The Escape Arc begins. The narrator is none other than Kanata’s dad, Kouhei!
In a world where I feel no weight, I aim for the other side of a dazzling corridor of light.
I see a gate beyond the corridor!
Beyond that shining door lies Planet Terra, the world where Kanata Amakake lives.
This journey is no longer solely for atonement. I will save Kanata… my family.
No matter what hardships await beyond that door!
I feel the weight of my body with a slight discomfort. It seems I succeeded.
Is the source of this discomfort unfamiliarity with a new body, or perhaps the culture medium filling my lungs?
If Kanata’s joke had come true, I would have been in a woman’s body. So I should be thankful that this new body, even if it’s someone else’s, is at least male.
I open my eyes slightly to survey the situation… I’m in an adjustment pod, just as expected.
“!! Wh, what is this! Contact Dr. Shijima immediately!”
“Chief, it’s already two in the morning. Can’t it wait until dawn?”
“Unit 17 is emitting brainwaves! Hurry!”
“Y-yes!… Doctor! Please come to the lab immediately! Unit 17 is emitting brainwaves!”
Their panic is rather comical. They must think they’ve finally seen a glimmer of hope in their string of failed experiments.
“Hey, Unit 17! Are you conscious! What’s going on?”
…Being called by a number is truly irritating. Unfortunately, I have no hobby of conversing with extras.
After I continued to ignore their calls for a while, the sound of a door opening and closing was followed by a meek voice.
“Brainwaves from Unit 17, you say?”
No doubt about it, that meek voice belongs to the meek doctor called Shijima.
“Unit 17! Can you hear me! I am Dr. Shijima, the one who created you! Please! Open your eyes!”
I’ll indulge him and open my eyes. …Even up close, he still has a meek face.
“Unit 17! You’re conscious! We did it! We did it! Just like Unit 12, making it go through brain death was the key!”
“Doctor, you’ve finally done it!” “Congratulations!”
You’re the ones who should be celebrating. I am not the result of your experiment.
Since I’ve opened my eyes, I might as well observe my surroundings. Alright, it’s the same room Kanata saw.
That means this must be the second laboratory in the special sector.
Thankfully, Kanata memorized the entire floor plan when he returned to the laboratory. It was truly fortunate he possesses instant memory abilities.
…It seems the so-called tactical app hasn’t been installed in this body yet.
Even without a translation app, I’m confident in my language skills, but there were many other useful apps.
“……Ahhh……… Ughhh……… ”
“He spoke! He spoke! See, everyone! Unit 17 spoke!”
Clara didn’t just stand up; stop reacting so dramatically, it’s annoying.
“……Aw… …Aaaahhh……… ”
Here, notice. What is missing? You should do as Kanata does.
“R-right. He can’t understand because the translation app isn’t installed! Install it immediately! Install all the apps that were installed on Unit 12!”
That’s right, that’s it. I’m glad you understand. Just as Kanata estimated, you’re a helpful idiot to deal with.
…I’m getting sleepy. It seems I’ve been administered a sedative.
I’ll start my actions after I get the tactical app.
My drowsy consciousness was sharpened by the conversation between Shijima and the chief.
“Doctor, shouldn’t you report the success of Unit 17’s experiment?”
“Not yet. You were told not to report until complete confirmation can be made. We shouldn’t report until communication is established with Unit 17 through conversation.”
They probably submitted exaggerated reports without much progress. There were plenty like that in the Ministry of Finance.
Oh, text is appearing directly on my retina now. This must be the tactical app.
Good, good, this will make things easier. First, the time. It’s 02:13 now.
It took a full day to install the tactical app. It makes sense, since I installed multiple apps.
“Doctor, Unit 17’s brainwaves indicate a state of awakening!”
“Unit 17! Are you awake? If you can hear me, please respond!”
It’s about time I replied. I can’t do anything while I’m in this pod.
“……Let me… out…… Let me out of here……… ”
“Did you hear that! He definitely said to let him out! I’ll get you out right away……”
“Wait, Doctor! Let’s call the security guards first!”
Tch, Chief, don’t say unnecessary things. Well, it doesn’t matter. The result won’t change.
“We did it! The experiment is finally a success! I have become a god, a god~!”
For now, you can just be happy. You’re only on cloud nine now.
Soon… I will send you to hell.
Surrounded by security guards armed with machine guns, I was taken out of the pod.
“Unit 17, I am Shijima, who created you. Can you understand me?”
As I nodded to Shijima’s words, I looked around. There are surveillance cameras.
I had devised several escape plans on my way here, but now is the time to go with Plan B.
Since Kanata has already been deployed in actual combat, Plan A, the method Kanata used, is difficult.
My plan C is to escape by taking advantage of my memorized base map and a moment of opportunity…
Even if I’m treated the same as Kanata, I’ll likely be confined to the depths of the special residential area.
From the special sector, I must pass through several gates to reach the wall.
Even if I manage to reach the gate, it’s difficult to use the Psyche-Barriers as stepping stones to escape.
There’s no guarantee I can use Nenshin Power as skillfully as Kanata.
Let’s go with Plan B. It’s okay, I can do it. I have sufficient reason.
“Unit 17, is the world you’re seeing for the first time that interesting?”
“Ah, it’s very interesting. Dr. Shijima, wasn’t it? Thank you for creating me.”
My sudden fluent speech startled everyone.
“……Is it a handshake in times like these? ”
While feigning confusion, I extended my right hand, and Shijima firmly grasped it with both of his.
He must have been incredibly happy about the success of the experiment… Fool.
Just because Kanata was rational doesn’t mean I have to be.
“By the way, Doctor, I intend to leave this place?”
“……Unit 17. I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. We need you to cooperate with the experiment.”
“That… I refuse!”
I pull Shijima’s hand with all my might, drawing him close, and use him as a human shield.
Even though Shijima’s body is as flimsy as a bean sprout, I feel almost no weight. I can easily restrain Shijima as he struggles. This body is incredible! Is this the ability of a human weapon? And I’m young, to boot.
It’s a far cry from my original body, where the shadows of old age were creeping in.
“Doctor! Unit 17, release the Doctor! Or you’ll die here!”
Concurrently with the Chief’s shout, all their guns were aimed at me.
“Unit 17! Release the Doctor and raise your hands! Then slowly lie down on the ground!”
I was told this by a man wearing an armband among the five security guards, but I have no intention of complying.
“……Do you… think I don’t have any weapons?”
“Unit 17, even if you are a born soldier, escaping from here is impossible. Surrender! I won’t hold it against you!”
“Doctor, in some cases, we will shoot you along with the Doctor! Be prepared!” H-how could this be…
I won’t die. Not now. …Even though you have enough “killing intent” for treating my son as a guinea pig!!
“Gah!” “Heehee!” “Gyaah!” “Ogh!”
“Guh!… Impossible!… Evil Eye… What was that…”
Five screams echoed, and four security guards, bleeding from their eyes and ears, fell.
Only the security guard with the armband was crouched down, covering his eyes, and the chief, who had been hiding behind him, seemed unharmed.
I shove Shijima towards the Chief and kick the jaw of the kneeling security guard.
Before the security guard, who spun in mid-air, could land, I picked up the fallen machine gun.
The safety device is disengaged. With a casual motion, I unleashed bullets towards the fallen security guards.
Their bodies, riddled with a rain of bullets, convulsed like fish washed ashore.
When the clip emptied, I threw the gun away and borrowed a new one from a corpse.
“Eeeek! Unit 17! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Ho, he can look me in the eye and not die. It seems the Wolf Eye is off successfully. It was worth the mental Training on Earth.
This much is only natural. I am Kanata’s father, who is strong under pressure and in unexpected situations.
I answer the Chief, who seems to have lost his composure after a chicken-like scream.
“I was just exterminating pests. Is there a problem?”
I point my gun at the Chief, who is now flapping his mouth like a goldfish.
“Instead of foolishly supporting Shijima’s body, didn’t you have options like sounding the alarm or escaping quickly?”
“Wh-who… who are you?”
He asked, his teeth chattering, but I have no intention of answering. Or, perhaps I’ll give him a little present.
“My name isn’t Unit 17, is it? Chief Number 1, sir.”
While keeping my gun pointed, I took zip ties from the dead security guard’s body and restrained Chief Number 1.
I thought Shijima was quiet, but he’s fainted with his eyes rolled back.
To faint just from hearing gunshots up close is pathetic.
“Unit 17, wh-what are you going to do!”
“What I need to do. Now, Chief Number 1, you’ll be coming with me.”
I place the two robed figures, bound by zip ties, onto a trolley found in the lab, and then bind the trolley and the two together.
The escape drama begins. Chief Number 1 will be given a front-row seat.
This development was pretty obvious once Unit 17, in a brain-dead state, was released in the Scramble Arc (lol).
