A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex

Chapter 2 - First Mission (part 1)

  The clock has shown a big 08:00 on its screen, but I am just too tired to wake myself up after all the hard work. I try to sleep in for a few more minutes before starting a new day.

-          Yuusha, wake up. It's time for your training phase. We will be targeting places that are easy to attack for you to get used to the pace.

-          Five more minutes... The customer's order is due tomorrow...

  Mirai is intolerant of my weird sleep schedule, and she pulls the warm blanket away from me. The morning wind breeze flows through my back.

-          Cold! Cold! Why must you ruin my precious morning, especially after my hectic work schedule yesterday? - I speak in a sleepy voice.

-          Well, the only reason that I send this package to 2050 is that the Intruders make their first move sometime this year, and they start setting up bases. We need to uproot the weeds to kill them, so that is why we are also making our moves now. But don't worry, I will choose an easy target for you for today.

-          Fine, but please give me some rest in exchange after this mission.

-          Yes, I will. So, please get ready with your items. I have made you breakfast, and we will be departing in twenty minutes.

  Breakfast? I have not had a proper meal since I left my parents to live an independent life. I have always been eating pre-cooked meals from convenience stores thanks to my laziness, and this food helps when you are facing a deadline. They just do not help with the catastrophes in your stomach, your declining health and in the toilet, thanks to the lack of fibre.

  After packing up the essentials (namely, the submachine gun that I used the last time, some tactical items, and the tablet with an obsolete and weird name Codex), I have breakfast. A dish of salad, and a slice of garlic bread, probably healthier than anything I have eaten since I left my parents' house. And to be honest, it also tastes delicious.

-          Wow, pretty amazing. Would not even expect this... - I speak to myself while trying to finish up the food in twenty minutes.

-          This is just a robot shell, but I have uploaded my memory from human time here, so basically I know basic skills, unlike somebody here who forgoes his health with fast food...

-          OK, please shut up. I have finished my meal. The kitchen system will clean them for me when we leave.

  We are currently standing in my house's backyard, and Mirai is summoning a small plane from the arsenal.

-          I will drive this plane to the destination. The information for our first target has been uploaded to the Codex, so you can read from it while finishing your freelance work. We will take about fifteen minutes to arrive. - Mirai confidently grabs the steering wheel of the plane.

  But then, she is the only person who knows how to drive a plane, so I will push the responsibility to her in any case.

-          Thanks. - I say.

  While the plane takes off smoothly and is flying to the destination, I read the information from the tablet. Our target today is a small island which has been used by the Intruders to build a reconnaissance tower. It is told in the tablet that these towers will transfer information to the mothership somewhere in the galaxy.

-          Destroying these towers will slow down the Intruders' progress, although just slightly, and they are also a good target for new people. The Intruders build this reconnaissance tower far away because they think that humans will never travel to this place or their satellites will not detect this place. This makes the defence system of this tower very weak and vulnerable to assaults. However, there are still Intruders patrolling here, so we need to take extra caution. - Mirai seems to know exactly what I am doing and speaks when I am focusing on reading. - And by the way, we are here already.

  In my view, there appears a small island, only about one or two kilometres square in area. In the centre, there stands a tower with antennas protruding upwards, and some Intruders scattering around. If everything looks exactly like how I see them now, this will be a piece of cake.

-          In case you did not capture anything I said before, our mission is to knock down all Intruders, enter the tower and collect intel if there is any. Fast enough for you to have an afternoon nap after this.

  We land on a hidden corner on the island, and Mirai put the plane back into the arsenal. She then summons a sniper rifle, and we approach the tower.

-          As you can see, about three to four Intruders are guarding the tower, but there may be more of them hiding inside and only responding when there is an emergency. So I will be aiding you from this cliff, while you clear the Intruders as you approach the tower. After you signal me that infiltration is successful through the Codex, I will immediately come to you. Is that clear?

-          Wait, why am I the person attacking, while you sit afar and just observe the battle? Can we change roles?

-          Nope. I can assign you to this commander's role later when you have enough experience, and it is good for you to have some exercises out there. What if somehow I pass away, and there is only you left? Do you plan to hide and ambush the Intruders forever?

  Well, Mirai is just a robot, but that somewhat makes much sense, hypothetically. 

  I hold my submachine gun tightly as I go nearer to the tower. This makes me nervous. I am sweating like a pig.

-          Remember, anytime you approach a technological infrastructure or face an enemy using a machine, activate the EMP device to disable them. But, before that, turn off this communication device to avoid it being damaged. - Mirai instructs me from the cliff.

  I take out the EMP device, which resembles a small box, and after I temporarily shut down the communication device, I press the activation button. A short-range electromagnetic pulse pierces through the air, which feel a little bit dizzy if the user is having an electronic device on him, and the next moment I see it, the tower has temporarily stopped working. Then, a few more Intruders go out from the tower to check for damage.

-          By the way, the physical shell design for my body includes enhanced magnetic shielding to protect my brain and moving parts from an EMP, so I will be fine even when I have not turned myself off. And I have marked the location of the entrance to the tower already. Your spectacles should be seeing it in yellow light now. - Mirai continues the instruction.

-          Wait! Since when did you synchronize your vision with my spectacles?

-          It's a secret. Now, kill the Intruders outside, and prepare in case the Intruders call reinforcements. I will provide support from here.

  I try to find a corner closer to the Intruders, and when the range is suitable, my gun barrel is locked at the confused Intruders, and I pull the trigger.

  The aim-assisted laser beams penetrate through some of the Intruders' cores and they collapse. Some of the surviving Intruders start becoming panicky and try to run back into the tower. But not so fast.

  A sniper bullet carrying some explosives hits the entrance door, and it blows the dirt and sands up, covering the area with dust. I embrace the chance and quickly kill the remaining Intruders. The field is temporarily cleared.

-          Mirai, I have killed the Intruders around here. Before the reinforcements arrive, we can quickly attack this tower to collect information and leave.

-          Yuusha, nice. Place a SAM turret where you stand, and quickly proceed to the entrance.

  I take out the SAM turret and place it on the ground as instructed. The SAM turret automatically locks on and destroys enemy aerial units, which buys us some time. Right when I am standing in front of the door, Mirai has already teleported here.

-          Now. Three... Two... One... Go! - Mirai slightly opens the door and throws an EMP grenade inside the entrance tunnel. After it detonates, we kick the door like real police forces, enter the tunnel and quickly deal with the Intruders.

  Deep inside, I hate to see these creatures from a close angle. Just look how ugly they are. Where in the world would a creature need to evolve six eyes to look in a single direction? And where would they need dark, wrinkly skin with spikes all over their bodies? Yikes!

-          Mirai, do you know how to reach the control room?

-          Yes. My vision and your spectacles emit ultrasound waves that help to map out this place. After that, the spectacles will guide you to the endpoint, if mapping is successful.

  The tunnel is like a maze, with all kinds of corners. After five minutes which feels like five hours, we arrive at a big room with many cutting-edge appliances and electronic equipment. In the middle of the room, there stands a control panel and a big screen.

-          I will hack into the system and extract as much information from here as I can. Just wait a while. - Mirai plugs a wire from her hand into a random port on the panel and starts typing something with the keyboard on the panel.

  I also take the time to do my freelance work. After some time, five minutes maybe, all the data has been retrieved.

-          OK, we are done with today's mission. Let's go. - Mirai says, as she unplugs the wire. 

  I feel a vibration from the tablet. I assume it means the data has been stored in the archive. We go back to our plane after everything we can steal has been taken. But things start to get hard.

-          Yuusha, the Codex is telling that the SAM turret is operating at the moment. Get your equipment ready. We will engage with them as soon as we get outside this tower.

  I reload my gun and get ready for the fight. We quickly run towards the exit.