The Report and a New Task
"…So, you're saying you were ambushed by an unidentified ECHO force, and they retreated after a brief skirmish?"
The Commander's office of Ark 69.
Standing before me with grim expressions were Helena, Arva, and Moi, who had just returned.
I thought they would simply return after conducting a test run of our new vehicle without any major issues, but their report regarding their visit to Ark 74 was completely outside my expectations.
No wonder they didn't return for four days when I thought they'd be back in one or two.
"We apologize, Commander."
"Ah, no. It's okay."
I waved my hand at Helena, who bowed her head with a stiff face.
It wasn't Helena's fault that they were ambushed by other ECHOs.
Putting the story together, they were professional raiders who had approached from the start, targeting the resources of Ark 74.
"But what did you say their identity was?"
"The Black Crow Merchant Guild. I heard rumors about them a few times when I lived as a Wanderer."
"Black Crow… Merchant Guild? A guild?"
For starters, it was a name that didn't exist in my memory.
Perhaps because this game world was set in a timeline from 30 years ago—a completely mismatched era—the background knowledge I had from the game Echoes of Humanity — ECHO was mostly useless.
I wondered what I would have done if I didn't even have the Money Compass.
"A merchant guild attacked you? Explain in more detail."
"Um… they're an independent merchant guild that wanders the surface, surviving by trading parts with the Astral or other Arks."
"Why? Wouldn't it be more convenient to belong to an Ark?"
"They're Wanderers, sir. They are… ECHOs who refuse to obey humans."
"Ah…."
It made sense now.
ECHOs who knew freedom would have no reason to enter a human society where contempt and discrimination were rampant.
There would be no reason for them to do so.
"But they trade with the Astral too? No, how? Those guys are enemies who target ECHO Cores, aren't they?"
"I'm not entirely sure about that. Well… perhaps they trade because they both want something from each other?"
"…I see."
I fell into thought for a moment at Moi's answer.
That was also unexpected information.
An ECHO merchant guild….
They weren't absent from the game I had played.
However, the ECHO merchant guilds that appeared in the game's story were NPCs with friendly settings toward humans—securing rare resources for the Ark, trading weapons and supplies, or managing supply lines in the rear of the battlefield.
And internally in the game, they were the ones who sold useful items and Cash items for the user's convenience.
They didn't have much weight in the main story.
Most of the time, they appeared in events or side stories to show a comical side of swindling the Commander or providing fan service.
In other words, they weren't a hostile group that would suddenly launch a preemptive attack, as my girls had experienced.
"This is tricky."
This world was similar to the game I knew, yet different in crucial parts.
Listening to Moi's report, I felt that fact once again.
"Sigh…."
This wasn't the time to relax just because we defeated the Carapace Lord.
The surface was still teeming with powerful monsters eyeing us at every turn.
Furthermore, Crows? Anyway, they said those guys even operated special armored vehicles.
"What do you think their objective is?"
“I believe there is a high probability it is the remaining resources in Ark 74.”
Arva answered my question.
And then, Moi added one more thing.
"…The Arc Reactor."
"Huh?"
All our gazes turned toward her.
Moi swallowed hard and continued cautiously.
"The Arc Reactor, which can charge the energy of a Core. That is the item that Wandering ECHOs need the most."
"Ah... I think Moi is right. Wandering ECHOs who don't receive the protection of an Ark have an enormous consumption of Core Energy."
Arva nodded as if agreeing with Moi.
"Wasn't that recovered by Concentrated Nutrient packs?"
"An ECHO's intake of food only replenishes temporary activity energy. It cannot stop the decrease of the Core's own lifespan—that is, the absolute value of its energy."
"Lifespan…?"
"The lifespan of an Arc Reactor is quite long. But on the surface, you never know what might happen."
If that was the reason, I understood why they targeted our ECHOs' Cores.
It was clear that they weren't just raiding; they were moving for survival.
And this led me to believe that they wouldn't give up on us easily.
"What is the opponent's strength?"
"There was one Vanguard-type ECHO with invisibility capabilities. I couldn't check the abilities of the other two since we didn't clash directly, but one appeared to be a technician-type ECHO capable of vehicle operation."
"The Vanguard is likely Raven, and the latter is likely Gizmo. Both are quite famous in this field."
"……Really?"
Moi surprisingly knows a lot.
I took out one of the individually wrapped small chocolates left over from what I gave Alpha last night from the drawer and gave it to Moi.
"This is…?"
"Chocolate. A magical food that makes a human heart beat twice."
Still, it would be a bit much to only give it to Moi, right?
So, I opened the Money Compass and bought several chocolates—which cost 100 Cash each—and gave them to Helena and Arva as well.
Of course, I also set some aside for Moi's sister, Rai, who wasn't here, and for the other girls in the Cerberus Squad.
"Try one."
"Ye-Yes!"
At my words, Moi carefully unwrapped the foil and took a bite of the chocolate.
"Co-Commander! My… my mouth is… I feel so happy—!"
Then, her eyes widened, and she looked at me with an expression as if she owned the whole world.
Right.
This is why I give them delicious things. Her reaction was enough to put professional streamers to shame.
"Excuse me."
Arva also lightly popped a chocolate into her mouth, and her eyes sparkled.
"It's actually really delicious if you eat this with strawberries."
“—!!"
Following my words, her expression was one of deep regret for having swallowed the chocolate in one gulp.
I should give her some separately later to manage her affection level.
Helena's reaction wasn't much different.
She, who even ate Concentrated Nutrients with gusto, had her eyes moistening at the appearance of a new taste of old-era civilization, which was called chocolate.
Anyway, buying the Artifact for Helena was a wise choice.
They said the enemies couldn't handle Helena's overwhelming firepower and fled as soon as they realized the shotgun she held was an Artifact.
"So they're a group that thoroughly pursues profit and hates taking losses?"
"That is correct."
Which meant.
Unless they were certain they could completely overwhelm us, they wouldn't show themselves.
But it's clear they are a potential threat we could encounter at any time.
It was about time to strengthen the Ark's defense systems and heavily reinforce the armament of the squads going outside.
"Good job, everyone. First, put the secured resources into the resource warehouse. Lena will check them."
"Yes, Commander!"
At my words, the three ECHOs saluted and left the Commander's office.
Left alone, I sank deep into my chair. Then, I spoke quietly.
"Wanderer."
[Yes, Commander.]
"What do you think?"
[Currently, only about 20% of the Ark's defense facilities are operational, and since most have undergone contamination and corrosion, normal operation cannot be guaranteed.]
"Didn't Pomen maintain them occasionally?"
[That is why it is 20%, Commander.]
I let out a hollow laugh at Wanderer's dry report.
"This is truly the worst."
What if the Carapace Lord's pack had targeted our Ark instead of Ark 74?
My life probably would have ended right there.
I realized once again how lucky I was to have Podic. I should treat her well later.
"What's the solution?"
[With the resources currently held within the Ark, it is impossible to manufacture the core parts of the defense facilities. We must either obtain the parts directly from the outside or secure a high-output power source that can replace them.]
"…Aren't there Arc Reactors?"
[Those have other uses. Arva's Core enhancement, the production of Original ECHOs, and the construction of new facilities. For the development of the entire Ark, more energy sources than we have now are required.]
In the end, everything came down to resources.
If there was a priority, it was the reinforcement of movement and transport means to secure resources even slightly faster.
"Give me the list of vehicles in the Ark that need repair."
[One Mercury Howl and the fixed defense platform Bastion. Both are things Helena brought back previously.]
The transport capability of the Mercury Howl had been proven through this mission.
If I could run two of those, I would be able to collect resources from the outside much faster than now.
"The Mercury Howl must be repaired… and what kind of thing is the Bastion? Is it so necessary that we must repair it?"
[It must be repaired. Absolutely.]
The answer was unexpectedly firm.
"The reason?"
[The Bastion is not a simple vehicle. Rather, it is closer to a fixed defense platform. Upon arriving at the target point, the wheels transform into spikes that fix it to the ground, turning it into a fortress. Subsequently, it transforms into an automatic turret system capable of mid-range fire support, and with additional modules installed, it can even perform the role of a missile battery.]
"……Uh, a Siege Tank with missile turret capabilities?"
[…Pardon?]
"No, nothing. It's nothing."
I unconsciously swallowed hard.
If such a thing existed, the Ark's defensive capability would increase exponentially.
Not only that….
[If deployed in Hongwei-7, we will be able to stably secure the mineral resources of the Northern Mountains.]
"Tell Lena to write up a list of parts needed for vehicle repair and modification and submit it."
Regardless of other things, it seemed that vehicle repair was a must.
And soon, I felt I would have to visit the Zhenlong City area once more to secure Cash.
There were still countless zombies remaining there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"So what are we going to do now? Are we just going back empty-handed?"
At Gizmo's grumbling, Jester adjusted her mask and reviewed the day.
It had been a truly unlucky day.
Ark 74, which they found based on the information they had painstakingly obtained, was an empty shell, and in the midst of that, the mysterious ECHO Squad they encountered included a crazy bitch who possessed an Artifact.
"We can't do that."
Jester said, unfolding a holographic map.
The loss they would take if they returned like this was significant.
They had to get at least something to make up for the losses of this expedition.
"There's information that an Anomaly that the Astral bastards would like is appearing near here."
"…An Anomaly?"
At Jester's words, not only Gizmo, but even Raven, who had been quietly fiddling with a doll, showed interest.
"Yes. We capture it and trade it with the Astral bastards."
"Hmm… they'll probably like that."
The Astral were creatures that absorbed the special essence emitted by Anomalies to use as an energy source.
Because of that, the Black Crow had a history of capturing Anomalies several times and exchanging them for rare resources like Arc Reactors.
"If we catch that thing and sell it, it'll be more than enough to cover today's losses."
"So where is it?"
At Gizmo's question, Jester pointed to a section of the map and spoke.
"Hongwei-7."