Chapter 243
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Operation: Assault on the Verit Base (2)
Mount Verit.
This was a mountainous region several hours away from Nighthaven by plane.
Its most notable feature was that the entire area, spanning several kilometers, had been preserved untouched by human hands.
Perhaps due to its high and rugged terrain, Mount Verit had long been considered a dangerous place to approach carelessly.
An ecosystem preserved without human interference was a rare commodity in this day and age.
Thus, to preserve its natural environment, Mount Verit was officially designated a restricted development zone.
However, a decade or so ago, the government suffered numerous aftereffects from a long and fierce war with the Metahuman Liberation Army.
They had caused irreversible, devastating damage with magic that science couldn't possibly comprehend.
The cause was the absurdly massive budget poured into countering them somehow.
In the end, to cover the budget shortfall, the government decided to sell off certain areas, including Mount Verit.
An entrepreneur bought Mount Verit on the condition that it would not be actively developed, and it became private property owned by a corporation called Cygnus.
“Tough luck, rookies. We've been getting a weird amount of extra work lately, so you're in for it! Just hope you don't run off. Hahaha!”
“Haha... Well, that's why there were openings. We should probably be thanking you.”
Albireo, a subsidiary of Cygnus.
This company, which primarily managed Mount Verit, was a type of service agency.
Its main duties involved monitoring the area for any suspicious individuals.
Moving unusually heavy materials, cleaning messy places, and reporting on them.
Perhaps because the workload at Albireo had recently increased to an abnormal degree, causing a mass exodus of employees.
Following the president's directive to hire more staff, four new recruits were brought on at once.
They were a pink-haired beauty, a black-haired man, a white-haired girl, and a green-haired young man.
Yep. In order from the front, that was Alice, Raven, me, and David.
*The Fixer Association, as expected. Just how influential are they to parachute four people in like this?*
Why were we, a special detachment meant to infiltrate the Metahuman Liberation Army's base, doing this?
The reason was simple. Our method of infiltration... was to disguise ourselves as cleaning staff.
It felt like something straight out of a spy movie.
My head knew this was no time for games, but my heart couldn't help but pound with excitement.
“Alright... uh, what was it? Ah, just follow this guy. He only got here three weeks ago, but he's your senior. What's-his-name, do a good job. Yeah.”
“Follow me. I'll explain what you need to do.”
A man with a somewhat refreshing smile led us, standing there awkwardly, out of the company building.
At a glance, he seemed carefree, but a closer look revealed a certain weariness in his shoulders.
Of course, the man who had supposedly joined three weeks ago was an agent from the Association.
It seemed he had infiltrated the company beforehand while we were away on Kukurru Island for special training.
The Association must have been working hard behind the scenes, determined not to let this opportunity slip by.
No one said anything, but the thought that we couldn't afford to fail made me tense up.
“Ahem, no one can hear us this far out. Greetings, Fixers. I am Agent K, your guide to the operation point.”
“Hello!”
“A pleasure.”
“We've met, haven't we? You've been working hard.”
“Not at all. It's my duty. To protect the world, you know.”
Agent K lightly thumped his chest with his fist as he spoke the cool words.
But perhaps because he was wearing the overalls of a cleaner, the mood was unfortunately a bit ruined.
Ah, for the record, our outfits weren't much different from his.
It might have been fine for me or David, but Raven and Alice had been attracting a lot of attention lately.
*Raven is a famous, rising Double-Number Fixer... and Alice's face and figure are just unfairly stunning.*
Even in a rural area this far from the city, they were bound to stand out.
So, we had applied light makeup to blur our features and changed into appropriate clothing.
For starters, Alice, unlike her usual kimono, was dressed in stuffy clothes that showed no skin.
A loose-fitting top and bottom that hid her figure, an apron for carrying things, black boots and gloves, and even a mask.
As a finishing touch, her long hair was gathered neatly and tucked into a hat, and she wore thick glasses.
It was impossible to completely hide her charm, but I'd say this was a pretty good effort.
Raven and David were in a similar state.
Likewise, they wore loose-fitting tops and bottoms, boots and gloves, plus hats and masks.
David's large frame made him look a bit out of place, but they otherwise looked like typical cleaners you could find anywhere.
*We dressed to erase as much of our individuality as possible, so it's only natural.*
I, too, was dressed similarly to the other Fixers.
Loose clothes and boots. And a hat, glasses, and a mask. I was fully decked out.
The only difference from usual was that I'd used the Tesseract to transform into Gym Yuria.
My usual self is just too small, a total pipsqueak.
To avoid suspicion, I needed to look at least like a middle schooler.
After all, some metahuman species are naturally small-statured.
They'll probably assume I'm something like that. It stings a little, though.
“Yuria, is something bothering you? Is it... uncomfortable being taller?”
“Nuh-uh. S'fine.”
As I was sulking a bit and hunching my shoulders.
Alice, who had silently approached me, whispered quietly.
It was her first time seeing me change my form with the Tesseract today.
She seemed worried that the sudden physical change might be causing me discomfort.
Seeing how her eyes trembled in shock when she first saw me change into Gym Yuria mode.
It's hard to say it was just concern... Maybe Alice prefers the smaller me?
*Well, she got used to it quickly and started clinging to me again anyway.*
Anyway, since there was no real problem, I shook my head to tell Alice I was fine.
I managed to collect my scattered emotions and straightened my posture.
While I took that moment to regroup, Agent K took something out of a trunk.
It was none other than a rolling work carrier.
“Here, this carrier contains your clothes and weapons. Take it to the designated location and change there.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Yes. Well then, I'm counting on you.”
“Ah, right. Just as you said, I'll be sure to protect the world.”
Raven and Agent K, who were acquainted, lightly bumped fists.
Given the gravity of the situation, it was a very brief and serious gesture.
But perhaps because of that, it felt like a moment of genuine understanding passed between them.
Soon, Agent K left, and as we were dragging the carrier side-by-side toward the entrance of Mount Verit.
Alice, who had been staring ahead silently for a while, murmured as if a question had occurred to her.
“Come to think of it, the person who bought this mountain is the CEO of Cygnus, right? Does that mean he's a metahuman too?”
“Hmm, no. Apparently, he's a pure human. He's an old man who was alive long before the metahumans crossed over.”
“Oh... So the Metahuman Liberation Army joined forces with a human corporation? But I thought they hated humans...”
“Well, it's just speculation, but their interests probably aligned.”
*Rumble, rumble.*
Raven, pushing the carrier forward, furrowed his brow slightly as if recalling something.
Then, as if trying to convey the story he'd heard without distortion, he began to speak slowly.
“According to the Association, they profited greatly from the successive deaths of key executives at a rival company about twenty years ago. It seems that was a major factor in them becoming the overwhelming industry leader they are today. Considering the circumstances... it's highly likely the Metahuman Liberation Army was involved behind the scenes.”
“I see. And if this was before the war, people would have still been ignorant of magic. It's perfectly understandable, then, that they found no evidence connecting the incidents to foul play.”
The Metahuman Liberation Army and Cygnus have a relationship of mutual convenience, you could say.
David concluded, supplementing Raven's words.
I wonder how long we walked along the path, talking like that.
Around noon, as the sun climbed high overhead, the entrance to Mount Verit came into view in the distance, blocked by a tall fence as if to restrict entry.
Naturally, there were guards at the entrance to this place that didn't allow just anyone inside.
Raven set the carrier down on the path for a moment, then pulled an ID from his pocket and approached them.
“Hello. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Huh, what's this? Haven't seen you before.”
“Yes, sir, just started today... Mr. Christopher said to show you this.”
“Uh... hmm, this is the request from five days ago. Is that carrier for cleaning supplies?”
“Yes, it is.”
The guard was completely nonchalant, as if he hadn't the faintest idea a war was about to break out.
And, seemingly thinking it was business as usual, he handed us a permit without even thinking of checking the carrier.
“You have to be out before six in the evening. This mountain's a maze; people sometimes go missing here at night.”
“Ahaha, we'll be careful.”
“Right. You can pass.”
To think we could get inside so easily, without any interference.
It felt rather anticlimactic, but then I remembered this was only the mountain's entrance.
The real challenge was the secret Metahuman Liberation Army base hidden inside.
Clutching the carrier tightly, I looked up at the eerie mountain and steeled my resolve.
One hour remained until the Association's main force would attack this place.
The tension made my fingertips feel cold.