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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 33 - Point Nemo (part 2)
A cruise is just like a panacea that overloads my productivity. Within just two days, I spend all of my available time working my sweat out to fix the drones. The duty of robot fixing, after some negotiations, has been transferred to Mirai. She says that she can delay her research later. Soon, the day of the cruise comes like a wind. We already find ourselves carrying a backpack and a suitcase, queueing at the Tokyo Cruise International Terminal and waiting to get on board. Although it is still freezing winter in Japan and the rest of the countries residing in the middle portion of the Northern Hemisphere, again, it is summer in the south. - Why is it so cold? - Mirai is hugging herself and trembling. - How do you even feel the temperature? - Another network of sensory modules spanning across my shell. When I like, I can just switch it on. They would measure the temperature and send corresponding signals to my central processing unit, which sends s
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 34 - Point Nemo (part 3)
The science area humbly lies beneath the extravagant and majestic chains of entertainment facilities. Designed specifically for researchers and scientists who must race against time to publish papers while still wanting to enjoy a meaningful holiday, the area consists of a lab with every apparatus spanning various fields, a garage-like tech room for creating inventions and fixing machines, and a field open to the public to facilitate virtual reality simulation. This self-explanatory description can easily tell you why the lab and the tech room are almost always empty. Mirai drags me to the tech room. - So, what are we doing here, specifically? - I ask. - Two things. I will be brief. - Go ahead. Mirai just stands still. In the next second, a fleet of drones appears in front of my eyes like a performance. - That is what I get from analysing the core chip. It seems to use the same technology as our BlueTooth, except that the Intruders can man
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 35 - Point Nemo (part 4)
I reload my photon shotgun with another tube of photon shots. Since I can loot other players' items, I can destroy this drone. Fortunately, the other mercy the rich can offer commoners like me is that I can see hostile units on the map, except for other players. The drone is patrolling on the other floors, so after I get out of my hiding spot, I decide to go find it instead. As soon as I reach the other floor, I switch my photon shotgun to damage mode. I find the drone in a room that looks like an office. As stealthily and swiftly as possible, I use the chairs and tables' terrain and approach the drone. Before it registers my presence, my barrel is already pinned to its offensive module, and I fire my whole rounds of pure electromagnetic damage, breaking its gun with brute force. As expected, the whole tube of ten rounds vanishes within a few seconds, just making sufficient damage to break down the most threatening part of the drone. The drone, unable to attack, tries to m
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 36 - Point Nemo (part 5)
As I walk through the graveyard of loot boxes, I can feel a bone-chilling breeze through my spine. There must be not less than thirty boxes here. Bloodshed. With the loot boxes, there also come lots of valuable items inside. I just go scavenger for a few minutes and I have sufficient components to fully upgrade my weapon, along with an amount of ammunition and healing items that can last me the whole game. In the centre of the big laboratory, there is a big platform with a table on top which resembles a crafting bench. It lights up when I open my stats table. I approach the table and put my gun down. There is an arrow mark appearing in my vision, so I press on it. - Let's see... Congrats on discovering this crafting bench. Please follow the instruction to upgrade your desired items. I take out the wealth gap reduction module and place it on the bench, along with other modules and components. After the bench has registered the modules I have, from the ground next
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 37 - Point Nemo (part 6)
After my death, the virtual reality headset blinks, and I am sent back to reality. I take the headset off, to see myself connected to a bunch of sensors and modules. Most of the players killed in the early game have already dismantled the setup and visited the spectator's lobby, while the few late survivors are also taking off the setup with the help of the assistants. Then, in a corner, the familiar figure is smiling triumphantly, while still wearing the setup. After that, a voice is transmitted across the virtual reality field. - And, announcing the top three players, in the third place, Heinrich Lenz from Eastern Europe cruise, with seven kills. In the second place, Yuusha Takahashi from Japan cruise, with three kills. And in the first place... I just put my right hand on my face and sigh. - Mirai Sasaki from Japan cruise, with twenty-five kills! The diamond trophy and other related prizes will be sent to your home within a few hours. Other players, tha
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 38 - Point Nemo (part 7)
The first day on the cruise just ends like that. The organisers announce that the refractive veil of the ship has been disabled, and since the ship has travelled sufficiently far away from the land, the ship is surrounded by the deep, starry night sky, as well as the sea view that expands even out of the human eyesight. After the sumptuous dinner, we are on the top floor of our hotel block. Mirai has set up a telescope for stargazing. Normally, it will be the time for couples to be lovey-dovey in places with a good view, such as places that are elevated or along the rear of the ship, but somehow, just for today, we are the only people here. The rest of the passengers are still busy exploring the huge infrastructure of the ship on the first day, and I would expect the trend to resume tomorrow, when they are bored with exploring and shift to something quieter. The telescope is a big tube supported by a tripod, with many wires intricately connected to a box that acts both as a pr
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 39 - Point Nemo (part 8)
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
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 40 - Point Nemo (part 9)
Soon after the race, the grand clock on the ship makes a loud ringing, signalling the midday of the second day. The shops start their first wave of visitor reception after the vibrant night, although the traffic is not high yet. Mirai and I are occupying a bench in the corner of the invention room. I am waiting for her to analyse the camera footage and compile the statistics regarding the recent occurrences. Without any specialised tools to do data analysis, and with a supercomputer next to me, maybe even better than a supercomputer, I cannot perform any calculations, and I would not even attempt to do so. The only thing that Mirai shows me is a percentage bar that slowly runs to a hundred per cent. - How long until you finish the data analysis? - I start to feel impatient, as the bar starts to slow down. - I have very little data, you know? And I need to perform extra calculations to maximise accuracy, at the cost of time. Just find something around here to p
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