Rebuild world volume 7, p.9
Rebuild World: Volume 7, page 9
“If you feel guilty about getting all this gear for free,” she told Akira, “then just do your best to push it to its limit when you’re out there in the wasteland. I’m sure you can manage that, right?” She grinned.
With that, Akira’s unease was assuaged, and he grinned back. “Yeah, all right. Then make sure you find me jobs where I can do that, okay?”
“No worries. You just let me handle everything,” she said.
Feeling much better now, Akira turned to Elena and Sara. “Come to think of it, did you two upgrade your gear this time as well?” He recalled that his previous contract had also included better equipment for them.
But Elena shook her head. “No, we’re just here for work today. We’ve been hired to guard her.”
“Who, Hikaru?” Akira turned back to the girl. “You going somewhere with them?”
Hikaru looked surprised. “Yeah—right here, of course. I mean, I’m outside the city walls, so isn’t it only natural to have a bodyguard or two?”
“O-Oh, perhaps so.”
Akira realized that to Hikaru, the area outside the walls would be a place dangerous enough to require protection—and he was taken aback to realize just how far his own perception of things deviated from the norm.
Chapter 195: Monster Culling
A convoy of four large armored vehicles were heading east from Kugamayama City. Akira, Elena, and Sara stood on the roof of one, staring out over the wasteland.
“You know, Elena,” Akira observed, “we’ve traveled a good distance already, and the scenery hasn’t really changed at all.”
“That’s because the East is so vast we haven’t really gotten that far at all yet. We’re not really going to see much of a difference until we approach Zegelt City. At that point, apparently, we’ll start to see floating islands in the sky and such.”
“Islands in the sky?! Wow, okay!” the boy exclaimed, nodding with anticipation.
“That said,” Sara added with a smile, “just because the scenery hasn’t changed doesn’t mean the monsters are still the weak ones we’re used to. Be sure not to let your guard down.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Sara’s smile took on a hint of teasing. “My, how reliable! Then again, I guess I ought to expect as much from a big shot rank 50 hunter, huh?”
“Oh, um—yeah, leave it to me. I got this!” Previously, his instinct would have been to say, “No, I’m nothing that special” or “Nah, I’ve still got a lot to learn,” but now he had resolved to own up to his strength. So while his response came off a little awkward, he didn’t downplay his ability.
Elena smiled at him approvingly. “So you’ve finally decided to abandon the humility act? I’m glad to see it. Want me to call you ‘Mr.’ Akira while I’m at it? After all, you hired us for this one.”
“W-Well, you don’t need to go that far,” he said with an embarrassed smile, causing Elena and Sara to burst out in laughter.
At that moment, Kurosawa ordered them all to get back inside the vehicle. Akira quickly ushered the other two back in, then entered himself.
Inside the vehicle, Kurosawa waited with two other hunters—Erio and Shikarabe. Hikaru was also present virtually, by way of a monitor. Now that Akira and the other two had descended from the roof, everyone was accounted for, so Kurosawa started the meeting.
“All right, everyone, we’re about to reach the area where we’ll get our first bit of action. So just to make sure everyone’s on the same page, I’ll go over the operation again. Our objective is to thin out the monster presence in the region ahead. But keep in mind this isn’t just your bog-standard extermination job—it’s a distribution job as well. We have to make sure the intercity transports that follow can reach their destination safely.”
Distribution jobs, as hunters called them, consisted of guarding and supporting the large-scale convoys of supply transports that the Eastern League of Governing Corporations would periodically mobilize. For the ELGC, the transport routes that ran between the cities of the East were the economy’s lifeline. But because the wasteland was teeming with monsters, keeping those routes clear and maintained demanded a huge effort. The maintenance costs were also expensive—in fact, more than a few transport companies had taken on crushing debt and ended up bankrupt. And of course, when those companies had gone under, the routes they’d managed had ceased to be maintained, making the overall situation even worse.
So the ELGC would routinely shell out tons of money to stimulate the economy and improve distribution. This allowed the people, goods, and money of the East to support the economy, each in their own way.
“During a normal monster-culling mission, you might go a few hours without even catching sight of a potential threat in your designated area, and yay, mission accomplished,” Kurosawa declared. “But it won’t be so easy this time. We’re expected to uproot and eradicate all monster presence in the region. That’s mandatory, since this job lasts until the intercity transports have made a round trip from the city and back.”
Intercity transport vehicles were giant semitrucks that carried massive quantities of supplies between cities, often traveling long distances. They had to be this large because their massive cargoes were essentially what supported the circulation of goods in the East. And when such large vehicles crossed the wasteland, inevitably all sorts of monsters from far and wide took notice, including those who usually stayed holed up within ruins. The average transport wouldn’t hold up against such a horde, and the resulting influx of monsters would likely affect any cities near the distribution routes as well. To make sure that the transports could pass without trouble, a great number of monsters had to be exterminated beforehand. Plus, this helped keep the transport routes clear, as taking out so many monsters ensured that the routes would remain safe—at least until the monster population revived.
“Also,” added Kurosawa, “while our client this time is Kugamayama City, the area we’ll be working in falls under Mirukakewa City’s jurisdiction. That said, this is comparatively one of the least difficult areas in their territory, but stay vigilant regardless.”
In other words, Kurosawa was warning them that these monsters were going to be unlike anything the Kugamayama City hunters were used to. Akira and the others tensed up.
“Just for reference, most of the hunters active in the Mirukakewa region are around rank 40 to 60 on average. Since the average in Kugamayama is 40, as you all know, that ought to give you a good idea of the spike in difficulty we’ll be facing. Even the highest-ranked hunters from our area would be nothing to write home about in Mirukakewa, so expect the monsters to be at that same standard.”
As everyone listened to Kurosawa’s briefing, Erio’s face grew paler and paler. Kurosawa pretended not to notice. “Finally, Miss Hikaru here is our contact for this mission. No doubt she’s expecting big things from us, but quite frankly, I couldn’t give a damn about that. My main concern is everyone’s safety. As I stipulated in my contract before taking this job, I’m going to lead us to success by taking as few risks as possible, and I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise.”
Hikaru’s smile on the monitor faltered slightly, but Kurosawa had indeed included that condition in his contract, so she couldn’t say anything otherwise. She’d known from the start she wanted Akira on a distribution job, but of course she couldn’t send him alone, so she’d decided instead to build a support team around him.
First, she had invited Elena and Sara because they were already friends with Akira. Shikarabe and Kurosawa, for their part, were participating as a result of the Druncam ceasefire with the boy. And Erio and his team were here to test Kiryou’s all-in-one support system in live combat.
“I repeat: we are not going to suffer any casualties here. I will not force you to do anything you feel you’re not capable of. If I say retreat, you retreat, regardless of the situation. And if you disobey my orders, you’re on your own. Is that clear?”
Kurosawa looked around, gauging everyone’s reactions. No one said anything, so he took this to mean everyone was on board. “That being said, we’re also going to make a killing from this job. I’m going to make sure we earn as much as staying within the boundaries of safety will allow. Akira, our main powerhouse, is going to be the key to this. Simply by taking out all the monsters he can reasonably manage, he’ll automatically be helping the rest of us rack up kills easier. The harder he works, the less likely we’ll have to retreat. Got that, Akira? We’re all counting on you here.”
“Got it,” said Akira with a nod.
“Good. Now, as I said before, the monsters around these parts are made of much tougher stuff than those we’re used to in Kugamayama. But even the most formidable monsters eventually die when peppered with enough powerful ammo, and fortunately, the client’s fully covering our ammo expenses for this job. So there’s no need to be stingy—fire away!” He took a breath, then brought his speech to a close. “I’m sure this is already obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: just because Akira’s our main asset doesn’t mean you can just let him do all the work. You’re to support him to the best of your ability. The only way we’ll make it back home unscathed is if we all pull our weight as a team. That’s it—you may now return to your vehicles.”
All the hunters except for Akira got up and made their way toward the exit. Before leaving, however, Sara called out to him.
“Hey, Akira, I know Kurosawa already said this, but you’re going to hear it from me too: whatever you do, don’t get reckless. If you think your situation’s dangerous, there’s no shame in retreating. Got it?”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll pull back if things get dicey. But you’d better support me, then, all right?”
“Don’t worry—I’ve got your back!” she declared. She and Elena were pleased Akira had answered honestly that he would back down, rather than acting cocky and saying he could handle such things on his own. The women grinned, satisfied, as they returned to their vehicle.
By now, Kurosawa and Shikarabe had already left, so only Erio and Akira remained. Glancing at Erio, Akira said, “Are you gonna be all right? Want to stop and take a break?”
“N-No, I’m good.” Steeling himself, Erio leaped out of Akira’s vehicle with some help from his suit and landed atop his own, where the rest of his team was waiting.
Once Akira was alone again, Alpha gave him a placid smile. Relax, Akira. You’ve got my support again, remember? Together, we can easily kick the monsters in this region to the curb.
Oh yeah? That’s reassuring to hear. I’d feel even more reassured if you could guarantee I wouldn’t have to act recklessly to do it. Even during the times when his connection to Alpha hadn’t been severed, he’d found himself in a number of harrowing situations, including getting assaulted by enormous hordes of enemies and swallowed whole by a gargantuan serpent.
Faced with Akira’s criticizing gaze, Alpha averted her eyes slightly. Well, you know, even I can’t predict the future.
He sighed. Yeah, me neither. Which is why I’ve just gotta keep my guard up.
There was a fine line between calm and overconfidence. Keeping one’s composure was all well and good, but not if it invited negligence. So even though these monsters might not end up being much of a challenge with Alpha’s help, Akira focused himself on the battle ahead.
◆
Inside one of the four armored vehicles in the convoy, some of the other elite combat specialists of the Sheryl Family were killing time chatting or doing whatever else they could to take the edge off their nervousness.
“Hey, isn’t this region supposed to be so dangerous that Kugamayama hunters don’t even go near it?” one of the boys said. “Are we really gonna be all right?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” another declared. “I mean, we’ve got Akira as our main attack force, and a bunch of other hunters over rank 40 are gonna be helping him. Not to mention our commander’s someone known to prioritize safety over everything else. We’re essentially here as warm bodies, so we can just sit back and fire at the enemy from a distance. Child’s play.”
“Y-You really think so?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. It won’t be any big deal at all.”
As the children tried to keep their spirits up, one of them raised a different topic. “Actually, did you guys hear about that Katsuya guy from Druncam? Apparently, he kicked the bucket.”
“Seriously? That Katsuya? But wasn’t he supposed to be, like, super skilled?”
“Yeah, I heard about it too—but don’t go mentioning that incident too carelessly.”
“Really? Why?”
“Haven’t you heard the rumors? Apparently, Akira killed him.”
“H-Holy shit... Is that really true?”
“Yes—I don’t know the details or anything, but it looks like Katsuya antagonized Akira somehow. However, that’s nothing compared to the real shocker. You know that Yumina girl? The one Akira seemed to really hit it off with?”
“Yeah, I remember her. They got along so well, in fact, that the boss’s eyes would turn all scary whenever she saw them together.”
“Righto! Well, I heard that when Akira killed Katsuya, he killed her too.”
“S-Seriously?! Even though they were so close?!”
“I guess Akira doesn’t care whether you’re his friend or foe, huh? The moment you get on his bad side, it’s curtains for you.”
“No kidding! Damn, I’m getting chills just hearing about this... Then again, when Zebra turned traitor, Akira did go massacre the gang of that Yazan guy who had started all the trouble, so maybe I shouldn’t be too surprised. Akira just doesn’t think anything of killing people.”
“Exactly. And if he heard we were talking about him behind his back here, what do you think would happen? So we ought to keep this on the down-low.”
“Yeah, good point. I know I don’t wanna be next. Let’s drop it and talk about something else.”
The other children all nodded in agreement. Akira was more frightening than he was dependable, but as long as they didn’t antagonize him, they ought to be fine—hopefully.
At that moment, Erio made his entrance, having returned from Akira’s vehicle.
“Hey, Erio,” someone said. “How’d the briefing go?”
“To be honest, I felt way out of place,” Erio replied. “I mean, I know I’m supposed to be at the briefing as the leader of our group, but still...” He sighed, looking exhausted.
The kids all rallied around him to encourage him. “Hey, hey, we’ll be fine! You’re our leader. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
“That’s right, man!” said another. “Each of us is stronger than the average hunter flunky, and you’re way better than any of us. So have more faith in yourself.”
“If you can’t handle it,” added a third, “we sure as hell won’t be able to. Don’t compare yourself to a freak like Akira.”
Hearing his teammates’ heartfelt attempts to pep him up, Erio felt warmth spreading through him. “Thanks, you guys,” he said with a small smile.
None of them were lying—they really did want Erio to have more confidence in himself. After all, if Erio died, one of them would have to assume the position of leader and fight alongside Akira in his stead. And no one wanted that.
◆
Akira was once again standing on the roof of his vehicle, waiting for the operation to begin. In each of his hands, he held a brand-new LEO multifunction gun. The other vehicles were following at some distance, their riders also in position. Because the large armored vehicles were designed for riders to fight with their own weapons rather than with mounted ones, their sides and roofs could be folded in and out to provide shelter, footholds, and the like as needed.
Kurosawa’s voice came over the wireless. “All right, Akira, it’s almost time. You ready?”
“Just say the word.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Then I’m deploying Vehicle A’s threat magnet now! Begin the operation!”
On Kurosawa’s cue, a vibration resounded from inside Akira’s vehicle—designated Vehicle A—and an extremely powerful threat magnet hummed to life. When used properly, such lures could be incredibly useful tools in combat—especially during a retreat—and so were commercially available to hunters. But because one that was too powerful would risk drawing monsters from a wider radius to a single location, and because some feared that the nationalists might use one near the city as an act of terrorism, there were restrictions on their usage and purchase. Akira was transporting one so powerful that the League’s permission had been required to activate it, and the League itself had needed to obtain the permission of the cities in the designated area beforehand. Such a tool was only to be lent to hunters performing distribution jobs.
Of course, Kurosawa didn’t set such a formidable device to full power right from the get-go. But even at its lowest setting, it was still far more powerful than any of the standard threat magnets on the market. And its effect was immediate—Akira saw monsters start to appear from the ruins ahead in quick succession. One after another, they emerged: ten-meter-tall multilegged machines resembling hermit crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans. Their bodies, seemingly a mix of organic and mechanical parts, included artillery cannons, machine guns, and missile pods sprouting from the tops of their hard, armored shells.
Akira raised both his LEOs toward the incoming enemies. Hmm, these look pretty mean after all. Guess Sara was right—the landscape might look the same, but these things are on another level.
Alpha just flashed her usual smile to show she wasn’t worried. That reminds me, Akira, how much support do you want from me this time around? Since they look so formidable to you, maybe it’d be best not to push yourself beyond what you can handle and lean on me instead. The implication was that he should ask for her full assistance. Because Akira had pulled through the nationalist incident without her help, she wanted to remind him of what she was capable of.
