アキラ達は探索の目的をセランタルビルに取り残されているハンターの救出に切り替えた。そして変更した目的に応じて修正した探索方法でビルの探索を再開した。
先ほどまでは1階から順に各階の通路や部屋を回って情報収集機器を使用し、ビルの内部構造を調査していた。しかし、目的を切り替えてからはキャロルが事前に指定した特定の部屋を回るだけで、寄り道などせずに先に奥に上に進んでいく。移動速度も徒歩から駆け足に変わっていた。今までとの違いにアキラはかなり驚いていた。
アキラは探索を再開してからもアルファの指示の下で屋内行動の訓練を続けていた。
訓練の難易度は探索を再開する前に比べてかなり上昇していた。部隊の移動速度が上昇することで、次の判断と行動までの猶予時間が減るからだ。判断と行動の僅かな遅れが、次の判断と行動の難度を上げる。次第に疲労が蓄積し、集中が落ち、動きが鈍り、索敵が
余裕を取り戻したアキラが、気になっていたことをアルファに尋ねようとする。
『アルファ。ちょっと聞きたいことがあるんだけど......』
『あら、無駄口をたたけるほど回復したのなら、訓練を再開しましょうか』
アキラは黙った。もとよりアキラのアルファとの会話は念話で行われているので、口を開いたりはしておらず声にも出していないのだが、それでもアキラは黙った。それを認識できる存在ならば、念話で無言を伝えるという無意味なことが行われていることに気づけるだろう。それができるのはアルファぐらいだが。
アルファが
『......行動方針を切り替えてから動き方が随分変わったけど、大丈夫なのか? いや、俺も大丈夫だとは思っているんだけど、えっと......』
アキラは話しながら自分の考えや聞きたいことを
『アキラはエレナの指揮を疑っていない。だからアキラも大丈夫だと判断している。でもそれはエレナ個人への評価を元にしたもの。指揮の内容をアキラが把握、理解、評価して問題ないと判断したわけではない。言い換えれば、全く同じ内容の指揮をシカラベやトガミが行った場合、アキラはとても不安になる。もし私もエレナの指揮を問題ないと判断しているのなら、その理由を教えてほしい。部隊の移動速度を随分上げたけれど、索敵等に影響が出ていないのか。設置されている可能性のある通信用端末を探すと言っていたけれど、各階をしっかり探さないと見落としたりしないのか。それを今エレナに聞くわけにはいかないし、後でエレナに聞いても良いのだけれど、ちょっと気になっているからできれば今のうちに知りたい。......これで良い?』
アキラは僅かな懸念を覚えながら僅かに表情を引きつらせて答える。
『......そう。そんな感じだ』
少し前にもアキラは一応隠そうとしたことを、シカラベ達と一緒に賞金首討伐に参加した時の状況を、サラに少し話しただけでほぼ正確に読み取られてしまった。そして今も自分でも
その内、自分が何か一言でも言った途端、自分の考えや内心を何もかも読まれてしまうのではないだろうか。アキラが覚えたのはそんな何とも言えない懸念だった。
アルファがエレナの指揮の評価を述べる。
に動かした。アキラがアルファの説明に意識を割きすぎたために動きを大幅に鈍らせていたのだ。アキラはその事に気付くと少し慌てながら急いで意識を切り替える。すぐに部隊が通過する十字路の一方に銃を向けて安全を確保した。
『......そうだな。後にしてくれ』
アキラ達がセランタルビルの中を順調に進んでいく。敵との遭遇もなく探索域を広げていく。だが残念ながら救出対象の発見には至っていない。
アキラ達は救出対象が籠城している可能性の高い部屋を探索し続けた。だが全て空振りだった。部屋の中にはかつて誰かがそこにいた痕跡、モンスターに襲われたハンターのものと思われる血痕などは存在していたが、ハンターの姿を見つけることは生死問わずにできなかった。
状況が変化したのは、アキラ達がビルの20階に到達した時だった。アキラ達が階段を登って20階の中に進もうとした時、エレナがアキラ達にその場に待機するように指示を出す。
アキラ達が階段から20階の広間の様子を確認すると、そこには今までとは異なる光景が広がっていた。
めているハンターの死体。破壊された機械の残骸。そして、今も動作している機械系モンスターだ。
外見からアキラ達が市街区画で遭遇した甲A24式と同系統の機体だと判断できるが損傷が激しい。胴体の表面が
「......掃除を終わらせたのは下の階までか。まあ、団体で防陣敷いているよりはましだな」
敵の様子を見る限り、アキラ達を待ち構えていたようには見えない。だが床の死体を見る限りアキラ達を大人しく通してくれるとも思えない。
エレナがアキラ達に待機の指示を出して敵の対処と次の行動を思案する。
(恐らくあれは巡回型。私達の存在に気付いている様子はない。センサー類が破損している? セランタルビルの警備設備との情報連携はしていない? 私達の情報収集機器を妨害している何かが敵の索敵や通信にも影響を及ぼしている? あれは自律型? 斥候として行動している? それとも指令機が破壊されて無意味に
エレナは僅かな時間で様々な推測を立てた。そしてその推測の検証を含めてサラに指示を出す。
「サラ。即死させて」
サラが目標の機械系モンスターに向けて対物突撃銃を構える。サラの銃の照準器も情報収集機器と同様の影響を受けており、照準器に表示されている情報の精度は落ちている。
だがそれもサラの実力ならば何の障害にもならない。目標の胴体に照準を合わせしっかり狙い、命中すると確信して引き金を引いた。
弾丸はサラが狙った箇所に狂いなく着弾した。貫通力よりも粉砕力を重視した弾丸が、甲A24式の外部装甲を変形させながら胴体部の内部へ潜っていく。衝突の衝撃が機体を駆け巡り、内部の機械部品ごと派手に粉砕し飛び散らした。一瞬遅れて、付け根を失った多脚が次々と床に崩れ落ちていった。
エレナはアキラ達に待機の指示を出し続けながら、残骸となり果てた甲A24式のいた場所を観察し続けている。
『アルファ。さっきサラさんが倒したやつのことだけど、一見機械系モンスターに見えるけど、実はああ見えて生物系モンスター......だったりはしないよな?』
アルファはアキラの質問を不思議に思いながらも、サラが破壊した機械系モンスターを再度確認する。辺りに飛び散った機械部品や床に転がっている多脚は、大半が金属やナノマテリアル等で構成されていた。生物系モンスターと判断する材料は一切見つからない。
『少なくとも私には機械系モンスターに見えるわ。それがどうかしたの?』
『いや、機械を即死させるってどういう意味なんだ? サラさんの攻撃から判断すると、見た目に分かり
アキラはエレナの言葉から、あの敵が一見機械系に見えるが実は生物系ではないかと疑ったのだ。その辺の分類は時折ややこしい口論の元になる。
アルファが思案する。アキラは既に敵と接触している状況だ。余計な思考に意識を割くよりも、周囲の警戒に意識を割け。そう
しかしそれが本当に余計な思考なのかは分からない。僅かな疑問、僅かな違和感、それに対する思考と、そこから生み出される気付き。それは時に絶望的な窮地を切り抜ける切り札となり、論理的に思いつくはずのない正答を生み出す道標となるのだ。
その能力を研ぎ澄ますには自覚すら難しい疑問や違和感に対して思考を巡らすしかない。アルファがアキラを
アルファがアキラの問いに答える。
『即死とは、死因となり得る何かが発生した時点から、死亡するまでの時間が十分短いことであるとも説明できるわ。それをあの機械系モンスターに当てはめると、サラがあの機械系モンスターを攻撃して損傷を与えてから、対象が機能停止状態になるまでの時間を限りなく短くする。可能ならばゼロにする。エレナはサラにそれを求めた。推測になるけれど、多分そういうことだと思うわ』
『普通に破壊するだけじゃ駄目なのか?』
『仮に、あの機械系モンスターがこのビルの警備装置の一部だとするわね。攻撃を受けた警備装置が応援を呼ぶかもしれないわ。でもすぐには呼ばないかもしれない。警備装置の制御装置が自力で敵を撃破できると判断したら応援を呼ばないかもしれない。その判断の条件には、自身の破損状況も含まれているかもしれない。制御装置が自己診断プログラムを起動させ、自身の破損状態を確認し、破損比率が
『あれがこのビルの警備装置の一部なら、あれを破壊した時点でどちらにしろビルの監視装置とかに見つかって応援を呼ばれたりするんじゃないか?』
『ビルと敵の機体がどこまで連携しているかは不明よ。実は全くしていないかもしれないわ。エレナの指示はそれを確認するためだったのかもしれない。あるいは、今の発砲音でどれだけ敵が寄ってくるか確認したいだけかもしれない。ビル内に反射した発砲音から私達の正常な位置を把握するのは難しいはずよ。私達の情報収集機器の機能を妨害している何かが存在しているこのビルの中ならね。でも敵の機体までその影響を受けている保証もないわ。それに敵がこのビルの警備装置の一部なら、各個体のセンサー類は影響を受けていても、ビル全体の監視装置が既に私達の位置を把握済みで、各個体もその情報を受け取ることで私達の位置を把握できるのかもしれない。それらを状況の変化から見極めようとしているのかもね』
も存在していなかった。戦闘のその手の判断をアルファに任せていた弊害だろう。アキラはアルファの説明を聞いて自分の実力不足を痛感していた。
『他にもいろいろ推察できるけれど、これぐらいにしましょう。敵と遭遇した以上、気を引き締めないとね』
『最後に一つだけ教えてくれ。アルファに説明してもらったことって、普通のハンターならすぐに推察できるものなのか? 全然分かっていなかったのは俺だけなのか?』
『指示の言い方の話なら、単純にエレナがサラにならあの言い方で伝わると判断しただけかもしれないわね。エレナとサラは長年組んで活動しているようだから、その辺はお互いに細かく言わなくても伝わるのでしょう。エレナがアキラに同じことを指示する場合は、多分もっと長く細かい内容の指示を出すと思うわ。指示の理由や根拠についての話なら、アキラの言う通りかもね。それが気になるのなら、これからも勉強と訓練を頑張りなさい。応援しているわよ?』
アルファが言う応援とは、勉強と訓練の質と量と厳しさをあげる意味合いも含まれている。それぐらいはアキラにも分かった。
トガミは状況の推移を確認し続けていた。敵はサラの銃撃で粉砕されて床に散らばっている。エレナはその場所を真剣な表情で見続けている。それだけだ。それ以上の変化はない。
った表情が若干疑問を含んだものに変わる。そして困惑の色が増えていく。
敵はあの一体だけだったのではないか。新手が来る様子もないし、先に進んでも良いのではないか。救出対象を早く助けるためにも、もっと急いだ方が良いのではないか。トガミの脳裏にそんな想定と案が浮かび、トガミは無意識にそれを肯定した。
トガミがエレナに声を掛ける。
「あの、えっと、進まないのか?」
エレナは前を向いたまま、表情を変えずに答える。
「御免なさい。悪いけど教官役までやっている余裕はないの。聞きたいことがあったらシカラベに聞いてちょうだい」
食い下がろうとするトガミに、シカラベの不機嫌な声が届く。
シカラベの方に視線を向けたトガミがたじろいだ。シカラベはトガミを軽い敵意を込めて威圧していた。
シカラベが真剣な表情で不快感を隠さずにトガミに宣言する。
「いいか? エレナは忙しいんだ。邪魔をするな」
(......なんだこいつ? 急に聞き分けが良くなったな。それはそれで助かるんだが......)
シカラベは少し釈然としないものを覚えながらも深くは気にしなかった。既に敵と遭遇しているのだ。自分達の邪魔をしないのなら大きな問題ではない。
トガミが改めて他の者達の様子を確認する。トガミの感覚では、敵と初遭遇したことによる慎重さを考慮しても、迅速な行動を求められる救出行動を無意味に遅滞させているようにしか思えない。
自分達は急造のチームなのだ。無駄な、
(少なくとも彼女は必要なことをしていて、シカラベもその必要性を認めている。他のやつも同じか? 彼女の指示の理由を想定できていて、必要性を理解しているのか? 分かっていないのは俺だけか?)
正確にはその理由等を分かっていない人物がもう一人いる。アキラだ。不満等の態度が表に出ていないのは単純だ。アルファからいろいろ聞いているからだ。
分かって当然のことを自分だけが分かっていない。そう思い込んだトガミは必死になってエレナの指示の理由と根拠を考え続けた。
エレナが広間の右手にある奥に続く通路を指差しながら指示を出す。
「サラ。可能なら
サラが通路の出口に向けて銃を構える。そして軽く笑いながら話す。
「何があるか分からないし、ちょっと早めに破壊しても良い?」
「任せるわ」
真剣な表情で答えたエレナを見て、サラは余裕の表情を保ちながら気を引き締めた。
アキラが着用しているゴーグル型の表示装置には20階の簡易マップが表示されている。サラが銃口を向けている通路も表示されている。エレナの指示の後に簡易マップの表示が変化した。赤い点が通路の奥側に現れたのだ。敵の反応だ。
アルファがアキラの視界を拡張する。それによりアキラの視界に通路の奥の部分、壁で見えない部分が簡易的に透過表示された。
簡易マップに表示されている赤い点と同じ場所に、同じく簡易表示された敵が赤色で表示される。モンスターの形状や人の構えまではっきり分かる表示方法ではなく、その位置に敵がいることが分かる程度の簡易的な表示方法だ。
『敵よ。対処はサラだけで十分だと思うけれど、一応アキラもしっかり警戒して』
『分かった。いつもと違って表示が雑なのは、情報収集機器の性能が落ちているからか?』
『そうよ。透過表示している通路も簡易マップの形状を重ねて表示した程度の精度だから過信はしないでね』
アキラがCWH対物突撃銃を敵のいる通路の出口付近に向けて構え直す。アキラの視線は通路の先、壁越しの敵へ向けられていた。
シカラベとキャロルは銃口をアキラ達が警戒している通路とは別の通路に向けている。簡易マップに表示されている敵への対処はサラとアキラで十分だと判断したからだ。そして簡易マップに敵が表示されていないからといって、他の通路に敵がいないとは限らないことを理解しているからだ。
トガミは前方に銃を構えながらアキラの様子を見ていた。そしてアキラの視線が壁の方に向いていることに気付くと
トガミが視線をアキラの視線の先にある壁に移す。しかしその壁には注目するべきものなどない。トガミは困惑の色を深めながらアキラの様子を見ていた。
簡易マップの赤い点が通路の奥からアキラ達がいる方向へ近付いてくる。このままなら
赤い点、敵の反応がアキラ達に近付くほどに、アキラの拡張視界に赤く表示している敵の姿が変化していく。簡略表示だった敵の姿が徐々により細かい形状に変化していく。敵とアキラ達との距離が近いほど情報収集機器の精度が上昇するからだ。
アキラが敵の位置を目で追い続けている。アキラの視界に壁越しに表示されている敵の姿がその距離に応じて精細なものに変化していく。
敵はサラが先ほど破壊した甲A24式と同型だ。ただしその個体と比較すると破損箇所が少ない。新たな個体は通路の床に散らばっている障害物を器用に避けながら進んでいき、ついに通路から出てアキラ達の前に現れた。それはアキラの視線の先が、通路の出口に向いたのと同時だった。
しみながら見ていたトガミが驚きの表情を浮かべる。アキラの視線の先とモンスターの位置が一致していることに気付いたのだ。
(あいつ、敵を目で追っていたのか!? 一体どうやって!?)
トガミは驚きの余り通路から出てきた甲A24式よりもアキラの方を注視してしまった。もし敵がアキラ達の存在を把握していて即座に攻撃を試みた場合、それは致命的な
幸運にも、あるいはエレナの予想通り、甲A24式は何もせずに広間をそのまま進んでいく。サラは敵の背中に生えている機銃の銃口が自分達の方に向いていないことを確認すると、構えた銃の照準を敵の機銃の部分にしっかり合わせたまま、エレナの指示通りに敵をそのまま泳がせた。
甲A24式はそのままサラに破壊された敵の残骸の上まで進み、そのまま通り過ぎた。それを確認したエレナが指示を出す。
「サラ。破壊して」
2発目の銃弾が甲A24式の胴体部分に命中する。弾丸が機体の多脚の1本を吹き飛ばして派手に転倒させた。
転倒した機体に3発目、4発目の銃弾が撃ち込まれる。3発目の銃弾は2本の脚を巻き込んで外部装甲を貫き、胴体の中までめり込んだ。4発目の銃弾は胴体部分の前方に着弾すると、そのまま胴体部を貫通して機体の後ろにある壁に激突した。
僅かな時間で無力化された甲A24式は、床に転倒したまま最後のあがきのように残った脚を不規則に動かしていた。そして数秒で完全に停止して二度と動かなくなった。
『1回目の時とは攻撃方法が随分違うな』
『エレナからの指示も違うわ。恐らくサラは、相手の武器を破壊して無力化した後は、敵の装甲の強度や制御装置の位置を確認するために考えて攻撃したんでしょうね』
飛び散った機械部品の中から機械系モンスターの制御装置を推測し、制御装置の破壊される前の位置を推測した上で、装甲の薄い場所を推測して制御装置を狙撃して破壊する。それが可能ならば効率的に機械系モンスターを無効化できるのだろう。当然ながら、アキラには無理だ。
『取りあえず、まずはサラさんみたいに相手の武器部分を狙うってのはどうだ?』
『良い案ね。後はアキラが私のサポート無しでも、恐らく移動中の機械系モンスターを狙って、比較的小さな部品である武器部分に当てられるようになるだけね』
『正解は狙撃の腕前によって変化するの。今のアキラの腕前なら、大きな胴体部を狙って相手の体勢を崩して、相手の命中精度を可能な限り下げるってところかしら。最低でもどこかに当たらないとね』
『ごもっとも。まずは当てないとな』
自力でサラのような狙撃を成功させるのは当分後になるだろう。アキラは少しだけ
トガミがアキラに声を掛ける。
「......どうやって敵の居場所を把握したんだ?」
く理解した。普通は壁の向こうの敵など見えないのだ。だがアルファにサポートしてもらったなどとは話せない。内心少し焦りながら何食わぬ顔で答える。
「簡易マップに敵の反応が赤で20階の見取図と一緒に表示されていただろう。それを見れば大体の位置は想像できるはずだ」
「簡易マップに表示されている敵の位置は所詮目安だ。お前は壁越しに敵の位置を、敵が通路から出てくるまでしっかり目で追っていた。一体どうやって......」
トガミはアキラの説明では納得できず、更に食い下がろうとする。そこにシカラベが割り込む。
Elena and her team changed their main goal to rescuing the Hunters left trapped inside the Seranthal building . They also adjusted their exploration method to fit their new goal .
Up until now, they explored all the hallways and rooms from the first floor using their information-gathering devices to map out the inner layout of the building before . But this time, they only searched the rooms that Carol indicated and immediately went to the next floor once they were done . Their travel speed changed, so much that it surprised Akira .
Since they restarted their exploration, Akira always searched the rooms following the instructions from Alpha .
The level of the difficulty of the exploration suddenly went up compared to before . Since they increased their exploration rate, they did not have much time to check their surroundings and make decisions . And if they were late in doing so, it would cause the next action to get delayed, thus, increasing the accumulated stress, lowering their concentration, slowing them down, and eventually affected how careful they were in doing their searches . It was only a matter of time before Akira could not endure the accumulating stress .
Now that Akira got some leeway, he then asked a question that had been bothering him for a while to Alpha .
"Alpha, there's something that I want to ask, though..."
"Oh my, if you have so much leeway as to make a pointless chit chat now, it might be a good idea to restart your training again . "
Akira went silent . Well, it was true that Akira was talking with Alpha through telepathy, so he did not make any sounds nor he did move his mouth, but even so, he suddenly went silent . Anyone who could notice that would think that conveying silence through telepathy was indeed a meaningless action . And the only thing there who could notice it was Alpha alone .
Alpha smiled mischievously and said .
"...I just thought that we're moving faster than before since we changed our main goal . I'm just wondering if that's really alright . Ah, that's not right, I actually think that it should be okay, but..."
Akira was trying to gather his thoughts as he was speaking with Alpha . Alpha quickly guessed what he was trying to ask even before he could finish his sentence, she then immediately answered .
"You basically don't doubt Elena's order . That's why you have no complaint about it . But that would be your subjective opinion . It's not like you, yourself, fully understand the effect of that order, evaluate it, and finally conclude by yourself that it should be fine . If I have to word it differently, if Shikarabe or Togami make the same decision, you would've questioned it . So you want to know if I also think that it's not a bad decision, and if I do, you want to know the reason why . You're basically wondering if the increased searching speed affects the quality of our searches . You're also wondering that if you only look in the places where you might find one of those mini information relay devices, you might be missing some devices on your way . It's not like you can ask about that to Elena right now, you can actually just ask her later, but since it's bothering you and you have the chance to ask me, you decided to ask me now, right?"
Akira frowned and was a bit weirded out by Alpha's words . He then said .
"...Well, yeah, something like that . "
Although Akira was trying to hide it, Sara was able to accurately guess what happened when he joined the bounty hunt with Shikarabe only with the limited information that Akira shared with her . And this time, Alpha was able to quickly guess what he was thinking even before he finished gathering his thoughts .
Akira was actually feeling a bit scared that it was only a matter of time before they could completely read his thoughts even without him saying anything .
Alpha then started evaluating Elena's decision .
Alpha suddenly stopped there and forcefully moved Akira's body through his augmented suit . Akira was putting too much attention on Alpha's explanation that he significantly slowed down . Akira, who realized that, flusteredly pulled himself together and aimed his rifle at the intersection that the team just passed through .
"...You're right, let's save that for later . "
Elena and her team continued deeper into the building . They did not encounter any monsters as they explored the building, but unfortunately enough, they also did not get to encounter any of their rescue targets .
They searched only the rooms where there was a good chance the Hunters who they were looking for might be barricading themselves . But all of them were empty rooms . Although they did find some traces of battles and bloodstains that might be from the Hunters and some other traces showing that someone was once there, they did not find any Hunters at all, not even their corpses .
A change happened when they reached the 20th floor . As they were about to explore the 20th floor, Elena suddenly told them to stop .
They immediately put their guards up and scanned their surroundings . They noticed that the 20th floor looked completely different from all the other floors below it .
There were Hunters' corpses, wreckages, rubbles, and still-moving monsters .
Judging from their outer looks, they should be the A24 monsters that they fought in the Mihazono ruin's city district, but they were badly damaged, their torsos were dented and some of their limbs were blasted to pieces . Some of them lost their legs, while some others lost their wheels . But that did not hinder them from moving around as they were able to nimbly avoid the corpses and the wreckages that were scattered on the floor .
"...So, they only finished cleaning the lower floors, huh . Well, I guess it's better than having them waiting to welcome us here . "
Looking at what those monsters were doing there, it did not seem like they were waiting for Akira and the other Hunters . But judging at the dead Hunters on the floor, it did not seem like they would peacefully let them pass either .
Elena immediately tried to think of a plan to clear up those monsters .
[I bet they're patrol drones . And judging from how they are moving around, it doesn't seem like they've noticed us yet . Is it because their sensors are broken or something? Are they not exchanging information with Seranthal's security facilities? Or is it because the very thing that is lowering the sensitivity of our information-gathering devices is also affecting them? Are they autonomous drones? Are they here for reconnaissance? Or is that they're simply roaming aimlessly after their control devices got destroyed or something?]
Elena thought of so many possibilities, then after going through all of those options, she then said to Sara .
"Sara, kill them . "
Sara aimed her anti-material rifle at those monsters . Just like the information-gathering device, the aiming device of her rifle was also affected by the Seranthal building, thus, its accuracy was worsened .
But, it did not cause much trouble for Sara's ability . She aimed her rifle at the torsos of those monsters and pulled the trigger once she was sure that her shots would hit .
The bullet that flew out of her rifle's muzzle hit its target accurately . That bullet was designed for firepower rather than piercing power, as such, it easily blasted A24's torso . The impact threw its body and scattered its inside around as it rolled over on the ground . It did not take that long before the next A24 also got blown away .
Elena told her team to stay on guard while she was observing the A24 that had turned into wreckages on the floor .
"Alpha . It's about the monsters that Sara-san just killed, from the outside, they look like mechanical monsters, it's not like they're actually biological monsters, right...?"
Alpha found that question rather strange, but even so, she decided to recheck the dead monsters that were scattered on the ground . They were made of metals and some kind of nanomaterials . They did not seem to be biological monsters .
"Well, from what I can see, I believe they're mechanical monsters . What's wrong?"
"Nah, I'm just wondering about what's the meaning of killing mechanical monsters . Judging from what Sara-san did back there, does that mean to break them and render them unable to move...? That still doesn't sound right, though?"
From how Elena worded it, Akira was wondering if they were actually biological monsters that looked like mechanical monsters . It was a subject that could easily cause a debate .
Alpha then thought, Akira just encountered a monster . So, it might be better to let him focus more on watching his surroundings instead of thinking about something else . So she was wondering if she should scold Akira instead .
But it was not clear yet whether it was really unnecessary or not . Being critical and extra cautious made people more careful, and sometimes, it might even be the trump card to escape a hopeless situation . An ability to think outside the box and come up with an unthinkable solution was an invaluable skill .
In order to polish that skill, there was no other way but to keep being critical and always ask difficult questions . If Alpha scolded Akira, there was a good chance that Akira would obediently do that, thus, reducing his chance to polish his skill in thinking outside the box .
Alpha then answered Akira's question .
"It could be interpreted as putting a short gap in between executing the actions that would kill and when the target could be assumed dead . So applying that to mechanical monsters, I would say that Elena told Sara to leave a small time gap, from the moment she started shooting at those monsters until when those monsters fully stopped moving anymore . Or, maybe even put no time gap at all if it was possible . That was what Elena asked from Sara . Although it's nothing but a guess, I believe that's the gist of it . "
"Is it not enough to just destroy them?"
"Let's say if those monsters are a part of the building's security . They might immediately call for reinforcement when they're attacked, or maybe they won't . They might only call for reinforcements once they judge that they can't win only with their firepower . This condition might also include the damage done to its own body . Some of them might have a self-repairing system, then they would repair themselves, check the damage on their bodies, and if it's above the threshold, they would call for reinforcements . So in order to stop them from doing something like that, there's a need to completely stop their functions with one shot . That's why Elena used that word . I think you can interpret her like that . "
"If they're really a part of the building's security, won't they already know our location and would call for reinforcement the moment we destroyed them?"
"We don't know how much these monsters are exchanging information with each other . Maybe Elena wanted to check that too, that's why she gave that order, or maybe, she wanted to know how many monsters would come here just from the sound of the gunshot . It should be hard to ascertain our position only from that gunshot inside this building, you know . After all, something is reducing the sensitivity of your information-gathering device inside this building, but we don't know for sure if that also affects the monsters . Moreover, if they're really a part of the building's security, even if their sensors are also affected, they should have already known our location from the sensors scattered all over the interior of this building . So these monsters might as well know our location from that shared information . I think Elena is trying to check that too . "
Akira looked a bit surprised, he did not even consider that at all . It might be because he always relied on Alpha to decide on what to do during a fight . After listening to Alpha's explanation, it reminded him of his lack of skill in that department .
"I can make other guesses too, but let's just stop here . Now that we just encountered some monsters, you need to be more careful from here and on . "
"Just tell me one more thing then . About that thing that you just explained to me, is that a normal thing for Hunters to know that? Am I the only one who doesn't know that far?"
"It might be just simply because Elena thought you would understand what she wanted to convey only with those words . Elena and Sara seem to have been working together for a long time, so I bet they can tell what each other is trying to say without actually saying it . I bet she would add an extra explanation if she was to give the same order to you . But judging from the content of that order, I think it's as you said . If you're bothered by that, you should put more effort into studying from now on . I'll help you too, you know?"
When Alpha said that she would help him, she was actually saying that she was willing to increase the difficulty of the training and the study . Akira at least knew that much .
Togami confirmed the change of the situation as he continued watching his surroundings . The monsters were now scattered on the ground while Elena was scanning the area with a serious look . That was all the changes there for now .
Togami who was seriously watching his surroundings suddenly made a confused expression, he then looked slightly troubled .
In the back of his head, he was thinking that there were no longer any monsters in that area and there did not seem to be any reinforcement coming either, which in that case, should it not be better to continue the search? After all, in order to reach their rescue target as soon as possible, it might be better to hurry up .
Togami then asked Elena .
"Uhhh, aren't we going to continue the search?"
Elena did not even turn or change her expression as she replied .
"Sorry, I don't have the time to explain it . If you have any questions, just ask Shikarabe . "
Since Togami did not seem likely to step back anytime soon, Shikarabe said with an irritated voice .
Togami flinched and immediately turned to Shikarabe . Shikarabe was exuding a level of antagonism toward him .
Shikarabe had this serious expression, he did not even try to hide his irritation as he said to Togami .
"Listen here, Elena is busy, so don't interrupt her . "
[...What the heck is with this boy? Since when he becomes this obedient, it's true that it's a good thing though, but still...]
Although Shikarabe was really surprised, he immediately decided to just forget about it for now . They encountered some monsters just now, so as long as it did not hinder them, there was no need to think too much about it .
Togami then reassessed the current situation . From his point of view, including that level of caution against the first group of monsters they encountered inside that building, he thought that they were wasting time and were just delaying rescuing their targets .
This team was formed on such a short notice, so it would be normal for some of the team members to complain if they found the order given to them by their leader was just a waste of time or meaningless . But other than Togami, no one there was complaining .
[So basically she's doing something important, and Shikarabe also thinks so too . But then, how about the other Hunters? Do they also understand why she's doing that and understand its importance too? Is it only me who doesn't understand it?]
Actually, there's one more person there who did not understand why Elena had not given her orders to continue the search yet, it was Akira . But Alpha gave him an explanation that answered his question .
Togami thought that he was the only person there who did not understand something that everyone should already understand . So he used all of his brainpower to keep thinking about the reason why Elena gave that order to stand by there .
Elena then pointed her finger toward a hallway leading to another opening on the right .
"Sara . If it's possible, let it pass . If it gets dangerous, just destroy it . There's no need to wait for my order . "
Sara aimed her rifle toward the entrance of that hallway, she then lightly smiled and said .
"We don't really know what's going on here, so isn't it safer to just destroy it . "
"I leave that decision to you . "
Sara looked at Elena, she was making a serious face when she said that . Sara then got herself ready while still looking pretty relaxed .
The map of the 20th floor was displayed in Akira's goggles . It was showing the hallway that Sara was pointing her rifle at . After Elena gave the order to Sara, a red dot suddenly appeared on that map located somewhere deeper in that hallway . It was the indicator for enemies .
Alpha then enhanced Akira's vision, thanks to that, he was able to see through the walls .
Akira was able to see the monster indicated with the red dot on the map, that monster was also painted red in his vision . Although he was not able to see the shape of the monster, he was at least able to see that there was a monster there .
"They're enemies, I'm sure Sara can take care of them . But just to be safe, get yourself ready too . "
"Alright . But still, the display looks rather blurry, is it because of that thing that affects the information-gathering devices?"
"Yep, that's correct . Don't drop your guard just because you see the same information as from the map . "
Akira aimed his CWH anti-material rifle toward the hallway . He was aiming at the monster way deep inside the hallway and behind the walls .
Shikarabe and Carol were also aiming their rifles in ready, but they were aiming toward different hallways . It was because they believed Akira and Sara would be enough to handle the monster shown on the map . Moreover, they also understood that just because the map did not show any monsters in the other hallways, it did not mean that there definitely were no monsters there .
Togami also readied his rifle while looking at Akira, he was surprised when he realized Akira was aiming his rifle toward a wall .
Togami shifted his gaze from Akira to the wall that Akira was aiming at . But it was just a plain wall without anything that might garner attention . Togami then looked at Akira again with a weirded out face .
The red dot in the map started to approach Elena and her team . It would not be long before they encounter each other .
As the red dot, the enemy, kept getting closer and closer, Akira started to be able to see the shape of the monster through his enhanced vision . The image of the enemy started getting better and better . It was because the closer they got to each other, the better his information-gathering device was reading that monster .
Akira followed the enemy with his eyes . As they got closer, the image of the monster on the other side of the wall was also getting clearer .
It was the same type of monster as the ones that Sara just killed, the A24-type monster . But this one was only slightly damaged, it nimbly moved over the wreckages on the floor as it travelled through the hallway and eventually showed up in front of Akira right when he was aiming at the entrance of the hallway .
i who was watching Akira's movement was taken aback . He realized Akira was looking straight at the monster in front of him .
[That guy is following a monster with his eyes, huh?! How did he do that?!]
Togami was so surprised that he focused more on Akira rather than on the A24 monster that just appeared . If that monster had already known their location beforehand and immediately released a shot there, it would have been a fatal opening .
Fortunately enough, or more like, as Elena had predicted, the A24 monster just continued walking through the hallway without paying any attention to Akira . Sara confirmed that the gun growing out of its back was not aiming at anyone there . She was still aiming at that monster's gun while letting it pass, just like Elena told her to .
That monster continued walking past through the wreckages of the other A24 monsters that Sara just killed and left that place, that was when Elena told Sara .
"Sara, destroy it . "
The second shot hit the monster's torso and threw its body as it rolled on the ground .
As it was tumbling over, Sara released her third and fourth shots . The third shot hit its legs, pierced through its armour and went through its torso, while the fourth shot pierced its body and slammed its body to the wall behind it .
That monster was rendered harmless in just a few seconds . It then tumbled over to the ground, twitched as if it was squeezing the very last drop of life that it had, and finally completely stopped moving .
"That was a little bit different compared to when Sara-san took out the first group . "
"That's because the order from Elena was different too . If my guess is correct, after she disarmed that monster with the first shot, she released the rest of the shots with the goal of checking how durable it is . "
In that short display, he needed to discern which one was the monster's control device among all the small pieces of the monster that were scattered . Then, he should guess from there the location of the control device before it got destroyed, then finally guessed the weak part of its armour where he could snipe that control device . But of course, Akira could not do that .
"So, should I first prioritize destroying the monster's gun just like what Sara-san did?"
"That's a good idea, which in that case then, you just need to be able to accurately aim at the monster's gun while it's still moving and without my support . "
"The right answer would be that your aim depends on how good you are at shooting . With your current skill, I think it's better if you aim at its torso to break its balance and lower its accuracy . You need to at least be able to hit it to do that though . "
"You're right about that, the first step would be to hit my shots . "
He might still need a lot of time before he could shoot as accurately as Sara, Akira then sighed .
Togami suddenly asked Akira a question .
"...How did you know its location?"
When Togami asked that question again, Akira finally realized what Togami was talking about . Normally, people would not be able to see through a wall, it was thanks to Alpha's support that he could do that . Although he was a bit surprised inside, he made effort to not show it on his face .
"The location of the enemies on the 20th floor is shown as red dots in the map, right? If you look at that, you can more or less guess the real location of the enemies . "
"They're basically nothing but a rough approximation . But back there you were accurately tracking that monster when it was still behind the wall . How did you do that...?"
Togami was not convinced by Akira's explanation as he pressed for more answers . That was when Shikarabe suddenly interjected .
Rebuild World (WN)
リビルドワールド
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebuild-world/
Action Adventure Drama Harem Mecha Mystery Sci-fi Seinen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alternate World Anti-social Protagonist Apocalypse Artificial Intelligence Beautiful Female Lead Cautious Protagonist Child Protagonist Dense Protagonist Determined Protagonist Distrustful Protagonist Futuristic Setting Gangs Gunfighters Harsh Training Lack of Common Sense Male Protagonist Manipulative Characters Monsters Near-Death Experience Older Love Interests Poor Protagonist Poor to Rich Ruthless Protagonist Shota Sudden Strength Gain Survival Twisted Personality Unlucky Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9736dt/
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