At the police station, Sakamoto’s cellphone rang incessantly atop a cluttered desk—a device he’d long forgotten. Airi rose from her desk and answered the call.
Hours later, Sakamoto finally arrived at the station. He immediately demanded:
Sakamoto: “Did you see my phone? I can’t find it!”
Airi quipped with a teasing tone:
Airi: “After you hit ninety, forgetting things is perfectly normal.”
Sakamoto huffed in anger:
Sakamoto: “Who is over ninety?”
Airi: “Oh, sorry—were you talking to me? I didn’t catch that; I was just remembering something from the internet.”
Sakamoto was convinced she was mocking him but chose to ignore it.
Airi: “Oh, and another thing—your phone was on the table, and the kid called.”
A sigh of relief escaped Sakamoto as he retrieved his phone.
Sakamoto: “Kid?”
Airi: “Yes—the one from the online game.”
Sakamoto: “What did he say?”
Airi: “Nothing major—just the usual blather about that guild, basically repeating what he mentioned last time.”
Dejected, Sakamoto slumped back into his chair. Then Airi’s tone shifted as she added:
Airi: “And he sent a photo—a picture of someone supposedly killed on the night of the murders, sent as a threat.”
Sakamoto leapt from his chair, alarmed.
Sakamoto: “That last part sounds serious!”
He strode over to Airi’s desk.
Sakamoto: “I never got a look at that photo during the case… In truth, I didn’t have access to anything back then.”
Airi: “I did a full analysis of it—there’s a 99% chance it’s unedited and shows a real victim. I even examined the bullet holes with specialized software. It’s 99% likely they were fired from army drones, or at least from drones of the same model.”
Sakamoto’s face darkened.
Sakamoto: “This is getting really problematic.”
Airi: “So, when are we going to raid that army base? If I’m not mistaken, there’s one nearby with the drones we need to investigate.”
Sakamoto: “Are you crazy? It’s an army base—that could spell huge trouble for us.”
Airi arched an eyebrow, her tone playful yet determined:
Airi: “Let’s skip the part where I pretend you’re not planning to invade. If you don’t let me come along, I’ll spill everything to everyone.”
Sakamoto: “You…”
Airi: “Besides, you need me—I’m the only one here who understands tech.”
Reluctantly, Sakamoto agreed.
Under the cloak of night, Sakamoto and Airi neared the isolated military base, hidden among dense vegetation and towering trees. Sakamoto parked the car discreetly and hid behind a copse just short of the base’s perimeter. As soon as the imposing structure came into view, Hayato emerged silently from behind a tree and joined them.
Sakamoto glanced at Airi, confusion written on his face.
Airi: “I already informed him of our location.”
Sakamoto: “This isn’t a joke—either we get arrested or, worse, killed.”
Airi: “It’s thanks to him that we’re here… I thought it was only fair to give a heads-up.”
Hayato: “I won't get in your way.”
Sakamoto: “Oh, really? And who’s going to protect you? This isn’t a video game.”
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Airi: “Don’t worry—I have everything planned.”
Airi opened her backpack and produced four high-tech bracelets, handing two each to Sakamoto and Hayato. She already wore three on her right arm.
Airi: “One prevents camera detection, and the other dodges drone tracking.”
She tapped the watch on her left wrist, and instantly a holographic map of the military base materialized before them.
Airi: “Our target is near the center—right where the database is. I just need to plug this tiny flash drive in for ten seconds to copy all the data, and then we’re out.”
Sakamoto: “Where did you get all this gear?”
Airi puffed out her chest proudly.
Airi: “Secret. But if you ask nicely, maybe I’ll share a few details.” (She winked.)
Sakamoto: “Forget it—I’m not interested. Let’s move.”
The military base loomed ahead, encircled by a 5-meter-high metal fence with drones patrolling every corner. Sakamoto and Hayato exchanged nervous glances as they watched the drones’ movements. Airi emerged from behind the trees and walked calmly through the main gate. Both Sakamoto and Hayato were taken aback.
Airi: “What are you waiting for? They can’t see us.”
She quickly pointed to the bracelets on their arms, then continued confidently.
Airi: “I know you’re worried, Sakamoto, but if anything goes wrong, I’ll run off with Hayato and leave you behind as bait.”
Sakamoto managed a reluctant nod.
Sakamoto: “Yeah, that’s probably the best plan.”
Airi frowned at his approval.
Airi: “That’s no fun.”
Inside the base, they navigated past numerous flying and ground drones and passed several tents filled with inactive devices until they reached their destination: the center of the base.
Airi: “See? Simple—just as planned.”
Sakamoto: “Hurry up with that then; I want out of here as soon as possible.”
Hayato: “Was it supposed to be this easy?”
High above, a special humanoid drone hovered beyond the clouds, silently watching. The database was housed in a small tower within a makeshift shack, with several inactive drones lining the path.
As soon as Airi plugged the tiny flash drive into the database, the drone that had been monitoring them crashed onto the tent’s exit door with a deafening noise, blocking their escape and leaving a gaping hole where it landed. This impact activated all the deactivated drones and set off the base alarm.
Airi: “That wasn’t supposed to happen!”
The special drone—about 1.85 meters tall and humanoid in form—was slightly shorter than Sakamoto, who was standing near it. Sakamoto raised his fist, ready to strike, but Airi shouted, halting him.
Airi: “Calm down! They still can’t see us; remain still for now.”
The drones began to patrol the shack, scanning the area. The special drone turned its head, using its sensors to search for something inside the tent while remaining fixed at the door. One drone inside the shack moved toward Hayato, nearly colliding with him. Hayato instinctively fell back to avoid a crash, drawing the special drone’s attention. Suddenly, the special drone extended two small, rotating machine guns from its belly. Before it could fire, Sakamoto stepped back into the tent, redirecting its focus. Grabbing a nearby humanoid drone, Sakamoto used it as a makeshift shield and dashed toward the special drone. The drone fired its mini machine guns relentlessly. The shield drone shattered on impact and collided with the special drone, sending both Sakamoto and the wreckage flying backward, opening a path out of the tent.
Sakamoto: “Grab the flash drive—let’s get out of here!”
Airi: “I can’t; we’re surrounded by drones—I need more time!”
Sakamoto: “Forget the flash drive, then. Let’s leave before we lose our lives!”
Airi bolted out of the tent, but Hayato lingered, waiting for a chance to reclaim the flash drive.
Outside, Sakamoto, Airi, and the special drone—as well as several other drones—rushed about amid the blaring alarm.
Sakamoto: “They can’t see us, right?”
Airi: “Not for now!”
The special drone began firing randomly. One shot grazed Sakamoto’s left arm, leaving a shallow wound.
Sakamoto: “At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before we die. Any plan?”
Airi slowly retrieved a small metal ball from her backpack and tossed it nearby. Concealing her hands behind her back so the special drone couldn’t detect her movements, one of the bracelets on her arm began to glow. The metal ball started moving in sync with her gestures. Initially, the ball caught the special drone’s attention, and it attempted to fire—but soon, realizing it was just a diversion, the drone resumed its random shooting.
Sakamoto: “It’s not working!”
Suddenly, Airi took a shot in the leg. Sakamoto’s face filled with concern.
Airi: “Don’t tell me!”
She offered a small, rueful smile.
Airi: “But that wasn’t the plan.”
Airi then used the iron ball to lure the common drones, causing them to crash into the special drone and deal minor damage. The special drone began to act erratically—flying, shooting, its bullets whizzing perilously close to Sakamoto and Airi. Meanwhile, the metal ball attracted every flying drone in the vicinity.
Sakamoto: “Airi!”
Airi: “No need to say it twice.”
The metal ball halted just beneath the special drone. Airi ceased hiding her hands and clapped sharply, unleashing a magnetic pulse that drew the special drone, all nearby flyers, and the metal ball together. In a matter of seconds, they were sucked into a massive heap of drones—a tangled mass of scrap metal that collapsed to the ground in one giant ball.
Airi: “Take advantage—while it’s stuck! Let’s go!”
Sakamoto: “Where’s the kid?”
Airi: “Oh! I forgot him; he must still be inside the tent.”
Sakamoto dashed into the tent and found Hayato, who was desperately trying to retrieve the flash drive.
Sakamoto: “Let’s go—right now, we have to prioritize our lives!”
Hayato listened, fuming, but when he turned to confront Sakamoto, he saw the wounds from the grazing shots. Defeated, he lowered his head and left the flash drive behind.
Then, the special drone—trapped within the heap—emitted a powerful electromagnetic pulse that deactivated all nearby devices: the metal ball, every drone in the base, and even the stealth bracelets.
Sakamoto winced as a small shock coursed through him.
Sakamoto: “What was that?”
A low, rhythmic pounding soon emanated from inside the drone heap, surrounding the special drone.
Airi: “It’s an EMP!”
Sakamoto: “What’s an EMP?”
Airi: “Electromagnetic pulse.”
Sakamoto’s confused expression deepened.
Airi: “All the drones are deactivated—and we’re no longer invisible.”
Inside the tent, seizing the moment, Hayato grabbed the flash drive and slipped out. He immediately came face-to-face with the special drone emerging from the drone ball, flinging drones in every direction. The special drone was severely damaged—it struggled to lift off the ground. It scanned the area and locked onto the trio, its rotating machine guns swiveling ominously.