Chapter 3

Mercenary Island

Part Three

By placing her feet on the edge of the platform, she pushed herself away, creating a gap between her and the platform. Against that, a whale’s fin struck her feet, which sent her into a dizzying spin again.

Few minutes later, hundreds of shattered platform pieces surrounded her. The remaining mercenaries were only snipers at the edge of the mountain. Her relief was short-lived. More armed individuals had appeared beside the snipers, shooting at the sea beings.

“Are you kidding? Yash, can you send the whales and others away?”

‘I can.’

Within moments, the sea creatures exhibited abnormal behaviour, swiftly retreating from the area. Her lips curved in a smile. “What did you do?”

‘I played the sound of a sea being they all fear.’

“Who?”

‘I played the sound of the oldest female whale who wants to mate.’

Manya couldn’t control her laughter. Once the sea beings were gone, she took a much-needed break in order to assess the remaining mercenaries. And I am still stuck in the ocean. Have to clear the entire island.

“Yash, is there a time limit for this mission?”

‘Oh yes, they assign a time limit to every individual based on the difficulty of the mission. But you don’t have any?’

“Why?”

‘Take it as a gratitude from me, the best of all, for the lovely voice you have.’

“Are you really a software?”

‘Don’t taunt now.’

“Wait—if there’s no time limit, does that mean I can stay here as long as I want?”

‘I am not allowed to talk unless you say my name, but staying underwater without proper equipment is not feasible.’

“You and your say my name rule, which you have broken since ever!” She took a deep breath. “Yash, call the weapons.”

‘Do you want me to call each of them or just one?’

“Call the amount I can carry.”

‘Okie, I know I should only respond when the user says my name, but don’t you think after helping you with all those men, I deserve a kiss?’

“Just focus on the work,” she said. “Wait—how can I kiss you? You are just a voice coming from the mask, right?”

‘You can kiss the mask.’

Is he for real? “Ok, I’ll kiss the face of the mask when all this will be over.”

‘Really! … Leave it.’

“Why?”

‘Just for a second, I forgot I am an AI.’

“You are one weird software, but you’re the best I have ever seen.”

‘How many have you seen?’

“… Still, you are the best.”

Yash summoned an impressive collection of weapons that left her amazed. Questions raced through her mind as she examined the firearms floating around her in a circle.

“Yash, how are these guns working so well underwater?”

‘I am not in a mood for technical details. So, let’s say the guns and bullets are waterproof.’

“At least give me a brief explanation.”

‘And I began to like you. Every gun has a feature to coat a bullet with a layer of air, fire, many more. This layer protects the bullet from different climatic conditions until it touches a substance. Yeah, yeah, 100 points for Yash.’

Manya nodded, taking in the information. The technology at her disposal filled her with a growing sense of awe. However, there was still more to discover.

“Yash, does this rifle have more features?”

Yash responded with great enthusiasm, ‘Oh yes! It has several modes, such as No recoil, No Reload, and Heat Killer.’

Manya’s eyes widened at the possibilities. “Yash, what’s Heat Killer?”

‘You know how a missile follows heat until it destroys its target? It’s the same.’

Manya was both amazed and doubtful. The technology was straight out of a science fiction movie. However, there was one particular aspect that troubled her. “Yash? Isn’t that cheating?”

‘Yeah, in games, but it’s reality with only one life, and MS handles all the lives under it, to some extent.’

Manya couldn’t help but laugh at how absurd everything was.

“Yash, can you activate the Heat Killer option, please?”

‘Heat killer enabled.’

Her movements were impacted by the cold water since she only had on burnt pants and a top over a sports bra, offering no warmth. Just as she targeted the snipers, she received a text showing a locked target, prompting her to pull the trigger. Manya felt a surge of confidence with Heat Killer mode activated. Now she could face any danger surrounding her.

She was both amazed by the results of these advanced weapons and confused by the deaths of her fellow unranked. It was not acceptable to die while having such weapons. She overcame the hurdles blocking her path to the shore.

As she prepared to surface, she stuck her head out and an unexpected blow struck her in the mask, knocking her back and eliciting a scream of pain in her neck.

“Yash! what was it?”

‘A bullet.’

“But how could they time the moment I stepped outside?”

‘Haven’t I told you they also possess technology to read heat signatures?’

Sooner, a grid view of the island’s border materialised, providing a detailed account of artillery and sniper towers.

“Can anyone could ever clear out this place? Yash, how much supply of air do I have?”

“It’s endless. But as I have said before, you should be worried about your body below neck. And it’s still early night.”

“Yash, how long I can stay underwater before turning into an ice sculpture?”

’10,’ he said. She let out a sigh. ‘9, 8,’ Her eyes widened. Yash laughed. ‘Still got 10 minutes before hypothermia hits you.’ She cursed at him. He showed a humorous animation of a child doing a funny dance with a “Stand by” text on top. With a soft chuckle, her lips curled upward.

***

She fought back while enabling the heat killer. Her determination emitting through every move, but something was different. She double-checked multiple times to confirm the heat signatures of the targets she had just shot, ensuring they were motionless and not falling. Their feet remained planted on the ground, absorbing the shots head on. She pulled the trigger once more, hoping to eliminate her confusion, but ended up with the same outcome.

“Yash, what are they?”

Multiple video clips of indestructible beings, captured from unusual angles, played. They were the live feeds from malfunctioned robuitos.

‘Humanoid robuitos. Used to tame the beast who didn’t submit to the weaker ones.’

“Can’t you hack those laid robuitos from before and help me?”

‘Why don’t I clear the entire test for you? I can’t. I have limitations. For now.’

“This is a test?”

‘Yes. Your first test on the path of becoming an official ranker.’

“Wait—wait—wait. If you could move the mask back then. Why didn’t you do it when I was struggling for breath?”

‘You want me to be honest?’

“Yes, I do.”

‘The yellow light wasn’t blinking to attract you. It was indicating the scanning process. I was collecting information about the whole u… island. And there was no sign of you being friendly or that you’ll survive.’

“From which angle I—” A mercenary appeared in the feed collecting blood from a dead individual through tubes emerged from his limbs. “What did they even do with all the blood they collect?”

‘What do you do with alcoholic beverages?’ Her jaw dropped and eyes widened in complete disbelief. ‘Drinking it is least gruesome activity they perform. As for the worst, they—’

“Stop. I don’t want to puke while wearing a mask.”

The indestructible heat signatures descended from the island and entered the water.

‘Nice reflex. Not this model, but most of the mask are puke free.’

“I would love to see them. If I make it alive out from here.”

The humanoid robuitos were larger than the rest and had multiple tubes running through their skin, emitting a red glow. They moved as fast as a speedboat. Even with her racing heartbeat, her limbs froze. “Damn this water!” Move! Or you’ll get crushed! She jabbed her thighs with guns.

The approaching mercenaries had eyes filled with a crimson hunger and the promise of death. Their long-ranged weapons transformed into sharp melee weapons. “Right. Why waste bullets when you can butcher?” she whispered. The heat of their intimidation was about to engulf her. Notwithstanding her helplessness, she couldn’t close her eyes. “Move!”

One of them extended his arm, aiming the sharp blade with a captivating red glow at her. Heartbeat thundered in her ears. “Yash!!” In a split second, the pod, which had endured the hit of her mournful punches, pushed the incoming mercenaries into eternal peace.

It was the first time in her life that she felt important and valued enough to defend. Her lips pursed. Dozens of mercenaries were no match for the swift movements and weight of C10. She remembered a queen character from daily soap, who had an army of loyal soldiers ready to destroy the kingdom at her every whim.