–Three hours later. I equipped my lightweight Ninja power armor and took Mei, who was sporting a variable output laser launcher, and the rest of the combat bots on the ship to attack the target hideout. Apparently, the gang called themselves the Bloodies.
Heinz and Seig met up with us along the way.
"Um, Bro?"
"What?"
"Are ya planning to go to war or something?"
"Yeah. Why?"
What's this guy on about? Since I decided to do this, then I better go all out. I ain't planning on holding back. I'm gonna hit them with everything I got. Especially since those guys are apparently involved with space pirates. You never know what will pop out later. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if something like a biological weapon suddenly appears.
"Are you guys gonna be fine with just that equipment?"
"Actually, I think yours are a bit too overkill, Bro..."
Sieg commented with a flabbergasted look on his face. Oh c'mon. Don't tell me you guys are gonna launch a raid wearing only casual clothes (even though they did say they were made using laser-proof materials) and relatively decent laser guns? Seriously? One lethal hit with a high-output laser gun and I'd be toast.
"You guys better not take point. I'll turn a blind eye to a bit of looting, so just scour the place for anything that may clue us in on the location of their other bases."
"Eh? Seriously? Can we really keep any valuables we get to find!?"
"If it'll lead to getting stuffed inside a prison colony, I'm simply gonna pretend we don't have anything to do with each other and cut you guys loose, so you better choose what you're gonna pilfer carefully."
"G-Gotcha."
Sieg, who displayed a joyful look for a moment, nodded solemnly after hearing my warning. Well, these guys should have some means to safely deal with those matters, but it's better to warn them just in case.
"Master, it's about time to commence the operation."
"Got it. Alright then. Let's make it flashy. Make sure to attract as much attention as possible. Just pin them down, but there's no need to go on a full offensive."
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
Mei replied and nodded while brandishing the variable output laser launcher that was directly connected to her own power generator. During combat, she'd swing that thing – which weighs as much as a heavy machine gun – around like a twig. Since mass x speed = destructive power, getting hit by that thing in close-quarters combat would be pretty damn nasty.
"We should sneak in from the rear, right, Bro?"
"Yeah. Oh, and make sure not to lose those IFF beacon rings. Without them, you'd get shot at straight away the moment you encounter those private troops working for nobility."
""We definitely ain't gonna take them off!""
The arms of the two were fitted with bracelets that emitted blue light. These were the beacon rings I mentioned, and they can prevent friendly fire by transmitting IFF signals to allied forces. They were pretty useful since even if you accidentally pulled the trigger while pointing your weapon at an ally equipped with a ring, the weapon wouldn't fire.
"Alright, it's about time. Pelt them with launchers first. Make it extra flashy."
"Aye aye."
At the same time as Mei's reply, the combat bots that were previously on stand-by simultaneously activated their weapons and aimed the grenade launchers equipped on their demolition backpacks at the target facility.
"Commencing fire."
A gratifying cacophony of gunfire rang out. The next moment, a bright greenish flash went off right on top of the target facility's walls and caused hot air to rush toward our position.
"...You gotta be kidding me."
"Damn, that's just– Damn."
The plasma grenades fired by the five military-grade combat bots demonstrated their full power and instantly vaporized large sections of the facility's walls. Red hot holes were blasted right through them.
"Let's keep up the pace. Move out."
"Eh? We're just gonna rush in like this!?"
"That's right. C'mon. Hurry up and move it, you two."
"Please be careful, Master."
I lightly kicked Sieg's behind and headed for the hideout of the Bloodies. We specifically headed toward the right of the facility that wasn't exposed to the plasma grenade bombardment. Now then, it's time for a break-in.
"Who the heck're you–!"
Rather than trying to intimidate me, it would have been better to just draw the laser gun on your hip, man. Anyway, I pointed my gun at the small-fry thug and then immediately pulled the trigger.
"Huh!?"
Bang! The sound of weapon fire rang out and a flash resembling pale lightning momentarily dyed the room white. The muffled thud made by the thug's body falling to the floor followed soon afterward.
"I just can't get used to this smell."
"The electric blast fired by this thing is powerful enough to be lethal after all. Can't be helped."
I couldn't smell it through the Ninja power armor, but it seemed like Sieg and Heinz's noses were assailed by a pretty distinctive stench. The body was slightly charred and was dripping in urine, so it couldn't be helped if it stank. Sometimes, they'd leak out not just urine but excrement as well.
"Well, at least I'm not outright killing them off. This is already quite merciful, right?"
"I-Is that right...?"
"Yep."
If I wanted to kill them straight away, I wouldn't use a Tesla gun that fires electric blasts. Instead, I'd go ahead and end them with a laser shotgun that can fire multiple lethal laser beams at once, or simply cut them down with my swords.
Well, it's not like one wouldn't die when hit with a Tesla gun. It's only relatively less lethal. It was definitely less lethal than a laser shotgun though. If one still dies after getting hit by a Tesla gun, then that's just rotten luck. It's just that kind of weapon. It was a weapon with low lethality but was definitely not non-lethal. Well, perhaps it was more of a medium lethality weapon. Anyway, that's how it is.
"But ain't you actually absurdly strong, Bro?"
"I'm a pro after all."
I actually preferred zipping around in my starship, but I've been doing stuff like this quite often recently instead. Thanks to that, it felt like I've been needlessly improving my close combat skills... I've also been able to use psionic skills that were geared for close combat lately thanks to Kugi's training.
Moreover, my Ninja armor had high-grade passive sensors that were really effective in enclosed spaces like this one. I could hear not only footsteps, but even the slight rustling of clothes whenever someone moved, the sound of weapons being raised, and even determine the direction they were coming from. They even provided you with combat support tailored to your skills.
"So, did you guys manage to spot anything of interest?"
"I've nabbed some stuff that seemed to contain data caches."
"I've secured some valuables as well, Bro."
"Great. Keep it up, you two."
Seig and Heinz were stuffing various things inside what seemed to be a large shoulder bag that they managed to swipe from somewhere. Heinz was nabbing stuff related to data storage while Sieg was focused on valuable-looking items.
"Oh, it looks like there are allies up ahead."
People with friendly IFF signatures were approaching us, so I gave Heinz and Sieg a heads-up. The two weren't wearing any equipment that could display the appropriate information, so they would only be able to tell if there were allies nearby if I told them.
"Good work, guys. I've incapacitated several people, so I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood. We'll go ahead and secure this area."
"Roger that. We're heading to the upper floor. We've been securing data storage devices on our end, but please keep a lookout for them as well, just in case."
After the brief exchange with the troops under Hartmut, we resumed searching the complex.
"...They looked like pretty tough guys."
"They're taking this opportunity to wipe out undesirables. You guys were lucky to have tagged along with me."
The power held by imperial nobility in the empire was quite overwhelming. Whenever they start using violent means in earnest, outlaws such as mafia, gangsters, and yakuza wouldn't be able to stand against them. In the end, power was power after all.
"Now then, let's continue with the clean-up. We have to completely annihilate these Bloodies by today."
"Got it, Bro."
"Right."
The two nodded, and we continued searching the hideout in a three-man cell formation... Or rather, I was the only one acting as the vanguard.