In the darkness of the munitions factory, multiple figures moved through the shadows.
As a small unit, their potential was easily among the top in all of Kivotos.
As such, if they were to engage in open combat, the entire factory would be reduced to rubble in an instant, but their top priority was to access the network.
"Their armaments are considerable, but not unbeatable. If combat begins, it might be advantageous to destroy the explosives production line immediately".
`[Oh my, you're more aggressive than I imagined. However… if you carelessly damage the production line, the damage could spread to all of Kivotos.
Kaiser Industries' share of the total market is enormous, you know.]`.
"…I wasn't speaking of my intent to act. It was merely a hypothetical for an unavoidable situation".
`[By the way, I am about to offer you some advice that will become the flesh and blood of a Super Genius Frail Pretty Girl, so please listen carefully.
Comparing the layouts of the 1st and 2nd factories, the most likely location for the security console is…]`.
"Shh".
Saori cut off the transmission and gave hand signals to the squad. They were as accustomed to communicating with hand signals as they were with sign language for Atsuko's sake, and their speed was just as fast.
The squad waited for a pair of patrolling security automatons to pass before advancing again.
"…Where was that likely location you were just talking about?".
[I never thought you'd cut me off so mercilessly. A frail pretty girl like a delicate flower such as myself needs to be treated with a bit more… finesse, you know.].
"…Sigh".
`[Fufu… After a more detailed analysis, it seems the design of the 1st Factory, unlike the 2nd, was based on the premise of underground expansion.
That means you'll only be able to access the network after entering the underground facility. So, from now on, it's a change of plans.♪]`.
Saori's brow furrowed at the mention of a change of plans. Wasn't this something their operator could have told them before they even entered?.
"…A 'change of plans' is not something to be discussed so lightly. First, where is the closest point to the passage leading to this underground facility?".
`[It was marked with a 'G' on the blueprints, I believe. Oh, and the underground facility is highly likely to double as a research lab, so…
you should consider any important documents there as part of your mission objectives.]`.
Why was a simple task getting more complicated by the second? The culprit was undoubtedly that self-proclaimed Super Genius Frail Pretty Girl Hacker.
Saori shook her head a moment later.
Complicated or not, their duty to carry out the mission remained unchanged.
"Ehehe… our work has just increased… I'm used to things getting harder than planned, but why can't I get used to the suffering…?".
"Hiyori, this can be seen as an opportunity. Depending on what information we retrieve from the underground research facility, it could be of great help to Mika.
This is by no means a purely negative situation".
"Leader, Point G is to the right from here".
…For now, the squad's immediate priority was to enter that underground facility.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!.
Yukino clicked her tongue as she took down a security automaton that was providing support from a second-floor platform.
Given that the factory had been hit once before, she had expected security to be tighter than usual.
But who would have thought that they, who prided themselves on being the elite of the elite, would be discovered before they even made it inside the factory?.
As a result, they were forced to fight their way through, and their advance had slowed to a crawl.
"Dammit. Otogi, put that away and take this!".
Kurumi, who had been fighting with her pistol, half-threw her assault rifle and a magazine to Otogi before raising her shield and moving toward a nearby fallen automaton.
She then smoothly picked up the submachine gun the automaton had been using and checked its condition.
"For a security automaton, this is a damn fine gun. Squad Leader! Judging by the number of forces coming from the rear, we need to pick up the pace… If this keeps up, we might get completely isolated.
That would make the mission several times harder".
"…Acknowledged. From now on, FOX 2 will take the lead and clear a path to the security console. I'll provide cover. FOX 3, 4, hold off the rear forces as much as possible and follow".
"Got it, Squad Leader. I'm counting on your cover".
Niko nodded and, with her shotgun at the ready, began to push back the wave of security forces from the front.
Yukino's judgment that Niko's breakthrough power was stronger than Kurumi's, who usually took the point-man position, proved to be correct.
Thanks to her, FOX Squad reached the control room not long after, but they couldn't stay for long.
They had to finish their work quickly if they didn't want to become rats in a trap.
"Operator, begin your work immediately".
At Yukino's words, after she connected the pre-supplied USB-based hacking tool to the security console, Chihiro began her work.
[What is this… the firewall is tougher than I expected. And the security base is completely different from what we provide. Three minutes won't be nearly enough for this.].
"…In that case, what is the revised estimated time?".
`[Ten minutes. I can't do it in less. If it weren't for
I didn't think Kaiser was capable of building security of this level on their own…]`.
"This is… problematic".
The plan had been to establish access to the network, extract the main data, and withdraw immediately.
Ten minutes was more than enough time for them to be isolated and for reinforcements from the PMC or headquarters to arrive.
"Squad Leader, thinking rationally, we should abort the mission here.
Ten minutes plus the time to extract data means reinforcements could arrive at any moment.
Securing the network won't be the end of it".
"…I know".
"Sigh… You're impossible. If we retreat now, there obviously won't be a second chance, and the operations for the other subsidiaries will effectively be halted.
I guess we have no choice".
Niko lightly tapped Kurumi on the shoulder, a gesture for her to follow, then checked her remaining magazines and scratched her cheek with a finger.
"Hmm… Looks like I'll have to borrow some of their weapons.
If you have a spare shotgun, I'll take it, Kurumi-chan".
The hellish cycle of more security automatons appearing than the foxes could take down.
And through it all, Chihiro, listening to the intense sounds of the firefight over the comms, body drenched in sweat, poured her soul into the screen before her.
"Ahaha! How dull. To think you'd try to backstab me with only this much power. As expected, a notorious reputation isn't always something to be believed".
Wherever Wakamo passed, countless security automatons piled up like heaps of scrap. Originally, the students hired by Kaiser should have been with them, but as it was so late, the only security at the Kaiser Industries headquarters were the automatons.
Explosions frequently erupted, creating a scene of pandemonium, but this would not add to the infamy of the Calamity Fox.
The moment Kaiser's misdeeds were revealed to the public, Wakamo's actions would be justified, at least in the eyes of the students of Kivotos.
"Ah, how boring. So boring. Therefore, you should all just die".
Where Wakamo was about to pass, there was merciless gunfire.
Where Wakamo was passing, there were relentless explosions.
And where Wakamo had passed, only eerie flames remained, flickering.
Even as the installed sprinklers activated and rained down, Wakamo's rampage continued from floor to floor.
As if to prove she wasn't known as one of Kivotos's most infamous terrorists for nothing, the security of a major corporation's headquarters was being unilaterally decimated by a single person.
Of course, if this were the PMC headquarters, such a feat would have been impossible even for Wakamo.
But she was no common criminal to be held back by mere security automatons that could be neatly dispatched with a single bullet each.
[This is quite the demoralizing sight. I can't just blow it up, since the network would be fried, but a light EMP would be enough to put a company into an unrecoverable state in an instant.].
[…Scary.].
"Ohoho, this is, so to speak, my retirement stage as the Calamity Fox… or something similar. After this operation, I promised that person I would become a new woman. Therefore, it must be the most spectacular retirement ceremony, befitting the infamy I have built up, wouldn't you agree?".
[…I don't think it really has to be.].
Brushing aside Hare's jab, Wakamo's advance never stopped for a single moment.
At some point, the security reinforcements from the lower floors ceased, and as she ascended to the upper floors of the building, the number of security forces only dwindled.
Along the way, Hare had used a drone sent in with Wakamo to access the network and leave behind a malicious code and a backdoor for Himari to work with, but since it wasn't a full-blown security breach, it didn't take long.
"Finally, the top floor. Fufu, you said I just need to toss the listening devices anywhere but the floor, right?".
`[What did you even hear of my explanation? They're delicate instruments, so you need to place them in various spots yourself.
Under the corner of the president's desk, behind the chair, etc… Since I'm sharing your vision through the drone, just place them where I tell you.]`.
Unlike the other two squads, who were struggling at the same time, Wakamo, who had comfortably and swiftly achieved her final objective, noticed the PC in the president's office and a fresh smile bloomed behind her mask.
"You know, things are going so well that it seems I won't be interrupted for a while… and there just so happens to be a PC here. I, Wakamo, would like to ask you two a small favor. Yes. I wish to witness for myself the skills of the genius hacker club that that person praised so highly".
[…After hearing all that, I can't just sit still. Alright, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what kind of secrets are hidden here.].
While FOX Squad and Arius Squad were locked in a one-sided competition for results, Wakamo was already confidently racking up extra credit.