The androids presented by City D, the Dragon Bone Soldier, have the following specifications: an AI capable of seamless conversation and quick situational judgment, durability that withstands hits from large caliber machine guns, immense strength capable of lifting a vehicle, and telepathic-level communication abilities.
At this point, they’re practically equivalent to a B-grade hero! But what’s even more shocking is the price City D set. They offered these amazing androids for only $199 each.
Considering that Evilus Corporation was planning to sell their Evilusroids for $1,099, it’s an outrageous price. There was no way to profit at such a cost. It felt like a ridiculous price tag aimed at cornering the market, hoping to at least break even on scrap value.
Naturally, the boss had no intention of playing a chicken game with City D.
“What should we do, boss?”
“We’re already selling at a loss… Should we increase performance or lower the price? That’s absurd.”
“Then do we give up on City W?”
“We have no choice. By the way, it’s surprising. Who knew there was someone who could create an android better than you, scientist?”
“No, I’m just maximizing the performance I can provide within the limited price—”
“Ah, got it! I misspoke!”
I was not at all fazed. The boss’s words were factual, logical, and utterly crushing. I merely stated the truth, and there was no way the truth could hurt my feelings.
So, the boss’s apology was misguided. It was my error for insisting she was wrong.
“City D’s Dragon Bone Soldier…”
My hands naturally moved as I accessed Dragon Corporation’s homepage. Once there, I realized their security was as wide open as a welcoming gate, allowing me to see all their classified materials.
Just as peeking through an unbarred gate isn’t illegal, bypassing a security that was practically an open door wasn’t either. If they didn’t want people to look inside, they should’ve locked the doors!
Like a fish in water, I freely swam through the trove of classified documents. There were loads of information that could cost a life if a civilian found out. But one thing caught all of my attention.
“Dragon Bone Soldier… Dragon Bone Soldier…”
The latest android released by Dragon Corporation. That information was my sole interest.
As I scanned through the classified materials, I soon managed to snoop on the Dragon Bone Soldier.
What kind of specs did this absurdly cost-effective robot, which was set to replace the Evilusroids in maintaining order in City W, have? As I eagerly looked through the data, I suddenly paused, tilting my head in confusion.
“What is this?”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, repeatedly scrolling through the information.
Yet, even after checking ten or a hundred times, the numbers written in the documents never changed.
“…This is a scam?”
As a scientist, I unequivocally declared.
With this spec, it couldn’t even match 1% of the performance claimed by Dragon Corporation.
But in City W, Dragon Bone Soldiers were already operational, upholding the peace.
The implication of this was clear.
Either the documents before me were false, or the androids weren’t androids at all.
The instinct of a scientist shouted that it was the latter.
* * *
“Want to investigate D’s androids? Scientist… didn’t you say you’d already let it go? It’s manly to not cling on too much, you know.”
Unfortunately, the easiest route had been blocked. The boss seemed to have given up on the androids from City W and the Dragon Corporation that ruled over the city.
It felt like she thought I was bizarrely fixating on them after having been defeated.
Feeling wronged, I decided to look into it secretly without telling the boss. To be honest, I didn’t want to go this far…
“To sell something that’s not science as science?”
That was something I absolutely couldn’t condone as a scholar. I couldn’t let it slide for the sake of the many other scientists out there. If they’d boldly called it a superpower, I wouldn’t have had this fixation.
But since this was something I couldn’t tell others, I decided to hide it from Vira, who often blurted about anything to the boss, and proposed to Levitan to sneak over to City W.
“─Hooeeng!? Hey, what did you just say…?”
“I asked you to come to City W with me.”
“I’ll get ready right away!”
The oddly excited Levitan returned shortly after, pulling a suitcase. As I looked on, wondering what elaborate preparations she was making, I headed to City W with her.
Levitan took the wheel. Her driving skills weren’t that impressive, but she didn’t cause any accidents either. What she lacked was driving skills, not motor coordination.
“Lev, Levitan! In front! In front!”
“Don’t worry-!”
Levitan super-accelerated and braked precariously, as if her soul was flying off. Every time she squeezed between lanes, horns and curses followed us from behind.
While I was silently cursing from the passenger seat, Levitan sang a tune, solely focused on getting to City W as fast as possible.
Before long, we arrived in City W, but my mind was still rocketing down the highway. When I stepped out of the vehicle, I gasped for breath, feeling the effects of the planet’s rotation and orbit.
“I should just drive next time…”
I resolved not to ride in Levitan’s car again, when suddenly someone approached me and offered something.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh? Ah, yes… thank you.”
I wondered what they were handing me, and it turned out to be a bottle of water. Taking it slowly, I twisted the cap and savored the cool water. It wasn’t freezing enough to send shivers down my spine, but it was enough to help me regain my senses.
After downing the water, I cautiously looked at the man who had given it to me. I now noticed he was wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an automatic rifle.
I wondered if he was a soldier or a police officer maintaining order, but that wasn’t the case. Upon reading the letters “DBS-33” on his vest, I froze.
“Are you…”
“I’m Dragon Bone Soldier 33. Nice to meet you.”
“Dragon Bone Soldier…”
They said it had an AI capable of seamless conversation. They certainly lived up to that. Until I saw the letters “Dragon” on his vest, I could hardly sense he wasn’t human.
At the same time, I was also sure he wasn’t an android. I didn’t sense that distinct aura or vibe of robotics that comes from androids, whether from strong AI or super AI, emanating from him.
Instead, he gave off an impression characteristic of biological enhancements. In other words, he was closer to enhanced soldiers or beastkin like Levitan and Galm…
“Hey, move behind me.”
“Huh? Uh… okay.”
“You really don’t need to be on guard. Our Dragon Bone Soldiers were dispatched to maintain order in City W. We won’t harm anyone unless they pose a threat to that order.”
After hearing that, I fell silent and regarded the man standing before me. I remembered that I could check if he wasn’t a robot based on what he said.
“─So, what if we are villains who threaten the order?”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to apprehend you and escort you to the Hero Association. However… you two are not registered in the association’s database.”
“Yes. That’s right. We’re just good citizens.”
In that moment, I hacked into the Hero Association’s database. And in just under 0.1 seconds, during that brief flicker of 0s and 1s, I registered our faces as villains before deleting the entry.
If this person in front of me was truly a computer-brained AI, he shouldn’t miss such a long duration. But if he was more like a bio-weapon than a computer circuit, then he wouldn’t catch the fleeting slip-up.
And just as I had thought, Unit 33 looked at us without showing any reaction. Gotcha, fake!
“─I’d like to make a donation.”
“A donor, I see. Judging by the vehicle you arrived in, I expect your donation will be quite significant. The refugees in City W will be very pleased…”
“Could you come along to collect the donation?”
“Of course. We can easily carry the weight of a single vehicle.”
So, together with Unit 33, I moved to a spot where no one was watching. I signaled Levitan, who, despite lacking intelligence, had great reflexes. In an instant, she knocked out Unit 33 and looked at me with perked ears.
For reasons I didn’t understand, she embodied the spirit of acting first and questioning later. I smiled at her.
“Levitan, good job.”
“Hehe! But why did you suddenly want me to knock him out?”
“I have something to find out.”
Once I laboriously stuffed Unit 33 into the trunk, I looked at Levitan again. I had just sworn to never ride in her car again, but… there was no helping it now.
After all, she was excellent in one aspect: speed.
“Let’s head back, Levitan.”
“…Huh? Already?”
“Yes. I got what I needed.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“I promise you’ll get plenty of praise if we make it on time.”
“Even from the Young Lady…?”
I nodded and fastened my seatbelt.
Excited, Levitan slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
After all, I never specified which Young Lady I was referring too.
‘─Dragon, huh…’
I recalled the gem that had hung from Arima’s necklace.
That gem, the size of a rock, emitting energy greater than nuclear power.
A baseless conviction began to form that this Dragon Soldier might have some connection to it.
“Boom-!”
Moments later, the vehicle shot off explosively.
