kscans

Chapter 250 - The Underground Battle

The hospital was silent.

The only ones awake were a few nurses at the nurse station. In the dark hallway, a space utterly devoid of people, a window slid open without a sound.

Several figures, clad head to toe in black cloth and rubber, slipped inside. They were clearly intruders. But to call them mere thieves would be an understatement; their movements were polished and efficient.

They were professionals.

As if according to a plan, they split into two groups.

One group headed for the isolation ward. The other, for the power distribution room in the basement.

Their plan was simple: first, disable the hospital’s facilities, and while that was happening, the other team would accomplish their goal in the isolation ward. It was a basic plan, but a fundamental one. To be more precise, the power distribution team was expected to finish first and then rendezvous with the others, but the quicker the job was done, the better.

Of course, disabling the power could lead to the deaths of patients connected to machines, or at the very least, leave them in critical condition.

But to these people, such things didn’t matter. All that mattered was completing the mission.

The stairs leading to the basement.

The five men reached the area with the power distribution room and proceeded without caution. Security guards only patrolled the front and back entrances of the hospital. They wouldn’t come here. Just as they were about to reach the door, it opened. The suddenness of it made them stop in their tracks and raise their guns. Two figures emerged.

It was Shinsuke and Tina, in full armor.

Rewind a little.

If the attackers were going to strike, this was the only place. We were discussing how to position ourselves.

At that time, Matilda had said, "Wait a minute. I don’t know how much they know, but I think they’re at least aware of your and Tina-san’s strength. After all, you fought them just before coming here."

Tina had replied, "But only our allies were there. I doubt any information could have leaked."

Matilda thought for a moment. "Perhaps, but this world’s information network is exceptionally advanced. Even if they weren’t there, there are surely ways for them to find out. If that’s the case… they won’t try to fight us head-on. They will definitely launch a surprise attack to catch us off guard. It won’t be a simple plan like sneaking in at night and heading straight for us. Shinsuke-san, in this world, if you were to attack a building, where would you start?"

I considered the question. "First, I’d try to create a distraction. For example, set off an explosion somewhere or start a fire to draw attention. Or cause a commotion to throw the facility into chaos. Basically, I’d do whatever I could to eliminate any obstacles to my objective."

Matilda said, "A fire, you say? That’s plausible. In that case, we don’t need to worry about the outside. No matter what happens, we won’t leave this place."

Milfy added coolly, "I have my doubts about that, but I agree. Right now, Rumily is what’s important."

Protecting someone important is a natural human choice. A fire used as a diversion probably wouldn’t cause any deaths, but there would be injuries.

Tina thought for a moment. "That’s a possibility, but something doesn’t sit right with me. If they know our situation, they should also realize that something like a fire won’t be enough to make us move. Which means they’ll do something that would truly throw us into chaos—something we can’t ignore. A commotion inside the facility… what else can you think of?"

"Hmm," I said. "In the movies I’ve watched, they usually go for the electrical systems first. If you control that, most things go your way. That would mean… the power distribution room. The critical room that powers all the equipment in the hospital."

Tina concluded, "Then we should stake it out. And the two of us should go together."

Surprised, I said, "Two of us? I think one would be enough."

With a serious expression, Tina replied with a smile, "Just in case. And call it a woman’s intuition."

"In that case," I said, "I’ll bet on it."

And now, the present.

"They say a woman’s intuition is a terrifying thing," I remarked. "Turns out it’s true."

Tina glanced at me from the side. "Hee hee. You could stand to rely on me a bit more, you know?" She was beaming.

You’d never think she was facing down men with pistols aimed at her. They were Tokarevs with suppressors, and their aim was precise, their stances unwavering. These guys were on a different level from the ones we fought during the day.

Tina and I both readied our weapons.

The two sides stared each other down. The enemy made the first move.

They rolled something toward us. A grenade?! I thought, but they didn’t run.

Which meant it was…

"Close your eyes and duck!" I yelled to Tina.

I ducked immediately, but Tina’s reaction was a little slow. The next moment, an intense flash of light erupted.

It was so bright I could see it even with my eyes closed. I couldn’t even think about opening them.

Tina cried out, "Ugh, aghhhhh! My, my eyes!"

"Stay calm! It’s temporary!" I shouted to reassure her.

Tina seemed to regain her composure. "...! N-ngh… Yes!" She had pulled herself together.

As expected of an experienced adventurer, she recovered her wits quickly. As the light faded and my vision was still blurry, the men charged forward. They were prepared, all right. I stood in front of the still-immobile Tina and raised my sword.

The men stopped. Normally, they would think a sword is no match for a gun, but they were wary.

Then, they split to the left and right and fired in unison—a simultaneous attack from multiple directions. A logical move.

I crossed my arms to protect my face and blocked the bullets with my armor. They didn’t penetrate, instead ricocheting off and hitting the walls and floor. The men, unsurprised, kept firing.

But they couldn’t get through my armor.

It was made with Adamantite. Its strength surpasses any iron ore on Earth. It’s a substance impossible to refine here. It might be an exaggeration, but it probably wouldn’t even be scratched by a direct missile hit. After a moment, the firing stopped. They must have run out of ammo and were reloading.

I wouldn’t miss that opening. I closed the distance in an instant.

My eyes had recovered while I was defending. I quickly cut down the three men on the left. They were lined up so neatly it was easy. With the back of my blade, of course. A death here would cause all sorts of problems.

That left two. But they weren’t looking at me; they were heading for Tina.

She was still crouching. Were they planning to take her hostage?! I tried to move, but I wouldn’t make it in time.

Just as one of them, knife in hand, was about to grab Tina… his right hand went flying through the air.

Normally, he would have screamed, but the attacker just clutched his arm and retreated slightly.

Tina still had her eyes closed.

Tina’s POV

My vision hadn’t recovered yet. I could tell I wasn’t permanently blinded, but I still couldn’t get used to it.

Just then, I sensed a presence approaching. It was too quiet to pinpoint its location.

So, I activated my ‘Spatial Awareness’ skill.

An enemy entered my range, a weapon in their right hand. I calmly swung my sword and sliced through it. The wounded opponent retreated without a sound.

Just as Shinsuke predicted, these were clearly skilled professionals.

Their movements were flawless, they responded quickly to unexpected situations, and they could endure pain. In terms of mental fortitude and skill, they were on par with B-rank adventurers back home. But the fact that they had no magic or mana was a golden opportunity for us.

One left. Perhaps it was a mistake to ready my sword for another strike, as he didn’t approach, instead keeping his distance and aiming a pistol.

The attacker shouted, "Don’t move! If you want this beautiful woman to live, then stay put!" He was threatening Shinsuke.

At this distance, he was safe from my blade and close enough to land a shot. Shinsuke was silent and didn’t seem to be moving.

Was he trying to figure out what to do? But I had no intention of holding him back.

"Wind," I whispered.

I released a gust of wind toward my opponent.

It wasn’t meant to slash or blow him away, just a simple tailwind. A normal person could withstand it. But the attacker was momentarily thrown off by the sudden gust. He would regain his balance quickly, but I wouldn’t let that opening go to waste.

I leaped forward and slashed his right hand. Now unarmed, the attacker tried to flee, but I wouldn’t let him get away with the same move twice.

From point-blank range, I unleashed, "Wind Shot!"

I fired a fist-sized bullet of wind.

The attacker was hit directly, sent flying into a wall, and knocked unconscious.

Shinsuke’s POV

Watching Tina’s actions from a distance, I thought, That’s Tina for you. She turned a disadvantageous situation right around.

I was impressed. The other attackers were, of course, unconscious on the ground. I had taken down the one Tina had wounded.

Tina said, "I’m glad to see you’re unharmed as well. They were quite skilled, weren’t they? If they had known magic, we would have had a tough fight. It seems there are strong people in this world, too." She looked at the downed attackers.

I agreed with her on that. In this world, too, you had to be strong to survive. If you were weak, you couldn’t make a decent living or even stay alive.

Of course, mental strength was more important, but building physical strength was also crucial.

"Well then, I’m heading back to Bardos and the others," I said. "I’ll leave this to you."

Tina opened the door to the power distribution room and emerged with a large amount of rope. "Understood. Good luck." She began tying up the attackers.

I hurried toward the isolation ward.

Meanwhile, Bardos and the others…

Bardos and Matilda were facing off against six attackers.