Chapter 198 – 00:00:00
‘I’d like to be with you more, but something came up. There was an accident at the factory and someone was injured.’
While touring the test site together, Chrollo left in a hurry.
It was fortunate that he was not seriously injured.
When you look at the test room alone without anyone to talk to, you can hear the test takers’ conversations through your heightened hearing.
I could see that there were quite a few residents who had similar thoughts as me.
The qualification tests introduced in the shelter will not simply end with motivation or job assignment.
These are people who consider the possibility that it may be related to the future fate of residents.
I was worried that the test might be used as a criterion to filter out those who are needed in the city and those who are not.
“If you kick me out now, it means I’ll just go out and die.”
“I’m not asking you to go out and die. You saw it on TV too. People living in the south.”
The conversation was coming from directly below. I am on the second floor of the testing center, and it is almost impossible to see from below.
“I saw it too. But where do people live? Eat only grass every day! Sleep in a tent! When washing, go into the river or the sea!”
“It’s not really like dying. “That’s how everyone lives outside now.”
“Are you very relaxed?”
“Because nothing will change if you worry.”
When I glanced down, I saw a woman with a lively appearance with a flushed face and a woman with a short haircut with a chic expression.
“I just think of the current situation as a series of miracles. It wouldn’t be surprising if the miracle ended at some point. I just thought, ‘Ah, I’ve had a good time!'”
“To be kicked out so quietly?”
The short-haired woman chuckled.
“Then what are you going to do? If I sit down and cry and hold on because I don’t want to go out, do you think they’ll look at me from up there? “What difference will it make if I appeal to you while holding onto Chloro’s trouser legs?”
“That’s…”
“If that’s what you really thought, give up. “The conditions here are much better than where we were staying, but in some ways, it is an incomparably scary place.”
Short haired woman holding her welding mask with her gloves on her hands. Now it’s time for her practical test.
“Do something while you’re thinking about such useless things. That would be much more helpful. Whether it’s the probability of staying here, or going out and making a living.”
The conversation between the two women ended there.
Since the qualification test was almost at its final stage, all tests ended soon.
In the end, the results I received from my report were disastrous.
The passing rate is only 4%.
Even considering that this is the first implementation and that many people applied based on interest, this is a very low number.
It is also the lowest level qualification test, and compared to pre-war society, it is equivalent to the level of a mechanic.
This part revealed how strictly Artemis tried to secure discrimination.
Most of the successful applicants were residents who were ace level in each workplace.
And from this time on, the atmosphere among the residents began to subtly change.
In a way, the unfounded belief that these days would continue forever began to shake.
The difficult lives of survivors outside, revealed day after day without filtering through Kids’ broadcasts, further accelerated such thoughts.
How much is the value of the labor you provide to the shelter five days a week?
Few residents could confidently say ‘yes’ to whether the safety, leisure, food, and shelter they now enjoy were worth the price.
On the other hand, there are people who remain optimistic without such worries.
Security Force Headquarters Physical Training Center.
“Harder!”
Paang!
A light hitting sound rang out.
Nina and Seyoung were sparring in the fighting ring.
Both were covered in sweat, wearing short shorts and a crop top.
“Heh!”
Seyoung’s spirit as she takes a short breath.
At the same time, a fist wearing a thin glove flew out.
Bang!
But it can’t break through Nina’s guard.
After several attacks, Seyoung suddenly threw a middle kick.
Is it because of technical shortcomings? Or is it because I’m tired?
It was a fairly energetic kick, but it lacked sharpness, and Nina avoided it with just her footwork.
Seyoung’s calves, which were recovering a missed kick in a crane-bridge position, were split with developed muscles and looked very toned.
Unlike her docile-looking face, there is no gap in her sculpted abs and curved arms.
It has changed incomparably from when I first saw it. After all, does the environment make the person?
As she said, she cannot be weaker than the women she is supposed to lead.
The sight of her sparring with her white skin fully exposed and her sweat flowing and her hair fluttering was like the choreography of a fairy.
Jumping dazzlingly across the ring with her bare feet and swinging her toned arms.
Her strong yet beautiful legs fly like a whip, targeting her opponent’s body.
“I’m tired now!”
“Already?”
In the end, the sparring ended with Seyoung lying down on her ring as her stamina ran out.
“Ha! Ha!”
Seyoung’s chest was rising and falling rapidly as she was breathing heavily. She seems completely discharged and doesn’t move at all.
Nina approached with a grin and tickled Seyoung’s side with her toes, but she didn’t seem to have the strength to resist.
“Ahahaha, don’t do that!”
Seyoung tried to pull Nina’s feet away, but it was no use.
The difference in the period of training is too big.
Nina’s calves and thighs were embroidered with much more elaborate muscles than Seyoung’s.
Now, according to her master’s will, each one of them holds strong power.
Seyoung’s touch was nothing more than a breeze in front of a tree.
“Profit!”
Kwadang!
Seyoung, unable to resist her tickling, pulled her feet with both hands and Nina fell on top of her.
“Kyahahahaha! Ha, surrender! I surrender! That’s it!”
But that only increased the intensity of the tickling.
Nina hugged Seyoung and tickled her with both hands.
The two women who had rolled around in one lump stopped in front of me.
“Huh? When did you come? “I’ll let you know right away when I arrive!”
“Ah, manager.”
Nina greets you with a happy smile and Seyoung greets you with a red face.
Was it because there was a long sparring followed by a fierce physical fight?
Whoop!
The moment they stood up in front of me, a strong smell of sweat hit me.
“It looks like you trained hard.”
“Of course!”
Nina innocently raises one of her fists to the ceiling and holds her waist with her other hand.
Seyoung tried to take a similar position, but she hurriedly closed her armpits, perhaps realizing her condition.
At least on the faces of these two, there seemed to be no worry about their future.
“The manager, too?”
Before I could even hear her answer, Nina grabbed my hand and dragged me as if everything had been decided.
“No, I’m fine. I’ll just take a look. “I think there are people waiting.”
I glanced behind me and saw other security guards warming up.
All of them have a body as muscular as Seyoung’s, or even more so. They are looking this way with curious eyes.
As Nina and Seyoung left the ring, the other two women went up and began sparring.
“Hiyap!”
It was quite an enjoyable sight.
The sight of well-trained women fiercely exchanging attacks, each with their own unique spirit.
Even on their faces, there was no trace of anxiety about their future.
I think there was probably no reason to be afraid of falling behind because we spent every day working hard and training together.
“It’s beautiful.”
I couldn’t help but be purely amazed by that passion.
A few more days passed since then.
[Jinsu, time is up.]
Artemis called me.
[Could you please move to an external laboratory?]
The fateful day has finally arrived.
* * *
A laboratory outside the shelter housing senior aliens.
Today is probably the most tense day since this place was founded.
The incubator and the aliens inside it. The surrounding area is guarded by heavily armed soldiers and a high figure watches from behind tempered glass. A medical team stands by in one corner.
The scene that unfolded before my eyes was just like a cliché from a science fiction movie. Except for the fact that it is a power robot.
[If the alarm sounds, escape immediately. Because we are going to block this place.]
Artemis showed the shortest route.
“I don’t think that man who is dying can do anything. The infection reaction is negative, and I won’t make a fuss with bad intentions.”
[It’s a safety rule, so just listen.]
There is less than 3 minutes left.
I licked my lips that were dry and cracking due to tension.
[Would you like a cup of coffee?]
“No, the way I feel right now, I don’t think I know if it’s going in my mouth or my nose.”
The medical team behind the glass wall was preparing not only various medical equipment but also food.
“Is that a buffet for alien patients?”
You can see purified water, 6 types of IV fluids, dozens of foods processed into pastes, and uniquely shaped batteries.
[Enterprise’s research teams have not been able to confirm the appetite of this alien. There were just all kinds of inferences.]
“What can my body eat?”
The abdomen, where the alien’s stomach and intestines should be, seemed to have more machinery than biological tissue.
[So you prepared the batteries. I have prepared as many different types as possible, so it will take at least one no matter whether I consume organic matter or whatever.]
There is now 1 minute left.
“What is the hope he was talking about? No matter how great an alien being may be with great knowledge, what it looks like now is just a refugee. “I don’t think I can make such a great contribution to my own.”
[You can ask as many questions as you want in a moment, right? What’s the point in talking about this between us before then?]
“But I still want to talk about human psychology. “How many students grade answer sheets right after the first midterm or final exam without preparing for the next test?”
[No way. That’s too inefficient.]
While we were chatting about trivial things, there was less than a minute left.
53 seconds, 52 seconds, 51 seconds, 50 seconds, 49 seconds, 48 seconds.
As the remaining time began to decrease by the second, we stopped chatting. It suddenly felt like time was passing quickly.
And finally it reached 0 seconds.
Beep!
After a short alarm, there was silence.
“…”
[…
As we watch with bated breath, Senior shows no signs of consciousness.
The same goes for 5 seconds or 10 seconds.
I couldn’t stand the silence, so I said something.
“This really was the remaining time on the life support machine.”
[Don’t make silly jokes.]
The moment when Artemis reprimands.
Wiggle!
His upper body, which had been calm the whole time, twitched once.
It was quiet for a few seconds, but this time it wriggled much more violently, and with a dull sound, its palms stuck to the incubator glass.
The four long, thick fingers shrunk as if grasping something and then spread out again.
The moment his wide palm slowly touched the glass tube, he opened his eyes.
Eyes whose green depth is unknown. His gaze, filled with wisdom, moved chaotically as if he was momentarily confused.
He lowered his eyes to look at his own body, then looked at the incubator containing him, the soldiers surrounding him, the medical staff in the corner, and the food they had brought.
And finally, his eyes met mine as I was watching through the tempered glass.
At that moment, I could see something in his eyes.
A feeling that can be known beyond language or race.
It was a joy.
Maybe it was relief.
