Chapter 24: V.S. Colony 118 — Part 1

The order from Doggy House was simple.

Destroy the Insectum nest.

It was a small nest, but signs suggested they intended to establish a full-fledged outpost—most notably was the presence of an upper-tier specimen: a giant pill bug known as an Armor Roll.

They said I could hire other mercs at my own expense, so I brought Eevee along. As for Rudo, this would be his debut battle.

“You’re facing an Armor Roll for your first fight? Rudo’s got guts!”

—Yip!

The two—one human, one beast—had grown a little closer lately.

Over the past few days, Eevee had been in charge of feeding Rudo. It looked like Rudo had decided she was “the food lady.”

Leaving those two to themselves, I raised my binoculars.

There it was—clearly visible—the Armor Roll, Insectum’s version of a tank. It resembled a pill bug, but lacked any antennae.

Its shell had certain segments that looked more like armor plating. According to the intel, its weak spot was deeper inside. But that thick carapace was far too tough for my current gear. Switching to armor-piercing rounds wouldn’t cut it; I’d need a new gun entirely. But I didn’t have the money for that. No sense crying about it. Time to find another way.

“Eevee, I want to know what your skills are.”

“Skills? Oh, you mean those things you guys like to label and sort? Never really looked into it, so no idea.”

“I see. Then… what can you do?”

“I’ve got all the basics down as a soldier. But as you probably figured out, my specialty used to be sniping. I wasn’t exactly the sturdiest of Tooths.”

I see. Definitely stronger than me. Hard to believe I actually beat her once.

“…How’s your mobility? I’m planning to move in on the Horse Unit.”

“You mean the Umago? I can outrun that thing for sure—but not for long. Hmm… if you give me a rare crystal, I could build a ride of my own. Then I could keep up with the Horse Unit no problem.”

“…A rare one, huh.”

I did have one. But I wasn’t about to let Eevee use it.

“In that case, you’ll go on foot this time.”

“Got it. Leave it to me!”

So I’d make her run. Flat out.

I took the Arakane from the Ox Unit and started equipping it. Heavy. I powered it up. The DNA filament extending from its spinal interface coiled around the reinforced plastic of my own spine. My arms moved. My legs responded. The external frame became an extension of my body. The weight vanished.

Alright.

Now think.

I’ve got five minutes.

***

First, we wear them down.

That’s my basic tactic as a sniper.

To that end, I always work in sniper-observer pairs.

“As usual, we’ll split into groups like this: me, the Rat Unit, the Horse Unit, and Rudo will be S1. The Snake Unit and Rabbit Unit will form S2. Eevee, you’re S3.”

“Wait, what?! I’m ranked below the Snake Unit? That’s outrageous! I want to be in S2!”

Eevee had been checking her headset and now piped up with a complaint.

She was suited up in a powered exoskeleton.

Unlike mine, which was something I bought, her “Tooth” exosuit was the product of bio-modification. That pterosaur-looking head armor and the surrounding chitin shell had originally belonged to her pet, who, apparently, was still alive and fused into the gear.

Honestly, it was kind of gross.

To that, the Snake Unit offered a curt reply.

—Beep!

Warning: Silence, rookie!

“So mean! Hey, Touji, they’re bullying the new girl!”

This wasn’t bullying. It was a matter of trust.

Moving on, I continued with the rest of the assignments.

“Dog, Monkey, and Rooster Units—Team Momotaro—are A1. Tiger and Boar Units will be A2. Ox, Dragon, and Sheep Units are C1. The target colony is designated B1, and the high-threat Armor Roll will be B2. A-units will handle diversion and herding. C-units will support the field teams.”

A1 was our strongest team, while A2 was composed of the melee specialists. C1’s role was critical: supporting the high-output but fuel-inefficient Dragon Unit and handling logistics.

If Rudo were a bit more reliable, I’d assign him to C1 or even A2 as a mobile asset—but…

“…”

Right now, he was running in circles, chasing his own tail.

Maybe he was thrilled with the new dog armor mounted with a back shooter, or maybe he was just in a good mood for no reason. Either way, he wasn’t going to be much use out there.

“Groups S and A, move to the initial positions I’ve sent you. C1, take up S1’s current location for now. The attack begins in one hour. Sync timers—adjusting in 3, 2, 1, zero. —All right. Operation start.”

***

An hour had passed.

I gave the order for the Dragon Unit to charge.

At the same moment, A1 and A2 began their assault. Insectum swarmed out of B1 in waves. Most of them were Ants, but among the tide, a Grasshopper broke through the front line. B2—the Armor Roll—began pursuing A2.

A-Team initiated their feigned retreat. A2 lured the enemy toward S3, while A1 came rolling straight toward me.

“S1 leader to A1. Firing in five seconds. Reverse on my mark.”

Acknowledged: A1 ready.

“Rat Unit, countdown.”

Beep. Beep. The count ticked forward. Beep. Beep. I held my breath. Beep. I pulled the trigger. Hit confirmed.

The softened trigger broke the mechanism, igniting the primer. The bullet snapped through the air. There was no point in shooting the Grasshopper head-on, so I used the height differential to aim for its back. The shot pierced its torso, and it leapt wildly off-course before crashing down. While it fell, I checked the trajectory correction being streamed from the Rat Unit. I kept that in mind and exhaled.

For a brief moment, the self-aware Insectum tried to pinpoint the sniper—me.

That brief distraction… was the gap I needed.

A1 was there to blow that gap wide open. S2, sly and cunning, would slip straight through it.

A well-timed attack to exploit their hesitation, followed by a snipe to deepen the panic.

“S1 leader to S2—nice kill. Shift support to A2.”

I spoke while scanning the battlefield through the scope. The Grasshopper had lost momentum. Without its breakthrough speed, it was just a target. The coordinated attacks from A1, backed by my support fire, started to pile up the Grasshopper corpses. We needed to cull as many as possible before the Ants in the rear caught up. That was the plan.

“—Tch!”

But the enemy wasn’t clueless. One Grasshopper managed to counter the Dog Unit’s jet stream combo.

It vaulted off the Dog Unit’s back—what the hell!?

But all it did was make itself an easier target.

Soaring high into the air, wide open… I shot it down.

The dramatic “Black Tri-Stars” moment ended with a tragic twist—it turns out there was a fourth star all along.

“Yip!”

A bark rang out. I turned to see Rudo wagging his tail wildly, front paws smacking the ground with a loud whams as if saying: I’m ready too! I can help, I can help!

His big round eyes gleamed with eagerness and pure enthusiasm. Adorable.

“…”

I paused for two seconds.

Initially, I’d just wanted him to get a feel for the battlefield. But if he was this fired up, maybe letting him breathe a little more of this air wouldn’t hurt. Taking on Ants should be within his capability.

“When I give the signal, return immediately.”

The genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi Pembroke Thunderbolt class, who could understand human speech, gave a sharp woof! in reply.

Too good of a reply, honestly. It made me worry a little.

Still, what’s done is done.

The moment I gave the go sign, Rudo charged out. Charged and charged and—

No good. He looked like a roly-poly marshmallow dusted in cocoa powder.

That fluffy ball soon linked up with the Dog Unit, alternately biting and firing… then getting in the way and getting scolded. He seemed lively. That was good.

Despite the ongoing battle, I found myself laughing a little. Not good. I gripped my necklace and sharpened my focus again.

I took my eye off the scope and surveyed the battlefield from above.

The front line had stretched out nicely, thanks to A1 and A2’s maneuvering, leaving B1 exposed.

Time to move.

“Dragon Unit, prep artillery. Target is B1. Can you fire in ten seconds?”

Acknowledged: Ready for bombardment.

“S1 leader to all units. Dragon Unit will commence bombardment in ten seconds. Expect momentary paralysis across the field—at that moment…”

Let’s hunt.

I murmured that part silently, off-comms.