Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

The sunrise over Tokyo Bay was a bit late, and the air was neither too cold nor too warm, which made it a little awkward.

In the not-too-silent air, Davis, along with three other young soldiers, appeared on that familiar street as scheduled for their mission.

"Hey, Sir," Taylor said in his usual frivolous tone, "we've finally made some money today, huh?"

"Hey, let's find a nice place to eat lunch today?"

"How about a turkey? Let's celebrate Thanksgiving, huh?"

"Hey! You can just go and steal ideas in the name of Jesus, and you can even send a few more detention meals!" Taylor once again engaged in a playful exchange with Philip.

"Ah, let's get down to business." Garcia, who was at the back, glanced around warily and lowered his voice. "Aren't we supposed to meet with Clark today?"

“I don’t need you to remind me, Paratrooper.” Davis put his hands on his hips and pointed ahead with his chin. There was a street shop with a hot dog sign on its roof, and a “girl” wearing a hooded robe was there—the reason for saying her gender was because of her long green hair.

She squatted by the roadside, constantly fiddling with a deck of cards. As the soldiers drew closer, she loosened her collar and pulled out a thin scarf—a scarf with red and white stripes like the Stars and Stripes—which draped over her chest. She smoothed it out like a girl smoothing her whip, spreading it out in front of her chest.

“Hmm.” Davis understood and turned to instruct Taylor and Philip, “Proceed according to plan.”

"okay!"

Two grinning soldiers ran out first and rushed to the shopkeeper's counter.

"Ah, let me think what I want... Should I take this or that..." A long string of incoherent hesitations gave them a lot of useful time to rendezvous.

Meanwhile, Garcia went to a roadside tree and pretended to admire the scenery, so Davis approached the "girl" and couldn't help but sigh.

"Do you really need to dress like that, you little soldier?"

"Hmm?" The "girl" pulled back the hood of her robe, revealing a boy's face hidden in the shadows and under a wig. "How did you know it was me, sir?"

"I've never seen a girl with dyed hair wear a long robe and then wrap herself in a scarf like a complete idiot, Clark..."

"Ah, I'm afraid of being recognized by other black dogs passing by... Besides, these are the only clothes and outfits we have right now, something that fits me and can cover my face..."

“That’s no excuse for dressing up as a woman, damn it…” Davis sighed and wiped his face. “If you’re going to dress up, at least do it professionally. What girl squats with her legs spread apart? If it were summer and you weren’t wearing long pants, your leg hair would be completely visible. And your face, at least put on some powder or something to cover up those scars. And don’t dress so gloomy, you could at least wear a nurse’s uniform…”

“Sir, do you mean you want me to…” Clark’s gaze towards his superior was strange.

"Alright, alright, I almost forgot we've been itching to get this information... Hurry up and get all the intelligence you've gathered."

“No problem. This is as much information as I could hand-copy last night. There’s also a map of this world in it. That’s all for now.” After Clark finished speaking, he looked around to make sure no one was watching, and handed a small bottle of liquor to Davis.

"Good job, kid." Davis hid the bottle and walked away nonchalantly. "Hey! Have you two made your choices yet? You've been dawdling with them for ages!"

"Alright, alright! Let me pay!"

The four soldiers continued their patrol route, and Clark, like a tiger cub, slipped away, fanning himself in his robes.

"I don't know if you did it on purpose..." Garcia watched the departing shadow, "If Batman wanted to mess with you like this, I would have abandoned that comic book a long time ago..."

……

"This is fine, boss! I'm fucking starving!"

It was finally noon when Taylor, after much shouting and yelling, managed to get the other three soldiers to stay at this place that looked a bit expensive.

"Well, isn't it a bit too expensive...?"

“Why bother, sir?” Philip said to Davis with a smile. “A person should experience things they’ve never seen before. At least in my opinion, this restaurant is more enjoyable than smoking eight cigarettes.”

The four of them ordered some food casually and sat down at a table in a corner.

“Guys, listen up.” Davis lowered his voice and took out the bottle Clark had given him—the cork was gone, a tightly rolled strip of paper was stuck firmly to the bottle neck, and the bottle label had also been tampered with; a thick layer of paper, like a folded poster, was sandwiched between the label and the bottle.

"Our true understanding of this world begins here. We'd better hurry while there aren't any black dogs around."

“Philip, you take this.” Davis peeled off the “poster” and tossed it to the soldier to unfold, while he dealt with the note on the bottle cap himself.

“Hmm…” Philip slowly unfolded the poster, but gradually, he felt that something was wrong.

"This looks familiar..." The larger it unfolds, the thinner the poster becomes, allowing more light to filter through and reveal the contents hidden beneath. Philip already sensed that this wasn't a poster, but most likely a map.

"Huh?" The moment the map unfolded, he and Taylor, who was sitting with him, were completely dumbfounded.

“Sir, I came here to celebrate Thanksgiving. Is Clark giving us an April Fool’s joke?” He turned the map around, facing Garcia and Davis. “He was hiding this from us just to give us a map of our world?”

"WTF?" Davis was still tearing open the note when Garcia started examining it first. "Why do I see our house?"

"The Americas? Damn, I was talking about that too..."

"Wait, wait! Something's not right!" Garcia realized the problem. "Why is the United States and Canada to the north now the same color?"

“Yeah, it’s all blue, North and South America are all like that…” Taylor also noticed something. “Let me see, Europe, Europe… wait, where is Europe?”

"Idiot, this way!" Philip shouted. "Hey, this Europe isn't right either, why is it all a yellowish-brown color?"

"Bullshit, look at the Soviet Union. How come the Soviet Union is the same color as our Americas?"

"Oh! Could it be..." Just as Garcia had a premonition of something, Davis had already opened the note and read the first few sentences.

"Calm down, kids. What Clark wants to tell us is far more complex than it seems."

……

[Author's Note: The following content has been verified by me through the anime plot and wiki, and I can confirm that it is basically consistent with the original work's settings. Please refrain from making excessive or unnecessary questions. Thank you.]

It was written on the note.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know you've probably been very tired these past few days, and I know you probably still don't know what our adversary is called, or what this place is called. Now, I'm going to tell you everything I know so far, and it will definitely surprise you."

"You may have already seen the map I gave you. It looks a lot like our world map, right? Then please prepare yourselves. This map is the map of this other world! A world with the exact same structure as our world! Eurasia, the Americas, the Arctic Ocean, Antarctica—it's all there! Even your current location, on Honshu Island in the western Pacific Ocean, this place called Area 11, the Tokyo concession, is strikingly similar to our world!"

……

“W-what…” Taylor’s eyes widened. “We’re in Japan?”

"Calm down, calm down, finish reading first..."

……

"First, let one of you put away your eyes and anger. The country you are in now is not Japan, nor is it the United States of America. In this world, there is a country called the Holy Britannian Empire. It occupies the entire North American continent, rules the entire South American continent, and even rules Siberia, Eastern Europe, and a large territory in Africa! And this country is the culprit that invaded our world and brought us here!"

"This is an empire ruled by an autocratic emperor. The country is vast, rich in resources, and has a large population. According to the data I have, its recorded population exceeds two billion, more than the total population of our anti-fascist alliance. You might ask why I call it 'recorded population'? Because the country has many colonial districts. Wherever they conquer, the country is stripped of its national name and ethnic designation and given a number. The people become numbered people, lacking sufficient basic necessities and freedom, and suffering oppression. And it is precisely the statistics of these numbered people that Britannia has always wanted to control but also didn't want to control."

"Let me digress for a moment. For these numbered people without rights, there are a few ways to live a decent life. The first is to voluntarily apply to become an honorary Britannian, which is basically a second-class citizen of the Britannian Empire. Compared to genuine first-class Britannians, they have virtually no restrictions worth mentioning, except that occasionally some hardliners with racist views will attack them, that's all. The second method is to establish a marriage relationship with a first-class or second-class citizen. This non-forced marriage will automatically change their citizenship status. To put it bluntly, it's about marrying into wealth."

"As for the concept of this numbering, I can give you an example. The entire South America is Britannia's 6th District. So these former South American civilians who didn't become honorary Britannians are 'District 6 people,' and can no longer be called South Americans, Brazilians, or anything like that. Well, I don't even know if Brazil exists in this world. And the Honshu Island where you are now, before it was occupied by Britannia, had an independent country name. That's right, it's Japan! There was also a country here that was once called Japan, and now it's still around you, but it's been renamed Area 11. This Japan is the Area 11 that the Britannian soldiers have been talking about these past few days!"

……

"Damn it, this place is actually... the Japanese devils' den?" Taylor was furious.

"Clark already guessed you were about to get angry, kid. Look down."

……

"I imagine Taylor is probably feeling relieved that he beat up a Japanese guy known as 'Area 11' a few days ago, right? But I want to say, don't try to solve this problem using our world's mindset. It's simple, Taylor should remember how he was repeatedly beaten to a pulp by Sergeant Jonathan Campbell. So, are you going to challenge a weakling with the same name to the same challenge? It's pointless. You're just venting your anger on a punching bag with your enemy's picture on it; it doesn't solve anything. You did beat up a 'Japanese guy,' but he wasn't that Showa-era madman who shouted 'Long live the Emperor' and charged our positions like a madman, nor was he one of the culprits who killed your cousin."

"Ah, I think I've gone off-topic. But I don't think I have anything urgent to tell you for now. In short, this is a world replicated from our world, and this is 'Area 11' replicated from our Japan. Our first step in this world begins here. But we can't let Britannia know what we know. As the commander said, if they understand our secrets, then the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and all of Europe, which is still in the shadow of the World War, will be nothing more than stupid dogs being played with."

"As for the history of Britannia, it's too late, and due to space constraints, I can't write too much. For now, I'll just say it in a sentence: Britannia is essentially the British Empire of our world. They won the War of Independence but lost the war against Napoleon. They gained the whole of America but lost the British Isles. They are called 'Britain,' but they don't rule India. They are just a group of aliens wearing British skin, controlling millions of mechanized armies. They have an overwhelming numerical advantage, and they even have technology we've never seen before. We must recognize their strength, calmly consider our future survival in this world, and quietly make a fortune for our enemies who will overthrow the United States of America. From this moment on, we officially embark on the path to destroy this country, the path to ultimate peace."

"It's getting late, sir. I still need to deal with today's accounts, so I'll stop here for now. I should be able to get more information to share with you in a short time. Trust me, the world will soon be revealed to us."

"God bless America..."

Chapter 102, Section 158: The Undying Nightmare

There was nothing but emptiness before my eyes; I couldn't see anything clearly, I couldn't see anything at all...

I could only wander aimlessly, walking forward...

The foot landed on the ground without making a sound; everything was deathly silent...

Looking around, there were no rolling hills, no flowing rivers, and no birdsong or fragrant flowers. Like a dark, ominous ink, everything was wrapped up like a mummy, binding him.

……

Suddenly, everything seemed to change. The sky turned purplish-red, and a bright red yet dim light finally spread to the unknown earth beneath our feet.

Finally, he could see clearly that this was a flat piece of land, not a high mountain or cliff, and that he was not walking on the line of death, which was just one step away from an insurmountable chasm.

Is that so? The ground beneath your feet may be safe, but is the line of death really that far away?

Suddenly, they discovered that the earth, which had been tinged with red light, was covered with a jumble of corpses!

Where is this place?! Why do all the corpses look like they're wearing Soviet soldiers' uniforms and helmets? Why are all the corpses so mangled and incomplete, laid out on this hellish land?

Curiosity compelled me to bend down and examine the faces of the dead more closely, only to discover that they were all wearing masks, masks that were as pale as skeletons!

"Why, why..."

Just as they were in shock, a dazzling yet terrifying red light emanated from the pupils of the mask, like a bear's jaws, turning back to stare at their curious eyes!

"Oh! By the Emperor!—"

Startled by the sight, I took several steps back. When I came to my senses, I realized that all the corpses, whether they had heads or not, had come to life!

Some of them had only their lower bodies left, and they staggered to their feet and began to walk; while others had only their upper bodies left, and they crawled on the blood-stained earth with their two arms or one arm; and those heads that had already parted from their torsos were nestled in the craters like pebbles on the beach, yet they roared out terrifying death cries!

They are walking towards you, dressed in tattered military uniforms!

"Do not!--"

Just as he turned to run away, he bumped into something.

It's a standing living dead! That last impact knocked off its mask!

You should gouge out your own eyes at this moment, because when a creature covered in blood and mud, wielding a shovel with one arm, a lifelike skeletal face, breathing fire from its throat and staring at you with a deathly gaze in its pupils, a "creature" that even rotten wood would avoid, is only a step away from you, and only a desperate scream can serve as the eulogy for the shovel chopping down!

……

"what!--"

Suddenly, my whole body trembled, and everything returned to light. The dark and hellish realm just now had vanished into thin air.

Gone were any deep, terrifying scenes; all that remained before his eyes was a pristine white ceiling, slightly glaring lights, the beeping of indicator lights, and a robust oxygen mask pressed tightly against his nose, making his cheeks feel numb—yes, this guy seemed to be lying on a hospital bed.

"Hey? Mr. Griffin! You're awake!"

Hearing the sound, I looked to the right of the bed and saw a blonde girl with a long ponytail sitting there.

"Angelina? What's this?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't move!" The girl raised her hands, signaling the lieutenant, who was trying to stand up, to stop immediately.

Griffin then noticed that his bare upper body was covered with thin wires connected to the electrocardiogram monitor on the bedside table.

"Oh right, right, right, right..." He quickly lay back down.

"It's so good to see you awake, Lieutenant."

“Yes.” Griffin looked at her with a happy expression. The girl’s calm and beautiful face revealed a hint of relief and surprise. She was wearing the exclusive uniform of their knightly order—a pure white long-sleeved shirt with epaulets on both sides of the collar. Following the tie down, one could see Angelie’s dark gray skirt and light blue boots. Her outer coat, which was too warm indoors, had been taken off and draped over her back, revealing her rank insignia on both sides and the knightly order’s emblem on the front.

As for how to identify Angelie's clothes among the vast number of knights? Apart from the identification mark on the left arm of the outer garment, the color of the outer garment, as well as the lace of the shirt and skirt, are all cyan—a color she chose herself. The color of the boots and tie are also cyan, and no one in the knights has this color scheme.

"Can you tell me what happened during this time when my mind was completely blank?"

“Sigh, finding you was already a stroke of luck, Lieutenant.” Angelie’s eyes were filled with sadness. “Back then, we didn’t see your plane return until the railway bridge was blown up. Major Taluvin couldn’t bear the cost of being hit by enemy fire, so he ordered us to retreat. But Lilizia insisted that she saw you, that she saw you alive not far from the bridge. So I persuaded the major, as your adjutant, to order Lilizia to go on the mission alone.”

"What!" Griffin's eyes widened. He looked around to make sure there were only the two of them in the room.

"Could it be her?"

"I must say, sir, your ability to train capable people is indeed better than your own tactical learning." The girl smiled sweetly. "With her unbelievable operating skills and agility, she drove the KMF out of the Soviet artillery fire with you. If she had been two minutes later, you might have bled to death and it would have been too late to save you."

"As for Lilizia, her aircraft was miraculously damaged only in the head by shrapnel, and the torso suffered considerable surface damage. She herself was unharmed."

"Phew! I'm relieved, hehe!" Griffin closed his eyes and chuckled. "After all, there aren't many girls who are both spirited and adorable like that!"

"Uh, of course." The lieutenant quickly turned around, looking at Angelie's reproachful, jealous face. "Thank you for watching over me for so long. You must be tired, right? Why don't you take a rest?"

Griffin stretched out his right arm and placed his hand on her thighs, which were sitting side by side.

"Hey! You..." She frowned slightly, then gently pursed her lips and clasped her hands together on her thighs, holding the slightly cool "pig's trotter" in her palm.

"Don't do that again. This time... I guess I..." Angelie's face flushed red, then she suddenly thought of a way to change the subject, "Hey, by the way, did you have a dream about something before?"

"Huh? Me? Sigh..." Griffin immediately looked disappointed and withdrew his hand.

"I really terrified those enemy soldiers... It was the first time... Can you imagine a man with a missing arm still yelling wildly and wielding a sharp weapon at you? If it weren't for the fact that the guy was missing an arm, I probably would have been hacked to death on the bridge... Ah, by the Emperor, I'm so lucky..."