1 — Chapter 1

“This is Bomber. HQ, respond.”

I spoke into the transceiver in my hand.

After a few beats of silence, a voice laced with static replied.

“This is HQ. What is it?”

“I’ve secured the target chip, but it looks like there’s an encore for the welcome party. Send reinforcements immediately.”

“Impossible. Break out on your own.”

“—Ha-ha, what top-tier treatment. You’d better watch out when I get back, you piece of garbage. Over.”

I clicked off the transceiver with a click of my tongue.

This was exactly why I couldn’t trust the controllers of irregular units.

I suppose my luck ran out the moment I took this job just because it paid well.

The moment I made it back alive, I was going to put a lead bullet through that guy’s head first thing.

Or maybe I’d just blow him into tiny pieces with a bomb.

I needed to teach him that his job wasn’t just chatting away idly in a leather chair.

I sat on the edge of an office desk and let out a sigh.

I was in a ruined building.

It was a hideout for a certain organization located in the suburbs, far from the city.

Having accepted the mission, I had come here to steal a chip recorded with important data.

Just three minutes ago, I had successfully found and secured the chip itself.

I’d also killed everyone inside the building.

Normally, I would have just headed back at my leisure, and everything would have been perfect.

However, it seemed that misfortune only struck when things were going smoothly.

Perhaps it was a lesson not to let my guard down.

It was truly annoying.

I leaned against the window and checked the outside with binoculars.

“Damn it… talk about top-tier room service.”

Following the asphalt road, over a dozen cars were approaching from beyond the horizon.

The distance was roughly a mile or so. They were all black minivans of the same model. They’d be here in a matter of minutes. They weren’t allies. They were the guys coming to liquidate me.

“I’m just one guy, and yet isn’t this a bit too extravagant?”

I shrugged and sighed. I wondered where the leak had come from.

I’d killed the people here instantly, so they shouldn’t have had time to call for backup.

If that was the case, did the idiots back at HQ mess up?

I wished they’d consider the position of the guy actually working in the field. I resumed my observation of the minivans through the binoculars. They were driving in an orderly line.

As I watched the scene, the corners of my mouth naturally curled upward. I felt my excitement beginning to rise. I stared at the line of minivans without blinking.

“—Almost there.”

Immediately after, the lead minivan exploded. Black smoke billowed up along with a faint scream. The vehicle overturned from its own momentum, crumpling as it scattered flames.

The following minivan slammed on its brakes, but it exploded just as helplessly. The vehicle danced spectacularly through the air. The asphalt shattered and sprayed everywhere.

After performing a beautiful front flip, the unlucky minivan crashed into a large rock on the side of the road and was completely destroyed.

The scattered parts told the story of just how horrific the impact was.

Witnessing the sight, I clutched my stomach and rolled around laughing.

“Hahaha! What was with that launch!? You’re certainly keeping me entertained!”

I had planted sensor-triggered homemade bombs in that area beforehand. It was a precautionary measure in case of reinforcements, and they fell for it beautifully.

Moreover, the quality of that explosion was top-tier. It wasn’t something you saw every day. It was a performance straight out of an action movie. I almost regretted not filming it.

The remaining minivans began to detour. It seemed they were wary of repeating their comrades’ fate. They veered off the road, kicking up gravel as they advanced off-road.

I rested my chin on my hand and watched them.

“Now then. I wonder if you can dodge this?”

The moment the words left my mouth, a roar shook the air. Several minivans driving at full speed were thrust upward by a blast of fire from below.

The minivans floated briefly before overturning and tumbling across the ground. A finishing blast of flame erupted there, and the damage spread all at once.

I smiled as I put in my earplugs. When explosions happened in such quick succession, the noise became unbearable. I had to take care of my eardrums.

What had delivered the follow-up blow to them were my special landmines. They were items I had crafted with the utmost care. I’d placed them there anticipating that they would avoid the road.

Depending on the adjustment, they could even render a tank immobile. They were one of my favorites.

“Heh, still hanging in there? They’re unexpectedly stubborn.”

As I looked over the minefield, I was more than a little impressed.

Despite receiving such a baptism, they hadn’t given up on approaching.

Only the survivors kept their minivans moving forward.

It was a terrifying level of persistence.

Apparently, they really didn’t want that chip stolen. I hadn’t looked at the data inside in detail, but it seemed something incredibly significant was recorded on it.

Eventually, the minivans broke through the minefield. Regrettably, six of them were still functional.

Well, there was a limit to the traps I could set by myself. I should probably be happy I managed to reduce them to less than half.

Setting down the binoculars, I grabbed the machine gun I’d placed on the office desk. I also slung the bag filled with my other weapons over my shoulder.

“Well, I should go hear their thoughts on my gifts.”

I heard the sound of the minivans coming to a stop. It seemed they had reached the entrance of the ruined building. They would likely charge inside immediately. They had to be itching to kill me.

Just as I finished my preparations, I sensed multiple presences from the floor below. It appeared they were infiltrating one after another. There were at least twenty of them. Judging by their cautious footsteps, they were wary of traps inside the rooms. It was only natural for them to be concerned, considering how many bombs had been planted on the way here.

I left the room carrying my machine gun. Outside was a bleak hallway. It was a world of endless gray, with the walls and ceiling left peeling and abandoned. It looked like it would cost a fortune to renovate the place.

Moving to the open stairwell, I peeked down at the lower floor from the shadows. I regulated my breathing, waiting for “that moment.” Then, the second I caught sight of their stupid faces, I opened fire with the machine gun.

Blood sprayed everywhere. Vivid red added a splash of color to the concrete interior. Within that spray, corpses with ruptured heads collapsed one after another.

“Gwah!?”

“Ow, dammit!”

“He’s upstairs!”

Screams and angry shouts erupted. Return fire came flying toward me almost instantly. I quickly pulled my body back. The gunfire from below punched holes through the ceiling. Dust and wood splinters rained down. Brushing them off, I pulled on a gas mask.

“Sorry, but the party’s over. Go to sleep already.”

Calling out to the men below, I tossed down three smoke grenades after pulling the pins. With a hissing sound, red smoke began to spread. I heard voices crying out in pain and coughing. As the smoke grew thick and heavy, I used the stair railing to slide down all at once.

“Look over here, will you?”

I kicked a man who was standing idly and pumped bullets into him while he flinched. The poor man, now turned into Swiss cheese, staggered on unsteady legs before collapsing. I immediately dove behind cover.

“Where is he!?”

“My eyes sting… We can’t fight in this!”

“If you have time to talk, search! He should be close by!”

With visibility poor due to the smoke, I sharpened my five senses. I could tell exactly where they were located. On the other hand, they couldn’t seem to track my movements. Allowing a grin I couldn’t suppress to show, I leveled my machine gun.

“Over here.”

I fired from a low, crawling posture. Several men in front of me died while spraying blood. I leaped out and sprinted before any counterattack could come. A rain of bullets struck behind me, instantly shattering the cover I had just occupied. However, none of them hit me.

Reaching the next piece of cover, I treated them to some bullets from their blind spot. I also threw in some explosions via hand grenades for good measure. Ambushes and indoor combat were my specialties. As long as I had thorough preparations, I could take on ten times this number. Of course, it was always better to have proper support or comrades. I’d prefer not to be forced into this kind of fighting if possible.

After a period of such slaughter, more than half of the infiltrators had become corpses. They were in a state that could be described as decimated, and their initial momentum had vanished. Some were even attempting to flee.

In contrast, I was completely unharmed. There was no way their half-hearted bullets were going to hit me. I moved around while scavenging weapons, and I still had plenty of stamina to spare. That said, I wasn’t so bored that I could keep playing with them forever. I was hungry, and I wanted to take a shower. I also had to deliver the chip I’d secured to HQ. Therefore, I decided it was about time to make my escape.

“There, one last push.”

I sprayed the few survivors with machine gun fire and broke through the encirclement just like that.

Once outside the ruined building, I hopped into one of the parked minivans. Fortunately, the engine was still running. I shot out the tires of the other vehicles while flooring the accelerator to take off.

“Don’t let him get away!”

“Chase him! Get the chip back!”

Gunfire from behind grazed the chassis, occasionally punching holes in it. But not a single shot hit me.

“See ya! If you wanted my life, you should’ve brought more men!”

I laughed loudly and gave the horn two short honks. Checking the side mirror, I saw them running back and forth in frustration. They seemed to be trying to give chase in their minivans, but that wouldn’t happen with flat tires. They’d likely just end up tripping the remaining bomb traps and dying.

Glancing back at the receding ruins, I felt a supreme sense of satisfaction.

A few hours later.

At a deserted gas station, I was refueling the hole-riddled minivan. It had taken quite a few hits, but it managed to keep moving. However, with this much damage, it would be viewed with suspicion at a glance. It would be a pain if the police found me. I’d have to switch vehicles somewhere.

“…Maybe I’ll try hitchhiking.”

I drank a cold bottle of cola. The sweetness and strong carbonation were addictive. I really preferred alcohol, but I had a policy of not drinking until the job was done.

Taking a breather, I looked around. There were no other customers. There was only an old man, presumably the owner, dozing off in the attached convenience store. Since this was a country road far off the highway, no cars were passing by.

All that was left was to deliver the chip to HQ. That would earn me a million dollars. I’d made a decent profit this time. There was that counterattack by reinforcements at the end, but that was within the margin of error. Given my profession, it was something I was well-acquainted with. If anything, it was an easy job since I didn’t get wounded.

By the time I’d finished enjoying my short break, the refueling was done. After this, I just had to travel while avoiding urban areas. The hand-off would probably be complete in a few hours.

Thinking about how to spend the reward, I moved to get into the minivan. At that moment, the ground beneath my feet began to glow without warning. I reflexively tried to jump back, only to widen my eyes.

(I can’t move…!?)

My entire body felt heavy, as if I were being restrained by chains. I managed to drop my gaze just enough to identify the source of the light. Illuminating my feet was a magic circle constructed from strange patterns. It was emitting an eerie purple light.

For a moment, I felt relieved that it wasn’t some kind of explosive, but the fact remained that I was still unable to move.

(Dammit, what’s going on! Is this some kind of trap…?)

While I struggled, the light from the magic circle grew stronger and stronger. Then, when the intensity of the light reached its peak, my vision was dyed white along with a sensation of floating.