Pick me Up – Chapter 265 – How to Kill an Insect (5)
The assassin who skillfully wielded the scythe met an empty and absurd end that did not do justice to her abilities.
If she could have used her Engraving, the situation would have been different. I shook the blood off my sword's blade. Jenna, pale, coughed violently.
“Are you alright?”
“Somehow... It doesn't seem like I'm going to die... yet. Cough, cough!”
“Then it's alright.”
I helped Jenna to her feet.
“Phew... I'm okay now. I thought I was going to die.”
Jenna staggered and stood up on her own.
In the front carriage, the sound of clashing metal continued.
In the distance, two shadows clashed, and blue sparks flew. Clang! After a loud clash, the two combatants separated.
“You've suddenly gone quiet. Got nothing else to say?”
Belkist wiped his cut cheek with his arm.
A serious wound. His sleeve was soaked in red. In contrast, Spira did not seem to have taken any hits.
She spun her dark Kukri and looked at us.
“I taught you not to let your guard down. I guess you can't expect much from the second line.”
Even though her companion had died, she showed no disturbance.
In fact, her smile widened. I left Jenna and joined Belkist.
The situation was two against one.
“Well, I could take care of you both here, but…”
Spira diverted her gaze.
Two armed helicopters were approaching the moving train.
“I can't use my assassination techniques here, and it doesn't look like I have time.”
“Attention hostile forces occupying the train! Disarm immediately and stop the train. If you do not comply, we will open fire!”
“How noisy they are.”
The machine guns mounted on the helicopters pointed towards us.
Spira licked her lips.
“Stay here as long as you can. If you leave... you will die immediately. My older sister is also on her way, so enjoy what little life you have left.”
With a smile on her face, Spira sheathed her Kukri in her sleeve.
“Esthen, let's go.”
<...Boom.>
“We'll see each other soon.”
Spira winked at me.
Boom, boom!
A small explosion occurred at the front of the train.
I instinctively jumped back.
Chir!
The train partially derailed due to the explosion.
The wheels sparked as the train continued to move.
‘It looks like they had more companions.’
This was just beginning.
The fact that she did not lose her composure indicated they had a contingency plan prepared in case the assault failed.
‘What a nuisance.’
It was a bad time for these annoyances to interfere with the mission.
I sheathed my sword. Winning once or twice did not seem enough to end this fight.
“You are stronger than you look.”
Belkist spat bloody saliva.
Even Belkist, who was trained in real combat and practice, had difficulty.
“I did not expect to be pressured like this by anyone other than my superior.”
“She is a high-ranking one.”
Without the Engraving, the situation was more manageable, but outside it would have been much worse.
At least the situation allowed for close combat, which was fortunate.
“Should we stay here?”
Jenna scratched her cheek.
“The train seems to be falling.”
Belkist and I looked ahead simultaneously.
The train, partially off the tracks, was heading towards a shopping mall.
“……”
After escaping the train, the company subjected us to a long interrogation.
Jenna passionately argued it was not our fault, that they attacked us first.
She was right, as the others poisoned did not receive the antidote.
The poison was so special that common antidotes did not work. Most were in critical condition. The security chief promised that those responsible for the attack would face consequences.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I don't know.”
On the deck of the Lucette.
I was lying down with one foot on the railing.
“What do you think we should do?”
“Of course, we should pursue them. We won't gain anything by staying here. It's better than doing nothing.”
“Sometimes, doing nothing is the best option.”
The rank six promotion exam was canceled.
Many candidates were disqualified beforehand, so they could not start the exam.
We were discussing what to do on the Lucette on the launch platform.
“I agree with Bel. We have to do something! I need to get revenge for what they did to me!”
Jenna rolled up her sleeves.
“……”
I looked at the sky.
We could leave here immediately.
But if they were waiting outside...
‘Would we really gain time by staying?’
They knew I was connected with Niflheim.
I do not think the assassins would attack without a plan. As much as they trust their power, assassins have an inherent weakness: they are bad at frontal combat. If Spira were of another class, the fight would have been different.
‘Hmm.’
I looked at my left ring finger.
There used to be a ring that Yurnet gave me.
The ring was called the Ring of Darkness. A symbol of being the master of Niflheim. Without it, it would be difficult to communicate with Yurnet. If I could talk to her, the situation would be much...
<Master, are you there?>
I held my breath.
A familiar voice echoed in my head.
<If you hear me, please respond. It's Yurnet.>
“I need to go for a moment. It will be 10 minutes.”
I quickly got up and entered the aircraft.
I entered the storage room and locked the door.
<I'm sorry. It looks like you were in danger while I was away.>
“Rather, how did you communicate? I don't have the ring.”
<The ring is just a tool to facilitate communication. If I want, I can always communicate.>
“Then why didn't you contact me for a week...?”
<I was... investigating.>
Investigating.
I narrowed my eyes.
I did not need to ask what she was investigating. Since the failure report, Yurnet had been investigating the matter of El Cid. But that matter had already been resolved for me.
Did she know I had met with a high-ranking Mobius official?
The fact that she contacted me first...
“Do you have results?”
<...Yes.>
After a brief pause, Yurnet replied.
“You said it was not possible to hack it. That you needed permissions. How did you do it?”
<You will know soon.>
I frowned.
There were strange pauses in her words.
‘You will know soon?’
I shook my head.
First, this had to be dealt with.
<Do not worry about that matter. We will handle it.>
“They are troublesome enemies for you too. No need to rush. I will try to resolve it from here.”
<No. Please focus on your mission.>
I leaned against the wall.
This was very different from her usual attitude.
“Yurnet, what's going on?”
She had been missing for almost ten days without contacting me.
This was not like her.
<Master, you may not remember.>
Yurnet continued in a monotone voice.
<When we met, I asked you to stay with us.>
I remembered clearly.
At the top of Niflheim, in the dark castle, she desperately asked me that.
‘Stay here.’ I felt uncomfortable and just wanted to return to Earth, so I refused.
‘Why is she mentioning that now?’
<I'm sorry. I was selfish to ask that.>
“……”
<We are from different worlds. I was selfish to ask for something you couldn't give. I apologize again.>
Her voice was laden with emotion.
“What’s wrong, Yurnet? Speak clearly! Why suddenly...?”
<Master, I... with you...>
Click.
The communication was cut off.
I stood there, stunned.
“……”
She had said that the investigation on El Cid was over.
Then she started speaking in incomprehensible terms and unilaterally cut the communication.
It made no sense.
The Yurnet I knew did not act so irrationally.
I ran out of the dirigible. Jenna and Belkist stopped talking and looked at me.
“Prepare to depart.”
Jenna, apparently reading my expression, ran to the control cabin.
Belkist frowned.
“What’s going on?”
“I need to verify something urgently.”
Vuuush!
The Lucette took off.
Right next to us, several dirigibles were passing through the dimensional vortex.
The Mobius emblem was on the side of the dirigibles. The company's response team. They were heading out to punish the terrorists.
“What coordinates are we heading to? This is autopilot...”
“To Taonier.”
I needed to find out the situation in the Lobby.
‘Did she say the investigation on El Cid was over?’
I'm sorry, but I already finished that investigation.
The Pick Me Up scenario was incomplete, and the main chapter of the game, “Restore the World,” was lost.
And Alpha Zero gave me an option. I could return to Earth after the mission or stay here and resolve the error.
‘What else is here?’
If there was anything left to discover, it would be the exact cause and solution of the problem.
The error was linked to the Mobius source, so I could not reveal anything until we got to server 1. I would return to the Lobby to reflect. If that were the case, it should have ended there.
“I will activate autopilot.”
Jenna quickly came out to the deck.
The Lucette turned and started to exit the dimensional vortex.
The familiar feeling of weightlessness and light enveloped my body. Upon exiting, we would be connected to the field outside the Dimensional City.
When I opened my eyes again,
A burning hell extended before me.
Fwoosh!
The flames tried to consume the deck.
If the Lucette had not maneuvered, we would have been directly hit by the high-temperature fire.
“……”
The whole sky was red.
It seemed like the sun had risen right in front of us.
“What is this...?”
“Jenna, get inside.”
Jenna quickly went into the dirigible.
The metal pillar on the deck turned bright red.
If it were not for my dragon resistance, I would be roasted.
“Belkist, are you alright?”
“...Somehow.”
The arm Belkist used to cover his mouth was emitting white smoke.
Vuuush! Finally, the Lucette's magical barrier activated. The heat calmed down a bit. I could finally look around.
“……”
The first thing I saw was the remains of dirigibles scattered across the field.
The special metal remains heated and twisted due to the high temperatures. The dirigible’s metal components, made of special metal, twisted like candy sticks. I saw the emblem of Makramda, Golpe de K.O.'s username.
‘So they had prepared an ambush.’
They were waiting to attack us as soon as we came out.
If we observe the remains, it was not just one or two aircraft. It must have been a fleet of at least ten.
But now only debris remained.
I looked around.
The Mobius response fleet that had just left the Dimensional City was in the same situation.
Many dirigibles were burning and emitting smoke.
‘There is no possible resistance.’
In this burning hell, any defense was useless.
If you wish, we will be in the same situation as the nearby aircraft.
Because it was none other than me who did it this way.
‘Yurnet's investigation method.’
Hacking did not work.
So there was only one possibility left.
Ask someone who had the information.
Someone close to Yurnet and who knew the secrets of Pick Me Up.
Lidygion? No, he was busy training all day. Muden was also ruled out for the same reason. Nihaku was not an intelligence expert. So there was only one option left. Someone who had been investigating something since before I arrived in Niflheim.
I looked around.
Amidst the fire, a black shadow moved.
<So you met with Alpha Zero.>
A burning gaze was directed at me.
<What did that bastard tell you?>
“……”
<Did he tell you to save Mobius by going to server 1?>
A cold voice that did not match the flames.
I swallowed my saliva.
<Master, go back to Earth.>
It continued.
<This place is not for you.>
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