Chapter 88
My vision flashes repeatedly between gray and blue, slowly beginning to be tinged with red. It must be due to the G-forces on my blood vessels. I raise my NMM and reach out my hand. After dozens of rotations, my hand catches on something and I desperately cling to it. The flimsy branches, unable to withstand the energy of my fall from above the clouds, easily snap, but I immediately grab the next branch, reducing the impact again and again.
I feel an impact as if my body is being crushed from the base, and finally the spinning stops. I’m glad the HAO isn’t reproducing the pain, I think as I look behind me and see Teo, who has been squashed underneath me, looking dazed. Perhaps because he was oddly tall, he couldn’t escape and was crushed by me. How pitiful. Or rather, it’s the natural consequence of groping my ass.
「Are you okay?」
「With the NMM, the air resistance greatly reduces the speed, so aside from being crushed under you, I’m fine.」
Indeed, the speed was quite slow for a free fall without a parachute. I ponder this as I sit on top of Teo and activate the Falschblau’s self-diagnosis system.
[Self-Diagnosis Results
Machine Temperature: 989°C – Cooling required.
Fuel: Gasoline – 65% – No leaks detected.
Liquid Oxygen – 72% – No leaks detected.
Right Arm: Armor and artificial muscles damaged. Unable to operate below the elbow.]
The right arm is dead, but thanks to that, the rest has survived. As expected of a heavy armor type. However, the fuel has drastically decreased by nearly 30% due to forcibly activating the NMM and cooling. With a smartphone, this battery level would make me hesitate a bit before going out, but there’s no point worrying about it now.
And the designated gathering point, Point A, is… quite far according to the map. We’ll need to head north for at least a day with a mass-produced Apollyon. It’s the worst condition in this shitty system where logging out leaves you defenseless and at risk of being killed by NPCs.
But there’s no point in complaining. I make the Falschblau stand up. The blue heavy armored machine slowly raises its body and scans the surroundings. As seen from above, visibility is extremely poor due to the thick fog, but the scan completes normally.
「No enemy signatures in the vicinity,」 I report.
「Stop right there. Don’t let your guard down. We’re in the digestive enzymes of the UYK. All sorts of radars will be obstructed. The map is the same,」 Teo warns.
「What do you mean?」 I ask.
「For example, if you try to scout by sending out light, this fog will absorb it, so you won’t get much of a signal back. The map should be accurate since scouts have set up several powerful transmitters, but even a straight line can be disrupted by Machine Beasts.」
「What a pain.」
「You people of the past are so spoiled.」
「Come to think of it, this is the future, right?」
I stand up from Teo, who I had been using as a cushion, sit back in the cockpit, and ask. Teo ponders for a moment, then says, 「Well, Kōmitsu told us that, so I guess it’s fine,」 and takes a seat next to me. We can’t stay still like this, so I switch the Falschblau to auto-walking mode, set it to head towards the target Point A, and let it proceed. The slightly warped armor from the impact creaks and grinds. In the otherwise silent space, Teo begins to speak.
「That’s right. If things proceed normally, this is 20 years in the future,」 he confirms.
「So the settings like the UYK are…?」
「Real. The story about the Prophet and such is also real.」
「I had the ability to see the future? I didn’t know…」
「That’s what’s strange. How can someone who moves like that and consistently finds the optimal solution not be an Esper but just an idiot?」
「Dunno. I just did whatever I wanted and this is how it turned out.」
「Seriously, you…」
A genuine sigh of exasperation echoes through the cockpit. It’s not that ridiculous, is it? I mean, I managed to do it. Why can’t other people? Teo continues, 「There must have been some scheming by Momiji and the others too.」 Apparently, after the dangers of HAO were confirmed, players who carelessly disclosed confidential information were swiftly hit with lawyer attacks or deletion requests, effectively erasing their actions. Even though the law regarding disclosure of personal information online was significantly revised in many countries around 20 years ago, it’s still a terrible situation. On the other hand, I was able to delay disclosure and apply pressure by using lawyers hired by Kōmitsu Solutions, buying time by being elusive.
Well, the idea of suing someone for revealing information from the future wouldn’t hold up in any reasonable court. As a result, there was no backlash against me. And with prominent players being scooped up by companies, a lone monster emerged who disclosed confidential information.
…If that’s really true, I might be in a seriously dangerous position. Will I be assassinated or something?
「It’s the opposite. Exaggerated rumors make even assassins hesitate. Before the Inverse Dive Citation Information Project, it might have been barely possible, but anyone who tries it after that is either suicidal or part of SOD,」 Teo explains.
「SOD?」 I ask.
Hearing my question, Teo gets a distant look in his eyes. With a hint of sorrow in his expression, he continues speaking, intentionally using formal language.
「My former organization, wiped out as a terrorist group.」
「Not the Reformists?」
「No. The Reformists were the group I joined after leaving SOD. I believed I could choose a better future by being there rather than in SOD. The result is this sorry state.」
「Hmm.」
「Well, you don’t need to fully grasp it. Just use this future as a stepping stone. Otherwise, it won’t be worth it.」
I don’t understand Teo’s explanation and become even more confused. Citation information? So was that battle on the moon also real? Then which is the true future? The story seems intricate, and it will likely take time to comprehend all of this. I have no real sense of it. But based on what I heard, there are few contradictions, and the suspicion that HAO equals the real future only continues to grow. In fact, it’s becoming close to a certainty. I mean, there’s no way they could simulate the memories and experiences of real people like Kana, Reina, and Momiji to that level, right?
As Teo begins to speak in a slightly trembling voice, I spot a familiar figure in the fog beside him. I’ve only seen her once, but her shocking entrance left a strong impression on me.
「She was the only one I could protect from SOD’s misdeeds. Do you remember the one who ambushed you on the first day?」
「Ah, that person.」
「Yeah, yeah, to the right of that crystal tree, sitting… What?! Stop, stop, pick her up immediately!」
I calm Teo, who is frantically gripping my shoulder, saying 「Okay, okay,」 and bring the machine closer. There, lying next to the crystal tree, is the figure of the blonde woman who once tried to spawn-kill me. Metal tentacles protrude from her waist, resembling jellyfish.
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