NoveLight ™
:───Zzzzzt!
"...They completely transformed a huge warehouse into something like a factory. I feel like just stripping off the EMP protection plates from those vehicles could fetch a pretty good price."
"When the battle is over, we’ll collect it ourselves. That’s true, but these days, humans are more valuable than resources, aren’t they? Don’t you think?"
"I didn’t expect to hear that kind of talk from you, Rain."
Sparks from welding erupted all around.
Hundreds of Icarus humanoids were fastened inside the massive hangar, attached to everything from Hummers to armored vehicles, tanks, ITVs, and motorcycles, with all sorts of equipment. On the other side, parts of unknown purpose were being rapidly produced.
Amid all this, five of us, including me, were surveying the area.
After the factory raid had officially started, numerous users had begun chasing the factory, which was far beyond the ruins of the Third Gateway. More options awaited them than they had expected.
Instead of a stiff tone, Rain continued explaining.
"Naively speaking, not only the owner, but also the shadows here will likely board one of two types of vehicles and head out to the enemy lines. One is a factory infiltration vehicle, and the other is… a combat vehicle, in the simplest terms."
"We were able to check the observation data near the factory before we arrived. It seemed like quite a troublesome situation. We’ll need to deal with the enemies around us for smooth infiltration or combat, though. It might be premature at this point."
"You’re talking about the armed bases lined up along the factory routes, right? Don’t worry about that. That place is for those who prefer primal combat over vehicle chases. Of course, if participation is low, we might have to send more forces there, but..."
So that’s the plan.
I nodded at Rain’s words. It seemed like, at first glance, her statement meant the users would just be allowed to fight it out as they wished. But if you interpret it another way, it meant they were willing to throw away valuable vehicles and conventional weapons if needed.
This was only possible because the incursion wasn’t linked to the other world. If it were connected, they wouldn’t be throwing such weapons into the trash. In other words, the conflict was happening in a "virtual reality" not connected to the other world, which made this possible.
So, we had to act accordingly.
And then, Jin chimed in from the side.
"Just because you're boarding a vehicle doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be following the factory. You can always move toward the armed bases along the route and strike them if you want."
"I get the gist. The fact that it's not rigidly divided like that is enough."
"Good. Then start choosing your vehicles. Since there are five of us, the maximum number of vehicles we can board is five. Depending on the size and cost, of course. But you’re not all going to ride bikes, right?"
"We should get a feel for the battlefield first, and then we’ll know what kind of vehicle would be the most efficient."
"Good choice."
Of course, there were other reasons too.
As expected, Icarus could track in real-time how well the friends on the vehicles were performing. And they weren’t saints who’d say, "Oh well, no success this time? Here’s another vehicle, go have some fun and come back." No, that wasn’t going to happen.
To phrase it another way... there was a cooldown for getting back into the vehicle if you failed. And it would decrease based on how many enemies you had taken down.
In simple terms, it was performance-based. Sort of.
Because of that, there were fewer people taking tanks. If someone failed to take down even one enemy and wrecked their tank, they’d be stuck for 72 in-game hours without any vehicle to use, only participating in the armed base assault.
Anyway, with that aside, the five of us split into two teams.
Olivia and I formed the first team, while Harmonie, Dice, and Cato formed the second. Olivia and I were supposed to ride modified bikes, and the second team chose an armored Humvee with thick welded steel plating. The Humvee was equipped with a grenade launcher and a KPV machine gun.
I didn’t even need to ask who picked that machine gun.
Of course, the bike we’d be riding would be far more impressive.
"Let’s strip out the fuel lines and tanks, and fill the remaining space with weapons. I think a grenade launcher and laser cutter cartridges would be good."
"You’re making a good point, but now it’s kind of losing the reason for picking a bike, kid… the cost is already surpassing that Humvee your younger brothers are riding."
"If we connect it to Icarus gear, the cost will be about the same as the Humvee. The rest depends on our driving skills. Well, I’ll manage, we have an automatic balancing system."
"...Right. I guess we’ll be the first ones to die."
As I said, the first thing we did was strip out the fuel lines.
Since the Icarus gear was a great power source, we didn’t need a liquid fuel system. This freed up considerable space. The engine size shrank too. And that’s how we had room for weapons.
As I mentioned earlier, the weapons were the grenade launcher and laser cutter cartridges. The power to fire the latter could be provided by the Icarus gear, so as long as we installed a good cooling system, we were good. I also added posture control boosters for sharp maneuvers.
Then, when it came to Olivia and my weapons, to be honest, I didn’t need much besides a pistol and a few grenades, but what Olivia would bring was the key.
And that was already decided.
"M6 Lynx. How’s that? I think it’s probably the limit for a firearm you can use on a bike."
"Hmm."
At the same time, I made eye contact with Olivia.
Naturally, her expression... seemed pretty joyful. Just a moment ago, she had been acting serious, but... as I’d said many times before, she was an EM-level emitter. Just like Logan and Laurentina, she had madness hidden inside her.
Anyway, even in the midst of this, we stripped away almost all unnecessary safety features and filled the remaining space with only what was needed. Once I submitted the estimate, the faces of the Mecha juniors were a bit odd, but the fact that I could submit it meant we could actually build it.
Meanwhile, Harmonie’s team had already received their vehicles. Harmonie, sitting in the front seat, and Dice and Cato, armed with various panels and a grenade launcher, headed out for a test drive to the nearby track.
"Looks like they’re already getting ready to go. The blue dots around the frontlines are piling up…"
"Seems like there are more than usual. I guess it’s a bigger event than we imagined."
"Maybe."
Then Olivia casually added to the secret line.
"Reminds me of old times. I think we used to ride bikes like this."
"Back then, the task force laser was just full of crazy people riding bikes with laser rifles. You got kidnapped to fill in the ranks, remember?"
"I get so pissed off when I think about that time."
"Well, yeah. If you were going to do that, why didn’t you just gather all the emitters in the Dagger?"
Anyway, that was the gist of it.
Soon enough, we would be receiving our bikes. They were massive, like sports bikes on steroids. Olivia and I could comfortably ride together. It was almost like a light cycle from Tron.
But the basic design was sleek, like an anaconda, and thanks to a few extra modifications, it looked almost like the tumbler from the old Batman movie with a snake-like exterior.
By now, Olivia, who had the M6 Lynx, chuckled as she fixed herself into the seat, while I wrapped my tail around her waist and added to Rain.
"I’m not sure, but it feels like we might need to bring you to the front lines later. Get ready for that."
"...Well, if the boss says so, I guess I have no choice. I’ll be waiting."
"Good."
───Boom!
The sensation of tension like a blade at my fingertips, and the heavy vibrations from below.
As if it had always been that way, the massive bike suddenly accelerated, thrashing like a wild horse, and I gripped the reins tightly, regaining control, then followed Harmonie’s team.
The special tires, designed for off-road traction, pounded the ground, and we quickly headed toward the gathering place where numerous vehicles were waiting.
And then, the sight that greeted us. I turned on the stream.
Countless viewers flooded in.
"Wow."
"...You’re riding something amazing, Eugene."
"Of course."
A giant countdown moving in the sky.
From a distance, it looked like a bizarre and enormous sight, as though they had taken a skyscraper and chopped it into blocks to be transported.
With the monstrous engine noises from hundreds of vehicles, the side of the factory block opened, and over a thousand vehicles and drones poured out onto the ground, signaling the start of the factory raid.
And then—
───Kwahhh!
Tanks fired simultaneously, and hundreds of vehicles raced across the vast fields.
It had begun.
"Left, left!"
"Activate boosters, hold on tight...!"
Vroom!
As I pressed the button on the right-hand handle, a violent vibration erupted, and at the same time, fierce flames shot out from the rear of the bike, with the rear tires spinning wildly. The Tumbler — as people had named the bike Olivia and I were riding — took off at an insane speed.
Thankfully, we were alive, for the deafening noise and flash from where we had just been standing caused massive piles of dirt to explode into the air. Whether it was a laser, a thermal cannon, or a missile, I didn’t know, but the firepower was intense.
Gunshots rang out behind us. Olivia was wildly spraying a .50 caliber rifle at the nearby enemies.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was just sitting back and doing nothing.
"One’s following at 290 degrees, can’t get a clear shot from this angle…!"
"Please load a Laufoce here."
"...That much, I can do."
At the same time, I pulled out a pistol, which was far bigger than a regular pistol — it was more like a hand cannon. I showed Olivia the butt of the weapon while holding the muzzle.
With a click, the rear opened, spent casings spilled out, and another Laufoce round was loaded. Once the chamber was sealed, the weapon was ready to fire.
For those wondering what I was shooting, let me show you. I gripped the pistol with my left hand, aimed, and took aim at an approaching enemy humanoid bike. The target was the fuel tank near the engine.
Boom!
Boom!
With a terrifying roar, the .50 caliber Laufoce round, traveling at Mach 2.3, pierced the fuel tank, and one of the bikes was completely engulfed in flames.
It was a single-action hand cannon capable of firing .50 caliber rounds — a gun more suited for Browning machine guns than handguns.
"Direct hit. Let me know if you need a reload."
"Next time, ask for a holster with a loading function on the bike!"
"Not sure if that’s possible... Ugh, there’s an Artemis Humvee right in front! I’m going to jump it!"
"This crazy…!"
Boom!
At the same time, a uniquely shaped polyurethane-hardened grenade was fired toward the front, exploding just a few dozen meters ahead and creating a ramp of sorts.
With an explosion, it ignited the air, and I took out the oxidizer, firing at passing Artemis Humvees and ITVs. One missed, but the other hit the target.
With the Humvee reduced to a puddle, I turned to face the next approaching ITV.
That was going to be our cushion for today.
"Hold tight…!"
"Damn it, kid! Slow down with the bike!"
Screech!
The sight when the tires hit the ITV’s metal frame was catastrophic. The frame shattered into pieces, and the enemy inside went through a similar process. With the vehicle bent into a V-shape, our bike landed smoothly on the ground.
While the damaged bike was slowly being repaired by the Icarus gear’s nanomachines, rescue requests flooded in from all directions. Most of them were from the armed bases defending the factory.
Pulling the throttle, I continued the conversation.
"I think we can take a quick trip. What do you think?"
"Stop slacking off here. If we keep wasting time, the raid will stall. Considering your disciples are already heading that way…"
"Well, the vehicle we’re in wasn’t designed for fire support at the armed bases."
But that didn’t mean we couldn’t help out.
It was somewhat intentional, and you could tell just by looking at the ramps that were unnaturally attached near the walls of the surrounding bases.
I pulled the throttle again, and with a roar, the bike accelerated. Despite the ground not being ideal, we reached 100 km/h in just a few seconds. Using the Icarus gear to counteract the huge kinetic energy from the sharp maneuvers, we quickly headed toward the rescue point.
It wasn’t a typical ramp, but rather an angled surface that curved sideways like a roller coaster track. Once on it, the vehicle slowly floated and spun mid-air.
Time seemed to stretch on forever. But thanks to the posture control boosters, the spinning stopped, and the bike flew for several dozen meters before the Icarus gear dispersed polyurethane foam to absorb the landing force.
With a screech, the bike landed smoothly, and I activated two laser cutter cartridges, locking the front wheel and spinning only the rear wheel.
Zzzzzzzt!
Almost everything except the large or otherwise impossible-to-cut objects was sliced apart.
The Artemis humanoids and ITVs, thin walls, minigun turrets, outposts, and containers all cut through with fire, and as I made eye contact with the users who were watching, I added:
"It’s not much of a support, but that’s the bike’s limit. Keep it up."
"...Huh?"
"We’ll see you later!"
Boom!
Having finished our task, Olivia and I shot 40mm grenades and lasers at the side gate of the armed base. After breaking through, we headed back toward the spinning exterior.
If we only participated in the external battle, we could have brought something like a small missile or an anti-tank rocket instead of a grenade launcher or sniper rifle.
Thinking that, we moved away from the battlefield —
"...What was that?"
"Don’t try to understand it."
Unlike the other users who were stunned, Harmonie and her team had already stopped caring.
It was just another day.