Chapter 130: Bulging Eyes

What would the next stage be?

Put your life on the line for a game challenge, and it sounded like some hopeless death game. But if the other side had no intent to kill, then it was nothing more than an embarrassingly easy game.

So, with fewer people in tow and less tension than the situation deserved, I headed for the next stage: beyond the shutter that had just opened.

I watched the results of Rat Unit’s night vision with my left eye.

There was little rubble.

It was still indoors, so calling it spacious would be a lie. But there was little rubble here. If they had used that tank in this room, we would have had nowhere to hide, and it would have had room enough to run.

That might have been annoying.

What waited for us instead was one mechanized soldier.

Night vision could not tell me its color, but it seemed to be holding some kind of flag.

What was that?

The instant I wondered, the room lit up.

White light.

Artificial light.

Rat Unit cut off the night-vision feed.

Even so, my eyes had adjusted to the dark, and for an instant, they hurt.

A fatal opening.

But the enemy did not take advantage of it. It came rattling toward us on its treads, leisurely as could be.

Walking?

The flag was white.

If my values still applied, that was a sign of surrender.

It was holding some kind of monitor.

The next moment, the screen showed a thin, hunched man who looked like he probably survived on supplements instead of staple food.

『———uhihi.』

He was probably somewhat socially impaired.

He seemed to be trying to speak, but a laugh slipped out first, and sadly for him, that laugh was creepy in a frightening way. Children would probably hate him. Women too.

“…”

I thought I might be willing to be just a little kind to him.

Behind his square glasses were dark circles that looked as if fatigue had been smeared there, and large eyes that moved around far too much.

As expected, or perhaps I should say inevitably…

He was far removed from the smell of violence.

But in its place, he was close to madness.

That was the impression I got.

『H-hello! Hello there!』

“…Yes. Hello.”

Greetings are important. Ancient scripture says so.

Hello, Mad Scientist-san. Hound speaking.

I bowed to the monitor.

『I-I got to see your performance! To think you could handle a tank like it was nothing. I-I was surprised!』

“…Right.”

Bulging Eyes sounded excited somehow.

I, on the other hand, was cold.

Is that so.

If that tank had been the test, then my camp’s elementary division—no, that might be a little harsh.

But the middle-school combat team could probably handle it.

With Monoz, of course.

“So. Are you the person in charge here? Should I take you as the mastermind behind the kidnappings?”

『Fuhi! Y-yes! Yes, Toujiii! I’m the one in charge here, the mastermind behind the kidnappings, and your enemyyyy!』

“I see.”

So he knew my name.

But I did not know his. I did not know his objective either, which meant I did not know where to place the end of this fight.

For now, the cleanest landing point was: kill him and finish it.

“Are you willing to talk?”

『No! …What if I said that?』

“Die. Fuck you.”

I snapped my middle finger straight up at the sky.

『Hii! Uhihi! I’m not! Nothing! I’ve got nooooothing!』

“Well, well—”

How very regrettable.

I shrugged and sighed once. With the headset goggles still hiding my eyes, I lowered my gaze to Rat Unit at my feet. Rat Unit’s eye blinked. Red. So tracing the signal back was impossible. If I did not know where he was, I could not kill him.

Troubling.

『Y-y-y-you can’t kill me, Toujiii.』

“Is that so.”

『That’s right! You’ll be measured by me, and then you’ll become mine! This has been your fate since the day you were borrrrn!』

“…”

I made a face of deep, heartfelt disgust.

I did not have those tastes. Please spare me.

『N-n-n-now, next!』

At the same time as his declaration, the next thing arrived.

It came in with both arms hanging limply, dragging its feet.

Humanoid.

Where Centipede was a reinforced exoskeleton, a shell worn on the outside, this was a suit type, clinging tightly to the whole body. Only the head had bulky armor like a helmet, with cables stretching from it to supply power.

It did not not look like some mediocre humanoid decisive battle weapon, but it also looked like a dog on a chain.

“…”

I looked down at Rudo at my feet.

Leaving the dog armor aside, Rudo had barely ever worn a collar. He did not seem to feel any kinship.

But his ears were standing sharp, as if he were wary of something.

“Shoot.”

I had no intention of mocking animal instinct.

The enemy had no projectile weapon, so we would use our advantage immediately. Rat Unit and Tiger Unit obeyed my order and opened fire. SMG fire rattled through the room.

Hits—

zero.

I shot too.

Automatic pistol.

Draw from the hip holster. Fire.

I aimed for the stomach.

A hole opened in the floor at its feet.

Vrrrrr—

A growl.

I looked and saw Rudo baring his fangs, furious.

Violet lightning crackled around him.

It looked almost as if he were showing his power to one of his own kind.

“I see.”

I looked back at the humanoid, and understood.

Same kind. Same type. Same bloodline, maybe.

Violet lightning crackled around it too.

『H-hii! Wh-what do you think? You can’t do this in the current age, can you? You wouldn’t do this, would you? But I can. We can! We did it to dogs and cats. We could. So naturally, we can do it to humans too, can’t we!? An electric ability-user powerful enough to bend bullets!』

Welsh Corgi Pembroke Thunderbolt.

No.

Homo sapiens sapiens Thunderbolt.

“…Does he have anything to do with the children you kidnapped?”

『Nn? …Ah, is that what you mean? No! He’s something that was sleeping here. I woke him up and tinkered with him! They’re next.』

“I see.”

So that was how it was.

Then let us end this quickly.

I walked closer and fired three shots.

Brow.

Throat.

Stomach.

Top to bottom.

Deflected.

Deflected.

Hit.

That was the end of it.

The round that struck a vital point slowed him, and his control over the ability broke. The remaining bullets were swallowed exactly where I aimed them, resulting in the rather rowdy indoor event known as watermelon splitting.

Cleaning up would be a pain.

Not my problem.

『Wh-why!?』

“I recently fought something with a similar defense mechanism.”

So I thought of countermeasures.

The first was using special rounds. Akito’s custom bullets ignored cost, so they could not be made in large numbers. I had one dozen for sniping. So I would not use those.

Second.

Close the distance.

Get close enough that even if the bullet bent, it still hit.

Simple.

At this range, even the Great Demon God’s forkball would land.

“Now then, mister. Any correction to what you said earlier?”

『? Earlier?』

“The part about using the kidnapped children next. …Do you have any correction to make?”

『Hih! None! None at all, Toujiii!』

“…”

I see.

“Then—”

I drew a finger across my throat, stuck out my tongue, and jabbed my thumb downward.

Go to hell.

“I’ll kill you, Mad Scientist.”

『Hihi, uhiheh. I-I’ll be waiting, Toujiii.』

He laughed back, and Bulging Eyes vanished from the monitor.

Only the mechanized soldier remained, still holding up the monitor after its role was over. Rudo leapt at it as if to show his displeasure. The inside of the machine burned out, and black smoke rose.

As electric ability-users went, Rudo seemed to be several steps above Mr. Watermelon.

I looked at the headless corpse.

“…”

He, too, was probably a victim.

Made like a toy.

Thrown away like a toy.

For the time being, placed in front of me.

That was all.

Given the power to fight, and still treated like this.

An incompetent enemy was something to welcome. I would allow it.

But I would also find it unpleasant.