Chapter 86
Is this still a dream?
I had that thought for a moment as I listened to the Code Red broadcast.
However, I soon realized it was reality when I felt the squishy sensation of a pudding dangling atop my head.
Dominic remained firmly attached to my head, not falling off even as the android sprinted.
"Roasted Chestnut. It is a bit noisy. I am concerned that this may negatively affect your body while it is still recovering."
This is...a bit more than just ’noisy’.
I marveled at the pudding slime’s understatement and tried to move my body, but I couldn’t muster any strength.
When I woke up briefly earlier, I thought I was fine, but I was far from it.
Samra explained the situation to me in a calm voice that clashed with the surrounding chaos.
"Mr. Han Goyo, you have regained consciousness after approximately 14 days. I advise against any physical exertion."
...And as he said that, he sprinted down the hallway at an incredible speed, yet he didn’t collide with a single person or object.
"Samra! Stop for a moment!"
Soldiers tried to grab him here and there, but Samra evaded them all in an instant.
I was piggybacking on Samra’s back, feeling as if I hadn’t fully woken up from my sleep.
In the midst of this, a voice reached my ears.
"Goyo! Goyo, where are you? I’ll protect you!"
It was Ham Ji-wol from the Research Department searching for me.
Usually, she stuttered and spoke in a small voice, but right now, her pronunciation was crystal clear and her voice was as thunderous as a general’s.
Ham Ji-wol in this state was several times more dangerous than usual.
I quickly grabbed Samra’s neck and whispered.
"Go faster."
Samra seemed to agree with me and increased his speed.
Upon reaching the stairs, Samra leaped down to the lower floors.
I had vaguely assumed we would go to the roof to take a helicopter, so I was puzzled that we were heading downward.
At this point, I felt I had to ask.
"Um, Samra? Where are we going?"
"There is an escape route in the basement area connected to an adjacent building. We will move outside."
"What.. what if we hide inside the virtual space?"
"Not recommended. The longer one stays in the virtual space, the higher the possibility of cognitive impairment. Since your physical functions are currently degraded, Mr. Han Goyo, you are not suited to handle the mental load."
He spoke as if he had conducted experiments by putting multiple people into the virtual space.
"Furthermore, since physical movement is impossible within the virtual space, there is a risk of becoming trapped inside the Trial Response Agency. Among the various options, I have judged this to be the best course of action."
In the midst of this urgent situation, I couldn’t resist asking the thing I was most curious about.
"Is there a particular reason why you’re carrying me like this..?"
When I asked about this analog method of transport, Samra’s running speed slowed slightly.
Samra, who had answered everything promptly, took a moment before responding.
"I am most specialized in information retrieval. Other than that, I only possess combat functions for defensive purposes."
Since he was a cutting-edge android, I had vaguely imagined him transforming into something like a jet and flying away, but it seemed he lacked such a function.
In the face of the sudden terror attack, Samra chose piggybacking as the safest way to transport me.
It seemed he judged that the Special Task Team, the only ones truly reliable, were all out on missions, and that relying on other soldiers involved too much uncertainty.
’Is it because there’s a possibility that Ham Ji-wol or Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon might intervene?’
Especially the former; she was the type who could easily sneak me away somewhere under the cover of the commotion.
"I foresaw the terror attack, but CEO Cha of Pasung used a Trial item to create an error in my calculations."
Listening to the subsequent explanation, it seemed Samra had originally intended to let me recover in the hospital room as much as possible rather than evacuating me prematurely.
However, CEO Cha, who understood Samras style, caught him off guard using an item.
He used an incredibly rare consumable item to hide his movements.
Having temporarily slipped out of Samras information network, CEO Cha immediately launched a terror attack on the Agency.
’Androids make excuses too.’
Would it be an overstatement to say he sounded a bit wounded in his pride?
I kept that thought to myself for Samra’s sake and asked another question.
"But why did CEO Cha attack the Agency?"
CEO Cha does not act emotionally.
He wasn’t the type to fight a losing battle without a clear reason.
Just as I was thinking that there could be no reason significant enough to justify attacking the Agency-
"Code Red. Code Red. This is an actual situation. Code Re..."
Kzzzt!
The repeating broadcast suffered from noise and then cut off abruptly.
As the sirens, which had been loud enough to burst my eardrums, also stopped, a sudden silence fell over the Agency building.
Samra came to a dead stop and looked up at the ceiling.
His holographic eyes flickered.
"Samra."
A voice mixed with mechanical tones flowed through the speakers.
"Enough games. Hand him over before I blow up the entire Agency."
The calm tone showed no particular emotional excitement. That made it feel even colder.
CEO Cha asked.
"Where is Han Goyo?"
I doubted my ears.
I had heard when I visited Chairman Cheon Gang’s house that CEO Cha was looking for me.
But to launch a terror attack on the Agency just to find me?
What could be the reason for seeking me out to this extent?
And...
’What is he planning to do now!’
I couldn’t fathom why he would do this after openly committing an act of terror.
My head ached at my favorite’s insane behavior.
Suddenly, a surge of apology toward Mo Hae-in welled up inside me.
Was this how she felt when she looked at me like I was a lunatic?
’Captain Mo, I’ll treat you better from now on.’
As I apologized to Mo Hae-in in my head, Samra spoke calmly again.
"Once we have escaped the Trial Response Agency, I will prepare for urban warfare."
I was startled.
This android was saying something disastrous.
He even said his combat functions were primarily defensive, so what did he mean by urban warfare?
"I’ll just try talking to CEO Cha. Because of me, the Agency is like this, and no, regardless of that, urban warfare in the center of Seoul is..."
"Mr. Han Goyo."
Samra cut me off.
"I have promised unconditional cooperation."
The terms of the deal with him were unconditional cooperation toward ’Han Goyo’, provided it did not harm humanity.
I just hadn’t imagined that this would be maintained even in a situation where the Agency-and perhaps all of Seoul- might be demolished.
I don’t think I’m worth that much.
Or am I? Am I really?
Considering I am the only existence capable of providing Samra with new learning data, it seemed plausible.
It felt even more like that because Samra was acting like someone evacuating only the most expensive item from a burning house.
Regardless, I was grateful.
I liked CEO Cha, but knowing his personality, I didn’t want to be dragged away in a situation like this.
Seeing that CEO Cha was willing to openly clash with the Agency to find me meant there was a significant benefit involved.
I could easily imagine a future where I became CEO Cha’s closed-trial slave and was exploited.
Or perhaps something even worse.
While I spent a moment imagining what CEO Cha could do with me, Samra entered the basement area.
As he opened a hidden iron door on the fifth basement level, dry and stuffy air, filtered through vents, wafted out.
The passage leading to another building was a place that existed solely for evacuation purposes.
The thick protective walls had exposed concrete, and the only lighting came from emergency lamps illuminating the passage at regular intervals.
In that place, where only the low hum of the ventilation system could be heard, an unexpected person was waiting.
"Samra."
It was Lieutenant Won Tae-beom of Field Team 2.
I hadn’t expected to run into him here, having only seen him briefly just before entering the S2P.
Since he had taken the time to come, I felt nothing but apology toward him, as he had been pushed out of the entry because of Dominic.
Won Tae-beom was speechless upon seeing me and Samra.
He looked visibly bewildered by the cutting-edge android’s analog method of transport.
I offered a greeting, even while being carried by Samra.
"Hello, Lieutenant."
Then, receiving Won Tae-beom’s incredulous gaze, I quietly shut my mouth.
It seemed like it wasn’t the time for greetings.
"Lieutenant Won Tae-beom. Why are you here?"
Despite the words, Samra wasn’t particularly surprised.
He had known in advance that Won Tae-beom was in the escape route.
It felt as though he had avoided all other soldiers but chose to meet Won Tae-beom.
Won Tae-beom answered Samra’s question politely.
"I will provide support."
"Is this an order from Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon?"
"No. It is my personal judgment."
Samra’s pupils expanded and contracted repeatedly for a moment.
Having determined the truth of the statement, Samra permitted Won Tae-beom to accompany them.
"Support is granted."
Boom!
As soon as Samra finished speaking, a massive noise and vibration erupted.
If a faint tremor reached the escape route located deep underground, the situation above must have been an absolute disaster.
Samra gazed into the air for a moment.
Having finished gathering information on the current situation, Samra spoke.
"Upon reaching the surface, I will block the electromagnetic field within a 1 km radius, including the Trial Response Agency, for 15 minutes and 37 seconds."
"Confirmed."
Won Tae-beom answered promptly, but Samra didn’t pay him any mind.
He hadn’t been speaking to Won Tae-beom in the first place.
"Mr. Han Goyo. When the electromagnetic field is blocked, you will experience slight dizziness along with static electricity stimulation to your body."
I quickly replied to the kind warning.
"Yes, confirmed."
"It is a level that should be fine even with your current physical state, but please inform me immediately if you feel anything unusual."
I wanted to tell him I wasn’t that fragile.
But I was currently unable to even support my own body and was piggybacking on Samra’s back.
Thinking my words would lack credibility, I simply said I understood.
From then on, Samra ran in silence.
It was a speed that Won Tae-beom, an infected of the Trial, could barely keep up with.
Samra likely would have gone even faster if it weren’t for me on his back.
I checked from time to time to see if Dominic was still attached to my head.
Whatever slime material he was made of, he remained stuck fast, never falling off.
He only squished up and down slightly following the movement of the run.
Relieved, I focused solely on staying well-balanced on Samra’s back.
Before long, we exited the underground passage.
We entered an unfamiliar building connected to the passage, which was empty as if everyone had already evacuated.
We went up the stairs to the first floor and finally stepped outside.
The sun had set, and it was the middle of a pitch-black night.
As I breathed in the fresh air, I gasped.
A black Jeep parked in front of the building.
A man was perched in a slouching posture atop the large vehicle, illuminated by a streetlight like a spotlight.
He had both hands thrust into the pockets of his windbreaker, and the combination of the headphones around his neck and his training suit gave him a free-spirited look.
A sword in a white scabbard hung loosely at his waist.
A matte white mask stared at me.
The mask, which revealed only the eyes, caused a cognitive decline in the viewer, making it unclear what color the pupils even were.
But I recognized who it was immediately.
How could I not?
It was CEO Cha.
"Han Goyo."
A mechanical voice flew toward me.
"It’s quite hard to get a look at your face, isn’t it?"