I remember that habit too.
Translated by KuroNeko
Edited by KuroNeko
Dust carried by the wind was slowly making its way into the building, and the fine sand and dust reflected and shone in the light coming through the window frames.
“Well… ”
Leaving the looters to flee in the cloud of dust created by the explosion, I turned my attention to the dark corridor at the back of the building.
The sunlight streaming in from outside made the dilapidated facility look clearer. I think about this as I look around the room filled with junk that I have no use for. We were able to break into the facility as planned. There was no sign of the looters, a group of crazed killers who had made the amusement park their stronghold.
The surprise attack earlier seemed to have succeeded in luring many of them out of the building. They must be feeling sorry for themselves right now, caught in the smoke of explosion.
I wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible, but it was hard to go easy on a murderer.
I bent down and made a short run through the trash-filled lobby and along the long hallway. In the nick of time, a looter with a rusty pipe rifle comes out of the room at the end of the hall.
“What the hell is wrong with you!?” The mohawked looter shouted.
“Ray!”
I reacted quickly to Kaguya’s voice in my inner ear, pulled out my handgun, and shot a bullet into the chest of the looter who was pointing the muzzle of his pipe rifle at me. When the man with the dirty body form collapsed, I put my back against the door of the room he came out of and threw a grenade into the room.
After the explosion, I properly swept the room with a sub-machine gun that was hanging from my waist. When all the bullets have been fired, I retracts myself and reloads the magazine. I quickly checks the number of mags remaining as I returns the empty mags to my belt pocket.
Then I took a deep breath, counted to nine, and checked the situation in the room.
“Looks like there are no survivors.”
I nodded at Kaguya’s words.
There were only three bodies of dirty looking looters lying on the floor. Maybe I was over-aggressive. With this pacing, I will run out of bullets. But just like my opponent, I have only one life. A simple law of this world, if you don’t do it, you will be done. I can always replenish my supply of bullets by buying or taking them, so I can’t afford to waste them.
I glanced quickly around the dimly lit room to make sure there was no danger, then crouched down beside the body to see if there was anything I could use. But there was nothing that could be used. The ammunition was old and rusty, and the homemade pipe rifles they were using were in such bad shape that I couldn’t bring myself to use them. I didn’t take anything from the dead this time, but no one will blame me for taking it.
I hurried to my destination, relying on the map projected on my retina. The map displayed on the interface was based on pre-war data. However, since it was old data from before the old civilization, it was almost useless in this devastated world. The reason for this was simple: with the exception of buildings built with advanced technology during the old civilization, most of the buildings were crumbling with age, and even the few that remained had been looted and manhandled.
“I just hope the entrance to the underground facility hasn’t collapsed,”
I nodded at Kaguya’s murmur of mixed anxiety.
The room leading to the desired location was blocked by a metal fire door, but since the key was not in use, we were able to enter without any problem. It is doubtful that the looters had any concept of keys. My eyes, which had instantly adapted to the dimly lit room, could see the room clearly. It seems that this room is being used as a food storage for the looters. The entrance to the VIP shelter had now been turned into a cannibal’s pantry with several missing human corpses hanging from it.
Thanks to the gas mask, I didn’t have to smell the unpleasant odor that filled the room. I approached the relatively new, headless, naked body hanging from a chain and looked at the remains. The body was missing limbs, the belly had been ripped open, and only the gutted torso hung like a mute statue.
I walked so as not to touch the body. From the workbench, where a rusty knife had been placed to dismantle a human just a moment ago, highly viscous blood was flowing out onto the floor, creating a pool of blood. I walked carefully, trying not to slip on the blood.
An old mechanical doll sat in the back of the room. A small amount of sunlight was shining through the crumbling walls, and the security droids bathed in the streaks of light created a fantastic picture that did not resemble the place.
Kaguya muttered as she scanned the abandoned aircraft through my eyes.
“Judging from its condition, it looks like it was abandoned early in the war.” Kaguya said.
I gripped the handgun tightly in both hands and approached the ivy-twisted mechanical doll, paying attention to the movements in the area.
“Ray, check the feet of the mechanical doll,” Kaguya said.
I searched the feet of the security droid as Kaguya instructed.
If the information displayed on the interface was correct, there should be a switch around here to open the entrance to the underground facility.
As I moved the debris that seemed to have fallen from the ceiling, a large centipede that had been hiding in the debris crawled somewhere, startled by the sudden light. I’ve never been a fan of insects, but I can’t be bothered with that right now.
But the floor was covered with accumulated dirt and weeds, and I couldn’t find the switch.
I set down the backpack on my back and took out a military folding shovel to dig up the dirt and the weeds in the way. I soon came upon a hard floor. After carefully removing the surrounding soil, a floor made of dark blue steel, which is often seen in facilities of the old civilization period, was revealed. When I swept the soil completely, I found a small light source that flashed green.
“Looks like the facility’s power supply is still active,” I am relieved.
Without a power source, the entrance would not open, and I did not have the equipment to destroy the steel from the old civilization.
“But I can’t find the switch…… Kaguya, can you connect?” I asked.
“I’ll give it a try. I’m going to make a contact connection, so put your hands directly on the floor.” Kaguya instructed.
I take off my gloves and touch the cool steel. As a shock similar to the pain of static electricity ran through my palm, part of the floor, which had been covered with steel from the old civilization, slowly extended upward, revealing the entrance to the underground.
When I approached to look inside, the lighting was automatically lit and the inside was illuminated brightly. Apparently, the power supply for this facility has also been running since the collapse of civilization until now. The power source is the same as the facility in Torinokago, and is probably a reactor from the old civilization. Where are those reactors? If I could get a reactor in perfect condition to be used in a facility of this size, it would pay me enough to feed me for the rest of my lives. I’m still amazed at the technological capabilities of the old civilization.
“The stairs. Let’s go quickly,” Kaguya said.
After putting away the shovel and putting my backpack back on, I followed Kaguya’s urgent voice and went down the stairs that I could see at the end of the entrance. I went on for a while and looked back to see the entrance closing noiselessly.
At the end of the stairs, I saw a large door. The owner was probably a prehistoric and exaggerated guy. Perhaps it was the taste of the owner of the facility, but only the door was a strange, old-fashioned model. A heavy, thick metal door. The cold, impressionistic, simple and radical model of the old civilization used for the entrance to the underground was more to my liking, but preference had nothing to do with it now.
After hearing the metallic sound of several locks being removed from inside the door, the door slowly opened. It was too late to open the door, so I opened it with my own hands. Sure enough, the door was awfully heavy.
The room beyond the door was probably an entrance, filled with elaborate and opulent facilities, but they were badly deteriorated. The room was dimly lit, with a dull, tattered carpet and peeling wallpaper in poor taste. The dusty antique light fixtures had no power, and the room was dimly lit.
I felt uncomfortable. The facilities of the old civilization were well managed, and in many cases, well preserved. And yet, this place was severely overgrown. The air was dusty, and when the wind blew, dust flew into the room along with sand, making visibility difficult. Maybe the ventilation system is not working.
At the back of the room, I felt resistance when I tried to open the wooden door that was about to open. Put your weight on the door and push it open.
“Hey, Kaguya,” I said, “Did you hear about the underground facility at the amusement park that’s been destroyed?”
“I don’t know,” Kaguya responded.
Beyond the door, the rubble of the collapsed ceiling was strewn about, and there was a large hole in the corner of the ceiling that led outside. The looters had cleared away the debris, and in the cleared space there was a table with their weapons crammed in it.
“This facility is a shelter for public figures, right?” I said.
“I’m sure you’re right. You see, they have a lot of mechanical dolls to guard them.” Kaguya replied.
I sigh at Kaguya’s words.
“It’s mostly buried in rubble, though.”
I had never imagined that the ceiling of a facility intended for a nuclear attack would be so fragile. There were various possible reasons, but I don’t know for sure whether it was in the middle of construction or if it was a shelter that couldn’t be completed due to embezzlement of construction costs.
“Anyway, it’s an Assault Droid,” I said. “Kaguya, scan the room.”
“Understood,” Kaguya scrutinized the room based on the information she could glean from my vision.
I move my gaze so that I can see the entire room.
Near the door of the room’s entrance, there was a lot of debris and junk piled up, and I realized that these were the true source of the resistance I had felt earlier. Apparently, the looters had entered and exited the room through the collapsed ceiling instead of using the regular route.
That’s why the entrance to their pantry is buried in the ground.
Returning my gaze, I concentrated and checked the surrounding area for threats.
“Found it. It’s buried under a pile of rubble by the wall,” Kaguya said.
As Kaguya instructed me to cut through the rubble, I saw the head of an Assault Droid.
“Hey, Kaguya. Look at all this crap. For all intents and purposes, it’s not perfect.” I murmured.
“You are indeed the best informant in town,” Kaguya said sarcastically.
“We all make mistakes, but this one is terrible.”
With difficulty, I pulls out the assault droid from the rubble. The assault droid was a mechanical doll with a graceful form reminiscent of a black Iron Lady. It was a beauty that made it hard to believe that it was made for killing people, but things with good performance naturally have beautiful shapes. I vaguely remember someone saying that.
The condition of the assault droid has deteriorated over time, and it is not in a very good condition. Still, all but the legs remained undestroyed.
“Good. We’ve come a long way, but it looks like we’re getting something out of it,” said Kaguya with a laugh. “First, there’s a lens model number under the camera eye, read it out.”
When the bulletproof mask on the head of the assault droid is removed, a large single eye reminiscent of a Cyclops, a creature from Greek mythology, appears. Not the eyes, of course, but the lens of the main camera.
“0166–” I scrape off the dirt. “0166J-dTAC-α17”
“Wait a minute,” Kaguya said. “I’ll find the exact model of the Assault Droid from the model number of the lens…” After a little silence, she spoke again. “Hmm, I found it. The specifications for maintenance of the aircraft from the database is downloadable. So just give me a minute.”
“I’ll let you do that,” I said. Without the specifications, I would have no idea where the control chip for the assault droid was located.
While I wait, I check the video of the raven-shaped reconnaissance drone circling over the amusement park. The smoke from the explosions around the area had been swept away by the wind, and now I could see the raiders scurrying around the amusement park. They seemed to be conducting a search for me, but their movements are uncoordinated and they didn’t look like a very cohesive group. For me, it would be better if they just left.
“Help me…… ”
The sound of metal hitting something, and the faint voice of a woman comes out.
Daily practice makes the body move as a habit. I quickly ducked behind some nearby debris, lowered myself to a low position, and raised my handgun to look around the room. I was distracted by the assault droid and didn’t seem to notice that there was someone in the room.
My heart started to beat faster, and I clucked at myself for not being more vigilant. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with anger, but then I thought better of it and exhaled slowly to calm myself down. No one can do everything perfectly.
“Sorry, Ray,” Kaguya said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I replied without saying it out loud. “I was caught off guard, too. So there is no need for you to apologize. For that matter, where do you think the object is?”
“Displayed on the map. I’m pretty sure there’s someone in there, because it’s still making a lot of clattering noises.” Kaguya replied.
After checking the map, I turn my attention to the dirty cloth hanging from the ceiling.
“Hey… get me out of here, please.”
I heard the sound of heavy chains hitting the ground.
I raised my handgun and slowly approached the owner of the voice. Even the sound of the soles of my shoes crushing small pieces of rubble was frustrating now. I put my body to the side so that I am not standing in front of the target, put one hand on the cloth, pull the handgun I was holding with my other hand to my chest, and point the muzzle firmly at the target at the end of the cloth.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled the cloth in one motion and checks the object at the end of it.
It was a young woman who was staring blankly at me. A young woman, maybe in her teens, maybe in her twenties. She was sitting on the ground, her arms and legs deprived of their freedom by iron shackles.
I was so shocked by her appearance that I almost dropped my gun.
The woman’s black hair was short and shiny, her long eyelashes framed her amber eyes, and her white skin glistened without a blemish. It wasn’t her beauty that shocked me, but her doll-like features that I recognized. I didn’t know why but she looked so familiar to me. But that didn’t stop me from continuing to stare at her.
She bit her lower lip, as if she was troubled by my continued staring at her.
“Good heavens… I remember that habit too.” She tilted her head at my murmur.
She was wearing a type of battlesuit I had never seen before. She was wearing a special suit that was so tight that you could see the lines of her body, and a bulletproof vest on top of it. The black-based suit seemed to be specially designed for infiltration, probably for the special forces of the old civilization.
Judging from the luxurious equipment that didn’t look out of place in a ruined city, I could guess that she was a soldier or mercenary dispatched from Torinokago. The clean appearance is not that of a cannibal no matter how you look at it.
The woman backed away in fear, and of course there was no sign of any kind of weapon in her hands. She only trembled when the handgun was pointed at her. Careful, not to scare her, I slowly holstered my handgun, held one finger up to my mouth, and gestured for her to be quiet. I thought the gas mask might get in the way, but she understood.
She kept her mouth shut and looked at me intently.
I remember that habit too.
Translated by KuroNeko
Edited by KuroNeko
Dust carried by the wind was slowly making its way into the building, and the fine sand and dust reflected and shone in the light coming through the window frames.
“Well… ”
Leaving the looters to flee in the cloud of dust created by the explosion, I turned my attention to the dark corridor at the back of the building.
The sunlight streaming in from outside made the dilapidated facility look clearer. I think about this as I look around the room filled with junk that I have no use for. We were able to break into the facility as planned. There was no sign of the looters, a group of crazed killers who had made the amusement park their stronghold.
The surprise attack earlier seemed to have succeeded in luring many of them out of the building. They must be feeling sorry for themselves right now, caught in the smoke of explosion.
I wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible, but it was hard to go easy on a murderer.
I bent down and made a short run through the trash-filled lobby and along the long hallway. In the nick of time, a looter with a rusty pipe rifle comes out of the room at the end of the hall.
“What the hell is wrong with you!?” The mohawked looter shouted.
“Ray!”
I reacted quickly to Kaguya’s voice in my inner ear, pulled out my handgun, and shot a bullet into the chest of the looter who was pointing the muzzle of his pipe rifle at me. When the man with the dirty body form collapsed, I put my back against the door of the room he came out of and threw a grenade into the room.
After the explosion, I properly swept the room with a sub-machine gun that was hanging from my waist. When all the bullets have been fired, I retracts myself and reloads the magazine. I quickly checks the number of mags remaining as I returns the empty mags to my belt pocket.
Then I took a deep breath, counted to nine, and checked the situation in the room.
“Looks like there are no survivors.”
I nodded at Kaguya’s words.
There were only three bodies of dirty looking looters lying on the floor. Maybe I was over-aggressive. With this pacing, I will run out of bullets. But just like my opponent, I have only one life. A simple law of this world, if you don’t do it, you will be done. I can always replenish my supply of bullets by buying or taking them, so I can’t afford to waste them.
I glanced quickly around the dimly lit room to make sure there was no danger, then crouched down beside the body to see if there was anything I could use. But there was nothing that could be used. The ammunition was old and rusty, and the homemade pipe rifles they were using were in such bad shape that I couldn’t bring myself to use them. I didn’t take anything from the dead this time, but no one will blame me for taking it.
I hurried to my destination, relying on the map projected on my retina. The map displayed on the interface was based on pre-war data. However, since it was old data from before the old civilization, it was almost useless in this devastated world. The reason for this was simple: with the exception of buildings built with advanced technology during the old civilization, most of the buildings were crumbling with age, and even the few that remained had been looted and manhandled.
“I just hope the entrance to the underground facility hasn’t collapsed,”
I nodded at Kaguya’s murmur of mixed anxiety.
The room leading to the desired location was blocked by a metal fire door, but since the key was not in use, we were able to enter without any problem. It is doubtful that the looters had any concept of keys. My eyes, which had instantly adapted to the dimly lit room, could see the room clearly. It seems that this room is being used as a food storage for the looters. The entrance to the VIP shelter had now been turned into a cannibal’s pantry with several missing human corpses hanging from it.
Thanks to the gas mask, I didn’t have to smell the unpleasant odor that filled the room. I approached the relatively new, headless, naked body hanging from a chain and looked at the remains. The body was missing limbs, the belly had been ripped open, and only the gutted torso hung like a mute statue.
I walked so as not to touch the body. From the workbench, where a rusty knife had been placed to dismantle a human just a moment ago, highly viscous blood was flowing out onto the floor, creating a pool of blood. I walked carefully, trying not to slip on the blood.
An old mechanical doll sat in the back of the room. A small amount of sunlight was shining through the crumbling walls, and the security droids bathed in the streaks of light created a fantastic picture that did not resemble the place.
Kaguya muttered as she scanned the abandoned aircraft through my eyes.
“Judging from its condition, it looks like it was abandoned early in the war.” Kaguya said.
I gripped the handgun tightly in both hands and approached the ivy-twisted mechanical doll, paying attention to the movements in the area.
“Ray, check the feet of the mechanical doll,” Kaguya said.
I searched the feet of the security droid as Kaguya instructed.
If the information displayed on the interface was correct, there should be a switch around here to open the entrance to the underground facility.
As I moved the debris that seemed to have fallen from the ceiling, a large centipede that had been hiding in the debris crawled somewhere, startled by the sudden light. I’ve never been a fan of insects, but I can’t be bothered with that right now.
But the floor was covered with accumulated dirt and weeds, and I couldn’t find the switch.
I set down the backpack on my back and took out a military folding shovel to dig up the dirt and the weeds in the way. I soon came upon a hard floor. After carefully removing the surrounding soil, a floor made of dark blue steel, which is often seen in facilities of the old civilization period, was revealed. When I swept the soil completely, I found a small light source that flashed green.
“Looks like the facility’s power supply is still active,” I am relieved.
Without a power source, the entrance would not open, and I did not have the equipment to destroy the steel from the old civilization.
“But I can’t find the switch…… Kaguya, can you connect?” I asked.
“I’ll give it a try. I’m going to make a contact connection, so put your hands directly on the floor.” Kaguya instructed.
I take off my gloves and touch the cool steel. As a shock similar to the pain of static electricity ran through my palm, part of the floor, which had been covered with steel from the old civilization, slowly extended upward, revealing the entrance to the underground.
When I approached to look inside, the lighting was automatically lit and the inside was illuminated brightly. Apparently, the power supply for this facility has also been running since the collapse of civilization until now. The power source is the same as the facility in Torinokago, and is probably a reactor from the old civilization. Where are those reactors? If I could get a reactor in perfect condition to be used in a facility of this size, it would pay me enough to feed me for the rest of my lives. I’m still amazed at the technological capabilities of the old civilization.
“The stairs. Let’s go quickly,” Kaguya said.
After putting away the shovel and putting my backpack back on, I followed Kaguya’s urgent voice and went down the stairs that I could see at the end of the entrance. I went on for a while and looked back to see the entrance closing noiselessly.
At the end of the stairs, I saw a large door. The owner was probably a prehistoric and exaggerated guy. Perhaps it was the taste of the owner of the facility, but only the door was a strange, old-fashioned model. A heavy, thick metal door. The cold, impressionistic, simple and radical model of the old civilization used for the entrance to the underground was more to my liking, but preference had nothing to do with it now.
After hearing the metallic sound of several locks being removed from inside the door, the door slowly opened. It was too late to open the door, so I opened it with my own hands. Sure enough, the door was awfully heavy.
The room beyond the door was probably an entrance, filled with elaborate and opulent facilities, but they were badly deteriorated. The room was dimly lit, with a dull, tattered carpet and peeling wallpaper in poor taste. The dusty antique light fixtures had no power, and the room was dimly lit.
I felt uncomfortable. The facilities of the old civilization were well managed, and in many cases, well preserved. And yet, this place was severely overgrown. The air was dusty, and when the wind blew, dust flew into the room along with sand, making visibility difficult. Maybe the ventilation system is not working.
At the back of the room, I felt resistance when I tried to open the wooden door that was about to open. Put your weight on the door and push it open.
“Hey, Kaguya,” I said, “Did you hear about the underground facility at the amusement park that’s been destroyed?”
“I don’t know,” Kaguya responded.
Beyond the door, the rubble of the collapsed ceiling was strewn about, and there was a large hole in the corner of the ceiling that led outside. The looters had cleared away the debris, and in the cleared space there was a table with their weapons crammed in it.
“This facility is a shelter for public figures, right?” I said.
“I’m sure you’re right. You see, they have a lot of mechanical dolls to guard them.” Kaguya replied.
I sigh at Kaguya’s words.
“It’s mostly buried in rubble, though.”
I had never imagined that the ceiling of a facility intended for a nuclear attack would be so fragile. There were various possible reasons, but I don’t know for sure whether it was in the middle of construction or if it was a shelter that couldn’t be completed due to embezzlement of construction costs.
“Anyway, it’s an Assault Droid,” I said. “Kaguya, scan the room.”
“Understood,” Kaguya scrutinized the room based on the information she could glean from my vision.
I move my gaze so that I can see the entire room.
Near the door of the room’s entrance, there was a lot of debris and junk piled up, and I realized that these were the true source of the resistance I had felt earlier. Apparently, the looters had entered and exited the room through the collapsed ceiling instead of using the regular route.
That’s why the entrance to their pantry is buried in the ground.
Returning my gaze, I concentrated and checked the surrounding area for threats.
“Found it. It’s buried under a pile of rubble by the wall,” Kaguya said.
As Kaguya instructed me to cut through the rubble, I saw the head of an Assault Droid.
“Hey, Kaguya. Look at all this crap. For all intents and purposes, it’s not perfect.” I murmured.
“You are indeed the best informant in town,” Kaguya said sarcastically.
“We all make mistakes, but this one is terrible.”
With difficulty, I pulls out the assault droid from the rubble. The assault droid was a mechanical doll with a graceful form reminiscent of a black Iron Lady. It was a beauty that made it hard to believe that it was made for killing people, but things with good performance naturally have beautiful shapes. I vaguely remember someone saying that.
The condition of the assault droid has deteriorated over time, and it is not in a very good condition. Still, all but the legs remained undestroyed.
“Good. We’ve come a long way, but it looks like we’re getting something out of it,” said Kaguya with a laugh. “First, there’s a lens model number under the camera eye, read it out.”
When the bulletproof mask on the head of the assault droid is removed, a large single eye reminiscent of a Cyclops, a creature from Greek mythology, appears. Not the eyes, of course, but the lens of the main camera.
“0166–” I scrape off the dirt. “0166J-dTAC-α17”
“Wait a minute,” Kaguya said. “I’ll find the exact model of the Assault Droid from the model number of the lens…” After a little silence, she spoke again. “Hmm, I found it. The specifications for maintenance of the aircraft from the database is downloadable. So just give me a minute.”
“I’ll let you do that,” I said. Without the specifications, I would have no idea where the control chip for the assault droid was located.
While I wait, I check the video of the raven-shaped reconnaissance drone circling over the amusement park. The smoke from the explosions around the area had been swept away by the wind, and now I could see the raiders scurrying around the amusement park. They seemed to be conducting a search for me, but their movements are uncoordinated and they didn’t look like a very cohesive group. For me, it would be better if they just left.
“Help me…… ”
The sound of metal hitting something, and the faint voice of a woman comes out.
Daily practice makes the body move as a habit. I quickly ducked behind some nearby debris, lowered myself to a low position, and raised my handgun to look around the room. I was distracted by the assault droid and didn’t seem to notice that there was someone in the room.
My heart started to beat faster, and I clucked at myself for not being more vigilant. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with anger, but then I thought better of it and exhaled slowly to calm myself down. No one can do everything perfectly.
“Sorry, Ray,” Kaguya said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I replied without saying it out loud. “I was caught off guard, too. So there is no need for you to apologize. For that matter, where do you think the object is?”
“Displayed on the map. I’m pretty sure there’s someone in there, because it’s still making a lot of clattering noises.” Kaguya replied.
After checking the map, I turn my attention to the dirty cloth hanging from the ceiling.
“Hey… get me out of here, please.”
I heard the sound of heavy chains hitting the ground.
I raised my handgun and slowly approached the owner of the voice. Even the sound of the soles of my shoes crushing small pieces of rubble was frustrating now. I put my body to the side so that I am not standing in front of the target, put one hand on the cloth, pull the handgun I was holding with my other hand to my chest, and point the muzzle firmly at the target at the end of the cloth.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled the cloth in one motion and checks the object at the end of it.
It was a young woman who was staring blankly at me. A young woman, maybe in her teens, maybe in her twenties. She was sitting on the ground, her arms and legs deprived of their freedom by iron shackles.
I was so shocked by her appearance that I almost dropped my gun.
The woman’s black hair was short and shiny, her long eyelashes framed her amber eyes, and her white skin glistened without a blemish. It wasn’t her beauty that shocked me, but her doll-like features that I recognized. I didn’t know why but she looked so familiar to me. But that didn’t stop me from continuing to stare at her.
She bit her lower lip, as if she was troubled by my continued staring at her.
“Good heavens… I remember that habit too.” She tilted her head at my murmur.
She was wearing a type of battlesuit I had never seen before. She was wearing a special suit that was so tight that you could see the lines of her body, and a bulletproof vest on top of it. The black-based suit seemed to be specially designed for infiltration, probably for the special forces of the old civilization.
Judging from the luxurious equipment that didn’t look out of place in a ruined city, I could guess that she was a soldier or mercenary dispatched from Torinokago. The clean appearance is not that of a cannibal no matter how you look at it.
The woman backed away in fear, and of course there was no sign of any kind of weapon in her hands. She only trembled when the handgun was pointed at her. Careful, not to scare her, I slowly holstered my handgun, held one finger up to my mouth, and gestured for her to be quiet. I thought the gas mask might get in the way, but she understood.
She kept her mouth shut and looked at me intently.
