Chapter 295 - The Wheels of Fate Begin to Turn
(1)
"Toya-kun, it's time~"
When Airi said that, I woke up, but it's still the middle of the night. I checked the clock, and there was no mistake.
Airi was stripping off her clothes and putting on cargo pants and a long T-shirt for going out.
As I stared blankly at Airi, she scolded me.
"You have to get ready properly! We'll be late. A driver being late is no joke."
Urged by Airi, I started changing clothes as if I just remembered.
Today is the day of the operation.
We quietly went outside and walked through the night streets accompanied by Shinjo-san.
Then, there was an incongruous armored vehicle parked in the nearby park.
"You're Katagiri-kun? I'll leave the driving to you. I've heard about your skills."
I've never driven an armored vehicle before.
Still, I started the engine and revved the accelerator lightly.
...I see.
"We're leaving now."
"Yeah, our preparations are fine."
The soldier said that, and we slowly headed toward the destination.
Even while I was driving, the group was intercepting police radio and doing whatever they wanted.
The time for the raid had also been decided.
I heard that at exactly midnight, the arrests would be carried out led by our attack.
We arrived at the destination.
There were no major lookouts.
It seems Ishihara-kun took out all the enemies and site cameras.
That means they've figured out we're here.
It seems they'll take positions in squads and enter.
After that, if we get the GO signal, we can go.
That's what the soldier said.
In the sky at this hour, what seemed to be a jet was circling the area.
It was the AC-130U Spooky II, the centerpiece of this operation.
They would carry out precision firing on the enemy base with it.
Makoto was set to take over the network that would be sending instructions at that time.
Everyone came with the intention of stealing the enemy's servers outright if possible.
And his greatest enemy, "Azrael," who would likely come, should also be lurking.
Ishihara-kun was focused.
He sharpened all his senses and tried to search for the target.
Our movements have not been detected yet.
23:59. Tension rose among everyone.
Watanabe-kun was peering through a scope, checking the enemy's situation.
Maybe there's an informant? The enemy's alertness is extremely high.
24:00. It's time.
"Well then, let's start."
Watanabe-kun gave the signal to start.
The 25mm Gatling cannon began firing.
The Urbanity/Kurekai members panicked in confusion.
Well, a midnight air raid isn't something you'd expect unless it's pre-war Japan, so no one would predict it.
More than that, I thought it was amazing it could even fly, but I decided not to think too deeply about it.
Akira-san and Emi-san were getting excited.
"Good, just go ahead and annihilate the enemies like that."
Emi-san issued that order.
Airi also seemed to be in high spirits.
In contrast to the women who were elated, forgetting they were in enemy territory, the men were tense.
"Everyone, get down! Get back to the armored vehicle!"
Ishihara-kun shouted.
It seems the enemy has detected our location.
About two platoons were attacking.
Ishihara-kun took up an assault rifle and returned fire.
Sakai-kun also returned fire.
We couldn't do anything against enemies with guns, so we boarded the armored vehicle and waited.
Ishihara-kun and the others, accustomed to seeing in the dark, took down enemies one after another without night vision scopes.
Ishihara-kun, on the defensive, even sniped thrown grenades in midair.
In contrast, Sakai-kun ran through the darkness, assaulted the enemies, and took them down one by one.
Makoto was in charge of intercepting radio waves alone.
He hijacked Echelon and intercepted communications.
But Makoto noticed something.
The search words related to Urbanity were being erased one after another, and a message was left: "Drop dead."
Makoto immediately fled from Echelon and erased his tracks.
"This is bad! We should change location!"
Makoto said.
"Everyone, go ahead! I'll hold them here! We'll rendezvous later."
As Ishihara-kun said that, he drove the armored vehicle carrying everyone and attempted to escape.
They fled toward the mountains.
"Everyone, hold on because it's bumpy."
Even while fleeing, the soldiers on board returned fire with the mounted machine guns, shouting, "I'll breathe life into you!"
After roughly wiping them out, they turned the vehicle around and returned to where Ishihara-kun and the others were.
What remained at the place they returned to were Ishihara-kun, Sakai-kun, and a few soldiers.
It seemed there were no casualties on our side.
The gunfire seemed to have mostly ended.
Several vehicles were exploding and burning, and building debris was scattered.
"Finish them off! Hit them with that thing!"
Emi-san shouted.
That thing?
What is she talking about?
Does she still intend to do something?
Ishihara-kun, who understood what it meant, shouted.
"Everyone, retreat! This place is dangerous too!"
The remaining soldiers also panicked and fled.
M102 105mm howitzer
A dangerous weapon that can blow away even a facility this large in one shot.
No, no, that's really bad, isn't it?
The dropped shells exploded, scattering shrapnel and burning everything around.
And so, the nighttime raid ended successfully.
(2)
"Man, that thing last night was amazing."
Watanabe-kun said that as he showed up at the school cafeteria.
It's amazing that he sums it up with just one word, though.
"It's not worth it to oppose Unity. That's exactly how it turned out."
Emi-san said with a triumphant look.
An explosion incident of unknown cause.
That's how it's being reported to the public.
But on the internet, it's rumored to be a retaliatory attack by Unity against Urbanity.
We're no longer just a matchmaking group.
I wryly smiled to myself.
But there's one thing that bothers me.
The fact that Azrael, whom Ishihara-kun mentioned, never appeared.
And the red-haired devil also didn't show up.
It seems even the coordinated crackdown couldn't flush them out.
Do they have another base somewhere else?
As for the red-haired devil, Makoto and Emi-san are using their phones to confirm her identity, but there's no information at all about Azrael.
Now that I think about it, it's unnatural for a headquarters to be in such a remote mountain area.
It should be inferior in functionality.
I had Makoto check the equipment too, but there wasn't anything significant.
Just a weapon storage. That might be a better description.
They're still alive.
There's no doubt about it.
And that means the attacks won't stop going forward.
Our peace is still not guaranteed.
"Toya-kun, what's wrong?"
Airi asked.
"Huh? I was just thinking a bit."
"Spill it, Toya. Your thoughts are never anything good."
Since Kanna said that, I answered honestly.
"No, I was just thinking maybe the enemy has another base somewhere else."
When I said that, everyone's expressions stiffened.
"Does that mean the fight isn't over yet?"
Manabe-kun said.
"That's how it seems."
"But didn't we temporarily paralyze the enemy's functions..."
Takemoto-kun said.
"I confirmed with Makoto too. There were no command communications at all. He said it's hard to think they were sending orders from there."
That's exactly why Makoto was detected in return.
"I see..."
Manabe-kun's expression darkened.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. I'm not putting too much faith in online rumors, but at least we've made them think it's not worth making an enemy of Unity."
Watanabe-kun said.
"That's right. This should serve as a deterrent against attacks on Unity."
Kana-san said.
Outsiders might think that way.
But what do the Urbanity guys think?
That bothered me no matter what.
(3)
"It looks like we got thoroughly beaten."
The man sitting before me said that.
I had no words to reply.
All local branches were raided, and the headquarters, albeit temporary, was bombed.
In the internet and media, there are comments hinting at the existence of IRIS.
I'll be eliminated.
I've made every operation fail up to now.
That can't be helped.
But the man said.
"Maybe we still underestimated the power of Unity."
Just a circle, but its true nature hasn't been fully uncovered.
The Eguchi family, the Shimizu family, plus the local bank and the Shiratori family.
Even dealing with them all at once is a tough job.
But now shouldn't be the time for that.
IRIS has been handed over to the media.
It's about how to cover that up.
"Leave the IRIS matter to me. You focus on recovering IRIS. They haven't yet grasped its true meaning."
"Understood. I'll follow your orders, 'Sage.'"
So the target is indeed Shinra and Kazaki...
"They still don't know. That the Hermit is alone."
"What does Dragon say?"
"Dad can't worry about that now. He's prime bait for the media."
"What do you plan to do from now? With Urbanity?"
"Nothing. I'll just keep running it as before."
You should also stay as you are, the Sage said.
But what about IRIS?
"The way to dispose of IRIS is also fine as before. It's important that they don't catch on. To how many secrets are packed into IRIS."
The most important thing is to not let them reach that crucial file, the Sage said.
"I'll think about Unity's retaliation after our system recovers. I also want time to investigate them again."
Even at this point, is there still something they're hiding?
"Death will turn its scythe any number of times. Fate cannot be changed. The future that awaits them is a future of ruin. Isn't that right?"
"...That's right."
"Azrael will likely start moving too. I'm looking forward to their performance."
"Understood."
With that, I left the room.
The important file IRIS, which could overturn the local foundation from the ground up.
I must dispose of it quickly.
I got into my car and made a phone call.
"It's me. There's something I need to ask..."
Unity, which thinks no one can touch them.
Now that they're off guard is a good opportunity.
There are plenty of means.
What I should do is not let them catch on to IRIS's true meaning.
What I want is the disappearance of IRIS.
That's a truth unknown even to the Emperor, the Empress, the Pope, and the Female Pope.
A little damage for that is unavoidable.
In fact, the larger the damage, the better.
Compared to IRIS's true meaning, that won't be a fatal wound.
I've been stuck with some troublesome tasks, but I'll just carry them out calmly.
Death's scythe is still aimed at your throat, Unity.