Apocalypse Shelter Administrator - Chapter 377



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EP.377 Aftercare (4)

Alpha.

This is not a name, but an identification symbol used by the Shelter Robot Army.

Awarded to the point man who takes the lead when carrying out small-scale, independent operations such as reconnaissance, collection, and demolition.

In terms of the whole series, it can be called Red, and in medieval terms, it can be seen as a raid leader.

We have been actively engaged in external activities since the start of the maritime prison operation, so there have been numerous Alphas.

Of those, the alpha that means the most to me is, of course, the one who served in the Tanis expedition.

“What’s the condition? The battery must have already been discharged.”

I calmed down and asked the Explorer Guild Leader beyond the screen.

[Yes. The functions were completely stopped. There was no part of the body that was not damaged, as if it had been through a fierce battle.]

The last thing I remember is rolling around in a heap, blocking the walkers that were rushing at Solaver with my body.

As expected of the main combatant, he had taken the most attacks, and by the last moment, he was so damaged that he could barely deal with a single walker.

“Where was it discovered?”

[It was the middle of Seoraksan Mountain. It was an area where a large forest fire had occurred in the past and a lot of hair had been lost. Thanks to that, I was able to discover it.]

The beautiful mountains and rivers of a three thousand ri away are now a thing of the past.

During the war of infection, many lands were burned, and after that, trees were cut down to use as firewood for living.

Since everyone has the mindset of living only for today, it is common to see people lighting fires in the mountains.

Then, when a fire broke out, it spread into a large-scale forest fire due to the absence of public authority to put it out.

“Is your head okay? Is it a penetration wound or something that’s melted?”

[There are a lot of scratches, but it doesn’t look like the gloves are punctured.]

“Thank goodness!”

The hand that was clenched suddenly felt strong.

“I don’t think there’s a more satisfying gift I’ve received since I got back. Thank you so much.”

[No problem. As always, I will return it to the police logistics center.]

Our robots operate outside for a variety of purposes.

Naturally, there are countless cases of malfunctions due to combat, bad weather, or other unexpected failures.

Sometimes lucky explorers collect such things and bring them to the police.

It’s a win-win situation for us as we can easily recover the machines and they get a nice reward and reputation for being a police resident.

The most commonly brought items are drones, because if they crash while flying over rough terrain, it is difficult to find them with just the last location signal.

It’s cheaper to just make new ones than to bring them back.

On the other hand, there are rare teams that pick up combat weapons such as stalker models.

It is a remnant of the countless wars against the infected that were fought after I left for Tanis and until the vaccine distribution was completed.

“I’ll pay you ten times the usual amount for this. He means that much to me.”

[As I said, this is a gift. I can never accept a penny from you. You are one of the six heroes who allowed us to live safely, and if you take money from me, everyone will curse me.]

“He’s not exactly human, is he? I appreciate your kindness, but I deserve what I get.”

To me, he is a precious colleague, but to others, he is just a machine.

[What matters is actions and achievements, not bloodshed? It’s been three years since I’ve been living with talking machines.]

The guild leader waved his hand with a serious expression.

[Especially explorers like us, we have been helped by robots more than once, directly or indirectly. We have fought together against infected beings. To be honest, I feel more affection for honest machine friends than those who attack me whenever they get a chance. They are people I can trust without worry even when I first meet them.]

“If you say so, I will be grateful for your sincerity.”

[thank you!]

The person giving the precious gift looked happier than the person receiving it.

Well, it’s free, but it’s like an appeal to my favor and even to my son who is receiving officer training.

Beyond the screen, the guild leader’s face was filled with a sense of accomplishment that he had gotten far ahead of everyone else.

* * *

Alpha’s body arrived a few days later.

“…”

I was speechless when I saw that lying mechanical comrade.

Even though I said with my own mouth that he wasn’t even human, my heart ached when I saw Alpha’s deteriorating appearance.

“It’s clean.”

Although the entire body was seriously damaged, it was clean and not a speck of dirt was on it.

The tangible implements he was carrying were also thoroughly cleaned, and even the rust was removed from his last weapon, a military sword.

Only the dented and damaged blades here and there showed the traces of the fierce battle.

It feels like watching what happens to the bodies and belongings of deployed American soldiers when they are returned to their families.

“I wanted to reunite you in your best light.”

The leader of the group of explorers who had been carrying it bowed his head politely and said.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t worry. We always do the same thing when we return the bodies of our dead comrades to their families. How much more so when it comes to our subordinates who went to the ends of the universe together?”

Could it be because I have had a chance to roll around with robot soldiers in the field?

Certainly, the explorers felt that the combat robots were treated more like humans.

The body and head corresponding to the main frame were made of alloy material and maintained their shape, but the limbs using artificial muscles rotted and collapsed.

This is an unavoidable part, as it contains a large amount of organisms.

The red eyes that had been shining brightly until the last moment were empty, and the body that my hand touched was extremely cold.

“At least you weren’t discovered by the slavers.”

I knocked on the door and pounded on the chest, but of course there was no answer.

Alpha’s body was immediately transported to the central area as a shelter.

The robot repair shop was dark, so Artemis, dressed in white, appeared even more radiant.

“The memory is physically intact. Would you like to view it right away?”

“No. I’ll look at the records later.”

Artemis looked surprised.

“Aren’t you curious? It might provide a clue to Solaver’s whereabouts.”

“Of course I’m curious. But right now, I want to hear this guy’s voice.”

In front of us, an Alpha is being repaired, secured to a maintenance stand.

At the same time as new artificial muscles are being added to the rotted limbs, the batteries are being charged.

“We’ll boot up as soon as we’ve finished charging for minimum startup. 42 seconds left.”

Instead of answering, I hugged Artemis’ shoulders and rubbed them a few times.

“What about the body? The parts corresponding to the artificial muscles will definitely have to be replaced, but if I want, I can keep the rest as the original.”

“As expected, you understand my feelings very well.”

“How many years have we been living together?”

She laughed and patted my butt.

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“The damage is so severe that even if we repair it as much as possible, there will still be scars here and there, but isn’t that what human emotions are all about?”

“It’s a medal. You’ll be my bodyguard from now on, so it’ll look cool.”

42 seconds passed while we were talking.

Kiing!

Alpha’s body, which had been frozen for a long time, suddenly moved as if in a convulsion.

After a few seconds, the black lenses began to glow red.

To me, it seemed more like a return to the lion’s life than a simple reboot.

[Reboot complete.]

Alpha said.

The guy’s gaze circled the garage once and then immediately fixed itself on me.

Rattling.

He immediately moved his arms violently.

Because the maintenance fixture was attached, the limbs were hitting each other and making a loud noise.

[Resume mission.]

Alpha, who woke up from a long sleep, didn’t even question the fact that his damaged body had been restored.

I wasn’t even confused about the current situation.

I was just trying to continue the escort that had been forcibly cut off during the Tanis expedition.

“Hey, calm down.”

Only after I said a word did he stop struggling.

“I am safe and this place is safe. As of now, your escort mission and combat status are terminated. There are no enemies here.”

Only then did Alpha return to a stationary state.

From the guy’s perspective, it must have been a situation where he didn’t understand anything, but he waited quietly with mechanical composure.

“Install the situation…”

“No, let me explain it to you in words.”

Artemis was stopped from solving everything at once by transferring data.

“Wouldn’t that be too inefficient? We’d have to talk for hours.”

Artemis tries to understand human emotions, but she feels like this is a bit off.

“I’m a jobless husband, so all I have left is time. I just want to talk nonsense in front of my old subordinates.”

“Huh.”

She shrugged her shoulders, crossed her arms, and made way for me.

I brought a nearby metal chair and placed it in front of Alpha.

Alpha’s red eyes moved slowly, seeming to analyze his condition.

Even with the limited information available, he must be furiously calculating how he got to this point.

match!

I clapped my hands looking at the ceiling, and all the lights went out except for the lights above me and Alpha.

“She’s such a smart wife. Don’t you think so?”

Alpha’s eyes, which had been circling around, turned to me. He opened his mouth as if he had finished analyzing.

[Congratulations on your successful mission and safe return, Administrator.]

CLANG!

Alpha tried to salute, but his right arm was tied to the maintenance device and wouldn’t move.

I really hope you’re not joking just now.

“You probably aren’t particularly curious, but I have a lot to explain. All sorts of things happened.”

I sat upside down, resting my arms on the back of the chair and resting my chin on both hands.

[I’m curious.]

But the answer I got was unexpected.

“Huh? Really?”

[That’s what the manager wants. It’s the only help I can give right now.]

Even if this kid were human, he would have found his own path.

* * *

Artemis reappeared after a while.

The tray she carries contains simple snacks.

“I think we’ve given you enough time. Should we start interpreting the data?”

I nodded, accepting the biscuit offered by delicate fingers.

I was surprised at how he told me all the things that had happened to him, as if he was talking to a person.

In the part where he was dragged away by the slave trader and humiliated, the red lens kept growing and shrinking.

For a moment, I began to suspect that this guy had sprouted some kind of ego like the nymphs.

“If the memory analysis is delayed too much because of chatting with robots, wouldn’t Solaver in the afterlife be sad? Wouldn’t chatting with robot soldiers be more important than reading his last records?”

“He’s not dead?! Don’t make someone dead on your own, sir.”

“Not dead people, but dead aliens.”

“Oh, well, I said he’s not dead!”

Artemis chuckled.

Although she is upset with Solaver, the reason she says this is probably because she also believes that Solaver’s chances of survival are not zero.

A screen installed in one part of the maintenance shop worked.

“What I’m most curious about is what happened right after you were transferred, Jinsoo?”

“of course!”

“I’ll start playing now.”

Artemis snapped her fingers.

Then, Tanis’ final escape operation began to play on the screen.

The garage, which had been quiet except for the small mechanical noise, suddenly became noisy.

The sound of battle could be heard, with countless infected howling and skin tearing.

Memories that had been buried deep in my subconscious begin to return vividly.

[Please take good care of my life.]

My voice was heard through the noise of the battlefield. To be exact, it was the echo of what I had said.

The screen was filled with the image of me being sucked into the warp gate with a dumbfounded expression after being thrown by Echo.

I had such a pitiful face.

[Mission accomplished.]

Echo, who gave a brief salute, then charged forward with a military sword in hand.

But this is Alpha’s memory.

The next screen shows the infected rushing towards Solaver, who is manipulating the warp device panel.

Alpha from the past, the first-person view on the screen rushed towards the infected.

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