NoveLight ™
"…Eugene?"
"What’s going on?"
"Why the hell isn’t this ending?!"
56 hours have passed since the mission started, and people are starting to lose their sanity.
The equipment, which had been sparkling until just before departure, was now caked with dust, and the faces that had once been filled with excitement were now marked by unmistakable fatigue. At least, the truck with the large Icarus insignia had an immense amount of supplies, so the fighting was still manageable.
That said, while it had been 56 hours in total, the actual combat time for me and my friends, including myself, could be summed up as about 15 hours. Considering that roughly 5 hours and 30 minutes had passed in real-time since the streaming started, that seemed accurate.
Anyway, regardless, the time spent on this mission had been... quite long.
Just yesterday, achieving a small objective took about 30 minutes. Yet, in a single day, that time had multiplied 30 times.
However, considering what this mission was, it was clear why it took so long. The distance left to reach Statesboro, where the forward base was located, was measured in dozens of kilometers, and the point where we first encountered the Dagger and Laser teams was about 90 km from the forward base.
Escort missions only end once the destination is reached.
"Road damage ahead."
"Damn it, how many times is this now?!"
"This is the fifth time. They’re really persistent, aren’t they?"
And here's the second reason for the delay.
The grandly named "Road Damage."
Cars are made with the assumption they’ll be driving on asphalt, and conversely, if we can’t drive on the road, then we’re severely delayed. Artemis was well aware of this and had been diligently damaging the roads we needed to use.
But fortunately, we were no longer tripped up by such amateur tactics.
The turret of the armored vehicle spun, and the covers on the sides of the trucks opened, revealing numerous missile pods. Meanwhile, we opened the windows of the Humvees and, with Olivia taking care of the mounted machine gun on top, we waited for enemy forces to appear on either side of the road.
Phew!
Two missiles shot out from the trucks, soaring into the sky.
Far in the distance, several parts exploded, and dozens of drones began descending rapidly. Just 10 hours ago, we wouldn’t have known what they were, but now everyone recognized them: They were construction drones. They were approaching the road damage and preparing to spray polyurethane foam and hardener.
Knowing that the enemy's goal was to stop the truck, it was up to us to prevent falling into their trap. While the drones worked to repair the road about 1 km ahead, we quickly moved out of the kill zone that Artemis had set up.
That was our goal.
"…Olivia, confirm the enemy ahead."
"Roadside pillboxes confirmed. I’ll deal with them, you take out the machine gun positions."
"There are enemies all around us, Eugene!"
"Activate the shield and prioritize protecting the Humvees over the people! If we lose mobility here, we’ll be left behind!"
As she said, just a few hours ago, we were at the rear of the convoy, but now we were at the very front of the transport line. The moment I reduced speed, the back had no choice but to follow suit. If the Humvee was destroyed, it would be a huge disaster.
The enemy’s pillbox was about 800 meters ahead, and as soon as I had a bad feeling, Harmony, driving the Humvee, and Kato, seated in the passenger seat, lowered their heads under the hood.
In that moment, bullets sprayed at the driver’s side of the Humvee.
Ka-ka-ka-ka-KAANG!
Phew!
As the M61 Vulcan mounted on the armored vehicle to the left fired a deafening barrage at the pillbox, Olivia began firing at the positions set up by the enemy around the pillbox with her machine gun.
The results were truly excellent when the M2 heavy machine gun, capable of long-range precision and sniper-like accuracy, combined with the power of the “Owl,” giving Olivia a deadly aim. She started tearing apart Artemis’ drones like a bot using an aimbot.
800 meters, 700 meters, 600 meters. I quickly adjusted the targeting system linked with the smart missiles, and just as I did, a missile whooshed through the air, heading skyward like a Javelin missile.
While the next missile loaded automatically, I grabbed the M107CQ sniper rifle, braced it against the right-side door that had nearly been blown off, and began smashing the heads of the enemy forces.
The pillbox shattered with an explosion from far away, and I added, “Clear the road, please!”
At the same time, a missile fell from the sky.
One missile ejected from the truck's launcher, shot into the air, and came down trailing white smoke. It was a small thermobaric missile. The combustible gas exploded in the air, clearing the road.
People might wonder why we didn’t use this earlier, but after so many skirmishes, the missile supplies were running low. If I had known, I’d have asked for another missile truck.
While about 60 drones, narrowly avoiding the blast, sprayed polyurethane foam and hardener on the ground, Harmony quickly moved to the left lane following the orders from Dagger Team, and the truck behind us moved ahead.
"Plasma wedge activated. We’re clearing the way."
The air burned blue like a mirage, and all that made the intense moment even more surreal was the massive wedge mounted at the front of the truck.
The truck was accelerating to over 120 km/h, slamming into the debris of the pillbox just 400 meters ahead like a rhinoceros. In an instant, the fragments stuck to the road were crushed and melted away.
The road cleared in no time, and the convoy of vehicles sped through the previously destroyed path.
Thud!
"Ugh…!"
"Ah, I hit my head…!"
"Hold on tight! Don’t let the truck flip!"
"With two emergents here, we’re not flipping, uh… aaagh!"
"Kato, let’s move on after this."
As Kato mumbled, I gave his shoulder a firm pat, massaging it with my tail. I held the vehicle so strongly that the armor could barely hold up.
Even though the hardened polyurethane foam was durable, it still wasn’t as tough as asphalt, and we had only managed to roughly flatten the road. If it had been a regular vehicle, the suspension would have broken by now, or it would have flipped over.
With the loud sounds of destruction echoing, the entire convoy passed, and just a few seconds later, a distorted voice of Owens came through the comms.
"All vehicles have passed."
"Ahh…!"
"Finally—!"
"…So how many kilometers do we have left?"
"About 20 km. We’re almost there."
Twenty-one kilometers, not far, but not too close either.
Having already been scanning the map, I didn’t need to worry about it anymore. The reason was simple—the sound of something like beans roasting was gradually becoming audible from the outside.
Thud-thud-thud!
"What... What’s that?"
"Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"
"...No, now we can rest."
"Huh?"
At the same time, I pulled up the newly updated map.
Compared to yesterday, the red dots scattered across the western area. That seemed to be the action paint we were seeing, possibly.
But what was more important than that was comparing it to the map from yesterday. By overlaying the two maps, the difference was clear. The number of enemy drones near the southwest of Statesboro had drastically reduced.
It wasn’t completely clear if Artemis had been dealt with, but considering we arrived at the base without significant losses, that was a good result.
Then came the next words.
"For rear reconnaissance, we’ve increased the use of sensors and surveillance posts. As soon as enemy drones infiltrate the rear, we’ve arranged for the Northwest Florida railgun to provide fire support and eliminate them."
"...It would have been better if you’d sent that yesterday."
"Common miscommunication and failure to prioritize. It’s a common issue when mission plans are implemented."
He was right, but there was no need to dwell on the past. After-action reviews were about confirming the mission’s success or failure and understanding how the results led to new situations, whether they were beneficial or harmful.
And the outcome was... there was no need for us to discuss it. Artemis, the chess player on the other side, surely felt the failure of their operation in their bones, and they were ignoring the signs of defeat popping up around them.
But that wasn’t our concern.
"The operation attempted by Archetype with a small force has been successfully completed. The main base is now maintaining the front line without needing to form a separate shadow force and has broken through Artemis' defense line with minimal losses."
"That said, we can’t just leave the drones scattered in the rear. If you want, we can assist with long-range reconnaissance for clearing them out... but that's probably not what you want, right? We already know."
"Well, I think after a big operation like this, we should have some rest... wait, why are you guys coming this way?!"
"Hmm."
"…Hmm..."
The mood shifted, and Kato’s comment brought some unexpected chill.
Although he wasn’t wrong, Harmony and Dice gave a wry smile and somewhat agreed. I too was thinking of resting, but it seemed like Jin and Rain didn’t feel the same way.
Grinning like mischievous children, Jin and Rain each grabbed one of Kato's arms and embraced him in a sneak attack. It was a full-body tackle.
The tail wrapped around Kato’s waist and legs, sending him into a trembling frenzy.
"Don’t really think that, Kato?"
"There’s still a stalemate where we need help, Kato. I'll mark it on the map. I believe a responsible Cartographer like you wouldn’t refuse this."
"Uh... well, I said I needed rest, but, you know, it's just a temporary retreat for a bigger advance, right? It's only been a day since the mission started, so I can’t just put the gun down, hahaha!"
"..."
At the same time, the expressions of Harmony and Dice quickly changed.
And then, the following words.
"Ugh... I also want to rest today..."
"My shoulders hurt suddenly, and my eyes are sore. What should I do about this...?"
"...Ugh."
As I made eye contact with Jin and Rain, the two mischievous ones had already convinced Kato to sign his own execution papers and left him there, heading straight to Harmony and Dice.
I wondered if I had accidentally opened their strange preferences. As I thought that, I quietly scanned the map. Moments later, after a brief break, Harmony and Dice, now sluggishly relaxed, pointed at the map.
The finger slightly parted, and a laser emerged.
At the tip was a red triangle, inside which a skull mark was prominently displayed.
As I instinctively sensed what was coming next, Jin and Rain, assuming that we knew exactly what that mark meant, began speaking.
"This is currently… the site of some very intense fighting. We call it the 'Gate'. Do you see the front lines splitting into North, Central, and South? There are a total of six gates, two assigned to each sector."
"After scouting beyond the gate, we've identified Artemis' production factories. Currently, a third of the factories are being dismantled and moved to the rear, but our predictions suggest that by the time we break through all six gates, only about 30% of the factory will remain intact."
"Destroying those factories is one of our goals, then."
"Yes."
The briefing room took on a more serious tone. Jin and Rain pointed to the overlapping gate between the Central and Northern regions.
"The third gate, where the heaviest fighting is taking place, is our current target. If we leave now, we should be able to arrive before it's too late. The deadline for departure is in six hours, so let us know whether you accept the mission within that time."
"I wish you good fortune."
"And Dagger Team and Laser Team's remote-controlled support is available. Let us know if you need assistance."
"Hmm."
I added,
"So, we’re clearing the third gate in 24 hours, right?"
"…That’s correct."
"Same old, same old. Mission accepted."
It was time to get to work.
"After being stuck in the Humvee for hours, my bones are about to crack. Let’s go."
"I hope the newbie likes the redesigned remote-controlled vehicle."
"Well, that’s a later problem. Let’s move."
Meanwhile, the entry for the remote-controlled Dagger team had begun.