Chapter 97
Squelch. Blood poured from the operating table in thick streams. The spilled blood soaked into the parched earth. The table wasn't in a hospital room—it was set up outdoors. Crunch, crunch. Every time the steel claw moved, there was the sound of bone and flesh separating. The security robot sliced through the last muscle fibers connecting the skull and scalp, then gripped the husk tightly. Schlorp. The entire scalp peeled off. Dark red blood sprayed in all directions, but it was blocked by the waterproof apron meant for fish markets.
The robot stared at the chunk of fleshy scalp in its hand before tossing it aside. Splatter. The spot was piled high with meat scraps. The scalp rolled down from the top, coming to a stop midway. The robot set down the skull-peeling tool—shaped like an ice cream scooper—and picked up a new one. Whirrrrr. A hose far bulkier than a dental aspirator sucked the contents out of the skull with tremendous force. Dark red blood flowed through the transparent tube, gradually turning pink. Not a chocolate-strawberry shake, but a blood-and-brain slurry. Even with the scalp gone, ripples formed in the two eyeballs still lodged in their sockets. Pop! With a cheerful sound, the left eyeball was sucked neatly into the skull. Like tapioca pearls climbing a straw, the optic nerve trailed the eyeball up the clear tube. Crunch! The right one wasn't so lucky. It shattered on contact with the hose's nozzle and got sucked in as fragments. Sluuuuurp—! Sluuuuurp—! It sounded just like sucking the dregs from an empty drink carton.
The robot set down the aspirator and picked up the next tool: an industrial high-pressure washer, used on shelter heavy machinery to blast off caked mud or sewage treatment grime. Whoosh! Adjusted to lower power and a wide spray, it unleashed a powerful jet. Residual flesh and blood washed off the skull. Clunk. It jammed the nozzle into the eye socket, spun it around, and blasted—the skull's interior was left spotless. Everything else rinsed away, but two thick tendons clung to the temples. Tendons on a skull? A peculiar creature. Narrowing the stream and pressing close, it made the twitching tendons snap off with a twang. Drip... drip... The robot set the locked washer aside, picked up the skull, and inspected it from all angles. Satisfied it was clean, it placed it on a waiting cargo drone, which ferried it to the sterilization machine.
The robot's gaze shifted to the torso and limbs. Unusually, half the body was covered in pangolin-like scales, the other half in bushy camouflage. It looked like a shape-shifter that died mid-transformation, stuck halfway. Slash! Slash! Meanwhile, at the pile of flesh scraps, another security robot doused them with oil from a canister before stepping aside. Fwoooosh! Flames roared from the flamethrower. Muscle, cartilage, tendons, and skin melted in the inferno, belching foul smoke and stench. Blood, rot, charred meat, and the gruesome sounds of bone from flesh. In this hellish scene, the emotionless robots carried out their tasks silently, tirelessly.
This was the Shelter Museum. Seeing the mounted infected right in front of me stirred fresh emotions. The shape-shifting monster I'd barely survived against with a shotgun and fire axe was now just another collectible. Gazing at its pathetic state brought more than just satisfaction.
It all started with my idea: "Let's make an infected museum!" And now it was nearly complete. We'd renovated a suitable building in the lower district, and it was almost full. During the suffocation op, I hadn't thought of this, so most got incinerated, and the rest were used up in research. So we relied on specimens from external expeditions. One taxidermy with bones and skin intact, another just the skeleton posed like a dinosaur—they stood side by side. Processing happened outside the shelter, followed by top-tier sterilization before entry.
This infected museum wasn't just personal indulgence. There were practical reasons.
"Oh my god!"
"Whoa."
"I've seen that one! It flipped a bus."
"Our Choco... I miss him."
"It's really dead, right? It won't move suddenly or anything?"
"Fuck, that dick is huge!"
The first female visitors gasped nonstop after opening day. One teared up in front of the slave dog mount.
"Better reception than expected."
These women were selected by lottery from tour applicants. I hadn't figured it for a ladies' spot amid all the scary monsters, but applicants flooded in.
Entertainment's scarce down here. And lower district cultural facilities aren't fully open to everyone yet.
With job activities starting, some area restrictions lifted. Camp life continued, but they could use nearby parks and the artificial lake now. On off-days or after work, women soaked their feet in the lake or jogged and stretched in parks. Still, that alone wouldn't suffice for fun.
Plus, there's the bait incentive.
The women who applied for the museum tour were given Krispy Kreme donuts and drinks after the itinerary was finished. Every event in the shelter that called for volunteers was accompanied by a reward, big or small.
Is this what it feels like when the military forces recruits to attend religious activities?
"Similar. Though this side is far superior, both in terms of entertainment and the food provided."
What if you told military recruits, "I'll give you donuts and drinks—not just Choco Pies—if you come to the monster museum"?
They would absolutely rush to sign up. Though there might be a few clergymen lamenting the youth being more interested in the visages of demons than of God.
Please observe with your eyes only. Do not touch.
"S-sorry!"
When the Manual's warning voice played from the screen next to a taxidermy display, a woman who had been reaching out her hand quickly pulled back.
Whether they had just been that incredibly bored, or if they had nerves of steel from living in the underworld, they were looking around at the monsters with eyes full of intrigue.
It seems the plan is a massive success! Do you hear them? The voices of awe echoing from all sides. As expected, even a supercomputer like me cannot keep up with the Administrator's foresight and novel ideas!
Kids, wearing a tour guide uniform, clasped her hands together and tilted her head at the perfect angle. It was the stereotypical pose of a sycophantic subordinate.
"Aren't you kissing ass a little too blatantly?"
Kya!
She was still cute, so I patted her head anyway.
I mean it sincerely. Eliminating the infected, and even displaying them like trophies! There is no method more symbolic than this for showing off our city's power and infrastructure!
Kids pumped both her fists enthusiastically.
"Seeing is believing. When it comes to power, showing a symbol is far more definitive than a long-winded explanation."
Most of the residents had experienced the infected firsthand or indirectly during the war. Those who had experienced it knew the terror, so looking at the museum exhibits would make them truly feel the city's power once again.
The minority of residents who hadn't come face-to-face with the infected would surely feel something from this as well.
The daily aerial reconnaissance footage shot by drones or the combat footage from the robot expedition teams wasn't enough. Humans only truly grasp 100% of a situation when they experience it with their own eyes and skin.
This should be enough for them to clearly realize just how dangerous the outside world is, with monsters like that roaming around. And our power, capable of turning such monsters into taxidermy! And exactly how safe this place is, being protected by us.
I nodded. For a closed society, especially to maintain smooth control in a situation like this, you have to seize the hearts and minds of the members from the very bottom up.
However, idolization through indoctrination isn't my style. Showing them the reality of the outside world and making them realize they have no better alternative.
Building respect upon that foundation is true groundwork. The museum is just one of the options to achieve that.
"Ugh..."
"This one is seriously disgusting."
Looking over to where a minor commotion had started, I saw it was the taxidermy of a newly discovered infected variant we found recently.
It had a roughly 2-meter tall humanoid form, but its limbs and torso looked like dozens of thick ropes twisted together in a spiral. It had no head, but near the neck area was a gaping hole lined with ten teeth.
However, those teeth were a decoy. It would threaten to bite with them to draw the victim's gaze upward, then launch a surprise attack, shooting dozens of tentacles from all over its body. It would then suck the bodily fluids out using those embedded tentacles.
When we first discovered the bastard, it had just finished devouring a stray cat. A mummified cat, looking like it would crumble to dust if you so much as poked it, was in a 'loaf' position right in front of it.
The method we used to figure out its attack pattern was simple: we sent in a guard robot wearing protective gear to engage it in close combat.
An unpredictable enemy is the most dangerous kind. When encountering an infected variant not in our database, the standard protocol is to force a close-quarters engagement the very first time to analyze its combat style.
Thanks to that, the robot damage rate skyrocketed for a while, but we managed to secure a lot of data on new infected variants.
It's a bit of a shame we left out the Walkers. If we could instill the warning that 'You too could end up like this at any moment!', it would help raise awareness about quarantine protocols.
"No Walkers."
Walker types were excluded from the museum's exhibition list.
Even if significant changes had occurred to their skeletal structure, including their skulls and limbs, their resemblance to humans was still extremely high. It could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
This place is strictly a venue for entertainment and education.
And simultaneously, a place to reflect on the dangers outside and foster gratitude for living in the shelter.
We had to clearly draw a line down the middle between 'us' and 'the infected'. To do that, it's advantageous to use things that are distinctly recognizable as non-human.
"Alright, it looks like it's wrapping up, so shall we guide them outside? Gotta feed the ladies something tasty."
Yes, sir!
Kids, who had already changed into a cafe employee uniform, saluted.
"Kids."
Yes, Administrator?
"That's trademark infringement."
On the employee uniform Kids was wearing, a woman with a benevolent expression was holding up her twin mermaid tails with both hands.
I thought giving them even a little taste of the old world might have a morale-boosting effect. Hehe.
I couldn't bring myself to scold Kids any further as she smiled brightly. Reminiscing about the old world through a corporate logo. That didn't seem like a bad idea, either.
Nom, nom.
Nina sat cross-legged, happily shoving a donut into her mouth. Just looking at her face was enough to make me feel full.
Munch, munch.
Se-young, kneeling beside her, took delicate, demure bites. But her face was also beaming with a smile.
She was wearing a suit and black stockings—where did she get those? Did Rose bring her own used ones?
This is a park in the lower sector. A space created with the same purpose as Central Park in America. The scale is much smaller, but it's 100% natural grass, planted with various types of trees, and even has a small artificial stream flowing through it, so it's not lacking in beauty.
Women were occupying spots all over in groups of threes and fives, eating their snacks.
Most of them were gathered near the artificial stream, and on their faces as they splashed their feet and laughed, something beyond mere satisfaction was evident. It was the emotion called happiness.
Separate from the main artificial lake, there was also a small artificial pond in the park.
Quack—!
"Kyaaa."
"So cute."
A family of ducks, captured and brought in by the robot expedition team a while ago, lived there. A mother duck and father duck, followed by seven ducklings, paddled around like a little train.
"Ah..."
Nina, having completely finished her portion, looked crestfallen.
"Eat mine too."
"Really?"
Her face lit up, but that joy quickly faded.
"But, you haven't even taken a single bite."
More than joy, a sense of guilt had grown larger on Nina's face.
"It's fine. Here, say ahhh~"
"Ahhh~"
Nina closed her eyes and opened her mouth, and I pressed the donut against it. True to her Western features, her mouth was large. The donut slipped past her plump lips and was crushed by her even teeth.
After handing the donut over to her as she happily munched away, I looked around.
"Here!"
Nina held out the donut, now missing a bite, to me.
"You take a bite too, Administrator! I feel too bad being the only one eating."
She offered it with a smile spreading across her entire face.
From the offshore prison all the way to shelter life, she must have been incredibly starved for sweet food. Even so, her thoughtfulness in caring about me was endlessly endearing.
Nom.
I took a very tiny bite before handing it back to her.
She's violent and instantly shows a crazed side when a fight breaks out, but what does that matter? In front of me, she's nothing but an angel.
"Is it okay for you to be spending time with us like this? Unnecessary rumors might spread."
Se-young said with a worried tone.
The people gathered in small groups eating their donuts and drinks were occasionally stealing glances our way.
"Is it weird for the Shelter Administrator to eat a meal with the prospective magistrate and the prospective security chief?"
"It's not that, but..."
Se-young seemed to have no retort to my answer. From her perspective, she was likely worried about becoming fodder for gossip.
"I'm the Administrator. I'm not a politician worrying about voter sentiment, nor am I a cult leader pretending to be divine while obsessed with saving face. Let the gossip spread if it wants to."
"Yes, sir."
Nodding obediently, she sipped her café au lait through the straw. But it was completely empty.
"Ah."
Just like Nina earlier, Se-young now looked dejected.
"...Drink mine if you'd like."
I grabbed Se-young's hand as she reflexively waved it to decline.
"Ah!"
"Don't decline, and don't offer it back to me."
"...Yes, sir."
Se-young took it with a bashful smile. And so, we spent a peaceful time together.
Chatter and laughter echoing from all sides.
The sound of the artificial stream flowing.
The quacking of ducks.
The gears of the city were turning. Countless members were working, and incidents big and small were occurring. New technology and supplies were being produced daily, and the expedition teams venturing outside were continually reporting new information.
Every morning, I receive reports on these matters from my four AI aides and authorize decisions on the most crucial issues.
Even if it looks like I'm just playing with a pen in a safe place, it's work that builds up a significant amount of stress and pressure.
Furthermore, we will soon be embarking on the 3rd expedition. The image of the destination displayed on my PDA looked anything but easy at a single glance. Taking a rest like this was an important task in its own right.
Grab.
White, cool hands cupped my face and gently pulled. My body leaned back, and in my upward gaze, Nina's face filled my vision entirely.
"Lie down and rest."
"Aren't you usually supposed to do this on your lap?"
Nina, still sitting cross-legged, was resting my head on her ankles.
"A lot of men romanticize that, but in reality, it just hurts your neck and is uncomfortable. This is the most comfortable. It's easier for me to massage you like this, too."
Nina said as she softly kneaded my neck and trapezius muscles. Oh, her hands were incredibly pleasant.
"Feels good, right? It's a technique I learned doing self-massages after training during my active fighting days, hehe."
Humming a tune, Nina painstakingly stroked my muscles. Was it a song from her homeland?
Honestly speaking, if it were any other woman... say, someone like Sasha or Sofiya, I would have thought they were trying to get on my good side to enjoy wealth and privilege.
But with Nina, that thought doesn't cross my mind. Nina is too much of a fool to act with such calculated motives. She's straightforward and honest to a foolish degree.
Knead, knead.
At the touch of Nina's hands as she began a scalp massage, my complicated thoughts were instantly cleared away.
A brain-gasm was coming. Beyond my fluttering eyelids, I could see Nina's smiling face.
"That hits the spot."
"Hehe."
Nina laughed like a mischievous kid. If I'm wrong about her, so what? I'll just consider it the price for taking responsibility for such a cute woman.