Perhaps avoiding what seemed to be a tank’s attack, I caught my breath, and then a voice from my waist came—it was Electric Scent.
“I’m fine.”
…Saying that doesn’t make it look true at all, does it? Is she saying this because she senses my anxiety? Though I did think she was starting to take after Yang Ha-na, seeing her head alone chattering away—it doesn’t look “fine,” does it? Especially with her still projecting a hologram of a human face, it was all the more eerie.
Thankfully, the severed cross-section wasn’t rendered.
At any rate, the surrounding area had grown quiet enough that there was now time for useless conversation with Electric Scent. A tank is something that performs optimally in an open field, after all. If it was an outdated model, even more so, making it not particularly difficult to evade.
Didn’t it sh**t at the beam from her eyes? It practically made her a walking target. That said, there was some room for excuses. Who would have guessed another tank would be inside? I was thankful that no one was saying “It was me.” quite fortunately.
Perhaps I approached this like it was just a little outing. No, but the military landscape made me extremely uncomfortable… I wanted to cleanse myself of this ‘Jelly’ situation!
Cough, cough.
Regret stops here. Although only her head remained, Electric Scent seemed to be in one piece (though it didn’t quite seem that way to me), so it was time to decide what to do next.
Grasping Electric Scent’s head in my hand, I pondered. It was proper etiquette to ask if she was really alright, wasn’t it?
“…I’m fine. I might be dead if my head exploded, but I’m intact.”
Nearly died, huh?
“Everything else is built to be stronger. Besides, the rest of my body dispersed due to the connections loosening.”
But they flew away like corn kernels already, didn’t they?
“…”
Oops, I wasn’t planning to quarrel.
A habitual cough escaped my throat, but nothing came out except for Jelly’s bubbly sound.
…I feel like the atmosphere has become somewhat awkward. Though I never noticed before, ever since Electric Scent started taking after Yang Ha-na, it became startlingly clear.
At first, I was amazed that a robot without emotions was learning them! But now, it might not only be a good thing.
Indeed, nothing is ever all-positive. Even after I thought leaving the army behind would lead to a bright future after PTSD-inducing experiences… It didn’t exactly turn out that way, did it? After all, whether you shut your eyes or not, darkness is darkness—whether outside or within the army, it’s the same.
Having gained Jelly-form-induced economic freedom (after all, if possessing things is impossible, money becomes unnecessary), I ended up doing somewhat enjoyable work despite it not being in the cards. Still, seeing Electric Scent’s head alone brings a bittersweet taste, even though Jelly should be enjoyable.
While engaging in stream-of-consciousness musings and talking for a moment with Electric Scent, the result was… nothing in particular. Knowing something was there, it was time to move forward.
Though, I had to give some thought to what to do with Electric Scent. Ideally, I wanted to leave her somewhere safe, but she didn’t seem inclined to go.
“Anyway, there’s no completely safe spot unless it’s entirely outside. And leaving me outside would create problems.”
That’s true. Even putting her in an old tank outside felt unsettling. On the other hand, just leaving her out elsewhere seemed… too much. Watching her head roll around might be quite amusing, though.
“If those things are machines called tanks, it will go more smoothly with me around. Ultimately, when it comes to machines, I win.”
Confidence was abundant despite being reduced to a six-legged chicken.
According to Electric Scent’s claim, inserting her into the cockpit or a core component of the machinery would allow her to take control.
…And truthfully, that had a significant impact on the decision to bring her along.
I just couldn’t help but want to see it.
Even as Jelly now, as a former man, the image was irresistible.
Let’s hop in.
I’ve always been curious watching tanks move from afar; today, I’d finally settle that curiosity.
I tied Electric Scent to my waist and escaped the ant hole. This time, there would be no laser beams fired from my eyes. It was nothing more than Electric Scent overreacting when it wasn’t necessary.
Still, Electric Scent wasn’t entirely useless.
“Turn right here.”
Contrary to my doubts while wading through the Jelly, it seemed Electric Scent had already completed some kind of mapping. An underground navigation system—something that would probably entice someone.
With the feeling that I should be wielding twin axes in each hand, I moved cautiously, reaching what seemed to be where Electric Scent had been defeated. The scattered parts resembled popped corn.
“…Apparently recycling this immediately is out of the question.”
Even she recognized that it was excessive this time.
Considering how she repaired her large body last time, wasn’t it through drones? Though she could give detailed orders, the drones were her hands and feet. So, the immediate difficulty must stem from this.
While pondering, a scraping noise approached, something dragging against the ground. Being caught a second time after already being caught once would be foolish. I quickly crouched down and hid inside a pile of dirt nearby.
Not long after, with a slight tremor, what seemed to be a tank similar to the one I saw earlier began to roll into view. Apparently, it had received some input that something was here and came back to investigate.
…Isn’t that how criminals return to the scene?
On reflection, it did make sense. From its perspective, it was on reconnaissance for the escaping intruder. From ours, it was the murderer who had disassembled Electric Scent and came back to revisit the scene.
Though it felt a little strange, that’s how it was.
Not needing to breathe anyway, I still held my breath and waited for what felt like a good amount of time. The tank finally moved into the area where Electric Scent’s torso had dispersed.
Seeing it up close, it was immensely… large. Sticking next to it, it’d probably go unnoticed. The size was such that it could crush a person without batting an eye. What kind of courage would it take to stand in front of such a thing?
But since there weren’t three of them, I mustered the courage and approached the tank slowly. Perhaps it didn’t notice a small and cute Jelly like me coming, and it continued to crunch Electric Scent’s torso underfoot.
The faint crunching sound suggested… Hmm, even if the drones came, they probably wouldn’t be able to fix it. After all, there needs to be something worth saving. Stitching limbs onto a dead person’s body won’t make the heart beat again.
Was Electric Scent’s silence due to avoiding detection by the tank? Or… was she angry?
Ignoring the truth I didn’t want to know, I extended a tentacle and latched onto the tank’s backside. It felt somewhat bizarre, but what could be done?
Once attached, the tank seemed to notice the contact on its body. It stopped crunching on the torso and revved its engine.
Even a bizarre existence like me cannot escape the laws of physics immediately. It seemed it was trying to accelerate and tear me off.
But that wouldn’t work on me. Regardless, I lightly jumped across the tank’s surface and stood atop its hatch. The structure looked similar to what I’d observed from above, so it wasn’t hard to locate.
It looked heavier than a manhole cover, but it posed no problem for me. Extending my tentacle, I grasped it firmly, and with a clean “Clack!” the tank’s hatch swung open.
Just in case, I peeked my face in, confirming that there was no mysterious person operating the tank. That means… it’s a ghost tank. Moving without anyone controlling it.
A chill ran down my spine, but with Bald Octopus creatures around, thinking there are no ghosts would be too narrow-minded.
Would a ghost win…?
Could it possibly be someone controlling an old-fashioned tank with a remote controller?
In any case, confirming that there was truly no one inside, I jumped into the tank without hesitation and closed the hatch.
The inside was more cramped than I thought, but since my body was already small, it felt just right. If I had been human, I might have felt claustrophobic, but as Jelly, it was almost cozy.
I wanted one. I never had a personal car when I was human, but now, suddenly, a personal tank—it was thrilling.
Right, this tank is mine now.
“Please place me on top immediately.”
Carefully placing Electric Scent’s head on what seemed to be a wobbling control lever, she reacted with a vengeance in her voice.
Threads shot out from her head, seeping into the surroundings. After violently resisting for a moment, the tank soon ceased its movements.
And not long after,
“Hmm, as I thought, I’ve won.”
Electric Scent’s triumphant voice rang out, having apparently taken complete control of the tank.
…She’s secretly pretty vengeful.
Now that we’ve taken this tank, our mission was clear.
Drive this tank and crush the heads of those responsible for this mess… No, the priority is to meet up.
If needed, we can also hijack more tanks, and that’ll be fine, right?
Even though I promised not to act like this,
To be honest, I’m excited.
