Ethan's Side
"So this is the Surface."
"First time?"
Back on the Surface again. Anis asked Neon, who was marveling at her surroundings as if it was her first time up here.
"Yes. It’s so wide, and the sky isn’t crackling—it’s a completely different experience. The air’s composition is the same, but for some reason, it just feels… off."
"That novelty won’t last long. The chance of encountering Raptures on the Surface within an hour is 100%. If you get lost in wonder, a beam gun’s blast will take your head off."
"Understood. We need to move quickly. The final objective is to investigate the control room in the power plant. I’ll scan the operation area."
Just before diving into the mission, Shifty switched the topic to the operational briefing.
"Purging Ebla particles. Concentration at 42.43%, 21.48%, Ebla particle concentration 2.01%. Scan complete. The route to the power plant follows the maglev tracks. There’s high-voltage current running the entire length. A Nikke could risk the damage and push through, but the issue is…"
"That’s on me?"
If it were the old days, maybe it wouldn’t matter. But as a normal human, getting close to high-voltage lines would fry me in an instant.
No, “fry” isn’t even the right term. Realistically, I’d just be electrocuted.
"Don’t be so glum. You’re human, after all."
"What’s causing the high voltage?"
"Searching archives… It seems that five years ago, during the city lockdown, high-voltage was deliberately applied to prevent Raptures from escaping. The tracks were already built to a high spec back then and generate their own power."
"What happened to the humans left inside the city?"
Shifty fell silent at Anis’s question. We all knew what had happened to those trapped inside.
"…It’s best to avoid the building interiors. You never know what you’d see."
"First, let’s cut power to the tracks. That’s our priority."
"Understood. Shifty, can we control it from outside?"
"Yes. I’ll mark the control center on the map."
With every preparation complete, all that remained was moving into the operation area.
"Commander. Preparations complete."
"Good. Let’s move out."
"Roger."
We immediately headed into the zone. We encountered a few Raptures en route, but the numbers were low, so we pressed on without issue.
"Ah."
"!! Rapi!"
"Commander! Behind me! Shifty! Backup!"
Caught off guard by the sudden combat stance, I reacted instantly and surveyed the surroundings.
'…? There's nothing here.'
I looked around—there was absolutely nothing. I’d been sure Raptures were closing in.
"…Did I say something wrong?"
Anis looked puzzled at Neon as Neon spoke up tentatively.
"Was it a Rapture…?"
"Um… no."
"Okay, Neon. There’s a standing rule for Nikkes on the Surface: ‘Ah.’ Solo use is forbidden. Got it?"
"Ah, I see. Is this okay?"
"That’s fine."
"Whew… no wonder."
I found it odd to switch into combat stance for no reason, but I never expected this mishap.
"…So, what’s going on?"
"I just had a great idea. If high-voltage on the tracks is the problem, why don’t we wear rubber boots?"
I thought I misheard. Why would she suddenly suggest rubber boots? Was it a new kind of joke or an indirect assassination attempt?
"You were joking, right?"
Given her intelligence, she wouldn’t spout such absurd ideas—and I certainly couldn’t empathize with it.
"…"
"That’s not okay! With currents that high, just approaching would…!"
Shifty—the only one among us with real technical sense—called out to Anis’s suggestion. Thank goodness someone pointed out the risk.
"Ugh… Anyway, it’s not possible, so that’s that."
"You stopped explaining halfway, didn’t you?"
"It seemed fine… Commander, could it be—"
"If you’re about to say ‘wear rubber boots,’ stop it right now."
"Yes."
Leaving Neon’s bizarre suggestion behind, we continued on our path.
"Control center reached. Cutting power to the tracks now."
"Commander. The connecting device."
"Just a sec."
I pulled out my phone and tugged the protruding section. A cable roughly a meter long snapped out.
"Where should I plug this in?"
"Commander. Right here."
Following Rapi’s finger, I spotted a small port.
"Oh… I didn’t think you’d know about this."
"It’s my specialty."
I replied to Shifty’s murmur and plugged the device into the port.
"Shifty. How’s it look?"
"Power cut complete. We can now proceed into the city along the tracks."
"Roger."
I closed comms and stretched lightly. The real challenge was about to begin, so I needed to limber up this new body.
'I feel strangely energized. Is it just me?'
I pondered the odd sensation that had been nagging me.
"Um, Commander… you’re surprisingly proficient at this mission."
"Hm? Does it look that way?"
"Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from a brand-new Commander, but you’re quite the surprise."
It made sense they'd be surprised. What rookie Commander could act this proficiently? There’s more to me than meets the eye.
"I’m not a rookie Commander anymore, right? Rapi."
"…I’m sorry about back then."
"It’s fine. I was just joking. Shall we move out?"
With that unfamiliar tone, we began heading toward the tracks again.
"Do we really not need rubber boots?"
"No, we don’t."
Another one of Neon’s wild suggestions as a bonus.
"Situation clear."
On our way to the tracks, we ran into a small group of Raptures. We defeated them easily and pressed onward.
"I’ve been wondering, Neon, isn’t your firepower too high?"
"The higher the firepower, the better, right?"
With confidence, Neon ran her hand over her personal weapon.
"Is that balance okay?"
"Listen carefully, Anis. In this world, firepower is everything. Only firepower can protect us. Firepower is worth enduring an unstable balance."
"Ah, yes."
"Now, everyone, repeat after me: ‘Long live firepower.’"
"No way."
"I’m not doing it."
I hastily turned my gaze away from Neon, whose fervent zeal reminded me of a fanatic.
"Power plant location secured. We can enter."
At last, the power plant—the operation area—lay before us. Yet something about Shifty’s report didn’t add up: the facility was swarming with over fifty Raptures.
"If you can call going into a place with over fifty Raptures ‘entering,’ then sure. It’s more commonly called suicide."
"Is that power plant… operational?"
"Yes. For reasons unknown, it started operating recently."
A plant that had been silent suddenly coming online strongly suggested someone was behind it.
"Any chance people are inside?"
"Officially, the number of people left on the Surface is zero. But exceptions exist. Several attempts were made to investigate this anomaly, but they all failed."
"By the way, we even sent in a fairly large force, but they all got wiped out by the Raptures."
"Besides the possibility of survivors, this power plant is also significant for its infrastructure."
"Of course. The higher-ups’ real objective is the power plant itself."
If we secure the electricity and facilities there, we could keep The Ark’s infrastructure running for months.
"Exactly. That makes this operation extremely critical."
"Critical enough to trust three people with~ this mission."
"Anis."
At Rapi’s warning, meant to scold Anis for mocking the higher-ups, Anis remained calm.
"Why?"
"Are you refusing orders?"
"That’s… not it."
"Then it’d be better if you didn’t waste time on pointless commentary."
Rapi’s precise reproach silenced Anis. Just as the tension eased, Neon spoke up.
"So how do we get in?"
"We exterminate the Raptures controlling the plant and enter."
"Ah, I see."
click!
Neon calmly loaded her weapon and said:
"Let’s go immediately. It’s time to show my firepower."
"No, that’s not even an option."
"Then give the order. Shall I proceed with the investigation?"
I hesitated. Charging fifty Raptures head-on was too risky, and unexpected variables could arise.
Most of all, I didn’t want to throw my squadmates into a death trap. They’re part of my squad now, no matter what.
"Commander. If we’re going to continue, we should check our ammo and charge in. With three of us, we’ll die quickly."
"Anis."
"We can be meat shields all day long, so just hide behind me and make sure you keep your head. You can handle that, right, Commander?"
"Anis!"
Unable to endure Anis’s continued rebellion, Rapi shouted at her. But Anis ignored her and continued:
"Why? It’s the reasonable decision in this situation, isn’t it?"
"Would you call that mutiny?"
"Do whatever."
"Mutiny is punishable by immediate execution."
"Rapi! How could you say that!"
"I’m telling you to calm down."
"Calm or whatever, we’ll definitely die!"
The atmosphere grew heavy. Before it got any worse, I needed to decide.
"We haven’t heard the Commander’s plan yet."
"……"
"The situation is dire. There’s really no alternative. Do you have a strategy?"
I considered how to avoid fifty Raptures and still complete the mission smoothly.
"…How about infiltration?"
"Infiltration? Oh, there’s one route…"
"Lead us that way."
"Yes. Understood."
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