The Pumpkin Head Operation seems to have begun.
As I drew my sword, the thugs followed, and the battle commenced.
Sirens wailed, and searchlights pierced the night of the barren wasteland.
“Brother! There’s a sniper in the watchtower!”
“Ignore him! He’ll die soon!”
Before I could finish speaking, the sniper, shot through the forehead, fell from the watchtower.
Even if he was standing to shoot, he couldn’t escape Shion’s magic bullets.
Shion continued to land counter snipes, covering our advance.
Then, tearing through the barbed wire, we invaded the base, only to be met by an enemy company of soldiers.
“Captain! The enemy is twice our number! What do we do?!”
Nozomi’s voice was tense, and it was understandable. It was her first mission.
“Don’t panic. A 1-to-2 disparity in strength is almost nonexistent for us. In fact, it’s so easy I’m about to yawn.”
“But!”
“Hide behind Vodka! They’re going to shoot!”
The enemy unleashed a volley of fire, but Vodka, holding up a thick Magnum Steel shield, protected Nozomi.
I advanced, deflecting machine-gun bullets with my Psyche-Barrier, closing the distance.
“You shot to kill, so you’d better be prepared!”
I unleashed my Wolf Eye without mercy on the enemy soldiers I could see.
The enemy soldiers died, blood spraying from their ears and eyes.
Of the twenty enemy soldiers, not even half survived.
“Whoa! Is that Brother’s Wolf Eye?! I gotta show ’em what I can do too!”
Comma Two charged towards the surviving enemy soldiers.
Completely flustered soldiers were no match for the nicknamed soldier, Rick.
In an instant, his polearm was stained with blood, and they fell one after another.
Usura and Tonkachi joined the carnage, and Nozomi, providing support fire from the rear, also recorded kills.
“Don’t run away! Do you even have the guts for that?!”
Usura cut down the last soldier who had turned to flee, and this battle was over.
“…There was no need for follow-up.” “Same here!”
Natsume stretched her arms as if bored, and Rimse pouted her lower lip.
“This is where it gets serious. If the base personnel have any brains, they’ll use the terrain to their advantage and ambush us. Everyone, don’t let your guard down!”
I took the lead and began to sweep for remaining enemies.
Telepathic communication came through from Rasen-, who had launched a surprise attack from the opposite side, via Lilith.
With Lilith, a Nenshin Power phantom, such a feat was possible.
(Kanata, is it? We’ve wiped out one enemy company. What’s your situation?)
(The same. We’ve begun sweeping for remaining enemies.)
(Understood. Let’s rendezvous at the base center as planned. Watch out for ambushes.)
(Roger. It’s impossible to ambush me when I’m on guard, though.)
(Reliable. Good luck.)
My confidence about not being ambushed wasn’t just bravado.
The basis for my confidence was the basic function of the Type Zero, which I thought was useless: the Biosensor.
For short battles like this, I could use the sensor in places where enemy soldiers might be hiding.
It drained Nenshin Power, but once the mission was over, we’d just return to base, so there was no problem.
I used the Biosensor in dangerous areas to detect enemy soldiers and, cooperating with my comrades, we took them down one by one.
“Captain, you can tell where the enemies are by their presence! That’s amazing!”
Shion praised me with over-the-top compliments, but it wasn’t my own ability. It was the power of the equipment.
“I wish I could say that. It’s the power of science, unfortunately.”
Oh, another communication from Rasen-.
(Kanata, have you finished sweeping?)
(Yes, only the central barracks are left.)
(The survivors have gathered in the central barracks and are holed up.)
(It’s a bit anticlimactic if everything is going according to plan. What about the deserters?)
(A few fled the base, but Shuri and the others dealt with them.)
(Understood, heading to the central barracks.)
Well, this is the final round.
Hiding behind cover near the central barracks, Rasen’s unit was deployed in a scattered formation.
As we approached, sporadic shots were fired from the central barracks, but Vodka shielded us, and we reached the shadow of the large vehicle where Rasen was.
“Good work. My unit and Kanata took down two companies. Then we dealt with nine men. How about you, Kanata?”
“Eleven men. So, there are twenty soldiers holed up, plus twenty personnel including mechanics and mess hall staff, for a total of forty? Where’s the base commander?”
“Marika-sama dealt with her. How do you think the ones holed up will come out?”
“Did you offer them a surrender?”
“We did, but there was no response.”
“…Strange. The base commander is dead. You’d think they’d surrender then. Is there something they’re clinging to?”
“They might be waiting for reinforcements. But the communication facilities are destroyed, and this is a remote area. There’s no chance of reinforcements.”
“Right. Oh, look at the entrance. Someone’s raising a white flag…”
A young man in an officer’s uniform, raising a white flag, had his head burst like a tomato the moment he emerged from the entrance.
The headless corpse slowly fell, and the weapon that pulverized the officer’s head, a throwing hammer that flew through the air, was drawn back inside as if sucked in.
“I see. Now I understand the reason.”
“Indeed. There’s one capable individual, and he’s controlling the remaining soldiers.”
“He’s probably skilled but has a history of misconduct, and was likely confined to this remote base.”
“That’s probably it. So, what do you suggest, Kenrou Kanata?”
“Someone who kills without question. They probably don’t see people as people. Such types are usually proud. If we provoke them, they might agree to a one-on-one duel.”
“Don’t you need bait for that?”
“Do you need bait to trap a wild beast?”
“Can I leave it to you?”
“Rest assured, you can.”
As I replied, Rasen had his unit withdraw.
As the unit pulled back, I received a telepathic communication from Marika-san.
(Kanata, I received a report from Rasen. Do as you see fit. I’ll cover your back.)
(Understood. Help me if I start losing.)
(Don’t say such pathetic things. At least say you’ll be fine, even if it’s just bluffing.)
(I don’t know what kind of person they are. I want insurance.)
As the cautious one, I took out ironclad insurance and approached the central barracks alone. I was shot at, but dodged by tilting my head and called out into the building.
“Don’t waste your bullets. Such pathetic sniping won’t take me down. There’s someone capable inside, right? Come out, let’s have a one-on-one duel?”
As I beckoned them, a deep voice replied from inside.
“What’s the benefit of agreeing to a one-on-one, you oversized pumpkin?!”
He’s right, even though I’m wearing a Pumpkin Head costume.
“Do you need a benefit? Then I’ll accommodate your request and provide one. I’m the leader of the surprise attack unit, and I promise you this: if you defeat me, my unit will withdraw. It’s not much of a fight if the commander is defeated. This way, there’s a benefit for both sides, don’t you think?”
“What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word!”
He’s willing to listen. I need to flatter him into agreeing.
“If you’re the ace of your unit, you should understand. What happens to a unit when its ace is defeated.”
“…”
He’s thinking, he’s thinking. I’ll flatter him, flatter him, and then bring him down. I need to get him riled up.
“If you kill me, you’ll be the savior of this base. From what I saw earlier, you’re not the type of man to be wasting away in some remote outpost, are you? You’re a soldier with a nickname or two, am I mistaken?”
I clapped my hands together, making an exaggerated gesture.
“Ah! My bad, my bad. You’re scared, right? I understand you’re scared of me, who half-destroyed the base, I understand perfectly. There’s no point in a one-on-one with some spineless wimp like you. Just tremble and huddle inside the barracks! I’ll blast rocket launcher rounds into it and cremate you!”
As I pretended to signal by raising my right hand, a large man carrying a huge war hammer appeared from the entrance.
“So you’ve come out. May I have your name?”
“I am Sir Dick Davis, known as ‘The Elephant’ D.D.”
Elephant D.D.? I’ve seen that in the Soldier Catalog… I think he was in Legion’s 4th Unit.
“D.D. of Legion 4th Unit?”
“Formerly. I gave up on that bunch of scum. Who are you?”
“Gave up,” huh? I can’t take that at face value.
“I am Pumpkinman, a righteous superhero sent from heaven to eradicate evil in this world. Come at me, you genuine piece of shit spat out from the cesspool.”
“You dare mock me! I’ll smash your head in like a pumpkin.”
Confirming there were no snipers, D.D. dashed from the entrance, closing the distance in a straight line.
He deployed a Psyche-Barrier in front of him and checked his surroundings before dashing. He’s not an idiot, despite being a fiend with a big ego. He’s been through a lot of battles.
I thought this would be an easy mission, but it seems it won’t end smoothly after all.
