𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓: 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫
Mecha Mecha Guidance Commander Taka Otsuji, known as the reserve All-Rounder, was waiting at Area Seven of the Hai-ju Mountain Range for the appointed time of five in the afternoon.
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“――I wonder if Bomber will show up.”
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Originally, since the situation was ambiguous whether her words reached her , there’s no disappointment.
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“It’s interesting how she stirs up so much with an All-Rounder that hasn’t had any tune-ups, I wanted to talk to that person.”
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Taka Otsuji had high regard for Bomber.
The courage to purposely pass through the heart of the battlefield where the latest machines face off using a normally equipped All-Rounder, the swiftness to slip around to the back of the battlefield while being ignored for having no proper armaments, the careful observation of the bombing target area by communicating with the Psycholon’s head camera, the resourcefulness of instantly turning parts like arms and legs into cluster bombs by implanting explosives, and the boldness to land a blow on the Mecha Mecha Guidance Commander’s beloved mech without fearing self-destruction.
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The spirit of not hesitating to destroy a costly Actanoid, which directly challenges the trend of handling them with care, was indeed something Taka Otsuji found desirable.
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“Robots are worth breaking, after all.”
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While casually letting slip a thought that caused job rejections from several Actanoid development companies, Taka Otsuji chatted with his fellow Order Actors.
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“I wonder what kind of gunshot sound you’d hear if you pulled the trigger of an assault rifle trapped in your jaw. It’d definitely be a great sound up close.”
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A voice of astonishment came back from his comrades.
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“I think that’s a sickness, Commander.”
“The Vice Commander said he doesn’t understand that part either.”
“You got rejection letters because you said that during job hunting, right?”
“We won’t interfere with your hobbies, but choose the time and place.”
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Taka Otsuji frowned at her comrades who agreed one after another.
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“What? There’s no sound more resonant than a gunshot. It’s practically ASMR.”
“It resonates with fear, normally.”
“That’s part of the charm too!”
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Despite her insistence, all that came back from the voice chat were multiple sighs of exasperation.
But Taka Otsuji, who doesn’t reflect on her own preferences based on her comrades’ reactions, is lacking in such cooperativeness.
Rejected for employment by Actanoid development companies because she wanted to hear the ideal gunshot sound, she couldn’t give up and started designing and developing from scratch, creating the strongest Actanoid. The driving force of the genius engineer Taka Otsuji, who has come to possess technology surpassing large corporations, is simply her hobby.
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Her comrades think.
The personnel of the development companies that didn’t hire this woman are competent.
They also think.
――That being said, I won’t forgive them for rejecting me, and I’ll crush them.
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The civilian clan 『Order Actor』 is a gathering of engineers who couldn’t get employed by Actanoid development companies. Without understanding each other’s hobbies and preferences, they share technology to realize their wild ideals, each piloting an Order-series Actanoid embodying their dream. A den of hobbyists.
The only common point is their hatred for Actanoid development companies. Even that is a nuisance stemming from resentment.
Taka Otsuji, the head of this group, recalls the last battle with Bomber with a blissful expression.
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“I want to try shooting through the throat someday, but the real resonating sound won’t come out unless it’s in battle. I think that’s the difference in tension and accompanying fear on the battlefield. I wonder if that Mr. Bomber would give me the recording data.”
“Well, since he’s called Bomber, he probably has data on explosion sounds.”
“Not bad, but I think gunshots resonate more. By the way, is Bomber famous?”
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In the past month or so, the presence of a grenade user, nicknamed 『Bomber』, has been rumored on forums used by Actors, etc.
It has been confirmed that he/she has recreated an account once, and has become known by the nickname Bomber rather than the account name.
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One of the comrades informed her.
Due to the account switching, the details are uncertain, but in the debut battle, he spectacularly detonated a bomb left in a container during the first mission, in exchange for the destruction of his All-Rounder (All-Rounder), killing all yenvers.
He also dropped and exploded an unidentified Sprinter series Actanoid 『Berlette』 that attacked during the mission execution in a mineral deposit hole. Similarly, during attacks by Lannoid series Conductor, Sprinter series Leaf Sprinter, he bombed them out by throwing grenades with wire in a valuable medical resource area called 『kukumerka』.
He also involved his own mech in the explosion of a Lannoid series 『Shepherd』 that interfered with the surveying request by sniping.
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“Later, it’s just a rumor, but he is said to have defeated a marine creature reticulifier in underwater combat.”
“Using an All-Rounder?”
“It seems to be a borrowed mech. But the other achievements are all in the All-Rounder, it seems.”
“Does he think Actanoids are consumable? His mind is broken in a nice way.”
“There’s no doubt that the commander and him are compatible.”
“In our clan, everyone can get along.”
“No doubt!”
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While letting out laughter, the 『Order Actor』 disbanded at six in the evening and returned to the Renegade Warrior subjugation battle.
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※
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Kaien Heavy Industries’ sphere of influence includes Morinomiya Garage, located in the mountains nearby. Upon watching the footage of Kaien Heavy Industries’ Actanoid unit being annihilated, the representative of the New World Development Zone branch, Kaien Yoshitoshi, let out a heavy sigh.
In the conference room, the key members of Kaien Heavy Industries’ direct clan, Kaien Squad, are gathered.
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“To think this would happen right after the three-force collision.”
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Everyone watched the footage with stern faces.
Even in the previous three-force collision, Kaien Squad lost many Actanoids.
However, for Kaien Squad, directly under the Actanoid development giant, Kaien Heavy Industries, this cannot be considered a significant loss.
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This footage was of the full picture of the battle against Renegade Warrior, carried out on the same day as the three-force collision, in the evening.
Having seen the footage of Kaien Squad’s third unit’s Actanoids being driven into 40% major damage before retreating, Kaien Yoshitoshi looked around at the members in the conference room.
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“It’s a total loss, tactically speaking.”
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The units heavily damaged in the third division included five rounders, which were responsible for the front lines, and three Lannoids that provided rear support. Any further loss of Lannoids would lead to a significant deterioration in the communication environment, and thus, it’s defined as a tactical total loss.
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“What about the replenishment for the third division?”
“The numbers have been filled. However, many units are malfunctioning due to cannibalized maintenance, and they are waiting for part delivery.”
“Let’s send the third and fourth divisions to defend Morinomiya Garage.”
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The available combat strength has reduced significantly, Kaien Yoshitoshi thought with a sigh in his heart.
It would take about two months to rebuild the forces, but the Intensive Hunting Club and Order Actor are targeting Renegade Warrior. They cannot be idle.
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“We obtained combat data thanks to the third division. Indeed, Renegade Warrior must be an autonomous AI.”
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There’s almost no doubt, as no effects of communication interference were observed.
It’s unknown who the genius behind this is, but it’s an invention that could drastically change Actanoid warfare in the New World.
With the financial power of Kaien Heavy Industries, they could mass-produce Renegade Warrior, and there would be no shortage of Actors or suffering from lag.
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“The headquarters strongly desires capture. We must obtain it at all costs.”
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This technology must not fall into the hands of other powers.
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“What if we can’t capture it?”
“The worst-case scenario would be it being captured by Masked Gardeners. If that’s the case, we’ll judge it better to destroy it.”
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Masked Gardeners – a code word referring to foreign spies infiltrating Japan’s New World. Officially, their existence is not acknowledged, so even Kaien Yoshitoshi, the branch manager, cannot publicly warn against spies.
However, according to information circulating from Kaien Heavy Industries’ headquarters, it’s starting to become a political issue. Leaks about damage caused by new resources, thought to have leaked from the New World, have been confirmed in other countries, and there’s also unverified information that politician Kakuhara Tameyuki brought this to light.
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There must be some actors in Japan collaborating with the Masked Gardeners.
For example, Kaien Yoshitoshi suspected the strange All-Rounder, Bomber, who instigated the three-force collision and then significantly reduced the forces with a bombing raid.
If Masked Gardeners are eyeing Renegade Warrior, there’s no time to spare.
Kaien Yoshitoshi makes a decision.
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“Suspend all current missions for every division. Deploy all forces to capture Renegade Warrior. I will also join the battle.”
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