Episode 3 『Mass Infection』
26. Mobilization
When O'Brien passed through Traveler's Street in Haltzburg, something caught his eye. It was a newspaper kiosk just over 2 meters tall. These days, when most stores downtown were unmanned and automated, making it hard to find clerks, O'Brien found it fascinating that a newspaper kiosk, which he thought had disappeared much earlier, was so prominently situated. On the kiosk's roof was the nostalgic inscription 'since 1950.' Thinking it might be a tourist product made by the city, he was looking around inside when he was startled as a small window suddenly slid open.
"What are you doing?"
From inside flowed an elderly woman's voice with a slight tremor. O'Brien was surprised there was a person there, but was more flustered that the question directed at him wasn't asking what item he was looking for, but rather treating him as a suspicious person. He stood awkwardly for a while before ordering a pack of cigarettes. Then he looked at the paper newspapers on the kiosk, and they weren't old ones.
『Near 5th Crater, Volcanic Eruption with Explosion Index Above 3.0. Is the Great Catastrophe Starting Again?』
『Aging Earth, People Trembling with Fear』
『Voyager 10 Not Returning, Immigration Policy Effectively Postponed Indefinitely』
Looking at the latest articles in the paper newspaper created the illusion that relics of the past had already foreseen the future era. Since people usually watched news through hologram images projected by satellites, paper newspapers were quite an awkward existence for those who didn't have reading as a hobby. The front page of the newspaper was, as always, full of sensational and skeptical content.
"Hey. O'Brien."
The man approaching while calling O'Brien in a phlegm-filled voice from afar was 'Lance,' who had changed his affiliation from the southern branch Houston to the southern branch Kargopol a few months ago. Wearing a headband on his head and sporting a bushy beard, he waved at O'Brien with his hand wearing black leather half-gloves. He was as cheerful in personality as his cleanly bald head, and was quite famous among hunters in Pramo. He always liked chatting with colleagues at the 'Old Tavern,' and while many people knew his name was Lance, not many actually knew his occupation was hunter.
"Long time no see? Already missing Pramo?"
"Of course. I've never seen a place with people as clueless as here. Taking good care of the lady?"
"Well, yeah."
"What great composure. Having such a precious lady close by and still scratching your bald head."
"Ha. Looking at you talk nonsense, you seem to be doing well. Why are you here?"
"Didn't you hear the news? The hunter mobilization notice."
"Mobilization?"
"The assembly point is Houston headquarters?"
"Really? First I'm hearing of it."
When O'Brien gave a command to his satellite, new mail was blinking in his inbox.
"They say a large number of madmen appeared in Murmansk."
"Murmansk? First time hearing of that place."
"It's famous for casinos. Haven't you been?"
"Well. Not close with gambling."
"Seems like they're recruiting hunters on a large scale this time. The notice even went down to rural countryside."
"Really? Let's see..."
O'Brien pushed up his black sunglasses and read the mail the satellite had opened. It said the recruitment number was 000 people. Deploying this many people? O'Brien searched his memory to see if there had ever been recruitment of this many people during his hunter career. Just how big an accident happened in Murmansk? O'Brien tilted his head. Lance left saying see you later and rode off on his motorcycle. As O'Brien was deep in thought looking at the notice, there was a knocking sound from the kiosk window. Startled, he turned his head to see the proprietress pointing at a pack of cigarettes already taken out while looking at O'Brien. O'Brien scratched his head a few times as if embarrassed, paid for the cigarettes, and left.
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The southern office headquarters assembly area, the width of a soccer field, was crowded with hunters not only from Pramo but from nearby areas. They were busy chatting and greeting people they hadn't seen in a long time.
"Seeing this many people gathered, the prize money should be worth expecting, right?"
Supremer said while looking at the people. He was already very excited at the news that large-scale manpower was needed. In such large battles, rankings would be determined by hunter scores, so it was a good opportunity to objectively distinguish who were more skilled hunters. Indeed, there were various people at the assembly point that hadn't been seen before. People with long swords at their waists, people carrying large cannons on their backs, people in uniforms (there were as many different uniforms as the number of teams they belonged to). Among them, what caught many people's eyes were two young boys who appeared to be about 15 years old. One was a boy with a staff longer than his height fixed on his back, and next to him was a boy with bright yellow dyed hair holding a Bible in one hand. People around mocked and intimidated them calling them kids, but they stood there paying no attention.
"April!!"
A woman with tan wavy hair wearing a red silk dress with the left leg cut out waved and approached April. April recognized her but neither showed joy nor received her greeting. Supremer and O'Brien had curious expressions about who she was. She introduced herself as 'May' and said she was April's older sister.
"April, you still have a face cold like a winter rose. Father has been worried about you every day since you left home. How long will you wander in such a dreary place with no future? Oops. Sorry. I spoke out of turn. Hoho."
At May's words, the two men seemed quite offended as they looked into the distance.
"What brings you to a place with no future?"
"Hoho. You got angry at my words again. Father heard that you were seriously injured fighting a madman a few months ago. You don't know how sad he was that day. It would be good if you returned home, but since you won't, Father sent people. Those people over there are all bodyguards Father sent to protect you."
Where May pointed, more than 20 tall, well-built men in black suits and black sunglasses were watching the hunters. O'Brien and Supremer couldn't hide their surprise and awe at the words that so many able-bodied men had gathered to protect them (or more precisely, to protect April).
"What a useless thing to do. Let's go."
April turned her back from May and left the spot. O'Brien and Supremer, flustered by April's cold attitude, greeted May with apologetic expressions and followed April. May watched April's back disappearing into the crowd with an enigmatic smile.
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"This'll be quite an interesting game. Right, Jimmy?"
Sid, wearing a brown flight jacket, stroked his rough beard and spoke to a young hunter beside him. His face didn't have the same composure that flowed from veterans like Sid. He just looked at the hunters indifferently, thinking 'how many more people will be sacrificed.'
"Your ordered hamburgers have arrived. Here, take one each."
Chinese colleague 'Feng' threw hamburgers he had just bought to his colleagues. The paper-wrapped hamburgers had a slight but warm temperature.
"I didn't know during individual operations, but gathering like this feels fresh. Haha."
Feng sat next to Jimmy holding the last remaining hamburger, took a bite, and spoke.
"Let's see... Huh? Jeff! Those people are the ones we saw on Amaranth Street. That bastard is still there too. That red-haired one. I should give him a proper lesson this time."
Jeff, with brown skin and black mustache who had been quietly eating his hamburger behind them, glared at the tall, pale-faced red-haired man chatting with his colleagues in the distance at Feng's words. A few months ago, he was chasing the same madman as Jeff, and after Jeff captured the madman after difficult combat, he shot the madman's head with a gun to bring it down, then recorded it in the placebo as their catch. (It was a rule in their world not to strike additionally when a madman was subdued.) Jeff protested to the red-haired man, but instead he shamelessly said to be grateful for being kept alive and disappeared with his colleagues.
"Special Forces Mojave is here too. That person's presence is no joke whenever I see them. Those solid muscles~ The body is armor, armor~ Also... let's see... Ah~ Twin Swordsman Goshin is here too! Wow~ Look at those sharply edged swords... After all, Japanese swords are the best, right? Hahahaha. Huh? What's that? It's the Black Cross unit? Oh... Why are those people here...?"
In the direction Feng pointed, able-bodied men in black protective suits stood nonchalantly. A black Celtic cross mark was engraved on their backs. The armored unit belonged to the Defense Department, so they were unrelated to catching madmen. If they had come on official orders from the branch, it clearly meant this incident wouldn't end with just a simple madman roundup.
"Hey. Move."
The group that pushed aside people in conversation and took their place was Herman's gang. They had bull-like builds, were all tall, and had rough faces, notorious for being rude even among hunters. Especially Herman, the leader of the group, looked large and imposing like the Hercules sculpture made by Florence sculptor Bandinelli, if only he would stay still.
"These days everyone acts like hunters, damn embarrassing to live."
Herman's thick voice was reminiscent of Goliath. People nearby were quickly intimidated by his momentum, and Herman's gang laughed loudly watching people lower their tails. They felt bad, but there weren't many people gutsy enough to face 8 large men. Everyone just watched and moved away from Herman's group. Then a man in flashy red bullfighter clothes smiled through the parting crowd and said.
"I wondered where that mad cow mooing sound was coming from, and it really seems true that everyone acts like hunters."
"What!"
Herman was angry that someone dared to counter his words, flaring his nostrils and huffing.
"Hoho. Looking at you getting excited, you're definitely a mad cow."
"You bastard. I'll make sure that mouth never runs again."
Herman took out the heavy iron club on his back and charged at the bullfighter with frightening momentum. Then he raised the iron club high and struck down at the bullfighter. Like a bomb exploding underground, the ground shook with a dull sound, and people gasped in surprise. Where Herman had struck the iron club, the ground was broken and cracked, but the bullfighter was not visible. Herman looked around for the bullfighter and found him behind him, smiling annoyingly while waving a red cloth.
"Being that slow, will you even graze this capote?"
Herman was so angry it reached his head, and was about to raise the iron club high again and charge at the bullfighter while shouting. Three quick gunshots rang out between Herman and the bullfighter, and Herman had no choice but to stop moving. The hunters at the assembly point were sensitive to gunfire, so they quickly looked fiercely toward where the gun was fired. There was an old man holding a 15-round pistol in one hand with a frown. He was Director Jefferson, who served as the Southern Director of the Security Inspection Bureau of the Kast branch.
"Seems like people about to die are eager to die first."
He put away his gun and handed it to the secretary beside him. Then, as everyone became quiet, he walked toward the microphone on the central stage. In the suddenly disappeared noise, the sound of his shoes clicked clearly.
"Welcome. I'm Southern Director Jefferson. Everyone here must have come after seeing the mail sent by headquarters. As you already know, a mass madman incident occurred in Murmansk under northern jurisdiction. Deaths estimated by the northern office as of yesterday are 250,000. Among them are 2,000 hunters registered with the northern office. Secretary. Show the video."
When the man in a black suit next to the director gestured toward the broadcast room below, the lights that had been illuminating the huge interior began to turn off one by one. Then square hologram screens appeared here and there above people's heads. A large hologram screen also appeared at center stage, all seeming to be connected to the same screen. The screen was a black screen showing nothing. Then movement was felt in the darkness as some video seemed to turn on.
The screen had trembling as if filmed by a person directly, and orange lights reminiscent of a fire scene could be seen partially in the distance. It seemed to show some downtown area. Gunfire could be heard from afar then stopped. The screen showed another place but it was dark and hard to see. Then an unpleasantly howling sound began to be heard from somewhere. The screen seemed to move forward little by little. When it reached a distance where the light could be recognized as fire, the cameraman's breathing became roughly faster. The screen hid behind some structure showing the downtown area on fire, with flames rising from buildings here and there and people seeming to wander the streets.
When the screen zoomed closer to people, it could be seen that what had been wandering the streets wasn't people but madmen wandering looking for prey. The cameraman's breathing got faster and faster. On the street, as if there had been a big battle, fallen corpses and blood could be seen everywhere, and in the middle of the road, a broken tank and a madman removing its cover could be seen. Here and there, madmen moved slowly and screamed as if looking for people.
The screen switched, and this time it seemed to show the street through a window from inside a building. On the roadside, sharp barricades painted yellow and black were set up here and there. Around them, red blood had spread with fallen corpses visible on top. Next to the corpses lay black rifles, seeming to be hunters from the northern office Jefferson mentioned. The madmen still wandered the streets with slow movements, howling. They looked like ordinary people, but their characteristic staggering movements showed they were in a different mental state from ordinary people.
The screen switched again, and this time gunfire could be heard noisily here and there as if it were a battlefield, and people cursing could be heard. The screen seemed to be in a bunker at a slightly high position, and soldiers were pouring bullets at charging madmen with machine guns and rifles. Bullets struck madmen's heads or chests as soon as they were fired, and madmen burst open spurting blood. Despite continuous shooting, madmen climbed toward the bunker screaming.
Shortly after, at a distant view, with a loud explosion the building's exterior wall shattered, and a huge group of madmen began to pour out. Soldiers saw this and shouted and cursed, and the mass of madmen began to swarm toward the bunker. The screen shook, and the madmen who came over the bunker tore soldiers' limbs apart. Soldiers' screams could be heard from all directions, and the screen dropped down then soon turned off.
When the interior lights brightened again, Jefferson grabbed the microphone.
"As you can see, the situation is not good. The regional defense force has already been annihilated, and a 600㎢ city has become ruins."
The faces of hunters who had been chatting and laughing until just now no longer showed smiles. Especially the last scene of soldiers being torn apart by madmen, though not the first time, was unpleasant. They recalled the terrifying battles with madmen that had been forgotten in their minds.
"Three days ago, about 1,500 hunters were deployed from the eastern office... hmm... most couldn't last even a month and voluntarily returned."
At the southern director's dry words, hunters looked at him with blank expressions as if at a loss for words.
"We don't want you to become innocent victims. But we can't just ignore what's happening next door either. Fortunately, the Defense Department decided to deploy armored units to support our hunters. Now everyone pay attention here. These are the armored units who will move with you in Murmansk from now on."
Where Jefferson pointed, men in uniforms with Celtic cross marks looked at the hunters as if awkward.
"Since they're honored guests, I hope everyone will follow the armored unit members' words carefully."
When Jefferson turned his head toward the armored unit members and greeted them, the armored unit members also bowed to the hunters.
"This battle is not mandatory. Therefore, even if you don't volunteer, there will be no disadvantage to your hunter life. Conversely, those who volunteer and survive will receive great rewards. It's a dangerous battle, so I hope everyone thinks carefully and volunteers. Ah, and, this is my first time gathering this many hunters too, but 'please don't fight among yourselves.' Really, you're not children. Ahem. Good luck to all. That's all."
When Jefferson left the stage, the secretary beside him grabbed the microphone and continued.
"Operation participation applications will be accepted until 24:00 today. Actual deployment of registered personnel will be individually notified through registered email. Headquarters wants to support your abilities as much as possible. Those with their own teams must write team unit applications so you won't be separated during operations. After final numbers are confirmed, platoons will be organized according to mission performance records registered at headquarters. That's all."