Chapter 289 ·Turning Point (52)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (52)

"Ugh...."

I felt goosebumps crawling up from the tips of my limbs, and at the same time, I opened my eyes. Unconsciously, I groped for the spot beside me. But there was no one next to me.

What my hand found was just the wrinkled mattress cover, pushed aside by my weight. Licorice was gone. Judging by the lack of warmth, it seemed quite a bit of time had passed since she'd left.

'I nodded off.'

Watching Licorice as she slept, I must have dozed off as well. My body must've demanded sleep to recover my stamina.

Yawning deeply, I looked around. The lights were off and it was dark, but my eyes quickly adjusted to the gloom. I was still in the medical bay.

'What time is it....'

I'd thought that maybe a whole day had passed, but when I checked the time, that wasn't the case. At most, I'd slept a few more hours in an odd time slot and woken up at dawn. Sprout was still wilted, and Carrot, too, seemed to be gone—there was no sign of anyone's presence.

'Haven't they come back yet?'

Even now that I was awake, Albatross was still utterly silent. Though few remained, the scale of the work being done was not small—if someone were working, it wouldn't be this quiet.

'Hmm...'

It felt strangely lonely. Slightly—just slightly—I even felt a bit left out. I wasn't sure why. As I looked around, I noticed a device flashing a patterned light.

It was a hologram device for leaving messages in one's absence. When I reached out and tapped it, a saved message instantly popped up.

— Fill your stomach when you wake up. You suddenly bit me, so you must've been hungry. I almost got eaten by you.

A message left by Licorice. Only after seeing that did my sense of emptiness fade. I could easily imagine her scolding me with her fierce eyes, and I let out a short laugh. Unfortunately, that laugh didn't last long.

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. Thinking about how I'd blustered that I would overcome the Invasion Tree and Lobelia, even though I couldn't even control my own body. It was a relief Licorice hadn't scolded me for talking nonsense.

Imagining myself kicking the blanket aside in embarrassment, I noticed that my body felt lighter than expected. Not just my imagination—it really felt like I could kick out with my legs.

"... I feel lighter."

I slowly balled my hands into fists and then relaxed them. The strain that had dragged across my whole body had eased significantly. Even my stomach, which had felt like it would turn upside down, had calmed down.

My heart, especially, felt different. The core inside my heart had entered a stabilized state. Though I still couldn't manifest my supernatural powers, at least I was no longer in a fragile, dangerous condition. That alone was good news. My recovery seemed to be accelerating.

Before, it had felt hopeless wondering when I'd recover. But at this rate, I might soon return to my previous condition. Determined not to slow my recovery, I ate the calories and fluids Licorice had prepared.

Emergency ration sticks and nutrition packs. Usually disgusting, but today they tasted bearable. I quickly devoured the ample supplies, feeling a sense of fullness as I chewed through them, then lay back down on the bed.

There was nothing else I could do for now. Contacting anyone felt awkward at this hour when everyone else was probably asleep. Resting to conserve energy seemed the wisest course for the days ahead.

So, I lay back down, closing my eyes—but now that I'd slept enough, sleep didn't come. Instead, my mind grew sharper. After tossing and turning a few times, I ultimately got back up.

'... Still hungry.'

How long had it been since I last ate? The sense of fullness I'd felt moments ago was completely gone. My hunger was intensifying, so I had no choice but to get up and scavenge through the medical bay.

I didn't find much. Carrot wasn't someone who enjoyed snacks, and there wasn't much edible stuff in a medical bay anyway. It seemed I'd already eaten everything that had been there.

'If they find out I left my bed, I'll get in trouble.'

Still, I decided to leave the medical bay for now. Rather than waking anyone I thought was sleeping, I could just leave a message in the hologram device like Licorice had.

I grabbed the container holding the listless Sprout, slipped on the slippers by the bed, and stepped out. At almost the same time, I noticed the Beta Series standing by the door.

With its dark form and only the emergency light on in the corridor, it stood motionless in standby mode. At first, I hadn't recognized it. I'd needed someone to carry things for me anyway, so this was good timing. Looking at it now, I recalled I'd resolved to decrease its politeness level.

Thinking of that, I tapped on the Beta Series to wake it up, intending to adjust its settings. Just as its sensors lit up and its mode shifted, a voice spoke.

「Confirmed subject's consciousness is restored.」

The Beta Series scanned my body. Had Carrot or Licorice set this up? But the voice that followed made it clear that wasn't the case.

「Vital signs within normal range. Critical condition is considered resolved. Lee Hyun-woo, I would like to know if you are able to converse. If possible, I request communication.」

A manner of speaking uncharacteristic of the usual Beta Series emerged. Awkward yet natural—the way only a certain presence could manage.

"... Orca?"

「Affirmative. I am currently connected to this Beta Series security robot at Albatross with part of my own consciousness. I have been waiting for you to regain consciousness.」

Orca explained that her main body was at the pureblood supremacist forward base. While working there, she'd activated the Beta Series here, causing the residual consciousness she'd left in it to awaken.

Orca's sensors glinted.

「Again, I ask if you are able to converse. There is much you may want to ask this unit.」

In the past, she might have ended with "I assume" or "I expect," but now Orca spoke with certainty. And to be honest, just as she'd guessed, I did have some things to ask her.

"... Yeah, I do want to ask a few things."

I nodded and turned, walking down the corridor.

"Follow me. Let's talk in the storage room."

「Questioning why the storage room is necessary. You have not fully recovered and are advised to remain in the medical bay.」

"I'm hungry."

「... Acknowledged.」

With my short answer, Orca immediately understood—though she didn't necessarily agree. Her optical sensor flickered, as if scanning me again.

「You may gather enough supplies from the storage room and then return to the medical bay. The rest of the Albatross personnel are not yet aware you are conscious. If they learn you left the medical bay without notice, unfavorable consequences may occur.」

"I just wanted to walk for a bit since I can't sleep. I left a message, just in case. As long as you don't tell, nobody will know."

Carrot's warning to stay completely at rest echoed in my mind, but I figured a short walk would be all right by now. I really only intended to check the damage to Albatross myself—to see with my own eyes how and where things had broken down.

「Cannot guarantee secrecy. I was asked by pilot Roxy and several others to relay any and all events that might relate to you. When they awaken, I must report the events that occurred at this time. I respect you, but cannot ignore the pilot's orders.」

That meant any stubbornness or misbehavior on my part would be reported. I started in surprise and shouted.

"What? Why are you telling me this now?"

「For an amicable resolution, I had already given advice. You chose not to listen.」

Orca replied matter-of-factly that she had warned me not just once, but twice. I opened my mouth to protest—but could only barely move my lips, for she then shared the simulated likely outcomes.

Hearing nothing but troublesome scenarios, I asked quietly,

"... Then, would it be best if I quietly went back now?"

「Affirmative. That statement is now recorded in this unit. Anything further you say may be used against you. Again, returning calmly to the medical bay is recommended. I will bring all the supplies you need.」

"... Fine. Make sure you bring plenty. I seem to need a lot of energy to recover."

「Acknowledged.」

The Beta Series ready to go to the storage moved only after seeing me hesitating outside the medical bay. Nod, nod, I turned and went back inside—only after I entered did I hear it finally begin to move away.

My brief rebellion was quickly shut down by Orca. I placed Sprout back on the bed and deleted the message I'd left. Holding my rumbling stomach, I flopped onto the bed and lay facing the door, watching it as I waited impatiently.

Before long, the medical bay door opened. The Beta Series strode in carrying a supply container, pausing to look at me as I lay on my side, hands supporting my head. It seemed to be checking if I'd behaved.

"Give me food."

Scratching my belly as I spoke, Orca's "gaze" grew oddly expressive. To think it could show such a feeling with a plain sensor—were all the robots here so unrobotic? Feeling a bit prickly, I snapped at Orca.

"What are you doing? I said, give me food."

「... I recommend you change your posture. There are studies indicating that the way you are lying could negatively affect digestion.」

"Tch, you want a taste of my telekinesis? I'll get up on my own, just hurry up. I'm too hungry to move."

Of course, I still couldn't actually use my telekinesis, but I pretended I could. Truth be told, I really had no strength because of my hunger.

Orca shook her head. She set the supply box down next to my bed with care. After touching the box's panel, it opened automatically. Inside were neat rows of emergency rations—stick and pack types—and plenty of nutrition packs.

「If it's not enough, I can bring more.」

"No, this should be plenty."

I instantly tore open one of the sticks and crunched it in my mouth. Its texture was like a cracker, filling my mouth. Orca placed a nutrition pack atop the lid, using it as a makeshift table. Her politeness remained unchanged.

With every calorie and bit of fluid I took in, I could feel my body recovering in real time. Noticing that, I ate like a person starved. Once I'd filled myself enough, my mind started to clear.

"Phew..."

「Have you acquired all the energy you need?」

"For now, yeah, but who knows if it'll last? I felt full earlier but it was gone in no time."

I curled and uncurled my hands as my strength returned. Looking now at the waiting Orca, I realized the urgent part was over—it was time for our talk.

"Orca, you said you're at the forward base right now."

「Affirmative.」

"What about the others? Are they all there too?"

「Affirmative. Everyone out on external operation is working at the pureblood supremacists's forward base. At the moment, most are resting after collapsing from exhaustion during the resource gathering work.」

"Exhausted...."

I let out a sigh. It weighed on me, thinking I was the only one resting while everyone else worked.

I wanted to go there right away, but I barely held myself back by recalling what Carrot had said to me. They trusted me—that was why they were hanging on. What I needed to focus on now was recovery, so I could clear the blocked path to the sky.

「The prolonged circumstances from the previous battle caused this depletion. As much as possible, the Beta Series models are handling the work, so recovery from exhaustion is expected soon.」

That was at least reassuring. There were plenty of Beta Series models at Albatross, so progress shouldn't be too slow, even if not everyone at the forward base was involved.

"Was there any combat? I'd think there'd be at least some troops left at the forward base."

「The pureblood supremacist force at the forward base wasn't large.」

Orca explained that there hadn't been significant fighting during the base takeover. The defense systems had been operational, but Roxy's sabotage had disabled them temporarily, and in that gap, the Beta Series had quickly seized the base.

"So the forces that gathered at the Archive are basically all that were left for Titan. Or are there other bases?"

「It can be considered the main force. Searching the forward base's database, no evidence was found of other pureblood supremacist bases on Titan.」

That made sense; there probably wasn't something like a flagship for the supremacists elsewhere. Besides, the flagship that had shown up even had a giant mutant Nest attached, didn't it?

"There are probably more supremacist forces in orbit—any chance they'll descend to Titan?"

「It's unlikely at the moment. The energy field sealing Titan is shutting out everything, not just communications. Because it's different from a typical energy field, it's considered extremely unlikely any supremacist group could enter.」

"That's a relief—or maybe not. Anyway, how about supplies? If they brought their main force, the base should be nearly empty now."

「Most of the new warships and equipment from the Titan military base are gone. They were destroyed in the Archive battle. What's left at the forward base is mostly old supplies, but still serviceable. Currently, engineer Kyle is leading a team to improve them for immediate use.」

Orca added that after emergency repairs at the forward base, some of their personnel would be heading to the mining base Heaven—more specifically, the nearby robot production facility.

"... Robot production facility? Oh, you want to bring over the security robots produced there?"

「Affirmative. The supremacist force on Titan is presumed to be wiped out. Most of what remains in that facility will be mutants. The Purification Protocol is not yet finished. The robot factory is likely still producing security robots and fighting infected even now. We are planning to recover any remaining forces there.」

Anything that could be scraped together had to be gathered. Only then could they even hope to balance the heavily tipped scales.

「This unit will be at the center of the operation.」

"Right, I trust you'll handle that, Orca."

「Acknowledged.」

After hearing the situation from Orca, I fell into silence for a while in thought. I understood the gist of things. Now, only the origin of the existence that had closed the sky remained to discuss.

"So, what's the story? That monstrous thing that barely even looks like a tree."

The Beta Series's sensors flashed rapidly as Orca's consciousness processed the question. Then, her voice flowed out.

「Access to information is restricted. Without highest-level administrator approval, this data is inaccessible.」

Even under these circumstances, they wouldn't tell me? I frowned—but the voice continued, so I listened closely.

「Purification Protocol is active. Archive's main system and seal have been destroyed. Security compromised. Critical threat detected. As a result, emergency manual execution initiated. Temporary clearance granted for assigned restricted information.」

「All queries and records are automatically transferred to the designated Archive. Warning: This clearance may be revoked at any time, depending on future developments.」

「Invasion Tree: the official name of the entity that appeared on Titan is Ulkazir.」

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