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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 7 - Rendezvous
And then, the two hands of the clock of fate met. What happens is bound to happen, and humanity is none the wiser. After being separated from the tomb's lid, the mysterious device's defensive mechanism went off, resulting in vibrations across the entire pyramid. The team immediately fled from the chamber, with Wilhelm leading and Ernst in the back. Gottlob and Arthur kept close to Maric, the only person without any firearm or combat experience. - Mileva, you stick to us at all times. We will handle this. - As if I have another choice. - Watch out! A stone fragment cracked from the ceiling and fell down. Ernst charged forward, pushing both Maric and Arthur forward, right before it hit the ground and shattered. - I told you, stay vigilant! - Sorry, sir. The only things Maric could hear were the chaotic rustling and the humming from the vibrations. Never would she think that a life-and-death situation occurred to her simply due to
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 101 - The Future that Bet Life to Believe
Counter-Extraterrestrial Association, Egypt branch, 2060, From the outside, it looks like a small stand-up comedy house within the bustling tourist area of Cairo. However, in the basement, its true form is revealed. More than half of the basement area is for equipment and vehicle storage, and in the corner, a hydraulic lift is responsible for carrying them to the first floor. Deeper into the basement is the meeting room. Around the table, Mirai and Wilhelm sit next to each other, on the largest seat designated for high-ranking officials of the CEA or important people. Then, Ernst, Gottlob, Arthur, Maric, and I sit on the remaining seats. At the centre of the table, a hologram depicts the images of the current situation. Under the table, each seat will have a mouse which resembles a ball, so anyone can freely rotate or zoom in on the hologram projection for better observation. - Thank you everyone for being here. Before we start the impromptu meeting, two more people wo
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Prologue
2100, the Earth… In a physics lab, a female scientist is meticulously adjusting the nodes of a huge machine in the centre of the lab. After every circuit is connected, she exits the glass chamber, sweat and anxiety soaking her lab coat. She pulls a long lever. - Teleportation system activated. Power connection severely damaged, divert to reserve electricity. Charging capacitors will take one minute. Waiting for authorisation. - Authorise to charge. - Authorised. Commencing charge. They are everywhere, going on massive rampages and massacres. Spaceships and smoke cover the sky, and towers grow like mushrooms after rain. Innocent lives fall one after another. Even the strongest and the most intelligent of us feel powerless against them, wielding all types of cutting-edge weapons, equipment and vehicles the current Earth technology is far from being able to rival. Intruders, an alien empire from a faraway galaxy that dominates other creatures across
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 1 - The Package
2050, the Earth… My name is Yuusha, which just translates to "hero". I am a freelancer, mainly doing engineering and technical work such as fixing electronic devices in households. Sometimes I accept projects and commissions. I have a deep passion for science and dream to do something big for this world using my knowledge. But the dream seems very far away. I am twenty-three years old this year. And to be honest, I am completely blind when talking about my future. Although I want to do something big, I do not know where to start. I do not even know what the world needs, because there is probably someone out there having the same idea as mine, who started doing it already. But that is at least what I am thinking as of now. That day has changed my life forever. - Delivery! Maybe my relatives or my friends send me a package because I have no recollection of ordering something online. I receive the package and sign the confirmation paper, then bring it into my living
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
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 3 - First Mission (part 2, final)
As soon as we approach the exit, a thick, black wall of smoke covers us. The planes above us are burning the field with fire. There are scattered remains of the planes shot down with the SAM turret, but the number is nothing compared to the army of planes on top of us. - Mirai, what do we do? - Open the arsenal and summon a Gas Mask. I will summon a Frost Gun to cool down our path, then we find higher ground. We run through the thick layers of smoke. The cold beams of the Frost Gun help to extinguish the fire and cool down the temperature a lot, but it still feels hot. After we get out of the smoke, there is a forest in front of us to hide in, and we manage to get away from the bombardment, as well as reach the cliff. We get a clearer view. - The SAM turret is very durable, but we need a counterattack plan. Yuusha, trigger the EMP device. - Yes. - I take the EMP device out and activate it. An electromagnetic pulse pierces the sky. The plane
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 4 - A Literal Lesson
I start the next morning with the sound of a sigh from Mirai, holding her head as if she is worried. The serious atmosphere is slowly taking control of the living room. I take out a cigarette from my shirt, burn its end with a lighter, and give her. - Hey, maybe you have smoked a cigarette once when you are still alive. This modified cigarette has chemicals that help to cool down electronic systems when burned, so for robots, it may feel like a relief feeling. - Thanks. Mirai is reading the collected data from the tablet, which are just a bunch of graphs and numbers dancing and constantly changing. On the left corner of the tablet screen, there is the world map, densely marked with crosses, from green, to yellow and red. - As you can see, this graph here shows the distribution of the Intruders' force on Earth. There are about a million of them, with one Commander. If the Commander has an overall rating of a hundred per cent, and a normal Physical-class
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 5 - Storage Assault (part 1)
It is another day living under the same house with a person, I mean with a pseudo-human robot, and also another day working a freelancer life, and I do not feel a single moment of regret. At the very least, that is what I think as of now... - Yuusha, today, we will continue with your physical training. As mentioned, we will attack this storage, somewhere about one hour of flight from our base. This time, I will teach you how to control a plane. - Mirai instructs me about today's mission while I am trying to finish my breakfast. That is how life works for a person living double lives like me now. Everyday routine, as Mirai says, will start with a training mission in the morning until early afternoon, either 'simple' callisthenic and stamina exercises, or trial missions at real, green-level Intruders' facilities, where I gain simple skills such as weapon mastery, plane riding and strategic planning. Then, I do my projects in the afternoon, sometimes until the evening if t
Latest Chapter
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 101 - The Future that Bet Life to Believe
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 7 - Rendezvous
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 6 - Pursuit
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Interlude 5 - Mileva
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 100 - Deep into the Abyss (part 28, final)
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 99 - Deep into the Abyss (part 27)
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 98 - Deep into the Abyss (part 26)
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 97 - Deep into the Abyss (part 25)
- A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 96 - Deep into the Abyss (part 24)