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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 46 - Point Nemo (part 15)
After escaping the losing battle with the help of Mirai, we manage to sneak into a small, abandoned cabin, maybe at most ten metres square. Mirai seals all of the doors and sets up a barrier to deflect any signals toward the cabin. Then, we sit down in the centre of the room. We take out the protective suit. - What time is it up there, Mirai? - Late afternoon. About six o'clock. Now that she says it, sudden exhaustion strikes my body, quickly spreading throughout my body. I have been staying awake for quite a long time, and it is only now that the effect kicks in. - How long have I been running around? - Three hours. I am impressed that you can last for that long. And thanks to that I can finish the hacking. No Intruders are around. - Lucky. I almost get killed. - And you must thank the fact that I have encountered this type of Intruder before. Mirai takes out a bullet that resembles a metallic needle, with a blue li
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 47 - Point Nemo (part 16)
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
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 48 - Point Nemo (part 17)
- How come all of them have red numbers on their heads? - I whisper to Mirai who stands right next to me. - You step into their territory, what do you expect? - I thought, should you have accounted for this in your plan already? - Who said I have not? We are surrounded by nothing but the big, flashing red numbers taking over half of our vision and a seemingly impenetrable formation of the low-level Intruders. My brain is burning itself, trying to find a way to stay alive, yet Mirai is just calm. As calm as the water surface of a pond. Mirai takes out two sealed canisters. After brute forcing to unseal, she throws the canisters into the air and shoots them with two bullets. They pierce the metal cover of the canisters, causing blue smoke to emerge and spread in every direction. The smoke quickly disperses throughout the town, blending into the air. - I have told you, the moment I know that I have encountered them before, the town b
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 49 - Point Nemo (part 18)
A snap? As I hear the weird sound, a submarine appears between us and the boss whose sceptre is on the way to slamming the Force Field. The sudden appearance of the submarine makes the sceptre hit the submarine cover with full force. Bonk! The submarine is still materialising, so it does not move, sending all of the slamming momenta back to the boss. The stronger the force of the sceptre, the more the boss is sent backwards. The subsequent vibrations from the metallic clank make its whole body tremble, and it becomes unconscious. It falls onto the ground. The shock waves also render all of the other mobs neutralised. The water level has risen sufficiently for the submarine to safely land in the water and float. Mirai wakes up and dusts her suit. - What the hell? I thought you passed out already. - Even if the Intruder forces completely outperform humans, I still have a fifty-year advantage. At, least, for the next twenty years, they are harmless. But
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 50 - Point Nemo (part 19)
The video footages are a few years' worths of content showcasing Mirai's collection of items that she crafts, from the photon series with over a hundred weapons and typical support items to the aerial units, drones and the stuff that if not observed from the footages, I would never believe that they exist. "Here is the final version of the submachine gun SMG-01, with a fully improved stabiliser system and better weight efficiency. I realise that I can just copy and paste the design from the Battle Royale tournament. Their designs utilise physics concepts to simulate real-world guns. By the way, I win the 2,543rd tournament, making it the one-hundred streak of consecutive wins. The theme is not about the wealth gap, so I secure a win in just ten minutes.." Wah, it is impressive that the tournament lasts for almost fifty years. If I am not wrong, they organise that once every week, and the year's top players will be invited to a grand tournament. But what the hell? A hundred suc
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 51 - Point Nemo (part 20)
In exchange for the crosses immediately disappearing from the map, the angled firing of the torpedoes causes our submarine to rotate. Adding up with the fact that Mirai has lost bearing, we take another hour to adjust our course and catch up with the cruise ship. It is midnight again, so that makes nearly two full days. As the submarine ascends to the water level, the barometer shows falling pressure, and air from the submarine is slowly pumped out of the cabin to help us adapt to the changing pressure. Mirai steers the submarine around the cruise ship to find the exact spot where we departed. After scouting for some time, she turns to me. - Yuusha, we have some bad news. - Yes? - The scouting drones are still here, although the density is less. The map on the control panel shows crosses that overlap with the dot representing our submarine. - Wait... Are they supposed to be retracted already? Why are they still here? Right as when I s
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 52 - Point Nemo (part 21, final)
- Emergency! The central square has been destroyed. Emergency! The central square has been destroyed. Cabin crew, please assist the passengers in evacuating. The siren has been set throughout the cruise ship, stealing the chill atmosphere away. I glance out the room window, giving me a fairly clear view of the whole ship. As expected, there is a large hole in the central square. Water starts to pour in like a flood. - Mirai, have you detected the source of the missile? - I turn to ask Mirai. - Not yet, but I have circled down the possible locations based on the missile's trajectory. But we will talk about it later. The ship will sink in five minutes. At this point, the drones should have evacuated, but just in case, I reload my photon pistol with another full round. We pack our luggage into the tablet's storage space and take our leave. The way to the nearest lifeboat is highlighted by the yellow lights along every nook and cranny of the ship. We u
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 1 - Albert
The Earth, 2043. University of New South Wales. In the building of the Applied Science department... - Good job, Albert, you have graduated. Do you have any plans for the future? - I am not sure... Maybe I would just work here. I feel like contributing back to this university, and this department. It was the graduation day of this batch of students. The building was decorated with a vibrancy that strayed from the normally dull atmosphere of a science building. In the grand hall, a few hundred students sat neatly in rows, while the professors and the staff of the department were making lengthy speeches. Albert was among the graduates. Like any other graduate, he was also uncertain about his future. However, unlike the other graduates who were in a state of partial to complete loss of direction, Albert had something in mind. He wanted to continue working in the department, either as a student or a researcher. The girl next to him held his hands tightly. She
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- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
