The Apartment (2)
There was still time before the enemies arrived.
Which meant I had a moment to think about how I wanted to cook my prey.
I was currently in Building 3 of Complex C.
The building followed a corridor-style layout — a hallway on every floor, with six units per floor, meaning six households could live on each level. Aside from the basement, which housed the generator, shared laundry facilities, and other essential equipment, the building rose a total of six stories. No elevator; the only way up was the stairwells at either end of each corridor.
They'll check the layout before coming in.
Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter much with the androids on their side. Feed the building's schematics into an android, and problem solved.
But androids have their weaknesses too.
Androids were extremely intelligent, yet because they operated according to fixed programs, they lacked genuine autonomous judgment.
For instance, order an android to guard a building, and it would have no trouble eliminating anyone who approached or attacked from range.
But against irregular tactics — someone planting a bomb in the basement, or a strike from the air — an android couldn't respond properly.
Case in point: when I melted the coolant system of the pirate ship with my Acid Blood, the android never even registered it as an attack.
What compensates for an android's limited thinking is the humans beside it. The enemy would surely deploy a mix of androids and armored police.
In the game, a MegaCorp player's skill was measured by how well they balanced Hulk Mutants, humans, and androids.
MegaCorp was rated a solidly powerful faction in the game because of its flexible playstyle. You could modify your player character's genes for a Cult-style one-man massacre, or lean on the Employment trait to command massed armies like an Outspacer swarm.
This place isn't a space fortress, so there won't be any Hulk Mutants — it'll be a human-and-android combination.
The real question was their armament.
I had already confirmed the androids were carrying Gauss rifles.
If the police carried similar weapons, they'd most likely arrive in powered suits to match.
This is a rich city, so they'll be wearing medium-grade suits at the very least.
If I were on Earth or Mars, I'd be facing elite soldiers kitted out with plasma weapons and High-Grade Powered Armor as standard issue — but this place wasn't armed to that level.
Still, it won't exactly be a cakewalk.
Laser weapons couldn't harm me, but Gauss rifles were a different story.
Thanks to the Physical Enhancement Type, I could withstand the standard tungsten rounds.
But the true value of a Gauss rifle lay in its ability to swap ammunition for different targets. A specialized round with enhanced penetrative power would punch clean through even my carapace.
I need to finish this before they figure that out.
My auxiliary organ was calculating which points inside the apartment would work best for ambushing them when No. 26 and Adhai drifted into view.
Now that I think about it, these two are apex predators themselves.
Sea Demons and Galagons both belonged to the high-risk NPC category. One was treated as a mini-boss; the other carried the nickname "Dragons of Space."
They were still only hatchlings, but hunting police would be no trouble for either of them.
No. 26 has grown a lot recently, so using her psychic power shouldn't strain her. And Adhai's a Galagon — as long as nobody lands a hit on her, she'll be fine.
Both of them could kill an enemy effortlessly with even a weak psychic strike, provided they aimed for the right vital point. All I had to do was teach them where to aim.
[Zzzzt zzzzzzt (Kids, come here a moment.)]
I gathered the two of them together.
Night fell over the space city, just as it did any other day.
As the star-strewn black curtain descended over the entire city, only the Residential District slipped free of its domain.
Unlike a usual night, the district blazed with man-made light, as though it had become the Entertainment District itself.
Beacon lamps mounted atop armored trucks, headlights fixed to the powered suits worn by the police, the garish glow pouring from every manner of electronic device — light drove the darkness back from every corner.
And it wasn't only the light that was deafening.
The crackle of police radios, the heavy tread of armed androids, the wail of sirens — sounds far more at home in the Entertainment District filled the apartment complex to bursting.
"William! Have you lost your mind?"
The Port District Security Team Leader shouted at William, who was silently checking over his powered suit. William looked up at him with listless eyes.
"Is something the matter?"
"Calling in armed police over a single thread of a broker! Do you have any idea how big this is going to get?"
William knew all too well that the Port District Security Team Leader was every bit as greedy as his rolls of fat suggested.
He also knew that a not-insignificant share of the credits Broker Sander had paid out was tucked away inside that jiggling lard.
"And now you're searching the Cargo Storage Team, who aren't even involved! This is a blatant overreach of authority!"
William had left the apartment earlier that day and immediately transmitted everything he'd gathered on Broker Sander to his superiors. Not to the Port District team — higher up, to the District General Security Team.
As a result, the Cargo Storage Team had been thrown into utter chaos by the police who stormed in without warning.
Broker Sander — Sander, rather — was summarily arrested, and everyone connected to him was hauled off to the holding cells one after another.
The shock of his own arrest had apparently broken something in the man; Sander was now exhibiting signs of mental derangement and had slipped into unconsciousness.
Having finished inspecting his powered suit, William spoke as he ran a final check on the special rounds for his Gauss rifle.
"And how, exactly, would you know that?"
"What?"
"Not one of us reported the search to the Port District team. So how did you know the Cargo Storage Team was being raided, Team Leader?"
"Th-that's..."
"And you're mistaken about something else. The man in league with S — with Sander — is no mere thread."
"What?"
"That man killed Sander's bodyguard. An ex-military professional."
"What the hell are you talking about? I never heard any such thing!"
"Of course you didn't. I filed the report directly with the District General Security Team earlier today. They took the matter seriously enough to grant my request for support."
"You—! Do you have any idea what you've just done? This is insubordination!"
"Insubordination?"
At those words, William seized his superior by the collar. He bared his teeth like a wolf and growled.
"Did you really think headquarters didn't know you were in bed with the broker? You're finished."
"H-hik!"
William had no desire to exchange another word with his former superior. Leaving the man bone-white and trembling, he walked over to the armed police still in briefing.
The assault force for the apartment consisted of twelve armored police in powered suits and six combat androids. Each officer had a number from 101 to 112 stenciled across his chest, while the androids bore an M and a number etched into their heads.
The android marked M01 came forward to meet William.
"I'm William, Detective Team Leader of the Port District Security Team. A pleasure."
"The pleasure is mine, Detective Team Leader William. I am M01, an android of the District General Security Team. Though I am an android rather than a human, I am currently directing this operation. You will follow my instructions."
"Understood."
After the brief introductions, M01 resumed briefing the officers.
The objective: the arrest of the organization members trading with Sander, and the collection of evidence.
Photographs taken of the members before their dealings with Sander, along with composite sketches, had been shared so that both police and androids knew exactly what they looked like.
Information on any survivors inside Building 3 had likewise already been distributed.
As William prepared to breach alongside the other officers, M01 called out to him.
"You appear to be unaware, Detective Team Leader."
"Unaware of what?"
"Headquarters has issued the armed police new-model powered suits. Upgraded in every respect over the previous versions, with enhanced effects from the built-in treatment agents and combat stimulants."
"That is good news."
"Additionally, the existing equipment now includes a compact psychic shield. Please press the purple button."
When William pressed the button on his wrist terminal, a translucent oval shield sprang from his left forearm.
"Psychic equipment developed by the Garmelda family through their dealings with the Cult. They sent it over a few days ago, as a gesture of congratulations for the Board of Directors Meeting."
"Much appreciated."
That was the end of the conversation.
All that remained was the breach itself.
As if this will go smoothly.
The enemy would never have imagined the police armed with brand-new equipment.
Moreover, the armed police of the District General Security Team had combat experience enough to be called soldiers. On top of that, they had the support of combat androids. It was a game they couldn't lose even if they tried.
"Beginning breach. Masks on."
At those words, every officer donned the mask fixed to his powered suit.
"We will search the first-floor corridor first."
At M01's command, the police and androids began combing the first-floor corridor. Most of it was empty, but not all of it — a few residents were seized by the androids and dragged outside.
"First floor clear. Moving to the second. As a precaution, we will leave three personnel on each floor."
They were about to begin the second-floor search when static crackled through the comms.
｢Kzzt— kzzk, this is— agh, kzzt｣
"M06?"
"What's wrong?"
"Contact has been lost with one android."
"Which location?"
"Unit 105, first floor. M04 and Officer 111, standing by on the first floor, verify immediately."
｢Officer 111. Copy.｣
｢M04. Copy.｣
M01 issued commands calmly, without a hint of panic. A short while later, a transmission came in from M04.
｢M04. Reporting. M06's power unit has been destroyed.｣
"Can you determine the method of attack?"
｢M04. Confirmed only destruction by severe physical force. Further details require analysis.｣
Something about that struck William as wrong.
Thirteen people — himself included — and six robots had combed the first floor from top to bottom. There should have been nowhere for an enemy to slip in and hide.
"Report immediately if anything unusual is found. We will resume the search."
｢Officer 111. Understood.｣
｢M04. Copy.｣
They were on the verge of resuming the sweep when Officer 101, walking point, stopped dead in his tracks.
"101?"
"......"
He stood trembling, as though his body had been nailed to empty air. Then, slowly, his neck began to rotate.
The sight was horrifyingly familiar. William shouted.
"Damn it — psychic att—!"
Before he could finish, 101's neck turned with a crisp crack, a full 360 degrees. The officer whose neck had been completely snapped collapsed to the floor like a broken doll.
"Enemy attack!"
"All armed police, activate your psychic shields. Androids, secure the perimeter—"
"AAAAAGH!"
A scream tore through the air from behind them.
William whipped his head around and saw it: the legs of Officer 112 dangling in midair. Something indescribable was climbing down the apartment's outer wall, dragging the officer along with it.
"Open fire!"
"Open fire!"
Police and androids alike unleashed a ferocious barrage. But the thing paid them no mind whatsoever, hauling its prey into the darkness and vanishing.
William and the armed police pressed themselves against the corridor walls and craned their necks upward, but nothing met their eyes except black void.
"The one taken was 112!"
"Verifying. Officer 112, please respond."
｢Kzzt— aaaaagh — kzzzzt — agh — kzzzzzzz｣
Amid the static, a scream drenched in agony bled through, and William clenched his jaw. M01, machine that it was, repeated the same words without a trace of emotion.
"Officer 112, if you are alive, please respond."
｢Kzzzzzzzt｣
"Final attempt to confirm. Officer 112. If you are alive, respond."
｢Kzzt — this is the fourth floor. It dragged me up here.｣
"Fourth floor. Confirmed."
When the reply finally came through, every officer let out a breath of relief. Of course, they all understood that 112's life now hung by a thread — but that was still better than being dead.
"We will split into two groups. Officers 102 through 105, along with the Team Leader, myself, and M02, will search the second floor. The rest will proceed to the fourth."
Less than thirty minutes after entering, they had lost one officer and one android, and another officer's life now dangled by a thread.
Thanks to M01 commanding the officers without a flicker of agitation despite the dire circumstances, morale hadn't collapsed.
But unlike the others, William couldn't shake a certain creeping unease.
Had it, in truth, been a mistake to bring only the police to this place?
The thought began to smolder in a corner of his mind.
It wasn't that he was thinking this because he was a coward.
When 112 was dragged away, he had seen it. Clearly.
The arm gripping the officer had four of them.