The Drifting Pioneer Ship Icarus (7)

I activated the Collection skill. Once again, several options floated up in front of my eyes.

This time it was genuinely hard to choose.

The number one option, the dual gatling, was tempting when I remembered the ridiculous firepower that had nearly punched through even my shield earlier. But I eliminated it first. I’d already picked up the Nailer and laser rifle that were actually useful back in Seongwon City. Besides, where the hell was I supposed to find ammunition for a monster-caliber gun like that in a ruined city? A gatling without bullets was nothing but a heavy chunk of scrap metal.

The number two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠battery was the item that perfectly matched my current needs. It boasted a staggering eight times the capacity of my existing multi-purpose battery. The description even said that equipping it would more than double the efficiency of both my harness and shield. For maximizing my farming output right now, this was the smart pick.

And then there was number three, the Sub-Arm Module. It was basically industrial heavy equipment made by ripping off two of the QZ drone’s legs and attaching them to my harness. It operated through an interface linked to the portable terminal Nia had told me to farm earlier. The downsides were obvious. True to its origins as the limbs of a heavily armored drone, it was insanely heavy. If the power cut out, I’d struggle to even drag it around with human strength. Worst of all, it devoured electricity like a hippopotamus.

But I chose number three without hesitation. Even if it strained my power supply a bit, using these legs right now would dramatically boost my breakthrough speed. Plus, once I returned to Seongwon City, they had endless potential uses—whether as construction equipment for hauling cargo or as auxiliary combat support. The battery could be recharged later using the generator Nia had promised to find for me.

And most importantly…

It just looked so damn cool. What man could resist a pair of robot arms mounted on his back?

The moment I made my choice, the burning wreckage of the drone vanished in an instant, leaving only two massive mechanical arms behind. I quickly connected them to my harness and linked them with the terminal Nia had told me to farm earlier.

It felt just like controlling a small drone or RC car with a smartphone back when the world was still normal. I manipulated the terminal’s interface with my thumb, and the two heavy arms behind me planted themselves on the ground, lifting my entire body into the air.

Whirr— Clack!

Using the arms like extra legs, I kicked off the floor. The stride and speed were on a completely different level from running on my own two feet.

“Nia. I’m picking up the pace. Open the doors ahead in advance.”

With the heavy mechanical whirring of the sub-arms, I began sprinting toward the maintenance bay without hesitation. As I moved, I heard the faint sound of Nia’s ocular lenses spinning, and then she spoke.

“Crewman. I have cross-referenced all active and cryosleep crew data through the residential sector terminal. However, your data does not exist anywhere in the records.”

A soft hiss came from Nia’s eyes as the lenses adjusted focus.

“According to this unit’s calculations, you are not a crew member of the Icarus. Is that correct?”

So it finally came. Well, even I had to admit I looked way too suspicious.

I didn’t bother making excuses.

“That’s right. I’m not a crew member of this ship.”

“It is determined that you gained access to this vessel through an unknown paranormal ability. Is that correct?”

“Yeah. Pretty much spot on.”

My calm confirmation left Nia silent for a moment. After a faint vibration from her rapidly spinning lenses as she processed the information, she asked the most crucial question.

“Then… outside, in this world… are there still any surviving groups of humans?”

Her question carried more than simple data verification. There was a kind of longing mixed in.

“…What about your home planet, Terra? Don’t tell me…”

“Affirmative. Based on the circumstances and collected data from the final loss of contact with the homeworld Terra, it is determined that no life forms remain on the planet. Survival probability is less than 0.0001%.”

I fell silent at her words.

The total extinction of an entire planet. And the last remaining vessel of humanity, the Icarus, had seen its crew completely wiped out by a mad AI. The very species known as humanity could be erased from existence.

“You have not answered my question,” Nia pressed again.

But the only thing I knew for certain was that there were no survivors—no living people—inside this ship. Whether anyone was still alive in this universe, I had no idea.

“I don’t know. I’m not from this world. How should I put it… I guess I’m something like a dimensional traveler. That’s what it feels like to me.”

At my answer, Nia’s lenses spun once more.

“I see. Another dimension… Then, are there still people remaining in that dimension?”

“…Yeah, there are.”

Our Earth’s situation was basically hell too, but there were still people there fighting desperately to survive. People like me—looting each other, killing and being killed, yet clinging to life with stubborn tenacity.

“Yeah. There are still a few people alive there. A lot of them are just barely hanging on, but they’re alive.”

This time, Nia’s lenses stopped spinning. After a long pause, she spoke again.

“…This unit’s individual designation is Nia. I am an administrator-grade unit assigned to this vessel. The primary directive given to administrator-grade androids is the continuation of humanity. We were designed and exist solely for that purpose.”

“The current mission of the administrator-grade androids is to launch the human cultivation device located in the lower section of the ship toward Eden and assist in its proper activation. We have determined this is the final method by which humanity can continue to exist in this universe.”

That explained it. No wonder security forces had been swarming every path leading to the lower central section. Now that I’d heard her explanation, the puzzle pieces clicked together. The other administrator-grade androids besides Nia were probably still fighting in that hellish zone right now, trying to launch the cultivation device.

I mentally checked the ship’s map for a moment before shaking the thought away.

Then Nia, whose lenses had finally stopped rotating, added in a much softer voice that almost sounded relieved.

“But it is fortunate. If there are still people remaining in your dimension, Crewman, then humanity will be able to continue existing after all.”

“…”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I didn’t know how to respond to her words. I wasn’t sure the humans in my world deserved something as grand as “the continuation of humanity.” I didn’t want to explain to her the hellish life there, stained with looting and betrayal. Instead, just as she had done, I decided to introduce myself properly.

“My name is Kim Ju-in. Call me Kim Ju-in.”

“Kim Ju-in… Kim Ju-in… Confirmed.”

With those final words, I dashed forward again.

Not long after our conversation ended, we arrived in front of the maintenance bay—the final destination of this journey.

“…We’re here.”

“Correct. This is the main gate of the cybernetic maintenance bay.”

So this was goodbye with Nia. It had only been a short two-hour journey, but the feeling was strangely bittersweet. After the apocalypse began, how long had it been since I’d met someone who approached me without malice, with genuine goodwill? Even if that someone turned out to be an android.

But nothing lasts forever. Swallowing a faint sense of reluctance, I stepped into the maintenance bay to put an end to our transaction.

Whirr— Clack.

I used the sub-arm module to enter and scanned the surroundings. The interior of the maintenance bay was eerily quiet, completely empty. Despite its name, the android maintenance bay had become something closer to a graveyard for androids. It looked like a massacre had taken place here as well.

As I passed the long rows of maintenance lines, I came across an area littered with android chassis similar to Nia’s original body—the ones I’d seen back in the container sector.

“In a situation like this, do you think any parts of your body might still be left?”

At my worried question, Nia remained silent for a moment before answering in a quieter voice than usual.

“The chassis I am referring to is not one of these standard models. Could you proceed to the wall visible at the far end?”

“Huh? Over there? Isn’t that a dead end?”

I had my doubts, but I moved the sub-arms in the direction she indicated. As I drew closer, the wall suddenly opened—Nia must have released the security lock—revealing what lay inside.

“Whoa…”

There, waiting for us, was something completely different from anything I’d seen so far.

“This room is inaccessible to any but administrator-grade androids like myself. Even the security AI Argos is not expected to know of its existence.”

It didn’t feel like an android body so much as a small tank shaped like a giant. Sleek black plating and futuristic weapons densely packed onto its limbs immediately caught my eye.

“This is…?”

There were five prepared docking stations in total. But only three still held chassis. The remaining two stood empty, their owners lost. At the base of each dock, the administrators’ names were engraved in blue holograms.

Five names including Nia. These had to be the administrator-grade androids she had mentioned. I stopped in front of the one at the very end—the dock bearing the name of the android currently guiding me from my chest.

[ UNIT NAME : NIA ]

“I’m connecting you, Nia.”

I detached Nia from my chest plate where she’d been attached and placed her on the head section. I felt the sensation of metal meeting metal. This time, unlike before, I twisted her clockwise. With a solid click, she locked perfectly into the body.

The instant she was fully secured, blue lines flickered across the entire chassis and a startup hum sounded.

“…Hmm… Is it a little awkward?”

The body was a massive tank-class chassis compared to her slender android head, so the visuals were quite surreal. Still, thanks to Nia’s signature delicate and beautiful features—or perhaps the overwhelming sense of power the unit radiated—it didn’t look bad at all. If anything, it gave off the impression of an absurdly powerful beautiful-girl weapon platform.

“Chassis synchronization complete. Thank you for cooperating with this unit until now. I will now assist with the final transaction condition—resupply within the maintenance bay.”

Well, Nia’s face itself was so perfectly proportioned that it didn’t look terrible even like this. She moved quickly around the maintenance bay, gathering several pieces of equipment and setting them down in front of me.

The first thing she handed me was a generator.

“This is the core of an independent power reactor. It allows this maintenance bay to remain operational even during emergencies when the ship’s main power is cut. Since I forcibly extracted only the core, efficiency will be lower than the original, but it should be the optimal choice for operating a temporary base.”

Nia continued her explanation.

“The remaining charge alone should provide enough power to run this maintenance bay for over a year. In emergencies, it can also self-charge using primitive low-efficiency fossil fuels.”

No wonder she’d been banging on the wall earlier. She really had ripped the core straight out of the equipment by force. At least now it was a size I could actually carry.

The second piece of equipment was a complicated-looking molecular reconstruction printer.

“It analyzes and breaks down inserted inorganic materials at the molecular level, then reconstructs them into new objects according to stored blueprints.”

The items it could create apparently varied depending on the materials fed into it. I’d probably have to experiment once I got back, but the mere fact that I could turn the scrap metal and junk littering Seongwon City into usable resources sent a thrill through me.

Finally, Nia handed me a nano-mecha repair pack sealed in a transparent case.

“When placed on damaged equipment, the nano-mechs instantly analyze the broken sections. They then disassemble and sacrifice themselves to restore damaged circuits and armor. It is a repair module.”

There would be a limit to how many times it could be used, but with this, I could repair my harness or rifle if they broke.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quietly looked down at the overwhelming collection of over-technology piled at my feet.

“This is now farewell. For the continuation of humanity, I hope you will survive no matter what. Master.”

Ah, damn it. I specifically told her to call me Kim Ju-in because I knew she’d do this. I hate that title. It sounds weird.

But instead of saying that, I replied:

“You too. I hope you manage to send the human cultivation device to Eden.”

With those final words, we moved in opposite directions. I headed for the airlock. Nia headed for the human cultivation device where humanity’s last hope lay dormant.

Since all the equipment I’d received at the end was incredibly heavy, I hung everything from the sub-arm module and made my way to the airlock. When I arrived, the transparent wall of the airlock offered a view of outer space. On the opposite side, the escape portal I’d seen once before stood open.

Time remaining: approximately twenty-five minutes.

There was no need to farm any more. I’d already gathered the maximum I could carry. Still, I sat down in front of the escape portal and stared out at the universe for a while. If I returned to Seongwon City right away, I’d just be smelling that disgusting zombie stench again. It would be nice to look at something beautiful, even if only for a little while.

Using my ability to check the map, I could also see Nia’s movements. The green dot now appeared quite bright. I watched for a moment as she fought her way forward, trying to launch the human cultivation device.

About ten minutes passed like that.

Booooom—

A heavy vibration that shook the entire ship traveled up through my feet. The lower hatch of the Icarus opened, and something shot out into space, tracing a brilliant trajectory. It was the human cultivation device.

I jumped to my feet in shock.

“What the hell?”

Nia hadn’t boarded it yet. According to the map, she was still inside the ship. The place she had been heading wasn’t the cultivation device at all. She had been moving toward the central control room.

The green dot that had stopped was now flickering weakly, just like when I first met her among the scrap pile. Only then did every piece of the puzzle finally fall into place.

The place Nia had headed for from the beginning wasn’t the escape cultivation device. The primary directive given to administrator-grade androids was the continuation of humanity. She had chosen the highest-probability gamble to fulfill her mission. She had pretended to attack the ship’s central control room to draw the enemy forces away.

While Nia lured the security forces, the other administrator-grade androids who had approached the cultivation device had used that opening to safely complete the launch sequence.

“This… this is…”

I checked the remaining time.

Using my absolute sense of time and the distance shown on the map, I calculated how long it would take. The distance from here to Nia’s location, then back here to throw myself through the portal.

All that for an android I’d only spent a little over two hours with? It was insane. I had to be out of my mind.

This is now farewell. For the continuation of humanity, I hope you will survive no matter what.

But Nia’s final goodbye still echoed in my ears.

“Goddamn it. Fucking hell.”

I pulled out every battery I had left and hung them all over my harness. Then I moved all my luggage as close to the escape portal as possible.

What a man can’t resist isn’t just robot arms on his back. A beautiful-girl android robot is also an irresistible male fantasy.

Wiiiiiiing—

The sub-arms screamed as they ran at maximum output. I spun around and began running in the opposite direction.

I shot forward toward the deepest and most dangerous heart of the ship.