Having made his way into the village, another helicopter flew over Nobu, he leaned against the wall of one of the fences and ducked. This time it was military and had the inscription FIC. "Whatever it means, but something is happening."
Nobu noticed the increased presence of the military. Judging from the experience of the Burmese army, the armed forces of states are worse than private heroes, since heroes go through an extensive development base with an emphasis on quirks, as well as on conducting rescue operations. In addition, the world organization Hero Association does not allow the outbreak of armed conflicts between states. Therefore, the military is not needed, only some small local forces.
«Damn. Is it really because of me that you raised such a fuss? You should have caught those two bastards by now.» Of course, he was pleased that the country did not abandon him, but returned him to his homeland, but why such attention? Why was he lucky enough to stumble upon this particular migrant ship? Was trouble really trying to pass him by?
«No way, guys, you won't get me,» Nobu was tired of being controlled, as if he couldn't stand up for himself, as if they had been trying to turn him into a pawn since the Myanmar camp. He didn't want to become a poor weak boy, whom the noble heroes of the Japanese saved from slavery and tyranny in Myanmar. Nobu survived only thanks to himself and his decisions, and no one would stand in his way, and he was tired of this cooing around and around, but not on topic.
«Why does everything have to go wrong, this is my fate?» Nobu thought to himself irritably. «Wait, what...»
Nobu hadn't noticed before, but the sky was gradually starting to turn red, a monstrous roar was heard from the beach, he ducked from superhuman perception and climbed over the gate, only to climb a small house.
While some woman living in this house was puzzled by the monstrous sound and was going outside, the siren started. Nobu climbed to the top of the house, grabbed the tiles with Adhesion and was dumbfounded.
-What...what is this...- A terrifying silhouette of an incomprehensible maroon creature with many tentacles roared into the sky, and the surviving special forces continued to fire at it. A fighter also flew over the village, launching missiles at the creature, but it seemed to take the damage without feeling pain, and after that it only grew larger. The sounds and the terrifying picture were imprinted in Nobu's memory and gave him goosebumps all over his body.
-To hell with this island. - Nobu decided to get off the island, but first he needed to rest somewhere, otherwise the fight with the waves was making itself felt, and he needed to gather supplies for the road...or rather, by water. If he's lucky, he'll use someone's boat, but for now, he needs to find a place for Adhesion to rest, his legs are pretty tired too. This ability is too useful and frequent use definitely puts a strain on the body, but at the same time, the body is trained to get used to it and optimize it.
***
- It would be better if we walked, - the hero said in the police car. - Otherwise, we have to make a detour. - the nervous hero in his suit tried to calm down.
The officer's radio heard the voice of someone from FCI on the loudspeaker. - Officer, go back immediately and evacuate the civilian population. They will arrive soon...
*BOOOM* *Psh-sh-sh-sh* - an anxious radio silence was heard.
- Over, does anyone hear...? - The officer lost his speech and saw how a giant crimson tentacle shot down the FCI helicopter and began to crush it with its tentacles, turning it into a bloody-metal lump of garbage.
The hero blurted out - Turn around! - the creature noticed the car and threw several flattened cars at them. Having avoided the first hit on the turn, one of the lumps of metal flew past the car and crashed into a tree, whose leaves fell from the branches and bent the gnarled tree trunk.
- God... Step on the gas!
- We're going back to the city. - the hero turns around through the rear window. Deep down, he was glad that he was not next to this creature that reached the sky.
*Pshhh* - Over, this is the Japanese Ministry of Emergency Situations, we have switched to the main radio frequency of Kume Island, an emergency evacuation of all residents of the island has been announced. At the moment, air evacuation is not possible, a creature of unknown origin with its tentacles prevents us from breaking through into airspace, so we will try to carry out the flood as soon as possible. Try to maintain composure, collect documents and spare clothes and head to the pier in Kumejima. Over.
- It seems they want to create an exclusion zone on the island. Maybe they'll bomb the creature, or maybe they'll call someone from the top. - He took out his phone and saw that there was no signal. - They're already jamming the signal.
The hero swallowed loudly. - I need to get home to my family.
"No, you should help people all over the island evacuate, idiot." The officer wanted to say, but he couldn't condemn the desire to get to his family, because he himself wanted to return to his. Having driven half the way, a giant long tentacle hit the road, leveling it with the ground and trees.
*Goo-p-p*
-Is it just me or are they getting bigger? - they slowed down.
-T-they're enveloping the island... - the cop's partner opened his mouth for the first time.
-I think we've arrived. - the officer got out of the car with everyone else and approached the tentacle. Its structure turned out to be dense, the whole mass was pulsating and writhing.
-Careful! - a tentacle suddenly shot up into the air above them and flattened the police car. Everyone managed to jump back.
-Cough-cough! - dust rose from the collision. - Now we'll have to go on foot. - two tentacles almost closed them in a ring, and a barely noticeable crack between them was the exit from it.
-There's the exit. Let's get out of here. - the hero felt responsible even for the officers in the current situation, heroes become heroes primarily because of their determination, but even heroes are broken by the world around them. It's hard to be a hero without killing anyone, to follow the laws.
Climbing through the disgusting tentacles, a writhing mass of miasma crawling out of the wall of flesh tried to grab their legs, but the group continued to move and help those who got into them get out of the grip of the disgusting crimson tentacles. They were called tails. They came through the forest to Kumejima, behind the wall of flesh there is a gas station, where other people were looking at the Hydra Tail - the same wall of flesh blocking the main road.
- Look, it's the police!
- Stay away from these Tails, they can grab you and drag you away! - the officer ran to pull out one of the people who was looking too close and got too distracted.
- Go back to your homes! - the hero said loudly. - It could be dangerous here.
- I need to see my family on the other side of the island! How can I get there?
- Yes! My car was crushed too! - the local population began to make noise.
The old man who works at the gas station came out with a shotgun and fired into the crimson sky, he was tired of all this noise.
- Shut up! You're interfering with my work, I still have to do the inventory of the warehouse! - everyone immediately fell silent, staring at the local gas station owner.
- What the hell of a report, the city is being evacuated!
- Ugh, I don't care what kind of aviation there is. I need to work. - spat the stubborn toothless old man, before the wall of flesh began to move towards the gas station to level it to the ground. People ran away, leaving their cars, some tried to take their things from the transport.
- Huh? What? - The old man began shooting at the advancing wall, pieces of flesh were torn off from it.
- Grandpa, we need to run! - his little granddaughter ran out of the gas station, slightly shaking from the loud shots.
- I will not give up without a fight! This is my gas station!
As the group ran back to the city, an officer named Ohamaru, who had been driving the car, had already abandoned the stubborn old man, but something made him turn around. "Girl!" Without waiting a second, he rushed forward, grabbing the crying girl back. Fear, pain in his legs, a writhing monster hanging in the sky, gradually swallowing the island in its deadly grip. Ohamaru had been afraid all his life.
Afraid of being in the background, of being forgotten, of being alone. His only sick old mother continued to believe in him and give him hope, it was thanks to her that he became a policeman, because of his useless trash quirk he could only become one.
He dreamed of not becoming a hero and saving everyone perfectly, he ran from his own fear of helplessness in the face of all-powerful villains and heroes who would simply crush him like a bug and not notice. That's why he settled on this island with his mother, that's why he ran to save the girl - he was running away from himself at such moments.
...
The Japanese Ministry of Emergency Situations wanted to conduct a flood evacuation, but now that the situation is changing and the risk may be both on the ground and in the sky. There is a plan to bring a cargo ship to the shores of Kumejima and urgently take everyone there - whoever they can. They will have to make several trips to pick everyone up. The boats that arrived took as many people as they could, many rubber boats also sailed to the shores, on the other hand, to pick up those who they could, since many of the island's residents are old and need care, and they will not be able to get to Kumejima due to blocked roads.
The Hydra noticed the movement and changed direction, previously moving towards Kumejima, suddenly picked up speed and tore up the soil with its tentacles, demolishing rocks and trees, reducing the distance to the other side of the island.
- This is the dispatcher! Get out of there quickly!!! The Hydra is approaching your direction! - the Ministry of Emergency Situations dispatcher reported to his rescuers on boats and motorboats. The sudden excitement created chaos and the boats began to sail away, interrupting the flow of people.
Many continued to swim in the water, hoping to catch on to a boat, for them an incredible incentive was the Hydra, squeezing a crowd of hundreds of people on the shore between its walls of tentacles. Crying and screaming in despair, in horror, many began to abandon the elderly on the shore, while the youth tried to swim out of the radius of destruction of the giant tentacles.
An elderly woman, holding her husband in a wheelchair by the hand, unable to move, humbly watched the approaching death. - I'm glad that I lived a life with you. - crying, they hugged each other before a huge cage of tentacles slammed shut, crushing everyone, even those in and under the water. The boats and motorboats with survivors managed to move far enough.
- Dispatcher, over. We got out... we had to leave some behind. - the EMERCOM liaison officer said desperately into the radio, which also heard the tired and bitter cries of the survivors, some had to ask their relatives and partners.
- Many ... - he added after turning off the radio.
- My God. - the amazed dispatcher said after a short pause. - ... In any case, swim to the ship, the FIC and the EMERCOM have set up a temporary headquarters there.
While the rescuers were trying to figure out how far the ship was safely from the shores of the island, Ohamaru carried the stubborn old man's paid granddaughter in his arms.
- Phew, we made it. - Ohamaru tried to catch his breath. The Hydra leveled the gas station and abruptly changed course to the other side of the island, they still had time.
- N-don't be afraid, your grandfather is already in a better world, he's okay now. - Ohamaru didn't know what to say in such situations. He had trouble communicating with children. - Where are your parents, are you lost? - he put the tearful girl on the ground. She calmed down a little and said that her parents went to the other side of the island on business and left her with her grandfather. «T-that's where the creature rushed, they're most likely dead.»
- Okay, how old are you, what's your name?
-Haruka, nine years old, don't treat me like a child! -said little girl with red eyes.
- But you are a child... - «It looks like it's hereditary.»
The officer looked around and didn't see the hero among the crowd. - Some hero, - he grimaced in contempt.
- Ahem, people, pay attention! The Ministry of Emergency Situations has announced an evacuation, they said to wait at the pier. Take your clothes and documents!
Some people were already starting to get upset, but Ohamaru didn't care, he wanted to get back to his mother and evacuate, he would have to look after this girl until she was evacuated, then the guardianship services would take care of her.
At least now he could do something. A group of four special forces soldiers without helmets and balaclavas, with a wounded man and pretty battered, came out from behind them. They took part in suppressing the Hydra, only four out of a dozen remained. People looked at them warily, there was no gratitude in their eyes, which is understandable. What should they be thanked for? Probably at least for trying to hold back the Hydra.
-Is there a doctor here?! Help the wounded man!-the special forces soldier shouted, addressing the crowd of people.
-My unit is not far from here, we need to hurry.- A doctor came out of the crowd, but without his tools it seemed unlikely to do anything. While the doctor and the comrades of the special forces soldier named Soryu were taking him to a medical facility, Soryu himself noticed that the departed officer had a radio. His own had been lost in the heat of battle or had broken down altogether, so the important task was to establish contact with the command and await further orders. Soryu himself was counting on an emergency evacuation; they would do little on the island. He began to follow Ohamaru.
...
While the events with the evacuation were unfolding and the group of key figures in the story was gradually forming, Nobu stood on the threshold of the very house he had climbed; going and looking for any other targets seemed a pointless waste of energy to him.
- Sorry for the intrusion. - it seemed to him that he had not spoken his native Japanese in an informal atmosphere for a hundred years. An elderly woman came out to meet them, although you wouldn't say so right away. In front of her, behind a low fence, was a boy in shabby clothes, slightly resembling a ragamuffin.
«And those red eyes reminded me of her granddaughter's eyes. But so wild, accustomed to seeing evil everywhere...»
-Can I take a break for a while? Sorry for being so sudden... - the communication did not create any awkwardness in communication inherent in children his age for him, he spoke with intonation and calmly, which definitely gave him maturity and a couple of years on top. He knew that women react more sentimentally to children than men. He wanted to create an image in this woman's head of an unpretentious boy who needed help. The sound of the siren created a special atmosphere.
-Hello, are you lost? I haven't seen you in these parts before. - the woman thought for a while.
-My name is Nobu, I'm in transit through this island, but the siren started and I got scared. - his face did not really express emotions, so it seemed a little strange combination.
-Nice to meet you, by the way, you can call me aunt. I have a long name. Come in, don't be shy. - she kindly invited into the house. - Hearing sirens on the island is nothing new, sometimes there were tsunamis several meters high. - She tried not to stress the situation because of the siren, which, by the way, turned off as soon as they entered a cozy small house with a garden. Inside, it smelled of expensive cedar, and on the floor there was a large lush carpet.
- No, no, young man, you need to take off your shoes in the house. - Nobu remembered Teruko's moralizing. There were also pleasant times with the woman he considered a grandmother, but mostly everything came down to disgust, sometimes she was too strict, sometimes she did not care at all.
- There is a shower, here is the toilet. Do you want me to warm up some vegetable stew? - Apparently the woman was trying to calm her anxiety, nervously tugging at the sleeve of her robe. Nobu nodded and walked into the shower room, his enhanced hearing allowing him to hear every crack of wood under his feet, it was a bit nerve wracking.
«It's useful in battle, but in everyday life it's all trouble.» Nobu dried himself with a towel and was angry at his too good hearing. He literally heard every rustle even behind the walls, and his strong imagination completed the picture. How this woman put some round object on the stove, obviously a saucepan, in which the mass bubbled.
God, he even visualized the evaporation of water, as if he heard it too. Many details completed the picture, which he didn't even look at. And with all this, he managed to miss that pathetic boatswain who came up close to him from behind. «What can I say? I lost my vigilance!»
The woman prepared some things for him, but they were somehow too childish and colorful with pictures. Sorting through the T-shirts that apparently belonged to a female, maybe his granddaughter, he saw a picture of an unknown muscular hero in a strange suit and with a wide smile, the picture tried to inspire hope.
Of course, he wasn't going to wear something like that, fortunately he washed and sent the clothes to the dryer. It wasn't difficult to figure out the interface of the washing machine, intuitively press a couple of buttons and select the time. Since the clothes were still drying, he put on blue shorts from the pile of unnecessary clothes that they gave him. Nobu was slightly overgrown, so he combed his hair back. «What beautiful hair I have.»
- Nobu, are you there soon? The stew is getting cold.
- What an unusual feeling ... - he whispered to himself. - I'm coming.
He didn't want to show the scars on his body, so he had to put on a damn T-shirt of a crazy hero with an idiotic smile, of course the scars on his forearms from the good old monkeys were visible. «Brrr. What sharp fangs they have.»
He opened the door.
-Now you are a male copy of my granddaughter. Ha-ha. - Nobu felt like an idiot in this T-shirt, so he went to eat the long-awaited stew. Throughout the entire hygiene process, he smelled the delicious stew even behind the wall and tormented himself in anticipation of trying it. Of course, in addition to hearing, vision and smell, the sense of balance inherent in cats, their grace, also increased, which is why it was easy for him to maintain balance on the water. If tobacco smoke is more disgusting to him than usual, then the food is tastier than usual.
Having sat down, he began to savor the food. The woman noticed an unusual symbol on Nobu's chest and found it strange that if he was a believer, then why did not say a prayer before eating. Also, unusual scars on his hands, this puzzled her, but she decided not to bother.
-This is the most delicious thing I have eaten in the last month. - Nobu said while chewing.
-Thank you, dear. - the woman glanced at her watch, which did not escape Nobu's attention.
-Are you waiting for someone?
-Granddaughter, I hope she did not get lost in this chaos. - the house was on the outskirts of Kumejima, far from the raging Hydra.
-Is she an adult already? - Nobu thought that if she was an adult, she would not get lost.
-Heh, maybe your age. In general, she went with her parents, and they left her with my ex-husband at a gas station on the way, so that fool could look after her. It would have been better if they left her with me.
-...- Nobu did not know what to answer, but thought about it for a long time. - Auntie, can you cut my hair?
-Oh, of course. I used to work in a hairdresser, and I had an interesting client once... - Nobu stopped listening to her while his hair was being trimmed. He caught the scent of some flea-bitten creature that crawled out from around the corner, also sensing the intruder. The white cat stuck out and looked into Nobu's predatory eyes, and after holding eye contact for a while, the animal gave up and ran away. In Japan, having cats in the house is a common thing, but the reaction of the seemingly most peaceful cat in the village to Nobu was unusual. Others could calmly pet the docile cat, but Nobu avoided her with fury and animal horror.
«Even when I came to the village, the barking of dogs stopped, and the smell of animals weakened, apparently they kept away from me or are they scared of this creature? The island is quite large, and it hasn't reached here yet.»
The hiss of the previously silent portable table radio was heard.
- An emergency evacuation of the island has been announced... - After listening to the dispatcher's message, the woman became alarmed, obviously worried about her granddaughter.
- Oh my God, what is going on... First the sky turned red, some terrible roar, a siren, and now this. I'll probably go call my people.
- Do you have a map of the island?
- A map... no, probably, but wait. - The woman opened one of the old magazines called "Kume Travel Guide" with an expressive cover. Inside there is a compact map of the island's attractions. Then she went to get the phone. Nobu looked closely at the map legend: Central Museum, Darumayama Park, Kumejima Airport.
«Overall, it looks like subtropics, somewhat similar to Myanmar. A large island, however, and the population is scattered throughout the area. They will not be able to carry out an air evacuation because of what they called the Hydra. Maybe the firefighters, the police on the island will do something... I don't know.» On the one hand, he was disgusted to interfere in something that was not his business, he was just a child, what would he do? He himself should survive, but...
Nobu heard a disappointed quiet sigh from the woman in the other room and approached her. She held the home phone with a trembling hand.
-T-they didn't pick up the phone.
«...but at least I should try to thank the old lady for the reception and find my granddaughter in this chaos. I won't get into trouble, nothing risky.»
-Don't worry, I can help.
-How?
-I'll find her. I have a map, all that's left is to find out where we are, where the gas station is, what you can help with. - he pokes her with an open page of the magazine. She had never heard such refreshing cheerfulness from a child before. To declare with such masculine confidence, as if he was ready to take on responsibility that exceeds his capabilities.
-I doubt you can do anything about it, little one - she smiled slightly. -Just point out the location. - he insisted.
-Gods, I hope you don't get lost. - she puts a cross on the map - their location and where the gas station is.
The first contract in Nobu's life is taken, this action has much more meaning for Nobu than one might think at first glance.
-You had a granddaughter living with you, right?
-Yes, why are you asking?
-Tell me, do you have a closet? - the woman looked questioningly. - They went into the closet, where various toys were neatly packed in boxes.
- Of course, I forbade her to shoot from it. - She pointed to the slingshot. - I left it, because every thing from it is important.
Nobu immediately realized that the slingshot was actually the not bad option for Expansion, fast, compact and light in weight and, if you use the ability correctly, it will be as powerful as a cannon. He also found a box with long paper clips, he also took it with him.
-But why do you need all this.
-Along with this, the chances increase. - Nobu said before going into the drying room and putting on his clothes.
-Chances? Hey, the clothes are still wet!