Volume 1, Episode 4
"──Alright then, please sign here... Yes, thank you very much."
On the night before the sortie, the intercom in Moore's quarters was pressed. When confirmed via the camera, a young man who seemed like an employee of Elysion, wearing a badge with the company logo on his suit lapel, was standing there.
Upon responding, it appeared to be a delivery from Ingrid, the CEO. A container of OD synthetic resin, along with a stylus, was handed over. After spelling out his name on the terminal and returning it, the employee left with a polite bow.
Now, the problem lay with Moore.
He had met Ingrid only once a few days ago, during the simulation room challenge. He couldn't say that he and Ingrid were close friends by any means, so he couldn't help but feel cautious about what was being sent.
"...Did they rig it with explosives or something?"
There was no way that a CEO like Ingrid would go to such lengths for a lieutenant like him.
Still, Moore was troubled.
He placed the container on the spacious, yet empty, floor of his quarters, and opened the lid.
Inside, there was an envelope with the Elysion company logo imprinted on it. Picking it up and checking the contents revealed a handwritten letter.
[I hope this will be of use to your mission.]
It was an extremely concise and short message.
Looking down to where the envelope had been placed, Moore discovered a body armor without the ceramic plates. The camouflage pattern resembled digital woodland.
Picking it up and placing it on the floor, he found the ceramic plates for the bulletproof vest inside the container. He placed them on the body armor.
Various pouches, a backpack, combat uniform, and more, all with the same camouflage pattern as the body armor, lined up before him. Only the boots had a light brown color.
Were he and Ingrid really on such good terms to receive such a gift?
Moore tilted his head in confusion, but strangely, all the equipment laid out before him felt oddly familiar.
Even though he should be picking them up for the first time, it was a strange sensation.
He peered into the container to see if there was anything else. That's when he discovered the presence of the last gift.
A single knife was sheathed in a synthetic resin case. Picking it up and gripping the handle revealed a black blade.
The total length was about 30 cm, with a blade length of around 18 cm. It was some sort of combat knife.
"...Are they telling me to engage in close combat?"
He didn't believe this would be effective against Rapture. However, Ingrid must have sent it thinking it could be useful in some way.
Interpreting it as such, Moore decided he would use these items in the upcoming mission, and he decided to rest early for the day.
----
"──Yes, thank you. Please take care."
"──Thank you for the transportation. Please take care as well."
A vehicle belonging to a group of mass-produced Nikkes from the Nikke Management Department arrived before the elevator leading up to the surface. The vehicle closely resembled the Humvee widely used by the former United Nation military and its allies. Nikke personnel got out and checked the spare ammunition for the vehicle-mounted machine guns, the extra ammunition including the ammo for the mounted machine guns, fuel in fuel cans, and rations. They confirmed everything was in order, and as requested by Elysion's employee from the previous night, they signed off on the terminal.
As Nikke, who received the terminal, returned to the vehicle and left, Moore turned his attention to the vehicle in front of him.
──Even this vehicle gave him a strange sense of nostalgia.
A large-caliber heavy machine gun was mounted on the gun seat on the roof, along with a shield. This was the same type of heavy machine gun that proved effective during the Rapture invasion of the old era, and even though humanity's bases had moved underground, production of these heavy machine guns continued due to their effectiveness.
The designer of these weapons had long since passed away, but the fact that these weapons were still performing exceptionally well from the past to the present was nothing short of astonishing.
"...I guess I'll prepare while waiting."
There was a 30-minute margin until the designated assembly time at 6 o'clock. Moore checked the time on the wristwatch he had wound around his left wrist so that the dial faced inward.
Then, he opened the back door of the car and picked up the Tetra Line assault rifle that had been prepared on the seat as requested in advance.
The assault rifle had been customized according to his preferences. On the top rail of the gun's body was an ACOG(Advanced Combat Optical Sight) advanced combat optical sight, with backup iron sights in case the ACOG became unusable. A foregrip was attached to the underslung handguard that covered the barrel.
Moore slung the rifle over his shoulder using a sling, passing it under his arm to confirm its maneuverability. He went through various shooting stances on the spot, making sure the rifle felt comfortable against his body.
Occasionally, he simulated scenarios where the assault rifle might malfunction, quickly drawing his pistol from the holster on his right leg. However, since he wouldn't be facing opponents that could be dealt with using only a pistol at the destination, it wasn't very meaningful.
While wearing the headset with the assault rifle still slung, he adjusted the position to ensure that both of his ears fit securely in the housing. He then put on a helmet that covered his ears, which was part of the delivery from Ingrid. The helmet alone weighed about 1.5 kg, but he didn't seem bothered by it. He began loading thick rounds into the empty magazines without any apparent inconvenience.
"─Hello...?"
─After watching this scene without saying anything, a figure that had been standing uncomfortably finally spoke up.
Compared to him, she was a petite figure carrying a large shotgun that seemed out of place for her small frame. She wore glasses and what resembled a sailor uniform.
"...If you could please not ignore me..."
"...Oh, no... I wasn't ignoring you. Is your squad also going on a mission? What about the other squad members and the commander?"
While loading bullets into the magazine with a clatter and tapping the bottom of the magazine against the palm of his hand every five rounds to align the primer, Moore finally responded after being addressed. This procedure lowered the probability of feed failures during firing.
"No, actually..."
In response to his question, she explained in a hurried manner, but his perplexed expression after hearing her was understandable.
----
"─Nice to meet you. I'm Neon. I'll be joining your squad for this mission. Nice to meet you."
"...Elysion's Nikke?"
"...This is suspicious. Adding new member at a time like this?"
"Commander, did you hear anything?"
"...No,I heard it from her just a while ago. I'm also a bit... confused."
With greetings and self-introductions to Rapi and Anis, who had assembled ten minutes before 6 o'clock, they looked at the Nikke—Neon— in puzzlement.
Rapi asked him, but he had just heard about her transfer from herself earlier. He could only shrug his shoulders as he held a lit cigarette between his lips.
"Shifty, have you heard about this?":
Making such a concerned comment at such an early hour must be tough for the operator, Moore thought as he exhaled purple smoke and then turned his gaze towards Neon standing beside him.
The addition of a new member—well, that's fine. However, this last-minute development felt quite out of place and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
By now, Anis, who had become more suspicious of things lately, fixed her gaze on Neon and asked about her true identity. After pondering for a moment, Neon finally spoke up:
"Oh! I think I'm a spy!"
(Tl Notes: Seriously, Neon is such a menace. I did a spit take reading this, LOL.)
"...Hah?"
They were met with a response that completely defied their expectations, leaving them all momentarily stunned. Even Anis was at a loss for how to react, her mouth half-open and eyes wide. Similarly, both he and Rapi exhibited similarly baffled expressions.
"President... Ingrid's orders were something like 'Help with everything and report everything.' Isn't this what a spy does!?" Neon exclaimed
── What's a spy again?
Such question flashed across his mind unconciously.
"Well, um... I do think so, but..." Anis began hesitantly.
Anis turned to him as if seeking help, but he avoided her gaze by looking up at an angle and released a faint puff of purple smoke from his lips.
"In fact, I've always wanted to be a spy! Nice to meet you again... Commander! Please take care of me! I'll do my best as a spy! " Neon declared enthusiastically.
"...Do your best. Our cute 'spy' ."
Facing him with a notable height difference, Neon turned to him and delivered her greeting with a renewed focus. However, his response was far from witty, and that seemed to be the best he could manage.
"... Is this going to be okay?"
"..."
"... Well, it's about time. Let's get in the car."
He urged everyone to get on the car, addressing the group as a whole, even though there was now one additional member. Despite the slight increase in numbers, he prompted them all to get on board. Once he had discarded the cigarette butt into the portable ashtray and stowed it in his pocket, he opened the driver's door.
"... Wait, am I driving...?"
He realized, a bit belatedly, that he had naturally taken the driver's seat. But already, the others had begun to settle into their respective seats: Anis in the passenger seat, Rapi and Neon in the back.
"I assumed the Commander would be the one driving..."
"Ah..."
To his surprise, Rapi voiced her thoughts, and he found himself in agreement. It did seem like something he would say.
It appeared that he had a rather losing personality.
With a sigh, he accepted his fate as the driver. Anis took the passenger seat, Rapi and Neon sat in the back.
He started the engine, released the parking brake, and shifted the gear lever to D. As he released the foot brake, the car slowly moved forward, entering the elevator compartment. Shortly after, the elevator began its ascent towards the surface.
Volume 1, Episode 4
"──Alright then, please sign here... Yes, thank you very much."
On the night before the sortie, the intercom in Moore's quarters was pressed. When confirmed via the camera, a young man who seemed like an employee of Elysion, wearing a badge with the company logo on his suit lapel, was standing there.
Upon responding, it appeared to be a delivery from Ingrid, the CEO. A container of OD synthetic resin, along with a stylus, was handed over. After spelling out his name on the terminal and returning it, the employee left with a polite bow.
Now, the problem lay with Moore.
He had met Ingrid only once a few days ago, during the simulation room challenge. He couldn't say that he and Ingrid were close friends by any means, so he couldn't help but feel cautious about what was being sent.
"...Did they rig it with explosives or something?"
There was no way that a CEO like Ingrid would go to such lengths for a lieutenant like him.
Still, Moore was troubled.
He placed the container on the spacious, yet empty, floor of his quarters, and opened the lid.
Inside, there was an envelope with the Elysion company logo imprinted on it. Picking it up and checking the contents revealed a handwritten letter.
[I hope this will be of use to your mission.]
It was an extremely concise and short message.
Looking down to where the envelope had been placed, Moore discovered a body armor without the ceramic plates. The camouflage pattern resembled digital woodland.
Picking it up and placing it on the floor, he found the ceramic plates for the bulletproof vest inside the container. He placed them on the body armor.
Various pouches, a backpack, combat uniform, and more, all with the same camouflage pattern as the body armor, lined up before him. Only the boots had a light brown color.
Were he and Ingrid really on such good terms to receive such a gift?
Moore tilted his head in confusion, but strangely, all the equipment laid out before him felt oddly familiar.
Even though he should be picking them up for the first time, it was a strange sensation.
He peered into the container to see if there was anything else. That's when he discovered the presence of the last gift.
A single knife was sheathed in a synthetic resin case. Picking it up and gripping the handle revealed a black blade.
The total length was about 30 cm, with a blade length of around 18 cm. It was some sort of combat knife.
"...Are they telling me to engage in close combat?"
He didn't believe this would be effective against Rapture. However, Ingrid must have sent it thinking it could be useful in some way.
Interpreting it as such, Moore decided he would use these items in the upcoming mission, and he decided to rest early for the day.
----
"──Yes, thank you. Please take care."
"──Thank you for the transportation. Please take care as well."
A vehicle belonging to a group of mass-produced Nikkes from the Nikke Management Department arrived before the elevator leading up to the surface. The vehicle closely resembled the Humvee widely used by the former United Nation military and its allies. Nikke personnel got out and checked the spare ammunition for the vehicle-mounted machine guns, the extra ammunition including the ammo for the mounted machine guns, fuel in fuel cans, and rations. They confirmed everything was in order, and as requested by Elysion's employee from the previous night, they signed off on the terminal.
As Nikke, who received the terminal, returned to the vehicle and left, Moore turned his attention to the vehicle in front of him.
──Even this vehicle gave him a strange sense of nostalgia.
A large-caliber heavy machine gun was mounted on the gun seat on the roof, along with a shield. This was the same type of heavy machine gun that proved effective during the Rapture invasion of the old era, and even though humanity's bases had moved underground, production of these heavy machine guns continued due to their effectiveness.
The designer of these weapons had long since passed away, but the fact that these weapons were still performing exceptionally well from the past to the present was nothing short of astonishing.
"...I guess I'll prepare while waiting."
There was a 30-minute margin until the designated assembly time at 6 o'clock. Moore checked the time on the wristwatch he had wound around his left wrist so that the dial faced inward.
Then, he opened the back door of the car and picked up the Tetra Line assault rifle that had been prepared on the seat as requested in advance.
The assault rifle had been customized according to his preferences. On the top rail of the gun's body was an ACOG(Advanced Combat Optical Sight) advanced combat optical sight, with backup iron sights in case the ACOG became unusable. A foregrip was attached to the underslung handguard that covered the barrel.
Moore slung the rifle over his shoulder using a sling, passing it under his arm to confirm its maneuverability. He went through various shooting stances on the spot, making sure the rifle felt comfortable against his body.
Occasionally, he simulated scenarios where the assault rifle might malfunction, quickly drawing his pistol from the holster on his right leg. However, since he wouldn't be facing opponents that could be dealt with using only a pistol at the destination, it wasn't very meaningful.
While wearing the headset with the assault rifle still slung, he adjusted the position to ensure that both of his ears fit securely in the housing. He then put on a helmet that covered his ears, which was part of the delivery from Ingrid. The helmet alone weighed about 1.5 kg, but he didn't seem bothered by it. He began loading thick rounds into the empty magazines without any apparent inconvenience.
"─Hello...?"
─After watching this scene without saying anything, a figure that had been standing uncomfortably finally spoke up.
Compared to him, she was a petite figure carrying a large shotgun that seemed out of place for her small frame. She wore glasses and what resembled a sailor uniform.
"...If you could please not ignore me..."
"...Oh, no... I wasn't ignoring you. Is your squad also going on a mission? What about the other squad members and the commander?"
While loading bullets into the magazine with a clatter and tapping the bottom of the magazine against the palm of his hand every five rounds to align the primer, Moore finally responded after being addressed. This procedure lowered the probability of feed failures during firing.
"No, actually..."
In response to his question, she explained in a hurried manner, but his perplexed expression after hearing her was understandable.
----
"─Nice to meet you. I'm Neon. I'll be joining your squad for this mission. Nice to meet you."
"...Elysion's Nikke?"
"...This is suspicious. Adding new member at a time like this?"
"Commander, did you hear anything?"
"...No,I heard it from her just a while ago. I'm also a bit... confused."
With greetings and self-introductions to Rapi and Anis, who had assembled ten minutes before 6 o'clock, they looked at the Nikke—Neon— in puzzlement.
Rapi asked him, but he had just heard about her transfer from herself earlier. He could only shrug his shoulders as he held a lit cigarette between his lips.
"Shifty, have you heard about this?":
Making such a concerned comment at such an early hour must be tough for the operator, Moore thought as he exhaled purple smoke and then turned his gaze towards Neon standing beside him.
The addition of a new member—well, that's fine. However, this last-minute development felt quite out of place and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
By now, Anis, who had become more suspicious of things lately, fixed her gaze on Neon and asked about her true identity. After pondering for a moment, Neon finally spoke up:
"Oh! I think I'm a spy!"
(Tl Notes: Seriously, Neon is such a menace. I did a spit take reading this, LOL.)
"...Hah?"
They were met with a response that completely defied their expectations, leaving them all momentarily stunned. Even Anis was at a loss for how to react, her mouth half-open and eyes wide. Similarly, both he and Rapi exhibited similarly baffled expressions.
"President... Ingrid's orders were something like 'Help with everything and report everything.' Isn't this what a spy does!?" Neon exclaimed
── What's a spy again?
Such question flashed across his mind unconciously.
"Well, um... I do think so, but..." Anis began hesitantly.
Anis turned to him as if seeking help, but he avoided her gaze by looking up at an angle and released a faint puff of purple smoke from his lips.
"In fact, I've always wanted to be a spy! Nice to meet you again... Commander! Please take care of me! I'll do my best as a spy! " Neon declared enthusiastically.
"...Do your best. Our cute 'spy' ."
Facing him with a notable height difference, Neon turned to him and delivered her greeting with a renewed focus. However, his response was far from witty, and that seemed to be the best he could manage.
"... Is this going to be okay?"
"..."
"... Well, it's about time. Let's get in the car."
He urged everyone to get on the car, addressing the group as a whole, even though there was now one additional member. Despite the slight increase in numbers, he prompted them all to get on board. Once he had discarded the cigarette butt into the portable ashtray and stowed it in his pocket, he opened the driver's door.
"... Wait, am I driving...?"
He realized, a bit belatedly, that he had naturally taken the driver's seat. But already, the others had begun to settle into their respective seats: Anis in the passenger seat, Rapi and Neon in the back.
"I assumed the Commander would be the one driving..."
"Ah..."
To his surprise, Rapi voiced her thoughts, and he found himself in agreement. It did seem like something he would say.
It appeared that he had a rather losing personality.
With a sigh, he accepted his fate as the driver. Anis took the passenger seat, Rapi and Neon sat in the back.
He started the engine, released the parking brake, and shifted the gear lever to D. As he released the foot brake, the car slowly moved forward, entering the elevator compartment. Shortly after, the elevator began its ascent towards the surface.
