2022-07-12 20:27:37
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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
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 19 - Huntly Mine (part 8)
With the toys in my backpack, my job is to hold the Intruder for five minutes. I am backed with a photon shotgun, tactical grenades and two drones that continuously fly on top of me, fending off any projectiles. The Intruder starts the show with a scatter shot from his pistol, sending twenty or more red pellets bouncing around the hallway, but then they all head to my place. I snap my finger, and the two drones block the bullets by flaming the area in front of me, burning the red pellets into self-detonation. Then, I charge forward with my loaded shotgun. I press the trigger as my sight aligns with his head and my spectacles signal me to shoot, but then the powerful electromagnetic energy packed in the photon pellets gets blocked when he raises his left arm, blocking them. The shirt is torn, but then his arm is still intact thanks to the armour. I jump back, right before he fires another round of bouncing bullets. The drones shoot down some of them, but almost half passes
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 20 - Huntly Mine (part 9)
Dinner is also served in the hotel, and to be honest, the hotel continues to prove its exceptionally amazing food quality despite a third rate hotel. And by amazing... - This dish looks good. Yuusha, you must try it. - Mirai lets out a happy voice, as she clicks on a dish on the digital menu. Within a few seconds, the dish appears on the centre of the table, hot and fresh out of the oven. A classic baked vegetable dish. - I thought you cannot taste? - Gustatory sensor system. I just install one before we went onto the trip. I know that it will be a waste if I cannot try out new food when I travel, that's why. However, they would still be combusted and become my energy in the end anyway. - Mirai casually speaks, as she uses a fork to take a piece of the dish and puts it in her mouth. Mirai lets out a happy noise, as she enjoys the deliciousness of human food that she has probably not tasted for some time. Definitely a scene for the eye. I scroll
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 21 - Huntly Mine (part 10)
The next morning, again, arrives peacefully on the prosperous and peaceful Australia. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, it is currently summer here. The soft sunlight shines through the window of my hotel room, where I am currently sleeping and restoring energy from an exhausting yesterday, only for another exhausting today, and likely for the rest of the week. It is currently seven in the morning, and since there are no scheduled activities today, we are free to travel to and from the mine at any point in time. Our timetable will be quite flexible, only if I turn to my right and see that Mirai is doing something on her bed with some mechanical components - Mirai, what are you doing? It is like seven in the morning. - Finally you are awake. Thanks to the early lights-out time yesterday, I finish charging at three or four in the morning, so I automatically wake up and prepare for the trip later. - We have like a whole four days, and our progress is al
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 22 - Huntly Mine (part 11)
(This chapter is written in Mirai's perspective) - Anti-corrosion spray, check. Agility module, check. Weapon, check... - I scroll through the list of items through my built-in archive, making sure that the most important items are in the quick list. After parting with Yuusha, I head to the building with the elevator that links to the underground facility. I am genuinely surprised that a visitor's identification card can allow access to such an area. After about a few minutes descending about fifty metres into the ground and wandering across the long hallway, the familiar sight once again appears in my field of vision, now with newly repaired electrical connections after the incident. That is fast. In the twentieth century, and even until now, train stations are constructed with a door that links the station and the outside. If this station serves the same purpose as a train station for commute, there should be such a door nearby. I turn on gamma vision to detect
Latest Chapter
Chapter 109 - Project Tomorrow (part 8)
- Have you received their money?- Yes, but ultimately, they agreed on half the maximum prize. It was a huge compromise on our side, but better than nothing. The money was wire-transferred into my decoy bank account this morning. A few days have passed since the filming of the game show. I was told to do nothing, as Mirai would handle the negotiation. Details of how they met up are intentionally omitted when I ask her, but she agrees to disclose how the negotiation progresses. Nobody knew the exact location of the room, but it represented the interrogation room, except nobody was having the edge. As per Mirai's request, they only brought three people. In the middle of the room, there was only a poorly maintained wooden table, with two chairs on opposite sides: Mirai on one side, and the main negotiator on the other side with two standing guards. The room was small, and the only source of light was a loosely hanging lamp. Their negotiator initiated the conversat
Chapter 108 - Project Tomorrow (part 7)
With an abrupt gunshot, the screen that streams everything happening in the studio loses signal. Ali's face distorts and darkens: given how the strict protocols have kept the upper hand for him and the production crew, the incident is a surprise. He tries to contact the surrounding staff for help, but the electromagnetic interference system imposed on this room renders all his attempts futile. - I knew it! You have been the mastermind behind this scheme all along. Now we can legally arrest you for fraud...- I am pretty sure this is one of your operation blunders that resulted in a technical failure. On top of that, you have no grounds to frame me, and given how you said that everything I have to go through here is backed by the government, I wonder how this narrative would develop in case we see each other again in court.- Nonsense! As if somebody will trust the word of an ordinary person.- But how would you, the perpetrator, prove that whatev
Chapter 107 - Project Tomorrow (part 6)
So the production team does not stop at heightened security.- You don't seem surprised at all.- I know the production team will go all out to protect the hefty sum of a billion pounds. It is just a matter of time before you rely on drastic measures, but to go this far... So, regarding the fifteenth question...- We have plenty of time. And the moment you incorrectly answer the last question, it is all over.- What makes you think that I will get the final question wrong?- Of course not you, but him.- Him? The screen in front of me shows the footage of the studio. Everything is there: the dramatic lighting and sound, the audience holding their breath, the host reading the question, and the contestant furrowing while listening carefully to every word. Except the people sitting at the podium are not Ali and I.- The moment I first saw your assistant pushing you into the office for registration, I have already felt s
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
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
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
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
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
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
