Ch.73[Episode 73] Most of Them Are Bugs

Sir Dominic’s team returned to the booth in front of Story Mode after finishing their explanation to Sir Dominic.

“It’s really fun once you actually do it.”

“I know, right? Oh, would you like tea or coffee?”

“Coffee for me. I happen to have donuts.”

After confirming no one was at the booth, the coders set up a tea party set in the back.

As evident from their attire, the coders’ concept for this event was Alice in Wonderland, specifically the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

“It’s really fortunate. If we only had the Mad Hatter and Bunny Girl, people might not have noticed.”

“Ugh, if the Dormouse concept hadn’t been rejected during the concept phase because it sounded weird, I would have been the Dormouse instead of the Bunny Girl!”

“How cute is a Dormouse supposed to be?” The Bunny Girl coder grumbled while taking a donut from her inventory and drinking coffee.

The Mad Hatter coder took a donut, bit into it happily, but then paused as if remembering something.

“By the way, about that thing.”

“What thing?”

“That sprite we left as dummy data.”

“Oh, the slime?”

The Bunny Girl coder answered while stuffing the rest of her donut into her mouth.

The Mad Hatter coder thought with a mysterious expression, then revealed his anxiety about the dummy data.

“Did we delete that code?”

The Bunny Girl coder froze.

Her memories flashed before her eyes like a slideshow.

And she realized that she, at least, had never touched that code.

“S-someone must have deleted it though.”

The Bunny Girl tried to ignore the uncomfortable truth as she drank her coffee.

Her hands trembled so much she couldn’t tell if the coffee was bitter or sweet.

“Nothing happened when we tested it internally.”

“That was build 1.03.77B. What we brought today is 1.03.78A.”

Cold sweat poured down the Bunny Girl coder’s forehead.

Her coffee cup was vibrating so much that half the coffee was being drunk by the ground.

No, it can’t be. Surely such a minor build difference wouldn’t cause problems?

The Bunny Girl coder comforted herself, denying reality.

“Come on. No way. Even if there was a problem, would it happen with the very first customer?”

“Right? The chances are slim, right?”

In fact, though the Mad Hatter had raised concerns, he too believed there wouldn’t be any issues.

As the two coders were escaping reality and returning to their comfortable tea party—

“Wow! The Open Shield Supporter Party senator and the Heal Wind Party senator are having a showdown!”

“What? I can’t miss a supporter dogfight. Let’s go watch!”

Just then, they heard that two senators campaigning nearby had gotten into a fight.

The Bunny Girl and Mad Hatter looked at each other, then slowly got up.

Since there was no one around anyway, they figured it wouldn’t be a problem to leave for a moment.

Surely nothing would happen while they were gone? They deceived themselves.

…

Sir Dominic’s team eliminated the guards protecting the Imperial Central Factory and set it on fire.

[The Imperial Central Factory is burning! The armored forces heading toward the infiltration team are greatly reduced!]

[Everyone in the Imperial capital is watching the flames. Those who were on guard duty find the sudden fire suspicious. Suppression personnel will soon be deployed to the factory.]

“Good. Now we must choose. Whether to attack the next target or wait here and subdue those who come.”

Sir Dominic, holding a sword and shield with the burning factory as a backdrop, looked at the others.

Tsuki wiped oil from her blade after cutting through a spider tank and said:

“To increase our chances of survival, attacking another target would be best. Hit and run is a basic military tactic.”

“We could use the factory debris to build barricades and handle the incoming suppression personnel. But our party is mostly melee-focused so…”

Dr. Phantom trailed off while looking at Sir Dominic, who resembled his sister.

Since Sir Dominica was another Sir Dominic, the probability that she was his sister was increasing.

“Then we shall move elsewhere. The quicker we act, the better.”

Just as Sir Dominic finished speaking, the oil leaking from the factory caught fire.

And as the fire spread to the oil-filled tanks, part of the factory exploded and collapsed.

“It seems staying here would be rather dangerous anyway.”

Sir Dominic muttered while staring blankly at the explosion.

“Suggestion: According to documents found in the factory, the Imperial Military Warehouse is closest.”

“Then we shall head to the military warehouse.”

When Sir Dominic made the decision, Zero found the fastest route and led the way.

Sir Dominic followed, with Tsuki and Phantom moving behind.

The burning factory.

Enough burning oil to fill an entire lake flowed from the factory.

Just before the black oil touched the ground and seeped in, the flames suddenly stopped.

The flames weren’t extinguished.

The flames literally stopped moving.

But after a few frames, the flames began to dance again.

Through those flames, something black like oil but of a completely different nature mixed with the oil and flowed down.

Sir Dominic and his party, focused only on moving forward, didn’t notice this ominous blackness.

…

[The combat team has caused confusion. However, security is still tight.]

[Some gaps have appeared, but it’s unknown where they are.]

“Looks like the other team is doing well too.”

Sir Dominica muttered at the end of the sewer.

Above her head was a manhole cover, and the dotted line on the floor led toward it.

This must be the exit of the secret passage leading to the dictator’s residence.

“Let me go out and check first. As a kunoichi, I’m confident in my stealth.”

Hime said confidently.

The fox ears on her head twitched alertly.

“Reconnaissance is important.”

Sir Dominica nodded.

There was a risk that if the scout was caught, security would become tighter, but conversely, the probability of being caught by guards was higher if they rushed in without reconnaissance.

Above all, Sir Dominica decided to send Hime as a scout because she possessed excellent stealth abilities, making no sound at all while walking through the sewer.

Sir Dominica had trained to hear even the faintest sounds to understand the battlefield situation amid chaos.

If Hime could deceive Sir Dominica’s ears, she could certainly reconnoiter without being detected.

“Good. Then let’s—”

“Excuse me, Sir Dominica.”

Dr. Banshee interrupted Sir Dominica.

Sir Dominica felt displeased at being interrupted and looked at Dr. Banshee.

Dr. Banshee was trembling, looking not at Sir Dominica but at the passage they had walked through.

“Was that… there when we passed by?”

Dr. Banshee extended her hand, pointing to a spot in the passage.

Sir Dominica turned her head following the direction of the hand.

A dark passage.

Sir Dominica, with one blind eye and suffering from slight night blindness, couldn’t tell what Dr. Banshee was referring to.

Sir Dominica frowned. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could vaguely see something.

“What is…?”

Sir Dominica still couldn’t identify the vague something, but Hime, who could see through the darkness, turned pale.

“Error. Situation not in database. Initiating protection mode.”

Even the android Zero, having seen the form, charged its protective field while blocking Dr. Banshee.

“What on earth is it that’s got you all worked up?”

Sir Dominica grumbled, annoyed that she was the only one who didn’t know what was happening, but soon it came close enough for her to identify.

Finally seeing what it was, Sir Dominica opened her one eye wide.

A black object crawling along the sewer wall.

Just a black object would be scary enough in the current situation, but this was on another level.

Broken images of blackness were being etched onto the wall.

And those images were horrific enough to cause seizures in people by inducing extreme disgust.

In this situation, Sir Dominica stared blankly at those strange images for a moment, then muttered quietly.

“Open it.”

“What?”

Hime, who was next to Sir Dominica, questioned her muttering.

“Open it and get outside! Quickly!”

“Ah, yes!”

Hime turned around and approached the manhole cover.

With sufficient stats, the manhole cover opened easily, but the hole was small enough for only one person to pass through at a time.

“Send the doctor first! Then you! The android last!”

Sir Dominica said, raising her shield and drawing her sword.

“What about you?!”

Dr. Banshee shouted.

“Just go! I’ve fought bugs before, I can escape on my own!”

When Sir Dominica barked, the black things that had been slowly consuming the sewer walls twitched and stopped.

“But—”

“No buts! The faster you leave, the sooner I can escape!”

Sir Dominica was right. Dr. Banshee had more to say, but if she dawdled, Sir Dominica would be consumed by that blackness.

Clenching her fist and gritting her teeth, Dr. Banshee went outside first with Hime’s help.

Next, Hime leaped out through the narrow gap with agile movements.

Finally, as the android climbed up, Sir Dominica backed away, keeping her distance from the black things that had started advancing again.

Far away among the black things, a part mixed with darkness split open, revealing bloodshot eyes.

Even those eyes became more horrific as their images broke and changed.

Thud. Something touched Sir Dominica’s back.

Sir Dominica immediately sheathed her sword and slung her shield on her back as she turned around.

“Sir Dominica!”

But there was no ladder there.

Only terrible, broken eyes staring at her.