minutes... - I cover myself with the blanket. - After drinking that big jar of draft beer and getting back to the hotel, you immediately pass out, and I have to bring you to bed. And it was only like nine o'clock. - Mirai complains and throws a
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 15 - Huntly Mine (part 4)
We are put in a very passive situation. I do not carry any weapon, and Mirai obviously cannot reach out to the tablet. We need to keep a low profile to enter the mine, yet push comes to shove, and now, we seem to have no choice. I try to make eye contact with Mirai, but she seems like she has an idea in mind. No, the overwhelming confidence on that calm face means that she has planned for the worst-case scenario. - Oh, sorry. The thing is that I lost my left arm in a car accident. My arm is currently replaced with a metallic prosthetic one. Here. Mirai detaches her left arm. She holds the arm with her right hand and brings it towards the screening gate. It beeps (obviously). The officer still raises his eyebrows in suspicion, while Mirai is attaching her left arm back. Eye to eye with him, with gleaming sincerity, Mirai is trying to guilt-trip the officer into believing in her narrative. - OK, I can believe you regarding that. - He sighs. - But just in case,
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 16 - Huntly Mine (part 5)
After about ten minutes, a train arrives at our station. As expected, it is just the driver's carriage when you look at it from the outside. After the door opens, Albert signals us to step in. I withdraw my thoughts. The interior of the train is upgraded to match the standards of a commercial train, even more luxurious than a typical commercial train. There is air conditioning and air filters installed, and even the tiniest details are spotless. The carriage contains the driver's chamber, which takes half of the space of the carriage, partially separated by the table area, taking the other half. Albert enters the driver's chamber and scans his card on the receptor placed in the centre of the steering wheel to register a driver. After that, the set of buttons and levers emerges beside his driver's seat. He presses a button. We hear a long beeping sound, then the engine starts working. Yeah, this train has definitely been around since the twentieth century. It is shaking from a
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 17 - Huntly Mine (part 6)
Without the stations operating, the train still can move, but it will not be long, maybe five minutes, before it actually runs out of energy. And to mention, just by maintaining this temperature inside this carriage already takes a lot of energy. - OK, I will close the train door and turn off all electrical appliances to preserve our energy source. Albert turns off all lights and air conditioners. The carriage joins the eternal darkness, with a pinch of dim, red light, of the vast underground factories. By common sense, or specifically, some physics knowledge and maths equations, I know that it would not take long, before our body temperature make this last haven of coolness into a heat cage. We seriously stand no choice, if this power cut is not fixed in a short time. And at this very moment, it has been some "short time" passing. Albert has attempted to contact the support team, but since all of the entrances connecting the underground facility and the ground level
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 18 - Huntly Mine (part 7)
The explosion blasts the door towards us, and Albert, who stands directly in front of the door, gets concussed with arguably tens of kilogram of lead and platinum (to block off heat and radiation). He collapses onto the ground. - Don't even know if I should call it a blessing in disguise... Mirai, can you perform first aid and drag him to a safe corner? - I talk to Mirai. - Can. Mirai checks his vitals, then takes out a sleeping bag. She places his passed out body inside it, and drags the sleeping bag to a corner that looks protected even if the station collapses. Then, we inspect the door. - This bomb is definitely newly placed here. Just look at the remnants. - I point at the open end contact point of the door with the wall. - Agree. This bomb is just a typical type that does not do enough damage to destroy a structure, but can do something like killing a person in close range. Realising that the bomb does not give off any valuable in
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Chapter 106 - Project Tomorrow (part 5)
- Quick! Secure all exits of the television studio. Initiate first-level protocol. Focus security around studio 4-A. Hurried footsteps echo through the corridors and halls, as fully-armed police and military personnel impose a lockdown on the studio and check every nook and cranny for any intruders. The studio that hosts the game show is located in a fairly remote region near Cairo. As a national studio that produces most of the programmes in the country, its level of security is on par with a military base. The specific information of measures implemented is obfuscated to the public. Still, with some observation, one would realise that making any move within the studio needs meticulous planning from the most intelligent of humanity. As soon as every staff in the studio is mobilised, the girl starts to move. The trip sensors she installed throughout the studio have simultaneously triggered, capturing a huge movement.__________- The twelfth question is another
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Chapter 105 - Project Tomorrow (part 4)
- ... and despite being the country with the largest area in the world, boasting up to eleven different time zones, Russia is surprisingly not the country with the most time zones in the world. In fact, it is France that claims the crown as the country with the most time zones in the world, with twelve different time zones ranging from UTC-10:00 to UTC+12:00! This is attributed to the fact that France has many territories worldwide, which also highlights their significant presence worldwide.- Wow, that is a very detailed description, although it may be difficult for the audience to grasp what you are trying to say. But yes, the correct answer to the country with the most time zones is B, France! Let us give another round of applause for the amount of wisdom this fortitudinous man possesses! With Mirai's assistance from somewhere outside the studio, we breeze through the first ten questions ranging in all sorts of topics and requiring countless hours every day look
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Chapter 104 - Project Tomorrow (part 3)
- Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the thousandth show of the series "Who Wants to Be the Zillionaire?", a weekly trivia game show every Tuesday only available on Al-Hayat TV. I am your host, Ali, and today, to commemorate the thousandth show, the stakes have been raised. There are still fifteen questions, but each question is exponentially harder. In return, once the player clears all fifteen questions, he will win up to... A billion Egyptian pounds, approximately three billion yen or twenty million US dollars. That is ten years' worth of my previous salary or more. For thirty-three years of my life, I have never thought about this, because the odds of reaching the final question are as high as winning a lottery. However, with Mirai's help, getting the winning prize will be a breeze.- Let's welcome our player for today! Due to special circumstances, we will refer to him as T. Mr. T, please come in. The door to the game show arena opens., and I am immediately
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Chapter 103 - Project Tomorrow (part 2)
- It has been so long since we last talked in person. So, how have you been? - Let's say, my past few years have been a mess. You? - Same on my side. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to live around that woman. - From what I see, she is a very intelligent and awesome person, no? I envy you for having such a partner. - It is because of that so-called intelligence you praise her for, that I do not even understand what is going on in her head. I have a better chance of winning a lottery than guessing her mood. We quarrel almost every day. - However, if you think of it, it is those days that you argue that make you appreciate the days that you two live harmoniously together. Of course, I cannot speak for you, because my marriage is very peaceful back then... - I think I have mentioned this before, but please do not compare our dynamic with a married couple. - You are overthinking, brother. Albert and I
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Chapter 102 - Project Tomorrow (part 1)
2060, Sahara desert... Project Ashita... After the brief exchange with the Colonel-ranked Intruder named Lamabula, Mirai and I spent countless hours after the construction observation duty hours to devise a plan. After careful consideration, the seeds of Project Ashita are sown. Before introducing the project to the CEA survivors, Mirai initially hesitated, but she ultimately discussed it with Lamabula. Without a doubt, he burst into his signature, explosive laughter and rejoiced the moment Mirai mentioned the scale of the project, and willingly lent a portion of the base's space for the construction of the colossal battleship. So long as he deemed us subpar compared to the Intruders, he would continue lending assistance. However, the dangerous part of this rigged contract is that we do not know until when he would deem us sufficiently dangerous and suddenly cut all support. However, that has never been Mirai's concern, who can fight head-on with Lamabula, and whose distrust a
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Chapter 101 - The Future that Bet Life to Believe
Counter-Extraterrestrial Association, Egypt branch, 2060, From the outside, it looks like a small stand-up comedy house within the bustling tourist area of Cairo. However, in the basement, its true form is revealed. More than half of the basement area is for equipment and vehicle storage, and in the corner, a hydraulic lift is responsible for carrying them to the first floor. Deeper into the basement is the meeting room. Around the table, Mirai and Wilhelm sit next to each other, on the largest seat designated for high-ranking officials of the CEA or important people. Then, Ernst, Gottlob, Arthur, Maric, and I sit on the remaining seats. At the centre of the table, a hologram depicts the images of the current situation. Under the table, each seat will have a mouse which resembles a ball, so anyone can freely rotate or zoom in on the hologram projection for better observation. - Thank you everyone for being here. Before we start the impromptu meeting, two more people wo
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Interlude 7 - Rendezvous
And then, the two hands of the clock of fate met. What happens is bound to happen, and humanity is none the wiser. After being separated from the tomb's lid, the mysterious device's defensive mechanism went off, resulting in vibrations across the entire pyramid. The team immediately fled from the chamber, with Wilhelm leading and Ernst in the back. Gottlob and Arthur kept close to Maric, the only person without any firearm or combat experience. - Mileva, you stick to us at all times. We will handle this. - As if I have another choice. - Watch out! A stone fragment cracked from the ceiling and fell down. Ernst charged forward, pushing both Maric and Arthur forward, right before it hit the ground and shattered. - I told you, stay vigilant! - Sorry, sir. The only things Maric could hear were the chaotic rustling and the humming from the vibrations. Never would she think that a life-and-death situation occurred to her simply due to
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Interlude 6 - Pursuit
Humans immerse themselves in illusions, but who dares to break through such sweet dreams and pursue reality? - Wow, look at this artefact, guys. - Let me see, let me see. - So cool! The next day, Maric's group visited the cluster of pyramids in Giza. To avoid the tour buses flocking in and causing an influx of tourists to roam around. Thus, the poor soul who returned to the hotel late after the stand-up comedy show was sleep-deprived, against her gang whose energy and enthusiasm were over the roof. Waking up as soon as six in the morning to have an indulgent breakfast and catch the earliest bus, they reached the foot of the most colossal one, the Great Pyramid of Giza at eight-thirty. They shared money to book a guide for the entire visit, and the man in summer clothing and a hat was already there, waving at them. The pyramid visit was expected to last half an hour. Because there were few people in the tunnels, the occasional breeze that traver
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
Interlude 5 - Mileva
To leave everything behind. For the greater cause. Ever since then, the words echoed in her head, like an enclosed chamber with a perfect reflection. The words were stuck there, and it made her unable to think properly. What did they mean? - What is on your mind, darling? - Nothing. Just weird, personal stuff. After getting close to a science major graduate from the University of New South Wales, the two decided to come together and live under the same roof. They had a lovely child, and their road ahead was paved with rose petals. Of course, no happiness is eternal. On that fateful day, she heard the words. _____________________________________ - Huh, Egypt? Of all places? - Come on, you are a sociology bachelor. Why so sceptical? Just consider it a cultural appreciation trip. Her group of colleagues were planning to visit another country during their precious holidays. Unlike everyone, who seemed to be very ecstatic about the tr
