Stripped to the Bone!
"Come in."
Once permission was granted, the door to the commander's office opened, and Lena stepped inside.
She glanced briefly at Noah, who was standing behind me, and gave me a polite nod.
Holding a tablet in her hand, she scanned through a meticulously organized report and spoke in a clear, precise voice.
"Reporting, Commander. The cleanup of the battlefield is nearly complete."
"Good work. How are the kids doing?"
"The V-60 units have been transported to the maintenance bay within the Ark. Karen is currently overseeing the repairs, but since the damage is extensive, it's expected to take about two days."
I nodded and looked at Lena.
Her uniform had a daring, open cut along the sides.
Every time she shifted her body to operate the tablet, the side profile of her bursting chest and the smooth curve of her hips were vividly exposed.
I need to get closer to Lena too...
Come to think of it, I hadn’t experienced any proper skinship with the girls from Ironworks. In fact, I hadn’t even touched Karen intimately yet, even though she was one of the first ECHOs to join the Ark.
"Additionally, all ECHOs remaining in the Hongwei district, including those belonging to Ark 86, have been assigned to temporary housing. Meal distributions began a short while ago."
"The meals? What is their response to it?"
At my question, a faint smile spread across Lena’s lips, who had been delivering her report bluntly.
"...The reaction is explosive. Everyone is eating while crying."
"Sigh..."
I let out a bitter sigh.
These kids risk their lives fighting tooth and nail for us—no, for the humans of this world—yet they are moved to tears by mere bread and fruit.
I didn't even need to see it to know how Ark 86 and the people of this world had treated the ECHOs.
"By the way, Commander."
"Yeah?"
"What should we do with the humans we captured as prisoners?"
Lena's expression stiffened slightly.
"Is there a problem?"
"Ah... they are trapped inside the armored vehicles and won't stop screaming. For now, should we give them something to eat? According to the data, humans' vital functions are impaired if they do not eat..."
"Eat?"
I scoffed.
"Starve them."
"Pardon?"
"From what I saw, they're practically dripping with grease. With that much reserve, they'll survive just fine even if they starve for a few days."
"...Is that so?"
Seeing Lena nod seriously, I flicked my finger.
"They're the kind of bastards who hid in the back and watched while the ECHOs and I bled and fought. And then what? They want a share of the resources we painstakingly earned? They even want full credit for our achievements… There isn't a single scrap of food for people like that. Don't give them a single drop of water."
A dark chill laced my voice.
"And if they scream, just spray some machine-gun fire from the outside. As long as you fire threateningly without piercing the armor, they'll quiet down on their own."
At my firm attitude, Lena nodded in understanding.
"Understood. All food distribution will be strictly prohibited. Furthermore, I will take immediate action if the noise becomes too…distracting."
Lena also held no good feelings toward humans.
Of course, ECHOs were beings meant to protect and shield humans. However, to her, the only person who fit into that category was the Fleet Commander of Ark 69 standing before her.
"And there is one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"The matter of how to handle the armored vehicles of Ark 86 scattered across the battlefield."
Lena brought up a screen on her tablet and showed it to me.
For a moment, I considered rubbing my face against Lena's ample chest, pretending it was an accident, but I restrained myself.
On the tablet screen, the Grendel—main armored vehicle of Ark 86—lay grotesquely abandoned, dented and scorched from the clash with the Leviathan.
"How should we handle this scrap metal? Should we just leave it?"
"Hmm..."
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought.
They were certainly tempting prizes. Their defensive power was absurdly sturdy. But the justification for taking them was the problem.
"Since they belong to another Ark, is it a bit much for me to touch them? Is there some kind of treaty between Arks?"
"According to past databases, in the event of a Joint Front, the principle is that destroyed scrap or resources are recovered by the Ark of original affiliation, but..."
"Huh? We didn't form a joint front, though, did we?"
We just cleaned up the mess those bastards left behind.
They not only launched a preemptive strike on our Ark but also dumped a named entity like the Leviathan on us as a bonus.
Shouldn't we receive compensation for that?
Especially since I lost V-60 Unit 4 in this battle, which is as precious to me as an Original ECHO.
"Are there any that are still running?"
"Upon checking, about five of the vehicles are operational."
"Take every single one of them and send them to our Ark. They are precious combat power we can use immediately, right?"
"...Pardon? All of them?"
"Yeah. And for the ones that are half-destroyed and can't move—engines, transmissions, gun barrels, electronic equipment... strip every single usable part."
"......"
At my instruction, Lena's eyebrows drooped as if she were troubled. With a conflicted expression, she spoke to me.
"Then Ark 86 won't just sit idly by. Commander, there is a high possibility this will become a major issue when we eventually contact the people of Ark 86."
"An issue? Let them try."
I leaned back into my chair and crossed my arms.
"They're the ones who picked a fight first and invaded our territory. If you break someone's front door with a cannon to get in, you have to pay a corresponding price. And it's not like they came empty-handed, right?"
I was confident; I had nothing to be ashamed of.
I'm not joking—I almost died. What are they going to do about it?
"Understood. Then, as per the Commander's wishes, I will secure as much as possible. The C-008 units will be thrilled."
"Right. Strip everything that can be stripped."
"I will begin the operation immediately."
As she turned to leave, the smooth lines of her thighs and buttocks, glimpsed through the slits of her uniform, caught my eye again.
It was a sight that instinctively made me smack my lips.
Anyway, whether it's Lin Xiaolin or Xiaolan, whatever her name may be...
The Fleet Commander of Ark 86 might collapse from high blood pressure, but it couldn't be helped.
It was their mistake to entrust the troops to a guy like Lin Ao.
I had given the order boldly, but... honestly, I was slightly anxious.
According to Cordelia, the Fleet Commander of Ark 86 was not a pushover.
To put it another way, she was extremely competent. There was no way she would just laugh off the current situation.
Then do we really have to have a showdown...?
Furthermore, according to Compass, there was a high possibility that the main force of Ark 86 was heading this way.
What if we clashed with them in earnest?
We needed thorough preparations accordingly.
First, I need to check how much combat power their main force possesses.
And in this Hongwei-7, there were plenty of whistleblowers who knew the internal situation of Ark 86 well.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Come in."
Once I gave my permission, the door to the commander's office opened cautiously, and an ECHO with twin-tails stepped inside hesitantly.
It was Sherpa.
"D-Did you call for me, Commander?"
"Yeah. Sherpa. There's something I want to ask you."
I gave Sherpa a gentle smile and patted the seat next to me on the sofa.
"Don't just stand there blankly. Come here and sit."
"Y-Yes!"
Sherpa approached with short, quick steps and cautiously perched herself beside me. The way she held her hands together on her lap, looking nervous, was quite cute.
"How's your body? Did you get treatment?"
"Yes! The ECHOs from Ark 69 applied medicine and gave me delicious food... thank you so much, Commander."
Sherpa looked up at me with a flushed face. Her eyes were dripping with respect and affection.
"That's a relief. Now, getting to the point..."
I asked, naturally caressing Sherpa's thigh.
Perhaps it was thanks to the orgy at the base situated at the Northern Mines? She now seemed unfazed by this kind of skinship.
"I want to know a bit more about Ark 86. Is that okay?"
"O-Of course! Anything the Commander wants..."
Sherpa nodded without hesitation.
Security awareness? There was no way she had any.
In the first place, because ECHOs are treated as consumables in this world, important security codes aren't implemented for them.
Because of this, a catastrophic accident would later occur in which the named Ark 5 would fall to the Astral.
But since that was the story of the 2nd Anniversary Summer Event... it was a story of the very distant future.
"The troops Lin Ao brought—how much of Ark 86's total power is that?"
I asked, sliding my hand upward from her thigh.
"T-That... hng! A-According to my memory, Platoon Leader Lin Ao's forces are... ngh. About half of the Ark's total power."
"...Half?"
My hand, which had been groping the mound of Sherpa's pussy, paused.
The scale was much larger than I thought.
He had acted so arrogantly, strutting around as if he outranked the Fleet Commander of the Ark…it seemed he really did hold that kind of position. If not in name, then in his influence at least.
The problem was that most of them had been smashed in this battle with the Leviathan.
I slipped my finger under the band of Sherpa's panties, tracing her wet area.
"If half of the armored power is gone... that means there are roughly fifteen units left in the main force?"
"Ah, ahh... t-there...!! About thirty units."
"Huh? The number that pushed into our district was much smaller than that."
"I-I asked the other ECHOs... it seems they already had a clash with the Leviathan beforehand."
Sherpa continued in a panting voice, clinging to my shoulder.
"They said the Lotus squad, directly under the Commander, was destroyed, and more than five tank units and mass-produced squads were also wiped out."
"...Wow."
Even while letting out moans in sync with my hand movements, Sherpa delivered the important information without omission.
I didn't know how they fought, but it seemed a significant amount of power had evaporated into thin air before they even encountered us.
"The Fleet Commander... probably won't stay quiet this time. Ngh...! All the armored power of our Ark was created by Fleet Commander Lin Xiaolin."
"...Created? Is she a researcher?"
"No. To make the armored vehicles... hnnng! She worked hard and saved the Ark's resources."
"Ho..."
An exclamation escaped me.
As Cordelia had said, this woman named Lin Xiaolin was definitely the real deal.
To build that level of power while dealing with trash like Lin Ao in such a barren environment. She was beyond competent; she was practically a monster.
...But why isn't she present in the future of this world?
That made it even more puzzling.
In the game I played, Echoes of Humanity — ECHO, Ark 86 does not appear or is even mentioned once. Instead, Lin Ao played the role of a villain who ruined everything while acting as the Fleet Commander of Ark 14.
Why did someone with that much ability vanish without a trace?
I had never seen the name Lin Xiaolin once in the game.
Then, I remembered something Lin Ao used to spout habitually. That he was the direct bloodline and heir of the Lin family?
"...Ah."
A realization escaped me.
A cliché commonly seen in corporate novels or soap operas.
A story where a direct descendant—incompetent and greedy—uses the family's power to purge a competent protagonist from a collateral branch.
Lin Xiaolin was eliminated. By Lin Ao and his backers.
If so, the reason Ark 86 perished in the future was also explained.
After cutting out the competent fleet commander who grew the Ark with blood and sweat, an incompetent nepotism hire took the seat, so it was bound to fail. Lin Ao was not a vessel capable of leading an Ark.
"Hmm..."
A predatory smile spread across my lips.
I thought it was a crisis that the main force of Ark 86 was coming, but unexpectedly, I saw a breakthrough.
I should send Lin Ao back to Ark 86.
If Lin Ao disappears here, Lin Xiaolin—an unleashed beast with her obstacle removed—will gain complete control over Ark 86.
From my perspective, that wouldn't be a good thing.
It would be different if we were joining forces to stop an enemy threatening humanity, but it doesn't seem like that kind of world.
I could tell just by looking at Ark 74, which Cordilia originally belonged to.
But if Lin Ao returns alive?
To cover up his shame and solidify his shaky position, he would undoubtedly check and obstruct Lin Xiaolin. All while backed by the people of the Lin family who support the direct line.
Using a monster to fight a monster. Subduing barbarians with barbarians.
And two days later.
The main force of Ark 86 revealed itself in the city of Hongwei.