Chapter 4

– It’s a farewell, Miss Anastasia. –

At that low declaration, chills ran down my spine.

Electric currents coursed through my bare body, something I had been desperately trying to ignore. The terror and tension I had just managed to overcome tightened around me once more.

“What… what does that mean?”

– It means precisely what I said. The installation status of the biological implant is perfect. Cyberware compatibility and application ability have been verified. According to the experimental rules devised by the doctor, it is time to move on to the next phase of the project: measuring the combat ability of the modified human. –

Click… click…!

Crackle…!! Bang!

He walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the operating room and roughly yanked the locked storage compartment open.

The mangled metal was thrown aside, and the contents inside the cabinet were tossed at me.

“Ugh?!”

A bundle of black cloth covered my face.

I couldn’t see well enough due to my obscured vision, but there were several hard objects scattered on the operating table.

– A prototype hyper combat suit from Heirong Corp and a model pistol called The Peace Maker, along with spare magazines, and… some standard combat rations. Once you have equipped everything, please come out into the hallway, and we will begin the experiment. –

“?! …Hey! Wait!!”

The one who didn’t even listen to my words coldly left the operating room.

I was truly grateful for the clothes that had been gathered for me… but it was hard to maintain my composure as too much ominous information was handed to me all at once.

If Exatech is the best in robotics and Heirong is the leader in military equipment, then the Enema Corporation is the psychopaths leading the way in human experimentation and modification among all Mega Corps. If… just if, the experiments developing the numerous modified humans from the game are currently underway…?

What if that droid had deliberately healed me to bring me here as part of a controlled variable for the experimental protocol…?

“Ugh… ugh…!”

I took a deep breath to calm my trembling hands.

Concerns could wait. First, it was a priority to check the items I had been given.

No matter how small my body was, I wondered if these black sports bra and panties would actually fit… but as I slid them on my limbs, they stretched and adhered without gaps. They were slightly too loose, but similarly tailored for this body were a black jacket and pants, and finally, a pair of combat boots.

Beep… beep….

The cyberware installed with the implant analyzed the material and purpose of the clothes I had put on. Carbon nanofiber… fiberglass… ballistic fiber… even photo-curable resin. Damn, this was really a combination of bulletproof and combat gear.

“……. Don’t joke with me…!”

I had never even contemplated enjoying the cyberpunk world I loved. An apocalypse ruled by iron, gunpowder, and money was a farce from a distance, but once it struck us, it had become a terrible tragedy.

Yet… just as I had prepared myself, it would try to end my life like this…?

Click!

I picked up the Peace Maker automatic pistol from the holster on my thigh and ejected the magazine to check it.

The helpful cyberware informed me of how much ammunition was left even while it was still assembled, but now that I considered this my only lifeline, I couldn’t bear not to see it directly.

[ The Peace Maker. Semi-automatic Pistol. Black Dragon Corp. 17/17 ]

“Only 17 rounds…?”

If I counted the extra magazine I had received as an act of kindness, that made 34 rounds. If the subject was human, it might be enough, but looking at the boastful tin can’s demeanor… the answer was already clear.

Creak…!!

“Did you think I would lose…!”

Early Anastasia is certainly not omnipotent. However, she was a combination of everything I knew about Neo Haven, so using that would surely yield a competitive victory plan.

Clang…!! Rattle…

As I roughly shoved the magazine into the pocket of my jacket, I accidentally dropped something near it. The identity of the object rolling on the cold operating room floor was… a can.

This must be the combat ration or something…

I didn’t understand why they’d given me MREs while setting conditions that would make it hard for me to last even a minute.

Whether it was due to the tension ahead of the potential bad ending or the lingering nausea from the nasty culture fluid, I was not particularly hungry, so I tried to ignore it and leave for the hallway when the cyberware message, which couldn’t gauge the user’s feelings, popped up again.

Beep…!

[ Pure 100% Potato Salad Can ]

[ Bread Can – Jelly Pie Version ]

“…… Huh?”

…Is this combat food? It really brought only a bitter laugh. How amusing… how entertaining.

This android must have thought I was a joke…! I should show him the fear of someone who has truly lost everything.

Stomp stomp. As I stepped out into the hallway filled with white light, the mechanical voice of the carebot greeted me.

– Explanation of combat ability measurement principles for sample number RoTG-71214 modified human. Item 1: The participating test subject will go to the training bunker at the end of the hallway for survival. Item 2: Considering the armed imbalance, the droid will not initiate pursuit until 30 minutes have passed. Item 3: The experiment will continue until one side has reached inoperability. Any questions? –

“…… Okay. What does inoperability mean?”

– For the droid, it refers to the destruction of the Main Core or central processing unit. For the test subject, it refers to the destruction of the central nervous system. Can we begin the experiment? –

…He certainly only spoke terrifying words until the end.

“Then… what if I do this!”

Click…!

I drew the Peace Maker from my thigh holster and aimed it directly at it.

– ……. –

“……”

The red scanner blinked again, and the silence stretched on.

Had I been caught thinking I wouldn’t shoot? Knowing that this girl would not damage the key components with a rapid-firing pistol? It seemed… showing off in front of machines was a futile endeavor.

“Ha… fine. I’ll run away quietly. Is that okay?”

– Thank you for your active cooperation, sample number RoTG-71214. Then, Wednesday, July 15, 2195, at 11:34 PM. The combat ability measurement… –

Bang!!

Just before it finished speaking, I kicked off the floor of the hallway and lunged forward.

Ah, the hyper combat suit of my future Chinese friends. Even with my physical abilities at rock bottom, it helped me approach the droid at a pretty good speed.

– That is a rule violation. –

Crackle…!!

The thing stormed forward, nearly uprooting all the floor tiles. As if realizing what disaster it had brought upon itself, the saw blade attached to its mechanical arm spun terrifyingly, and the barrel aimed at my head.

But… only the safe and delicately manipulatable arms and pincers targeted me.

Wham!

– !! –

My knees went weak. Suddenly slamming on the brakes, I leaned back. If I continued as I was, I would either be engulfed in shattered debris, my pretty body turning into ragged cloth, get severely injured by the threatening saw blade, or topple over and crack my head open—one of those three.

Naturally, the one who had no real intention of harming me wrapped its arms around me and tumbled down the hallway.

Kabam!

– What the hell is this &*%^(&…?! –

“Dear god…! A ridiculously expensive natural food can! A dumb tin can trying to brush it off as simple combat rations has to get some discipline from a human!!”

The CPU of the humanoid carebot is typically located in the head. The CPU of the spider-like droid is usually in the torso. This time, to firmly gain control, I placed both hands on its neck and activated the prepared trait.

Trait: SLI Syndrome

A signal that can be emitted at will, attempting to hack any electronic device within reach. However, you will always be exposed to location detection by electromagnetic waves.

Trait: Laboratory-Born

Intelligence levels and compatibility with all biological implants will max out. However, all interactions with characters will start from a dislike of -10 and you will always be chased by corporate pursuers.

The electric signals from my will penetrated through the fingertips gripping its neck into the android’s circuits. Although I didn’t have a readily accessible network or hacking tool to assist me, there was no need to break through a complicated security system here.

I simply needed it to recognize that I needed it! This tin can assumed the excuse of an experiment and frightened me! I just had to demand a detailed explanation from the tin can that was trying to lead me to the bunker first!

“Order of the primary commander engraved!! The droid will cease all actions and is prohibited from evading answers or lying to all given questions!”

– …Confirmation of commands from the surviving primary commander received. Switching to standby mode. –

As the mechanical arms that had been supporting me loosened, my body tumbled to the floor. Without the suit, I could have injured myself foolishly. But there was no time to hesitate. An AI with self-awareness could overlay its own code, so if I didn’t continuously hack it, it would quickly break free from my control.

“Okay… Why did you hide your name?”

– A chick that has just hatched from an egg can regard the first entity it meets as its mother and follow it, which Dr. expressed concerns about. Forming an excessive attachment to the android would not aid Miss Anastasia’s survival in any way. –

“……What are these cans, then?”

– A gift from Dr. Markovich for Miss Anastasia. He mentioned that they are traditional birthday foods from one of the archaic states, Russia. –

“…….”

I bit my lip.

So this was also for me… and that was also for me… Rage swelled up. I may not have known the ways of the world, but I was not a laboratory rat.

“Last question. Are there already seekers from the Enema Corporation above…?”

– ……. –

Thud…!

Without answering, it abruptly exited standby mode and sprang to its feet.

Yeah… I knew it. Once the illustrious Mega Corp realized that they still had assets, they would definitely try to recover them.

– There is a one-person escape pod prepared in the bunker. –

“If I can safely escape using that, do you know how I should live afterward? If you want to help me that badly, then at least live until the end and protect my side. Don’t foolishly chatter away and get shattered while fighting the seekers on your own!!”

– …. –

Seeing me vent everything I had inside and huffing, it finally changed the protocols.

– In the upper levels of the laboratory, there are still operational defensive systems and turrets remaining. If you can hack the pursuit unit’s system access from the control room, I will do my best to resist using all equipment. –

“Now you’re finally making some sense…!”

Still cold, but feeling much more human-like than before, the mechanical arm wrapped around me.

Thud thud thud thud thud…!!

In an instant, our tin can, having brought the target to the laboratory’s surface via the elevator corridor, left me in the empty control room and disappeared to retrieve additional arms. On the monitoring screen of the control room, seekers approaching aboard hovercrafts were already starting to appear.

Additional arms that are absolutely necessary in this situation. What could they be…?

The truth was, being a simple caretaker robot, even though it had been modified with Exatech parts, there was still a lingering sense of unease about confronting the corporate attack dogs.

Beep…!

[ Main system access confirmed, identity identified… Welcome, Miss Anastasia. ]

Using the fabricated employee identity that the doctor allegedly left behind after dramatically self-destructing in the basement, I accessed the mainframe of the laboratory.

Since this was an unanticipated live combat scenario, I thought it would be good to practice a bit more with touch panel operations and electric signal management, so I called up the inventory of items stored in the hangar…

This… this dumb tin can! It had these kinds of things and only gave me a single handgun…?

It was truly absurd…!

– To establish the final defense line for the Enema Corporation laboratory, initiating control of discarded droids and external weaponized Goliath combination. Miss Anastasia, are you ready? –

“……Not as much as you are.”

– Recalculating Miss Anastasia’s survival probability…. 63%. That won’t be enough. –

I answered as bluntly as I could to the incoming communication, but our distinguished tin can seemed preoccupied with preparing to greet the approaching seekers cautiously.

Beeeeeping—!

With an enormous sound, assault rifles were loaded, and red lights flickered to life in the bodies of the robots that had been powered off.