Chương 74: Chapter 20 The Eve of the Counteroffensive (Part 2)

"What does it say?"

"In short..."

"It states that the complete extermination of the enemy takes priority above all else."

"From the moment monsters begin emerging inside the Hazardous Beast Zone until the operation is declared over, any human or material losses resulting from my actions will not be subject to criminal or civil liability."

"Of course, I'm still obligated to make every reasonable effort to keep the damage to a minimum." So they'd cut away my last remaining restraint. I had no intention of destroying things indiscriminately. But having legal immunity from the outset would allow me to move without hesitation when the situation demanded it. I didn't know who had pushed this through... But whoever it was... They'd done an excellent job.

"It was proposed by the Special Forces Group and Superintendent Tachibana."

"A weapon is useless if it's left to rust." Those two, huh? We'd fought together. They knew exactly how I operated. A favorable wind was finally blowing our way. With everything prepared this thoroughly... There was only one thing left to do.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Takatsuki asked whether you had any native materials collected from the Gate's safe zone."

"He's succeeded in brewing a low-grade healing potion."

"The problem is that he's run out of ingredients."

"If you have any, he'd appreciate it."

"I wish I could make them myself."

"Unfortunately, my Class doesn't allow it."

"I'll hand over everything I've got." Horse meat. Eyeballs. Medicinal herbs. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Plenty of warabi mochi. And countless other ingredients. My storage ring could hold practically anything, and I had no idea where its limit even was. The only drawback... If I forgot I'd stored something inside... It might stay there forever. Soon the car came to a stop.

"We're here."

"I'll be delivering your message."

"The briefing will be handled by the Special Forces."

"And..."

"Your usual package is in the trunk."

"Please take it with you." We had arrived roughly four and a half kilometers from the Akihabara Gate. Rows of temporary tents had been erected nearby. This was clearly the forward command base. Well... That wasn't important. What mattered was the "usual package." I had a pretty good idea what that meant.

"Just to confirm..."

"It's the Gothic Lolita outfit again, isn't it?"

"Bulletproof fabric this time?"

"Oh, no."

"The committee reached a unanimous decision."

"It's a silk gothic dress."... I'd really like to know who exactly had reached that unanimous decision. Granted... Bulletproof fabric probably wouldn't do much against monsters. Still... Why silk? Comfort? Was comfort really the deciding factor? And a dress? Was this supposed to be some kind of final transformation? My ultimate form?... Or maybe just my funeral clothes.

"One more message, Chiyoda-san."

"Please tell whoever voted for this...""'Thanks ever so much.'""Understood."

"I'll be sure to let them know."

"The sarcasm won't be lost on them." With that, Chiyoda drove away. He was probably off to tell a room full of politicians exactly where they could shove their request. As for me... No one was coming to meet me. So I headed toward the command tents on foot. The sky overhead was crowded with helicopters. News helicopters, most likely. Hopefully they'd retreat once the fighting began. The area was filled with soldiers in camouflage and police officers in both uniforms and plain clothes.

I took out my kiseru pipe and enjoyed a few quiet puffs. People stared from a distance. No one approached. Fine by me. I stepped into the operations tent.

"Is this the Special Forces command tent?"

"Huh?"

"Oh—yes."

"Are you Ms. First?"

"I am."

"I was told to report here for the briefing." I wasn't hiding my face or my hair anymore. Still... Confirming identities was only natural. The soldier who escorted me led me deeper inside. Maps covered the tables. Radios crackled constantly. The place looked exactly like a forward operating headquarters.

"Oh."

"First."

"You're here already?"

"Hyodo-san."

"So you're part of the inner-circle deployment too?" After thanking the soldier who'd guided me, I turned to Hyodo. If he was here... Then he'd written a will too. I could only hope it would remain nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.

"Naturally."

"I'm a member of the Self-Defense Forces."

"Have they briefed you on today's operation?"

"Only the basics."

"The inner perimeter will intercept the monsters."

"The outer perimeter prevents any breakthrough."

"By the way..."

"Do you know where Dr. Takatsuki is?"

"I've brought materials for him."

"You there!"

"Go fetch Dr. Takatsuki."

"Tell him supplies that will improve our survival odds have arrived."

"Sir!" The young soldier saluted and ran off. Hyodo and I sat down at the operations table. A transparent overlay covered the city map. It was packed with countless symbols, numbers, and unit markers. Every single one represented a soldier... A squad... A base...... Wasn't this a bit excessive? Even with six thousand personnel... There seemed to be far more markers than that.

"First."

"There are four logistics and medical stations positioned approximately four and a half kilometers away in each cardinal direction."

"But remember..."

"Anyone brought there must be able to reach it under their own power."

"If necessary..."

"You'll have to abandon the wounded." Just like a real war. One casualty could tie up two more rescuers. Classes might reduce that burden somewhat... But manpower was still limited. With civilian participation remaining unpredictable... There was no better alternative.

"I understand."

"Our troop deployment consists of two-man teams stationed at regular intervals."

"Unfortunately..."

"Buildings and subway tunnels make complete coverage impossible." The enemy would always attack by surprise. We knew the area... But not their numbers. Nor their strength. Blanket coverage was the only realistic strategy. Urban terrain simply made everything harder.

"So I'll be acting as the mobile response force."

"There'll always be a risk of friendly fire."

"Would issuing beacon transmitters help?"

"No."

"We'll manage the battlefield through the Scripters' recording abilities."

"Unless something unexpected happens, drones and GoPro feeds will provide complete battlefield coverage." Modern technology... Combined with Scripters. If they could truly monitor the entire battlefield... The weaker monsters could probably be dealt with while keeping casualties to a minimum. The real concern... Was still the Unique Monsters Tachibana and I had discussed. I had already passed everything I knew to Chiyoda. Hopefully it had reached them in time.

"It's efficient."

"But depending on how strong the monsters turn out to be..."

"The line could still collapse."

"Did Chiyoda-san tell you about their behavioral patterns?"

"He did."

"Which brings us to your assignment, Chloe."

"You'll operate independently."

"A full-time roaming striker."

"Mochida will support you remotely."

"Your primary objective is to eliminate the 'small fry'..."

"... or rather, the Unique Monsters." I see. So that was why they'd granted me legal immunity. Fighting Unique Monsters inevitably meant collateral damage. If speed became essential... I'd have to resort to methods that weren't exactly gentle. Still... As long as we knew where they appeared... We could keep the destruction to a minimum.