The March of the Zeka-5
While Deckard installed and tested the unfinished AI program on the Zeka-5, Ruya and I removed the tarps covering the massive robots and folded them neatly. The question that immediately came to mind was how we were supposed to get machines this enormous outside.
“Deckard, sir. How exactly are we getting these robots out?”
“They can be lifted to the surface factory via the elevator.”
“So the factory building really was nothing but camouflage.”
It made sense now. If the factory interior hadn’t been completely empty, such an operation would have been impossible. The building truly existed only as a disguise.
While Ruya and I wandered around the Zeka-5, admiring its scale, Deckard, who had been operating the computer with a serious expression, suddenly shot to his feet and shouted.
“Inspection complete! It’s time to move!”
Clank. Clank. Whirr—
“Ooh……”
At Deckard’s command, the locking mechanisms holding the Zeka-5 in place disengaged one after another. A red light flickered to life in its ocular sensors. With a low mechanical hum, the robot lifted its previously lowered head and stood upright, radiating an imposing presence that perfectly matched its colossal size.
It was a sleek, perfectly proportioned frame optimized for military use—efficient, devoid of any unnecessary parts, a true work of mechanical art designed solely for destruction.
“Wow~ This is really cool.”
“Aside from the fact that I still need to input commands manually, they are excellent units perfectly suited for the mission. For now, I’ve set them to prioritize subduing any armed humans they detect and to return fire only if attacked.”
“Do we need anything else besides these?”
“Hmm. We should bring the control console and maintenance supplies. We can store them in the lower cargo compartments of the Zeka-5.”
“Then let’s hurry.”
Following Deckard’s instructions, we gathered the necessary items and carefully packed them into the storage space of the kneeling Zeka-5. After confirming that the compartment was full, he patted the robot’s hull and said,
“This should be enough for now. We can always come back for the rest later.”
“True. With these things, we could completely bring the entire city under our control.”
“By the way, why didn’t the military deploy these robots when they were so close to completion?”
“Now that you mention it… why indeed?”
It was a valid question. Even if they were unfinished, these weapons were clearly capable of carrying out missions. Why hadn’t they been mobilized in a battle that determined the fate of humanity?
In response to our confusion, Deckard closed the storage compartment door and answered.
“Come to think of it, you two probably never saw them. The reason the military, despite possessing manned bipedal weapons deployed before the Zeka-5, was still helplessly overrun……”
The story he told us about the war was even more horrific than anything I had experienced in Eden. The plant monsters we encountered in the city now were the smallest, most basic variants. The giant plant monsters that had appeared during the war were beyond imagination.
These small basic monsters would clump together and fuse into colossal entities. Empowered by overwhelming numbers, they boasted infinite regenerative abilities and used their absurd mass to sweep away entire human battalions. Even when bombarded with napalm-like incendiary weapons, they would simply shed the burned outer layers, minimize damage, and absorb more small monsters to grow even larger. There was no conventional way to fight such abominations.
“The monster people called the Giant Plant was nearly the size of a building. I only saw it moving from afar, but I still can’t forget it.”
“With monsters that huge rampaging around, the city looks relatively intact?”
“Thanks to the military’s sacrifice. To minimize damage to the city, they moved the front lines out into the plains and mountains. That’s why the initial losses were so heavy.”
“Why don’t we see them now?”
“To form a monster of that size, it’s estimated that tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of the smaller ones roaming outside are required. There simply aren’t enough left to create another.”
Even while talking, we continued working and activated the elevator that would take us upward. With a heavy thud and the clatter of machinery, the floor trembled as the lift began its slow ascent. I asked,
“Do you have any information on parasitic plant-type monsters?”
“Parasitic plants? Don’t tell me those cursed monsters have appeared again?”
“Yes. After we cleared out the eastern faction, they came back to life. Their bodies were completely filled with tentacle-like plants inside.”
“Then it’s definitely them. Those hellish creatures that lie dormant inside a host, take over the body upon death, and go on a rampage… I don’t know exactly how they infect or what they look like, but if the dead are coming back to life, it’s them.”
He shuddered visibly, his voice thick with disgust. It turned out that, unlike the survivors at the mart, the apartment survivors had already experienced people being sacrificed to these parasitic plant monsters.
“So there were already victims.”
“…It was horrific. I can’t forget the faces of people being torn apart by monsters wearing the skins of their own resurrected family members.”
It was tragic enough when family died, but to have them return as zombies and attack you… I couldn’t even begin to imagine what expressions those people must have worn.
In the midst of Deckard’s heavy, gloomy silence, the lift rose slowly and eventually passed through the opening ceiling, arriving at the center of the empty factory building.
“Ahem… There will be time for sentimentality later. Let’s finish the final inspection and depart.”
“Alright.”
While he performed the final checks, Ruya and I had nothing to do but lean against the Zeka-5 and wait in a daze. Ruya, who had been absentmindedly looking around with her back against the robot, spoke up.
“With these robots, we can just head back openly, right?”
“Probably. There’s no way to hide something this big while moving it.”
“I just hope we don’t get hit by any stray bullets.”
“Who would be stupid enough to shoot at robots like these? They’d probably just hold their breath and run away.”
If we stationed two units to secure the central area and took one with us to the port to clean up the remaining forces, we could eliminate almost all immediate threats. After that, we could simply wait comfortably for contact from Earth.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“All done?”
“Of course. As long as they aren’t holding firearms, they’re safe, so don’t worry.”
Whirr— Clank.
Right after he spoke, the Zeka-5s rose from their crouched positions and lowered the wheels attached to their legs onto the ground. Then, as the factory’s massive doors opened one after another, they began filing out in a line.
“I thought they walked on legs, but they move on wheels?”
“The legs are mainly for avoiding obstacles. Using the wheels is far more efficient for normal movement.”
“Huh~”
As if to prove they were much lighter than tanks, the Zeka-5s moved with surprising smoothness, slowly following the road toward the central district. We walked between the robots marching in neat formation.
Perhaps because of the overwhelming majesty of the machines, there wasn’t a single attack from enemies even though we moved completely in the open. We reached the central area without incident, where we saw my brother and Charlotte standing with their mouths agape, staring blankly at the robots.
“Gwangnam! We’re back!”
“Oh, welcome back. These… dog-looking robots are the defense units?”
“Hehehe, their name is Zeka-5. Impressive, aren’t they?”
“Well… yeah, they look cool, but……”
“Aren’t they a bit too big, nya?”
“They need at least this much presence to be effective.”
“Nya……”
To be honest, they were indeed too large for use inside the city. The Zeka-6 would have been better, but it was completely unfinished, so there was nothing we could do. In any case, the strategic defense robots Zeka-5 quickly proved their worth after arriving.
In the dark predawn hours, they slaughtered or neutralized every enemy who attempted a surprise attack without sustaining any damage themselves. According to the men standing night watch, a large cannon would emerge from behind the robot’s shoulder and fire a single precise shot to kill each intruder.
“How about that? Their performance is excellent, isn’t it?”
“It really is amazing.”
“I don’t know if that was all of the raiders, but judging by the overall numbers, I’d say we’ve taken care of almost all of them.”
“Yeah. It’s fortunate they got desperate after seeing the robots and rushed us all at once. Otherwise it would have been strange.”
“Now let’s take care of the port side, nya.”
“We’ll leave one unit here and take the other two with us. I have a feeling the remaining people won’t resist, but it’s better to be safe.”
My intuition told me we would be able to secure the port without any major problems. And just as I predicted, we took control of the port without any conflict at all.
The leader of the port survivors was, as expected, a massive man who had been a fisherman. He had already cleared away the containers and was waiting for our arrival. According to him, after the strong fishermen had built their survivor base at great cost, deserters had invaded, taken over by force, and exploited them. Then one day the deserters suddenly rushed out in large numbers and never returned. After secretly sending scouts to check the situation, they had subdued the few remaining deserters and reclaimed the port.
“So they want to join us since we took care of the deserters for them.”
“How many people are at the port?”
“Thirty-seven fishermen and eleven port workers.”
“All men, nya?”
“Yes, all men.”
“Haa~ Suddenly we’re short on women again.”
Just as Ruya lamented, we had first suffered from a shortage of men, and now we were short on women. My brother looked around at everyone, shrugged, and asked,
“So. What should we do?”
“What else? We should accept any friendly survivors.”
“Since they’re fishermen, they’ll help secure food by catching fish, nya.”
“Confiscating their boats gives us many advantages in multiple ways.”
Catching fish to supplement food was obvious, and they could also sail along the safe sea—free of plant monsters—to other regions to gather necessary supplies.
— I agree as well. The more strong men we have, the better.
When Madam’s voice came through the radio, my brother clapped his hands and made the decision.
“Since Ekaterina agrees too, it’s decided! They’ll live with us.”
The incorporation of the port survivors, decided with a single word from my brother—the highest authority—proceeded smoothly. The fishermen, who had grown completely sick of having nothing but fish and seafood, were overjoyed at the fresh vegetables and various meats served at the welcome party held in the central district.
After getting thoroughly drunk on alcohol for the first time in a long while, the fishermen were seduced one by one by the subtle temptations of the nuns and left their seats. Ruya, who had been tasting the otherworldly liquor, watched the scene and murmured quietly.
“Weren’t they all looking for partners?”
“As you know, Ruya, they are nuns who serve the goddess Erutina. Serving men is part of their religious practice.”
“Hmm~ The men aren’t reacting much, surprisingly.”
“They’ve all accepted reality. With nearly three times as many men as women, if everyone wants to live in mutual satisfaction, the women must be shared.”
“That’s true… Fighting to monopolize a woman would only hurt everyone involved. In that sense, turning them into nuns of the goddess Erutina was a good decision.”
“Indeed.”
The doctrine of the goddess Erutina—emphasizing humility, service to men, and active participation in reproduction—fit perfectly with a ruined world that needed to rebuild humanity. Perhaps because they had reached an understanding beforehand out of consideration for the fishermen, the men from the apartment side simply sat together, pouring drinks for one another and chatting quietly even as the women paired off and left.
Ruya and I sat near the party venue, sipping our drinks. My brother had already gone up to the rooftop to spend time with Madam. Charlotte, delighted by the alcohol, had drunk herself into a stupor and passed out.
Bang. Bang—
“Ah, looks like more enemies came. They’re persistent.”
“Yeah. Well, they have nowhere left to run now.”
The faint gunfire echoing from afar informed us that the Zeka-5 patrolling the area had eliminated deserters attempting to approach the central district.
While we passed the time drinking, Horana approached us with a flushed face, holding a bottle of liquor and staggering slightly.
“Sisters~ Would you like to come along toooo?”
“Hm? Where to?”
“It’s the welcome ceremony for the newly joined men~”
“We already had the welcome party.”
“Hehe~ You know what I mean~”
Horana winked with one eye and made a sly face. Only then did Ruya catch on and let out a small exclamation.
“Aah~ So that’s what you meant? You already reached an agreement?”
“They’re all good people~ They understood that we can’t serve only one man each~”
“Well, if everyone’s happy with it.”
“Hehe~ Would you like to come together?”
“I’m fine. I only have Gwangnam.”
“Ruya is single-minded, so give up on her.”
“Then what about Sister Elisha~?”
“But why are you asking even us?”
“Because we’re short on women. The new arrivals number nearly fifty……”
Hmm, was it forty-eight? That was indeed too many for twenty-five women to handle. Noticing my hesitation, Ruya pushed my back and said,
“Go ahead. I’ll take Charlotte and head to bed.”
“Then I’ll go help a bit and come back. Let’s go, Horana.”
“Thank you~”
I told Ruya, who was carrying the unconscious Charlotte like a sack of rice, that I would return soon, then let Horana lead me toward the building where the welcome ceremony was supposedly taking place.