Commencing Preparations
Moi and Rai's first glimpse of Ark 69 made it seem less like an Ark and more like a forward outpost compared to the one they knew.
[New ECHO confirmed. Registering as Ark affiliate.]
"Eek?!"
Rai yelped in surprise at the sudden voice and quickly hid behind Moi.
"Don't be scared, Rai. It's the Central AI."
[Affirmative. I am Wanderer, the Central AI of Ark 69. Welcome to both of you. I look forward to working with you.]
The presence of a Central AI confirmed this was undoubtedly an Ark, but their shock was far from over.
"What's that smell...?"
Rai sniffed the air curiously.
It wasn't the stench of contamination and decay that ruled the surface. Instead, it was a tangy, savory aroma unlike anything they'd ever experienced—something pleasant and inviting.
"...Huh?"
"What's this? It smells good."
The source led to the central hall, repurposed as a dining area.
There, a lifestyle-type ECHO in a perfectly fitted maid outfit was pulling something from a large oven.
Beside her, a mass-produced ECHO with blue hair was washing red fruits.
"We're back, Madeline. And Alpha."
"Oh, you’re back, Commander!?"
"Welcome back, Commander. We heard you were coming, so I rushed to bake some fermented dough—and it turned out perfectly timed."
"Is that bread?"
"Yes. I tried making sourdough bread."
The ECHO called Madeline beamed as she placed a massive, steaming brown loaf onto a wooden board.
With a long knife, she sliced into it, producing a crisp crack as the white interior revealed itself.
Moi, Rai, and even the other ECHOs returning from grueling reconnaissance stared in awe.
All except one.
The Commander casually picked up a slice and popped it into his mouth.
"...It's good. This is really sourdough? Feels kinda like campagne."
"Exactly, Commander. Campagne is a type of sourdough. Fermented with natural yeast, so it's easy to digest too."
Madeline's hands moved busily even as she chatted.
She plated fresh slices, added a few ripe strawberries to each, and distributed them to the ECHOs.
"C-Can we eat this too?"
"Of course. Right, Commander?"
"Yeah."
"Even I'm an ECHO?"
"It's fine. Just eat."
With the Commander's permission, Moi and Rai each took a plate and sat at the table, faces blank.
Ark 38 had bread too, once upon a time.
But it was precious rations only for humans.
To ECHOs, who didn't need food, it was forever out of reach.
Dazed, the sisters picked up the bread and took a cautious bite.
"It's so good—!"
"Delicious!"
Their eyes widened.
Crispy, crunchy crust and a fluffy yet chewy interior like clouds.
A rich wheat flavor filled their mouths, laced with a subtle tang.
The sisters shoveled it in greedily.
They popped in a strawberry, its sweet aroma bursting, and fell silent for a moment.
"Whoa!!!"
"This is amazing too!"
No more words were needed. This was practically heaven. A paradise for ECHOs.
Ahh—this is bread and strawberries, my ECHOs.
I watched the sisters and the other ECHOs react with wonder as we all savored the bread and fruit, a warm smile on my face.
"...Pomen."
"Wanna swap?"
"If possible. Please."
Amid it all, Arva handed her bread to Pomen and took her strawberries.
Strawberries over bread, huh?
As expected, she was acting like a true strawberry lover, just as her settings suggested.
Naturally, my gaze shifted to Madeline, the source of this scene.
"So, when does bread production start in the Ark?"
"Well... this used the flour you gave us, Commander. Full production will take a bit more time."
Of course, crops don't grow that fast...
"For now, we've started growing spring wheat and barley in the indoor farm. With Ark tech, we can harvest in 30 days."
...30 days?
That short for crops?
TV always said farming takes a year… So how?
Even with cutting-edge tech, it was miraculous.
Still, fresh bread every day in a month? A huge relief.
Bit by bit, expanding Ark food options—someday tonkatsu, pork rice bowls, hot soup would be on the menu.
With kimchi, naturally.
[Commander. For nutritional balance, you must also take concentrated nutrient paste.]
"......"
[To maximize the effects of your current medications, carbs alone won't cut it efficiency-wise.]
"Got it... Alright, Wanderer."
A simple meal, yet bread and strawberries transformed the Ark's atmosphere like magic.
Madeline, the lifestyle ECHO, had elevated our quality of life immensely.
As the meal ended, she hummed while clearing plates.
Each time she bent to pick them up in her form-fitting maid outfit, her ample hips swayed, tracing seductive curves.
...I want to touch them so bad.
I itched to smack that ripe peach and grope it.
But there were too many eyes watching, and my relationship with Madeline wasn't at that level yet, so I held back.
Instead...
"Noah."
"Yes, Commander."
Noah turned to me with a serene and saintly smile.
"Now that I'm back in the Ark, I need to relieve some fatigue, Noah. Could I ask for a massage?"
She replied as if she'd been waiting, voice gentle.
"Of course, Commander."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I rested for two full days.
The ECHOs handled the tough scouting, but camping outside had worn me down more than I realized—woke up sore like I'd been hammered.
On the third day back, I gathered the Ark's ECHOs in the command room briefing area.
"You all know why we're here. It’s about the Carapace Lord."
A crude map drawn by the Hachishakusama, overlaid with recon data, formed a precise 3D battlefield on the central table, hovering in distinct layers.
It was a map Wanderer had created based on the information we collected.
"Enemy numbers over a thousand. Multiple elites, full command structure. We have to smash them to secure the Ark."
"Any chance the Carapace Lord relocates its nest?"
"Doubt it."
I shrugged at Helena's question.
If unaware of Ark 69, maybe it would have been possible. But that futanari monster knew us from the Hongwei-7 skirmish, and I'd blasted its dick to meat paste, so it was definitely holding a grudge.
No way the monster would back off quietly.
"Anyway, with our current strength, the chances of victory are slim. So I think we need to get stronger... if anyone has a good idea, speak up."
Arva spoke first, straight to the point as always.
"Our key to powering up is focused firepower and handling. We're short on penetration to reliably destroy the heavies. We need to refit ECHOs with high-penetration heavy weapons or equivalents."
"You mean modifying Pomen and Silva's weapons?"
"Correct. Even if it puts a strain on the joint drive systems, we must increase penetration."
Helena followed up.
"Firepower alone isn't enough. As long as their command survives, it's pouring water into a leaky jar. Our priority was to eliminate the two command units. I'll lead Cerberus Squad to infiltrate the rear and assassinate. Then the main force strikes the nest in the chaos."
It was a solid plan.
But success hinged on a one-shot kill during infiltration.
Cerberus was strong, but the Carapace Lord’s elites wouldn't be pushovers.
Then, Noah, who had been listening quietly till now, added calmly.
"Shouldn't we boost our combat power fundamentally? Everyone's used the sync devices, right?"
As I listened, I tapped the table.
A ring interface appeared, and Wanderer responded instantly.
[Request received. Visualizing ECHO sync and device status. Applying LV notation for clarity.]
The hologram reformed into a clean game-like UI.
A level system Wanderer customized for me.
Not precise, but based on core firmware versions from sync use, it approximated levels.
Looking at them, I smacked my lips.
Arclight Squad averaged 4-5.
In the Cerberus Squad, Helena was at 6, but Silva was 4, and Luna was only 2.
Others were far lower, but surprisingly, Moi had somehow hit 7.
It seemed she had gained vast practical experience during her long life as a Wanderer, and it only made me think that the young girl had suffered quite a lot.
Of course, even if the level was high, there was a huge difference in equipment firepower, so the actual combat power of Arclight would likely be the highest.
My game knowledge was practically useless in this scenario.
In the mobile game Echoes of Humanity — ECHO, to boost ECHO combat...
You either pull duplicate Echoes to perform a breakthrough.
Or you craft a Dedicated Weapon using materials collected over several months or through microtransactions.
Or max affection, then use key items to trigger special events.
But this was reality, not the game. The closest viable option was…
Crafting Dedicated Weapons?
But even that didn't look easy.
In the first place, if you didn't pull them with money and wanted to craft them directly, you had to collect materials for months in the game.
[Commander, I have a good idea.]
Wanderer spoke to me as if she had read my mind.