“What a laughable bunch.”A group was snooping from afar. I couldn’t make out the details, but I could easily guess what faction they were from.“Probably a special ops squad.”They wouldn’t have come just to declare war — if that were the case they’d already have tried to snipe us. They were loitering around and then leaving, so it looked like they’d come with no particular purpose. Even if they were here to fight, I didn’t feel very tense. What I worried about was the unnecessary loss of Ark’s manpower.I’d held off on a full frontal against them because their tactics were filthy. If we were to collide now? Even if we took casualties, Ark wouldn’t lose. That outcome was as clear as day.“Besides, I’ve got Gamma now.”The black coat I wore: [Plasma Armor: Gamma]. If I charged the [Plasma Battery], it was the only armor that could instantaneously deploy a [Plasma Field]. The moment the field came up, any bullets or optical weapons fired from beyond a three-meter radius couldn’t reach me. Of course, it couldn’t be used repeatedly and only deployed for a brief instant… but fights are often decided in a single moment. Simply creating an opening like that was tantamount to having overwhelming resistance against firearm-armed foes.“Ah—right.”Something I’d forgotten floated back to mind: a newly upgraded trait. [Legendary Swordsman].“Legendary Swordsman has been promoted from a legendary sword talent to a legendary swordsman.”I’d postponed checking traits because things had been urgent, but now was a good time to examine it.“Hmm.”【Legendary Swordsman】—A swordsman who transcends the limits of his age.Grants brilliant talent for all bladed weapons.When using bladed weapons, stamina consumption is reduced to half.When equipping bladed-type gear, activates supersensory perception.I read the trait description. Two things had changed.“It looks like ‘overwhelming talent’ has been replaced with ‘brilliant talent.’”“Uh?”“What is it?”“Nothing.”The line saying stamina consumption for bladed weapons is cut in half left me staring in disbelief. And the trait still didn’t have the final M mark — the master grade. In other words, it wasn’t at its final stage.“This is incredible.”It was almost disconcerting that so much potential remained. The [Humanity’s Strongest Weapon] trait that required the same score must have comparable latent power. I felt like I’d made the right choice picking a blade trait.I’d been spacing out so much that the people around me seemed a little flustered.“C-Captain? Are you feeling unwell?”“No, nothing. Make yourselves comfortable.”“Yes, sir!”I looked at the soldiers—so stiff with military bearing—and placed the grilled meat I’d been cooking onto a plate. The mood in the room froze for a moment.“Oh!”“Th-thank you…”Come to think of it—oddly, no one was taking the meat piled on my side. Only Benjamin and Eli were taking meat from that heap. A few other soldiers had tried the grilled meat earlier and then stayed in front of the pile to eat.“You really can do everything, Captain. Mm-mm.”“Mmm, Kyle, you grill meat well too.”“Aren’t you eating, Captain?”“I am.”I let out a hollow laugh watching them shovel it in with forks. The cultured meat had been prepared by combining the tastiest parts into ideal condition, so even if someone’s state wasn’t great, it still tasted very good.“That was the piece I was saving. Mister Howard.”“Was it? I didn’t know. Next time, mark it.”As the tension that had been coiled in the room eased, the fleeting peace felt nice. Not bad at all. Without meaning to, I found myself saying something I’d been holding inside."I hope one day... this becomes our ordinary."It sounded clumsy and naïve, but the two in front of me returned a kind, relaxed smile I’d never seen on them before.“It’ll happen, Captain.”“Kyle, that comment isn’t like you.”Maybe it was because it had been a proper rest after a long while, but the townspeople and the troops noticeably brightened. From that, I vaguely realized: this operation here was over, and it was time to move again.“Captain, everyone you mentioned is assembled.”Benjamin, Eli, and two new squad leaders.“These two are the newly appointed squad leaders?”“Yes, they are.”Benjamin’s temporary squad leaders—those he had appointed—were going to revert to ordinary soldiers once I returned, but I’d told him not to, so they kept their new posts. There wasn’t any special reason; I trusted Benjamin’s judgment, and it was timely to choose new squad leaders.Tyrone had left to gather surviving defenders. Yevgeniya and Dao were intended to be folded into a special unit. Gaps were inevitable.“Hmm.”The two looked fairly nervous. When our eyes met they hastily snapped to salute.“Ne-new squad leader, Dominic Bones, reporting!”“New squad leader, Kagawa Rei, reporting!”Dominic Bones had a half-shaved head and an intense gaze. Kagawa Rei had an Eastern look and remained composed. I reached out a hand to them.“Do well.”“It’s an honor, Captain!”Dominic sent a grateful and somewhat overwhelmed look.“We’ll do our best, Captain.”Rei stayed calm as always.After a moment of greetings, I opened the meeting.“Winter isn’t far off.”I showed a map with the rough terrain. I shifted my gaze to it.“There’s one last area we need to retake to get through the winter.”I pointed. At the far edge lay a terrain gap between Ark’s headquarters and the 7th Defense Army base.“Isn’t this Hill Road?”“Yeah, Hill Road.”“Kyle, could the fuel depot be there…?”“If the people who’ll increase in number are to survive the harsh winter, we’ve got to reclaim this place.”“Got it!”Hill Road—true to its name—was rugged. There was a [City Fuel Depot] there.“So this is basically another means to an end?”Benjamin, getting to the point, asked with a wary look.“Exactly.”“But if we split our forces more here…”“It’ll leave holes.”“Do you have a plan?”He sounded concerned. Retaking a region wasn’t easy.“Utilize the criminal quarantine zone.”“Huh?”“Kyle.”Benjamin blurted, stunned. Eli, who had been quiet, also looked surprised by that unexpected answer.“Specifically, we’ll get help from the technicians inside the quarantine zone.”I remembered how we’d sealed the entrance to keep the technicians alive. If anyone, those technicians would have formed a [Technicians’ Union]. In the original progression of events, the technologists could still have some clout, albeit hidden from Mother's gaze.", the technologists could even have influence under Mother’s [Liberation League] because of what they possessed: [mobile units].“By now they’ve probably built quite a few bikes.”And because they were under mafia control—a group more inhumane than the Liberation League—the technicians’ choices were limited. They wouldn’t be able to turn down our proposal when faced with desperation.“If we supply them with a reasonable amount of goods, they’ll have to accept.”“Hmm…”Silence fell. The new squad leaders simply watched the mood.“As soon as we return to headquarters, form a special forces unit and attempt contact with the quarantine zone.”Technicians were indispensable in this world. No matter how ruthless the mafia were, they wouldn’t lightly harm technicians. Their leaders had at least basic common sense. But if, in the worst case, the quarantine zone’s technicians had been wiped out by the mafia? Then we’d erase that group without a second thought. Groups that act only by instinct negatively affect everyone’s survival. Of course, even that would take time.There was one task I intended to solve first.“Mother…”During a short lull, I planned to locate her. The most likely candidate was the [Pommell Android Production District]. But that was only a probable location. I couldn’t be sure she was there.“First we’ll find at least her location. Contact comes after we secure the fuel depot.”Honestly, approaching her alone would be a heavy burden even for me. [Mother] was one of the strongest in this world. With no clear sign whether she was hostile to me, I couldn’t move rashly. If it became truly urgent, I might storm in, but otherwise I had to be cautious.“Dao? Ah, you’ll need the Black Wing, won’t you.”“Please.”“Yes, I’ll contact them immediately.”He answered like that, but Benjamin ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) cast a suspicious glance for a moment.“Don’t worry about anything.”“Yeah, well…”He didn’t really look convinced. Given past incidents, I couldn’t blame him. Reading that expression, Benjamin soon let out a big laugh and said:"If you're taking a hoverbike for recon, you're clearly serious. Even in a danger zone, riding one means I don't have to worry too much."If I told him some places were dangerous even on a hoverbike, I wondered how he’d react, but I chose silence.“By the way, I have a request.”“What is it?”“There’s growing talk among the troops that soldiers should also be paid in the alternative currency.”“Hmm. If that’s what they want, fine.”“Then could we make it possible to use the alternative currency for things other than ammunition?”There was a note of concern in Benjamin’s voice. Naturally—if troops using ammo as currency used the same alternative currency, they might siphon off the bullets issued during operations.“I trust the troops, but I don’t want needless suspicion.”“Well, I’m not sure what would be appropriate.”There weren’t many items that could substitute for ammo as currency. There weren’t many universally accepted commodities. At best, luxury items like alcohol or tobacco, or nonperishable staples like honey or grain flour.Then I thought—“What about creating a new currency?”“You mean starting a brand new currency?”“It can start simple. If Eli helps, we can set up the framework quickly.”A new currency wasn’t a trivial thing. With the original currency gone, a replacement required a social contract among participants. But if it was a currency used only within the unit… “There shouldn’t be much problem.” If by chance it could be established more broadly, its usefulness would be boundless.If it could be settled, it might become one of the singularities of this ruined world.

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