Chapter 174

The three continued walking through the snow and arrived at a building on the outskirts of the city.

Their destination was not the in the building, but below it.

When they descended to the basement, they stumbled upon a training area.

At this very moment, the training is taking place.

“Enemy Contact!”

“Open fire!”

After a series of intense gunfire and flashes, multiple soldiers move forward, moving smoothly in tandem, like programmed robots.

Houses without roofs and buildings without walls in the large underground floor. The floor also mimicked outdoor environments such as forests and wilderness, and a high platform was set up so that visitors could get a bird’s eye view of them from above.

Abigail peeked down to observe the training.

“–All clear!”

“Thirty seconds left!”

“Go, go, go, go, go!”

“Hurry up, Grass!”

“Left-wing forward!”

“Twenty seconds left!”

“–COVER FIRE!”

With that word, machine gunfire erupted from the rear.

Under the deafening sound of gunfire, the crouching soldiers advance in unison.

“Break!”

“Ten seconds left!”

“I’m out!”

“Where’s Grass!”

“Zero!”

“CEASEFIRE! CEASEFIRE!”

When the gunfire stopped, a figure was seen running lagging into the area in a cloud of bright white gunpowder smoke. It was a young soldier.

“Grass! You lazy bastard! Five people in the center were killed by aliens because you were too slow!”

“Hah …… hah …… sorry!”

“Let’s start over! All in position!”

Such intense training seems to continue for a while longer.

After seeing this, InoRyder yawned, moved to the next shooting range, and started shooting at targets by herself. There was a loud noise coming from that side as well.

Intrigued, Abigail entered the shooting range and stood behind her.

Then, perhaps sensing her, InoRyder stopped shooting, removed her earmuffs, and turned around.

“–You’re using a revolver, right?”

InoRyder usually has two large revolvers hanging from her waist. unlike the standard military pistol that is automatic.

“All Foxes use these” she said. “It is the last gun you want to risk your life with.”

InoRyder lifted her revolver.

“What do you mean by risk your life on it?”

“You see, if we pull this out, It means must be getting up really close with an alien. At that point, we’ll get wet in the rain, in the river, and in the mud. If it gets jammed then we can’t shoot them or even kill ourselves. and this one is more versatile. You can use big bullets and special rounds that have high firing power.”

InoRyder pulled one of the bullets out of her jacket.

“–That’s right. Special ammo, overpressure ammunition, a.k.a. R I P Magnum bullets.”

“RIP –Rest in Peace bullets?”

Receiving the bullet and looking at it, Abigail commented. The bullet head was jagged like shark teeth.

“RIP or Radically Invasive Projectile. It’s a bullet that, when it hits flesh, shatters into sharp little pieces and rips the insides to shreds.”

“I’ve heard that handguns can’t penetrate alien defenses, so it’s useless to shoot them.”

“From a distance, yes. But for some reason, their protective coatings can be neglected when they are in close proximity. Handguns also have the advantage of their compact size, so if we can screw it into a gap in their armor or put the muzzle directly on their chest and shoot them with RIP, we might have a chance to survive with that.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

“Probably this knowledge is something only a soldier on the front line would have, the idea is that if I die, you die too. It’s not part of normal training to have a sword or spear already stucks in one’s chest and then step forward and pull out your gun.

“That’s what they teach you at Fox, isn’t it?”

The InoRyder then smiled ferociously, “Yes and …….”

“We Foxes are the demon dog, who even in death can still bite off the throats of the alien.”

she then closed her eyes and gave a small shrug, “– something like that.”

“This revolver’s name is or aconite from the legend. An ancient deadly poison that was created from the drooling of the demon wolf Cerberus.”

She shows it off by waving her revolver.

“I heard that Senpai named it simply because Wolfsbane sounds cool. She came up with the idea when she was watching a B-movie about vampire hunters and saw that they used aconite to ward off vampires. She thought that if the amulet worked on vampires, it would work on aliens, too.”

“Huh,” Abigail replies.

“You know, she likes to name everything. Even that sniper rifle Senpai used was–“

“InoRyder”

At the sound of Vani’s voice, InoRyder raised her gaze, and Abigail looked back over her shoulder.

She showed up at the shooting range with a man behind her.

He was a large man. One could see his muscular physique even through his clothes. His arms were toned.

Most striking was his beard. A thick beard covered the lower half of his face. The beard was trimmed under his chin, making his head look square.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Thank you for your hard work even at the end of the year, Eriksen. Why did you bother to train so hard today? Is it fun to abuse them?”

At InoRyder’s scowl, the man called Eriksen crossed his arms and scoffed.

“It takes confidence to fight the aliens head-on and survive. Not just words, but real confidence, backed up by the amount of training and preparation that allows a soldier to say with all his heart he has done everything he can, that he has drawn out every drop of warrior blood that lies dormant inside him, that is what brings true confidence to a soldier.”

“ah well, this incredibly athletic old man here is Eriksen. He is the Mjolnir of the Delta team. I’ve known him for a long time. And this incredibly Hollywood beauty is Abigail. She’s that damsel-in-distress who wants to talk to the old man.”

After being introduced, Abigail turned and held out her hand.

“I’m Abigail.”

“I’m Eriksen …….”

While shaking hands, Eriksen was petrified and looked at Abigail’s face.

“What is it….?”

He glared at InoRyder, still holding Abigail’s hand.

“What is this all about.”

“Golden Grim Reaper, I need you to tell us a few things about Nigel.”

“……”

Eriksen, who had seen Abigail’s face again, looked at her and asked “…… a relative?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. I heard you know a lot about her.”

Eriksen crossed his arms muffledly and cleared his throat.

“I don’t know if I know much about her, but I’ve been on the front lines with her. I’ve known her since she was a kid when she joined Fox.”

“Did she ever mention that she had any relatives? Or where she came from.”

“No….” Eriksen shook his head.” The kid was the type of person that didn’t talk about herself. and I have a policy of staying out of private things, too.”

“That ain’t gonna work old man.” InoRyder held her head.

“Then …… what kind of soldier was she? Nigel.”

“Hmmm…….”

Eriksen scratched his head as Abigail’s eyes were tinged with a melancholy look.

” She is the elusive type, but she was a true soldier. I liked her stubbornness, the way she would never stop doing something once she decided to do it. though, she didn’t seem to like to get involved with people.”

“stubbornness, Why did she hate other people?”

“She seems uncomfortable unless she has to finish what she promises to do. I remember her saying she couldn’t be bothered to get involved with a lot of people. However, once acknowledged as friends, she would not abandon them. On the other hand, she showed no mercy to those she regarded as enemies. She was such a chivalrous woman.”

“So……”

“I’ve asked her to join Delta a couple of times. She rejected me outright. She said that the Fox, who always operates outside the Fort is better suited to her personality than those of us who only come out when it’s time to fight.”

After a chuckle, Eriksen continued.

“Nigel was relied upon by Delta and Beta. more than a hundred or two hundred people would have lost their lives if not for that girl sniping skill. This whole 88 was saved because of her.”

“Hmmm” hummed Vani. She had never met her in person and seemed intrigued by this Nigel she had only heard about.

“I’ve heard some bad things about her” Abigail started to say, but InoRyder interrupted her “It was Alpha.”

“Those people in Alpha were especially hostile to Senpai!”

Vani followed with a frown “The Alpha captain, annoying.”

“Ah yes, Agasa. It’s like we don’t understand each other anymore. Now Alpha is all about discipline discipline discipline… “

InoRyder bit her teeth bitterly.

“I was always with Senpai, She loves freedom, values being resourceful, and rushes through the shortest route with maximum efficiency.”

“Don’t say that. The Alpha Team was also tasked with maintaining security inside the Fort, so they were more like military police in nature. It’s a different kind of hardship than ours, where killing aliens is all we need to do.”

Eriksen patted Vani on the head.

“What about two years ago, when she disappeared during the defense of Fort 89?”

“Oh. That’s what I heard. It’s more likely she was—-“

for a moment, Eriksen’s gaze wandered, as if he had difficulty saying it.

“–deceased.”

” I see ……” Abigail, with her eyes downcast, suddenly looked up.

“How do you know she is dead?”

“I heard a rumor that they saw Nigel’s body. I, for my part, haven’t seen it myself.”

“Rumor?”

Eriksen rubbed his chin then turned to InoRyder.

“InoRyder? Did you see it?”

“No…… I was escorting retreating civilians and wounded soldiers to the back at the time. When I tried to return after evacuating everyone, 89 had already fallen into the hands of the enemy.”

“…… Then who saw it?”

“It’s a guy named Wakefield from Romeo. He’s a special forces guy. And then there’s…”

After a pause there, InoRyder continued, looking a bit lost.

“–our ‘former’ captain.”

“former captain. …….”

Silence came to the firing range when Abigail spoke.

Only the sounds of the noisy training echoed through the firing range.

Eriksen broke the silence.

“–then there’s Agasa from Alpha, an old-timer if you can call it that. And then there’s the diabolical old man from November. That dirty old man is an old-timer too. It was that old gunsmith who made Nigel’s gun and special ammunition.”

A subtle look then appeared on Abigail’s face.

“…… I met him in person the other day ……. I didn’t notice any unusual reactions.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Geez, that old man, how can you not notice…… are your mind starting to get foggy?”

Eriksen grunted.

Abigail took a deep breath and ask.

“Last question. Captain Eriksen, I wonder if you have heard anything about Nigel’s real name.”

“real name?”

There was no lie on his face as he lifted one eyebrow in surprise.

“…… No, I don’t. All I know is the name Nigel.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Abigail looked at him with some disappointment.

Eriksenthen quickly preface his words with, “I’ve never heard of it really.”

“In that case, I think you’re asking the wrong person.”

InoRyder said.

“what do you mean?”

Abigail turned around, InoRyder sighed and then spoke loudly.

“—- then! I guess we’ll just ask the person who seems to know the most!”

“?”

As Abigail was puzzled, unable to catch up, then Eriksen added.

“It was who brought Nigel to the 88. Jill-Garnier, the former captain of the Fox and the man who raised her, you might be able to ask him about her real name and origins.”

“But I thought he was already dead…….”

“He’s alive.”

InoRyder said plainly.

“What, He’s alive? I thought I heard…….”

“He’s alive, but he’s in a place where it’s kind of hard to see him.”

Uncharacteristically, Vani mumbled her words. she looks rather vexed.

Guessing something, Abigail looks at Eriksen.

“—- Garnier is now imprisoned.”

Eriksen, too, replied with a grim expression.