Chapter 145: Mobilization Order Records - Someone's Diary (2)
Chapter 145: Mobilization Order Records - Someone's Diary (2)
Day 1.
"Was there really a rat?"
"I don't know if it was a rat, but there was definitely something suspicious."
The Dining Hall was a cacophony of noise.
It was late afternoon. Those who had skipped breakfast due to the morning's raid had gathered to eat lunch, and the topic of the hour was the rat.
A notice had been posted: something suspicious was prowling the quarters, so everyone was to bolster their defenses.
In a place where the only forms of entertainment were drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, even a notice like that was a significant event.
"The Commander said you were the one who found it?"
"Meteor was the one who actually saw it. I just confirmed that something was there."
A single strand of fur caught in the darkness.
Even that had vanished almost instantly.
"An enemy with strong stealth capabilities, huh? Is it hard to find?"
"Extremely. If Meteor hadn't told me, I wouldn't have found it either."
"Hmm... If you say so, it must be really tough."
"I didn't see the rat myself, only the fur it left behind, so I can't say for sure."
Maybe it was only hard to find because only the fur remained.
If the Mutant itself had been there, it might have been easier to track...
"Hmph... Well, I'm sure it'll be handled soon."
Right. It would be handled soon.
There were several top-tier Awakened here, after all.
* * *
Day 2.
Countless monster corpses were laid out in the plaza.
Day 5.
The number of people claiming to have seen the rat increased sharply.
The head of a Mutant was found placed neatly in a straight line at the main gate of the settlement.
Day 8.
Upon receiving word that a scout unit had been ambushed, we arrived at the scene to find the Otherworldly enemies hacked to pieces alongside the corpses of our fallen squad members.
There was a blackout across the entire settlement.
Day 13.
A mountain of wild animal carcasses was discovered. Upon inspection, they were determined not to be monsters.
Some people began claiming they heard strange voices while they slept.
Day 16.
The settlement's personnel officer was murdered.
The face was found intact on the bed, but everything below the neck had been reduced to bits of flesh and scattered across the room.
Communications were cut, but restored shortly after.
Day 19.
The observatory reported a swarm of monsters approaching, but nothing happened.
The soldier at the observatory was diagnosed with hysteria.
Day 20.
A massive monster corpse was found in the warehouse.
The flesh had been meticulously stripped from the bones.
Day 24.
The settlement's Commander-in-Chief barked at the Awakened to resolve the incident immediately.
Day 25.
What used to be the settlement's Commander-in-Chief was found hanging by the neck in the center of the Dining Hall.
Day 26, Daytime.
Word arrived that the military police were on their way.
Day 26, Nighttime.
The military police were slaughtered en route, leaving only two soldiers alive.
There was a blackout. Communications were cut.
Day 28.
A new unit of military police was dispatched.
After an investigation, it was confirmed that the incidents were not the work of an insider.
The military police withdrew.
Day 29.
A large-scale Otherworld Invasion occurred.
Day 33 (presumably).
The invasion was repelled with far fewer casualties than expected.
Day 34 (according to some).
A new Commander-in-Chief was dispatched.
He was found dead in the restroom that same day. The cause of death was excessive bleeding from a severed carotid artery.
Day 35.
A Mutant’s corpse was found hanging from a tree.
By now, everyone was used to it and buried it with indifference.
Day 36.
Food supplies ran out.
In the midst of the chaos, the exact consumption rate hadn't been monitored.
Day 38.
Food suddenly appeared in the warehouse.
Supposedly, it had been transferred from another settlement.
Day 40.
A new Commander-in-Chief was dispatched.
A former Awakened, he had reportedly volunteered for the military after retiring.
A day passed, and fortunately, he did not die.
Day 42.
The chief supply officer was found dead in the warehouse.
CCTV footage showed only him entering the room and locking the door from the inside.
Day 44.
An incident occurred where a soldier stabbed a fellow soldier.
Fortunately, it ended with only an injury, and the victim was evacuated to the rear.
Under interrogation, the perpetrator claimed he thought his comrade was a Mutant.
Day 46.
The first soldier fatality occurred. A soldier opened fire on his own allies.
Normally, he would have been interrogated, but with so many personnel undergoing psychiatric evaluation, he was simply restrained and thrown into solitary confinement.
Day 47.
The soldier in solitary confinement committed suicide.
There was a blackout.
Day 48.
While the Commander-in-Chief was away, the executives were massacred in the meeting room.
There was one survivor, but they testified that they saw nothing.
* * *
Day 49.
High command decided to abandon this settlement.
The reason given was that Allied executives were dying one after another, yet the Awakened couldn't even identify the culprit.
Furthermore, because not a single Awakened had been killed in the midst of that carnage, Commander Macbeth was taken away by the military police.
The charge was suspicion of treason against humanity.
Everyone knew the accusation was absurd, but Commander Macbeth went quietly, saying that someone had to calm the situation down.
“…”
I’m sick of this.
Lying on my bed, I thought about the ruined atmosphere of the garrison.
It took only seven weeks to collapse a frontline garrison.
No one trusts each other, and every time you wake up, someone has been hacked to death.
A belief spread that locking your door would keep the rat out, leading to an increase in people who refused to leave their rooms. Over those seven weeks, the night watch was quadrupled.
And yet, the rat was never found.
Communication between people was paralyzed, and the Dining Hall closed down.
We didn't starve because high command issued preserved rations, but nerves were so frayed that combat loss rates skyrocketed.
It was a natural result of being unable to trust others, having no way to vent frustrations, and being unable to even speak to one another.
“…I’d rather we just had a proper, heated battle.”
What kind of situation was this?
To have to give up the front line without even getting to swing a weapon at The Enemy.
They say a Rat Hole eventually becomes a breach wide enough for an ox.
This wasn't just an ox-sized breach; it was a hole in the world.
As I thought that, I turned off the light and lay down to rest my exhausted body.
Ping.
A sound rang out that I couldn't quite describe.
It was a grating noise, like a string snapping, yet it was also a clear, pure sound, as if played by a master musician.
I definitely heard it with my ears, but I couldn't tell where it had come from.
And then. I saw it.
“…”
In the deepest, darkest shadows, there was an entity with two eyes that sparkled with their own light.
The moment I laid eyes on it, I knew instinctively. That was the rat we had been looking for.
I couldn't sense anything from it other than visual information, yet it was clearly perceptible to my eyes.
It felt so surreal that it seemed like it would vanish if I just reached out my hand.
And yet, its presence was etched too deeply into my vision to be dismissed as an illusion.
I finally understood why Meteor had gritted his teeth on the first day and insisted it wasn't a hallucination.
That powerful entity stood at the head of my bed and…
“Squeak… lusd ov za… Watashi. Hmm. No, that’s not it.”
It spoke.
…Speech?
It was definitely speech. Though laced with a beastly sharpness, it was fluent human language.
When I failed to react to the utterly unexpected situation, it continued.
“I apologize for startling you. orva… resident… Hmm. Neither of those. It takes some time to learn the language of humans, you see.”
It can be reasoned with?
…I need to try talking to it.
I sat up in bed, shifting into a ready stance.
Whoosh.
Of course, I summoned my hammer and swung it, preparing for any eventuality.
“That dangerous armament… weapon? The languages of this world are difficult. So many diverse words. It was quite a struggle for ones like us to learn.”
The talkative rat spoke as it evaded backward.
…No. It didn't evade.
If it had, I should have felt something.
It was likely due to some power I didn't understand.
That must be the reason why no one had been able to find this rat until now.
In that case…
“What is your objective?”
It was only right to draw out information.
As I spat out those words, the rat's demeanor shifted entirely.
“Squeak. I was waiting for those words.”
It opened its mouth, baring its teeth.
It was distorted, but… that was likely a smile.
“How did you like my gifts? I thought I prepared them quite well.”
Gifts…?
Was there such a thing?
Sneaking into quarters in the middle of the night and dumping corpses in the middle of the base isn't exactly what I'd call a gift.
“…Does your world have a custom of gifting the corpses of your own kind?”
“zazqu… cannibalism… ah, not 'human.' If you mean cannibalizing one's own species, it does exist among us, but I wouldn't call it common…. Hmm. Could it be…?”
The rat seemed to ponder for a moment, closing one eye.
“Did they not strike your fancy?”
It spoke.
It’s insane.
Just as I was about to shout to call for others, it continued.
“I killed those who were resented by their peers, qizus… slew the invaders, and even provided food, did I not? I intended it as a gesture of goodwill….”
Hearing that, the entity's actions finally made sense.
The dead executives were mostly those with poor reputations among the soldiers and Awakened.
The discovery of Mutant and monster corpses was also this thing's doing.
The food transport, which was still shrouded in mystery, was also its work.
Goodwill….
Goodwill, huh….
“Why would you think to be kind to us?”
It was clearly a bit touched in the head, but since it was the first opponent I could actually communicate with, I threw out the question.
“Ah. As for that. sqad… I am sick and tired of invasion. Therefore, vuzau…. We also need a new place to live…. And it seemed the strongest individuals of this world were gathered here.”
Hmm. A new residence.
I suppose this thing isn't alone.
Thud.
I slid my feet into the boots sitting by the bed and adjusted my posture.
“And why talk to me? There are plenty of others who would make better negotiators.”
“loot sy… Connector…. You seemed like the person most likely to be reasoned with.”
The person most likely to be reasoned with, huh….
“Yeah, I think I get the gist of what you want to say. And regarding that….”
Boom.
I kicked off the ground.
My body shot forward.
“Die.”
I swung my hammer with everything I had.
Hard enough to shatter the entire room.
So it couldn't escape.
I felt an impact.
The sensation of metal clashing against metal.
But that was all.
Amidst the flying stone fragments and dust, the shadow-rat looked at me and spoke.
“…I see. I must have done something wrong. What should I do to make amends?”
Bang.
I lunged again, kicking off the floor.
As my answer, I said:
“Everything will be resolved once you're dead.”
That's right.
No matter how friendly it claimed to be, an Otherworldly Being is an Otherworldly Being.
Everything about them is different from us.
Their appearance. Their power.
And their way of thinking.
This encounter only served to make me realize that truth to my very core.
The actions they performed out of 'goodwill' toward us…
Were nightmares.
Were terror.
And were slaughter.
Even if those executives were jokingly called our primary enemies…
Did they deserve to die?
With that resentment fueling me, I brought The Hammer down on the rat's head.
Ping.
With that sound, the shadow scattered.
The rat vanished into the darkness of the night.
“…I shall go and study a bit more. I look forward to seeing you again.”
It left behind only those ominous words.
* * *
Day 50.
The rat appeared during Commander Macbeth’s trial.
It reportedly issued a threat. The contents are unknown.
Day 53.
The General Secretary of the Soviet Union, who was visiting the courthouse for the hearing, was attacked.
Commander Macbeth blocked the rat's attack.
Day 54.
Commander Macbeth was released.
Day 55.
Nothing happened.
Day 70.
The Mobilization Zone regained stability.
No more strange incidents occurred.
Day 80.
The rat was designated as an O-Rank Public Enemy.
Its designation is Umbra Rat.
It was recorded as the O-Rank with the fewest casualties.
* * *
O-Rank Mutant - 『Umbra Rat』
One of the O-Rank Mutants that has eluded elimination.
Currently presumed to be affiliated with an organization known as the Mutant Society.
It has been sighted in numerous locations, and while research into its abilities has been active, no attempt to eliminate it has ever succeeded.
This is partly due to the Umbra Rat's inherent abilities, but it is believed to be even more so because of its formidable ability to infiltrate human society.
In particular, it is strongly suspected of being involved in sabotage, high-level assassinations, and the theft of classified information. While it has an extremely low casualty count compared to other O-Ranks, its danger level is judged to be immense.
As a result, Management Bureau Agreement Article 23 Clause 2 was established.
If the existence of said Mutant is confirmed, and if more than one-third of an emergency council agrees, the use of all weaponry is authorized.
Revision <No. 1425>
In Article 23 Clause 2, "if more than one-third of an emergency council agrees" is revised to "if more than one-third of the participants in an emergency council agree."