Chapter 87
While I was distracted by the chat in the Ghost Unit game, SniperVillain grabbed the mouse and clicked the left button without hesitation.
A bright light flashed as the death screen transitioned, unfolding the same eerie urban backdrop from before. A spot a little ways from the exit, right before the ghost appeared.
"······?"
I turned my head silently and stared at SniperVillain.
"You gotta hit this to restart, y'know."
SniperVillain shrugged with a smug grin. My blank gaze filled with resentment.
'Why keep playing this garbage game······ Ugh, fine. At least get to the exit first.'
The exit was right there anyway. The problem was that ghost.
A vicious design that spawned it from the alley right next to the exit.
'Dash around and bolt for the exit? Nah. Can't outrun it at this trash humanoid's speed. Gotta find another way······.'
I panned the screen and spotted the scattered cars and phone booths nearby.
'If I can't shake it······ only one option left.'
I exhaled sharply and started walking toward the exit.
And then.
-KIIIIIEEEEEEK!
A tearing shriek rang out, and the ghost from before limped forward with creaking joints.
I hadn't noticed in the panic at first, but now a tutorial quest appeared in the corner of my vision.
Hide from the Monster!
So it wasn't meant to be outrun from the start. I'd already memorized the field around here.
I ducked behind the big truck I'd scouted earlier and watched the ghost's movements.
-Kirrik?
Unlike before, it couldn't pinpoint me and strolled past the truck toward the opposite side of the exit.
Once it was far enough, I burst from hiding and dove into the glowing exit!
'I... I did it······! I cleared it!'
I whipped around, eyes sparkling, and looked at SniperVillain.
He clapped in admiration, bowed at the waist, and then.
Click.
"Alright, Stage 1 start!"
My expression darkened instantly.
"I don't wanna do it."
"Huh?"
"It's not fun."
As I tried to push my chair back, SniperVillain hit me with a random question.
"Sertina. By the way, my door was locked. How'd you get in?"
I pulled a fancy golden keycard from my inventory and showed it off.
"It's my house originally. Of course I have the master key."
"Uh, that's illegal, y'know."
At SniperVillain's words, I blinked.
"······This is my property, though?"
"Even landlords can't enter without consent while a tenant's living there. You didn't know?"
My pupils shook.
I glanced at the chat.
'W-Wait, this wasn't allowed?'
SniperVillain's voice cut through the silence like a dirge.
"Sertina."
It sounded like a death knell. I stared at him with trembling eyes.
"It was a mistake, so help with one stream as payback? Yeah?"
Cornered with no room to refuse or make excuses, I swallowed a sigh, gripped the keyboard and mouse, and gave in.
And that day, my mind and body hit their limits.
"Hweeeeee······."
***
Underground conference room at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., USA. The air was thick with tension as a massive screen on the front wall looped a single video.
-HIIIEEEEEEK!
-HIIIEEEEEEK!
It was Sertina freaking out over a horror game.
The Secretary of Defense spoke gravely.
"Report the analysis results."
A sharply dressed executive gathered his thick stack of papers and replied.
"Yes. We mobilized dozens of behavioral and psychological analysts for a week, frame-by-frame dissecting 34 clips. Based on changes in facial muscles over time, skin flushing, eye and brow movements, and more······ we've concluded Sertina was genuinely startled."
A murmur rippled through the executives.
The Secretary remained unfazed and pressed further.
"How reliable is this analysis?"
"The entire analysis team consisted of Pentagon elites with over 10 years of experience. Including numerous profilers and criminal behavior analysts."
"I see. Good work."
The briefer bowed politely and sat. Heavy silence returned to the room.
-HIIIEEEEEEK!
New intel confirmed. Meaning, expanded possibilities.
And this intel was huge. A weakness in Sertina, the absolute powerhouse known as the end of all life.
One executive swallowed hard, face tense, and spoke slowly.
"Time to review that project······?"
Gulps broke the quiet.
"That project? You don't mean······!"
"Will that really work?"
"You're seriously considering it?"
Unease spread among the executives.
The Secretary spoke flatly.
"Bring it up."
The project PPT filled the screen. An idea floated among some generals right after spotting signs that Sertina feared ghosts.
A potential countermeasure against her finally revealed!
Form an elite unit of soldiers and players disguised as ghosts!
The Pentagon execs sighed deeply, faces twisting in disgust.
'Is this for real?'
This wasn't kids' play. Did they think Halloween costumes would work against Sertina on the battlefield?
'Which idiot pitched this crap as an "idea"?'
The thought crossed all their minds simultaneously.
But it had made it this far for formal review. They had to at least look it over.
The PPT began with zero expectations.
Despite the idiotic wrapper, the contents were surprisingly detailed and specific.
Still total garbage, obviously.
This plan was DOA. Everyone thought so.
"It looks absurd······ but isn't this the only weakness we've found so far?"
One executive's words hooked them.
Near-perfect Sertina's sole known weakness: the update period when her power dipped.
The Ghost Squad might be trash, but adding "ghosts" as a fear was tempting enough to consider.
-HIIIEEEEEEK!
The PPT closed amid another shrill scream.
'How to use it······?'
The issue was exploiting that "fear of ghosts" trait.
"S-Sir, you're not seriously adopting this, are you?"
An agent eyed him warily amid the ominous vibe. But even he had no better idea.
Hard to brainstorm real applications.
"Then what's your plan?"
Someone finally snapped.
"No alternatives? Why not reconsider this one?"
"Reconsider this trash? A kid could do better!"
"Got something better?"
"······."
The bold challenger went silent too.
Debate raged on, as it was that kind of plan.
"Kids' stuff—think this'll work?!"
"How can we just toss a confirmed weakness?!"
What was expected to wrap quick dragged into dawn.
"Thanks for the input, but this lacks viability. Rejected."
After votes and the Secretary's tally, the meeting barely ended.
Thus, Sertina's scream merely rattled U.S. intelligence and faded away.