Chapter 180
Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Human
"Damn, it doesn't look like the fire's going to die down easily."
Only after hacking away every last tree that had sprouted up around the spider's nest could I finally get a sense of the overall situation.
Climbing up the tall, dome-shaped spider's nest and surveying the scene, I could see flames starting to spread in every direction.
Even from this distance, the heat was palpable. Despite the wind blowing away from the sea, the forest—tangled thick with roots and vines—let the fire race outward in all directions. This wasn't good.
"Isaac! We need to find Nephyr and Arachne. Let's gather everyone up quick and regroup before the fire gets any worse."
"Huh? Where are they!?"
"Nephyr's probably digging a tunnel near the house, and Arachne—"
Damn.
Arachne was still in the forest.
Whenever she went out for food, Arachne always headed into the woods. She hated water, so fishing in the river or the sea was out of the question.
"...I'll find Arachne. You and Nephyr guard the house."
"Got it... See you back at the house."
I wanted to believe her sharp instincts had her fleeing the fire long ago, but flames always spread faster than anyone expected.
Wild animals didn't burn to death for nothing. If the wind caught it just right, fire could outpace even the fastest beasts.
Sometimes it hemmed them in from all sides, cutting off any escape.
And Arachne's bulky frame wasn't built for dodging through the forest.
If she'd pushed too far in to lay her webs, getting out might've been a nightmare.
Thoughts like that made my head throb. No time to stand around.
"...Alraune, sorry. Fire scares you too, huh?"
Reading my mind, a terrified Alraune yanked out a vine and flailed it around, but right now, there were more important things than her primal fear of flames.
"Sorry for pushing you too hard."
I leaped straight down to the ground and charged into the forest.
Sometimes, living creatures—
humans—
have to overcome death and terror.
This was one of those times.
And since I'd pulled this kind of insane stunt dozens of times before, hesitation wasn't even a factor anymore.
Maybe my head was a little broken. Fear and dread were the most basic defenses for self-preservation, but in my busted psyche, they barely registered beyond an annoying tension.
"Arachne!"
Sparks flying everywhere,
scorching winds whipping wildly,
massive flames trying to swallow me whole.
"Where are you!"
I shoved through the inferno, searching for Arachne.
I had to scream at the top of my lungs. Otherwise, my voice got lost in the roaring heat and gusts.
The blaze was so fierce now I could barely make out landmarks.
But,
up ahead, through the haze, I spotted a glimpse of white hair that had to be Arachne's.
"Arachne! It's dangerous!"
I bolted straight toward her.
My flesh was charring,
flames licking at my clothes and hair,
but it was fine.
"You're safe now..."
I'd broken through the flames. That was enough.
Just had to get Arachne out. But.
"..."
But...
Strangely, Arachne wasn't here. I could've sworn I saw her.
"What the..."
Then another hazy something flickered into view.
A streak of light that reminded me of Arachne's white hair.
It wasn't the woman I was looking for,
but instead, it reached out like it was beckoning me to follow.
"The light Amy mentioned."
It was huge.
What I'd mistaken for hair was just a massive claw pointing through the flames.
"I'm trusting you."
I followed it.
Barely covering my mouth and nose, gasping for air, I didn't stop running. I could heal from burns, but I didn't want to leave scars on Arachne—not for the second time.
She'd been caught in [that guy's] bomb blast before and engulfed in flames, so fire must terrify her even more.
She was strong and wise,
clever and cunning,
but Arachne still harbored the fears and innocence of a young girl.
"Arachne!"
"J-Joo-ho..."
A few more minutes of running, and I finally reached her for real.
Arachne was huddled alone in a pocket untouched by the fire. Flames surrounded us, and even the vines blocking our path were already ablaze.
"The fire just... suddenly..."
"I know. Stay still!"
No time to think.
I shoved through the roaring vines and reached her side.
Whoosh—!
Flames leaped to my clothes and black hair.
"Gah... eek..."
The sensation of my whole body burning wasn't pleasant.
I could hear my flesh sizzling.
In the thick, acrid smoke, the fishy stench of roasting meat filled the air.
"I-it's fine... Let's get out of here quick..."
"H-how!? The fire's everywhere—!"
Yeah, flames on all sides.
But they were only waist-high at most. Just waist-high.
"Stay still... O-okay... gah..."
Words weren't coming out right anymore.
Vision blurring.
My head was stuffed with fire and smoke.
Pain clouding my thoughts, all my fried brain could come up with was one dumb idea.
Heart pounding,
blood boiling.
"Shit...!"
Crunch—
I scooped Arachne up from below, hoisting her over my head,
high enough to keep the flames from touching her.
Arms and legs fully extended,
lifting her higher than my own height.
Only then did I plunge back into the inferno. Now my mind repeated just one word: Run.
Run.
Run and keep running,
until we reached a spot beyond the flames.
No matter how heavy Arachne felt overhead.
Even if my charred, coal-black skin crumbled and flaked off.
Beneath me,
above in the sky,
beside my legs, all sorts of small animals fled desperately.
Like that little rabbit-thing carrying its young in its mouth, I was just escaping with my lover on my back.
"..."
Nicole stood silent amid the flames for a long moment before placing her hand on the foreheads of the two crew members she'd just shot and murmuring softly.
"May you find peace there."
It was a human phrase for funerals.
Killing them herself and then holding a proper rite like that—unfathomable behavior.
Guilt, maybe.
Tormented by guilt after taking lives herself.
"..."
Nicole's fingertips trembled.
She closed the eyes of the two female crew members—who'd died without shutting their own—with those shaking fingers. Then she gripped her rifle again and gave me an order.
"From now on, head to where Joo-ho's living with the natives. Keep scanning biosignatures and report the moment you detect any."
"Understood."
I couldn't defy the command.
My embedded software was interfering in real time. I had to stop, but I couldn't.
"Kill everyone on sight except Isaac."
An extreme order.
Nicole had no intention of sparing anyone but her husband.
"Sir, preemptive strikes could introduce variables. Dr. Joo-ho's group is friendly and could be persuaded to cooperate—"
"Do I have any obligation to discuss this with you?"
She wouldn't even listen to me.
Nicole only saw me as a bioweapon. My onboard weapons and combat capabilities were all that mattered to her.
"Execute the order. That's what you were made for. Don't offer advice anymore. I don't need it."
Dangerous.
I couldn't refuse this order to harm Dr. Joo-ho. My body moved on its own.
Control had fully transferred to Nicole, the priority command holder.
But I could slow my pace. That was the best I could do.
"...Walk faster."
Absolute obedience.
My final struggle against it.
"I said walk. What the hell?"
Thud—
I dropped to my knees,
halting my disobedient body.
Please.
I couldn't follow that order.
I had to protect Dr. Joo-ho.
I couldn't harm him.
"Tears?"
Nicole knelt to my eye level and let out a hollow laugh.
Her own eyes damp after killing her comrades, she stared in shock at the fluid leaking from mine.
"An AI shedding tears?"
But Nicole had no intention of stopping.
"Get up. Now."
We pushed through the flames toward the house, Nicole and I.
Not much farther.
House showed biosignatures for Nephyr and Mr. Isaac,
and off to the left, Arachne and Dr. Joo-ho's signals.
"Biosignature for Mr. Isaac detected 112 meters ahead. Nephyr is with him. At 389 meters to the left, biosignatures for Dr. Joo-ho and Arachne."
"Engage combat mode."
"...Please reconsider. Dr. Joo-ho is trying to save you."
Despite my final plea, Nicole chambered a round in her rifle and replied.
"Not my problem. For over 90 years in stasis, we need to eliminate all risks beforehand. You know that."
No hesitation from Nicole.
In that moment, she reminded me of Dr. Joo-ho.
"Joo-ho's a monster. No different from those natives he runs with."
"No. Please..."
The moment we neared the entrance, Nephyr flung open the door. She eyed Nicole warily but relaxed when she saw my face.
"Amy, that human woman...?"
I aimed my laser sight at Nephyr.
Only then did she notice the ember energy gathering at the barrel, realizing something was horribly wrong.
"Yeah... Even if Joo-ho's still human like you say, as long as he and the natives are alive, there's too much risk during stasis. No choice."
But my laser sight shifted left, sensing a greater threat approaching and prioritizing it. The automated targeting flagged something more dangerous than Nephyr.
"...Unbelievable."
Nicole backed away with a sneer.
"You call that human?"
There,
stood a lone human,
body covered in burns,
boldly supporting Arachne's massive frame as he burst into view.