SWNOVELXO Chapter 191
Episode 191. Clockwork Heart (2)
The preparations for the assault on Pixel’s Headquarters are complete. Now, there’s just one thing left to do…
I connected the radio.
“Operation briefing, Team Leaders.”
[Catfish-1. Hello.]
[Luddite-1. Standing by.]
[Blade-1. Awaiting orders.]
Three Special Forces teams are on standby near the lake. Soldiers brought by Libertas.
‘Catfish’ is a Special Forces team specialized in underwater combat, with whom I’ve fought alongside many times.
‘Luddite’ is a team specialized in fighting machines, and they hardly use any electronic equipment.
‘Bladerunner’ is said to be a team specialized in killing androids and artificial intelligence.
These are the Special Forces teams Libertas gathered to help me. I let out a brief sigh.
“Uh, the battle will begin soon. Before that, I have something I want to say.”
I coughed awkwardly at the returning silence.
“The Director of the Tokyo Branch once said: ‘The Foundation Headquarters doesn’t exist. The world is effectively ruled by Director-level officials who hold the cities and Special Forces Team Leaders who execute the Foundation’s will.'”
“Now I understand what that means. Today, and on this battlefield, we are the ones who rule the world. We can destroy anything and kill anyone.”
“You will be the ones executing the Foundation’s will. I’d like to assign some grand purpose to today’s battle, but there isn’t one. It’s just an opportunity to kill an arrogant monster.”
No response came. Did I strike a chord, or did I just waste radio waves?
“I wish you good luck. Let’s fight together.”
[Catfish-1. Confirmed.]
[Luddite-1. Roger.]
[Blade-1. Confirmed.]
Once the battle begins, the Special Forces will dive beneath the lake’s surface. Communication will be difficult until we regroup at Pixel’s Headquarters.
Well, they’ll figure it out.
I reviewed the operation plan on our side. If the Special Forces’ role is to infiltrate Pixel’s facility as quietly as possible, then my role in this operation is the exact opposite.
I’ll draw as much attention as possible, using the most destructive and large-scale means to fight. All to buy time for the three Special Forces teams to enter the facility.
The sun has already set.
It’s time to start the operation.
This time, no complicated rituals are needed.
I fiddled with the amulet I took from the Temple of Jörmungandr and threw a tumbler filled with Crocodile’s blood into the lake.
The tumbler disappeared into the water.
“Appear, Jörmungandr.”
There was no immediate response from Jörmungandr. Hasti poked me.
“Uh, aren’t you going to chant or something?”
“What chant? It’ll come when called.”
Jörmungandr is different from the other gods. It got beaten up by me and the Hero in the Abyss and agreed to grant wishes, remember?
If it’s going to come, it’ll come.
Still, I had some doubts about Jörmungandr’s physical strength. If it runs into the Foundation’s Special Forces or the military, it might just collapse after a few hits. But since Jörmungandr won’t be doing much heavy lifting today, it doesn’t matter much.
In the end, everything comes down to deploying Special Forces to solve the problem. That’s why Libertas sent the Special Forces to the field with us.
A moment later.
A wave, like an explosion, rose from the far side of the lake. Through the murky water, the massive black form of Jörmungandr faintly appeared.
Like the gods and monsters of ancient myths. Something so enormous that even as you see it, your mind can’t fully comprehend it. Literally, a being beyond common sense.
Jörmungandr spun around once in the water. The wave it created, like a tsunami, crashed over the lake’s shore.
“Ah, how long has it been since I tasted freedom?”
It seems bigger than the last time I saw it. Of course, it was big back then too, but not this big. It’s almost the size of a subway train now.
The Foundation, and Pixel, must have figured out the situation by now. If they have eyes, they would’ve seen a sea serpent the size of a subway train appear on one side of the lake.
I pulled out a megaphone from my Subspace Bag.
“Jörmungandr! I need a warship. It doesn’t matter if it’s completely wrecked.”
Jörmungandr nodded its head and headed toward the depths of the lake. High waves rose around the monster. A massive steel structure emerged from beneath the water next to Jörmungandr…
“It is done.”
A massive warship rose to the surface near Jörmungandr. Rusted iron pieces and water cascaded down from the ship.
Jörmungandr is just one piece of the puzzle. I spread my Clockwork Wings and moved toward the steel structure visible above the lake.
Fragments of the Clockwork God.
Technically, the Clockwork Wings aren’t a fragment of the mechanical god, so they don’t count. There are two fragments of the mechanical god stored in the Seoul Branch.
The mechanical god’s right eye, retrieved from a World War II submarine. The mechanical god’s heart, obtained after killing the Clockwork Dragon in the abandoned factory.
Let’s see.
I landed on the deck. The massive, wrecked warship was heavily rusted and flooded, but it still maintained the shape of a warship.
It was even floating on the water.
Let’s begin. I threw the remains of Ganymede, the Clockwork Eye, and the Clockwork Heart onto the ship’s bridge. The steel trembled.
The Clockwork Heart began to beat.
The steel knows.
The steel knows who it must serve. The voice of steel, the heart of machinery, has gathered here.
“Ganymede. State your purpose.”
[My purpose is to aid the Foundation, support its activities, and protect humanity.]
I nodded.
“Well, let’s say that’s correct. What’s today’s mission?”
[To eliminate Administrator Pixel.]
“Good. Let’s sortie.”
The warship trembled. The steel shuddered, and the sound of the Clockwork Heart’s beating echoed across the lake.
The rusted, crumbling deck regained a new luster of brass. The hull, riddled with holes, began to repair itself.
Like plants growing in a garden, springs, gears, chains, and hydraulic systems began to grow around the Clockwork Heart.
Now’s not the time to watch. Who knows when this resurrected monster might go berserk. I looked toward where Hasti and the Hero were.
They’ll wait in a safe spot for now, and once Pixel’s exact location is confirmed, they’ll move.
I turned on the radio.
“Miss Hasti. The job’s done.”
[Ah, I see the warship. I’m coming now.]
There they come. I jumped off the deck of the massive warship, and a rubber boat carrying Hasti and the Hero appeared nearby.
It seemed like they didn’t know how to start the engine, so Hasti was using her magic to move it.
Administrator Pixel assessed the situation. Four Foundation destroyers. Four U.S. Navy destroyers, four frigates. Eight U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats.
The lake is surrounded by the Michigan National Guard.
The facility at the center of the lake is protected by a massive Information Blocking Barrier, guarded by hundreds of Royal Guards and robots.
It was faster for Dr. Kim to come to Pixel’s Headquarters than for Pixel and his allies to hunt down Dr. Kim. A bit disappointing, but…
Pixel was confident of victory.
He had already run the calculations repeatedly and consulted the precognition teams from various Foundation branches across the U.S. Dr. Kim would come to Pixel’s Headquarters today.
He would summon a massive serpent monster, and the serpent would melt under modern naval firepower.
With the U.S. military’s anti-air network and air superiority supporting Pixel, there’s no way to assault the facility from the sky. Any attempt would be intercepted.
Dr. Kim would have no choice but to attempt a landing on Pixel’s facility. The precognition results said so. And then he would be shot dead by the Royal Guards and robots.
This is what Pixel calculated and what the Los Angeles Branch precognized. Even though the surveillance network is down, it’s still clearly visible.
The most powerful hounds Dr. Kim could send have returned to the Seoul Branch.
All that came to Michigan was Dr. Kim, one squad of Ninetail, an amateur mage defeated by Ninetail, and a knight defeated by the Royal Guard.
They barely made it back alive, but their level has already been assessed. Now, just kill the monsters Dr. Kim summons with firepower, and deploy Special Forces to suppress the mage and knight on sight.
Jörmungandr: overwhelming firepower.
Hasti: Ninetail.
The Hero: Royal Guard.
Dr. Kim himself: Minerva series.
Pixel was certain of victory. Every card Dr. Kim brought to Michigan has been seen through, and countermeasures are all in place.
Come at me with everything you’ve got.
Meanwhile.
On the bridge of the Zumwalt-class destroyer, USS Bristol.
“Captain! Something strange has appeared on the radar. You need to see this.”
They didn’t know exactly what this operation was about. The information given to the soldiers and officers was that they were cooperating with the ‘Canadian’ Navy to eliminate ‘pirates’ within the lake. But the higher-ups knew.
The warships cooperating with the U.S. military right now aren’t ‘Canadian’ ships, and the targets aren’t ‘pirates.’ They could guess what was going on, but it was better not to ask.
“What is it?”
“A ship over 180 meters long has suddenly appeared to the south. It’s 30 kilometers away, so we can’t confirm visually yet.”
“Try to establish communication. What is it?”
“Working on it. Uh, it’s not transmitting any radio signals.”
“Approach and visually confirm what it is.”
“Currently approaching at high speed. Length: 185 meters. Moving at over 20 knots. It appears to be a warship.”
The captain of the Bristol frowned.
“Captain. Are we sure there are no allied cruisers operating in the area? What is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s within visual range.”
On the deck, one of the Bristol’s officers lowered his binoculars. His face twisted in confusion.
“Uh, that, turret… isn’t it supposed to be there?”