"A kind of community has formed among the samurai. At first glance, it makes perfect sense.

Seasoned samurai may have a lot to teach newcomers, and when they compete for the same resources, those resources can spiral out of control if not dealt with in a timely manner. Older, more powerful samurai were usually not jealous of the new samurai sharing their workload.

But the truth is far more complicated and darker than that. ”

—Professor Stephenson, Boston University, Late 2039

***

That room with anti-aircraft guns...... It's another story. Of course, I've seen some high-tech looking places in the media. Who doesn't? But stepping through the door next to the longbow screen is like stepping into another world. The walls are covered with computers, gantries and small machines, all of which are literally hovering around one machine in the center.

The front of the middle thing has a huge glass dome built into it, covering two dozen things that look like cameras and sensors. There are two long-forked cannons pointing forward next to them. railgun,

Underneath them were a pair of Gatling cannons with barrels the size of my wrist. It has more guns around it, with smaller guns mounted on arms that look like they can be pointed in any direction.

It's like looking at a machine that kills excessively.

And it's stuck here, completely useless.

I wonder how many aliens it will kill if it were deployed at the beginning of the invasion.

"When will I be able to play something like this?" I asked.

Most of the reloading and repair systems are Tier I, with the Railgun being Tier II and the Gatling Gun being Tier I. Longbow is not wrong in saying about 30,000 points. There are many parts from various catalogs, and it will take you weeks to afford something like this.

That's right. I'll be salivating over the longbow toy later. ”

"Can I keep a recording of what you say?" The sound of a longbow came from the room.

I jumped a foot in the air.

"And the recording of you jumping there?" He replied with a smile.

"What the fuck," I said, looking around. 'Where are you?'

"California, I have a nice penthouse here. But if you're referring to where in the room, there are multiple speakers and some microphones everywhere. ”

I shook my head. "I swear, if I find a video online of me saying something similar, I'll find you and kick your ass."

Longbow laughed. "Yes, yes. Fair enough. Anyway, I don't want to ruin your reputation so quickly. Roof access is located at the back. ”

"I have a bomb," I said.

"That's it! Good luck, stray cats! Before I could rebuke him for being a jerk, the speaker turned off with a ding.

He's not such a bad guy, it's just harder to be angry with him.

"Are all samurai like that?" I asked

"Lovely," I said.

Of course, you don't have to join any of them. More than half of the Vanguard Group members work independently while still keeping in touch with others. "Lone wolf" is quite common among voters.

I found the roof access in the back, just like Longbow said. It was a heavy door with a wheel in the center, and I had to hold it down with all my body weight to turn.

As soon as I opened the door, I was hit in the face by the pouring rain. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and stared out. The door leads directly to a small part of the roof, surrounded by waist-high railings, and if I can see more than ten steps ahead, the view from the window would probably be beautiful.

"Do I have glasses? Or a hat? I asked.

Not in any of your current directories, no. I'm sorry.

"Damn," I said. I pulled my hair back and quickly tied it into a bun, which was always painful to do with one hand, but that way it didn't cover my face. I gritted my teeth and jumped out, my shoes splashing on the floor, and I closed the door. "All of these things had better be waterproof," I said.

Do not worry. In this weather, all your devices should be fine. I recommend not catching a cold though.

I nodded, and then tore off the mask. It's annoying enough, but when it's wet, it's getting a headache again. The platform has a small parking lot where VIPs can park their Maserati for maximum views, as well as a small staircase that leads to another higher part of the roof.

That's where the platform for anti-aircraft guns was, and I went there.

As I climbed up to the higher roof, the stainless steel steps creaked underfoot, and then I lowered my head and looked around. There are no aliens. At least, none of them are directly on the roof. I could see them flying into the distance in groups.

The car sat on the side of the car in a slightly raised muzzle position.

I thought it was some sleek hovercar left behind by some jerk, but this hovercar was more like a hovering soccer mom car and was in dire need of a repair. The front end was crushed by pressing against a cement pillar protruding from the edge of the moving part of the platform. It has some guardrails around it, but the hovercraft has torn most of the guardrails off.

My body was still low, going around the driver's side. At some point, the airbag suddenly exploded, and someone managed to pry the door open. A little blood stain on the leather seat doesn't mean good news for the driver.

The back of the van was littered with discarded toys and droppings piled up by children around it, like some kind of fungal infection. "This thing can't be eliminated,"

Do you know how to drive?

"It's not that complicated," I said. "But that's okay." This one is over. ”

I looked around looking for an easy way to move the car out of the way, but there was no convenient crane or forklift to sit there waiting for me.

"We need to be creative. Or explosive. ”

A concussion grenade may push the vehicle off the top.

"Hmm." Sounds noisy though, haha. I said.

I got to the back of the van. The bumper there was snapped off, and I could see where a tube or other plastic body that might have been used as a frame was torn off. That... Gave me an idea.

"Can you give me some rope?" I asked.

Does not apply to your current directory.

"But that hanging grenade has a rope," I said.

Yes, you can buy one and then untie the rope very easily. It's more like a ribbon, but it's not special, and it's designed in such a way that you can unfold it without any danger. What are you thinking?

"I need something heavy." I looked at the distance between the van and the edge of the roof. Fifteen meters, more or less.

You can buy artificial mass balls with five points. It is a one-off item in your esoteric single-use item catalog. Before it burns, it makes itself and the objects around it unusually heavy. It's quite niche.

"Uh, how strong is the rope? You know, when you pull it out from both ends? ”

Stretching is the word you're looking for. It is a string of interlocking graphene blades. It's strong enough to bring your ideas to life.

"Cool. Well, give me one of each, and we'll try to see how my idea comes to fruition. ”

I'm sure there's a better way to move the car.

"Yes, but my way is funny!"