Entry
"Rushing in would be dangerous."
Cordelia's firm voice carried a tone closer to cold certainty than anxiety.
That was why I looked at her, intending to hear her out.
"The Lieutenant General Lin Xiaolin of Ark 86 that I know is the type of person who destroys anything she cannot obtain so that no one else can have it. There is no way she would have simply abandoned this Ark without taking any precautions."
"...Really?"
What a nasty personality.
Regardless, I couldn't just ignore Cordelia's warning.
Moreover, the name Lin Xiaolin felt familiar, as if it were on the tip of my tongue.
That's strange. There was no such name in Echoes of Humanity — ECHO...
While I didn't remember every single minor detail, I had thoroughly devoured everything from the main story to the side stories.
But the name Lin Xiaolin wasn't among them.
I kept searching my memories, but nothing clear surfaced.
Then again, the current timeline was the past, thirty years before the original work’s timeline.
In any case, if I rushed in and fell into a trap, losing my precious ECHOs, there would be no point in having come all this way to loot the Ark.
"Alright, then should we just give up?"
I was being sincere.
I wasn't in such a desperate situation that I needed to take a risk just to loot this place.
I had already gained nearly 300,000 cash from this engagement.
However, as soon as I finished speaking, Cordelia raised her hand.
"I will scout it out as the reconnaissance team."
"You?"
"Yes. I know the layout of Ark 74 more intimately than anyone. Furthermore, while I am not a professional, I can perform tasks such as trap detection and disarmament."
Was that so?
In the game, I could only remember diligently using SwiCo, who was a Tier 1 rifle deck unit.
I suddenly recalled how many people used her in the galleries because her exposure was quite erotic, only to be collectively purged by the moderators.
There was even a line in the related summer event where she asked the protagonist to untie her bikini strings, which had stimulated the imaginations of many.
"Oh my, then may I accompany her?"
At Cordelia's words, Madeline, who was standing beside her, stepped forward with a bright smile, causing Cordelia to look back at her.
"...Madeline?"
"Yes, Cordelia. I am Madeline of the Bread Garden Squad. My specialties are cooking and baking, but in the past, I did a lot of similar work, such as disarming traps. You could call it clearing the pebbles that block the path."
Considering Madeline's background in the lore, it was a plausible story.
The purpose of the Bread Garden squad was to provide humans with a comfortable and cozy life.
However, interpreted differently, it also meant making the Ark cozy by processing reactionary and impure elements that made the Ark dangerous.
Hence, the Bread Garden squad was set up to be proficient in operations such as assassination and anti-terrorism.
Hmm...
For some reason, I felt reluctant, as if I were putting the two ECHOs in danger.
But Cordelia's eyes were full of conviction, and Madeline also seemed confident.
Well, they must have a reason for stepping forward and making the proposal to me.
"Fine. I'll allow you to explore the Ark as a reconnaissance team. However, if the situation becomes dangerous or seems to take even a slight turn for the worse, you must give up and return immediately."
Ultimately, I nodded slowly and accepted their proposal.
"Understood, Commander."
"Yep!"
The two ECHOs immediately gathered the necessary equipment and slipped through the gap in the collapsed barrier like ghosts.
Watching them, I smacked my lips and scratched my head.
Lin Xiaolin of Ark 86.
It seemed like a name I needed to keep in mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The city was enveloped in an ominous silence.
The two ECHOs moved quietly, without making so much as a footstep.
“It's quiet.”
Madeline whispered to herself.
"There likely isn't a single living creature here. Not if it's the Lieutenant General Lin Xiaolin I know..."
Cordelia recalled the cold face of Lin Xiaolin as she communicated with the fleet commander of Ark 74 in the past.
"Oh my, does she have a bit of a twisted personality?"
"Probably. She is someone who would hesitate at nothing for the safety of Ark 86. monster who feels inhuman despite being human."
"...A perfectly normal human, then."
It was while they were heading toward the headquarters located in the center of the Ark.
"Wait."
At Madeline's low voice, Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks.
"Cordelia, check the front. The floor pattern is different."
"...That’s a pressure-sensitive high-voltage current trap."
Cordelia narrowed her eyes and identified the trap.
"Correct. The moment someone steps on it, everything within a ten-meter radius would be turned to ash, right? With that kind of firepower, even ECHOs would be easily blown away... It's hidden quite cleverly."
“Typical of her.”
Cordelia couldn’t help but click her tongue in annoyance.
"Since I haven't faced her personally, it's hard to make a hasty judgment... but I can guess she's a truly terrifying person. Normally, one wouldn't install traps of this level in an abandoned Ark. It's tedious and inefficient."
Having finished speaking, Madeline took a portable EMP device from her bag with practiced movements.
"I'll disable it first."
"I could do it, though...?"
"I'm an ECHO specialized in this field. My skills are probably better than yours."
Madeline gave a playful wink and activated the EMP device.
With a sizzling sound, the electrical signals surrounding the trap were neutralized, and the actual disarmament of the trap began.
"...I'll leave it to you then."
Watching Madeline skillfully handle the trap, Cordelia let out a small, unconscious chuckle.
It was because she spotted cooking utensils shining incongruously from one side of Madeline's bag. Within Ark 69, Madeline's official role was a cook.
And she mentioned that she occasionally helped the Commander with cleaning and laundry.
"I'm curious about something... May I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
When Madeline asked back cheerfully, Cordelia hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Um... Madeline, have you lived in Ark 69 for a long time?"
At those words, Madeline paused mid-inspection of the wiring.
Then, she tilted her head.
"I wonder? Actually, I'm originally from Ark 70. But I believe I died in the line of duty, and the current Commander collected my remaining genetic traces and brought me back to life."
Madeline had no curiosity about her own past.
The only things that vaguely surfaced in her mind were the cold orders, insults, and violence from humans, and the faint memory of struggling with clenched teeth in always-dangerous situations.
A time she never wanted to return to.
In contrast, the current Ark 69 was nothing short of paradise.
Along with her only hobby, baking, she could cook to her heart's content and make delicious food for the ECHOs.
[Sister Madeline—! What's for dinner today?]
[Concentrated Nutrient?]
[Uh... that's tasty too, but... is there no bread?]
[Of course there is.]
[Waaaaah—!]
Especially when she looked at the little ones like Luna, Moi, and Rai waiting for the bread she made, her heart would swell with the desire to make them even more delicious things.
And the fleet commander of the Ark, the sole Commander left alive in the lonely Ark, was like the only warmth in a cold world, never scolding her for making delicious food for the ECHOs.
Sometimes...
"..."
When they were alone, the way his hand naturally wandered over her thighs or buttocks was flustering.
But feeling the affection and possessiveness in that touch, she had recently begun to slightly anticipate and enjoy those touches herself.
"Is that so?"
Listening to Madeline's answer, Cordelia nodded.
"As you know, Ark 69 is very small in scale. It's not even at the level of an outpost."
"I understand it possesses two Original ECHO Squads, Arclight and Cerberus?"
"According to Pomen, the Ark completely collapsed three or four months ago."
"Ah, she said it was attacked by the Crawler Queen. So we also understood that Ark 69 was finished..."
"That's right. And the current Fleet Commander, who was the sole survivor of that battle, is reviving the Ark while also serving as a Field Commander, fighting at the front lines. Well..."
Madeline paused her work for a moment, turned to Cordelia, and smiled brightly.
That smile contained absolute trust in the Commander and unspeakable emotions that Cordelia was too afraid to even mention.
"I like it as it is now. The current Commander treats us as comrades, not as scrap metal."
"..."
Cordelia said nothing.
The word comrade felt unfamiliar, yet it somehow resonated in her heart.
"Of course, there are times when it's a bit awkward."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm... you'll have to experience that for yourself, Cordelia. It wouldn't be fun if I told you in advance, right?"
Madeline gave a meaningful smile and focused on her work again.
Cordelia couldn't precisely understand the meaning of her words, but she could tell for certain that the Commander of Ark 69 was a completely different breed of person from other commanders she had experienced in her life.
It was a great relief.
Because, unlike Ark 74, Ark 69 was a place overflowing with value worth protecting.
The two ECHOs continued to disarm traps and advance deeper into the Ark.
Lin Xiaolin had essentially turned the entire Ark into a giant killing machine. However, her malicious gifts were at a level that Madeline, specialized in intelligence and infiltration, could handle without difficulty.
If there was a problem...
"We'll have to give up on this area."
They couldn't touch the ECHO production factory, labs, and research facilities, where all the detonators were interconnected.
"A shame."
Cordelia gritted her teeth.
Inside lay all the technology and data of Ark 74. But that place was a giant bomb that would blow up the entire Ark if touched.
Having secured the safety of all areas except for a few, the two ECHOs immediately headed toward the location where the Commander was.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...That is all, Commander."
Listening to Cordelia's report, I nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Good. Let's just cleanly give up on the ECHO production factory."
Even if I searched there, at most, there would be blueprints for mass-produced ECHOs.
I could just buy those through the Money Compass.
Of course, if there were genes of Original ECHOs or core parts needed for production, it would be a bit—no, a lot—of a waste.
But there was no way a woman like Lin Xiaolin would have left such core assets behind.
Since she came here with a purpose, she probably took everything, even the bulky stuff.
My gaze shifted to the massive wheel tracks left haphazardly on the ground.
Lin Xiaolin had visited Ark 74 with a number of armored vehicles.
That meant the Ark was large enough to operate a vehicle unit. Consequently, she must have stripped Ark 74 of all its valuables.
"There probably won't be anything worth seeing there anyway. So let's focus on gathering food, medical supplies, and useful parts that can be used for repairs."
"Yes, Commander."
"The ECHO production factory, and the research and lab wings? Don't even approach those."
If I accidentally touched them and the Ark went BOOM!, my life would be over.
I might have to have mechanical parts and cybernetics embedded not just in my left arm, but throughout my entire body. I would really be reborn as a true Cyborg then.
At my command, the ECHOs began to move in an orderly fashion.
Watching the ECHOs scatter to secure supplies, I headed toward the command center of the Ark.
I didn't have high expectations, but since it was where the important figures of the Ark lived, I intended to check it out with my own eyes.
Beside me, Helena followed as if it were natural, acting as my escort.