Let’s see… What am I supposed to shout during moments like this?
Panel, Panzerfaust? No, it was something shorter… Ugh, I give up.
Anyway, since I can’t shout it out, does it even matter what it is? While I was pondering this, the tank under Electric Scent’s control groaned as it moved. The clattering sound made it seem like it could collapse at any moment, yet surprisingly, it kept moving forward smoothly through the passage.
However, advancing along this tunnel’s poorer condition while rattling was quite an odd sensation. Perhaps it was because the scene felt both realistic and surreal at the same time.
Anyway, the tank commander—well, whoever fulfills that role—was standing (because I’m too short to sit properly) in the designated spot, looking outside, so I could at least feel like I was driving the tank.
Not that it actually moved because of my orders or anything.
How long had we been moving through this dark, underground tunnel when we finally reached a fairly spacious area? There, scattered everywhere, were tanks similar to the one we were riding in. If these hadn’t been humming with engine noises, I might have mistaken this place for a junkyard.
I don’t know much about tank history, but even to me, they looked like they’d been around for years. Just glancing at them, you could see how old and worn-out they were. They should be in museums rather than here. Although, even a museum might reject them due to their poor condition.
With a coughing noise, the tanks surrounding us started revving their engines as our tank approached.
Uh… Is it really okay to get closer? Uh, Electric Scent, is this alright?
Because although I thought of those as scraps of metal, each was equipped with long, impressive gun barrels. If those muzzles spewed flames and launched the same projectiles that almost turned Electric Scent into a pretzel earlier… well, that would be problematic.
However, contrary to my worries, the broken-down metal tanks, apparently not realizing we were different, started lumbering off somewhere. Strangely, it seemed like Electric Scent had smirked… or was that my imagination?
Regardless, true to her silent and efficient nature, Electric Scent followed behind the rusted tanks, rumbling the tank forward.
What happens next, I wonder? At least, these tanks ahead of us are likely empty too, right?
Hm, why do such Singularities even exist…? This fleeting thought crossed Little’s mind but quickly disappeared. The presence of the Bald Octopus overshadowed everything else. Now that I think about it, there were trains moving underwater, so perhaps tanks burrowing underground wasn’t that odd?
While I was trying to justify things to myself…
A large sound reminiscent of the moment Electric Scent was about to explode rang out.
Startled, I looked at her face, only for her to tilt her neck—
Oh, right, it exploded earlier.
As Jelly bubbled in relief, something else shattered nearby.
With a loud bang, black smoke began rising from the leading tank ahead. There was apparently no one controlling it, but the tank still responded by shooting flames with a “bang!” Following its lead, the other tanks behind also began firing in unison.
For a moment, it felt like a festival had started, but the nearby tanks fired back as well.
No, this isn’t a festival—it’s a funeral, or rather, a battle.
Although… could you even call this a battle? They were shooting randomly, and only then did responses come back from the other side. Watching from a distance, it felt more like a snowball fight with metal instead of snowballs.
Eventually, while continuing to fire even after being hit, none of the tanks were left moving. Their once sturdy barrels were now bent, and the armor protecting their empty insides crumpled like paper into ugly shapes.
So…
What’s the meaning of all this?
Why are they grouped together, shooting, and causing such chaos for no apparent reason?
Of course, even someone inexperienced like me felt a bit romantic about it, but it was still perplexing.
And how could I possibly understand what’s going on when they suddenly started moving and firing at each other?
While I was lost in thought, scratching Jelly, another “bang!” sound echoed.
What? Weren’t all the tanks here destroyed?
…Ah, the one Electric Scent and I are in is still operational.
As I remembered this, a loud thud came from beside me.
Soon, Electric Scent seemed to realize the situation and the tank began moving with a “driving” sound. Rising again to look outside, I saw that a cannonball had struck the spot where our tank had been. If we hadn’t moved, it would have gone straight through and destroyed her head.
I might have survived something like that, but Electric Scent would have turned into pieces again, and my tank would have been destroyed too. This is my hard-earned “personal tank,” and I can’t lose it so meaninglessly.
Extending a tentacle to touch her head, I signaled her to hide the body (the tank). She responded with a slightly irritable voice.
“I was already planning to.”
…Well, then why didn’t you just say so without making Jelly feel awkward?
Thus, Electric Scent and I, along with our steed, turned back toward the tunnel we had come through. Cannonballs kept flying toward us relentlessly until we hid, but Electric Scent skillfully maneuvered the old tank to dodge every single one.
It was incredible how she managed such acrobatics with this junk heap. Under different circumstances, I might have applauded.
And the price for that miraculous maneuver was the death of my beloved steed, Uriari.
When the cannonball sounds stopped, Uriari collapsed with a roar. It had barely lasted a day before breaking down. Without dealing any damage, I had nothing to complain about.
Hmph…
“Why do you cling to this lump of scrap metal?”
As expected, she doesn’t understand romance, since she herself is practically a tin can.
Jelly bubbling, I ignored the cold-blooded killer of Uriari and opened the hatch to stick my upper body out.
In front of me was the grimy outline of a skeleton, covered with dirt and gunpowder. Extending Jelly to caress Uriari’s body…
Ugh, it tastes like iron.
Hmm.
Even though the time shared with the guy hadn’t been long, the memories were strong. I’ll never forget the times we barreled through cannonball barrages. Even though it trampled Electric Scent’s body…
While I was having a moment of nostalgia…
Shudder.
The supposedly dead Uriari’s engine roared back to life.
Curious, I returned inside to find Electric Scent speaking with a somewhat detached tone.
“I’ve fixed it, so please close the hatch now. We don’t know what might happen.”
Hmph… I suppose calling it a tin can was uncalled for. But still, since Electric Scent broke it during the extreme maneuvers, it’s only natural for her to fix it, right?
When I sat back down in the tank commander (?) seat, an awkward atmosphere had formed. Even though I hadn’t explicitly said anything to “him,” I felt like he had guessed why I opened the hatch earlier.
Impressive, Yang Ha-na! What exactly have you taught Electric Scent?
She’s terrifying now.
I was wondering why she willingly climbed up and pushed her body to the limit even though it was groaning… Apparently, she was trying to impress Yang Ha-na?
That makes sense; this girl wouldn’t help a human she called “inferior” without a reason.
Huh, thinking about it this way is actually kind of scary. Does Yang Ha-na have some kind of mechanical hypnosis app or something?
Chills ran down my spine as I sat there imagining the unsettling laughter of Yang Ha-na. Just then, the ground began to shake again. It seemed like something else was about to happen.
Thinking I could finally rest when this happens again—it was truly terrifying. Is this what the horrors of war feel like?
Curious about what was happening, I rose from my seat once more to look outside.
A truly bizarre sight greeted me.
Crack, grind.
The ground was splitting open.
Although the description might be odd, this was the only way to put it—tanks were emerging from underground. It was as if they were being pulled out of the ground like plants, slowly rising from beneath the earth.
Massive gun barrels appeared first, followed by the tanks themselves as the treads turned and they burst out onto the surface.
The sight was so astonishing that Jelly only blinked.
What is this? It’s really scary—this is something I’ve never seen in horror games.
I’d heard stories from some country in the past about soldiers being “pulled out” from fields, but I’ve never heard of tanks being pulled from the ground.
Although we’ve discovered the valuable information that tanks appear from underground, the atmosphere here is extremely unsettling.
Anyway, is it even safe to stay here?
Ah, this is where the tanks from our team (?) were earlier, so presumably it’s still the same—
Suddenly, a “bang!” sound rang out as one of the tanks emerging from underground began attacking us.
“Looks like we need to avoid them.”
I really hate Singularities.
