Chapter 9: Furry Land (1)
In the world of the Ghostcatchers, there were several maxims.
Beware of small bugs.
Do not make enemies of hackers.
Do not ss with children or the elderly, and things like that.
Among them, the following was the most famous.
‘Avoid fights as much as possible.’
Perhaps it was a maxim that did not suit this underworld very well, where force was the most reliable ans of resolution.
It was also quite far removed from today’s sensibilities, where disregard for life was rampant.
However, those words did not co from valuing life or human rights, but from thoroughly economic logic.
In this world, fighting was money.
Pouring bullets and bombs was money, invoking Magic and Miracles was money, and even supporting hacking or drones was all money.
So pouring ten million qubits’ worth of firepower into a job worth one million qubits was like putting a noose around your own neck.
From that perspective, this job was quite unusual.
From the briefing itself, it had assud a battle requiring trendous firepower.
‘Furry Land…….’
Under the flashing neon signs, humans with unfamiliar appearances passed by.
From familiar species like cats and dogs to massive animals like buffaloes and elephants that were hard to see under normal circumstances.
This place, Sector 3-10A, once called Itaewon, had beco a neighborhood frequently visited by beastn.
Because across this entire sector stood a vast beastman-only facility called ‘Furry Land.’
“Ready?”
Kali asked from the dark back alley.
“I’m good.”
As Jo answered, sniffing the air, Zal’s head popped out from his left shoulder.
“I’m not yet, though.”
At that, Kali’s expression hardened as she spat out a curse.
“You crazy bastard. Aren’t you going to put your head back in?”
At her outburst, Zal made a sullen face and then slipped back in.
“If you pop out during infiltration, I’ll cut you off then.”
Along with the harsh words, Kali handed each of them a small cube.
“Chew it thoroughly, then blow.”
Diesel looked down at the item she handed over, called ‘Purry Gum.’
It was a kind of ntal-type Magic item that, when blown up big like bubble gum and worn over the face like a mask pack, made one look like a beastman.
“Mm, mm, mm……. It doesn’t taste good.”
[I kind of want to try it too.]
As Jo muttered while chewing the gum, Zal spoke over the closed channel.
The three of them, with bubble gum pulled over their faces, transford into beastn in an instant.
Jo beca a giraffe, Kali a red fox, and Diesel a gray wolf.
“You know this gum can’t fool touch, so don’t let anyone touch your faces. Well, we’re probably not the only ones using this here, though.”
At the entrance to Furry Land was a sign that read ‘Only Pure Beastn Allowed,’ but inspections regarding that were not very strict.
That phrase was purely for marketing.
For the purpose of giving people the thrill of doing sothing forbidden.
“Rember. Until the job starts, do not draw attention. Ever.”
Kali warned them while looking especially at Jo, then moved her feet.
The entrance to Furry Land was guarded by a gorilla beastman and a doberman beastman.
Both looked fluffy on the outside, but quite high-grade prosthetic bodies were installed in them.
As the three Ghostcatchers approached, the guards gave their faces a quick once-over and obediently stepped aside.
Inside Furry Land felt like coming to so kind of zoo.
Starting with beastn who fully resembled animals, to beastn who looked almost identical to humans except for ears sticking out of their heads.
Those with various animal forms were conversing with each other in unique voices.
What next caught the eye was the enormously high ceiling.
Just as the question of why it was built so high arose, a gigantic herbivorous dinosaur beastman stomped past Diesel with heavy thuds.
‘What a crazy world.’
When they arrived at a club-style lounge filled with loud music, the Ghostcatchers naturally split into two groups.
Kali and Diesel entered the open cocktail bar attached to the side of the lounge, while Jo moved alone to the ‘Tropical Rainforest Zone.’
[Report when you reach your position.]
[It’s kind of lonely.]
[It is lonely.]
[Shut up. Don’t chatter on the closed channel.]
Kali barked over the network and ordered a drink from the bartender.
Then, glancing around as if on guard, she asked Diesel,
“First ti?”
“With a group.”
At that answer, Kali let out a snort of laughter.
“What’s so good about this kind of dirty work that rookies keep crawling in.”
“Self-reflection?”
“Well, maybe.”
Soon, when the ordered drink ca out, she took a sip and asked,
“That thing about you taking on that machine alone, is it true?”
The machine.
She must have been referring to gacorp’s multi-legged walking tank.
“I did.”
“That makes no sense. How could a single mage…….”
She trailed off, then quietly added,
“I don’t know if you know this, but the AT-71 is a tank the Gale Consortium made in the past to deal with Spelltech. A weapon that gacorp, which rose to overwhelming world number one in defense technology, specially developed to face another gacorp that climbed right up under their chin with magical engineering. Do you get what I’m saying?”
In short, the multi-legged walking tank encountered back then was an anti-Archmage weapon.
Diesel knew this fact as well.
The reason the AT-71 had co toward the convenience store that day was because it had detected the enormous magical output pouring out of Diesel as the top-priority threat.
If it had been an ordinary tank, it would not have reacted that sensitively.
“I was just lucky.”
That was about half true.
At the ti, the weapons mounted on the tank were not appropriate, which was why it had been possible to deal with it to so extent.
If it had been properly ard with anti-personnel weapons, there probably would not even have been a chance to attempt a fight.
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough whether it was just luck.”
As Kali tossed the rest of her drink into her mouth, a transmission ca from Jo.
[Kali, I’ve arrived.]
[We’ve arrived too.]
[Stay quiet and wait. Don’t mutter to yourself and draw attention.]
After giving the instructions, she contacted the external hacker they had hired in advance.
In the anti, Diesel spoke to Ar.
〈Ar, just in case, check whether hacking this building is possible.〉
〈Ar is already in motion.〉
A mont later, Kali lifted her head with a noticeably serious expression.
[We’re starting.]
At the sa ti.
Boom!
A massive explosion sounded from far away.
The location was the Atlantic Zone.
A place on the opposite side from the Tropical Rainforest Zone where Jo was.
“Kyaaah……!”
“W-what’s going on?”
“Is it a gas explosion?”
Along with the screams, all the lights inside the building went out.
But in less than a second, they were restored as if nothing had happened.
[Primary reserve power activation confird.]
As Kali reported over comms, this ti Jo and Zal spoke.
[Going?]
[Going!]
With a KWAANG! explosion sounding from the Tropical Rainforest Zone, the power in the building went out again.
This blackout did not recover as easily as the previous one.
“Run!”
“It’s terrorism! Terrorism!”
“I can’t see anything!”
In an instant, Furry Land fell into chaos.
With the various cries of many animals ringing out from all directions, it beca a complete pandemonium.
After one round of deliberately induced confusion passed.
Soon, only Diesel and Kali remained in the darkened lounge.
Having received sothing from the external hacker, Kali reported over the closed channel.
[1 minute until secondary reserve power activation.]
Her eyes shimred with an orange light.
It was a mana backlash phenonon that appeared in lee mages.
Leaving a long afterimage in the air, Kali vanished to sowhere.
Almost simultaneously, she revealed herself in front of one of the guard rooms that had been their destination.
She smashed the firmly locked doorknob and entered inside.
Then she tapped the back of the neck of the bewildered Poranian beastman guard, knocking him unconscious.
[Arrived at location. Remaining ti: 57 seconds.]
This ti, Diesel moved.
He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of mana.
With a hand filled with chill, he braced against the wall beside him.
At once, pure white frost spread along the concrete in multiple branches.
As Diesel finished the magic formula, crack! Ice burst forth from the corridor and completely blocked the external passage.
Ice Barrier.
Solid ice that could not be broken by ordinary ans.
Now, if ard guards wanted to enter the lounge, they would have to smash through that wall of ice.
[Space isolated.]
[Confird.]
With this, the lounge of Furry Land was under the control of the three Ghostcatchers for the ti being.
[Jo, where are you?]
[Four seconds. No, two seconds. No, arrived.]
As Jo arrived at another guard room elsewhere, Kali sent the signal.
[Press on three. One, two, three.]
The two Ghostcatchers pressed the buttons in different guard rooms simultaneously.
Then, from the wide lounge floor of Furry Land, a gigantic cylindrical structure began to slowly rise up.
“The ice wall’s not bad. It’ll buy us proper ti.”
Kali, who had sohow arrived next to Diesel, seed to have checked the Ice Barrier on her way back down.
Soon, as the secondary reserve power ca online, soft lights lit up the lounge.
Taking out the circular shield strapped to her waist and opening it like an umbrella, Kali said,
“Get ready. It’s starting now.”
No sooner had her words ended than the cylinder rising upward ca to an abrupt halt.
Then, with a hissing sound, smoke billowed out, and the front portion dropped off with a thud.
‘So that’s the…….’
As the white smoke gradually cleared, the objective of this operation slowly revealed itself.
“I’ve only heard rumors too, but this is my first ti seeing it in person…….”
Perhaps tense, Kali’s voice trembled slightly at the end.
And then, what appeared before them was…….
A massive, heavy body densely covered in sharp white fur.
Sharp fangs that brushed against each other slightly every ti it growled.
It was the demi-god called the White Bear, Urmus.
‘This is insane.’
A legendary existence that symbolized power itself.
If one had to na a creature it resembled, a polar bear would co to mind, but even its size alone defied comparison.
The White Bear’s height was sothing that had to be compared not to ordinary living beings, but to buildings.
“What insolent wretch dares wake from my sleep.”
A deep bass voice resounded from its heavy vocal cords.
“We apologize, Lord Urmus. We had urgent words to convey, so we dared to disturb your slumber despite the discourtesy.”
Kali bowed politely with proper etiquette.
But what ca back was a violent response.
“It was you? You insect bastard.”
Along with the thick voice, a forepaw flew toward her.
A speed one could hardly believe could co from that gigantic body.
Kali barely avoided the attack, her eyes flashing orange.
“Please calm yourself for a mont and listen to what I have to say…….”
“Dodge? Hah! Then try dodging this too.”
Imdiately, attacks of trendous power followed.
Striking straight down from above, clapping both hands together at once, then scraping heavily along the floor and swinging upward.
As the attacks grew increasingly precise, Kali barely deflected the White Bear’s strikes with the shield she had prepared in advance.
“Elder, please co to your senses for a mont and listen to my words…….”
“Hahahaha! Not bad for an insect!”
Urums was not listening at all.
In the end, Kali requested help over the closed channel.
[As expected, talking won’t work at all. Move to the next plan.]
The mont her words ended, sothing flew in from afar with a pop sound.
Then boom! A large explosion went off right beside Urmus’s face.
“Grrr……. And what kind of insect is this now?”
However, the White Bear rely showed a mildly irritated reaction and began searching for what had attacked it.
Then it discovered Jo and Zal aiming at it from far away.
“So there you were. Fly-like bastards.”
As Jo loaded a round into his right leg modified into a grenade launcher, Zal imbued the grenade with mana using his unmodified left hand.
Once again, a pop sound rang out.
This ti, a blue-hued explosion burst in midair.
“Grrr……. This unpleasant feeling……. An insect that uses mana, was it.”
The White Bear let out a gigantic roar as it looked at Jo and Zal.
The dreadful vibration of the sound wave pierced through skin and dug deep into the bones.
“It’s coming, Jo.”
“I know, Zal.”
The monster planted its four legs into the ground with a thud.
Then it began charging at an unbelievable speed.
Several grenades exploded in front of the White Bear to obstruct its path, but they could not stop that trendous charge.
“……!”
The demi-god reached right up to Jo’s face and opened its massive jaws wide.
Just before tearing into his fragile neck.
Jo detonated a mana-infused anti-monster flash grenade and vanished into the darkness.
“Khgh……! What kind of petty trick is that, you insect!”
[We’re done here too.]
[We did everything we could.]
Now it was Diesel’s turn.
He had almost finished the magic formula he had been preparing since earlier.
A rumbling sound echoed throughout the vast lounge, and sparks flew in the air.
Only then did the White Bear sense the magical energy and turn its head toward Diesel with an impressed expression.
“Oh, so there was at least one proper mage after all.”
Then it ford a chilling smile.
“Very well, shall I see whether you can truly wake ?”
The muscles of its massive body writhed.
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