Vol 3 Chapter 6 (1/2)

Chapter 6

SECT.15 - It's a Game After All

It was not shown on the broadcast at all, but──

Starting at about 14:05, when s.h.i.+NC and PM4 were engaged in a grand battle, and till 14:09:20, two characters had been crawling the entire time.

The first was LLENN.

Wearing a brown camouflaged poncho atop her pink combat uniform, she was crawling at full throttle along the ground, which was practically of an identical colour.

LLENN had high Agility, but how fast would she be if she crawled with all she had?

It would be so ultra-fast that it would look like someone had put the video on fast-forward.

She was crawling along the ground at the speed of a regular man's half-run. She seemed like some flat insect.

The other was f.u.kaziroh.

Her camouflage was effective in a place like this, thus she did not put on a poncho. Dragging her 2 MGL-140s along,

”Oof. Oof. Umph.”

She was crawling slowly, like a regular human being. She was more like a caterpillar.

Just how difficult this type of crawling was could only be known by those who had tried it. Constantly moving using one's elbows and legs, as if licking the ground; just how taxing was it on the body and mind?

In GGO, physical strength would not be expended. However, mental strength was a different matter. The feeling of fatigue coming from the mind should be a.s.saulting the player.

However, LLENN pushed forward nonetheless.

'Defeat Pito-san. Defeat Pito-san. Defeat Pito-san.'

Reciting these words in her mind, she used them for rhythm. Upon 〝Pito-san〟, she moved her right elbow and knee forward; upon 〝defeat〟, she moved her left elbow and knee forward.

Slightly raising her head from time to time to look forward, she used the scenery in the distance to check her trajectory.

The brown, low horizon; above it a small land of greenery could be seen.

Her target──

The place where Pitohui was during the 14:00 scan.

And the place where s.h.i.+NC was currently fighting desperately for her.

Turning the clocks back slightly,

At 13:50 in the dome.

When Boss requested a sportsmanlike fight with LLENN after seeing the scan, LLENN could not respond to her request.

When she hesitated to explain herself due to not wanting to expose her reasons, f.u.kaziroh disclosed them with ease.

And she tactfully explained the situation.

That LLENN had only entered SJ2 to save Pitohui IRL. She spilled all the beans unconcernedly.

”Hmm……”

Boss moaned.

Just when it seemed that a bitter expression would appear on her face, she spent a few seconds contemplating, and then asked.

”So…… is there anything we could do? Karen-san.”

In a truly short period of time, LLENN and Boss formed a plan.

A plan to form a pincer attack with two teams.

Boss's group would exit the dome to the south and LLENN's group to the east, then both would wait for the scan at 14:00.

At that moment, the first to attack would be s.h.i.+NC from the south. While they drew attention with their fight, LLENN's group would attack from the rear.

LLENN would be the one to defeat Pitohui in the end, but as support, s.h.i.+NC would thin down PM4's manpower as much as possible.

”It's gonna work! We've come up with an anti-s.h.i.+eld plan for M this time, you see! For this duration, we can divert PM4! Oh come now, we don't mind bein

g wiped out because of that!”

LLENN, knowing better than anyone that Boss and the others were truly aiming for victory,

”…………”

Was about to say something, but stopped.

She just bowed her small head deeply and said,

”This time, I'll treat you to more sweets than you can eat! I promise!”

And then, before the 14:00 scan.

Having rushed out of the dome, LLENN dashed practically northward, towards a place far away from the area where she presumed PM4 would be.

To make them think 〝This girl is running away. She probably won't make contact with us within the next 10 minutes〟.

And, at 14:00, having run to no end, LLENN arrived at the foot of the snowy mountain. There, she witnessed the scan, confirming that PM4's position was just as she had predicted.

And then, right after the scan ended,

”Taaaaah!”

She began an oni-like full-speed dash towards them, at a place about 3 km away from her position.

At the same time, f.u.kaziroh, who had separated from LLENN and hid within the dome, also began slowly advancing towards that location.

LLENN, who was running at superhuman speed, and f.u.kaziroh, who was close to the target from the start, quickly closed the distance to PM4.

However, if they continued running as is, they would naturally be spotted in places with clear line-of-sight. M's PM4 were unlikely to be negligent about their surroundings, no matter the situation.

Thus, both LLENN and f.u.kaziroh dropped to the ground as soon as they had advanced to some extent, and began crawling.

In just under 3 minutes, LLENN ran a little under 2 km, then put on her camouflage poncho and began crawling on the ground to close the remaining 1 km as much as possible. The same applied to f.u.kaziroh.

The fact that s.h.i.+NC and PM4 had engaged in battle as planned reached LLENN's ears. In the form of gunshots in the distance.

And then,

”Alright! Our target is PM4! 〝Plan Sweets〟, begin!”

In the form of Boss's voice.

This was made possible by the comm item that Boss had stolen from a team they defeated in the early stages of SJ2.

Weapons and equipment stolen from other characters could be used until the end of the tournament. Up till now, Boss had been giving instructions to her comrades 〝plus one〟.

That is how LLENN was able to know as she crawled forward.

That Anna had been sniped by M's ultra-long-range sniper rifle and died. Or that Sophie had died as planned, and became a pedestal.

Or,

”We defeated M's s.h.i.+eld! The time is ripe! ──Attack!”

That the four from Boss's group had magnificently smashed that s.h.i.+eld and began a diversionary a.s.sault.

The gunshots she heard belonged to s.h.i.+NC's machine gun and M's M14 EBR. A merciless gunfight was probably going down.

LLENN could not see as she had been constantly crawling, but── she should have crossed the 500 metre mark to PM4.

Her hard work would now be rewarded.

LLENN's wrist.w.a.tch vibrated, informing her that it was 14:09:30.

”It's time!”

At Boss's words that reached her ears,

”Roger!”

LLENN responded.

Until the 14:10 scan, close in as much as possible and attack PM4 just before they notice── that was the final stage of the plan.

”f.u.ka! If you please!”

The moment the clock hit 14:09:40, LLENN shouted.

”Okie dokie!”

f.u.kaziroh responded immediately and readied her MGL-140 while p.r.o.ne,

”Sorya soryaa!”

From the 45th to the 50th second, she fired 6 grenades in rapid succession.

Her target was the area between where PM4 appeared to be and LLENN's current position. Dying that s.p.a.ce pink to hide LLENN's ultra-fast a.s.sault was f.u.kaziroh's role.

The 6 smoke grenades reserved for that flew right where she aimed, creating a smokescreen. LLENN saw how the area in front of her was dyed the same colour as her clothes.

”Alright! I'm charging in!”

”I wish you luck!” ”Do your best!”

Hearing f.u.kaziroh's and Boss's voices and taking off her poncho, LLENN stood up.

With the determination that the feet supporting her body would no longer stop until she a.s.saulted Pitohui's windpipe.

'Come now!'

Having stood up and raised her gaze higher than usual, LLENN saw.

A small black ma.s.s at the left edge of her view.

At first, she thought that it was a black, wet bulge of dirt, like an anthill.

The next moment, she saw a short, black line extending to the side.

And she realised that it was a barrel.

Just after she noticed the existence of the gun, the figure of a person holding it came into sight.

The black ma.s.s was a person sitting with their legs stretched out forward. A person holding a long and narrow rifle and aiming. The figure was approximately 200 metres away from her.

The muzzle was aiming in the exact same direction that she was about to strike.

The place where PM4 was.

The probability was only one in five.

But… a bad premonition ran through LLENN's spine.

LLENN stopped her attempt to go into a dash,

”No!”

Shouted just as she aimed her P90.

And fired.

The strategy that s.h.i.+rley took was practically the same as LLENN's.

To snipe Pitohui to death.

Having decided thus, she forcibly halted her burning desire for revenge and calmly thought out a plan to achieve it.

In hunting, the most important thing was to shoot one's gun skillfully, was it not?

How to act in order to bring about a situation where a shot would be guaranteed to hit.

This was the same as the question 'how close can you get to your prey?' The more capable the hunter, the closer they can get to their prey to shoot and bring them down.

At 13:59, s.h.i.+rley began climbing the snowy mountain. In order to mask her intentions with her position during the scan that soon took place.

For that reason, she materialised another item from her storage.

It was a tool that she made use of during her hunting sessions IRL and an item she obtained for activities in snowy GGO fields as well - skis.

Additionally, they were not ordinary skis for casual sliding. They were special skis designed for hunters and the like to work on snowy mountains. 《Mountain skis》 was probably the most popular name, but, among the hunters in j.a.pan, they were known as 《Sommerski》.

Their length was about 1.5 metres. The foot-fastening heels were not fixed, allowing the user to move their feet forward and back, just like when cross-country skiing.

Its biggest feature was the anti-skidding device known as a 〝seal〟 attached to the back of the skis.

It was the pelt of a seal or sea lion, whose fur grows facing the same direction. Hence, 〝it allowed sliding forward, but not backwards, as it would get stuck in the snow, preventing it from sliding〟. By simply moving their feet back and forth, the skier could quickly climb any slope.

Mai had mastered the use of these Sommerski. Because they were the ultimate tool for running around snowy mountains freely. s.h.i.+rley as well.

Carrying the R93 Tactical 2 on her shoulders with the stock in her hands and climbing the snowy slope smoothly, s.h.i.+rley looked just like a foot soldier from the mountains.

Once the clock struck 14:00, a slow scan began.

While looking at her terminal screen in one hand, s.h.i.+rley climbed the snowy mountain. She took note of PM4's position and drilled it into her head.

Until the scan ended, s.h.i.+rley continued climbing the snowy mountain. In order to make the other players think 〝she's running away〟.

Before long, 1 minute had pa.s.sed and the scan ended,

”…………”

The woman with mud on her face stopped and turned around.

She had climbed considerably high. What she could see below the gentle, snowy slope was a huge dome on her right. On her left - a valley, a long bridge, and a rocky mountain beyond it.

And in front, a s.p.a.ce abundant in greenery stretched out. And there, a small log house.

”Hah!”

Expelling air with a smile──

She quickly repositioned her feet and began sliding down straight forward. Towards the target she wanted to kill.

The speed of her descent was more than twice that of her ascent.

With her bullet-like schuss, s.h.i.+rley slid down the mountain in no time. She did not have the Skiing skill, but she was able to accomplish this due being an expert at skiing IRL.

The distance to her target was about 1.5 km.

And then s.h.i.+rley used the exact same trick as LLENN. Crawling forward. In order to ensure that her target, or the enemies in the area, would not notice her closing in, this was the only way.

Though, unlike LLENN, she crawled forward for a longer time and her position was awfully muddy due to the water from the snow thaw.

In order to prevent mud from entering the muzzle of her R93 Tactical 2, she put two layers her gloves onto the tip of the barrel. Then, she turned the gun sideways and, holding it on her elbows, she began swimming through the muddy dirt.

Naturally, her body was completely covered in mud in no time. Both the upper and lower half of her body, as well as her lovely green hair, were almost entirely dyed black.

While crawling forward, she learnt from the gunshots that a battle between PM4 and another team had begun. Probably a battle against the team that came from the south. The awfully loud gunshots sounded like distant thunder. It was as if someone were firing cannons.

Their battle was just what she needed. s.h.i.+rley snickered. White teeth appeared at her muddy cheeks.

She continued forward and forward with determination──

When the wrist.w.a.tch on her left arm informed her that it was past 14:09, s.h.i.+rley stopped.

In another 50 seconds, it would be easy for her position to be given away by the scan. She did not know how close she got to that woman, but she had no choice other than to wield her beloved gun on the spot.

To avoid being noticed, s.h.i.+rley moved slowly. First, she rolled from a face-down position to a face-up one. Then, she turned 180 degrees, with her feet towards the enemy.

Readying her R93 Tactical 2 after taking the gloves off the muzzle, she raised her upper body using only her abdominal muscles. Raising and slightly opening up her knees, she pressed against the medial side of her thighs with the lateral sides of her elbows, stabilising her firing posture.

Having opened the front and back cover of her scope, she peeked through the lens,

”There you are……”

And quickly grasped the whereabouts of PM4.

In the meadow about 500 metres away. The enemy several hundred metres beyond that were firing machine guns, thus tracer bullets revealed their position.

She searched for the woman who killed her comrades and, with fortune on her side, soon found her target. Lying in a hollow in the meadow.

However, she had not allowed her guard to drop at all as she lay, thus only her ponytail could be barely seen. With this, her sniping would only cut through her hair.

If she aimed at a slightly lower point over the gra.s.s, her face could be shot with a direct…── she considered this option, but stopped. Because s.h.i.+rley thought that, knowing that woman, she would have obviously placed her gun there to guard her face.

”Craap!”

Even though she succeeded at creeping up within her effective range and one-sidedly catching her in her scope──

s.h.i.+rley cursed at how irritating it was for her to be unable to aim at the vitals and shoot. When she looked at her wrist.w.a.tch, it was 14:09:45.

In another 15 seconds, the scan would begin.

The fact that she was here would be instantly exposed, thus she would undoubtedly be dealt with by PM4.

She did not know whether it would be by the merciless rapid-fire of the machine guns, or an attack from the enemy snipers, or a shot from that woman, but──

Entirely alone and only having a single bolt-action sniper rifle, there was no chance from the start that s.h.i.+rley could win.

'Should I deem my approach a failure and run away while I can?'

'Or, should I charge in prepared to die in battle?'

As s.h.i.+rley began thinking about her final decision, the faint sound of someone shooting reached her ears.

A sound that was different from the rapid-fire of the machine guns she had heard earlier.

*Pon* *pon* *pon* *pon* *pon*, such somewhat cute sounds.

It sounded louder in her right ear, thus it probably came from her right.

Before she could figure out what had emitted that sound upon discharge,

”Wha?”

Her right eye peeking through her scope caught an unbelievable spectacle unfold to the right. One, two, three── in six spots, clouds of pink smoke rose in succession. Without any wind in the field, the smoke rose straight up.

'Why…… smoke?'

'No, why…… pink?'

s.h.i.+rley was unable to comprehend it at all.

She had not even glimpsed the videos of the previous SJ, and thus she was unaware that an entirely pink chibi had won it. As such, she was unable to grasp the point of the pink smoke and wondered whether a festival or something had suddenly begun.

Then at the next moment, new visual data entered her confused mind from her right eye.

In her field of view, magnified by the lens, that woman, the one she loathed for deceiving and shooting all of her comrades, raised her head.

Atop her head was a headgear-like protector that she did not have before, but the brazen tattooed face was undoubtedly hers.

And her face had a joyful smile. Even baring her white teeth.

'Why, for what reason, for what──'

s.h.i.+rley had no idea if that woman, who had been so alert and had not let her guard down for even a moment, raised her head solely due to having seen the pink smoke.

However, she did not let go of the unexpected chance she received.

Even without using the Bullet Circle, she did not believe she would miss a practically still target at this range.

s.h.i.+rley instantly aligned the center, actually, a point slightly below the center of the scope's crosshair on the woman's right eye. This was done in antic.i.p.ation of the bullet's fall due to the 400 metre distance.

The woman was looking a little to the left, thus if she hit her right eye, the bullet should instantly sink right into the middle of her brain.

The instant her heart, convinced of the impending kill, pounded unprecedentedly──

'Ahahaha.'

s.h.i.+rley laughed in her heart.

And what a laugh it was.

She, who had so stubbornly believed that 〝it is wrong to aim a gun at a person even in a game〟──

Shaking with rage, had climbed and descended a snowy mountain, determinedly crawled through mud for minutes, and was now holding her beloved gun, about to fire the moment she saw her chance.

'How would her old self have reacted if she had seen herself now?'

But she did not care.

This was a game, and it was meant to be played.

Her face having instantly regained composure, s.h.i.+rley concluded thus.

That just because she shot with guns IRL there was no point in getting angry at 〝aiming at a person!〟, even in a game.

That, just like her comrades had once said with frivolous smiles, there was no need to lump reality and games together.

That the woman deceiving and shooting her comrades was a game as well.

In this battle royale where anything goes, the ones who were tricked and had so easily turned their backs were the ones at fault.

And even this current attempt to snipe her was a game.

The one who nonchalantly raised her head was the one at fault.

This was a game.

'It's not like you yourself die if your avatar does.'

'Likewise, it's not like someone else dies if their avatar does.'

s.h.i.+rley finally felt that she could enjoy the Squad Jam from the bottom of her heart.

'I am now going snipe and kill that woman, but──'

'This only applies to SJ2 itself. Once the tournament is over, I could even meet up with her at the bar and, as fellow female players, we could have a conversation, saying 'Gotcha', 'Ya got me.''

Thinking thus, without any grudge or hatred, s.h.i.+rley──

Squeezed the trigger of her R93 Tactical 2 solely to enjoy herself.

As if venting its anger for being kept waiting for over an hour, her beloved gun let out a high-pitched roar.

She let her guard down for a mere moment.

”Aha! That's LLENN-chan!”

Seeing the pink smoke, Pitohui understood everything.

That LLENN would take advantage of that to charge forward.

That's why she raised her head. With a smile.

The bullet with neither hatred nor grudge flew──

And sank into Pitohui's right eye.

”Aww yeah!”

Having seen through her scope that a hit effect appeared on the woman's eye, s.h.i.+rley gave a shout as loud as her gunshot.