episode_0288

While planning the operation, I once asked the Superintendent-nim a question out of curiosity. It was about how to handle the enemies.

“Superintendent-nim! Can we kill them all?”

Honestly, I felt a bit uneasy. Because this time, our opponents were the Federal Army.

Although they wore the guise of pirates, nominally, they were the military of the government that ruled the world.

Moreover, the Federal soldiers we had met were mostly decent people who were diligent in their duties and fought off magical beasts, like Major Klein.

It felt like some confirmation was needed, like the saying, “Tap even a stone bridge before crossing” [a proverb about being cautious even in seemingly safe situations].

“Should we take them prisoner? Or what should we do? Should we let them live?”

The Superintendent-nim scrutinized my face as if wondering why I was asking such a thing, then posed a question in return.

“Violet, another one of you must have already infiltrated and be monitoring the mine and its surroundings. What did the people there look like to you?”

As soon as I heard the Superintendent-nim’s words, an answer immediately blurted out.

“They gave them little food and beat them every day! When they asked for just a little more, they threw my rice bowl on the floor!”

I thought about what I had experienced from the perspective of a slave. The soldiers generally treated the slave miners harshly, but only enough so they wouldn’t die.

The meals were terrible, and both soldiers and officers treated the miners like toys.

“I heard you often cooperated with the soldiers. If that’s why you’re hesitating, I’ll tell you there’s no need. The Pax Nova Naval Base hasn’t recruited soldiers since the regional commander changed. Instead, it has become a hotbed of crime, taking in nearby pirates and criminals to replenish its forces. I’ll leave their treatment to you. Just don’t be excessively cruel. Understood?”

Not being cruel seemed to mean not making them into drums.

“Understood! Oh, right. By the way, I found a huge magical beast where we found the Doctor.”

“A magical beast? Indeed…”

“Yeah, the soldiers seemed to be making the Doctor do something. Do you know anything about it? That magical beast didn’t seem to be alive. What should we do if we see it?”

The Superintendent-nim answered immediately.

“Blow it up.”

***

Pax Nova Island was composed of a main island and smaller islands scattered around it, with a mine located on each island.

In fact, calling them islands was a somewhat ambiguous expression from a geological perspective.

Aside from the main island, the rest were merely reefs, and the territory was expanded by pouring concrete and gravel on top of them to reclaim land, then constructing buildings.

The mine’s main product was an indispensable raw material for manufacturing room-temperature superconductors.

However, megasteel used for fortress walls and armor plates, as well as compounds used in the refining of various rare metals, were also abundantly deposited nearby.

It was truly comparable to a magical pot that endlessly produced money.

Colonel Kurt’s pirate warlords used the funds thus obtained to import supplies, control nearby shipping merchants and fishermen, or offer tribute to the military high command to divert attention.

Mine slaves were steadily supplied through various channels, and with food costs deducted, there were virtually no other expenses, making it a truly profitable and exploitative business.

However, the warlords would now find themselves in a position to keenly feel the economic adage that there’s no free lunch [a proverb meaning that nothing is truly free, and everything has a cost].

The reason was simple. The Violet Brigade, believers in liberal democracy, was ready to initiate physical intervention on behalf of the invisible hand [an economic concept referring to the unintended social benefits of individual self-interested actions] to properly activate a free market economy.

Currently, inside the concrete building of Mine 1, where the prelude to the free market would begin, the Violets were secretly exchanging conversations with the slaves.

“I can’t believe it, that we’ll gain freedom in just a few hours…”

One veteran miner, who had endured many years in the mine, whispered with a trembling voice.

When a bald girl promised to free them one day, they initially scoffed, but when she pulled countless weapons and swords from thin air and demonstrated sword energy, they had no choice but to believe.

The decisive clue was a satellite phone connected to the outside world.

“-H-hello? Is that you?”

“-Dad!”

Although the sound quality wasn’t clear due to the influence of magic, the man couldn’t help but burst into tears.

He thought he had been forgotten, but his family still remembered him.

At this point, he wanted to believe. More than five years had passed since he had been unable to escape this place.

Some had suffered in the mine for over ten years, so the workers’ plight was indescribably miserable.

Thus, a few hours before the operation began, at the news that they would finally take action, the veteran laborers transformed like dynamite on the verge of exploding.

Filled with the flammable substances of hope and joy, their appearance resembled children waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Only after the skull-masked girl, who had been observing the scene, sternly warned them did their excitement subside.

“…I don’t know how I can repay this kindness…”

“Don’t let your guard down, you haven’t been freed yet. You haven’t forgotten what I explained, have you? What you need to do. If even one of you wants to survive and get out safely, your role is important.”

The workers snapped to attention at the girl’s advice. They couldn’t ruin the plan with excitement before the work even began.

“Don’t forget that your role is very important. When the operation begins, calm down anyone who becomes agitated, evacuate to where we guide you, and don’t come out until the situation is over. If you want to return to your family alive, stay still.”

They replied that they would do so. The Violet Brigade Command moved swiftly, satisfied with the situation where they could now fully concentrate on combat.

「Did you load all the magazines? Don’t forget to load the bolts into the clips!」

「Huh? Isn’t that Command’s job? We’re combatants.」

「Ugh!」

Thanks to bulk purchases through Helios Frontier Service, ammunition for firearms, including small arms, was abundant.

Helios, having secured massive liquid assets thanks to the Superintendent-nim’s successful stock recommendations, had no hesitation in filling the armory.

In addition, they had manufactured enough improvised explosives and secured various other explosives through the Clan.

They also changed their weapons. Instead of the existing crossbows, an example was the 40-round combat crossbow, which incorporated ergonomic design and high-performance scopes, and whose string was drawn back smoothly as if being pulled in when the lever was gently pulled.

The bolts also had shafts made of a material that could retain magic for longer, and their arrowheads were crafted to be razor-sharp.

Overall, their combat power had increased modestly. However, what was needed now was not a desperate, last-ditch attack, but minor conveniences.

Of course, there was other equipment besides that.

「This is important too. It looks a bit heavy and clumsy, but its power will be immense.」

「Big, cool gun! Powerful firepower!」

Three hours before the operation began, Unit 141 grinned broadly, holding a heavy weapon that could hardly be called a rifle.

What was gripped in her hand was the hunting rifle she had used during her duel with Sebastian.

Command knew that Colonel Kurt and his awakened officers were the most threatening enemies, and that armored vehicles and multi-purpose support walkers were deployed on the island for riot suppression and base defense.

While crossbows could penetrate any armor plate, in terms of pure destructive power, such crude weapons were better.

They were also satisfying to fire. These heavy guns, using internal-head autocannon rounds, would be effective in overwhelming large enemies head-on.

As the detailed preparations were finalized, the start time of the operation slowly approached.

It was already midnight. Most were asleep in the barracks and quarters, except for those on duty and a small number of working personnel.

A faint crescent moon appeared in the sky, and heavy clouds covered it, making it ideal for covert action.

Two hours before the operation began. The Violets in hibernation gradually opened their eyes.

「Are the mines and netting ready for removal?」

「Preparation complete. Other comrades at key points are also finished with their preparations.」

「Rescue team, what about you?」

「Complete!」

One hour before the operation began, the Violets who had climbed onto the buildings meticulously observed the island engulfed in darkness.

Except for the patrolling soldiers and the flickering lights here and there, the base was utterly silent.

「Command and control center, generator, officer quarters. Confirmed! Outposts confirmed!」

「Anti-aircraft artillery, confirmed! Helicopter, airship parking area! Confirmed! Hangar confirmed!」

「The regional commander and the professor’s locations haven’t been identified. Move cautiously.」

Under the cover of darkness, the Violets precariously leaped across building rooftops, walls, and streetlights, evading the surveillance network.

Having been accustomed to physical enhancement for almost a year now, she could move as agilely as any other agent.

「Infiltration complete!」

One hour before the operation began, spy Violets in military uniforms scattered into the naval base from the shadows.

The Violets who had awakened from hibernation began to generate their main forces throughout the island.

「Alright, when it starts. You know, right?」

「We know!」

Thirty minutes before the operation time, Mine Unit 3421 took a deep breath and looked outside.

The veteran miners cautiously began to wake the other slaves.

Looking outside, new soldiers who had just finished their shift stared idly at the dark sea.

Ten minutes before the operation time. The Command Violet, feeling thirsty, swallowed a mouthful of water.

The waning crescent moon briefly illuminated the darkness faintly, but then shadows fell.

The countdown began.

「5, 4, 3, 2, 1!」

Violet Interim Brigade Commander Unit 103 declared the start of the operation.

「Begin!」

The words were concise, but the situation that unfolded immediately afterward was anything but light.

-Boom!

Flames shot up in the waters off the island.

***

One minute after the operation began, I was enveloped in killing intent.

The guy in front of me was the one who had overturned my rice bowl. As soon as I saw him, anger flared.

“So, when I firmly grabbed that girl and pushed her~”

The bastard who had inflicted insult and humiliation upon me was now chuckling and chatting with his subordinate.

Could he not empathize with the suffering of slaves? He must be a psychopath.

I must kill them all.

“She was completely disoriented, you see-”

I aimed the crossbow beyond the wall and concentrated my magic.

The snap of the bowstring, a blazing red flash, pierced through the concrete wall and impaled his head.

-Crunch!

The remaining magic exploded like fireworks, blowing off the officer’s head.

A surprised cry was briefly heard from inside, but it was soon swept away by the barrage of bolts pouring through the wall, and silence fell.

「Outpost neutralization complete!」

Five minutes after the operation began, the Violet Brigade had completely destroyed all major outposts installed on each satellite island. Their methods were varied.

-Whiz!

“Gah! An ambush-”

-Bang!

“Be quiet!”

They stealthily crept through the darkness, either flipping switches on the distribution panel or cutting wires.

They swiftly infiltrated the command room, opened the door, and shot bolts into heads.

Or, simply and swiftly, dozens of Violets, armed with crossbows, unleashed a volley of fire over the wall.

“Ugh!”

Screams echoed from beyond the wall. As personnel inside were being killed through the wall, Unit 442, who had been waiting, kicked through the ceiling and burst in.

The soldiers, eyes wide with surprise, quickly extended their swords and swung them around once.

A soft slicing sound. The personnel inside the command room were cut in half, chairs and all.

They smashed the radios and destroyed the surveillance systems one by one.

「Why didn’t we fight like this before?」

I don’t know why we hadn’t thought of the idea of sniping and killing enemies beyond a wall with magic-infused bolts before.

Perhaps it was because we had only ever used explosives, we had forgotten how to discreetly cut off their breathing.

Yes, we Violets still have many shortcomings.

We must become masters of special operations by using these guys’ lives as nutrients.

Bolts pierced the heads of the outpost soldiers.

Come to think of it, sword energy stands out in night operations. I’ll have to consider that next time.

After eliminating the guards, we cut the power to everything: thermal imaging equipment, magic detectors, small radars. Pop!

Seven minutes after the operation began, after filling the watchtowers and outposts with corpses, we moved to the next location before being noticed.

From here, it’s really important. Because we need to enter the submarine docking facility simultaneously with multi-pronged attacks.

「Detonate!」

-Boom!

The demolition team Violets blew up the main power facilities. The entire island went dark.

At the same time, at the naval base’s command and control center far away, lights came back on, perhaps from the emergency generator activating, but it was too late.

The strike team Violets, who had cut through the ceiling and walls to burst in, swung their swords mercilessly.

“It’s an ambush! Emergency! Emergen-”

I kicked the chest of the pirate officer who was blabbering recklessly.

He was slammed into the opposite wall by the magic-infused kick. Slash, stab, shoot!

“P-please save me!”

After wrapping the miraculously surviving guys tightly with tape and throwing them into a corner, we reported on the battle situation.

「We smashed everything!」

「We killed everyone!」

Unfortunately, lights were coming back on in some facilities, perhaps because the emergency generator had activated.

Along with that, emergency alarms began to blare one by one.

Even corrupted soldiers, the non-commissioned officers and officers, began returning from dreamland to reality, one by one, to their units.

But no chance.

“Ugh! Emergency! Air raid!-”

At 3 AM, around the time the command and control center was blown up, officers who had hastily woken up in their quarters faced us.

“Don’t come to work!”

-Slash!

The head of the officer standing blankly fell onto the bed.

If we eliminate the officers, the soldiers will become idiots. They won’t even be able to handle expensive equipment.

We swept them away wherever we saw them. We shot crossbow bolts through the wall, killing them.

We kicked open doors and smashed heads with maces.

While clearing out the quarters, we realized something important.

「Ah, shouldn’t we just blow it up and leave? Anyway, the siren already blared, so we’ve all been exposed. There’s no need to move discreetly.」

「Oh! Come to think of it, you’re right. Let’s do it now!」

After dousing each quarters with gasoline and throwing incendiary bombs, the officer assassination team quickly ran to the next location.

“Aaah! Save me! Aaah!”

With officers being effortlessly killed, soldiers also burst out of the barracks in confusion.

「Command and control center, is the microphone working?」

「Yes! I tested it, the prisoner told me how to do a broadcast to everyone!」

「Good, start!」

It was a good decision to keep the prisoner alive.

Ten minutes into the operation, Pax Nova burned splendidly, as if insulting the darkness.

The helicopters and airships that had just been set on fire couldn’t even take off, burning like firewood.

Let’s add a bit of confusion to this.

The Violet in the command and control center shouted in a hurried voice.

-Emergency! Emergency! The despicable Air Force bastards have finally launched a surprise attack! Their landing forces are approaching the coast! To your positions!

No sooner had the broadcast ended than the diver Violets cleared the mines, pioneering a path.

-Thump!

The soldiers who had been blankly searching for their commanders turned their heads in surprise. The sea was covered in flames.

The effect of spreading oil was spectacular. The soldiers who were running to find their commanders were met with a crossfire of machine guns.

-Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Soldiers were being annihilated barracks by barracks, one by one.

Some soldiers miraculously escaped or grabbed weapons and fled, but the Violets positioned on the rooftops relentlessly pursued them, showering them with bullets.

Officers whom we hadn’t managed to capture, or who were elsewhere, desperately tried to command their soldiers, clutching laser communicators.

The communications network they overheard was pure chaos.

[Their special forces have infiltrated! Send troops toward headquarters! They say the command and control center is in danger!]

[Where is the Regional Commander-nim! Find him immediately!]

[All contact with the mines has been lost! It seems the slaves have rebelled!]

[The defense network is completely destroyed. The anti-aircraft guns too! The interception system too! The quantum radar is dead due to lack of power! Power restoration is critical right now! They might land soon!]

The soldiers, barely deployed to the defense line, witnessed countless ships approaching with the flames on the water’s surface behind them.

It was the Violet Navy.

「Command and control center, one more time!」

-Attention all units! The despicable Air Force bastards have allied with the Clan’s worm-like Navy scum! Landing forces are approaching! We will be victorious!

Seeing the approaching ships, the soldiers aimed all their remaining weapons at the coast.

I once again shot bolts into the backs of the complacent guys’ heads. The enemies who had bravely tried to prevent the landing were now in chaos.

We chuckled as we watched them scream and shoot, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

“Enemy at the rear! It’s Air Force special forces!”

It was too late. Inside the island, three thousand five hundred Violets had already completed their deployment.

The terrified soldiers cried out, “Enemies everywhere!” like parrots.

The red dots on the strategic map darted back and forth, not knowing who the enemy was.

This was in contrast to us, who only had to hit everything that wasn’t us.

There were also guys who frantically drove armored vehicles and walkers over.

Their clumsy counterattack was blown apart by rockets and autocannon shells.

There were fewer awakened ones than expected. Had we shot them all dead in their quarters?

Chaos and fear are our Violets’ friends.

「Rescue team, what about the submarine docking facility?」

「We’ll be entering soon!」

***

While the island plunged into chaos, the rescue team entered through both the underground facility’s passages and from underwater.

The diver Violets, carrying large spherical capsules, slowly entered the submarine docking facility.

We devised several escape methods. One of them was a drum.

The idea was simple: put Professor Bernike in a waterproof drum and swim underwater to safety, wasn’t it?

Of course, the professor was quite a tall woman, so a drum would be uncomfortable. So, we purchased an evacuation capsule and laboriously dragged it through the water.

If we put the professor in here and escape back into the water, it would all be over.

“Superintendent-nim! The work is all done. You can come in now!”

There were still many enemies, but we had neutralized all their defense systems and liberated the mine.

While we cleaned up and collected spoils, the allied forces would follow in and occupy this island.

「Could there be a cleaner operation than this?」

Thinking that, the ground rescue team first searched the interior.

The underground facility was complex and strangely quiet.

Originally, the submarine docking facility was bustling with soldiers and heavily guarded, making it impossible to even think of entering, but now only silence permeated it.

「Is it because the facility is so deep? Maybe everyone’s upstairs. Rescue Team 2, how’s it underwater?」

「Yeah, we’re entering for now… just a moment.」

The rescue team Violets, swimming through the passage leading to the submarine docking facility, heard a sudden noise.

A collision sound, a roar, something crashing and shattering.

Suddenly, a colossal form appeared before their eyes.

「U-aaah! It’s a magical beast!」

The suddenly appearing magical beast charged with a speed unbefitting its massive size. Some of the terrified rescue team tried to get out of the way but were rammed by the beast.

「Aaaargh!」

The magical beast then surged above the water’s surface.

-Swoosh!

Bathed in the light of the burning island, a colossal whale-shaped magical beast with tentacles revealed itself.

Its silhouette, cast upon the dim water surface, was truly a magnificent sight.

The magical beast roared.

-ROAR!

A resounding roar spread around the island.

The rescue team, startled by the magical beast and emerging onto the surface, soon witnessed a human figure clinging to the beast’s back leap into the sea.

“Haa… as expected, something hastily made in an underground base wouldn’t be properly controlled. I thought it would go further…”

The marine magical beast looked at the burning island, then began to swim in that direction, dragging its colossal body.

The woman’s muttering was faintly heard.

“I still succeeded. Did you think I’d believe you’d just release me? I carve out my own destiny, you apes!”

The woman briefly laughed maniacally, swung her fists in the air, then took out a roughly woven plastic bag and a life jacket, using them as a makeshift raft to swim forward.

The woman, who had been approaching us, soon encountered the rescue team. It was her.

“Professor Bernike?”

When we shouted, taking off our respirators, the swimming professor quickly turned her head.

“We’ve come to rescue you! It’s Dunhind Security Service! Remember?”

Professor Bernike’s drenched face was filled with bewilderment.

“What? You guys are here…”

I felt frustrated seeing the capsule shattered from the collision. In times like these, there’s only one answer.

I pulled out a drum from my inventory.

“The university sent us! Get in!”

The Violet Brigade’s rescue operation succeeded in an unexpected way.

By the way, I wonder if we should just leave that magical beast. For now, I’ll just watch it fight the pirates.