Reconnaissance and Reward
All the ECHOs gathered at the temporary base fixed their eyes on the crumpled car door placed in the center.
It was the trace left behind by the Hachishakusama that Helena had brought back in shock and confusion just moments ago.
On it were grotesque, crude drawings scratched in as if with sharp claws, scattered in disarray.
Luna was the first to speak up in her innocent voice.
"Is this... maybe a self-portrait? This round thing is the face, the long one is the body? And this must be the hat the Hachishakusama wears!"
Helena, having recovered from the shock of encountering the anomaly, shook her head at Luna's whimsical but spot-on guess.
"No, the monster I saw was much bigger than this. And the proportions don't match. It's just some threatening drawing."
"A drawing? Hmm..."
Silva, who had been peering at the car door from near the window while keeping watch outside, joined the conversation with piqued interest.
Then Arva, who had been studying the drawing intently, turned to me and spoke.
"Hmm... I see it differently, Commander. This could be a kind of territorial marker."
"...Territorial marker?"
The discussion was veering off course already, but I figured I'd hear them out.
"In other words, it's highly likely a warning not to approach the area near these three large buildings."
"Oh..."
I couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration.
Impressive analytical skills, really.
...Wait, isn't this obviously a map to anyone looking at it?
Pomen chimed in with interest at Arva's calm assertion of her theory.
"Oho... So the building with three windows is the anomaly's base? But were there any huge buildings in Hongwei-7 with only three windows?"
"None."
Noah followed up, running her finger along the metal sheet.
"On the contrary, it's more likely a building with three intact windows rather than broken ones."
"...Then what are the markings up top, the long lines, and this bug drawing supposed to be?"
"Means there are lots of zombies in the mountains?"
"Hmm... Or maybe everything below this line is its territory?"
"The anomaly's territory... Intriguing. Does that mean the anomaly doesn't stray from its own turf?"
"......"
Watching the ECHOs engage in a heated debate, their theories drifting further and further away from the truth, I scratched my head.
Well, their thinking isn't entirely off-base. I wondered what it was at first glance too.
But this was a map our Podic—the Hachishakusama—had drawn for me.
The first commission I'd given her.
Since I'd paid the fee upfront, it was clearly her best effort.
The building drawings... probably represent Hongwei-7. And to the north...
The shape like the Chinese character for tree (木) was surely a special landmark.
Like a uniquely shaped large building, for example.
And the black shading... that's gotta be a river, right?
So, it was telling us without a doubt: cross the river, pass two or three mountains, and you'd reach the Carapace Lord's lair.
I had no idea why she drew the Carapace Lord like a bug.
Maybe because the carapace on its back resembled a beetle’s?
Having sorted my thoughts, I stood up.
As the Commander moved, the chattering ECHOs all turned their attention to me at once.
I approached the crumpled door and pointed at the drawings one by one with my toe.
"This is a map. And this person figure and buildings mean Hongwei-7."
At my words, everyone's eyes turned to the crumpled door, filled with doubt and curiosity.
"And this drawing seems to mark some kind of object... Anyone have a guess? I suspect it's something at the base of the mountains?"
"Um, excuse me..."
Moi, who had joined the group, cautiously raised her hand at my question.
"Do you know something?"
"We're ECHOs, not people, though?"
"......"
Moi's innocent retort left me momentarily speechless.
Did I just call them a person or people?
No, whatever—does it matter?
"Ahem... From my perspective, you're just as important as any person."
It was a casual deflection, but a flicker of confusion mixed with faint awe passed through the ECHOs' eyes.
Pomen, especially, beside me, wore a meaningful expression, her face turning cat-like, as if ready to pounce.
"So, any guesses, Moi?"
I redirected to break the awkward mood.
Moi pondered my question before answering uncertainly.
"Um... Not for sure, but there's a huge transmission tower on the northwestern ridge of this sector. My sister and I passed it on our way here."
"Northwestern ridge..."
I tilted the metal sheet slightly westward to match her words.
Then Rai, peeking at the map beside me, let out a short gasp.
"Ah—! Th-This is a river!"
"...River?"
"Yes. There's a river northwest of the transmission tower."
"Longhua River... This line must represent the Longhua River."
Helena, who had carried out various missions in the area as part of Ark 74, joined in.
"Then, Commander, the bug-like drawing at the top..."
Arva asked cautiously but confidently.
I nodded at her question and shared what I knew.
"Right. The mountain northwest of the Longhua River. That's where the Carapace Lord's nest is, no doubt."
In other words, our Podic had perfectly completed her first commission.
"Why would the Hachishakusama...?"
Helena muttered in disbelief.
I tapped the crumpled sheet with my foot and explained in a way the ECHOs could easily grasp.
"Zombies, anomalies, and machine monsters—these three forces are hostile to humanity, but they don't see each other as allies either. So, the Carapace Lord in the north constantly encroaching on her territory must have really irked the Hachishakusama, right?"
Of course, only I knew the real truth... but no need to explain that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Then we'll be off, Commander."
"Don't push yourselves. If it looks like a full battle, retreat immediately. Got it?"
"Yes, Commander."
Arva and Helena saluted in unison at my words.
To verify the map from the Hachishakusama and pinpoint the Carapace Lord's exact location, Arva, Noah, and the Cerberus Squad were heading out to scout the northern mountains together.
"But Commander, are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
Arva glanced back at me with worried eyes one last time.
I reassured her.
"I'll be fine, so don't worry."
"...Understood."
Still, with the uncontrollable variable of the Hachishakusama involved, Pomen stayed behind to guard me.
Arva looked back several more times anxiously, but Podic wouldn't bare her claws at me anytime soon.
With the recon team gone, only Pomen, me, and the Wanderer sisters remained at the temporary base.
Maybe that's why.
The tense atmosphere vanished like a lie, replaced by an awkward silence.
"Moi and Rai... take a break. We'll head back to the Ark once the recon team returns."
"Yes, Commander."
"Yess—!"
"But make sure to patrol the perimeter properly, okay?"
"Yesss—!"
Moi, the older sister, still seemed stiff and awkward around me, but Rai, the younger, was full of energy, thrilled by the safe situation.
After reassuring the sisters, I headed to my room at the temporary base.
I planned to catch a quick nap.
"......"
How much time had passed?
I opened my eyes at the sound of footsteps. In the darkness, two red eyes gazed down at me. It was Pomen.
"Commander."
"...Pomen."
Seeing her lick her lips while looking at me sent a sudden rush of heat through me.
I knew why she'd come. I crooked my finger, and she slipped into my arms like she'd been waiting.
"With Moi and Rai here, is this okay?"
"Hehe, wouldn't they love it? The Commander who cherishes his ECHOs?"
"...No shame at all? My little she-cat?"
"You made me this way, Commander."
"Oh? Who wagged her tail first?"
"Hah, ahn! O-Other humans don't fall for an ECHO... ah!"
Pomen whispered as she guided my hand to her secret place amid ragged breaths.
She never hid her desires, as always.
Soon her greedy lips covered mine, and as our tongues intertwined, I swiftly stripped off her combat suit.
I kneaded her large breasts, sucked them, and fed her my cock.
"Ahh, aaang—! C-Commander! C-cock, cock, give me cock—!"
After indulging in each other's bodies for a good while, driving Pomen to the brink, I positioned her on all fours like a bitch in heat.
From that humiliating yet eager pose, her ass thrust up enticingly toward me.
"C-Commander... fuck me with your cock...! Haaah!"
I plunged my thing deep into her naturally.
Her face came into view as she craned her neck back to look at me.
Red eyes glazed with pleasure, lips half-parted.
I could tell without asking—her mind was filled only with me and my cock.
Wildly aroused, I pistoned my hips like mad.
"Hah! Yes! Aaah! Ah—! Th-This—! I wanted this so bad—! Ugh!"
"You wanted it pounded like this?"
"Y-Yes! Yes! Ahn! C-Commander, me... me...!!!"
Sticky juices poured from her flooded pussy, streaming down her thighs nonstop.
Slap-slap, with every clash of flesh, Pomen cried out in ecstasy.
Her moans were louder than expected, but luckily, the building was designed to contain sound.
That's why I'd chosen it as our base—no worry of attracting monsters.
"Hng! Uh! Aaa—!"
"Pomen...!"
"More, more—! Commander... moreee!!!"
As she demanded, I slammed my cock into her roughly, deeply, as if to pierce her through.
And of course, I creampied without hesitation.
Savoring her pussy clenching around me greedily, I flooded her with my seed.
After that intense session with Pomen to vent my urges, I lounged on her body for a bit before slowly pulling out.
"...Outside status?"
"Uh, um... N-No, no problems."
"Y-Yes!"
"......"
As I stepped out, the two little ones on guard looked off.
Their faces were flushed beet red, unable to meet my eyes properly.
They peeked, huh.
Is it because they've lived as Wanderers for so long, unlike the ECHOs?
They seemed to have a good idea what Pomen and I had been up to.
"Got it. Keep up the good work."
"Wh-What about you, Commander?"
"I'm heading to the rooftop to keep watch."
"A-Alright!"
I patted the heads of the Moi and Rai sisters in turn before grabbing my White Tiger and heading up.
I planned to snipe any approaching zombies for cash.
Up on the roof, staying vigilant for threats, I felt a familiar gaze from behind.
"......"
It was Podic.
[Po, popopopo.]
She appeared before me with her usual expressionless face.
But her eyes held a yearning glint. After a moment's thought, I spoke to her.
"Good work. Nice drawing."
[Poo—!]
At my praise, Podic bounced over happily, surprisingly cute compared to our first meeting.
She squatted before me and gaped her mouth wide.
A demand for her reward.
I chuckled and slipped my still-warm cock into her mouth.
[Popopopop?]
Did she taste Pomen on it?
Her blank eyes rolled up. But only for a moment.
"Hoo... oh... that's good."
Her long, soft tongue blatantly licked my cock, erasing the traces of another.