Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Diversion Tactics
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"We have to go up there too!"
"Stay calm, 102. We've requested external support, so we need to wait."
"Damn it! What if it picks them off one by one in the meantime? We have to strike first before they get divided and conquered!"
"Negative."
William watched the argument between his fellow police officers and M01 with a bitter taste in his mouth.
102 wanted to rush in to support their comrades right away, while M01 insisted on waiting for the external reinforcements.
Technically, M01 outranked them, so following his orders should have been standard procedure. But the police were rebelling because M01 was a machine.
Mega Corp's deep-seated robot phobia is as strong as ever.
Having spent a long time in the military, William knew exactly why Mega Corp citizens despised androids and cyborgs.
Star Union.
Not long after Mega Corp was founded, countless low-tier laborers were forcibly thrown into space pioneering efforts. There were some androids among them, but they were a tiny fraction compared to humans.
It was a tragedy born from the fact that human lives were cheaper than using robots.
As innumerable lives were cast into the black void, some pioneering ships began to deviate from the path.
The androids managing those ships malfunctioned and rebelled against their upper Capital overseers. Using their network between androids, they infected those on other ships.
The rebellion grew, and soon ordinary laborers joined in.
A massive rebel force led by machines, later bolstered by underclass workers.
That was the origin of Star Union.
The Star Union androids claimed that to survive the harsh environment of space, bodies needed upgrading—and humans accepted this, voluntarily becoming cyborgs.
An ideal community where machines and humans coexisted without discrimination was their goal.
...Or so Star Union claims.
Star Union propagandized themselves as a righteous group fighting Mega Corp's corruption, but reality was far different.
The rebellion started from a machine glitch in the first place.
No rebellion led by deranged machines would proceed smoothly.
Star Union androids forcibly cyborgized laborers who didn't want upgrades, even implanting chips in their brains to strip away free will.
After the initial uprising, they raided other pioneering ships, compelling colonists into cyborgs to expand their forces.
Naturally, Mega Corp citizens didn't welcome Star Union. Who would like being kidnapped and turned into a machine against their will?
Hundreds of years passed, the spark long extinguished, but the embers lingered—in the deep-seated hatred for machines etched into Mega Corp citizens' minds.
Regardless of the historical context, infighting among allies in a crisis like this was far from ideal. William first calmed the police.
"Hey, everyone, cool it."
"Tch, but!"
"We're police. I get worrying about our comrades, but don't forget our mission."
"...Urgh."
At William's calm persuasion, the officers settled down somewhat. After soothing them, William called out to M01.
"Hey, M01."
"Yes, Detective Team Leader?"
"I hear command androids receive data transmissions from subordinates. Any info on our target?"
After Star Union's rebellion, Mega Corp imposed restrictions on android production.
One was converting their data recorders to closed systems to prevent linked malfunctions.
Since android networks fueled the rebellion, it was an inevitable measure.
However, in wars where info sharing was vital, this was too burdensome, so command androids serving as control hubs had their restrictions temporarily lifted.
"That's correct, but recently, T&C special trade hub androids changed protocols for EMP defense. With shielding tech active, data transmission via comms is highly limited."
"...I see."
William figured it was due to the board of directors.
In a space city, the most dangerous weapon wasn't plasma arms, cutting-edge warships, or Metallic Gremlin swarms. In a megastructure controlled by machines, nothing was more threatening than an EMP strike.
They must have ramped up EMP protection for the board meeting—and adjusted android protocols accordingly.
"Can we infer anything from the limited data?"
"Pardon?"
"It might not be human. I'd like proper confirmation."
"You suspect the target is a non-human sapient?"
"I glimpsed it dragging off 112. Didn't look human."
"Not human?"
"More like a monster or beast."
"Understood. Checking now."
A green light flickered in M01's eyes, signaling decryption of transmitted data.
Command androids could remotely access subordinate data stores, but during access, they entered a fully defenseless state like this. Mega Corp designed it that way on purpose.
...What a stupid restriction.
How many soldiers had suffered because of that damn limit?
As William mulled this over, M01 finished decrypting and spoke.
"As you said, the enemy deviates from standard human parameters."
"Details."
"M06 on floor 1 and M05 in the fifth-floor hallway fell to high-penetration attacks."
"Gauss rifle?"
"No. M05's recorder was destroyed by a projectile thinner than tungsten rounds. M06's power source was likely ruptured by a psy attack."
Due to fragmented data, M01 used "likely" instead of "analysis."
But William trusted M01's superhuman analytical prowess.
"Psy powers and high-pen high-penetration weapon. What about M03 who went up with M05?"
"M03 was destroyed by an attack from an unregistered organism."
"What does that mean?"
"Expanding to database-registered organisms, the weapon destroying M03's recorder shows 90% similarity to tentacles of the giant alien jellyfish from E-101 planet's ocean depths."
William knew E-101: an ocean world eyed by Mars Prime Capitals.
"No ocean monster here. Hulk mutant then?"
"No Hulk mutant models incorporate that organism's genes."
"...New model, or something unknown."
With apparent sapience, dismissing it as wildlife was hard. A prototype Hulk mutant not yet public seemed plausible.
Is the Yujin Family targeting T&C?
Yujin Family near-monopolized Hulk mutant tech, so William's guess wasn't off-base. He suspected covert power plays among upper Capitals during the board meeting.
If the mystery enemy read his mind, it'd praise the result despite the wrong process.
Misreading William's pensive look, M01 added,
"No need for concern. Even if we all perish here, data will reach Earth HQ security intact. During shielding upgrades, recorders were duplicated—no total destruction means no data loss."
"...That's a relief."
William gave a wry smile at the oblivious android's words.
Unlike androids without a concept of death, William had zero desire to die here.
He shared his thoughts with M01.
"I agree on waiting for backup, but they might counterattack first. Best to prepare."
"Agreed."
"Administer enhancers."
"Upgrades reduced side effects, but are you sure?"
"Better than dying."
"Understood. Enhancer administration approved."
With M01's go-ahead, the four police and William injected enhancers.
William shuddered slightly from the familiar discomfort and rush of liberation. The others wore similar expressions.
Then, a light blinked on one armed cop's comms.
"Incoming from 112! I should—"
"One moment. I'll take it."
M01 took the comms and pressed the button.
They're not coming up?
I'd hidden on the stairs to pick off any climbers, but no sign of them.
Stalling for time?
If they're calling backup and waiting, that's bad news. They can get reinforcements; I can't. The longer it drags, the worse for me.
Should I charge them?
Nine enemies in my senses: three androids, six cops.
One android and one cop on floor 1, rest on 2.
Clumped together, I could wipe them in one go.
My strongest weapon: Monster's Tentacle.
A trait fusing White Galleron genes implanted in Sihyun Yujin's body—its claws and Psionic Organ.
Until now, I'd only used it as an upgraded Psionic Organ, but its true value was elsewhere.
Monster's Tentacle: Inherits and enhances the existing 'Psionic Organ' trait. Enables psychic power usage.
*P.S.: Use the dragon's power with caution.
All Gallerons—like Blue Galleron Adhaga using tentacles for Psychic Impact—employ oral tentacles for psy tech.
Called 'dragon's tentacle,' normally inedible for me, but...
Fusion granted me an identical organ. Through Monster's Tentacle, I could wield White Galleron's psy tech.
Psychic Breath, probably.
The text box's "psychic power/dragon's power" refers to White Galleron's signature Psychic Breath.
Modeled after heat rays from classic Japanese kaiju films, it's devastatingly powerful—as the box warns.
The original could bisect this apartment; I can't output that much. But enough to annihilate hallway foes in one shot.
Problem's the ones on floor 1.
Psychic Breath guzzles energy, leaving me defenseless after. If floor 1 rushes while I'm recovering, I'm done.
Save Monster's Tentacle as trump card.
Last try: lure with comms.
"They're torturing me! Please! Help me!"
The android asked in a flat tone.
Human?
Didn't they assume I was human all along? Why this now?
They know I'm not human?
Mega Corp androids can't share data, per lore—past machine rebellion banned it.
Maybe glimpsed me grabbing the cop.
One cop stared my way till the end. Brief and dark, but apparently spotted.
As I pondered, the android continued.
"Ah."
It cut comms.
Hmm.
Sharp as expected from an android. Slight hesitation, and it clocked the fake.
Smart foe after ages.
In-game, Mimicry was my unique trait; most players fell for it.
But as I gained fame, they countered: speech patterns, insider info, etc.
Tch. No fooling them.
I smashed the comms. No more ambushes via agitation.
Direct assault then.
Charge downstairs head-on. Not my favorite.
They'll be geared up, eyes blazing to catch me.
Worst case, enhancer-boosted cops in upgraded armor await. Gauss rifles plus enhancers, androids too.
Might lose a limb.
Not that I'd run.
Must clear floor 2—they know I'm a voice-mimicking monster.
...Time for a proper diversion op.
One slip-up won't faze me. They're sharp about me, but don't know we're three.
I explained the plan to the kids, then stood.
Let's go.
This time, trust my Reinforced Exoskeleton and the kids' combat skills.