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C395: Bomb Squad / Jean
I saw the contents of the explosives and immediately reached for the Spirit Box. It would be impossible to disarm this guy with my power alone. I immediately tried to ask for Feri’s help but for some reason, I couldn’t open a line to Arleo-2…….No matter how many times I tried, there was no response.
“Damn, what the hell is going on at a time like this?”
Then I tried several times but still no luck, and it seems impossible to ask Feri. What to do……There is no one else who can disarm such an explosive device.
I thought so, but then I remembered that there was one other smart guy in my group who could do such a thing besides Feri but now, Fugaku is deep in the Amurian Federation. I wasn’t sure if I could communicate with him successfully since he is quite a distance from here.
Well, there was no use thinking about it. Let’s try to open a line just for the sake of it. With that in mind, I adjusted the settings of the Spirit Box to Fugaku.
“This is Jean. Fugaku, do you copy?”
“Gah…gah…gah…──── boo-boo…gah…gah…gah…”
I knew it was no good…….Just when I thought so, a small voice replied.
“Jean, this is Fugaku, what’s going on?”
“Alana! I’m sorry, but I need you to put Rafishal on the line right away!”
“What’s the rush? From the looks of it, it seems that the Sword Saint hasn’t been revived yet.”
“Just hurry up! I’ll explain what’s going on later!”
“Hold on a minute, I’ll get him.”
The wait seemed endless. I was not sure how long it would take for the explosives to detonate, and I was not sure how long I would have to wait.
“Jean, what’s going on?”
“Oh~ Rafishal! I need a little help disarming some explosives!”
“Explosives? I understand. From the looks of it, it sounds like you’re in a hurry. Explain the construction of that explosive device to me as best you can.”
You are indeed the great sage. He seemed to have grasped the general situation just from the word “explosives” and my behavior.
“Let me explain. First, I see a container of liquid in the center. Around that container, there are a lot of reddish-black stones. They are covered with a fluffy cotton-like material. There is some kind of machine attached to the edge, and the meter is moving to the right a little bit at a time.”
“Is there white steam?”
“It’s coming from the bottom.”
“If so, it’s definitely an explosive device based on fusion liquid.”
“Is it bad?”
“Depending on the amount of fusion liquid, a cupful could easily blow up to a one-kilometer radius.”
“The fusion liquid……it isn’t this liquid in the center, is it? There’s about a thousand cups of it.”
“What are they trying to destroy?”
“A research facility.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“Don’t just accept the situation, tell me how to disarm it! If we don’t do something fast, it’ll blow up!”
“How far has the meter traveled?”
“About 70 percent.”
“All right, there’s still time. Okay, let’s start with the temperature rise. Are there any box-shaped devices placed down there?”
“Oh, there is one.”
“Remove it carefully. Don’t give it too much of a shock. If you’re not careful, it could explode on its own.”
“Seriously…….”
I used a tool to carefully remove the box. I thought my heart would stop when my hand hit the uneven surface of the box while I was removing the screw-like object, but somehow it did not explode.