Chapter 214: What I Want to Do (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: What I Want to Do (3)
Disaster struck one day, suddenly, without any warning or omen.
“So, when are they arriving?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
Sitting in the headquarters' supply warehouse, A was busy organizing various items, while Seira watched him with narrowed eyes.
“That’s why I told you to tidy up as you went.”
“I’ve been busy as hell. Where was I supposed to find the time?”
“Then you should’ve let me help when I offered.”
“And listen to you nag the whole time? You think I’d sign up for that?”
“Then you should’ve kept things organized enough so I wouldn't have to nag.”
The reason A was busy sorting through his things in the warehouse, trading barbs with Seira, was because the personnel transfer season for their unit had arrived.
Having served in the same unit for several years and carried out numerous operations as combat personnel, the two had been reassigned to the newly formed Aviation Corps. A had procrastinated on packing his belongings until the very last moment, only starting now that the transfer date was looming.
Though it was called an Aviation Corps, A was headed for deep space, meaning he wouldn't be able to see his parents for the foreseeable future. His parents, who hadn't been able to make it when he completed his soldier training, had decided to visit to see their son before he became unreachable.
“Your mom and dad... how many years has it been?”
“A while. I last saw them when I enlisted.”
Having spent the last few years immersed in military life, A rarely had the chance to go home.
Whenever he received a phone call from his mother and endured her nagging, he’d briefly think about visiting, but he would always get sucked back into work and forget all about it.
“You’re something else. Do you really love working in the military that much?”
“I’m doing it because I like it. Isn't it cool?”
A had dreamed of becoming a soldier ever since he saw one as a child and felt a sense of admiration. Now an adult, he was living that dream. Seira had joined the military alongside him just to keep an eye on him, fearing what kind of trouble he might get into if left alone.
Seira didn't have any complaints since the lifestyle suited her well enough, but A, who genuinely enjoyed military life, sometimes seemed like a total eccentric to her.
“A. You done yet?”
Just then, a young man with dark brown hair passed by the warehouse. It was Kruger, who poked his head inside to check on A’s progress.
“Almost. Seriously, who stashed all this junk everywhere?”
“You did. Who else?”
Kruger let out a hollow laugh, rebuking A for his lack of organizational habits.
“Anyway, what’s up? You didn't come here just because you were curious about my cleaning.”
“The Captain is looking for you.”
“Got it.”
At the mention that the Captain of their current unit was looking for him, A stopped what he was doing and stood up.
“What does she want?”
“Probably a final exit interview. I think you’re the last one left.”
Having delivered the message, Kruger went on his way. A locked eyes with Seira for a moment.
When Seira gestured for him to hurry up, A nodded and made his way toward the Captain’s office.
“A. Come on in.”
“Yes, Captain Angelica. I heard you were looking for me.”
“Right. Have a seat.”
Tucking her long white hair behind her ear, Angelica, the unit commander, welcomed him. A lowered his hand from a salute, approached her, and sat on the sofa opposite her, glancing around the office for no particular reason.
“You transfer in two days.”
“Yes. Time really flew.”
“It feels like only yesterday you were causing trouble when you first arrived.”
Watching Angelica speak with a gentle, smiling voice, A gave an awkward laugh as he recalled his early days in the unit, back when he was overflowing with youthful vigor and ambition.
“I’ve learned so much from you, Captain. Even in the new unit, I’ll make sure to put everything you taught me to good use.”
“The commander of the Aviation Corps is a classmate of mine. I’ll put in a good word for you. Just try not to be so foul-mouthed.”
“I’ll try to fix that.”
“Well, then.”
With a smile never leaving her face, Angelica looked at the grown-up A with pride and spread her arms wide.
“Huh? Right now?”
“Don't act so surprised. Who was it that called their Captain 'Noona' the moment they transferred in?”
“Please forget about that.”
A’s face flushed as she pinpointed one of his past blunders.
Back when A was a wild, hot-blooded recruit, Angelica had chosen hugging as a way to calm him down. Her method had been incredibly effective, and A had shared many hugs with her throughout his time in the soldier unit.
He felt a bit embarrassed knowing this was the last time, but A didn't hesitate to share a hug with Angelica.
“Do well over there. And have a good time with your parents tomorrow.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After the hug, they chatted a bit more to conclude the final interview. Then, the next day.
What greeted A in the early morning was the sound of a siren announcing a red alert.
“What?! What’s going on?”
A hurriedly donned his suit and ran outside, questioning his colleagues who were moving about frantically. However, his comrades, who had also just woken up, couldn't possibly know the details of the sudden situation. A rushed toward the Operations Command Room.
“A!”
“What is it? What’s happening?”
He ran into Seira standing in front of the Command Room and immediately asked her for the status.
“They’re having a meeting inside. I overheard a bit—it sounds like the Predators are invading.”
A’s face turned pale at the word 'invasion.' An invasion was bad enough, but he knew that if a creature like a Predator was invading a planet, it wouldn't be on any ordinary scale. He was speechless.
“Wait a second.”
He hurriedly tried to contact his parents, who should have been on their way to the base, using his communication module. However, nothing appeared except for a notification indicating signal interference.
“Signal interference? Why?”
It was strange. Predators were mindless creatures; even if they invaded, there was no reason for signal interference to occur.
Even if communication volume spiked, the network was robust enough to handle it. Signal interference meant that someone was intentionally blocking communications.
Just as his face turned ghostly pale, the doors to the Command Room opened. What caught A’s eye wasn't the officers in the meeting, but a TV broadcasting the news.
The moment he saw the words [Disaster Alert Issued], the news content rushed into his mind.
「Predators are appearing simultaneously in various regions...」
「Pirates are looting in urban areas...」
The Predators had invaded. It was unbelievable, but he could wrap his head around that. However, the news that space pirates were also invading was something A’s mind couldn't process. Angelica tapped the shoulder of the frozen young man.
“A. Get it together. This is a real-world situation.”
“...What’s the scale? Which areas have been hit?”
“...It’s large enough to say the entire planet is under attack. We’ve received word that the majority of the various national militaries in orbit have been taken out.”
“Mom... Dad...”
As soon as the faces of his parents, who were supposed to be coming to the base, flashed through his mind, A sprinted off.
“A!”
Seira and Angelica called out to him simultaneously from behind, but their voices didn't reach his ears.
The situation outside the base was literal carnage.
Voices of people screaming rose from everywhere, enough to make one believe the world had changed overnight. Black smoke billowed from various parts of the city.
Many military units had already deployed to the scene, and battles were breaking out in every direction.
He had carried out many operations, but he had never faced a situation this sudden. The reality that a disaster severe enough to potentially end the world had arrived without any warning simply didn't sink in.
“!”
A shadow loomed over him. When he looked up, A despaired at the sight of the sky.
A black object—something that couldn't even be called a living organism, something unidentifiable to the naked eye—was floating there.
“A Predator...”
Driven by the single-minded thought that he had to find his parents, A activated his suit and flew toward the city.
Flying at low altitude, he dodged debris from collapsing buildings and evaded flying bullets, focused solely on finding his parents who were out there somewhere.
He hadn't seen them in years, but whenever he contacted them with a worry, they never hesitated to give him advice.
His mother had taught him how to love himself and others, and his father had taught him how to look at the world and reflect on himself.
Their faces and voices echoed continuously in his mind.
He increased his speed, thinking that if he flew as fast as possible, he might still be able to find them. The moment he arrived at the terminal, A witnessed yet another scene of chaos.
A cracked TV was broadcasting an evacuation announcement. The speakers were broken, so the sound was distorted.
The pirates had seemingly already swept through the area; everything was destroyed, and corpses were strewn everywhere.
What if my parents are already...
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the veins on his forehead bulged.
A black and silver suit formed over his stationary body, and a helmet encased his head.
The moment he took off into the air, the resulting shockwave shattered the surrounding glass. He grabbed the head of a pirate aiming a gun from a window and slammed him into the floor.
“This is X09. I am activating my Battle Suit to annihilate the enemy.”
「A! Where are you right—」
After delivering a one-sided message that he was commencing the operation, A cut off the incoming voice and soared into the sky.
Seeing the fleeing civilians and the pirates fighting soldiers everywhere, his resolve to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and find his parents grew even stronger.
And from the sky, the Predators were descending.
“You bastards!”
He summoned two large railguns that attached to his arms and fired massive beams at the Predators in the sky.
Blue flashes of light scorched the Predators, turning them a searing red, but A’s individual firepower wasn't enough to deal with the massive creatures.
“Don't get in my way!”
A pirate flying nearby aimed his gun and pulled the trigger at A. A large iron shield manifested in the air to block the incoming bullets. As A observed the movements of the pirates and the Predators, he felt something was off.
“You guys... don't tell me...”
It was as if the pirates were accurately predicting the Predators' movements. Only one thought filled A’s mind.
“Did you bring the Predators here?!”
The pirates had intentionally led the Predators here to invade. They did it to loot a resource-rich planet more quickly.
Intelligent life had used the most dangerous, mindless creatures in the universe to invade other intelligent life.
“You sons of bitches!”
A lunged forward with incredible speed and swung his fist.
“!”
The pirate facing A blocked his incoming fist with his bare hand.
“Quite the energetic soldier.”
“Who the hell are you?”
With the experience he had gained, A could immediately tell that the aura emanating from this man wasn't that of a mere subordinate. His tone was relaxed, and his gaze looked down on A as if he were insignificant.
“Captain. This area is cleared.”
Another pirate flew up behind him, calling him 'Captain' and reporting the situation. After hearing his subordinate's report, the pirate captain’s gaze returned to A.
“If you rush in without thinking rationally, you’ll die easily. Kid.”
Then, Angelica flew in and kicked the man called Captain.
“!”
“A. Are you okay?”
The pirate captain was knocked back through the air by a speed he couldn't react to. Angelica ignored him and immediately checked on A’s condition.
“Yes. I’m fine, Captain. What’s the situation?”
“We’ve decided to retreat from this area for now. Dealing with the pirates is one thing, but we can't stop the Predators.”
The Predators, which had already begun descending to the surface, were devouring all forms of life. Fleeing civilians, fighting soldiers, invading pirates—they ate everything without distinction. Screams echoed from all sides.
“But...”
“Your parents are fine. I’ve confirmed they’re on an evacuation shuttle.”
A’s expression brightened instantly at the news of his parents.
“Thank God.”
“Let’s head back first. There’s no way for us to handle the Predators on our own right now.”
The Predators had landed, and the pirates who brought them had first targeted the facilities designed to counter them.
It was a perfectly planned invasion, as if they knew exactly what was where.
Countless civilizations in the universe had perished with pathetic speed. Many of them had been destroyed by Predators, yet no one ever thinks they will be one of those civilizations.
And the civilizations that faced an unthought-of destruction were helplessly powerless, regardless of their technological advancement.
“Mom! Dad!”
Returning to headquarters and boarding a ship, A immediately contacted the civilian evacuation shuttle.
The moment he saw his parents' faces on the screen, the tension he had been holding finally dissipated.
「A! How are you? Are you hurt?」
“I’m fine. Are you two okay?”
「Yes. Your father and I are perfectly fine.」
Though their faces were covered in dust, he was relieved to see that they appeared uninjured.
「We’re okay, so focus on your own safety first. Understood?」
“Yeah. I got it.”
Through the window, he saw the civilian evacuation shuttle he was communicating with take off. It was quite a distance away, but the communication was working, and he had confirmed his parents were there.
“Once they leave here and get to a safe zone...”
The screen went dead.
When he turned his gaze back to the window, the shuttle that had been rising safely just moments ago had become a massive fireball in the sky, plummeting toward the ground.
“Mom... Dad...”
Both A, who had been on the call, and Seira, who had been watching from behind him, stared out the window with wide, trembling eyes.
He felt nothing as he watched the falling shuttle. His senses only returned when he saw a man outside the window.
“!!!”
The pirate captain he had faced earlier was standing behind the falling shuttle, watching the moving military ship. It was as if he knew A was watching the shuttle from behind the glass.
“A-Ah... Aaaaaah!!”
“A!”
With bloodshot eyes, A screamed toward the window. Seira grabbed him as he looked ready to charge outside at any moment.
It was hollow. In a situation so sudden that his mind couldn't keep up, the only emotion he felt was futility.
The confrontation between the coalition of nations and the pirates continued for several days. The pirates were composed of a massive fleet, a scale comparable to the military of a great nation.
By the time it was revealed that they had used the Predators to invade, the situation was already beyond repair.
Though they were technologically far superior to the pirates, they failed to respond effectively to the surprise attack and the overwhelming presence of the Predators. And just like that, they lost everything overnight.