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I whipped out the pager again and inputted a single word: [Safe]
This message was responded in kind with [Yes] and [Same] from my friends, which no doubt took a load off my back. While the bombing was nowhere as apocalyptical in magnitude compared to those in Aki and Osaka, the damage and threat air raids cause were serious nonetheless, and I felt fortunate we managed to survive through this one relatively unscathed.

I took a closer look at the freshly struck port city. Judging by the direction of the rising smoke, the raid earlier appeared to be targeting Amekou’s industrial district.
This places the post office we were dropped off at earlier outside the immediate target area, but close enough from the affected area to offer some assistance. From there, we can join the relief effort or being searching for others that were scattered throughout this city.

[Meet]
[At]
[Post]
[Offic]
I entered the words to establish a rendezvous point and access our situation at hands.

[OK], [Good]
The two replies came just as fast as I sent the last word. Yanagi has really created quite a wonderful device for her debut invention.

“Where are we going?” Tewi asked, propping up Amile with her shoulder.
“The post office. We’ll be meeting the rest of our group there.” I told her before shifting my attention onto the princess of the Khaganate. “Saya-san, can you walk?”
As if snapping out from her shock, Amile quickly disengaged herself my sister’s the support, then responded with a silent but reluctant nod.

“Good-”

As the words left my lips, a powerful stream of bright Azure light pierced the skies above. Originating from within the city at the direction of the post office, such noticeable beam of energy glittered magnificently even in the searing sunlight of noon, extending like a never ending tower. As Amile and Tewi viewed the spectacle in awe and confusion, I knew exactly what was happening- it’s Margaret marking her position.

“Let’s go. There must be something we can help with.”
Waving at the two to follow, we hurried toward our destination.

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Traversing further and further into the city, the damage caused by the bombing was truly placed into perspective. Scattering on the scorched roads were bricks and rubble from damaged buildings, with smoke rising from buildings and craters visible on both sides of the street.
In contrast to the devastation, the post office itself was relatively unharmed by the bombing aside from some broken windows and being covered in dirt spilled from a nearby explosion.

Margaret stood tall and proud in front of Amekou’s post office, brandishing Rhongomyniad high on her right shoulder. The immense spiral lance, nearly as long as she was tall, spun and pulsated with life l as the wielder’s power coursed through its unfathomable engineering. The azure glow continued to surge from the lance’s apex like an endless stream flowing to the sky, acting as a beacon for everyone to convene to.

“Over here!”
“Satoru!”
My spectacled friend stood aside the towering Valkyria, recognizing us almost instantly from some distance away. He was covered in a thin layer of gray dust from head to toe, making him look like someone who just fell into a pile of of volcanic ash. Handmarks visible on various parts of his clothing indicated that he had tried to pat himself clean at one point, but gave up halfway through when it became too much of a hassle. Despite how worn out he looked, he did not appear injured.

“You okay?” I patted him on the shoulder. Going by the circumstances at hand, it was probably my turn to ask that question this time around.
“Yeah.” he made his reply short and to the point, pointing his thumb at the towering figure behind. “Thanks to her.”
I tilted my head a bit to the side, just enough to catch a glimpse of Margaret lowering her massive lance as the light blue hue circling her body dissipate.
“It might sound a bit far-fetched,” my friend whispered discreetly, “But she really is what the stories back from the Europan Front say.”

“What do you mean?”
“She shot down a few dozen blockbusters alongside one of the bombers when they were right overhead, as she described.” Satoru recounted in a completely serious, non-fooling-around way while pointing at a blazing fireball on a hillside not far away. “I don’t doubt her claims, the bomber wreckage is right there.”

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“Subaru-kun!”
I was fully prepared to brace for a tackle or bear-hug as the Valkyria’s heavily accented words reached my ears. Yet much to my surprise, none of it came.

Instead, Margaret carefully placed both her hands on my shoulders, gently lifting my arms up in a waving motion.
“Umm.. Margaret-san?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?” she asked with a concerned look, softly tapping the sides of my shoulders.
“I… I’m okay. We managed to find a safe spot during the raid..”
”Thank heavens!”
A part of me flushed realizing that she had been performing an examination all this while. As much as how shady and illusive her family has been portrayed, the relief Margaret expressed after confirming my status can hardly be interpreted as anything besides genuine.

Speaking of genuine, Margaret’s next course of action was also quite evident from that sparkling, crimson gaze and the smile on her face. This won’t be a proper greeting from the young Denisov if it did not involve some sort of back-snapping bearhug.
However, that was not about to happen today.

“A,ah! Su, Subaru! Ther, there you are!”

Arriving with two full paper bags of electronic components, Yanagi looked like someone who just came back from an end of year sale. Beads of sweat ran down her face and soaked her hair wet, as with the rest of her body. The exhaustion of hauling her baggage while seeking refuge during the bombing was immediately apparent from her visage.
My friend made her way towards us and dumped the bags of metal parts and wire on the ground before Margaret and I, then immediately bent over half squatting in a desperate effort to catch her breath.

“Did you like the shelters?” Satoru conducted his usual cheeky jab at someone else’s misery.
“As much as I love seeing you roll in limestone ash.” Yanagi retorted after managing to somewhat recover, sitting tiredly on the stairs right in front of the post office.

Following Yanagi’s arrival, Hibari, Ayafumi and members of Itaru’s band of marines began appearing from the direction of the rising smoke, close to the industrial block. Margaret’s grand display of power earlier appeared to have caught all of their attention- in a way, it was quite an ingenious maneuver on her part.

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“How bad is it?” I approached a straggling Hibari who, despite the small stature, was carrying a wounded man much larger than her on her shoulders.
The fighter pilot herself was certainly not in her best condition, bruised and covered in ash much like Satoru was.

“Pretty bad.” Hibari spoke through laboured breaths. “They took out the railway hub in one go, along with the one power plant in Amekou. Go take a look, it’s only slightly better than Aki when we first met.”
Not much different from that time, is it? I recalled the rubble I went into back during the rescue operation, and that wasn’t good by the slightest.
“Where’s Shirataki-senpai and the others?”

“Back there searching for survivors.” Hibari scoffed. “I tried dragging that idot out, but he fully intends to stay there until everyone is found.”

Despite that attitude she puts up, Hibari has with her words inadvertently showed her concern for Itaru placing himself in such dangerous situations. In a way, it reminded me of my interactions with my sister when the war on the mainland still raged on- genuine worry masked with anger.
“Koshimizu-senpai, do you need a hand?” I offered to help her ferry the wounded civilian. Looking at how battered she was, she might need some rest more than anyone of us here.


“No, this guy’s my responsibility.” She tugged him along, disregarding the signs of fatigue she showed. “I took this duty, so it’s mine to finish.”
I watched silently as she carried the wounded civilian to the makeshift first aid station right on the street beside the post office, laying him down along with the other wounded. While her words might be venomous at times, Hibari did consistently exhibit a strong sense of duty. Be it the retreat at Aki, the Yamato heist, or the skirmish with the Nangyang Fleet a few days ago, she has always put more work on herself than most even realize.

It really might be due to her traumatic experience as told by Itaru, but at the same time, her actions did motivate me into thinking what am I to do here...
Now, I might not be that much of a help at the disaster scene, but I did know what to do that may help with the current situation.

“Where are you going?” Tewi asked as I disengaged the group and headed towards the post office entrance.
“Need to reach the Captain” I answered “I’ll be back in a while.”

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Normally, I would head straight for the telephone stands to make a direct call into Amekou’s naval headquarters. However, from the looks of the cratered streets, it was likely that the bombings earlier had damaged the telephone lines, thus rendering this form of communication unavailable.

“Excuse me, is there a spare radio I could use?” I hollered before a rather busy and chaotic post counter. Unsurprisingly, my pleas fell entirely on deaf ears. The immediate aftermath from the air raid had sent the entire establishment into a state of absolute chaos. Half the staff were working desperately to stabilize the situation, while the other half panicked like headless chickens. At times, even that aspect became blurred.

“Nii-san!” Tewi followed me closely behind, just in time to witness the absolute cacophony in the building... and to witness her brother stranded helplessly in a maelstrom of collapsing bureaucracy.
“So.” She shrugged, walking up to my side with a smug grin. “Need help?”
“Sounds like you have some sort of ace in the hole.” I sighed and pointed out the obvious. Of course she would know ways to access a channel. My sister was, afterall, in touch with the Captain and this entire resistance movement since the ending phases of the war while still living here.

“Follow me.” She guided me through the chaotic mess of the post office, carefully navigating our way deeper and deeper.
Soon we reached a small, unmarked room at the end of the corridor, where she took out a small key to unlock the door, revealing what lies within: a vacant seat and a full set radio transmitter sitting on a small table. Not just any radio transmitter - but one specifically used for military personnel.

“Tewi, how did you…”
“How did you think I called you when you were in the mainland?” She answered with a shrug. Apparently it was just that easy.

Soon, I sat down at the seat and took up the earpiece.
“HQ? HQ?” I chimed into the channel, waiting for a reply. “This is Kurokawa. If you can hear me, please get Suwabe-dono.”
“Kurokawa, what’s your status?” The Captain picked up directly from the other side.
“Our group is fine.” I reported back.“We’re gathered at the post office.”
“Yes, I saw the light. Must be Denisov-san’s doing.” He said, not wasting a second on the effort. “Stay there for now, transport is on the way to bring you back to-”
That was the extent of our conversation as the line cuts short. I imagine the Captain must have expected this event to come sooner or later. There was just no way we could hold up in Formosa that long under the radar.

I returned to the front of the post office, where most of the group have gathered at this point. However, there was a rather… unusual scene which unfolded around the brief period that I was away.

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“Stay still.” Amile whispered at a wounded civilian at the first aid center as she gently wrapped some cloth around his injured leg. Without the readily available ragnid at disposal, the best thing she could do at the moment was to cover the bleeding portion of the man’s leg with whatever fabric she could find- and in this case, a small piece of cloth she torn from her dress.
In fact, Itaru’s crew have been actively arriving to the scene ferrying affected civilians. Even the wounded members of the marines did not hesitate to go out for another round to fetch more people in dire need. Sooner or later, the front of the post office would become one big refuge center.

>Try to find more of the wounded
>Tend to the people who are already there
>Head deeper into the affected sector.
>Investigate the bomber’s wreckage
>Write in.

>>3185939
>Investigate the bomber’s wreckage
And catch the pilot if he's still alive.

>>3185939
>Head deeper into the affected sector

>>3185939
>Tend to the people who are already there

>>3185939
>Head deeper into the affected sector.

>>3185939
>Investigate the bomber’s wreckage

>>3185939
>Investigate the bomber’s wreckage

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>>3186283
>>3186195
>>3185965
I turned my attention to the hills right behind the post office, opposite to the industrial district. A small, separate patch of smoke wisped up from that direction- and according to Satoru, that was no doubt from the plane Margaret shot down earlier. If I were to learn more about what the enemy has in for us, there was no better option than investigating that wreckage myself.

“Wait.” Satoru grabbed me by the shoulder as I was about to make my move.
“You’re checking the crash site, right?” My friend tipped his head over to the bomber’s general direction. “I’ll go with you, and take this as well.”
As he spoke, Satoru picked up a rifle lying against the post office wall beside his feet, then tossed it into my arms.
“Another type 97, this one from one of our wounded,” he added, stepping out from the stack. “I know this isn’t your rifle and isn’t specced to your absolute liking, but it should be enough for basic self-defense.”
“Self defense?”
“The bomber crew might have survived the crash.” He said, pulling out his pistol. “Probably not in the best of conditions, but you never know what might happen.”

With a nod, the two of us headed straight for the crash site, located on the hillside not too far away amidst a bamboo forest. Traversing through the surprisingly dense bamboo growth with impaired visibility was troublesome, but did little to disrupt us from our tracks. The searing, toxic odor of burning ragnite assaulted our olfactory even at the bottom of this hill, while the rising smoke and the scattered plane parts from the crash site served as beacons to guide us on our way.

“Is this it?” I bent away the last few bamboo leaves obstructing my view. As I stepped into the scene, I found my left foot landing firmly on a large piece of a dislodged propeller of the downed aircraft, with the rest of the wreckage right in front of us.

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>>3186283
>>3186195
>>3185965

Upon first glance of the fuselage, I was able to identify the aircraft by its peculiar design- this unit is by no doubt a HouRai bomber, the Khaganate’s standard land-based medium bomber. The aircraft has an easily recognizable design that distinguished them from aircraft of similar purposes from Europan makers, yet was one of the few battle-proven aircraft on the world that has proved its worth since its introduction during the final stages of the Yu Civil War. While I’ve seen them flown through Zipang’s skies multiple times during the invasion, this was probably the first time I stood this close to one.

Sporting an enlarged frame and the common bi-wing design, the greyish aircraft had almost twice the wingspan compared to the vertical liftoff prototype captured on the Yamato. The bulky structure was further strengthened and stabilized by its two tails jutting out from each side. This same design proved to be also its weak point, as Margaret’s strike burned one of its two stabilizing tail wings clean off, sending the thing spiraling out of control.

“A Hourai, huh.” Satoru stepped in for a closer examination. “Carriers don’t carry planes this heavy.”
“So it’s the Nanyang Fleet again?”
“Most likely.” He answered, walking around to check the turret. “Considering everything south of Ryukyu is their area of operation, I’m not surprised.”
Despite his answer, I’m certain that Admiral Sima wouldn’t let us off the hook that easily.

Satoru paced around the fallen aircraft, observing not the damages, but carefully observing the cockpit through the cracked windshield. Similarly, I craned my head up to check the surrounding bamboo shoots, trying to look for any signs indicating a landing by parachute.

“One… Two… Looks like least one made it out alive. Not in good shape though, take a look.” Satoru concluded, calling attention to a set of fresh footprints alongside some fresh blood stains stretching from the side hatch of the fuselage into the woods.

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>>3189370
That revelation was enough for me to grab tightly onto my rifle’s stock. My friend, on the other hand, appeared to be more… thrilled at this predicament.
“You’re going after him?”
“I would love to, it’s been a while since the roles of hunter and the hunted are reversed. But I suppose you would like to join as well?”

>Stay around the wreck on guard while Satoru tracks down the surviving bomber crew
>Hunt the survivor(s) down together
>Search for intel and other valuable resources from the wreckage
>Hold out for now, send a message to Yanagi asking for reinforcements.
>Write in.

>>3189373
>Hunt the survivor(s) down together

>>3189373
>Stay around the wreck on guard while Satoru tracks down the surviving bomber crew
>Search for intel and other valuable resources from the wreckage
These could be done simultaneously, plus I'm sure our friend's better at seeking out routes and tracking down enemies than we are.

>>3189373
>Hold out for now, send a message to Yanagi asking for reinforcements.
>Search for intel and other valuable resources from the wreckage

>>3189373
>Hunt the survivor(s) down together

>>3189373
>Hunt the survivor(s) down together

>>3189373
>Hunt the survivor(s) down together

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>>3189757
>>3189917
>>3191509
>>3189428
“I’ll join.” I replied, pulling the bolt of my rifle to load a round into the chamber, “Better safe than sorry.”
Satoru flashed me a livid smirk, as if he got the answer he was waiting for.
“Then please watch my back.”
As I always do, I thought to myself.

I took one last glance at the burning heap of metal before departing into the sea of bamboo shoots. Aside from the smoke and various shrapnel that scattered around crumbling fuselage, I also caught the glimpse of a charred, disfigured body on the pilot seat. Though I have seen enough similar carnage to be somewhat desensitized now, it still made me appreciate the sort of luck I had surviving to this point.

We soon found ourselves traversing deep into a lush bamboo forest with foliage thick enough to block out some sunlight. Truth to be told, this landscape wasn’t exactly the best location for me to provide sufficient cover. The bamboo leaves were visually obstructive, and their shoots were not sturdy enough to provide a sufficient cover as opposed to tree trunks. The saving grace here was the confirmation that our target was wounded in some way, but even then, it’s the wounded and cornered animals that fight back the hardest.

Satoru took the lead tracking the trail, moving slowly while keeping a low profile, careful not to cause much disturbance treading on the the forest floor. While tracks disappeared as more fallen leaves piled on the ground, the trail of blood was still fresh and visible.
Out of nowhere, my friend stopped and raised his right hand, signalling me to stop. “I heard something.”
…
…
Slowly, the two of us assumed crouching position to check our perimeter. My eyes darted around the immediate surrounding, yet I did not find anything substantial other than the same blood stains. The markings were directed to our left, trailing deeper into the seemingly endless bamboo forest. At the same time, there was another matter which caught our attention.

“Did you hear that?”
“Yes, but I can’t tell what’s causing it.”

A faint, rattling noise echoed from a distance, too intense and inconsistent to be the work of a spring’s breeze. It reverberated throughout the woods, making it hard to pinpoint its exact origins. I arched my head up to search for any visual signs of swaying bamboo shoots, but the scenery remained largely unchanged.

*Cheeep! Cheep!*

Following another abrupt rattling, a small flock of birds flew into the sky with a loud chorus of chirps. This time, I clearly identified the origin of the disturbance - yet strangely enough, the source seemed to be on our 3, opposite to where the blood trail was leading.

“Great, there might be more than one.” Satoru commented sarcastically, cursing under his breath. “How should we proceed?”

>Stick together, follow the blood trail
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds
>Split up, go after the disturbance with birds
>write in

>>3192686
Oh, and I almost forgot,
Please roll Satoru a 4d10, just in case

Rolled 1, 8, 2, 9 = 20 (4d10)

>>3192686
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds
The blood will not go anywhere.

Rolled 4, 1, 9, 5 = 19 (4d10)

>>3192686
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds

Rolled 8, 5, 6, 7 = 26 (4d10)

>>3192686
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds

Rolled 7, 5, 8, 3 = 23 (4d10)

>>3192686
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds

Rolled 9, 5, 1, 9 = 24 (4d10)

>>3192686
>Stick together, check the disturbance with the birds

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“The blood trail won’t go anywhere,” I told him, focusing my attention on the new potential threat. “We should check that disturbance first.”

Could it be just a wild animal? That certainly may be a possibility, yet at the same time so was the possibility for it being another survivor from the plane crash.
The enemy we were tracking was definitely badly wounded if the sheer volume of spilled blood along the way were any indication. However, if there was a second survivor, we have little to no idea about this individual’s status. The additional factor of unknown makes the individual a far greater concern, not to mention the significant disturbance likely meant this individual might be fairly mobile.

Chances are it’s a complete fluke, but I’m not betting our lives on a gamble.

“Fair enough. Let’s leave a mark here, just in case.”
Satoru said, taking out a blue silken handkerchief from his pocket and tying it on a bamboo shoot right next to the blood stain, at an easily visible height. Then, brandishing his treasured sidearm, he dived headfirst into the area opposite to our original intended path, with me following closely behind.

Where could the noise be coming from? I wondered as the two of us wandered further and further into denser foliage. At this point, the commotion earlier had died down, and the forest had reverted back to its silent, natural state. Aside from the occasional call of a couple of songbirds far away, there was really no other movement abound, be it on the ground level or above.

As we ventured deeper in, Satoru shredded off his outer coat and tied it around another shoot of bamboo, leaving a mark so we can find our way back later.
Yet, right before he finished, another round of rustling echoed from the deep bamboo woods. Like the previous disturbance, the noise was loud and inconsistent- moreover, this time it was accompanied by a significant rattling of the bamboo shoots from... above?

I arched my head up, and true to my intuition, there was a packet of swaying bamboo shoots and leaves hanging right over my head.
Upon closer examination, I caught a glimpse between the crevasses and thick leaves a bundle of tiny white strings-

“Para-”
However, my alert was drowned out by a sudden burst of gunfire from behind. Our reflexes kicked in immediately, and I found myself lying prone on the forest floor atop large piles of bamboo leaves, with my friend doing the exact same right around my proximity.
“Tch, looks like the bleeding one still has some fight left in him.” Satoru clicked his tongue in frustration as he looked up to a bullet hole cleaved cleanly through a bamboo shoot. The aim was wildly off the mark, but it was close enough to cause a reasonable concern.

As the sound of gunfire echoed through the forest, this dense pocket of bamboo above us began rattling violently again, sending more leaves and small clips of bamboo hailing down from above.

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>>3197841
The situation has turned more unfavorable for us than I had initially expected.
There were at least two survivors from the plane crash. The one closest to us was likely trapped amongst the dense bamboo, caught up in their parachute. The other one, while gravely wounded, was still armed and capable of fighting back.

Trying to keep myself as quiet and covert as possible, I slowly dragged myself over the forest floor, cautious not to break a stick or rustle some dead leaves. I made my way towards Satoru, who kept his head firmly glued onto the moist substrate.
“Do you have a visual?” he whispered, trying hard to keep himself obstructed within the foliage.
“No, but there is someone right above our heads,” I whispered back pointed at the general direction.

Satoru’s eyes widened as he realized what exactly was dangling right on top of our heads, then turned his attention back to me with caution.
“That one’s completely stuck?”
“No idea,” I replied cautiously. “But whoever’s on there probably has not noticed us yet. We could go for his friend, but if he’s armed and does manage to get down somehow...”
“Good grief.” My friend lets out a short sigh and shook his head, holding tightly onto his pistol. “You have a good solution to this?”

>Focus on the injured enemy. He may be wounded, but he’s armed and willing to fight.
>Focus on the stranded enemy. He may be caught, but he might just break free at any moment
>Split up, try to snipe out the injured survivor while Satoru investigates the trapped one.
>Call for reinforcements, this has become too much for two to handle
>Write in.

>>3197845
>Split up, try to snipe out the injured survivor while Satoru investigates the trapped one.

>>3197845
>Focus on the injured enemy. He may be wounded, but he’s armed and willing to fight.

>>3197845
>Split up, try to snipe out the injured survivor while Satoru investigates the trapped one.
Not the most effective way to approach the situation but damn you QM for teasing another sniper battle

>>3197845
>split up and turn it into a sniper elite battle of course

>>3197845
>Split up, try to snipe out the injured survivor while Satoru investigates the trapped one.

>>3197852
>>3197991
>>3198034
>>3198433
Alright, throw me a 7d10. -2 penalty for terrain.

>>3198920

Rolled 10, 8, 4, 10, 7, 9, 7 = 55 (7d10)

>>3198920

Rolled 2, 8, 8, 1, 4, 10, 7 = 40 (7d10)

>>3198920

Rolled 3, 9, 7, 4, 10, 7, 2 = 42 (7d10)

>>3198920

Rolled 3, 5, 7, 5, 1, 6, 6 = 33 (7d10)

>>3198920

Rolled 8, 4, 7, 1, 9, 8, 3 = 40 (7d10)

>>3198920
You can do the math the dice machine don't auto subtract

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“I’ll deal with the troublesome one.” I signaled my friend, pointing to where the gunshots came from. “Keep an eye on the one stuck up there.”
Come to think of it, wasn’t it always my job to take care of the ‘troublesome ones’? Tanks aside, I had my fair share of taking out officers, high priority infantry targets, and battling other snipers throughout this conflict. At this point, going for the hard target had become a natural response.

“Fine by me” He answered back, “But before I go, I feel obliged to leave a parting gift.”
“Parting gift?”

Wasting no time, my friend got off the ground and made a quick dive roll into the open, heavily disturbing the surrounding flora. This ostensibly triggered an immediate response from our injured buddy on the other side, in the form of three more bullets whizzing over my head.

Like the previous volley, the aim was off, and my friend managed slip away unscathed to deal with the other threat. Despite this, he left me questioning his… rather suicidal stunt. I thought he was the one to hate pointless head dives into danger? What’s the deal with diving head first into gunfire now?

Wait a minute… Gunshots?

“Parting gift huh?” I murmured under my breath, taking aim through my rifle’s iron stand and tracing the marks of blood on the ground. “That’s a good one, I have to admit.”
From the gunshots prior, I was able to speculate the general direction as to where the enemy was hiding. Sure, it’s not a pinpoint, but I could round the estimation down a little more.

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>>3205932
I positioned myself towards the patch of bamboo along the blood trail, keeping an eye out for the spot where Satoru marked with his handkerchief. Going by the sound of those shots earlier, I believe this was the area where the enemy hid himself.

I took off my coat, then hanged it over the borrowed rifle, using it as some makeshift coat hanger. From my experience, the best way to pinpoint the exact location of the enemy is by his muzzle flash- and the only way to do so is to draw his fire, preferably without having to put myself in harm’s way. The most reasonable solution, of course, is doing so with a decoy.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly raised the decoy to mimic the motion of a person standing up while carefully observing the target area. As I raised the coat to about upright, I was met with another volley of two shots at my direction. None of the bullets managed to land, though one did manage to brush dangerously close to the left shoulder of my coat.

On the other hand, I found I was looking for - muzzle flash after each shot, around 2 o’clock from Satoru’s marked position from my point of reference, unsurprisingly right up the trail of blood. Other than that, this exchange also allowed me to confirm two more things.
First, according to the quick succession in which the weapon was fired, he was equipped with some sort of automatic or semiautomatic weapon, as opposed to the standard bolt action rifle.
Second, for some reason, he did not change his position. I reckon this must be the result of his injuries, but it’s a grave mistake on his part.

Normally, I could have made a precise enough shot to land squarely on the point of the muzzle flash probably ended him right there, but I did not have the luxury this time. While this is a standard type-97 like mine, this isn't my type-97. The scope was absent, as were the modifications which made it feel at home in my grasp. The weight distribution felt different in my hands, and I have no idea how the rifling on this rifle behaves.
This does not mean I would be unable to perform my regular duties as a sniper, it’s just… it doesn’t feel right.

Now, in order to make up for the differences, I need a better angle to score a clear shot- to achieve that I’ll have change my position and route him. Thankfully, he has stopped firing for the time being, presumably to reload. This gave me just the opportunity to make my move, but I’ll also have to do it without getting noticed.
Slowly, I propped myself to a crouching position, then using Satoru’s marking as a focal point, I carefully positioned myself to approach him in a spiraling maneuver.

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>>3205934
I stopped at around 5’ in respect to Satoru’s marking and squinted my eyes a little. Through the thick wraps of some thorny bamboo shoots, I was able to spot a faint silhouette of the target- he appeared to be assuming a crouching position, still facing the area where I sat in previously.
This meant he likely haven’t noticed my movement, and in turn gave me the perfect opportunity to line up my shot. I immediately got to the ground and lied on my dorsal, training my aim on the silhouette. Aiming through the iron sights, I took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.
…
…

There was a bang, loud enough to send another flock of birds darting into the air, followed by a small rustle of leaves as the silhouette collapsed with a small thud.
With the threat taken care of, I let out a sigh of relief.

>Go check up Satoru’s status, help him out if possible
>Investigate the enemy on the ground, he might carry some useful information on him
>Wait here for Satoru to finish his job
>Shoot him again, just to make sure
>Write In

>>3205937
>Investigate the enemy on the ground, he might carry some useful information on him
He also might still be alive and dangerous

>>3205937
>Shoot him again, just to make sure
>Investigate the enemy on the ground, he might carry some useful information on him

>>3205937
>Investigate the enemy on the ground, he might carry some useful information on him

>>3205937
>Shooti him again, just to make sure
>Investigate the enemy on the ground, he might carry some useful information on him

>>3205937
>Shoot him again, just to make sure

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I shifted my focus back onto my target, keeping a strict eye on any movement. He may be down, but he might still be alive, and chances still have one last breath left to fight back. Under such circumstances, it might not be safe to leave cover yet.

To be absolutely certain, I pulled the bolt and loaded a next bullet, aimed my sights on the downed man then once again pulled the trigger. Another bullet was released from the muzzle, followed by a twitch from the silhouette on the ground.

That done, I got off the ground and approached the target to confirm my kill, sitting across the thick bamboo growth. There, behind an obstructing bush, was a man sprawled on the ground in fetal position. A Yu-standard semi-automatic ‘broomhandle’ pistol laid on the ground beside his body, which I promptly kicked away as soon as I saw it. I poked him once with the stock of my rifle to be absolutely certain. Observing no response from the lifeless body, I prepared for a further examination on the target.

“Subaru!”
As I was about to flip him over, I was caught by surprise by a familiar voice calling my name echoing from a distance. Looks like Satoru has finished his part of the job as well.
“You got that bastard? I heard you fire.”
“Yeah, I got him. I’m checking his status, see what he’s got.” I hollered back at my friend.
“Alright, I’ll join you in a bit”

Finishing the exchange with my friend, I flipped the downed man with a kick, making the body lying flat on the forest floor. The first thing I noticed was his gruesomely deformed face, where one of my bullets flew right into his right eye socket, bursting his eyeball. The other shot must have landed somewhere on his torso, but it was hard to tell- the huge crimson patches of blood that tainted the otherwise brown colored uniform has drowned out all signs of the shot. Specifically noticeable was a large piece of metal protruding from his abdomen, likely an injury he sustained from the crash. He must have already been bleeding out by the time Satoru and I arrived at the scene.

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>>3209647
Before I was able to start searching the body, I heard the rustling of bamboo a few bare meters away. Instinct drove me to raise my rifle in that direction, alerted by the appearance of a possible new enemy.
“Hey, it’s me. Relax”
“Satoru?” I lowered my weapon the moment I heard that voice coming from the same direction.
“Yeah, and look what I found.”

With a forceful shove, a young woman was pushed out from the thick bamboo shoots, nearly losing balance from the sudden force placed on her back. She stood about half a head shorter than Satoru and had a slender build, with neck length curled black hair. She looked not much older than my sister and donned a similar uniform to the man on the ground. Though unlike her partner, she has apparently lost all will to fight, her whole body shivering uncontrollably as she held her hands high in the air. Immediately following her was my friend, slowly emerging from the bamboo shoots revealing himself to be holding her at gunpoint.

<Hands behind your head> My friend spoke in their language, his cold tone indicated that it was most likely a threat. The young woman did not speak, and complied to his orders weakly, placing both hands over the back of her head, her eyes were glued to the ground.
She soon took notice of the scene laying bare before her- more specifically, her dead comrade with a hole in his head. It took a few short seconds for the realization to hit, but as soon as it did she immediately dropped to her knees, eyes watering up and began sobbing loudly at the sight of her fallen comrade.

“Uh… is she...” I looked at my friend, confused by this whole turn of events.
“The little bird trapped atop of some bamboo shoot.” He shrugged casually, lowering his gun. It became evident that in current circumstances, the girl had no power to fight back. “Anything you want to know from her?”

>We should probably just take her back
>Her name, rank, and which division she belongs to?
>Ask her about their mission
>Tell her ’Cooperate if you don’t want to end up like him’
>Write in

>>3209649
>We should probably just take her back
Let the specialists deal with her.

>>3209649
>We should probably just take her back

>>3209649
>We should probably just take her back, tell her to cooperate if she doesn’t want to end up like him.
No mercy for steppe barbarians

>>3209649
>We should probably just take her back

>>3209691
To our sister? She already has one prisoner to deal with, a very important one at that.

>>3210239
We don't have to try to befriend every enemy girl.
I assume there's someone on the ship who can take care of prisoners.

>>3210322
But why won't you want to go for best girl Aiteng?

>>3210668
Because she's most likely not a flaggable target going by the way QM writes. She's also a decade and a half older than us

>>3212278
She also killed our father.

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>>3209691
>>3209711
>>3210239

“We should probably take her back for proper questioning,” I told my friend, pointing at the girl on her knees. “She’s in no condition to provide an answer now.”
“I guess you’re right.” Satoru spared a glance at the sobbing, broken girl on the ground, then holstered his pistol with a sigh. “I don’t want to stay here any longer as well.”

With one swift motion, Satoru grabbed the girl by her collar, and with one forceful yank pulled her off the ground.
<Walk> He commanded with a sharp, cold tone in the Yu language before rudely shoving her on the shoulder. While I had little idea as to what he just said, judging by context I followed up by holding her at gunpoint with the borrowed rifle.

With Satoru leading the way out of the bamboo forest, I took up the role as our prisoner's main escort. Due to the nature of taking a prisoner and the traumatized state of said prisoner, the road downhill took significantly more time than our initial way in.

The sun was two thirds to the west by the time we arrived back at the post office, and judging by the sight before us things haven’t been progressing that well here either.
Parked right in front of the post office was a six-wheeler truck, quite a large vehicle considering the only vehicles assembled domestically at Formosa were four-wheeled sedans and light trucks. While the truck was now emptied, the blue, glowing spill marks and an of white hemp cloth left aboard were clear indications of what its cargo must've been.

A dozen or so newly arrived reserves had hastily erected a medical station within the main hall of the post office, while the other able-bodied staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to ferry as many as the wounded in. This makeshift station was supported adequately with medical supplies carried by truck earlier. However, a meager dozen reserves were still horribly inadequate to handle the number of casualties from an attack like this.

Unfortunately, this was probably all that the current command in Formosa could do. Incidents like these really illustrated just how undermanned, under-resourced and desperate our circumstances were.

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>>3219123
“Subaru-kun! Aono-san!”
Margaret’s energetic, refreshing voice popped up from behind, instantly catching both of our attention. Rising to full height, half of her body protruded out from a smaller, non-combat four-wheeler, which pulled up right beside us in a short burst.
“So, gentlemen, how’s the date?” Akane, who we both instantly recognized as the driver, flashed us a wink.

“Surprisingly fruitful. Most dates just don’t go so this smoothly anymore.” Satoru bantered back, pulling open the vehicle's front door. “Speaking of which, any spare ropes you happen to have?”
“Consider yourselves lucky then.”
With a smirk, Akane took out a bundle of rope from under the driver’s seat. Then once again, my friend ordered the young prisoner to lay flat on the pavement. Working together, we restrained her indefinitely by roping up both her wrists and ankles.

“Ahh, I envy you both,” Akane responded back in her usual sultry, sarcastic manner, watching our work with mild amusement.

That done, Satoru got onto the passenger’s seat, while I loaded both the bound girl and myself onto the back, thereby sharing the same seat with Margaret.
“Who’s this?” The Denisov asked, craning her head over the terrified girl sandwiched between her and me. The person in question, on the other hand, visibly shivered at the close proximity to someone so tall, her head would be pressed onto the rover’s ceiling if it had one.

“She's from the plane that you shot down, Margaret-san.” I squeezed myself into the backseat too, packing the anxious girl even closer to Margaret in this claustrophobic space.
“Ho…” The Valkyria cast an inquisitive eye and a domineering shadow over on her victim. Meanwhile, the rest of the girl's sanity was close to evaporating away as she realized who exactly caused her misery in the first place.
“And the others?”
“KIA” I answered, short and concise. “You almost got them all.”

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>>3219150
“I see.” Margaret nodded monotonously, her attention still focused intently on our petrified PoW. Something was wrong.
A blanket of oppressive, dead air enveloped the atmosphere as the Valkyria went silent, her only movements were limited to and only to her deep, crimson pupils. They darted across up and down, performing a thorough scan on the subject of interest.

“Oh, Miss Denisov,” Akane interrupted just in time to before things could escalate farther. “It’s not proper etiquette to scare our guest now, isn’t it? That comes later.”
While injecting herself into the dialogue did manage to bring Margaret under control somewhat, Akane’s intentions were far from benevolent.

“I just honestly did not expect the weakest one to survive.”
Gone was the gentle voice and warming skinship of the closest approximation of an angel, and what returned was the unremorseful killing machine that I met in the outskirts of Osaka.

It has been a while since I’ve seen this side of the Denisov, and honestly, it was quite easy to forget considering how the Valkyria usually interacted with others.
“Well then.” Akane revved the engines back into a roar. “Let’s go back to HQ. The Captain wants to see us, plus, I would love to spend some time with our new little friend.”

>Akasaka-san, you want to be the one to question her?
>I’ll probably let Tewi do it, she’s oddly good at this… somehow.
>Why not let Itaru-senpai deal with her? After all, they suffered the most out of this
>Write in

>>3219155
>Akasaka-san, you want to be the one to question her?

>>3219155
>Akasaka-san, you want to be the one to question her?
One part of me wants to give it to our sister, but I also want to see what Akane can do.

>>3219155
>I’ll probably let Tewi do it, she’s oddly good at this… somehow.

>>3219155
>Alaskan San you want a shot at this?

>>3219155
>Akasaka-san, you want to do the questioning?

Writing the next and final update, which will likely be up sometime today.
Meanwhile, I've archived the thread just in case it sinks to oblivion before that

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3185906/

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“Akasaka-san, you want to take a shot at this?” I raised an eyebrow definitely possessed a wide skill set - from driving armored vehicles to acting. But interrogation too? That was really unexpected from her.

A playful chuckle escaped from the driver's seat.
“Aha, Kurokawa, could that be doubt I’m sensing?”
“Well, it's…” The way she phrased it really placed me in an awkward position. Yes, I held doubts about her skills in this particular field, but there's no real way for me to deliver it without coming across as rude and unreserved.
“Don’t worry, you can leave things to her.” Satoru swooped in to back up her claims, at the same time bailing me out of a tight scenario. “I’ve personally seen Akasaka do this before, and…” My friend trailed off and held his breath for a moment, then nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “Let's just say she gets the results.”

“Come on, don't spoil them the fun.” Akane joyfully patted Satoru on the shoulder “Kurokawa can come to my performance and rate it for himself.” Akane turned around and blew us three a wink. “Miss Denisov, feel free to join as well”

“Really!?” Margaret’s eyes lit up with an overflowing well of curiosity. Honestly, I not sure if I should be worried more about the Valkyria’s apparent childlike naivete, or that terrifying, crescent-shaped slasher smile that bisected Akane's face from ear to ear.

I spared another glance at the captured girl sandwiched between Margaret and I. She was still anxious to the brink of a mental breakdown, at least she remained this way since we captured her. I guess it was better for her not to know our language, though a part of me did pity what future awaited her.

“Anyways,” Akane diverted her focus back to handling the vehicle. “I'm surprised you two aren't worried more over who’s behind the wheel.”
I could almost hear Satoru sending another gulp of saliva down his throat, while I instinctively held tightly onto my seatbelt and my borrowed rifle. Doing so, I felt my palms moisten almost immediately at the notion of Akane handling our transportation. Surely, she can’t just send us crashing on the way, right?

As a result of this little stunt, every little bump on the crater-filled, uneven roads of Amekou felt like treading on a landmine. Each little shake and rumble simply served to pull our heartstrings tighter and tighter until the truck finally pulled to a halt, right in front of Amekou’s Naval Base.

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>>3222750
“We’re here.” Akane tooted jovially while my friend and I exited the vehicle as soon as it stopped. Margaret followed suite, carrying our prisoner over her right shoulder like some sort of game animal. Unlike us, the Valkyria enjoyed the bumpy ride more than she should.
“What, you two thought I really would trash this thing too?” Akane propped herself out from the vehicle's open ceiling, giggling malevolently at the expense of our paranoia.
“You…”
I halted my friend from trying to berate the trickster with a pat on the shoulder. It would have been appropriate in anywhere else, just not in front of the Naval Base.

Moreover, there were more urgent events that needed to be addressed.

And that's the end for this thread. Looks like I made it just in time to cap it off.
Was thinking of starting the next thread off with an interlude/side story, but that can be saved for later