CH 64

Chapter 64 – Gate Breach

“Okay, Yoshua, now.”

I used the teleportation to get past the guards and get to one of the pillars that were blocking the Judge’s Gate from the inner gate guard post.

From the looks of it, the gate is half guarded, as the cavalry has gone to catch up with the Humvee.

I use my shovel, which is very popular in Casemaian, to dig out the pillar’s base and bury the homemade bomb there. It took me a while to find the right place to plant the bombs, but I planted a few just in case and then teleported back to the top of the hill via the inner gate.

“All set.”

As soon as I announced that, Myrril signaled the Beastman, Dwarves, and Elves, who were hiding in the shadows with hand signals.

The total number of people who came out was 85 — a little more than I had heard beforehand. I was told that they had been sent from other territories, but my anger was renewed when I heard that they had been abandoned in the slums not of their own volition but due to injury or illness.

They were all dirty, tired, worn out, and some of them looked ill.

“Sionil-san, I will give you emergency rations and drinking water in a little while. Please see if you can treat them while we are on the move.”

“I understand.”

“Yoshua, what are we going to do from here? Are we going with the Torajima-go?”

“No, we can’t all fit on that thing. I thought about splitting up, but I wanted to keep the Humvee for attack capability in case we get chased.”

“H1 to M1, we’re in position. The cavalry guys have given up the chase and are heading back to the Judge’s Gate.”

“Yadar, how far from the gate are you guys?”

“A quarter of a mile, I’d say. I can see it clearly.”

“That’s not good enough. At least half a mile away.”

A quarter of a mile doesn’t feel safe; eight hundred meters should be fine. Yadar’s reaction was dubious, but she seemed to have backed the Humvee up as instructed.

“All right, we’ll start the car. Everyone stay back a bit.”

If you start a vehicle in an unobstructed area, you are sure to be spotted. There’s not much time left from there.

I told Sionil, the Elf, and the bear Beastman, who seemed to be the leader of the group, about the arrangements and reconfirmed them to the others.

“We’re going to rescue you, I promise. I want you to believe and follow us. Any hesitation or uncertainty once we start moving will put us all in danger. Please remember that.”

“Understood.”

“The box you’re going to ride in is small, dimly lit, and you can’t see out, but it’s loaded with food, water, and blankets. The journey will take at most two days. We’ll make a few stops along the way if we’re not pursued.”

“Yes. We’ll be counting on you.”

The sudden appearance of two rescuers, one of whom was me, seemed to have caused some confusion and alarm, but Sionil-san and the others were able to persuade them.

It seemed to be a good thing that one of the rescuers who showed up was Myrril, but I wonder if this Dwarf girl was that popular.

Well, no matter. Now that we’ve come this far, we have no choice but to run for it.

“””””Ohhhh!”””””

“Hey, don’t shout, we’ll get caught…”

Seeing the vehicle that appeared, the subhumans all screamed in unison. I had told them to be quiet, but the sudden appearance of a huge, out-of-this-world vehicle must have been too much for them, especially the children.

It was a large Russian-made military truck called the Ural 4320. It was over 7 meters long and 2.5 meters wide. I bought it because I heard that it had an all-wheel-drive and was highly reliable.

The problem was the truck’s weight, which was said to be as much as 15 tons, but Simon tested it, and it was sent to me without any problems. Needless to say, I was relieved to get it, though fortunately there was a demand for others, so I didn’t have to buy it in case it failed.

I don’t know why the allowable weight has been increased (or if weight is no longer an issue). Perhaps it was a result of my improved “Market” skills. I don’t know the original reason, so I can only assume that.

Maybe I can get a light tank now… No, we’ll talk about that later.

“Get in, get in, hurry up!”

I quickly opened the rear gate and ushered the refugees inside. The sealed container was made of bare steel, so it was lined with wooden boards to protect it from archers. Naturally, it was dark inside. There was no lamp as there was a possibility of fire or oxygen shortage if a fire was lit. I gave them some large flashlights, saying that they were magic tools. I felt sorry for them, but I couldn’t think of any other option.

The back of the truck was high, so I tried to hang a ramp, but it might be scary for some of the children.

“Quick, give a hand to the children and women!”

“Get in and go to the back!”

After lending a hand only at the beginning, I left the rest of the boarding process to the adults.

With the communicator in my hand, Myrril and I began to monitor the surroundings.

“M1 to H1, what’s the situation over there?”

“M1, still no movement on the Judge Gate side. The cavalry is back, so the guards’ attention is on the outside.”

There were only a few refugees left. Things are going better than I thought.

Finally, Sionil-san signaled the end of boarding.

“Okay, let’s go!

“Yoshua, it’s not good. A soldier on the inner gate is looking at us.”

“If we can neutralize him somehow… No, you shouldn’t…”

Before I could say anything, Myrril fired a barrage of UZI at the inner gate. The figure fell to the ground in a daze, but before it did, a signal was sent to the gate, and a warning voice went up behind the inner gate.

“Sorry, Yoshua.”

If the time it took to defeat the figure had been shorter, there would have been no time to warn.

“No, it’s amazing you were able to kill him. I’m surprised.”

It was almost 200 meters from here to the inner gate. We couldn’t get any closer for safety reasons after this.

She may have been able to see it, but it was completely out of the ordinary for a pistol bullet to knock down a target that looked like the end of a matchstick to me.

I don’t know if the UZI had that much range, to begin with.

“All right, let’s go! Myrril, prepare the switch!”

“Copy that!”

“H1 to M1, the gate guys are starting to make some noise. They’re heading your way.”

“Okay, on the count of three, open your mouths and cover your ears, all of you!”

I tell them over the comm, as well as instructing the refugees as I close the rear gate.

As I ran into the driver’s seat, Myrril was already in the passenger seat, UZI at the ready and on alert for the perimeter. She had an IED switch in one hand and a spare MAC10 in her lap.

Closing the driver’s door, I slammed it into gear and nodded to Myrril.

“Let’s go!”

She hit the IED switch just as the truck started moving.

A roar. The earth rumbled, and the steering wheel was shaken. The blast sent horses, soldiers, pillars, and the remnants of the gate spiraling into the air, and some of it rained down on the truck, which was supposed to be several hundred meters away.

After doing it myself, I have to admit; it was pretty gruesome.

I forgot to mention that there are about two hundred dead bodies of the Kingdom’s soldiers mixed in as well.

I was chilled when the heavy fragments of the shielding pillar fell while spinning, but I managed to avoid them by handling the steering wheel.

“Myrril, hold on!”

“Oh!”

The truck’s nose pushed down on the cracked and tilted inner gate, and when it broke through, the view opened up.

The fortress-like gate had been blown to bits, the shielding had fallen and rolled, and the aftermath of the explosion had turned it into a small crater. Of course, there was nothing moving there.

“Yadar, we’re out of the gate now!”

“Oh, shit… My ears hurt even though I’ve got them plugged up properly.”

“Forget about that; where are the enemies?”

“There can’t be any. That’s where most of them were.”

I’m relieved, but it’s a rescue mission until we get home safely.

“We’re heading for the Casemaian. Anyone blocking our way is the enemy!”

“Roger that!”