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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
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 2 - Decision
It had been days since Albert's social withdrawal. He wanted, but he could not overcome the series of trauma that befell him. He was lost. Lost in his memories. Lost in his sense of ethics and morality. His mind was wandering among the vast pool of thoughts, which overlapped and interfered with each other into a complexity that he did not even want to comprehend. Next to him, there were empty bottles of wine, rolling on the floor. He did not bother going out to restock his groceries. He trapped himself inside his house, the only comfort zone that he probably had. Like his mind, his body wandered around the house, aimlessly. The food in the refrigerator depleted, slowly but steadily. The dust had accumulated around the house due to no cleaning. If only something would save him from this misery. "Knock. Knock." Speak of the devil. Somebody is knocking on the door. Albert remembered that he installed a doorbell but did not even care enough to question it. He made his bod
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 53 - Desert Artefact (part 1)
2055, As far as it is concerned, we have detected no spike in the activity of the Intruders despite us posing great threats to them. Sometimes, we would raid their yellow-level facilities to slow their progress down. Thanks to the stolen technology of gravitational charge, our raids go more smoothly. Ordinary bullets are charged up to the energy equivalent to a railgun projectile, making a powerful addition to the arsenal. Additionally, the sphere can generate a gravitational field within a limited radius, opening up to a variety of tactics. But let us neglect that story. We have other things to discuss. - Mirai. Guess what. - Yes? - I land a job. We are sitting on the couch in our living room. Mirai is still busy upgrading our technology level, but we have been stagnant since then. The gravitational charge technology can be utilised, but cannot be replicated. Also, one person cannot have an infinite pool of creativity and brainpower to create new
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 54 - Desert Artefact (part 2)
Monday, 5 July 2055, - Good morning! Let's see, Yuusha Takahashi, right? Welcome to Anderu Corporation, Tokyo branch. I will be your supervisor, you can refer to me as Yoichiro. - Thanks, Mr Yoichiro. Nice to work with you. - No problem! Let me bring you to our office. Today is the first day that I go to work. I am standing in front of the big company building, and a person in a very formal vest and tie already stands there, greeting me. Knowing that he is my supervisor through the company mail, I approach him and we exchange firm handshakes. After the talks, he brings me deep into the building. We take the lift and it brings us to the tenth floor. The lift door opens directly to a large room with a comparable table in the centre. There are many doors on the wall, neatly lined up. - This is our department. We are currently standing in the conference room, also the main room for department meetings or receiving customers, although it is t
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 55 - Desert Artefact (part 3)
The first month of work passes through like a breeze. I receive my first monthly payment. There is a fixed component and an additional 'work efficiency' payment. I do not pay much attention to it. The fixed component of an IT occupation can help me sustain until the next payment, both in terms of basic needs and the costly technological rampage by Mirai. It feels good to receive my salary, but there is another thing. - Hi, this is Yoichiro. Can you go to the conference room for five minutes? I want to talk to you. Yoichiro is speaking using the microphone near the doorbell. My nerves and muscles suddenly stiffen. - Yes, sir. Please give me a few seconds. Have I done something wrong? I am pretty sure that I have been an obedient subordinate. I finish all of the tasks assigned to me before the end of each working day. I do not provoke any quarrels or tensions with my colleagues. I am used to being put in trouble, but not this kind of thing. After g
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 56 - Desert Artefact (part 4)
- Clothes, checked. Personal hygiene items, checked. Laptop and charger, checked. All good. I am packing up to get ready for the temporary relocation. I need to make sure that whatever necessary luggage is put neatly in the tablet's archive. Even though Mirai's technology allows travelling back and forth in merely fifteen to twenty minutes, it is still a pain in the ass to do so. - Are you ready to go, Yuusha? - All good. I wear my tie, then polish my shoes. I need to keep a bare minimum appearance in front of the higher-ups there. Mirai is also busy gearing up. - Wait... Mirai, are you also going now? - Yea. I need to scout them to see where they would accommodate you, then rent a nearby hotel or house to make easy contact with you. - I thought you can simply intercept their emails or something. - I did, but I could not find any. So I would just fly there in advance and peek at them. Mirai goes to our backy
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