“Hmm? Someone got ahead of themselves.”
There was a group of five huddled up about a hundred feet from M. They were an impromptu team that had just come together, judging from the totally random gear across the group. They didn’t have a name yet.
Based on the visible cursor movement and the sound of shooting and explosions rumbling through the maze, they could guess what the two dead players had attempted to do.
Llenn was still alive. They could see her name, right there.
The gunfire had been fast and heavy. “Either M or one of SHINC’s 7.62 mm machine gunners did that. But was it a new weapon or a backup set…?”
True to their reputation as gun perver—as gun enthusiasts, GGO players could tell these things right away.
“They were idiots, though. Why would you attack M’s group with just two guys?” one of them muttered. “Didn’t they learn from the Russo-Japanese War that you can’t split your strength into consecutive small bursts?”
Someone spoke up: “Listen up, people! There’s no point attacking in groups of two or three in such close quarters! M has that shield. We’ll be outgunned! We should get everyone together, then surround them on two sides and roll through them, before the clock reaches the half hour! This fight is all about numbers!”
“That’s right, Bro. You got the right idea,” someone else said. Of course, no one disagreed with him.
“How about 2:27, then? It shouldn’t take more than three minutes for either them to die or us to die.”
“No argument here. But what about the idea of tossing a plasma grenade at the end? I’m pretty sure—no, definitely sure—it would hit everybody.”
“If you can get within throwing range, then why not? As long as we take out Llenn, who cares about the rest of them? Same for me.”
“Roger that!”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s all rush ’em in brutal fashion, very immaturely, just to kill one target!” the first member concluded. “Of course, if we could get in contact with the guys on the opposite side of them, that would be great…”
Unfortunately, none of the members of the impromptu gathering here had teammates on the other side—or anywhere else nearby. If they had, they would’ve been in contact through the comm.
“No use lamenting the things we have no control over…”
He glanced at his watch. 2:22 PM.
“Let’s just do what we can. Watch the cursor distances and surround them.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Out of trouble for the moment, Llenn’s team was—oh, who are we kidding? They were in trouble from start to finish.
The cursors were spreading out to surround them, while the time limit approached, threatening to collapse the very ground from under their feet.
M had fired thirty merciless bullets from his MG5’s ammunition box earlier and boldly changed it out for a fresh hundred. It was better, in his mind, to have a hundred bullets ready to go, than save a few and enter the next battle with a capacity of only seventy.
The MG5 had originally belonged to Pitohui, and there was no more ammo than this. Unless he landed a kill shot on someone to recharge his stock.
“Llenn,” he said.
“Yes?” She got to her feet, not bothering to help up Fukaziroh.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen up ahead, but in the worst-case scenario, slip out past us and rush for the center. We’ll focus on support instead.”
“Aw, man!”
It had to be a really bad situation if the usually unflappable M was speaking about disaster scenarios. It was clear to Llenn and the others that if even M couldn’t come up with an optimal plan, they were in very hot water, indeed.
Boss added, “I’ll be your shield at the end. Should be easy, since I’m so large.”
“Hang on, wait!” Llenn panicked.
Just because she had a bounty on her head didn’t mean she wanted everyone else to suffer. The fact that she could simply run off on her own and allow the others to escape weighed heavily on her conscience.
But what should I do? What can I do? Her brain cells were racing at high speed, formulating the one possible answer that would work.
“That’s right! What about the PM?”
Couldn’t her team-up attack of friendship with Fukaziroh work?
“Nope,” M said immediately. “You’d be faster just running on your own. It has high defense, but a single plasma grenade will be the end of you.”
“Argh…”
Her one suggestion had been shot down.
I guess this is it, she thought, resigned. But she couldn’t say it out loud.
In the midst of battle, no matter what kind of difficulty you faced, speaking your resignation aloud was contagious. It would infect other people’s mentalities. It would infect your own mentality. You mustn’t give up before you’re dead. You mustn’t say you’re giving up.
Neither Boss nor Anna spoke.
That meant nobody had an idea of how to escape their plight.
At that moment, a strange old man’s voice resounded.
“Hoh-hoh-hoh. Would you youngsters mind answerin’ a question o’ mine?”
We’re going to die soon, so I might as well let her act like a fool, Llenn thought.
Llenn stayed silent, however, so Fukaziroh got to her feet. Using the edge of the grenade launcher in her left hand to adjust the angle of her helmet, she looked upward.
“I ain’t been around in GGO as long as y’all, but can anyone explain to me what this invisible barrier over our heads is, exactly?”
✦ ✦ ✦
While Grandpa Fukaziroh was chatting with his granddaughter’s teammates, the men camped in positions around them in the maze said, “Very good. The pink demon isn’t moving. The enclosure’s a success…”
“One million yen! But what if she gives up and disqualifies herself?”
“Gotta take her out before then…”