Story Reader / Arcade Anima / Path of Remembrance / Story
A few hours later, at the outskirt of Humanity Corp's camp.
The barrel raises half an inch, aiming for the red light dozens of yards away. The shooter holds his breath—then fires.
Rrrgghh...
Huff... puff! I hit it!
Watching the Corrupted in the distance fall down, the man pumps his fist quietly.
Stop gawking! Pay attention to the next guy!
A woman pushes the man's fist away.
Seeing another extending barrel above his shoulder, the man immediately covers his ears and gives way to the woman with the sniper rifle.
Go reload! This is the last wave! Don't screw up!
You don't say!
The man rolls to the side, quickly reloading with the woman as his cover.
...I'm in position! Fire away!
As the woman empties her magazine, the man finishes reloading his gun.
There is no need to aim carefully. They just need to empty their ammo in the right direction—
Enough! Enough! That group of Corrupted has stopped! Stop wasting the camp's supply!
The man does not expect the back of his head to hurt before his ears do after the series of gunshots.
The woman knocks on the back of his head, demanding the man release the trigger. Turning to look at where he fired, he finds a few fallen Corrupted on the ground as the dust settles.
We... we won...
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We won. Get it out of your system. A group this size is run-of-the-mill in this camp. There are plenty of chances for you to celebrate in the future.
Now, get salvaging. We need to inform the rest of the camp later.
The woman gestures to the distance where Humanity Corp set up camp, the place the two are guarding.
But instead of heading back, the two of them start walking toward where the Corrupted fell. That is the temporary camp for guards like them, and their supplies are still there.
The woman clears away the tent the Corrupted destroyed before taking stock of the supplies and nodding.
Not too bad. The sand didn't get everywhere. Food is still perfectly edible after we brush the sand off.
Ew, that's disgusting. That bread was rolling on the ground. How can you still eat it?
Hand it over and I can...
Get your hands off my stuff. Use your allowance if you want extra food. Do you think I didn't notice you picking up scraps to eat at that filthy place a few days ago?
I know there are plenty of supplies in the camp, but someone who wastes a good roll of bread like this deserves to starve in my book.
Tch...
Denied and dismissed, the man packs his gun away and turns toward the camp, sulking and changing the subject.
We're done clearing this area, right? Are there any more Corrupted?
I'm not detecting anything.
Then let's head back once we're done cleaning up. I'm not receiving any call for help from the other guards, so everything should be sorted now.
Yeah, all sorted. Here I thought we'd be facing a massive group of Corrupted given the commander's warning, but it was just a false alarm.
Right? That Watanabe was such a drama queen with his nonsense about how dangerous it'd be if the Corrupted crossed the border.
Babylonia Construct? More like Babbling Con Man, I say...
...s-s-s-s-say...
What are you mumbling 'bout...
...b-b-b-b-bout...
The woman's throat dries up.
She turns toward where her companion is looking, where the camp should be. They should be able to see tents and hideous flags with phrases like "Humanity Will Win" on them from this outpost and fruit-drying racks beyond.
But all of these structures have fallen. In their place is a colossus with an angular, metallic body.
The colossus moves slowly, raising its arm—
And striking the camp.
A Corrupted Colossus... This is...
She stops speaking. Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice.
Help... H-help!
A few muted shouts are followed by an avalanche of screams. The crumbling dunes slide toward them as the desperate cries reach them.
Occasionally, a series of gunfire can be heard. From here, they can see shots being fired from the far edge of the fallen camp. The bullets hit the colossus like sand hitting stone, barely doing any damage.
D-did the enemies get past the other guards? We need to go back and help—
How?! What can you do? You're just gonna get yourself killed...
The woman grabs the man by his collar and throws him on the ground before he can pick up his weapon and go back.
She can see the camp where her companions were residing being destroyed with a kick from the massive mechanoid. The resisting residents are launched into the air like sand—
—Before someone catches them.
We're in position! Evacuating targets!
The Corrupted Colossus is on the move!
Rescue team! Get the people out of here! Distraction team! Lead the Corrupted away!
A tall figure appears on the dune behind the woman. With his back to the sun, he waves his hand, and flaming projectiles launch behind him, landing on the colossus.
The fire has not damaged the colossus, but it still catches its attention. It turns around, making its way toward the group.
It takes a step forward.
A second step. A third one.
Ah... ah... Run... w-we have to run...
BOOM!
...?
A large explosion from a sandpit stops the colossus in its path.
The figure on the dune bends and slides down the hill, pulling the man up and forcing him to stand.
Don't panic! We're trying to dismantle the Corrupted Colossus piece by piece!
Do you see that flag? Go that way! Our people will meet you there!
A few hours ago, at Watanabe's camp.
Guiding the Corrupted? Sounds desperate. I bet Leon and the rest came up with it, didn't they?
They did propose it, but everyone in the camp agreed to it.
Does that include me? Well, you know me best—I agree with their plan. Given what I saw there, who knows what will happen if we don't act now?
So, how do we do it?
We've decided to blow it up.
That giant mechanoid buried under the sand can get infected at any moment, but we're running out of time with how close the Corrupted are. It might not be elegant, but it will solve the problem.
It's faster to show them the danger than to convince them of one.
We'll act when the Corrupted Colossus activates. We can't give them enough time to pack, unfortunately. I'm just glad that their most important supplies aren't in that camp.
And you're planning to infect the mechanoid?
The IUSL construction mech isn't sand-resistant, so it won't function even if it turns on. Without anything to dig it up while their camp sits directly on top of it, we can't disassemble it before it gets infected as we often do. It's just a threat now.
The only plan we could come up with at the end was to infect it so it'd reveal itself and its weak points. Then we can dismantle it.
Obviously, we can't let anyone at their camp get injured—that's the purpose of our whole operation. I've formed a rescue team to make sure people get out safely.
And the key to tearing the mechanoid apart is your expertise—explosives.
Bombs, huh? My stuff packs a punch, but even the biggest bomb is not enough to knock a construction mech down in an instant. That is unless we can target its weak points accurately.
Today's your lucky day. We know exactly where the mechanoid's Achilles heel is. We have another expert with us.
Hey, Zachery! Come here for a second.
Ah! Yes, Boss.
A young man responds to Watanabe awkwardly, walking over timidly with an armful of blueprints.
Heh... You asked for me, Boss?
You haven't met each other yet. This is Zachery, a military machinist from Company 75. Zachery, meet Suma. She is a demolitionist from Elite Force 24.
Right, right... Hi, Suma, is it? I've heard Boss talk about you... My name is Zachery, heh...
Zachery here is also the designer of the IUSL construction mech.
The designer? Not a lot of people have the expertise to design a mechanoid like this. You should be...
On Babylonia...? I know, I know... But I didn't go there for... reasons...
Sigh. That's not right. We've talked about this, Boss. You said you wouldn't mention it, so...
We need you and Suma to work together on the technical details of this operation. It's easier if you know each other's identity.
And the cat's gonna be out of the bag sooner or later. Do you have any idea how many people are talking about you in the camp?
This is the perfect opportunity for you to tell them your worth.
Right, right... I'll do my best.
Why don't you start discussing the details of the plan with Suma, then? Other units will find you to confirm their roles later.
We need to draw it toward the mines before we can start wearing it down. I'm heading to confirm the route with the distraction team right now. I'll let you know their plan soon.
Watanabe waves goodbye to the two of them and jogs toward the camp's armory. They soon hear a few different shouts from within—probably encouragement for the fight ahead.
...
We've got the attention of the Corrupted Colossus! Prepare to demolish its weak points!
Following Zachery's command, the colossus is once again covered in flame.
That's okay, that's okay. It will work. I know what I'm doing.
As the colossus is drawn away by the fire, people slowly retreat along the path the soldiers carved out, laying low and clustering.
Don't panic! Follow the instructions and keep going! Watch out for the remaining Corrupted!
All units! Beginning wave three of the rescue operation!
Yes, Boss!
