The Paragon's Joint Tactical Demonstration (2)
A promotional video shoot for Pax Corporation.
Well, to be honest, it was just one of those things we churned out like crazy in my past life.
In the first place, heroes are closer to entertainers who just happen to know how to save people and fight a little.
They do product commercials, broadcast appearances, and some heroes even release albums and perform like idols.
From that perspective, this kind of thing isn't particularly special.
However.
In my past life, even this was entirely Great America's one-woman show.
She was always the one being filmed, and she was always the one being adored.
At best, I only managed to show my face for a brief second here and there, thanks to people saying I looked like a K-pop idol.
Everyone else was treated as mere background decoration.
I believe... this was one of the core reasons that eventually led to the fracturing of The Paragon.
Therefore.
"The camera distribution needs to be fair."
"Haha, of course, that goes without saying—"
"—If this ends up looking like a solo promo for Great America, I will shut it down immediately."
"..."
"You don't need to worry about me. Just make sure Great America and Napalm get almost equal screen time."
"...Of course, haha."
I immediately cut off the camera director's path.
Eight out of ten drones were already capturing Great America from multiple angles.
Only a single camera had been assigned to Napalm.
To make matters worse, the storyboard indicated that her shots would mostly be framed around the moments her flames erupted.
—Whirrrr—
Soon, the drones hovering around Great America redirected themselves toward Napalm.
"..."
Seeing this, Napalm glanced at me.
It certainly wasn't a look of gratitude.
If anything, she looked even more annoyed.
She glared at me with eyes full of pride, as if to say she would have been perfectly fine without such petty favors.
Her pride is always through the roof.
Well, seeing as she didn't actively complain...
She probably didn't hate it.
However, there was one thing bothering me.
...Is it really okay for them to be this lax with security?
There was no one guarding the filming set.
In other words, no security guards or crowd control personnel had been deployed to keep people out.
Well, maybe they left it open because there are three heroes here, and it doubles as viral marketing.
There were probably several overlapping reasons.
Yet, brushing it off felt unsettling.
I expanded the detection range of my Independent Communicator.
I began verifying the drone identification signals one by one.
With that running, I proceeded with the preparations for the shoot.
First, I had to check the scenario.
Since this was just a rehearsal and not the actual shoot, we had to move while keeping the blocking in mind.
But then.
...Ha.
What kind of hostage rescue scenario was this supposed to be?
"Great America breaches from the front, while Napalm deploys a barrier? And then they rescue the hostages?"
"Is... is there a problem?"
"Have you even looked at the site? If there are hostages, you have to verify the interior first."
"But that ruins the visual impact."
"Before it's a promotional video, this is a training exercise. Are you just going to let people die?"
"..."
Ha, these absolute bastards.
The only reason I had agreed to this shoot was to give Great America some actual "experience."
And yet, they were trying to ruin it like this again.
Letting out a hollow laugh, I immediately reached for my communicator.
"Great America."
"Listening."
"You were told to breach, right?"
"Yes."
"You learned last time that you shouldn't just breach from the start, right?"
"Well, yes."
"So, what should you do this time?"
"...Subdue them?"
"...You check if there are people inside, if the wall is safe to break, and whether they are enemies or hostages. You look at that first. Got it?"
"Engraved in my mind."
For now, this level of instruction was enough.
Since this was training and not a real battle, I needed to leave room for her to think.
Naturally, the next name to leave my mouth was Napalm.
"Napalm."
"...What now?"
"Right now, this is a sort of counter-fire operation. You block off obstacles or dangerous elements with your flames and establish an evacuation route for civilians—"
"—I know! I heard it in the meeting earlier, okay?"
"...Well, good then."
"...Tsk."
That was enough instruction for the two of them.
All that was left now was the final check of the site—the set itself.
"Give me that."
"Wh-what?! You shouldn't just touch that—"
—Beep.
I immediately snatched the drone controller from one of the camera staff and checked the surroundings.
"How... you control it like a pro..."
"Controlling drones happens to be one of my hobbies."
And then, the camera jib came into view.
"Who placed this equipment here?"
"The production team did. They said the shot looks best from here—"
"—Then move it immediately."
"Y-yes...?"
"If actual people were escaping, they would go this way. Napalm will think the same."
"..."
No response. In other words, she silently agreed.
"Can't we just not use this spot this one time? It's just a promo video—"
The director, however, seemed highly dissatisfied with my demand.
—Creak...
I gripped the controller tightly, as if I might crush it, and spoke while looking at him with eyes tinged with anger.
"—I told you. The promotion isn't the main focus. This is a training exercise."
"..."
The director didn't open his mouth again. Instead, he bit his lip and gestured toward the production team.
"...Move it."
"Y-yes, sir."
The equipment was moved, and the blocked evacuation route opened. At that moment.
—Static.
A very brief burst of static crackled from inside the Independent Communicator.
"...?"
I narrowed my eyes.
The static hadn't come from the internal Pax network.
A new communication network was being established and accessed. The audio signal indicated that an external frequency was beginning to interfere.
"...Mr. Hajun, we need to start the rehearsal soon."
"Hold on."
I stopped the staff member and continued to scan the surroundings.
"Sigh... what is it this time?"
...There's one more drone.
We had deployed a total of ten filming drones. Yet, in the corner, I spotted a single drone that had naturally blended in.
—Whirrrr—
And that drone wasn't filming people. It was scanning the surroundings.
It moved slowly, as if checking the layout, counting the people, and identifying who was present. However.
I can't stop it now.
If I do, the culprit will hide.
One external signal and one unregistered drone. To catch the bastard who now knew their locations, I had to throw out a bait.
"...No, it's fine. Let's start the rehearsal."
I naturally began the operation.
"...Understood. Standby, cue!"
As the director gave the cue, the drones waiting in the air moved in perfect unison.
Now, it was my turn to act.
"Great America, check the interior."
"Confirmed."
"Napalm, secure the right evacuation route. Keep the flames low so people can pass."
"I already know that."
"Then just do as you're told."
"...Sigh."
Giving them instructions, I kept my eyes fixed on... the unregistered drone.
The thing slowly circled among the filming drones.
—Whoosh—!
It passed by Great America.
—Whoosh—!
It passed by Napalm.
"..."
After brushing past the top of my head, it suddenly...
—Swoosh...!
...veered off. Its target wasn't the heroes.
It was the staff member holding the camera. The drone was heading straight for them.
"Get down!!"
I immediately pulled out a micro-drone and sent it flying toward them. The moment the unidentified drone collided with mine—
—Boom—!
With a massive explosion, the drone detonated in midair.
Had it exploded even slightly closer, it wouldn't have been surprising if a couple of the staff members had died.
"..."
The set fell dead silent. Someone dropped a lighting rig onto the floor.
The face of the director, who had been complaining about the visual impact just moments ago, was completely drained of color.
"Move."
Pushing past the dazed staff members, I immediately approached the wreckage.
A camera? Yes, it had one. But instead of a storage device, it was equipped with a transmitter.
In truth, the drone was a suicide bomb, packed almost entirely with explosives. That was what had been here.
...This method.
A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over me.
Targeting civilians to force heroes to act, and using such underhanded tactics.
I already knew this.
—Static.
Three Pax branches and numerous hero agency headquarters. Seventeen heroes, and hundreds of civilians. The perpetrator behind those tragedies.
"Hmm, is this all?"
"..."
...And even the habit of hacking into communication networks he had no business in, just to show off his abilities.
"Hajun, what is th—zzzt—"
Cutting off Napalm as she tried to speak, he rambled on, saying only what he wanted to say.
"The monster of Pax."
"The flame of Pax."
"And, their leash."
"Out of all of them, only the leash was able to react."
"...'Director'."
"...Oh? To think there was someone who already knew my name, Hajun."
In my past life, he was called the Director.
He never stepped forward himself.
From behind his mechanical devices, he set the stage, disrupted, deceived, and manipulated heroes into making the worst possible choices.
To him, tragedy was not a crime.
"You are a very special character."
It was... a performance.
"You haven't changed."
"Haven't changed?"
"An attention-seeking bastard who won't show his face but can't resist meddling."
"Hehehe, what an amusing way to put it."
Unfortunately for him, however.
"Director."
"Keep your words short next time."
"Why is that?"
"Because I'll catch you."
"..."
In my past life, he was still just a name whispered in the underworld. But now, he had made a direct move.
"...Intriguing. You truly are an unexpected character."
The transmission cut off. I saw this as an opportunity.
His movements were faster than in my past life. Far too fast. But this time...
I have this Independent Communicator.
And I, too, had caught the bastard's tail far earlier than before.
"Director, halt the shoot. I need to leave immediately."
"Wh-what...! Hey, hey!! Call the police first! Hurry!!"
It was time to dismantle and analyze this piece of trash.
It was time to take him apart.