Episode 76: Monster Hunt
“Rebadel, Grent. Something is approaching.”
“…Hmph!?”
Zwanzig called out to the two men who were keeping watch around the bonfire.
Basically, the escorts were the ＜Paraiso＞ attendants, but they couldn’t afford to be completely unguarded, so they took turns keeping watch at night.
However, this was the first time she had actually called out to them.
“Bandits?”
The two men hurriedly stood up, drawing the cutlasses they had prepared beside them.
“The footsteps are soft and light. But there are multiple, probably more than ten. They appear to be quadrupeds.”
“Four-legged? If they’re attacking in a pack, it could be wolves… or maybe Hyena Monsters.”
Rebadel, one of the guards, replied to the report from the Communicator Doll.
Hyenas.
These were monsters that they had been told might appear. They usually lived in grasslands away from towns.
“I’ve heard stories of small caravans being attacked on rare occasions, but…”
“Is this your first time seeing them?”
“It’s our first time. Agritend-san and Leon-san might have encountered them before.”
The procedure for dealing with such situations had been decided in advance. If they found something suspicious, they would first issue a warning. If they determined that there was unavoidable danger, they would inform everyone.
“Making too much noise might provoke them. Quietly wake everyone up.”
“Okay, I understand. Rebadel, I’m counting on you to wake everyone. I’ll go wake up Agritend-san.”
“Understood.”
The Multi-legged Tank, which had been waiting on the outer perimeter, started up silently. An infrared camera captured the figures of beasts moving slowly while observing them.
Ideally, they would launch a drone, but they couldn’t suppress the noise.
Instead, they received images from a reconnaissance drone stationed 20km above.
Fortunately, the night was clear, and there were no clouds or fog to obstruct them. The resolution was a bit rough, but they could confirm things without any problems.
They performed a full perimeter scan and identified the targets.
A total of 18 creatures.
Their body length was about 60cm to 80cm.
The Tactical AI tagged the beasts that were moving to surround the encampment and began a Threat Level Assessment.
“Ma’am. Could you please wake up?”
“…Mmm…?”
＜Ringo＞ shook Commander (Eve), who was clinging to her and fast asleep. The danger was low, but there was no option to not report the situation where the Delegation was under attack.
The time was 23:00 at night. The local time was around 23:30, so the time difference was about 30 minutes.
This planet had a larger radius than Earth, so the time difference was small for the distance. However, the rotation speed was different, so they couldn’t simply compare them.
“Ma’am. The Delegation is being surrounded by a group of beasts.”
“…Eh?”
Perhaps she had caught that, she stirred and poked her head out of the sheets.
“Report…”
“Yes, Ma’am. The Delegation’s encampment is being surrounded by four-legged beasts, presumed Hyena Monsters. The danger is low, but there is a possibility of combat, so the site has shifted to Combat Readiness Level 1.”
“Hmm… Threat level…”
“Assessing. Estimated E. Can be handled locally.”
She wasn’t particularly worried, since she hadn’t been woken up by an emergency alarm. Or rather, she was just sleepy.
“If there don’t seem to be any problems, I’m going back to sleep…”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will report again if the threat level exceeds C.”
“Please do…”
She entrusted the rest to ＜Ringo＞ and decided to go back to sleep.
Unless it was a crisis on the level of Threat Level B (Worm), she could just hear the report later if it was Threat Level E (no problem level).
This was how it was with a sleepy head, even if she was awake. In fact, ＜Ringo＞ had determined that it was okay.
Recently, ＜Ringo＞ had gained plenty of experience, and the local equipment was well-prepared.
So, Commander (Eve) hugged ＜Ringo＞ again and sank into the world of dreams.
“…I’ve never heard of wild wolves appearing. It must be Hyena Monsters.”
That was the opinion of the Delegation’s representative, Agritend Ruvannia.
“Is it unusual?”
“Yes. They almost never attack caravans like this. …Well, maybe it’s because there are so few people. Usually, there are at least 30 people in a group. They burn bonfires and torches more flamboyantly, and there are more horses.”
“I see.”
For the time being, the Multi-legged Tank on the Ground Carrier was thinking while having the Communicator Doll respond. It was true that there were few people and only six horses in total, but they had two Multi-legged Tanks and one Ground Carrier, which were huge combat machines.
If they were normal beasts, they would avoid or run away if such unknown things were nearby.
However, the Hyenas didn’t care and were in the process of surrounding them. One of them had even approached the Ground Carrier, which was waiting a short distance away.
It was as if they didn’t notice the existence of the Ground Carrier.
For some reason, these Hyenas were hardly wary of the Multi-legged Tanks and the Ground Carrier.
As a result, the Hyenas were surrounding the encampment in an approximately circular shape, and the Multi-legged Tanks and the Ground Carrier were extremely close to that circle.
If these three machines started moving here, they could destroy half the pack in seconds.
Then, an order arrived from ＜Ringo＞.
Quickly suppress them. Collect samples of the corpses. There is no need to keep them alive. Specify attacks with firearms, blunt weapons, and grenades.
In response to the order, the Tactical AI considered the optimal attack method.
“They’re coming.”
“Mmph!”
Just as everyone had braced themselves, the Hyenas moved. First, three of them started running from the left side, across the lake.
“I’ll–”
“I’ll do it.”
The guard, Ubia, tried to move, but Zwanzig stopped her with her right hand and raised her Assault Rifle with her left.
Zwanzig operated her Assist Suit and pulled the trigger with one hand.
With the sound of gunfire, bullets pierced the bodies of the Hyenas that were rushing towards them. Three bullets tore through their lungs and hearts, exiting from their backs and ending their lives.
Another one, she flashed a Combat Knife pulled from her waist with her right hand. It was cut from the lower side of the neck to the spine, and this one also died.
Almost simultaneously, she raised her left leg and thrust her toe into the jaw of the third one. The sound of breaking neck bones could be heard, and the Hyena spun around once. It was instantly killed, of course.
Thud, thud, thud, the three bodies fell to the ground.
The ten people present stared blankly at the scene.
The three Communicator Dolls continued to fire.
The two Multi-legged Tanks turned on their searchlights and simultaneously mowed down the surroundings with the Gatling Guns on their lower rotating turrets.
The Hyenas fell one after another, screaming in their death throes.
“Nuooo…!”
The men of the Delegation also screamed at the sudden flash of light (searchlights) and the sound of gunfire.
Wiped out.
Twelve of them were dealt with by gunfire. Three remained.
Perhaps frightened by the sudden flash of light, the roar, and the sight of their companions falling, the three hurriedly changed direction.
However, that action was meaningless. Cannon Shells (Grenades) fired from the coaxial Grenade Launchers mounted on the upper rotating turrets of the Multi-legged Tanks scattered metal fragments forward upon impact.
Two of them were blown away by the impact. Their bodies, torn to shreds by the metal fragments, rolled across the ground.
“The last one.”
The last one. Dreizig charged in with his Extendable Baton.
Showing abnormal acceleration due to the Assist Suit, he swung the baton without giving the Hyena time to react.
The carbon baton, supported by artificial muscles and an exoskeleton, correctly permeated the impact into the target’s body. It inflicted serious damage to the internal organs and reaped its life with a single blow.
It was truly a massacre.
Come to think of it, this was the first time they had shown their full combat capabilities. In particular, it was the first time they had shown their movements while wearing Assist Suits.
Everyone in the Delegation stared at them in amazement.
“Clear. Confirmed the cessation of all heartbeats.”
“Eliminated all hostile entities in the vicinity. Declaring safety.”
Zwanzig and Zibuntzwanzig, still holding their Assault Rifles, called out. Of course, this was to share information with the Delegation. Dreizig twirled his Extendable Baton and stored it in the holster on his thigh.
In the middle of the encampment, illuminated as bright as midday by the multi-legged tank, the men slumped down, utterly defeated.