Chapter 37 : Second Match (5)

There was a joke I once saw while browsing the internet long ago.

Well, not that long ago, and definitely not while living in Haven City.

In this city where just surviving each day is hard, the only jokes left are bitter, dark humor.

And Haven City’s humor never suited me, so I haven’t picked up a single new joke since arriving.

Of course, the Earth being round was common knowledge—whether in 2075 or 2025.

But because it’s so obvious, people liked to twist it into jokes:

That Earth is actually flat, or shaped like a heart, or even like a dinosaur.

Some even joked that it’s like in old Indian mythology—three elephants standing on a turtle’s back, with a cobra biting its

tail holding up the sky.

Looking back, those jokes were childish and didn’t even make me smile,

but for some reason, people all over the world thought they were funny and spread them around.

I don’t know why anymore.

Maybe I’ve lived in this place too long and now my sense of humor has shifted to the Haven City 2075 standard.

Or maybe I’ve just become an old lady—I’m past fifty now—so it takes more to make me laugh.

Speaking of getting old… I miss my father.

Even his face is starting to fade from my memory.

Damn it!!

There’s only so much time you can kill with random thoughts—

expecting someone like me to just sit and endure three whole days like this is insane!

Who was the genius who thought it was a good idea to make someone as delicate and sensitive as me

spend three days alone in low Earth orbit, 150 miles (about 240km) above the ground?!

…Oh right. That genius was me.

Even if my body is tough and enhanced,

being crammed in a tiny capsule where I can’t even stretch my legs for three days is making me go insane.

Sure, Earth looked beautiful from space at first,

but after seeing the same view for 3 days straight, even beauty gets boring.

And I couldn’t even take care of basic bodily needs here.

It’s been seven days now—four on the ground, three in space—without a single proper meal.

What else was wrong…? I don’t keep track of every inconvenience like some petty complainer,

but seriously—once this mission is over, I’m never doing something this crazy again.

Actually, I’ve said that before—at least thirty times in the last few days.

Still, I came here willingly, despite all the discomfort, for one simple reason:

Because no matter where or when the enemy showed up,

this was the only method that guaranteed I’d drop in exactly where I wanted to be, at exactly the right time.

“VIP escort routes are always pre-checked and cleared of threats.”

From Berry’s cabin in Zone 4 to the Virasion Tower in Zone 1,

even with me, Olbi, and Way working hard to map things out,

we couldn’t find any safe way to get close by land.

Flying in was also tough—

Haven City airspace is a no-fly zone except around the airport,

so we couldn’t just use drones or aircraft.

Eventually, I realized there were only two options left:

Dig a tunnel and pop up from underground…

or go all the way into space and then dive straight down before anyone could react.

Digging was too expensive and risky,

so realistically, the only choice was…

Yeah. Jumping from space. Damn it.

With Kage’s help, I rode a drop pod launched from a giant balloon in the wastelands outside Haven City

and came all the way up to 150 miles above the Earth, orbiting ever since.

I was going to launch on June 2nd, the day of the operation,

but then Virasion and the Kyro Society might spot me with their satellites,

so I came up three days early.

…The problem is, even though I thought of everything,

I didn’t plan for how boring it would be to sit here alone for 3 days.

Judging by the oxygen left in the tank, I should be heading down soon.

It’s probably around 11AM on June 2nd down there now?

I should be getting a call any minute now…

[Radio static]

 Ahem. Leilia, can you hear me?

“Hey! Yeah, I hear you!”

Just like the saying, speak of the devil and he appears.

Right after I stared holes into the radio, Olbi’s voice finally came through.

See? My timing’s always perfect.

—Caby and Way took control of the 3rd drawbridge as planned.

The bridge is already raised, and we’ve turned all the lights toward Zone 4 green,

so traffic from every direction will block it completely within 1 minute.

“Nice. So when do I jump?”

—Right now.

“Huh?”

After three days of just floating in orbit,

the drop pod suddenly started to move.

—You’ll land in 6 minutes and 11 seconds. Get ready.

“…Couldn’t you have warned me before firing the thrusters?”

Seriously, these white-collar people sitting in their air-conditioned offices

have no idea what it’s like for boots-on-the-ground workers like me.

Look! The pod is free-falling at Mach 3,

and I’m the one taking all the G-force from this vertical drop!

RUMBLE-

“Shit…”

Blood’s rushing to my head—I feel like my brain might explode.

The seat I’m in spins to help offset the pressure,

but that’s just a partial solution.

Still… I have to hold on.

If I pass out now, it’s all over.

—Three minutes left.

“Copy.”

Luckily, my implants and cyberware are adjusting to the stress,

so the pain is slowly fading.

I can see the blue sky outside now instead of space—

and the pod’s hull is glowing red-hot like it’s being torched.

“Olbi, the pod’s hull is literally on fire. That normal?”

—It’s a one-time-use drop pod.

We used cheap outer materials.

It only has to survive until it hits the ground.

57 seconds left. Stay sharp, Leilia.

“I know.”

55… 54… 53…

Now!

BEEP!

I pressed the big red button right on time—

and hundreds of flares shot out in every direction.

And not even a second later, I heard the terrifying sound of railguns firing—

“SHIT!

Haven City’s orbital defense system detected the unauthorized object

and launched a barrage of anti-air rounds that ripped the sky around me to shreds.

If I’d launched the flares just a second late,

those rounds wouldn’t have torn through air—they would’ve torn through me.

—Leilia? Are you okay? Did you break through the Haven City sky defense?

“YEAH!! I’M ALIVE, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!!”

—Good. Now the retro-thrusters will activate. Brace for reverse Gs.

“God… damn it… WARN me before doing this crap…!”

It felt like getting hit head-on by a speeding car.

The pod went from 2300 mph (about 3700 km/h) to a full stop in an instant.

My chair spun like crazy again to distribute the force.

POP!

—Leilia, get ready. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

The pod’s electronics exploded.

Airbags burst out from every side.

And just like that, after three days…

I returned to the city of sin.

My body, battered from an impact that should’ve killed a normal person ten times over,

screamed for rest—but there was no time.

Let’s go!”

I grabbed my assault rifle and kicked open the mangled pod door.

…Okay, that impact was harder than I expected.

The pod had landed—more like crashed—right in the middle of the intersection in Zone 4,

right in front of the 3rd drawbridge.

Meaning—

—Wow. That’s gotta be at least a billion-dollar crash.

“Yeah…”

The wall of cars blocking the Kyro Society’s limousines was completely demolished,

like a missile hit them.

At least no one seems dead—guess Olbi made sure no one was inside before guiding the pod down.

—There are 8 SUVs with Kyro Society’s Paladins and 2 limousines—probably carrying high-value targets—on the bridge.

“Probably?”

—Both limos have signal jammers, so we can’t detect them.

Caby asked the same question—you two are kind of alike.

“Shut it. Is Caby holding up okay?”

—Virasion’s drones are all targeting his area, but he’s managing fine.

“Good.”

If he were in danger, I’d have to lift the restriction on his Neural Overclock.

But no need for that now.

If something goes wrong, it’ll probably happen on my end anyway.

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

All 8 SUV doors opened at once,

and people in weird medieval armor stepped out—metal plates, helmets, the works.

It’s the Kyro Society’s Paladins.

Instead of using the SUVs for cover and starting a gunfight,

they calmly lined up in perfect formation in the middle of the road.

Why…?

Maybe their team leader’s obsessed with military drills?

That question didn’t last long.

Shuffle…

My former coworker.

Now a member of the QPD.

Eve stepped out from behind the paladins.