Chapter 161: Virtual Love Interest × Legion Commander (18): "Don’t Court a Robot, That’s Seriously Creepy!"

[What's going on? The military base got hacked?]

[Why am I getting chills? Did this sci-fi novel suddenly turn into a supernatural one? That's not even a popular genre among Zergs! That's the kind of thing only those spirit races that specialize in Psychic Power enjoy!]

[Even novels about spirit races don't have this kind of atmosphere.]

[Hurry up and catch the intruder! Otherwise I'm worried about Lord Roy's data!]

[Shouldn't you be more worried about military secrets?]

[Someone else can worry about those. Lord Roy is more important!]

...

【With that unsettling feeling of being watched hanging over him, Morris headed straight to the Information Technology Department and asked them to investigate.

What made his skin crawl the most was that even after entering the department's central control room, he could still feel those eyes on him.

Streams of densely packed data flowed across countless holographic displays.

It didn't take long for the information specialists to notice something unusual.

An enormous unknown stream of data had appeared inside the military base's network.

It simply stayed there, barely moving.

As if it were lying down for a nap.

Or quietly observing.

A strange description surfaced in Morris's mind.

He knew he shouldn't be describing a string of data with such everyday language.

Yet he couldn't help thinking that way.

The information specialists immediately began trying to intercept and decrypt it.

From Morris's perspective, countless streams of data surrounded it, launching attacks.

The massive data stream seemed startled.

Its flow suddenly accelerated, like a frightened little animal whose fur had instantly puffed up.

For just a moment...

Morris actually found himself worrying about it.

The enormous unfamiliar data stream darted frantically through the network, occasionally swatting away clusters of attacking code.

Then, in a single instant...

It stopped.

And disappeared from the military network entirely.

The specialists were stunned.

No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find even the slightest trace of it.

Just as suddenly as it had appeared...

It had vanished without leaving behind any clues.

They found nothing.

The feeling of being watched disappeared along with it.

Oddly enough...

Morris felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

Along with an uneasy irritation he couldn't quite explain.

The information specialists continued strengthening the firewall and searching for traces of the intruder.

After giving a few instructions, Morris left the department.

He strode quickly back toward his officers' quarters.

It was as though some instinct was urging him onward.

The moment he pushed open the door...

He sensed something strange again.

Different from the feeling of being watched earlier.

A different sort of oddness.

Inside the first-floor living room...

A robot was cleaning.

It had a round egg-shaped body that hovered slightly above the floor.

Two mechanical arms extended from its middle, each equipped with different tools.

One arm cleaned the sofa while the other arranged the cushions.

Crossing his arms, Morris silently watched it for a while before saying,

"That brush is for cleaning the kitchen."

The robot froze.

Then, in an instant, seven or eight different tools shot out simultaneously.

They all started moving at once.

It hurriedly retracted them one after another before finally selecting a vacuum cleaner and awkwardly continuing to clean the sofa.

As though it really were just a diligent household robot.

...What exactly is this thing?

Morris fell into deep suspicion.

How could an intruder be this slow-witted?

Was it missing a few screws?

"Enough. Stop pretending. Your disguise is unbelievably terrible. Tell me—what exactly are you after?"

Morris stared coldly at the robot.

The robot suddenly stopped moving.

Then turned around...

And lunged straight at him.

Attacking him?

Seriously?

"Morrissss~~~"

Morris, who had nearly twisted the robot's head clean off with one hand, forcibly stopped himself.

The robot crashed directly into his arms.

Its mechanical voice had shifted in pitch, deliberately dragging out the final syllable in an outrageously affectionate tone that was enough to make any Zerg's hair stand on end.

Morris's hand remained resting atop the robot's head.

He hesitated.

Should he twist it off...

Or not?

Meanwhile, the robot rubbed itself enthusiastically against him.

Its behavior was strangely similar to a certain Male Zerg who had buried his head against him during physiological awakening.

An utterly absurd possibility surfaced in Morris's mind.

His eyes widened in horror.

He stared at the round little robot wriggling against his chest.

"Roy?!"

"Morris is mean. You only recognized me now."

The robot's tiny iron fist delivered a heavy punch to his chest.

Then it shoved the vacuum cleaner against his chin like a gun.

"And you even teamed up with those bad Zergs to attack me. They stabbed my skin with all that code."

"M..."

Morris was speechless.

How was he supposed to know that had been Roy?

Wasn't Roy inside the game?

How had he come out?

Not bothering to think about any of that for the moment, Morris hurriedly asked after hearing Roy mention being attacked.

"Were you hurt? Did it hurt?"

"Hmph."

Roy withdrew the vacuum cleaner before jabbing Morris several times in the waist with it.

"It didn't hurt. Those things couldn't even pierce my skin. But they were really annoying.

Just like this."

He poked Morris again.

Morris felt the force against his waist.

To a high-ranking female like him, it was practically negligible.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Wanting to examine Roy more closely, he instinctively reached to pick him up.

Then he looked down at the round robot.

...

He suddenly had no idea where he was supposed to grab it.

"What kind of expression is that?!"

An angry emoji appeared on the robot's display.

Roy viciously poked him in the spine.

"You dislike me now!

You're one of those females who only care about looks!

Without a handsome face you don't love me anymore!"

Was that really the issue here?

Morris didn't dare argue.

Instead, he picked up the flailing robot Roy and placed him on the sofa.

Roy immediately protested.

"I already cleaned this side.

You're not allowed to sit here."

Using the kitchen brush.

Although it technically wasn't dirty...

It still felt psychologically wrong.

Morris could only carry him over to the other side before sitting down.

"How did you get out of the game?" Morris asked with concern.

"I just came out somehow."

Roy answered casually.

Seeing how worried Morris looked, he thought seriously for a moment before giving a more careful explanation.

"There's a connection between us.

Maybe because of the psychic mark.

When you logged out, I followed that tiny connection...

And slipped out.

Then I became...

A string of data?"

Morris silently thought:

That wasn't just a string of data.

It was an enormous mass of data.

He was astonished that Roy had managed to appear in his world this way.

At the same time...

He was frightened by how close he'd come to hurting him.

He had always known Roy was different.

Never just an ordinary virtual program.

But seeing Roy standing before him in reality...

Still felt unbelievable.

Morris quietly studied Roy.

He simply couldn't look enough.

Even the round robot egg somehow began looking surprisingly handsome.

Meanwhile, the robot's built-in AI automatically analyzed Morris's expression.

Eventually...

It reached a conclusion so shocking that Roy almost lost his mind.

"Y-you...

Don't court a robot.

That's seriously creepy."

Roy hurriedly raised a mechanical arm to block Morris's eyes.

Too terrifying.

He wasn't mentally prepared yet.

How was he supposed to use this body?

"Ahem."

Morris coughed awkwardly and lowered the mechanical arm blocking his face...

Along with the vacuum cleaner attached to its end.

Even the vacuum cleaner somehow looked adorable when Roy was holding it.

"I wasn't courting you."

Roy didn't believe him for a second.

He scooted farther away from Morris.

Just in case Morris tried to violate his pure, innocent little robot body.

Morris had no choice but to explain,

"If you don't like this body, we can have another one custom-made.

There are fully humanoid robotic bodies.

As long as your appearance data is uploaded, they can make one that's identical to you."

Roy thought that sounded like a pretty good idea.

At least it was better than looking like an egg.

"But we'll have to wait another two days," Morris said.

"I can't leave the training base yet, so I have no way to contact anyone outside."

Mainly because the Marshal had refused to approve his leave request.

Morris could only wait another two days until the closed training session ended.

Roy didn't mind waiting.

But Morris's words reminded him of something.

As a unique electronic lifeform, Roy could freely travel through data networks.

He could also read enormous amounts of information from them.

Most of it bored him, so he ignored it entirely.

Except anything related to Morris.

Those he always read.

Roy looked at Morris.

Silently, he searched through the robot's collection of tools for a suitable interrogation weapon.

Eventually...

He selected a spatula.

Holding the spatula in front of Morris, he slowly forced him to lean backward.

Grinding his teeth, Roy demanded,

"I saw you apply for marriage leave, Morris.

So...

Who were you planning to marry?

Which Male Zerg in the real world?"

The more he spoke...

The angrier he became.

"Very nice, Morris!

You're acting all lovey-dovey with me inside the game, chasing after me...

And meanwhile you've already planned to marry another Male Zerg in real life!

Heartless female!

Cheating scumbag!

I'm breaking up with you!"】