Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Big Baby, Be Careful
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"Big baby, be careful."
"Adults." "Danger." "Be careful."
[Zzuzzu (You too)]
As planned, I sent the little ones ahead first. It had gone off without a hitch before, so this time should be no different.
'I have to do this right.'
With the kids sent off, all that was left for me was to make my move.
'So, which route should I take?'
There were three paths I could use right away. The corridors leading down at both ends, or scaling down the outer wall along the hallway side.
'They'll be watching the corridors.'
The space to transition from the stairs to the corridor was extremely limited, and I wasn't as small as before. The moment I entered, I'd be turned into Swiss cheese. Even with a body reinforcement type, surviving a concentrated barrage of tungsten rounds would be tough.
'Scaling the outer wall won't be easy either.'
They'd probably be on high alert for it since I'd used that trick once already. If the cops had injected enhancers, their boosted senses would pick up my attack in no time.
'Or maybe go through the apartment below like last time?'
Climb down via the windows and hit them from the second-floor apartment. That's how I'd quietly snatched Cop 106.
It was a solid plan, but if the enemy read my attack, its effectiveness would halve. The approach was more complicated than the other routes, raising the risk of getting spotted by androids midway.
'I need to draw their eyes away for it to work best.'
Was there a good way to do that?
'Ah.'
Suddenly, a great idea hit me while I was thinking.
'Forgot all about it after getting here.'
Time to dust off a handy trait that had served me well on the research ship.
I crept down to the third floor as quietly as possible.
Beyond the concrete floor of the corridor, I could sense the enemies' movements.
The faint electromagnetic waves from their electronics, the rubber-and-metal scent unique to synthetic skin, their utterly motionless bodies. Mixed in were the smell of sweat, the motion of swollen muscles thicker than normal, and rapidly pounding heartbeats.
It was a duet of machine and man.
'The cops have taken enhancers.'
Overflowing power leaked out as heat from their skin and clothes.
Enhancers boosted physical abilities and sharpened senses to animal-like levels. If I'd gone down unprepared, the cops would've detected and attacked me instantly.
'Lucky break.'
Boosted senses didn't expand their thinking. They wouldn't expect an attack from the 'ceiling', assuming I'd come from the corridor ends or outer wall.
The enemies' positions had androids covering front and back, with five humans in the middle split similarly, guarding front and rear.
Perched above the cops' heads, I raked wounds across my body with the claws of my elongated combat arm. My exoskeleton split open, black blood oozing from within.
'Need more blood.'
To melt the thick floor, I repeated the process of wounding freshly healed spots.
When I judged the floor sufficiently softened, I dug deep. Blood gushed from my wounds like a fountain, splattering across the corridor floor below.
'Perfect.'
In minutes, a massive hole would melt through, and the acidic blood would pour down.
I checked that my acidic blood was eating through the floor properly, then threw open the nearby door and dashed inside the apartment.
Crossing the place swiftly, I opened the window and crawled down to the floor below.
"Damn! It's acidic solution!"
"Everyone, watch out!"
The enemies panicked at the acidic blood raining from above.
By then, I'd already slipped into the apartment below. The door to the corridor loomed solidly before me.
I slammed into it with my full body.
A deafening crash echoed as the door flew outward, flattening the cop in front. Crimson blood sprayed from between the door panels, staining the corridor.
"Urk?!"
"Enemy attack."
They never saw it coming from both ceiling and side. The android marked M01 on its head spotted me fast and raised its Gauss rifle.
As the barrel swung my way, I grabbed a nearby cop's head and yanked him in front. The android hesitated—programmed not to shoot allies—but fired at me anyway.
'Robots are such a pain.'
Even with a human shield, it hit only me precisely. Stinging pain flared where the rounds struck.
Meanwhile, the other cops shook off their shock, reformed ranks, and kept their distance except for the one I held.
"Standard rounds have minimal effect. Switch to penetrators, everyone."
Whether it was the leader or not, while two cops fired at me, the other two quickly swapped ammo. The Gauss rifle in the cop's hands whirred, chambering penetrators.
'Crap.'
Needing cover, I retreated into the apartment. Penetrators punched through the walls behind me. One grazed my tail.
'Can't block penetrators with walls.'
Not planning to just take it, I whipped my bleeding tail hard. Black droplets flew, splattering the pursuing cops.
"Son of a—!"
"The blood has acidic properties!"
As they flinched, I scaled to the next apartment via the window. Through the wall, I heard them searching the bathroom and kitchen.
'Tch. Penetrators seem way more effective than in the game.'
"Mmph! Mmph!"
While checking my tail wound, the cop in my grip struggled to escape.
His enhancer-boosted strength was no joke, but with his head gripped, he couldn't exert much. To quiet him, I tightened my hold.
"……."
My hook-like claws scraped his helmet with a chilling screech, and he went still instantly.
'Gonna get more use out of this one.'
I activated the parasitic swarm in my lower right arm. Stage 5—one higher than Sender's.
'Stage 5 in the game shut down everything, but who knows in reality.'
A black, threadworm-like parasite burst from the swarm's orifice and latched onto the cop.
"Wh-what the hell?! St-stop!"
He thrashed in horror, but headlocked, his resistance was limited. As the parasite tried to squirm into his nostril, an explosion rocked the wall.
"Target acquired."
The android marked M02 smashed through. Specialized for close quarters, it wore gauntlets with pile bunkers on both arms besides the third.
M02 swung a fist at my head the instant it spotted me. I caught its wrist with my combat arm, but a metal spike shot toward my skull simultaneously.
Metal screeched on exoskeleton, sparks flying from my head. To stop the spike, I unleashed my serrated tentacles.
The long tentacle whip raked M02's face. Its dense sawteeth shredded the synthetic skin, badly damaging the metal frame beneath.
"Error detected. Support requested."
"Providing support."
M01 appeared behind, unloading Gauss rounds into me. Unretrieved tentacles shredded mercilessly by penetrators.
Pain throbbed through my entire arm, not just the tentacles. Retracting my half-remaining tentacles, I ducked behind M02.
"Mobility impaired. Recommend attack."
"M02, good work until now."
Ignoring me, M01 fired through M02 to kill us both. Lower-defense M02 turned to scrap in seconds.
'This is why I hate androids.'
No mental flinch meant my usual feints and ambushes fell flat. Using disabled M02 as a shield, I aimed my bone spur launcher at M01's third arm.
"You monster bastard!"
As I was about to fire, cops rushed to support M01. Penetrators rained from the debris-covered breach.
'Fire this and bail.'
My head and torso held, but elsewhere was vulnerable. Exoskeleton had limits. With limbs pierced, I barely launched the bone spur.
The projectile from my lower left arm tip rocketed out, smashing the Gauss rifle in M01's third arm grip.
"Weapon damaged."
As the android faltered, I hurled the sprawled cop at them. Infected with the parasite, he'd tie their feet plenty.
"!"
"Cease fire, everyone!"
As expected, they halted at the incoming ally. I mentally urged the parasite to go wild, then bolted from the apartment.
"Hey, you okay?!"
"103! Stay with us!"
"Ugh... ughh…."
Hitting the corridor, I raced to where the kids should be.
By now, they'd finished up and were waiting.
"Ugh... uwaaaghh!"
"103!"
"My... my head aaaah!"
103 rolled on the floor clutching his head. Cops rushed to restrain him. His enhanced adult male frame made it no easy task.
"Calm down!"
"Pleaaase! Someone! Get this out!"
While others held him, William quickly operated 103's wrist terminal. The suit's built-in meds injected, but his condition didn't improve.
"What the...?"
"Not poison—likely a virus or micro-organism infiltrating the brain."
M01 answered William's confusion. With its third arm wrecked, it had salvaged and donned M02's power bunker gauntlet.
"…Any way to treat it?"
"Not a medical android. Must transport to hospital immediately."
"Damn it!"
William spat a curse.
He didn't know who Sander had dealt with, but that thing far surpassed Hulk mutants.
Its attack methods were insanely varied—unknown genetics at work. Worse, it wielded them masterfully.
"Aaaah!"
"Goddamn it!"
"M01! Do something!"
"We must pursue the target. It's an extremely dangerous combat organism. If it hides in another apartment, casualties will be severe."
"Fuck! We can't just leave it!"
As cops and android argued over 103, his condition worsened rapidly.
"Agh! A... aa... s-s-sorry…."
"103?"
His expression twisted suddenly, and he bolted up. Then he turned his Gauss rifle on the cops holding him.
"Gahk!"
"105!"
105 collapsed vomiting blood, gut holed.
103, who'd shot his comrade, had tears streaming but a bizarre grin.
"Hee... heehee! Sh-should've done this sooner! Hee heehee!"
"103, snap out of it!"
"103 compromised. Parasite control suspected. Neutralizing."
M01 approached. The deranged cop swung his rifle at it but too slow. M01 chopped the back of his neck, knocking him out.
"Neutralized."
"105! Don't lose consciousness!"
"Ugh... ughh…."
"Inject meds!"
"Hang on!"
William rushed treatment to 105, but even he saw no hope.
Meds weren't miracle cures; without a hospital now, 105 was done.
Leaving unconscious 105, William stood.
Excluding gut-shot 105 and out-cold 103, only 102, William, and M01 remained.
"…M01. Situation's bad. Call up the androids and cops from the first floor now."
"Understood."
Three against it? Best case mutual destruction. If it pulled a new trick, total wipeout. Even M01 agreed this time, linking comms.
"This is M01. Personnel on first floor, proceed upstairs."
Chitchitchzzzt
"This is M01. Repeat: first-floor personnel, upstairs now."
Chizzzt
"……."
M01 repeated, but only static replied.
The meaning was clear.
'Not just one!'
William realized too late.
While it stalled, its allies targeted the first-floor androids and cops.
"Appears to be a diversionary tactic."
The android's words nailed it. They'd fallen into a trap.
A trap set by unidentified beings.