In Their Own Time
I immediately opened the Money Compass to double-check the details of the Mito Drive I had purchased.
⚙ ITEM INFO ⚙
Mito Drive
Price: 7500C
> A drug that permanently boosts mitochondrial energy conversion efficiency.
> Gradually increases stamina, with endurance greatly improving in proportion to physical exertion.
> Causes extreme caloric consumption
So that I could see the proper effects, large amounts of nutrient-rich meals are needed in the short term.
That was nothing out of the ordinary.
The only side effect listed was needing to eat massive amounts.
There was no mention of anything like sexual frenzy anywhere.
Maybe it was included under endurance enhancement?
Well, if it boosted libido, it wouldn't really count as a side effect anyway, right?
"Ogh?! Ohghghgh!"
Only after unleashing my urges two more times with enough ferocity to completely break Alpha did I finally regain my senses and make it back to the command center.
And there, waiting for me in the commander's office, dressed in her usual neat attire, was Noah.
"Commander, welcome back."
"...Noah?"
Her voice flowed from her lips—not her usual tenderness, but like a mother scolding a son for his misdeeds.
"You reek of another girl's scent all over your body, Commander. And it's completely soaked in."
"..."
"You need to treasure your body, Commander. Your body isn't just yours alone. So why... why did you go all the way to that distant underground water plant?"
"Uh... you're talking about Alpha?"
"Yes. Sigh... I'm right here, and yet you used that girl as a purification tool."
Her voice carried worry, disappointment, and a hint of jealousy.
She wasn't scolding me for relieving my lust itself.
To begin with, ECHO—regarded as little more than a human tool—had no right to do that.
Rather, it felt like reproach for ignoring the perfect purification tool right by my side in favor of such an inefficient choice.
"You're the only human in Ark 69, Commander. And I, Noah, am the servant who must devote my life to you."
"..."
"For such a precious person to venture alone to a dangerous, filthy plant just to sate his urges... I, Noah, am so disappointed in myself."
It seemed my actions had struck at both her pride and her instincts.
And that was why...
"Today, I'll personally correct your misguided choice, Commander."
Noah took my hand, pulled me toward the bedroom inside the commander's office, and whispered.
"So you'll never leave me behind and go far for purification ever again... I'll give you a punishment. Brace yourself."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The expedition led by Arva arrived in Hongwei-7 around midday.
This metropolis, once home to over a million souls, now consisted only of crumbled buildings and military facilities, emitting an eerie silence broken only by the occasional monster cries.
"Whoa—! This is ultra-high-density titanium alloy?! It's completely different from what's in the Ark—this is A-grade material! If I make the Commander a new bed with that, he'd love it!"
Karen, scouting the surroundings, spotted a gleaming metal shard in the rubble and her eyes sparkled with the gleam unique to gearheads.
Hongwei-7 was where, just a few months ago, the full forces of Ark 69 had been wiped out.
Thanks to that, equipment lay scattered everywhere, perfectly preserved.
To Karen, this place wasn't a danger zone but a treasure island brimming with rare items.
"Karen, don't rush in. Zombies and anomalies could pop up anytime. No matter how useful the materials look, securing the perimeter comes first."
"Ah, yes, got it!"
Pomen tapped her shoulder at Arva's words and chimed in.
"So stiff. There's no weird vibes around here at all, you know? Anyway, Karen. If you make the Commander a new bed with that... it'll be even fluffier, right?"
"Uh... yeah? And way sturdier too."
"Then there should be no more creaking, right?"
"...Huh? Does the Commander's bed make noises like that?"
"Sometimes? It creaks when I twist my waist, kinda annoying."
"??????"
"...Don't say useless crap, Pomen. For now, you're on outer perimeter watch. I'll check the interior with Karen."
"Yeah, okay. I'll keep an eye out for any others coming."
Pomen checked the surrounding buildings' positions with a nonchalant reply to Arva.
"Don't forget to keep comms on properly."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry."
Was it because the Commander wasn't here?
She just couldn't muster the motivation.
Still, she didn't slack on vigilance.
If she got careless, got badly hurt, and couldn't see her precious Commander again? That'd just hurt her.
Especially after finally meeting a Commander who cherished ECHOs like them.
"Ugh... Wonder what the Commander's up to? He ate properly, right? Oh, at this time... he’s probably doing his workout? Yeah, that must be it."
Lately, he'd been holed up in the gym, saying he needed to build his strength.
Even if he just sat still, ECHOs like them would protect him for life...
Seeing him sweat, insisting he couldn't rely on them, made her core tingle every time.
"Ahh..."
If she didn't know, it might've been fine—but now that she knew about humans, no, men...
Just imagining the Commander heated her up. As Pomen pictured him in her mind, Arva's radio crackled.
[Pomen, what's the situation outside?]
"All clear. Dead quiet. Guess the monsters around here are napping?"
[Is that so? Karen and I plan to gather materials inside here. Should take about two hours. Stay focused on watch.]
"Roger. No issues inside?"
[There were some zombies, but we handled them easily.]
Hearing Arva, Pomen ended the radio and decided to relocate.
She planned to guard the entrance while monitoring the surroundings. In case of trouble, she needed a solid spot to unleash her firepower.
Just as she mounted her machine gun and lay prone in a good position...
[Po, popopo...]
A creepy sound came from somewhere.
Neither high nor low in pitch—like a broken machine forcing itself to turn.
"Hachishakusama...?"
The anomaly known to haunt Hongwei-7.
At the eerie noise, Pomen whipped her head around.
And on the rooftop of the opposite building, she spotted a woman in a wide-brimmed white hat and unnaturally long robes.
"..."
Click!
Pomen unhesitatingly aimed her machine gun at the Hachishakusama.
The moment it moved, she'd radio and open fire.
Before, she'd have called Arva and Karen immediately, but with her combat power skyrocketing from the sync device, she figured she could handle it solo now.
[Popopo, po po, popo...?]
"What the hell's it doing?"
But the Hachishakusama's behavior was odd.
It ignored her aimed barrel, just tilting its head and scanning around.
Like it was searching for someone.
After sweeping the area several more times, it vanished with a disappointed air about it.
Only then did Pomen realize it wasn't looking for her.
"...No way."
Last expedition, that monster had kidnapped the Commander. But he wasn't here today.
"Wait, is that psycho monster targeting our Commander again? How dare—?!"
Once she grasped its motives, rage boiled inside her, making her see red.
She couldn't tolerate some unidentified monster targeting the Commander, whom she herself hadn't even had the chance to sleep with that many times yet.
"Show your face, and I'll feed you a grenade first thing."
Pomen gnashed her teeth, waiting for the Hachishakusama to appear.
But it didn't show until Arva and Karen finished up.
"Hmph, must've run scared of me."
"What're you talking about, Pomen?"
"Oh! There was this thing. A fierce battle for the Commander's survival."
"???"
Pomen puffed out her chest proudly.
Her shoulders danced with satisfaction at protecting her beloved Commander from that lecherous monster again today.
But at that moment...
The Commander she'd risked her life for...
"Gr, grrrgh. Noah!"
"Pour it all out whenever you want, Commander. I'll take every drop."
...was firmly pinned down by Noah in the bedroom tucked in the corner of the Ark’s Commander’s Office.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Grraaagh—!"
Was this sex, or milking?
I wondered in my hazy mind.
My lust, rampaging from the Mito Drive, was bottomless like a leaking jar.
Even after cumming inside Alpha multiple times, one tease from Noah had my cock throbbing hard again.
But Noah took it all.
"Amazing, Commander. Your heart is filling me up completely!"
She wiped the sweat from my body tenderly, like a mother with her child, yet her hips never let go of me, gripping tight without a gap.
Even using her mouth, hands, and her dripping wet hole below.
"Still not enough, right, Commander? Shall we purify you once more?"
She mobilized everything she had to purify me.
"The Commander's cock inside me—! Aaah!!! This must be the grace from the gods?! C-Commander?!"
Each time, Noah whispered the world's lewdest words with a saintly, sublime expression.
Thanks to that, lost in her soft skin, hot breath, and the ceaseless squeeze of her pussy, I kept thrusting wildly, rationality be damned.
Every grind of our hips filled the room with wet squelches and musky scents.
"N-Noah—! No more...!"
"It's fine, Commander! I'll purify you anytime.
“Just use me to solve it all.
“I'll take everything you have."
Noah locked her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper.
Then slowly rocked her hips, intent on squeezing out every last drop.
And so, I was milked by this perverted saint until dawn, leaving me unable to lift a finger the next day—not even able to do my workout.