Having been this way once before, the guiding goes smoothly.
She only needs to communicate with the Unison Human-Machine Technology Actanoids through messages — no voice chat required. She’d set up the voice changer just in case, but it doesn’t look like she’ll need it.
Learning from last time, Chihaya listens to a live stream as background noise with a glazed expression on her face. It’s a broadcast from New Frontier Live — a private organization founded by Actors. A popular group of streamers who introduce notable New Frontier locations and explain New Frontier creatures in an accessible way.
“m-must be nice. passive income……”
She mutters enviously at the thought of ad revenue and checks the Allrounder’s monitors.
The sun will be setting soon, but they’ve already entered the Wakagawa Upper Mountain Range. They should reach the rare metal deposit by nightfall.
Being Actors hired by Unison Human-Machine Technology — an Actanoid development company — everyone except Chihaya is in a Unison Human-Machine Technology unit.
The Cyclone — a Rounder-series Actanoid whose various cameras arranged on each face of its square head give it a dice-like look.
Extremely wide field of vision, and with the infrared scope plus the sub-cameras on each face providing superior posture correction and targeting assistance, it achieves high accuracy and grouping with any firearm — practically ignoring recoil. Its particular claim to fame is that even firing backward, the multi-face sub-cameras keep the hit rate essentially unchanged, making it an exceptionally versatile unit. Looks terrible, though.
The Husaria — a Rannoid-series Actanoid with countless wing-shaped LAN antennas on its back, evoking the Rio Carnival. Apparently the name comes from the Polish winged hussars.
Rannoid-series Actanoids are generally fragile against impacts, and handling firearms affects their LAN capabilities from the recoil. Since they were originally developed as mobile radio relay stations to maintain communications for other Actanoids, combat isn’t really their role.
But the Husaria is a large unit — 2.2 meters tall. On top of that, by separating the communication antennas out into the wings on its back, it’s gained some resistance to impacts and become less affected by obstructions.
It was announced as a combat-capable Rannoid-series Actanoid and actually carved out demand.
However, the tall frame and prominent back wings make it conspicuous — poor for stealth — and the wings are in the way during close-quarters combat, limiting mobility. It’s considered a unit that takes some skill to use well.
Chihaya’s Allrounder — sometimes mockingly called the All-de-Rounder — moves through this snowy mountain with surprising ease just from having the Husaria nearby. Barely any noticeable lag, and none of the unintended behavior from packet loss.
She hadn’t expected a Rannoid-series Actanoid’s presence alone to be this reassuring.
The Cyclone’s wide field of vision and image analysis capabilities also let it immediately spot Fernleg Scorpions lurking under the snow with just their eyes poking out.
“All units, halt. Fernleg Scorpion detected in our path. Taking care of it.”
The Cyclone raises a sniper rifle. The Yoichi — a sniper rifle developed by the Japanese company Kaien Heavy Industries.
Since there’s a time lag between what an Actor sees on their monitor and what’s actually happening in the New Frontier, sniper rifles are notoriously difficult to use.
But this rifle’s selling point is its proprietary AI-assisted accuracy correction. By downloading combat data, it predicts target behavior and enables precise shots. It even learns each Actor’s individual habits to compensate for hand tremor, achieving rapid follow-up shots.
It’s held up as a masterwork by Actors.
The stopping power — destroying a Fernleg Scorpion’s head in a single shot — was something to behold. Chihaya had personally experienced how useless the assault rifle was against them, so she was genuinely impressed.
For the record, the rifle’s name references Nasu no Yoichi, and the development team had indulged in a pointless pun by painting it eggplant-purple at launch. The reception from Actors was not mockery but a level of cold contempt so deep it didn’t even qualify as a joke, and the color was quietly changed to a sensible black or brown.
She guides the motley crew through the forest.
“we’re here. it’s around that area. there”
She types it out and sends it to the group.
The destination rare metal deposit was buried under snow again. Either the surrounding snow had shifted, or the wind had built up a drift like an overhang over it. Looking carefully, though, there’s less snow accumulation here than the ground around it.
“Thanks. That completes the job. I’ll email the client.”
The Cyclone’s Actor announces completion over voice chat.
“Sun’s going down soon — going to be hard to get down the mountain in an Allrounder. What’s your plan?”
“……should I reply to this in voice chat. actually, message is fine”
Chihaya sends a message saying she’ll stay until she descends at dawn.
While waiting for a reply, she sends her own completion report to the client.
The Cyclone must have reported in too. The job is officially marked complete within seconds.
She’s free now.
Chihaya looks at the takeout flyers she’d set below the monitors, considering what to have for a late-night snack.
Her guard was down. The sense of accomplishment from finishing the job without incident had made her careless.
The trip isn’t over until you’re home safe — she’d said that herself, not so long ago.
That’s when it happens. Rapid gunfire sounds through the speaker.
“wha?”
She looks up in surprise — the Cyclone’s head, sniper rifle still in hand, explodes off its body, and shot after shot stitches downward through the torso and waist like something licking along the surface.
Whether a bullet hits the battery as the Cyclone is forced into an undignified stumbling dance from the impacts, it catches fire and topples backward into the snow.
“e-enemy contact!”
The Husaria’s Actor shouts over the shared voice chat — and then the Husaria explodes.