Rebuild World

Akira and the others switched the purpose of the exploration to rescue the hunters left in the Serantarville. The search for the building was then resumed with a modified search method according to the changed purpose.

Until earlier, information gathering equipment was used around aisles and rooms on each floor in turn from the first floor to investigate the internal structure of the building. But after switching purposes, Carroll just goes around a specific room he pre-specifies, going up the back first without stopping by or anything. The speed of travel had also changed from walking to running. Akira was quite surprised by the difference she had made.

Akira continued to train indoor behavior under Alpha's direction even after she resumed her exploration.

The difficulty of training had risen considerably compared to before resuming exploration. Because the increased speed of troop movements reduces the grace time to the next decision and action. A slight delay in judgment and action increases the difficulty of the next judgment and action. Gradually, fatigue accumulates, concentration drops, movement slows, and enemies are neglected. It was only a matter of time before Akira could stand the difficulty of training.

Alpha decides to cut the training considering Akira's fatigue.

'Akira. It's time for a break. Akira needs to rest. "

'... ok'

Akira exhales lightly. I didn't completely relax. Still, if you throw enemy alert and more round Alpha, you can catch up with Elena and the others at your leisure. Akira's movements will be somewhat cluttered, but as Alpha manipulates the fortified garments to compensate for them, the appearance of the movements will also need to change slightly. There is nothing to blame for the movement of Akira, which became cluttered by Shikarabe and the others.

Akira, who regained her spare time, tries to ask Alpha what she cared about.

"Alpha. I need to ask you something..."

"Oh, if you've recovered enough to waste your breath, shall we resume training?"

Akira shut up. More importantly, Akira's Alpha conversation takes place in a reading, so she hasn't opened her mouth or spoken to her voice, but Akira still shut up. If you can recognize that, then you will realize that a meaningless thing is being done: to communicate silence in your reading. Only Alpha can do that.

Alpha smiles like a prank.

'Just kidding. So, what do you want to hear?

Akira tells Alpha silently the colour of blame mixes. Alpha smiles joyfully. There is no such thing as winning over Akira in a tense of intentions. Akira exhales a slightly grumpy expression and undoes it before asking Alpha.

'... I've changed the way I move a lot since I switched course of action, but are you okay? No, I know I'm fine too, but, uh...'

Akira was trying to pinpoint her thoughts and what she wanted to hear as she spoke. Alpha answers by guessing and grasping what Akira wants to say and supplementing it before Akira finishes.

"Akira does not doubt Elena's command. That's why Akira decides it's okay, too. But that's based on an appreciation for Elena personally. It's not like Akira figured out, understood, and evaluated the content of the command and decided it was okay. In other words, Akira becomes very anxious if Shikarabe or Togami conducts the exact same content. If I am also deciding that Elena's command is fine, I want you to tell me why. Has it increased the speed of troop movement considerably, but has it not affected enemies, etc? He said he would look for possible communication devices installed, but wouldn't he overlook them if he didn't look for each floor thoroughly? You can't ask Elena that right now, and you can ask Elena later, but I'd like to know by now if I can because I'm a little concerned.... Is this good?

Akira answers with a slight touch of concern.

'... yes. It's like that. "

Not long ago Akira was almost accurately read about what happened when she joined Sikarabe and the others in the Bounty Neck Crusade just by telling Sarah a little bit. And Akira was carefully inferred by Alpha about what she was trying to wrap up.

Within that, as soon as I say anything, will they read everything about my thoughts and insides? What Akira remembered was such an indescribable concern.

Alpha gives an assessment of Elena's command.

"I think Elena is in charge of everything. According to the criteria for the evaluation of command, nothing, Akira. 'Cause you're not asking Elena for such a godforsaken command capability to lead a unit made up of amateurs and break the predicament without damage, are you?

"Oh."

'That would be fine. Elena has given sufficiently precise instructions for the situation. I can appreciate that. First of all, the speed of movement of the troops…'

Alpha said that much and forced Akira to move (do) by manipulating the fortified clothes. Akira was over-conscious about Alpha's explanation, which was causing her to blunt her movements dramatically. Akira quickly switches consciousness in a slight panic when she realizes the matter. Shortly after, the troops pointed their guns at one side of the crossroads to ensure safety.

Alpha asks Akira with a little laugh.

"I knew we'd have to listen later?

'... right. Later.'

'Okay. If Akira's movements are neglected just by listening to me, I won't be able to speak to Akira in the ruins of the old world. If that happens, Akira will miss you too. Do you need that training, too?

That's what Alpha said and smiled. Akira floated her swell and shut up.

Akira and the others are making good progress inside the Serantalville. Expands the exploration area without encountering enemies. Unfortunately, however, this has not led to the discovery of a rescue target.

Akira and the others continued to explore rooms where rescue targets were likely to be caged. But it was all empty. There were traces of someone once there in the room, blood traces that seemed to belong to a monster attacked hunter, etc., but it was not possible to find what a hunter looked like, either alive or dead.

Things changed when Akira and the others reached the 20th floor of the building. As Akira and the others climb the stairs and attempt to proceed inside the twentieth floor, Elena gives instructions to Akira and the others to stand by on the spot.

When Akira and the others checked the condition of the hall on the 20th floor from the stairs, there was a different sight there than before.

The corpse of a hunter holding the original shape. wreckage of destroyed machinery. And it's a mechanical monster that still works.

From the outside, it can be determined that Akira and the others encountered in the city compartment are of the same lineage as the A-24 type, but the damage is severe. The surface of the torso is distorted and several of the multiple legs have been destroyed. Some legs are a thousand cuts from the roots, while others have tyres off. However, if it is damaged to that extent, it would seem fine if it was about walking. He roamed the hall cleverly avoiding the wreckage of the same type of aircraft rolling on the floor and the hunter's body.

Shikarabe checks the surroundings and talks like a squeal.

"... did you finish the cleaning down to the lower level? Well, it's better than laying defenses in a group."

As far as the enemy is concerned, it doesn't look like he was waiting for Akira and the others. But as far as the bodies on the floor go, I don't even think they'll let Akira and the others through.

Elena gives Akira and the others instructions to wait and figure out what to do with the enemy and what to do next.

(Perhaps that's a patrol type. There is no sign of our presence. The sensors are damaged? Have you been working with any security equipment in the Serantaru building? Is something interfering with our intelligence-gathering equipment affecting enemy opponents and communications? Is that autonomous? Acting as a scout? Or is the command plane just being destroyed and wandering pointlessly?

Elena made various assumptions in a few moments. And give Sarah instructions, including verification of that presumption.

"Sarah. Let me die instantly"

Copy that.

Sarah sets up an objective assault gun for the target's mechanical monster. Sarah's gun aimer has been similarly affected by intelligence-gathering equipment, and the accuracy of the information displayed on the aimer has fallen.

But that wouldn't be any obstacle if it was Sarah's strength either. Aimed firmly at the target torso and pulled the trigger with confidence that it would hit.

The bullet landed frantically where Sarah aimed. A bullet emphasizing the grinding force over the penetration force dives inside the torso while deforming the outer armor of the A-24 type. The impact of the collision ran through the fuselage, flashly crushing and splashing with each internal mechanical component. A moment late, the multiple legs that lost their base collapsed onto the floor one after the other.

While Elena continues to give Akira and the others instructions to wait, she continues to observe the location of the wrecked A-24 formula.

Akira remembers a little catch and asks Alpha.

"Alpha. I mean the one Sarah knocked down earlier, it looks like a mechanical monster at first glance, but actually, yeah, it looks like a biological monster...... it doesn't have to be, does it?

While Alpha wonders Akira's question, she reconfirms the mechanical monster that Sarah destroyed. Mechanical parts splashed around the area and multiple legs rolling on the floor consisted mostly of metal, nanomaterials, etc. I can't find any material that I would judge to be a biological monster.

'At least you look like a mechanical monster to me. What's wrong with that?

'No, what do you mean, kill the machine instantly? Judging by Sarah's attack, do you mean destroy it as flashy as it looks and eliminate the possibility that it's a little broken but it might still work?... I feel something different'

"Oh, that's the thing"

Akira suspected from Elena's words that the enemy looked mechanical at first sight but was actually biological. The classification around it is occasionally the source of confusing arguments.

Alpha comes up with the idea. Akira is already in contact with the enemy. Rather than devoting consciousness to extra thought, devote consciousness to peripheral vigilance. Maybe I should scold him.

But I don't know if that's really an extra thought. Slight doubts, slight discomfort, thoughts about it and the awareness created from it. It can sometimes be a trump card through a desperate predicament, a signpost that produces correct answers that are logically impossible to come up with.

The only way to sharpen that ability is to circle thoughts on questions and discomforts that are even difficult to be aware of. If Alpha scolds Akira, Akira will honestly stop thinking any further. It is also about taking away the opportunity to sharpen its abilities from Akira.

If it's a simple enemy ability, Akira's strength will never exceed Alpha's ability. If so, should priority be given to drilling other beneficial capabilities, although unlikely? That's what Alpha decided.

Alpha answers Akira's question.

"I can also explain that instant death is a short enough time from the moment something that can be the cause of death occurs to the time of death. Applying that to that mechanical monster makes the time between Sarah attacking and damaging that mechanical monster and the subject going into a deactivated state unlimited. Zero if possible. Elena asked Sarah for it. Though I'm guessing, that's probably what I'm saying. '

"Can't we just destroy it normally?

"Suppose that mechanical monster is part of the security system in this building. An attacked security device might call for backup. But I might not call you right away. If the guard's controls decide they can destroy the enemy on their own, they may not call for backup. The terms of that determination may also include your own damage situation. If the controller starts the self-diagnosis program, checks its own breakage state, and the breakage ratio exceeds the threshold, request backup. To stop it, it was necessary to deactivate the subject with a single blow. So Elena instructed Sarah to kill the subject instantly, immediately and completely. I can guess like this. '

"If that's part of this building's security device, either way, they'll find it in the building's surveillance device at the time they destroy it and call for backup?

"It's unclear how far Bill and the enemy's fuselage are working together. Actually, maybe not at all. Maybe Elena's instructions were to confirm that. Or maybe he just wants to see how many enemies come by with the sound of the shooting right now. It must be hard to get a sense of our normal position from the sound of the shots reflected in the building. If there's something in this building that's interfering with the functionality of our information-gathering equipment. But there's no guarantee that it's under the influence of the enemy's aircraft. Besides, if the enemy is part of the building's security system, even if each individual's sensors are affected, the entire building's surveillance system may already know where we are, and each individual may also know where we are by receiving that information. Maybe you're trying to tell them from the change of circumstances."

Akira is a little surprised. Alpha's description did not even contain shards in Akira's head. It would be a harm that had left the judgment of that hand of battle to Alpha. Akira was saddened by her lack of strength when she heard Alpha explain.

'I can deduce a lot of other things, but let's make this about it. We need to keep our minds open more than we've encountered our enemies.'

'Just tell me one last thing. Is what Alpha explained to you something that normal hunters can immediately deduce? Am I the only one who had no idea?

'If you're talking about how to say the instructions, you might have simply decided that Elena would be Sarah and pass them on in that way. Elena and Sarah seem to be working together for years, so I guess that neighborhood doesn't have to tell each other the details. If Elena were to instruct Akira to do the same, I'd probably give her longer, more detailed instructions. If you're talking about the reason or rationale for the instructions, maybe Akira's right. If that bothers you, keep studying and training. We're here for you, aren't we?

Alpha smiles in a meaningful way. Akira answers with a bitter smile.

"Looks like a long journey to a real hunter."

What Alpha calls support also includes the implications of raising the quality, quantity and rigour of studies and training. That's about what Akira found out.

Togami kept confirming the evolution of the situation. The enemy is crushed by Sarah's shooting and scattered all over the floor. Elena keeps seeing the place with a serious look on her face. That's all. There is no further change.

The slightly more assertive (frightened) look of Togami, who remained vigilant, turned into something that contained some doubts. And the color of confusion increases.

Wasn't that the only enemy? I don't see how a newbie is coming, and I wonder if I could move on. Shouldn't we be in a hurry to help the rescuers quicker? Such assumptions and proposals floated behind Togami's brain, and Togami unconsciously affirmed them.

Togami speaks to Elena.

"Um, aren't you going to move on?

Elena answers without changing her expression, keeping her face forward.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I can't even afford to be a teacher. Ask Shikarabe if you need to ask me something."

"No, but I've been..."

Shikarabe's grumpy voice reaches Togami, who tries to eat down.

"Pull in."

Togami turned his gaze toward Shikarabe. Sikarabe was intimidating Togami with mild hostility.

Sikarabe declares to Togami without concealing his discomfort with a serious look.

"Ready? Elena's busy. Stay out of my way."

…… Okay. "

Look at Togami, who has pulled back a lot, and Shikarabe looks surprised (kegged) the other way around. I intimidated him a little harder in this situation not to make things worse by allowing him to say and do what he did on Togami's condition. But even with that in mind, Togami's attitude was honest. At least I couldn't feel the atmosphere pulling back reluctantly from Togami on Sikarabe.

(... what is this guy? You suddenly sound better. That would help...)

Sikarabe remembered something a little unintelligible but didn't care deeply. We've already met the enemy. It's not a big deal if we don't get in our way.

Togami will check on the others again. In Togami's sense, even considering the prudence caused by the first encounter with the enemy, it just seems to be meaninglessly delaying the rescue action required for swift action.

We are a team of rapids. If you are given vain or inexplicable instructions, you may be dissatisfied or confused. That's what Togami had in mind. Except for Togami, no one showed dissatisfaction or bewilderment with Elena's instructions.

(At least she's doing what she needs to do, and Sikarabe acknowledges that need. Are the other ones the same? Are you able to assume the reason for her instructions and understand the need? Am I the only one who doesn't understand?

There is another person who doesn't know exactly why. Akira. It's simple that dissatisfaction is not on the table. Because I hear a lot from Alpha.

I know. I don't know who I am. Togami, who assumed so, became desperate and continued to ponder the reasons and rationale for Elena's instructions.

Instructions are given as Elena points to the passage leading to the back of the hall on her right hand side.

"Sarah, if possible, let me swim for a while. If you think it's dangerous, destroy it without waiting for instructions."

Copy that.

Sarah sets up a gun toward the exit of the aisle. And talk with a light laugh.

"I don't know what it is, and can I destroy it a little early?

"I'll take care of it."

Looking at Elena, who answered with a serious look, Sarah tightened her mind while maintaining her spare look.

The goggle-shaped display device worn by Akira shows a simple map of the twentieth floor. It also shows the passage where Sarah is pointing the gun. The display of the simplified map changed after Elena's instructions. A red dot appeared in the back of the aisle. It's an enemy reaction.

Alpha expands Akira's vision. The area behind the passage, invisible on the wall, was thus displayed briefly in Akira's vision.

In the same spot as the red dots shown on the simplified map, the similarly simplified enemies appear in red. It's not a display method that clearly understands the shape of a monster or even a person's structure, it's a simple display method to the extent that you can see that there are enemies in that position.

Alpha gives Akira instructions.

'Enemy. Though I think Sarah is enough to deal with it, for once Akira is also very vigilant.'

'Okay. Unlike usual, the display is cluttered because of the performance of the information-gathering equipment?

'That's right. Don't be overconfident that the passages that are displayed are also accurate enough to display the shape of a simple map overlapping each other. "

Akira repositions the CWH objective assault gun near the exit of the enemy passage. Akira's gaze was pointed at the end of the aisle, at the enemy over the wall.

Shikarabe and Carol are pointing the gunpoint at a different passage from the one where Akira and the others are on guard. Because Sarah and Akira decided it was enough to deal with the enemies shown on the simplified map. And just because you don't see enemies on a simplified map doesn't mean you don't have enemies in other aisles.

Togami was watching Akira as she put a gun forward. And when I realized Akira's gaze was toward the wall, I got a surprising look.

(That guy, what are you looking at?

Togami moves his gaze to the wall at the end of Akira's gaze. But there's nothing notable about that wall. Togami was watching Akira as she deepened the color of her confusion.

The red dot on the simplified map approaches from the back of the aisle in the direction where Akira and the others are. If it stays that way, it will come straight to Akira and the others.

The more red dots and enemy reactions approach Akira and the others, the more red the enemy appears in Akira's extended vision. The appearance of the enemy, which was a brief indication, gradually changes to a finer shape. Because the closer you are to your enemies and Akira, the more accurate your information-gathering equipment will be.

Akira continues to follow the enemy's position with her eyes. The appearance of the enemy displayed over the wall in Akira's sight changes into something delicate depending on its distance.

The enemy is the same type of A-24 Sarah destroyed earlier. However, when compared to the individual, there are few damaged areas. The new individual proceeded cleverly avoiding obstacles scattered across the floor of the aisle, and finally emerged out of the aisle and in front of Akira and the others. It coincided with Akira's gaze pointing towards the exit of the aisle.

Togami looks at Akira with surprise (a lot). I noticed that Akira's gaze matched the monster's position.

(He was chasing enemies with his eyes!? How the hell did you do that!?

Togami has noticed Akira better than the A-24 formula, which came out of the aisle with a surprising amount of surprise. If the enemy knew Akira and the others existed and attempted an immediate attack, it would have become a deadly gap.

Luckily, or as Elena expected, the A-24 formula goes straight through the hall without doing anything. When Sarah made sure that the muzzle of the machine gun growing on the enemy's back was not directed towards them, she let the enemy swim as directed by Elena, keeping the gun's aim firmly aligned with the part of the enemy's machine gun.

Formula A 24 proceeded as it was over the wreckage of the enemy destroyed by Sarah and passed as it was. Elena confirms it gives instructions.

"Sarah. Destroy it."

At Elena's behest, Sarah shoots a mechanical monster without intermittent hair.

The first bullet hits the A-24 machine gun section. The machine gun part was stripped from the fuselage at the same time as it was heavily deformed by the impact of the landing. Furthermore, the A-24 type collapsed to such a large extent that the tire on the leg left the floor due to the impact of the landing.

A second bullet hits the torso part of A-24. A bullet blew one of the fuselage's multiple legs and caused it to fall flashly.

A third and fourth bullet is fired into the fallen fuselage. The third bullet involves two legs and penetrates the external armor, penetrating into the torso. As the fourth bullet landed in front of the torso portion, it crashed straight through the torso and into the wall behind the fuselage.

The A-24 formula, which was rendered powerless in a small amount of time, was irregularly moving the legs that remained like the last raised while falling on the floor. And in a few seconds I stopped completely and never moved again.

Sarah lowers the gun convinced of the destruction of the enemy. Elena keeps thinking as she looks at the mechanical monsters that Sarah destroyed.

Akira tells Alpha as she looks at the mechanical monsters that leave much of their original shape behind.

"It's a very different way to attack than the first time."

'Elena gave me different instructions, too. Perhaps Sarah, after destroying the opponent's weapon and disabling it, attacked it thinking about checking the strength of the enemy's armor and the location of the controls.'

"I see."

"A mechanical monster of the same type would most likely have the same internal structure. What happens if you punch a bullet of power into which part of the enemy. Sarah showed me that once, so Akira has to think about it and decide where to aim, right?

When Alpha answered with a smile, Akira slightly distorted her expression. I did see the course and consequences of Sarah's attack. But Akira had no idea which part of the enemy to target.

After inferring the control device of the mechanical monster from among the splashed mechanical parts and the position before the destruction of the control device, infer the thin area of armor and snipe and destroy the control device. If that were possible, I guess I could efficiently disable mechanical monsters. Naturally, Akira can't.

"In the meantime, why don't you start by targeting the weapon part of your opponent, like Sarah?

'That's a good idea. After that, even if Akira doesn't have my support, she'll probably be able to hit the weapon part, which is a relatively small part, targeting a moving mechanical monster. "

'... So, what's the right answer?

"Correct answers vary depending on the skill of the sniper. With Akira's current arm, she might be aiming at a large torso to disintegrate the target and reduce the target's accuracy to the lowest possible level. At least it has to hit somewhere. '

"Best of all. We have to hit it first. '

Successful sniping like Sarah on its own will be later in the day. Akira exhaled slightly.

Togami speaks to Akira.

"... how did you figure out where the enemy was?

Answer as Akira wonders.

"It would have appeared on the simplified map. You're not working together?

Ask again as Togami shows her bewilderment.

"It's not. You were hiding in the wall, you couldn't see, you were definitely chasing enemies with your eyes."

Asked by Togami, Akira gradually understood. Normally, you can't see enemies across the wall. But I can't talk to Alpha about it. Answer with a slightly impatient inner face.

"An enemy reaction would have appeared in red on the simplified map along with the 20th floor view. If you look at that, you can imagine the general position."

"The position of the enemy on the simplified map is approximate. You followed the enemy's position over the wall with your eyes until the enemy came out of the aisle. How the hell..."

Togami is not convinced by Akira's explanation and tries to eat down even further. Sicarabe interrupts there.

"Akira, you don't have to listen to that nonsense. Ignore it. He can't do it. I don't know. I guess he thinks it's all a strange phenomenon. It's no use dealing with them."

The intent of Shikarabe's statement is unclear, but there is no difference in what is convenient for Akira. Akira nods lightly and answers.

"Okay."

Togami looks at Shikarabe slightly dissatisfied. But when I saw the look on Shikarabe's face like she was making a fool of herself somehow, I immediately lowered my face to be slightly drooped, took my gaze off Shikarabe, and returned to perimeter vigilance.

Shikarabe gives me another look of surprise. Shikarabe pinched her mouth to avoid rubbing (also) the togami with Akira, but thought it would only involve her for that matter. But Togami also pulled back slightly.

(You're really quite honest. What the hell)

Shikarabe did so in surprise without knowing why, but after seeing how Togami was pulling back very hard, he modified his assessment of Togami only slightly from the kid on track.