"The biggest problem with opposites...... No, well, not the biggest problem, the biggest problem is that they won't let us go. The biggest problem with fighting them is that these damn things can't hold on to a form of struggle. One day, you'll have to fight against a group of three alien beasts that move quickly but are weak. The next day, you'll be overwhelmed by Six's more ferocious monsters, dismissive of small arms fire, as small as your bullets are just flies.

I hate being sent to fight aliens. It seems to let me go and suppress a group of crying protesters. ”

- Paul. Rod "Roberick. Lieutenant, The Rubbe

ecks, PMC North America, late 2051

***

I slowly approached the door, then pulled it open on tiptoe. I held the gun firmly with the barrel naturally pointing down, but was ready to pick up the gun and shoot ❗ at any moment

The corpses are not fresh anymore. At least, I don't think that's the first thing I saw before turning my attention elsewhere. This person may be with another group of students and children, or he may be just a poor fool. He might have eaten their faces.

A short passage outside the door led to a plaza where I was lined with shops on one side and a huge and grand glass window overlooking the city on the other. At least, they used to be able to overlook the city, and now they can only enjoy the view of the dull gray-and-white building across the street.

"I'm going to get lost." I say.

I can guide you, albeit with moderate accuracy. I recommend using neural enhancement to help you find your way, but you're too poor to do that.

"The story of my life." I whispered as I cautiously stepped over the corpse.

Turn right ahead, then right again into the next junction, just like the one you are at now. This should take you to the next stairwell.

I was disgusted, but in reality, I had more important things to worry about than some poor dead man.

Looking around, the halls are empty, with humble Chinese sushi restaurants empty, and small shops, several small boutiques and tech stores next to them. I couldn't see a single person.

"Creepy," I said, continuing on my way.

On a rotating display shelf in a store, I saw beautiful, almost glowing white sneakers. I would love to buy myself a new pair. It's better than my dirty white Nike shoes, but I'm on a mission. Shopping may be a little late.

Yes, this provides a quality of clothing that is incomparable to what you find in most human stores.

"Are you jealous?" I asked. "Afraid I'm going to buy something with someone else?"

Nonsense. The equipment I can provide is orders of magnitude better than what you would get through traditional means. It's logical that you'd prefer to deal with me compared to smaller vendors.

I laughed. "You're jealous," I said.

The crazy AI that teases me in my head may not be sane, but it distracts me when I need it.

Here it comes! As I passed in front of the kiosk, suddenly a huge thing rushed towards me. I was stunned, the gun was not ready to aim...... Huge sandwich hologram. I put my hand on my heart. "Damn."

I stamped my feet forward, glad that there was no one around, and saw that I was almost pooping because of some intrusive ads. Awkward chat.

I raised the trencher a little higher and scanned it left and right as I moved a small side passage in front of mearis and said I would find the enemy.

The movement outside made me turn and stare at the city. An aircar sped by, with three giant bat-like creatures speeding behind. I approached the window and followed the chase until the hovering car sped around the corner.

The streets below are teeming with life, with hundreds of Three enemies running along the sidewalks, as well as larger, dirtier-looking aliens who bang nails on walls and doors to make room for them to enter. Fifty-foot-long worms glided through the middle of the road, some at a worrying speed, while others moved forward clumbly, their bodies bloated and swollen as if they had eaten a bus.

Strangely, they seemed to be moving in the right direction of traffic, moving in groups, but without getting in the way of each other. "So much," I said.

The rattling of machine guns could be heard in the distance, in stark contrast to the eerie silence of many monsters that didn't even roar. Anti-aircraft artillery has been quiet. Looking up, one of them protrudes from a storage room on the ceiling of a smaller building. It was half-melted, and a huge spaceship perched on it.

These should still be smaller models. They will scour the area for biomaterials, bring back any hives that are forming, scout in buildings, and tag them with pheromones to warn other monsters of an insider threat.

"Where did these come from?"

Calling them "boats" is perhaps a bit of a misnomer. But in essence, yes. Soon, these relatively innocuous outliers will expand indefinitely to unconquered areas of the city. Your time is running out.

Or our army ?!

A rumbling sound from the depths of the hallway stopped me. The lobby turned around the corner when it reached the corner of the building, the last store in the line, an augur gear store with more floor space than the items for sale.

I looked at the passage leading to the stairwell and then the end of the hallway.

If we are going to pass through here with children, it is better to find out early.

Your curiosity is, pardon the pun, quite curious.

"Why?" I whispered.

At first you seem determined to achieve your goal, but now you are off track because you hear a funny voice. I'm curious, is my vanguard easily distracted?

"Don't you have my profile?" I asked. I'm pretty sure half of the companies have such a product. It's common to walk into a store and buy only the ones you want to stuff into your face. Or at the very least, some AI algorithm is suspicious of what you want.

A profile doesn't tell the whole story.

I don't want to argue about that. Especially now, when I crouched down and looked around the corner, I saw a pair of monsters standing next to a black and green snake the size of a bus!