CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 9.6: THIS UNIFORM DOESN’T MAKE ME A HERO. BUT I’LL TRY ANYWAY PART 3

"Fire suppression," Rosa said suddenly, snapping her fingers. "The nitrogen flooding system. It’s designed to displace oxygen in case of electrical fires, but it would also create a dense fog bank. Perfect cover for movement, and the temperature drop might confuse their thermal tracking."

Sera nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. What else?"

Clara pushed her glasses up nervously, but her voice gained confidence as she outlined possibilities. "The ventilation system has emergency purge protocols—I could create localized pressure differentials to disorient them. And the maintenance tunnels have automated lockdown capabilities. If we trigger them at the right moment..."

"We could funnel them into kill zones," Sera finished, her tactical mind already several steps ahead. "Create chokepoints where superior numbers become a disadvantage."

Rosa’s grin returned, though it held a predatory edge. "I like where this is going. What about a distraction? Something big and loud to draw them away from the main routes?"

"They’re exhibiting a commendable level of tactical thinking, which is certainly a bright spot in an otherwise murky situation. However, it’s essential to highlight oversight in their strategic framework—a fundamental flaw that could very well be classified as a catastrophic oversight. You see, the plan is to devise hinges on the necessity for human intervention to trigger these elaborate systems manually. This means that someone, in their infinite wisdom, must willingly traverse into a veritable sea of Crawlers, essentially wading into the epicenter of a swarm where survival rates might equate to that of a goldfish in a shark tank."

Jin felt the weight of realization settle on his shoulders as Asha’s ridiculous explanation. He looked at the three women who had somehow become his responsibility, his family in this metal tomb, and knew what he had to do.

"I’ll do it," he said quietly, causing all conversation to stop. "The distraction, I mean. Someone needs to trigger the environmental systems from inside their formation. That someone should be me."

"Absolutely not," Sera’s response was immediate and sharp. "You’re not immortal, Jin. If we lose you—"

"Neither is anyone else," Jin interrupted, surprising himself with his firmness. "But I have advantages. The Project Phoenix AI core within me..." He paused, remembering the flashes of combat memory that had surfaced. "I’m starting to remember things. Combat techniques that feel familiar even though I can’t place them."

"The Tsurugi genetic markers are becoming more pronounced. Still, the odds of survival are... challenging."

Rosa leaned back in her chair, studying Jin with new respect. "The hero wants to be the bait. We can only believe in him."

Clara looked like she wanted to protest, her hands wringing together as she processed the danger Jin was volunteering for.

But after a moment of internal struggle, Clara nodded reluctantly. "If... if you’re going to do this, I can modify your Vault Baton. Overcharge the plasma cells for massive discharge. It won’t last long, but it should clear anything in your immediate vicinity."

"The modification is theoretically sound. Warning: overcharging will completely drain the power cells and may cause permanent damage to the weapon’s internal systems. You only have one shot."

"Do it," Jin said without hesitation. "Whatever it takes to get those girls out of stasis safely."

Sera studied him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for something—doubt, fear, the kind of hesitation that got people killed in situations like this. Whatever she found there seemed to satisfy her, because she finally nodded with grim approval.

"Now let’s summarize our plan," she announced, her voice taking on the crisp authority of command. "Jin triggers the fire suppression system from the Environmental Control Station C-7—that puts him in the center of their formation but gives us maximum cover. Clara and I provide electronic warfare support, disrupting their coordination through system overrides and sensor jamming. Rosa..."

"I take the scenic route," Rosa finished with a grin that was equal parts excitement and madness. "Loop around through Maintenance Shaft B-6, plant shock traps at key chokepoints, then link up with you two at the cryo-bay. Simple."

Asha chimes in Jin’s mind "Statistical analysis indicates a 31.7% probability of mission success with current parameters.."

Not helping, Jin thought, though he couldn’t entirely suppress a smile at Asha’s neverending negativity.

Clara was already deep in technical planning mode, her tablet displaying complex system schematics and power flow diagrams. "I’ll need at least an hour to prepare the modifications and set up the remote triggers. The timing has to be perfect—too early and we lose the element of surprise, too late and they’ll have us completely surrounded."

Sera studied him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for something—doubt, fear, the kind of hesitation that got people killed in situations like this. Whatever she found there seemed to satisfy her, because she finally nodded with grim approval.

"Now let’s summarize our plan," she announced, her voice taking on the crisp authority of command. "Jin triggers the fire suppression system from the Environmental Control Station C-7—that puts him in the center of their formation but gives us maximum cover. Clara and I provide electronic warfare support, disrupting their coordination through system overrides and sensor jamming. Rosa..."

"I take the scenic route," Rosa finished with a grin that was equal parts excitement and madness. "Loop around through Maintenance Shaft B-6, plant shock traps at key chokepoints, then link up with you two at the cryo-bay. Simple."

Asha chimes in Jin’s mind "Statistical analysis indicates a 31.7% probability of mission success with current parameters.."

Jin chuckled, he couldn’t entirely suppress a smile at Asha’s neverending negativity.

Clara was already deep in technical planning mode, her tablet displaying complex system schematics and power flow diagrams. "I-I’ll need at least h-hours.... to prepare the modifications and set up the remote.... triggers.."

Sera checked her chronometer. She looked around the room at each of them—

"Then it’s settled," Sera said, she glanced at her chronometer, calculating quickly.

"We have a twenty-four hour window before those pods become unstable, but we can’t wait that long. The Crawlers are too dangerous.."

She looked at each of them, amber eyes intense. "We move in twelve hours. That gives us time to prepare properly, rest, and execute this plan when we’re not tired."

Rosa leaned back, whistling low. "Those crawlies still have time to get cozy out there."

"It’s also enough time for Clara to properly modify the equipment and," Sera countered. "For you to set your traps without mistakes."

"I-I can have the baton modifications done in four hours. The remote triggers will take another two. That leaves time for testing and... and backup plans."

"Actually, Jin, I should clarify something important," Asha’s voice carried an unusual note of discovery. "Throughout your three-day recuperation, I have been meticulously reviewing surveillance recordings within the Vault. The behavioral patterns exhibited by the Crawler are considerably more intricate than we initially evaluated.

Jin blinked, trying to wrap his head around it. "Wait, Asha’s been keeping an eye on them while I was knocked out?"

[MAP ROUTE]

+----------------------+ +-------------------------+

| COMMAND WING | | ENEMY ZONE |

| (Sector A-1) | | CRAWLER CONVERGENCE |

| Jin, Sera, Clara, |--------+ (Northeast of Vault) |

| Rosa | +-------------------------+

+----------+-----------+

|

v

+----------------------+

| ENVIRONMENTAL CTRL |

| (C-7) |

| Trigger fire system |

+----------+-----------+

|

v

+----------------------+

| MAINTENANCE SHAFT |

| (B-6) |

| Rosa’s trap route |

+----------+-----------+

|

v

+----------------------+

| EAST CORRIDOR |

| Leads to Cryo-Bay |

+----------+-----------+

|

v

+----------------------+

| CRYO-BAY |

| (Sector D-4) |

| Girls in stasis here |

+----------------------+