Return to Paradise
The conveniences of modern civilization were nowhere to be found in this apocalyptic world.
"Aaah, Commander. Do you like my breasts that much?"
The one good thing about coming to this world was that I could freely touch pretty girls (read ECHO) like Pomen exactly as I wished. I just had to be open about my desires and, under mutual consent, they would yield to me anytime I wished.
Whenever and wherever I wanted it, Pomen would yield her body to my touch without a hint of reluctance and gladly satisfy my desires.
She was a bold bitch who obeyed any demand.
And that wasn't all.
[Pfft! Poo—! Popopoput!]
My Podic.
When we first met, it had been a creepy anomaly that could rival any horror movie, but now it was an obedient puppy that thrived on my essence as its staple food.
Its specialty? Fellatio Skill Lv Max.
However, if there was one regrettable recent development, it was that in the past, a single session had showered me with a lot of cash, but nowadays the rewards from interactions were either nonexistent or barely a pittance.
"......Are you struggling these days too?"
[Poo?]
I stroked Podic's hair as if it were nothing, even as it diligently swept my dick with its long tongue and tilted its head.
Perhaps the cash had dwindled because I'd been intimate with it more than once a day lately.
For now, I'll treat it as a hypothesis and verify it later.
Until the scout team returned, I lived like King Uija, alternating between Pomen and the Hachishakusama.
Of course, with Moi and Rai around, I did my utmost to avoid getting caught by them.
Well... the way the sisters would jolt in surprise or blush whenever they saw me suggested they already knew.
Still, since they were ECHOs, their attitude toward me remained the same as always, so I decided to just let it slide.
In the meantime, I chatted with the sisters now and then to get to know them better.
Rai had only been a name-drop in the game, and Moi had made only a brief appearance in the story—they weren't playable characters.
"You want to know our model designations? I'm ECHO-P4X."
"...Seriously?"
Pomen, who had been listening alongside, asked in surprise at Moi's words.
"What model?"
"Uh... P4X's callsign is Specter Line. In other words... an ECHO designed for assassinating and eliminating high-value targets."
"Targeting humans?"
Such ECHO backstories did exist.
This world was nearly destroyed, but humans hadn't vanished entirely.
So, does that mean she's a one-on-one specialized unit focused on stealth?
"I've only heard rumors, so I don't know the details. Have you ever carried out assassinations?"
"...No. I've dealt with machine monsters more often."
"I see. What about Rai, then?"
"Um... I'm ECHO-F04."
Unlike her sister, she specialized in post-battle cleanup and resource recovery.
That explained why all the useful items stored in the temporary base had been brought back by Rai.
She seemed like an ECHO who could double the accumulation efficiency if slipped into a resource-gathering squad.
"You both have impressive specialties."
Surprisingly, they had been created thirty-two years ago.
They looked like little kids, but they were actually older than me.
And on the afternoon of the fifth day since dispatching the scout team north, Pomen, who had been standing watch, stealthily lowered her gun as she spotted movement beyond the distant ridge.
"The scout team's back."
She fired a short signal downward.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“......”
Finding the Carapace Lord's lair had apparently been far more grueling than expected.
Every ECHO from the two squads had gear that was scratched or broken, without exception. Fortunately, none seemed to have severe injuries.
The moment the scouting ECHOs returned to the temporary base, an impromptu briefing began.
Arva was the first to set her datapad down on the table.
"Reporting, Commander."
"Mm."
Arva's finger traced thick markers along the ridges and branches on the map displayed on the pad.
"The information provided by the anomaly has been confirmed accurate. We've also pinpointed the Carapace Lord's nest."
"And..."
Helena spoke up.
Her garter-belt-style combat suit was torn more than halfway, exposing far more skin than it covered. That said it all about how brutal the situation had been.
I couldn't help but glance briefly at Helena's pink nipple peeking out before nodding.
"Go on."
"Enemy count estimated at a minimum of one thousand. I separated and counted the flows of individuals active inside and outside."
"Counted them?"
"Yes. Outer perimeter zombies number roughly six hundred. Internal ones are four hundred. Spawning cycles are irregular, between six and eight hours, but we confirmed about fifteen zombies emerging per spawn."
This was pro-level work.
I had no idea how they'd managed it, but they'd pulled off an impressive survey in such a short time.
Helena, standing at ease like a soldier, continued her report.
"The problem is the higher-tier individuals mixed in more than anticipated. Runners and Spitters are standard, but we confirmed multiple heavy units like Brutes and Bone Blades. To suppress them quickly, we'll need piercing weapons or a large number of firepower-focused ECHOs."
"Oh? Does that mean it's my turn?"
Pomen chimed in playfully.
But Helena didn't so much as blink.
"If you can handle thirty or more on your own."
"Oh, that might be a bit tricky..."
"The bigger issue is the two variants that appear to be command units. The Carapace Lord seems to direct the outer and inner zombies through them."
"......"
Even Pomen dropped her joking smile and stared seriously at the datapad.
I rubbed my lips with my fingertips as well.
Their scale was far larger and more organized than I'd imagined. With our current force of just two ECHO squads, those numbers were utterly unassailable.
"Impressions from the engagements?"
Arva answered this time.
"If we had equal numbers—no, double the numbers—we could annihilate them without significant losses. But currently, their numbers are overwhelming. Close combat is inevitable, and if that happens..."
"Even for us, handling multiple Brutes or Bone Blades up close would be difficult."
The Brute's raw power and the Bone Blade's cutting force were beyond what ECHO armor could withstand.
If a bunch swarmed in, even original ECHOs would quickly turn into minced meat and scrap metal.
As I listened to Arva and Helena's summary, I nodded along.
I wanted nothing more than to eliminate the blade pointed at my back, ready to stab at a heartbeat, right then and there, but the situation didn't allow it.
To sum it up briefly—there were over a thousand enemies, including command-capable variants.
With that much force.... I'd need at least two tactically enhanced ECHOs just to have a shot at tangling with them.
Or include one equipped with a unique weapon.
This was a conclusion drawn from my mobile game experience. How reality might differ was anyone's guess.
There was only one answer.
We had to bide our time for now.
No matter how tempting the northern mine's resources were or how irritating the Carapace Lord's presence was, a reckless war of attrition would just get us killed.
"We're heading back to the Ark."
"What route for the return, Commander?"
"Hm... head east first, then plot a southbound path. Zombies might tail us."
"Understood."
"We'll depart in thirty minutes. I know you're all beat, but save the rest for the Ark."
I ordered the ECHOs to prepare for the return to the Ark, then headed up to the rooftop out of habit.
"Whew... this place is gonna feel nostalgic now."
I'd blown my load dozens of times here with the Hachishakusama... It felt like leaving a cherished bed.
[Poo—]
Moments later, Podic revealed itself upon spotting me.
True to form, it knelt right away and gaped its mouth wide. Unfortunately, there was no time for that now.
"That's it for today. Listen up, Podic. Me and the ECHOs are heading back to the Ark."
[Popo?]
"No essence injections for a while. But we'll be back soon, so don't get too down about it."
[Popo. Poo—]
It seemed to understand, nodding its head with a sound laced in reluctance.
Even though it couldn't speak, it was surprisingly sharp.
"Zombies might swarm down from the north."
[Poo? Popopo?]
"Yeah, those ones you drew like bugs. Their numbers might be huge, so don't clash needlessly and get hurt—play it safe. We'll reinforce and come back soon."
There was a chance some—or all—of the zombies from the disturbed nest might swarm into Hongwei-7 territory.
Just in case, I gave Podic a heads-up.
Considering her combat prowess, she probably wouldn't go down easy, but better safe than sorry.
[Popout. Poo—]
The Hachishakusama nodded once more, as if confirming it understood my warning.
Gazing at Podic's expressionless yet dripping-with-erotica face, I finally couldn't hold back and let out a sigh.
"......Open up. Just one quick shot."
At my words, Podic eagerly spread its mouth wide again.
Its long tongue soon lashed my dick with fierce intensity, teasing even my balls with flashy technique.
"Oh..."
A groan slipped out of me unbidden.
This was the last bit of intimacy with Podic on this expedition.
I'd grown fond enough of it to give it a name. Never imagined I'd end up in this kind of relationship with an anomaly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Let's move.”
We took the eastern detour route Arva had plotted and headed for the Ark.
It was to shake off any potential pursuit from the Carapace Lord.
A few zombie packs crossed our path on the way south, but Arclight and Cerberus handled them effortlessly.
Bang! Bang!
I pitched in with mid-range support fire using the White Tiger.
Each zombie was precious cash, so I couldn't leave everything to the ECHOs.
We swept away the zombies that appeared without much trouble across several skirmishes and finally arrived at the familiar outer wall of Ark 69.
The massive steel door ground open. After passing through the factory-disguised zones, we entered the Ark proper—and the moment we did, Moi and Rai froze in place.
This is... the Ark?
Moi's pupils trembled violently.
This wasn't the Ark they'd imagined—teeming with humans who eyed ECHOs with contempt and fear.
For one, the Ark was far smaller than expected.
Compared to Ark 38, where they'd been created, it was less than a tenth the size.
It wasn't some massive fortress to repel invaders—it was more like a well-crafted shelter.
And furthermore...
Even more shocking—not a single human in sight.
"Commander—!"
Even ECHOs were scarce.
Only two had come to greet the returning Commander, and one of them was a mass-produced model, not an original.
Pomen gave Moi's back a light tap.
"Surprised the Ark's so small?"
"Uh, uh.... No?"
"Come on, it's written all over your face. You said you were from a 30-series Ark?"
"...Yes."
To be precise, it was located somewhere in the Middle East.
That place had always been tense with noise and packed with humans.
And battles with machine monsters had broken out about once a week.
"Ark 69 wasn't always this small. But the Crawler Queen completely wrecked it, and the Commander—the sole survivor of that fight—rebuilt it alone."
"......Ah."
"For you two, it shouldn't be a bad place to live. Because here..."
As Pomen reunited with Karen and Alpha—watching them welcome the Commander—she murmured softly.
"There aren’t any humans to look at ECHOs like bugs with eyes full of contempt. Only our lovely Commander."