Author Notes

By the way, who is everyone's favorite?

As for me, it's Rapi.

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Chapter 0

Episode 1

"The 78th Engineer Regiment and the 29th Mechanized Infantry Regiment have lost communication!"

 

"Message from the regimental headquarters! The regimental commander is dead! The vice-commander will now take command!"

"The final defense line has been breached..."

"Hurry, set up the anti-aircraft machine guns! Fire horizontally!"

The last operation, which harnessed the full power of humanity or strained every last bit of strength, had tragically come to an end. The urban area where innocent citizens went about their daily lives was now in the midst of war, with many buildings collapsing. The scent of prosperity was mercilessly replaced by the acrid smell of gunpowder, blood, and burning fat.

"Communication from division headquarters! All remaining forces are to retreat to 'Ark'!"

"So they've made up their minds... those higher-ups..."

Amidst the roaring of firearms of varying sizes and the echoing thunderous noises, a brief flash streaked in the distance. In the next moment, a column of atomic flames, the ultimate weapon, erupted into the sky with incredible intensity. An intense explosion hit the urban area, accompanied by shockwaves that stirred up clouds of dust. Following the pre-arranged notice, thousands of soldiers and officers rushed to the elevators leading deep underground.

"It's no good here! It's full!"

"The elevator on the other side is destroyed!"

"Hey, this way! Hurry! Drop that recoilless rifle! Get anyone still alive on board!"

Soldiers crowded onto the remaining elevators that were dwindling in number. As they reached maximum capacity, buttons were pushed, doors closed with a sharp sound, and the elevators descended underground with a motion akin to falling.

"Are all survivors here!? Closing it!"

"Wait, Company Commander!"

As the commanding officer checked the reduced numbers of his battered subordinates, his hand poised to press the door-closing button, a young soldier pointed outside.

"Wait!"

"This person needs to be taken on board!! He's our squad leader!"

The company commander, supported by a burly non-commissioned officer, and a dozen infantrymen ran toward the platoon leader, beseeching the company commander to let the injured soldier join them.

"Vitals are dropping, but he's still alive!"

"Sergeant Major, I'm sorry, but..."

Catching a glimpse of the ragged uniform that revealed a second lieutenant's insignia on the collar, the platoon leader furrowed his brow. The right arm was torn near the bicep, exposing white bone. The side was also torn open, with some of the innards spilling out. The combat uniform was stained with dark brown "blood" and the blood that the lieutenant himself had shed, covering its original color.

Even though it's heartless, there's no room in this elevator for those who are on the brink of cardiac arrest and near-death KIA.

Feeling sympathy for the still-young lieutenant, the sergeant carrying him could sense the platoon leader's intention to leave him behind.

Immediately, the sergeant's voice turned harsh.

"We can't let him die! We don't need our spots! Just put the squad leader on board!"

"Leave it to us! Sergeant! They're coming!"

"They finally showed up! Let's go, you bastards! Are you ready to die?"

The sergeant handed the lieutenant to the soldiers boarding the elevator and, gripping a large assault rifle equipped with a grenade launcher, ordered the remaining non-commissioned officers and soldiers, who all aimed their firearms, to charge forward.

...

"Did we manage to retrieve the ones we deployed?"

"Recovery wasn't possible for the deployed units... this... is the only successful recovery."

"Well, well... this is quite the extent of damage."

"Every rib is broken, and there are ruptures in the organs. Bones are lodged in the lungs. Parts of the large and small intestines are exposed. There are also second-degree and third-degree burns here and there..."

"The upper right arm is almost torn off. Yet he's still alive without going into shock..."

"As expected..."

"Regardless, it's an incredible will to live. Can we extract combat records from this chip?"

"Some parts are damaged, so we're working on repairing it."

"By the way, what do you plan to do with him?"

"He's a valuable sample. Once we've finished surgical treatment, put him in a pod. The time will come when he'll be useful to humanity. Eventually."

...

It seems luck has abandoned him.

The young man of around twenty years old sat down with a resigned expression. Rather, he couldn't do anything but sit quietly.

After all, since the transport plane they were on was crashing, anyone who wasn't a pilot had no choice but to sit still.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!"

"Damn it! The APU isn't functioning!! The control stick...!!"

In the cockpit, pilots were desperately trying to regain control of the plane through maneuvering, but it was difficult with the loss of thrust and power. The ground was rapidly approaching.

This was the end...

"I'm really unlucky..."

The young man muttered softly, his voice drowned out by the deafening roar as the transport plane crashed.

...

The sound of someone's anguished voice could be heard.

"Commander!!"

Someone was shaking him.

He wanted to respond, but his body wouldn't move.

"AED... AED...! Excuse me, Commander!"

A strong jolt ran through his body, and then his sternum was pressed repeatedly. The defibrillator's electric shock was administered, urging his heart to start beating again.

"Ugh! Cough, cough!"

"Commander!!"

As his heart rhythm was restored, the young man regained consciousness and began coughing violently.

"Can you hear my voice?! If you can, try to smile!"

When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry in black and white. However, in his line of sight, a beautiful woman's face, a mix of anxiety and relief, appeared as she looked down at him.

"Please state your affiliation."

"Central Government... Nikke... affiliated with the Administration Department... Code is..."

"Don't strain yourself! Raise your hand above your head!"

Although it felt uncomfortable to surrender in this manner, he had no intention of needlessly worrying the woman beside him, Marian. By assuming the requested posture, the woman seemed relieved this time.

"I'm glad... that you're safe!"

His vision was gradually regaining color. The woman before him, dressed in white and blue, had a serene face that reflected her gentle nature.

"Listen carefully, Commander."

"No need to say it. The transport plane crashed, right?"

"Yes. While en route to the operation area, we were hit by anti-aircraft fire..."

"Shot down, huh? Just yesterday, I graduated from the officer school, and now my future seems rather bleak... What about survivors... the pilots?"

While adjusting his uniform and undershirt, the buttons having been removed to apply the defibrillator, he asked Marian, whom he had met for the first time this morning in the pre-departure parking area.

Her answer could be inferred from the shaking of her head.

The young man shifted his gaze, and he saw the wreckage of the crashed plane, in a pitiful state.

It was quite a spectacular crash, yet he was thankful for his own resilience.

"Upon recovering the identification tags, let's move. Rapture is gathering."

"No, Rapture is already gathering. The impact of the crash may have caused confusion, but please lead me now!"

"Understood."

"No! Don't raise your head—"

"I need to raise my head to see the enemy! They're approaching from 12 o'clock! Take cover behind that obstruction! Marian, can you see the wreckage of a car 200 meters ahead?"

"Yes, I see it!"

"That's our breach and smash line FPL! Prepare to fire!!"

Using exposed steel bars and concrete as cover, the young man, now in a crouched position, gave orders.

Without missing the command, Marian gripped the machine gun's lever, chambered the first round, and peered through the sights. In her sights, she saw the approaching enemy.

"Fire!!"

Responding to the order, her slender fingers pulled the trigger, firing a round as her rifle recoiled.