Chapter 10: Robin and the Gun
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Night came swiftly. Jennifer returned to Robin’s side twice more to make her presence felt, and her profile had also been updated considerably.
[Jennifer Swan]
[One of Vincent’s mistresses; exclusive nurse for the special-care ward at Saint Peter’s Hospital. Rather boy-crazy, and dislikes the elderly. Hobbies: makeup, celebrity worship, seeking excitement, powerful men, watching two men fight over her, and basking in the attention of the crowd.]
[Specialties: seducing men, nursing, makeup, fashion coordination.]
[Note: Jennifer possesses extraordinary makeup skills, to the extent that she can even make someone appear to have changed sex.]
[Weakness Analysis: Easily swayed, and very quick to believe the men she likes. She cannot keep things to herself and loves telling others everything, having been reprimanded many times for spreading gossip from the special-care ward. She is rather vain and extremely confident in her ability to pursue men. She begins as the hunter but can easily become the prey. Completely ruled by love.]
[Note: As the novelty fades, her love-struck mind will gradually return to clarity.]
Robin had already more or less figured out how this intelligence system worked.
As one spent more time with someone, new strengths and weaknesses would reveal themselves.
Jennifer, for instance, was definitely not useless. Her formidable makeup skills would be an invaluable weapon in the world of espionage.
Her love-struck weakness might also be worth exploiting.
If he could manipulate her into helping him escape while she was completely infatuated, his chances of success would increase dramatically.
The problem was, Robin was not sure how to tell when she was at her most infatuated.
After all, this was the War King System, not one of those romance-progress-bar systems from light novels...
As Robin pondered this, he drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he returned to the battlefield once more.
He was like the Grim Reaper, harvesting enemy lives one bullet at a time.
Just as victory was within reach, a bullet came flying toward him from afar.
Bang!
The soldier appeared before Robin.
Facing him, he spread his arms wide.
His heart had been pierced by the bullet, and bright red blood splashed across Robin’s face.
“Robin, leave the battlefield. Leave this country. This place isn’t right for you. Don’t avenge me.”
He wore a smile, revealing a row of slightly yellowed teeth.
He looked like a child who had done something worthy of an adult’s praise.
Despair gradually filled Robin’s eyes.
He could only watch helplessly as the man before him collapsed at his feet.
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For a moment, Robin’s blood boiled.
He picked up his gun and fixed a murderous gaze on the enemy.
“Where else can I go?”
‘Hey, buddy.’
At that moment, a somewhat ridiculous voice rang in Robin’s ears, rather like a clown teasing children in a park.
“Who’s there?”
Robin looked around, only to find himself surrounded by thick fog.
‘It’s me. I’m in your hands, and you’re asking who I am?’
“You’re...” Robin stared in astonishment at the object in his hand.
Was it the gun in his hand?
‘Oh, by the Machine God, you finally answered me!’
“The Machine God? Is there really such a deity in this world?” Robin felt perfectly lucid, yet also as though he were trapped in a nightmare.
No, this wasn’t a nightmare. It was a very strange dream.
His gun was actually talking to him?
‘Well... not yet. There will be one in the future.’
‘By the Machine God, your mastery of machinery surpasses that of everyone else in this world, you know? Everyone!’
‘Apart from you, not a single person can communicate with me.’
Robin was speechless.
His mastery of machinery surpassed everyone else’s? Wasn’t that only natural?
Although much of this world’s advanced technology had reached modern levels, modern civilization possessed far more mechanical products.
Take nothing else—the mere existence of a smartphone or a computer would be enough to crush most of this world’s technology.
Robin had used countless technological products throughout his life, and so had Forester of this world. Saying that he surpassed everyone in this world was not an exaggeration at all.
“My gun is talking to me, and it’s flattering me too. I must be dreaming...” Robin muttered. “That’s right. Soldier Bro is dead. I witnessed his death, and he just died in front of me again, so... I must be dreaming.”
‘Oh, no. You absolutely must not treat this as a dream. You have to remember this feeling—remember it no matter what! Otherwise, I won’t be able to talk with you.’
“Why does a gun like you need to talk?” Robin asked curiously.
Then he felt that he was being an idiot.
Why was he asking his gun questions in a dream?
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‘Machines need conversation too!’
‘I was abandoned by you on the battlefield, and now some useless fool is using me... You must remember to come find me. I’m your greatest partner!’
“Abandoned by me on the battlefield... Who are you?” Robin wondered whether someone had added Yunnan mushrooms to his IV drip.
‘I’m the gun the Grand Duke gave you when you were awarded the Silver Wing Medal. I’m the finest steam sniper rifle of my generation!’
“Wait, have I fallen under some kind of illusion? Has someone’s supernatural trait invaded my dream?” Robin felt that being this lucid in a dream was unscientific, yet somehow magical.
Or was this his cheat ability?
Being able to talk with a gun in his dreams—what kind of cheat ability was that?
For a while, Robin’s thoughts began to run wild.
............
The Bowed-Head Man and his girlfriend led a group of people and quietly infiltrated the hospital.
Normally, their rank of leadership would not have required them to handle such a matter personally. But they were the ones who had caused the trouble, and when headquarters sent people over, the newcomers had discovered what had happened. As a result, the two of them had no choice but to go to the front line themselves, demonstrating their willingness to follow orders and correct their mistakes.
A company contained quite a few soldiers, but the men needed shifts and could not patrol around the clock. Thus, only about one-third of them were on patrol or guard duty at night.
Considering the size of Saint Peter’s Hospital, that was still rather few.
The Bowed-Head Man and his girlfriend, together with a team of eight, made ten people in total. They easily slipped into the hospital by climbing over the wall.
The Bowed-Head Man was a fairly capable supernatural, a hypnotist specializing in mental abilities.
They hid behind a thicket. As the Bowed-Head Man watched a patrol pass in front of them, a faint gleam appeared in his eyes.
Before long, one of the soldiers stopped.
In a daze, he began walking toward the bushes.
“What are you doing?” The squad leader glanced back at the patrolling soldier.
“Going to take a piss,” the soldier replied hazily.
“Damn it, hurry up. You stay with him. Catch up as soon as you’re done,” the squad leader said impatiently.
“All right.” The soldier nodded.
When another soldier saw the squad leader give the order, he stopped as well.
The rest continued their patrol as though nothing had happened.
Before long, the hypnotized soldier removed his trousers and began relieving himself.
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