The Brand of Pleasure and The Approaching Black Crows
"Commander... we're here."
Following Pomen, the ECHOs arrived at the fleet commander's office, located in the innermost part of the Bastion Platform.
"You're here?"
"Yes, I brought the Alpha Squad girls as you ordered. But..."
Pomen hesitated, glancing at my reaction.
Her gaze blatantly scanned me as I stepped out of the shower, shaking off the moisture. It was a heated look of utter longing… so intense that even a clueless man would have understood what was going on in her mind.
"Not today."
I firmly blocked Pomen's attempt to intrude.
"If you join in..., I don't think I'll survive. Today is for training the new girls, remember?"
"...Tch."
"How about just the two of us later, doing something nice and hot? That sound good to you?"
"Just the two of us? Really? You know ECHOs have semi-permanent memories, right? You have to keep your promise."
At my promise, Pomen's lips quickly curled into a giggle, and she left the room with a light step.
Click.
As the door closed, a heavy silence filled the fleet commander's office.
The ECHOs of Alpha Squad looked at me with blank stares, having no idea why they had been summoned here.
Their expressions were so innocent.
But that look only further stimulated my desire for conquest.
"Um... Commander? Alpha Squad, reporting as ordered..."
"Skip the report."
I strode forward and roughly wrapped my arm around the V-60's waist.
"Kyaak?!"
They weren't the Vivi and Sisi I knew, but perhaps because they looked exactly like them?
It felt as if I were holding them in my arms.
Voluptuous curves and beautiful looks. The only difference was the alpha (α) tattoo engraved on their cheeks and upper chests. I then reached out with my other arm and snatched the waist of the A-202 Raptor model girl, who was closest.
"Eghhh?!"
The A-202 model felt distinctly different from the V-60.
She was much lighter and more elastic.
Toned abdominal muscles without a single shred of fat and a sleek waistline. It was baseless confidence, but she felt light enough that I thought I could carry her while having sex.
As I enjoyed the smooth sensation fitting perfectly in my palm, I could see Raptor's panicked eyes.
With the two models, each possessing her own charm, tucked under my arms, I roughly devoured the leader V-60's lips without a hint of hesitation.
"Hnnngh!"
I mixed my tongue with hers, giving her no room to breathe.
I already knew from the orgy experience at the mine outpost.
These mass-produced ECHOs never refused my demands. No, rather, the more roughly they were handled, the more they reacted passionately, feeling that they were desired.
"Hah, chuuup! Mmmph!"
It was the same now.
While our saliva mixed wetly, I slid my hand inside her loungewear, roughly grabbing and kneading her breasts, yet she showed no sign of rejection, only letting out nasal moans.
Then, with my fingertip, I lightly brushed the alpha brand on her upper chest that I had engraved myself during the day.
At that moment.
"Ooooh! Oh! Ohhh! Oooooh!!"
Gush! Gush, gush!
Wha-What?!
Her eyes rolled back instantly, and transparent love juices erupted from between her legs like a fountain.
It wasn't just simple pleasure.
Her entire body convulsed as if she had been electrocuted, and she collapsed on the spot.
Crazy... what kind of womb tattoo switch kind of cliche is this?!
Seeing V-60 collapse to the point of near-fainting, the eyes of the remaining Raptors grew wide as saucers.
"C-Commander...?"
I looked down with curiosity at the Raptor who didn't know what to do in my arms.
The alpha tattoo was clearly visible on her cheek and on the white skin to the right of her navel. As a test, I thickly licked the tattoo on her cheek with my tongue.
"Uguuuut?!"
The reaction was similar to V-60's.
I felt her back arch like a bow and her legs give way.
Could it be here too?
With a certain level of conviction, I immediately moved my hand down and cupped the womb tat... no, the lewd navel tattoo next to her belly button, rubbing it gently.
"C-Commander...! Ah! Aaaah! Th-There, that place is...! It's, it's getting strangeee! Oh! Ooooh!!"
With a scream, the area between Raptor's thighs became soaking wet, and she slumped down, her strength gone.
This is quite interesting.
I never imagined that the unit identification marks I engraved on them weren't just simple drawings, but would have a function like this.
What on earth is the principle behind this phenomenon?
Regardless, it was a vivid and immoral reality that could never be felt in a mobile game.
"You two, come here too."
"Y-Yes!"
"Understood."
Leaving the ones panting on the floor, I pulled the other two Raptors—who looked terrified yet blushed with anticipation—up onto the bed.
Their cumbersome clothes were completely unnecessary for what we were about to indulge in next.
Stripping them bare in one go, the naked bodies of the smooth mechanical dolls were revealed.
"Both of you’re quite pretty underneath it all, aren’t you?"
"Th-Thank you!"
"I-It's an honor, Commander! Higugugut!"
As I lightly touched the right Raptor's tattoo, water began to leak from her pussy even before I had inserted anything.
I spread her legs wide and immediately put my weight on her.
My hard, swollen cock began to wedge itself between her legs.
"Ah, aaaah—!! C-Commander..., I can feel the Commander! Ah—! Aaaang!!"
The tightness unique to a virgin who had never accepted anyone clamped tightly around my glans.
But I didn't show any mercy and thrust my hips upward. While eating one of them, I used my remaining fingers to poke into the pussy of another Raptor who was fidgeting beside me.
"Hgut?!"
Unlike their Original counterparts, these were pure ECHOs with no experience with humans. There was a mountain of things to teach them. However...
Plap! Plap! Squish!
"Hut! Hut! Aaaang—! Ah—!"
"Haaung! Commander! I-I feel like my inside is melting!!"
Driven mad by the pleasure and sense of belonging they felt for the first time in their lives, the ECHOs howled like beasts as they quickly learned how to have sex.
"Ah, aaa—!"
V-60, who had regained consciousness somewhere along the way, crawled over and began to lick my asshole, while the Raptors who weren't being penetrated competed to suck on my nipples and the nape of my neck.
One of them even seduced me by rubbing her own pussy, saying it was her turn next.
"C-Commander...! Here! Please..., please use me too...!"
And so, against one V-60 and the Raptor triplets, I moved my hips relentlessly, venting my desires.
Then, I poured the proof of life, thicker than any permanent brand I could engrave, deep into their wombs.
It was a decadent night.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thanks to the A-202 girls we acquired from Ark 86, I was able to organize the mass-produced ECHO squads much faster than expected.
Because of that, I immediately issued troop deployment orders.
First, Alpha and Bravo squads headed to the northern mine area.
They were scheduled to take over the defense and patrol of that area, rotating with Vivi, Sisi, and the SCOUT-106 ECHO staying there.
Beyond their assigned guard duties, with two squads, they're a force that can easily crush the usual zombies, if need be.
And the remaining three squads were planned to help with debris removal in Hongwei-7 while handling security and base defense.
Of course, I didn't intend to leave only the mass-produced ECHOs in here.
From Troller-class Mobile Aircraft Carrier to the recently felled Leviathan.
As long as Podic's medium was in Bastion, there was no telling when the Astrals receiving the Harvester's orders would invade Hongwei-7.
So...
"Understood, Commander."
"Haa... I hate being away from the Commander, but I guess it can't be helped. While I'm here, I should educate the kids a bit. We have our cute Moi and plenty of new chicks to enlighten."
"M-Me too?"
I decided to leave Moi along with the Arclight squad.
Still, using the Mercury Howl tactical truck, it was a distance that could be traveled in 40 minutes. Depending on the situation, it seemed fine to rotate them with other squads.
And...
[Popopopot! Poooooh—!]
"Hey, hey."
Was she trying to squeeze out as much as possible before I returned to the Ark?
"Take it easy, hey. Uhuk! Don't suck so hard...!!"
Podic, who had forcibly buried her head and taken my cock in her mouth, began to suck my dick with the suction power of a vacuum cleaner.
When I first met her, she reminded me of the ghosts that appear in ghost stories... but now, I felt like I'd be empty without feeling this deepthroat every now and then.
"Does it taste good?"
[Popopo...]
She nodded her head violently at my words.
Only after Podic extracted a whopping three loads using only her mouth did she return to her TV medium, looking satisfied.
"...Ah, I'm seriously going to die. My body won't hold up at this rate."
I slumped in the chair of the commander's office, breathing heavily.
When it was just Pomen, Noah, and Cerberus, it felt like I was eating ECHOs with different charms.
Now, perhaps because the number of ECHOs, especially the mass-produced units, has increased?
I was feeling a lack of stamina and vigor.
Well, ECHOs naturally have great stamina... but if I just rested deeply without spending hot nights, it wouldn't be a big problem.
But is that even possible?
Watching the process of girls who didn't even know what sex was, discovering the taste of a man and instinctively becoming seductive was honestly more addictive than drugs to me at this point.
And so, I finished my life in Hongwei-7 and boarded the truck heading for the Ark.
Rattle! Rumble!
"...Phew."
"Are you alright, Commander?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Helena, holding the steering wheel, looked at me with worried eyes as I rubbed my lower back.
I felt a sense of déjà vu, but it must have been my imagination.
Anyway, my waist was stiff because I had played with my cock excitedly against four members of Alpha Squad last night, and then dealt with Podic this morning.
...I'm not really going to die from having too much sex now, am I?
I felt my physical limits acutely.
It seemed I needed to increase my physical specs to survive in this harsh world, but I also needed a spec boost for the sake of night work in another sense.
Once I return to the Ark, I'll start with physical enhancement.
Fortunately, funds were plentiful.
I recalled the Money Compass message I saw when I defeated the Leviathan last time.
💰 Money Compass 💰
Acquired 874000C.
Acquisition History: Operation Blast - Crawler Queen Engagement (Command Participation Reward)
A whopping 880,000 Cash almost.
The Troller-class Mobile Aircraft Carrier gave a decent amount of Cash, but the Quasi-Named-grade Leviathan was on a different scale.
What's more surprising is that the ones who contributed most to taking it down weren't me, but Arva and Moi.
And yet, I was able to get more than 870k? This was madness…
What if I had been a bit stronger? I might have earned over 1 million Cash minimum.
Regardless, this Cash was enough to modify my body into a super soldier—no, a super stud of a commander.
Additionally, I could restore Cordelia's Sacred Front to its complete form. With this much Cash, creating two Original ECHOs would be a piece of cake.
Plus the 15,000 Cash I got after dealing with Podic this morning.
Fantasizing about how I would flex my wealth at the Ark, I leaned back comfortably in the passenger seat.
At the same time.
Kaaboom! Bang!
"Aaaagh! Step on it, step on it more—!"
Jester, wearing a clown mask, leaned her body out of the vehicle and screamed loudly.
The Black Crow Merchant Group.
Behind them, an Astral pursuit squad firing red magic bullets was chasing them, kicking up literal storming clouds of dust.
"I am stepping on it! I really am—!"
Gizmo, holding the steering wheel, turned the handle frantically.
Every time the armored vehicle they were in drifted with a screech, Raven, who was in the back seat, struggled to block the luggage with her entire body.
After a long chase, the three ECHOs, who finally succeeded in shaking them off, were able to catch their breath.
"Damn it, why did things get so messed up?! Why are they attacking us?"
"I don't know. Is it my fault they got wrecked?"
"Huh?"
"I heard the Leviathan was destroyed in Hongwei-7. So they suspect I designed a trap for them."
Jester spoke as if she were wronged.
"Then the moment we're caught, our limbs will be torn apart and sucked dry by those Astral bastards, won’t they?"
"High probability, yeah…"
The three ECHOs sighed simultaneously.
Though they were enemies of humans, the Astrals were their primary customers. If they couldn't make contact with them, they had to find another means of survival.
It was then.
"Hmm."
"What is it, Jester?"
"No, it's something I found out by talking to the machine bastards. They said there's a group of ECHOs protecting an Anomaly in Hongwei-7."
"An ECHO group? Are they Wanderers?"
Raven tilted her head at Jester's words.
"I don't know that either. But if they're capable of taking down a Leviathan, doesn't that mean they're a force with considerable power? Then... wouldn't they be a good trading partner?"
"Oh—!"
At the leader's words, Gizmo and Raven's eyes lit up.
And so, the armored vehicle of the Black Raven Merchant Group turned its direction and began to head toward the new land of opportunity, Hongwei-7.