"This is a drone transmitter. With one of these in place, you can control a certain number of drones within the surrounding area. It also serves as a positioning beacon."
A Rhodes Island operator carefully brushed away the soil, revealing the mechanical device buried underneath.
There was no need to dismantle it. Just from its appearance alone, he could immediately identify its purpose.
"And this transmitter was probably buried here a long time ago. That means our movements have basically been exposed to the enemy the entire time. Good thing you noticed it early, Shirou. Otherwise, once the drones started gathering, we would have had a serious problem."
Another Rhodes Island operator examined the surrounding soil, snow, and nearby trees before sharing his assessment.
This was important.
If these transmitters had been planted here long ago, it meant the enemy had already completed their deployment well in advance.
That made their current situation rather troublesome.
Who knew how many transmitters were hidden throughout the area?
When inactive, these things were nothing more than lumps of metal. Without specialized equipment, they were practically impossible to detect.
Or rather, under normal circumstances, nobody would carry instruments specifically designed to detect buried metal blocks. Standard tactical equipment was usually sufficient.
Of course, that assumed the transmitters were active and emitting signals that could be intercepted.
"A drone transmitter? Then destroying it directly should not be a problem, right?"
The moment he heard what it was, Shirou weighed the gunblade in his left hand and asked.
If they said it was fine, he would immediately put several rounds through it.
Drones were quite troublesome.
Furthermore, Ursus drones differed from those used elsewhere. They had been heavily enhanced for combat.
For Shirou, they were targets that could be dealt with in a few shots.
For everyone else, however, they were a major headache.
But the drones had not arrived yet.
If they destroyed these transmitters first, they could eliminate the problem at its source.
The bigger issue was figuring out just how many transmitters had been buried throughout the region.
If they had only recently been planted, there would at least be signs of disturbed terrain.
But according to the operators, these transmitters had been installed long beforehand. Several days of wind and snow had concealed them so thoroughly that they were difficult to spot.
Shirou had only noticed them thanks to his exceptional eyesight and magecraf.
There were bound to be some that escaped detection unless he conducted a carpet search of the entire area.
But that would require far too much time and effort.
For now, all they could do was destroy the transmitters they found and reduce the number of drones they might encounter later.
Compared to high-performance combat drones, these transmitters were much easier to deal with.
After the Rhodes Island operators nodded their approval, Shirou pulled the trigger.
Three shots later, several large holes had been blasted through the transmitter. There was no chance it would function properly ever again.
As for taking it back for study...
The circumstances did not allow for it, so nobody even considered the option.
The drone systems used by the two sides were far too different to be directly adapted. Rhodes Island might not even have personnel capable of operating them.
Destroying them was the safest course of action.
"!"
Clearly, these transmitters were the source of the mercenaries' confidence.
When they watched Shirou and the Rhodes Island personnel systematically uncover and destroy every transmitter in the area, expressions of horror appeared on their faces.
"This should be the last transmitter in the vicinity. We should move on."
Looking at the scattered piles of scrap metal around them, Shirou spoke up.
"We definitely should. If there are this many transmitters in just this section, there must be plenty more elsewhere. We need to deal with them before they can be activated."
Hearing Shirou's words, the Rhodes Island operators finally relaxed after remaining tense for so long.
With a rough understanding of their locations and the assistance of Structural Analysis magecraft, clearing out the nearby transmitters had not taken much time.
Besides, anyone could handle the destruction work.
Shirou only needed to focus on locating them.
Between Croissant, Texas, and Exusiai delivering physical "salvation," and Rhodes Island's technicians dismantling what remained, the transmitters quickly became piles of junk.
There had been nearly ten transmitters in this single sector alone.
If Shirou had failed to notice them, they might have ended up facing a massive swarm of drones.
Just imagining that scenario was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
After all, firearms and crossbows required ammunition and bolts. Even Arts users would eventually exhaust their stamina.
And that was not even considering the mercenaries waiting to strike from the sidelines.
Of course, those concerns belonged to the Rhodes Island operators.
Penguin Logistics was not worried in the slightest.
A whole swarm of drones charging at them?
No problem!
Just send out the invincible Shirou along with a Caladbolg whose destructive power surpassed even Exusiai's explosives.
One shot, and everything would be fine!
If one was not enough, then fire two!
When your firepower is overwhelming, you are allowed to be that reckless.
"You all go ahead. We will follow from behind."
As for Shirou himself, he was not particularly concerned about the drones.
What interested him more was the condition of the mercenaries.
At the end of the day, drones were merely machines. There were plenty of ways to deal with them, and Shirou trusted that Amiya and Doctor would have countermeasures ready.
Human hearts, however, were far more terrifying.
No one understood that better than Shirou.
This entire incident had occurred because Black Snake had exploited the long-suppressed anger and hatred of the Infected.
And killing people...
Although he had long since resolved himself to it and had done it more than once, he still could not get used to it.
Nor did he ever want to.
That said, if it became necessary, he would not shy away from it either.
The reason he had suggested that the Rhodes Island personnel take the lead was because of another concern.
Compared to scouting ahead, staying at the rear allowed him to keep everyone within sight. If anything happened, he could immediately provide sniper support.
Communication duties had been handed over to others, but the communicators were still filled with static. Contact and notifications remained impossible.
"..."
Shirou walked at the very back of the formation, his expression unusually grim.
An inexplicable sense of unease continued to spread through his heart.
The feeling was not unfamiliar.
It meant someone had set their sights on them.
Or rather...
On him?
In any case, he was certainly one of their targets. Otherwise, he would not have sensed anything.
After several experiences, Shirou had gradually come to understand this ability to perceive the malice of others.
In the past, he had not known where it came from.
Now he was certain it was related to the Black Mud.
Still, it was an extremely useful ability and carried no apparent side effects, so he had no reason to reject it.
The current situation left him deeply uncomfortable.
Only the twin gunblades in his hands gave him a slight sense of security.
At close range, his first choice would always be paired swords.
If he needed both ranged firepower and close-quarters combat, he would consider using one gunblade and one sword.
For long-range engagements, he would use a bow.
But at the moment, he was maintaining a short distance from the Rhodes Island operators ahead, and the forest environment made the twin gunblades far more practical.
The existence of the two gunblades provided him with many more tactical options.
After all, their original wielder, Nameless, had been a pragmatist.
The gunblades existed to make missions and combat more efficient.
At least when fighting humans, their combat effectiveness far surpassed most other weapons.
Even though he had recently considered reducing how often he used them, the crisis before him made holding the gunblades feel reassuring and allowed him to focus more clearly.
It was similar to when he wielded Kanshou and Bakuya.
Under certain circumstances, projected weapons could influence his emotions more strongly.
Normally, the effect was negligible.
With a little familiarity, he could easily suppress it.
But in a high-pressure situation like this, where everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit, Shirou actually felt that this state suited him better.
His eyes continuously gathered information from the surrounding environment.
His brain analyzed and evaluated the situation.
Then he calmly arrived at the most efficient decision possible.
Under the weight of the overwhelming sense of danger, Shirou looked at the Rhodes Island operators and Penguin Logistics members moving ahead of him.
Very quickly, he made up his mind.
"Texas, tell the Rhodes Island operators to put those people down and head back to camp immediately."
Shirou strode forward to the Penguin Logistics members, patted Texas on the shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.
"And what about you?"
The moment she saw the seriousness in his expression and heard his words, Texas immediately understood what he intended to do.
He had not asked for their support.
Which meant they were included among those who needed to retreat.
If even they were withdrawing, then what about Shirou?
Judging from his demeanor, he had no intention of retreating with them.
The answer was obvious.
Given the condition of their current group, Shirou's judgment was probably the best option.
The Penguin Logistics team would escort the exhausted Rhodes Island operators back to camp.
Then they would quickly bring the elite operators stationed there to reinforce him.
That was the optimal plan.
The camp was only a little over ten minutes away.
Texas believed that with Shirou's abilities, not only could he hold out for that long, he might even eliminate all the enemies before reinforcements arrived.
The only problem was the expression on his face.
It was far too grave.
"As for me..."
Shirou raised one of his gunblades and pointed toward the forest on the left.
"I need to stay behind and ask a few questions."
Then he continued:
"Is not that right, Mr. Kashchey?"
"Or should I call you the Undying Black Snake?"
As he spoke, his free hand shoved Texas toward the rest of the group.
"...We're leaving."
Texas quickly regained her balance, turned around, and addressed both Penguin Logistics and the Rhodes Island personnel.
She had always been the commander of Penguin Logistics' Texas Team.
She had merely handed temporary command over to Shirou.
Now she was reclaiming that authority and taking charge of the operation once more.
That was why Shirou had specifically come to inform her.
As for staying behind...
Much as she wanted to, reason compelled her to follow Shirou's instructions.
Back in Lungmen, they might have been able to support him in other ways.
But in a dense forest like this, they could contribute very little to the actual battle.
The terrain simply worked against them too much.
"Huh? Why are we goi—"
Before Exusiai could even process what was happening, she blurted out a question.
However, before she could finish speaking, Texas and Croissant were already pushing her forward at a run.
"But Shirou—"
Sora suffered the same fate. Before she could finish her sentence, Croissant had already hoisted her onto her shoulder.
"Listen to Boss Texas! We need to move!"
Although Croissant usually acted rather carefree, she was exceptionally dependable in moments like these.
She followed orders without hesitation, had plenty of stamina, and carrying a shield while hauling Sora and pushing Exusiai along was not a problem for her at all.
The moment Shirou raised his gunblade, she had already positioned herself in front of Exusiai and Sora.
Especially after hearing him mention Black Snake and Kashchey, combined with Texas ordering them to run, she decisively threw away her warhammer and picked Sora up.
Though Croissant had never met the man personally, she had heard enough from others to know he was not someone they could afford to provoke.
They were just an ordinary logistics company delivering packages!
How could they possibly go up against someone like that?
This was exactly the kind of situation that should be left to professionals.
Under Texas's command and with Shirou standing behind them, gunblade aimed toward the rear, the Rhodes Island operators acted decisively as well.
They dropped the bound mercenaries onto the ground and accelerated toward the camp.
"Are you not coming out? Or do you simply enjoy hiding in the shadows?"
After confirming that everyone had left, Shirou kept his gunblade aimed in a particular direction while slowly repositioning himself.
Only after ensuring he stood directly between the departing group and the enemy did he stop and call out.
He was not entirely certain of the other's identity.
However, the gaze fixed upon him and the malice he sensed felt remarkably similar to what he had encountered back in Chernobog.
He had failed to kill the man that time.
Perhaps this time would be different.
After waiting for quite a while without receiving any response, Shirou decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crash—!
Several shots later, enormous trees came crashing down.
Yet there was still no sign of anyone.
So Shirou continued firing in the direction from which he sensed the gaze and hostility.
After felling several more trees, his patience began to wear thin.
He discarded the projected gunblade and instead projected a longbow into one hand.
In the other, he projected a Caladbolg and took aim.
That action seemed to finally alarm his opponent, forcing him out of hiding.
The figure who emerged was a young Feline man.
There was little remarkable about his appearance, and only his tail revealed his race.
He stepped out openly, completely unguarded and utterly unconcerned.
Looking calmly at Shirou, he said:
"If you use that weapon here, you might set off the other explosives. It could even trigger an avalanche."
"I am sure someone like you would not want those refugees over there to be buried beneath the snow, would you?"
As he spoke, he spread his arms and smiled confidently, as though everything remained under his control.
"Yeah, you are right..."
Hearing those words, Shirou narrowed his eyes slightly and pulled the bowstring tighter.
"Exactly. So why do we not sit down and discuss—"
Seeing Shirou's reaction, Black Snake believed he had successfully cornered him and prepared to continue with his plans.
The moment he lowered his guard, stepped forward, and attempted to manipulate Shirou with words—
Shirou released the Caladbolg.
"Then I just will not detonate it. Simple, right?"
The instant the bowstring snapped forward, the Caladbolg shot from the bow and tore through everything in its path.
A long trench was gouged into the ground.
The surrounding trees were shredded by the immense pressure wave, scarred with deep wounds or punched clean through.
The sword flew straight toward Black Snake.
Shirou had never intended to detonate it in the first place.
What he wanted was the Caladbolg's tremendous range and penetrating power, hoping to eliminate his opponent with a single shot.
And now his target had conveniently stepped out into the open.
There was no need to waste additional mana projecting a second one.
As for whatever the man wanted to say—
Shirou did not care.
It was certainly nothing good.
He had possessed a little patience earlier, but Black Snake had already exhausted it.
Now the priority was eliminating him as quickly as possible, before he revealed any hidden contingencies.
After that, Shirou still needed to catch up with the Penguin Logistics and Rhodes Island teams as soon as possible.