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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 77 - Deep into the Abyss (part 5)
On the outskirts of the Sahara desert, a line of jeeps is roaming. Inside the leading jeep, there are four seats. Mirai and I sit in the back, while the driver and the one next to him, unexpectedly, are the people we know. - Cannot believe that we happen to meet you two again. - Mirai talks to the driver. - So do we. You should know how chaotic the branch is after you leave. But we managed to sort things out after the hospitalised employees recovered miraculously. - He lets out a boisterous laugh and slaps the steering wheel. Seems like I am completely forgotten. I do not want to be the centre of attention, so it is good anyway. That does not stop me from feeling uneasy, though. I spent almost double the time there compared to her. Speaking of which, after Mirai and the other director of the department proposed the idea to the board of executives, they showed scepticism, and as a result, a field trip is conducted. With Mirai tampering with the government's
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 78 - Deep into the Abyss (part 6)
Plunging across the sea of sand like speedboats, making waves of sand bursting behind their backs, after exactly one minute, the jeeps (or some kind of vehicle not even a jeep anymore) stop at the research site. The temperature starts dropping, forerunning the incoming night in the desert. Another reason mining activities are limited in deserts is the wild fluctuation in daily temperature. Screw all the scorching heat workers endure during the daytime, the sub-zero nighttime temperature is sufficient to deter anyone from setting up facilities here. On top of that, without vehicles as fast as pods, deserts are the most remote areas one would ever imagine working at. Except for the Internet connection, there is nothing to entertain themselves during off-work hours. While I am regaining my sense of direction, the research team has completed dismantling equipment from the jeep storage. The destination is a small oasis a few tens of kilometres away from the Intruders' base. The oas
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 79 - Deep into the Abyss (part 7)
- So nostalgic. We have been laying low; this is the first time we can roam using the plane again! - Mirai exclaims as she holds on to the steering wheel.- Say, why is it safe to travel by plane here? It is even more apparent to the Intruders, that there is a plane in a no man's land, during nighttime...- Then you have not seen the camouflage of this plane. Mirai opens a screen. The camera corresponding to the screen shows the air moving backwards at a high speed.- I know that it makes me sound like the emperor in the story 'The Emperor's New Clothes', but is the camera showing the plane?- Yes. I upgrade the light refraction system and this is the test phase. But so far, we are still safe.- Sometimes you reprimand me for screwing up, but I cannot understand what your purpose is, trying to bet our life on a prototype.- Spit out another sentence and you will walk in this freezing desert. The plane flies for less th
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 80 - Deep into the Abyss (part 8)
We return to the shelter the following day after placing bugs at five blue crosses. We bring the sleepy people back to their rooms and clean up the banquet. There are around three hours left before the anaesthesia wears off. On the next morning, the army of jeeps goes to an area nearby, where we have earlier confirmed that the ore density is high enough to conduct mining activities. While Mirai goes to help the research team assemble their equipment, I, along with the other men from the escorting team, sit on the back of one of the jeeps, observing the surrounding. I withdraw a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, take one out, ignite the end and smoke. Since Mirai advocates for health and imposes her ideology on me, it has been a long time since I get to smoke, and the feeling of pleasure and familiarity spread through my entire body. I give one to the man next to me. - Here, have one. - Sure. But, I thought you are the team leader. Why are you sitting here?
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 81 - Deep into the Abyss (part 9)
- Wow... This is the first time I have used this drilling device. The mechanical division claimed it only takes half a day to drill with minimal supervision, but this is impressive... The research team looks at the ideally dug hole. All measurements are exact to millimetres, and the lateral hardening is so rigid that it can withstand at least months before brick walls are installed. A minute marvelling at the nice hole is sufficient, and the team starts assembling a pulley structure, which is just a solid metal frame to support the weight of a fully-equipped researcher. One member will be tied to a rope and slowly descend the hole. This time, I watch with the other research members as one of them climbs down the hole. That person wears a headlight, and as he goes deeper and deeper into the hole, the small dot of light becomes paler and paler. The tracker shows that he is at the five-hundred-metre mark, meaning halfway down. Minerals only start to appear deep undergr
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 82 - Deep into the Abyss (part 10)
It was a silent night near the end of the year 2059. The streets were already decorated with huge Christmas trees and illuminated with neon lights. That was probably the only time of the year that the city looked visually colourful at night. The Australians, as always, gathered at homes before the veil of darkness encapsulated the sky, but the absence of any human sounds did not make the night any less vibrant. If one had an acute sense of hearing, one could hear the faint humming of traditional Christmas songs in the background. In a not-so-peaceful backstreet near the University of New South Wales, the hurried footsteps of a man disrupted the tranquillity. It was followed by a series of silenced gunshots from at least three armed persecutors. The man was also carrying a handgun, but he well knew that the moment he stopped running, his body will become a slice of cheese, full of holes. And why did it become as such? Everything happen at lightspeed, and he had to suppress h
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 83 - Deep into the Abyss (part 11)
The confrontation is not one based on impulse. It feels like something planned for some time, waiting for the climax. I try to keep a straight face and posture but inside, I am slightly trembling. I decide to abide by the role Mirai has created for me. - Just an expatriate who was sent to the Egypt branch from the same corporation in Tokyo due to some circumstances. - And then? - What do you mean by 'and then'? That is all. And yes, I relocated to South Africa for around five years before getting sent here again for the project that everyone here is working on. - Now we are heading somewhere. The head architect looks as if there is a weapon in her sleeve that she would not hesitate to withdraw to use against me. - Would you mind explaining the relocation? - I just do not feel like Egypt is my place. And as far as I see, it has been quite turbulent here since then... - ... and I hope you will realise that ev
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 84 - Deep into the Abyss (part 12)
The foundation of the construction mine has already been built, thus the structural disruptions due to the leaks of gravitational waves are relatively minor. After relishing in joy, Mirai and I help the construction team to pick up tools on the ground. And now, in the control room, locked and without any speck of light, the three of us sit around a table. We try to keep the atmosphere as chill as possible, but if Maric plans to make a move, Mirai would not hesitate to pin her down again. While I sit with my arms supporting my head, Mirai takes out a syringe and plays with it in her hand. It seems that Maric immediately recognises what liquid is in the syringe just from its purple colour. Mirai does not take long to realise the panic coming from the subject and confirms her deduction. - That! How do you have that? This is even out of bounds to some high-ranked personnel! - Ah, so you know what this is. Then let's go to the main part, shall we? Knowing tha
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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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex
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
- 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
