Crackle! Crackle!
Jelly had touched something inside the Sphere, and I unleashed all of it towards that spot.
Eventually, sparks flew in all directions, and the thing began to violently shake.
At the same time, I managed to evade the lasers that had been targeting me.
So.
The battle between me melting into a jelly puddle from the lasers or breaking it – for now, I’d come out on top.
But since the lasers were still being emitted, it seemed I hadn’t achieved a complete victory.
Still, I thought that if I could somehow neutralize Core, presumed to be the leader, things would work out.
I pushed my jelly tentacles into its vital areas and stirred as much as I could.
Crackle! Crackle!
In that moment, sparks flew again.
[$)!$!]
A voice of some sort emerged from the Sphere.
It was incomprehensible.
As if sensing my concern,
[Permission @re$% active…]
The voice began to transform into something I could understand.
Strangely, it wasn’t Korean, which was built into my mind by default.
Though I couldn’t identify it, it was definitely not Korean.
Even so, I gradually began to understand what it was saying.
It felt incredibly odd.
But when has anything the Singularities did ever been ordinary?
I simply accepted it as it was.
After all, it probably wasn’t something I could comprehend anyway.
Instead, I focused on what I could do.
I kept stuffing more jelly tentacles into its vital areas, stirring inside.
I was unsure of the precise effect of my actions, but it was clear that I was causing some change.
Eventually, all the lasers stopped.
Gurgle, gurgle, crackle!
[Higher @ authority change @$]
Its body, hovering in midair, plunged to the ground like a sinking ship. Now, I could understand even more.
For some reason, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
I wasn’t entirely sure what it was saying, but it gave me the feeling that it was good news for me.
So this was why machines sometimes get fixed when you beat them up.
No matter how special a Singularity, it seemed some universal truths held sway.
The thing, which had been emitting a red light, had transitioned to orange, then yellow, and finally,
With a green light,
[Reset complete.]
It emitted a crisp voice.
Eventually,
[Administrator, please withdraw your physical assets. More damage… More damage may lead to irreversible consequences.]
Was it talking to me?
The awkward title and polite request made me feel somewhat strange.
While debating whether to do as it asked, I suddenly heard an increasingly urgent voice.
[Administrator? Administrator? Administrator? Administrator?]
The tone was steady but without variation, and the repeated titles gave a slightly eerie feeling.
After a moment of thought, I retracted the tentacles.
Even while doing so, I considered that it might just be pretending.
Thus, though I retracted my tentacles, I kept my body tensed, ready to extend them again at any moment.
Just in case I might need to thrust the tentacles back into its body.
There was also one reason I hadn’t destroyed it completely yet.
If by any chance I had become its administrator or something,
…Could I repair the facility just like I had repaired this iron snake?
The facility, which I’d glanced at, was in shambles.
Despite Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo seemingly having some success in restoring it, only the electricity had returned – the holes and the broken interior were untouched.
Could Kim Cheon-soo fix all that alone?
Hmm… I didn’t think so.
Given the fact that other people hadn’t come despite the time that had passed, it seemed there was a reason the two had brought me here alone.
Since I quite liked the life here,
I figured it was worth betting on this somewhat risky gamble.
…Although, since I could overturn the table at will, it might be less dangerous than I thought.
Though it felt like the thoughts of a gambling addict, I ignored it.
Anyhow,
The Sphere, freed from the tentacles, wobbled, dripping viscous fluid as it rose into the air.
I, meanwhile, lowered my stance to prepare for propulsion.
A voice sounded again,
[That was close, Administrator.]
Its attitude was as polite as before.
…Though it was unsettling when it repeated the same phrases, it sounded tolerable now.
After staring at it for a while and motioning with my hand, the gently floating Sphere descended and approached me.
Hm.
Had the gamble paid off?
I wasn’t entirely sure yet, but it was clearly cooperating with me.
However, there was one issue.
[Administrator?]
It kept talking to me,
Yet I couldn’t reply since I can’t speak.
And there was no paper around.
…
Inside the relatively intact control room,
Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo, along with Jelly, crowded around the control panels, staring at the enormous mass of scrap metal displayed on the big screen.
Kim Cheon-soo who had returned after doing all he could, as well as Han Seori who had been observing the situation from the start, were both watching the screen with uneasy eyes.
A fair amount of time had passed since 7496 – KR had gone inside that, but the huge lump of steel remained unchanged.
The fact that it wasn’t moving meant the worst might have been avoided, but the lack of any response was making the two increasingly restless.
The scrap didn’t move, but neither had 7496 – KR emerged yet.
With no way to know whether it was destroying the thing or struggling within, there was a suffocating anxiety.
“What should we take in there?”
“Can we really do it with the equipment we have here?”
“Unlikely… probably.”
Understanding Kim Cheon-soo’s unease, Han Seori didn’t reprimand him.
She merely chewed her lips softly out of frustration.
“Eh?”
Suddenly,
A relatively large Sphere appeared from the cracks in the metal, floating gently.
Seeing this strange machine emerge, unlike 7496 – KR, Han Seori froze with a lump in her throat, and Kim Cheon-soo’s face turned pale like jelly.
“Th-That!”
Then Han Seori, as if noticing something, pointed at the screen while clutching her mouth.
Attached to the gently floating machine was 7496 – KR.
Relieved by the healthy sight of it, Han Seori slumped to the floor.
When it eventually touched the ground, 7496 – KR landed and looked around.
Then, together with the Sphere, it began heading somewhere.
Staring dumbfounded at the scene, Kim Cheon-soo muttered in a hesitant tone.
“What on earth is going on?”
“…Hmm. Perhaps… it seems they’re heading this way. Maybe things went well?”
“…Even the doctor doesn’t know everything?”
At that, Han Seori’s face turned slightly red and she shouted.
“O-of course! There are still unknown Singularities appearing, so how can I know everything?”
“Aha… It was a joke. Don’t be so upset.”
As Kim Cheon-soo chuckled seeing an unusual side of Han Seori, Han Seori glared at him unhappily for a moment before suddenly letting out a sigh.
“Why are you saying that? Didn’t it all go well?”
Thinking he might have crossed a line, Kim Cheon-soo carefully spoke.
Han Seori, amused by his quick mood shift, smiled faintly.
“It seems fine, but… the issue is the current state of the Laboratory. It’s questionable whether we can even keep using this place after tidying up.”
“Ah…”
Having roamed around to repair things, Kim Cheon-soo immediately understood what Han Seori meant.
The current state of the Laboratory was similar to a tent stitched together from scraps.
They had barely managed to restore the electricity, but red lights outnumbered the green ones in status reports for the Laboratory.
If it were a regular Laboratory… the contained Singularities would have likely burst out, leading to unimaginable events.
‘…Should we be thankful there’s no one else around?’
Kim Cheon-soo and Han Seori let out a sigh filled with emotions somewhere between relief and sadness.
Eventually,
The door to the control room opened, and 7496 – KR and the large Sphere floated inside.
Regaining her composure, Han Seori looked at the Sphere.
Something you’d expect to see in a science fiction medium.
So that was inside the massive iron snake.
…Despite its destructive appearance, it actually looked rather cute.
As the two watched it tensely, 7496 – KR, together with the Sphere, approached them.
The tension they’d felt eased somewhat as they saw it apparently controlling the Sphere.
While they had no idea how it had done it, it appeared 7496 – KR had managed to resolve the situation.
Though neither had experienced raising a child, it must feel something like this when a grown child comes back after succeeding.
There was even a sense of satisfaction.
As they watched 7496 – KR tapping the Sphere, curiosity grew.
Why was it doing that?
As the two wondered,
The Sphere began blinking brightly and made a beeping sound.
[Beep beep beep blip.]
“Hm?”
“Hmm?”
The two heard a consistent mechanical sound ringing in their ears.
While it had a tone somewhat like a human voice, it was incomprehensible, only sparking perplexity.
Seeing that Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo couldn’t understand it, 7496 – KR appeared increasingly confused.
A brief silence enveloped the control room.
—
