Chapter 227 – Second Forward Base
The stay-at-home order declared by Jinsu was maintained for several more days.
Contamination spread throughout the spacecraft, and there were areas where the ventilation system could not reach, so it took more time to completely clean up.
Moreover, surprisingly, there were some objects that were not affected by poison gas.
The large spider-like species that placed sticky traps on the floor maintained its fighting power even in the thick poisonous gas.
Thanks to this, we had to enter the lair where it was lurking and kill it, but additional troop losses occurred in the process.
When the last infected was mercifully killed and laid its exhausted body on the floor, Jinsu gave Rose an order.
[Attention residents. As of now, the stay-at-home order has been lifted. I repeat. As of this time, the stay-at-home order has been lifted.]
Rose’s neat voice resonates in the quiet city.
The residents all stopped talking and listened. Because it was still morning time.
[The task closure status will remain in effect until today. You do not need to return to work. Rest well and return to work as usual starting tomorrow.]
Everyone cheered like the moment a goal was scored in a World Cup match.
And in less than a minute, there were women running out of the central entrance of each apartment.
These people were itching to exercise as a hobby, and depending on their preference, they ran in the park or next to an artificial lake.
Some women are heading to newly opened sports facilities.
It is poor in many ways compared to the gym dedicated to the security forces, and does not have snacks, supplements, fluffy towels, or sportswear, but it still attracts quite a few people.
This is because there has been a rumor going around in the city lately like, ‘They are picking out useless people and sending them out.’
And the standards of uselessness that residents consider include not only their technical capabilities but also their health.
The logic was that if there were servants who were strong and muscular and servants who were not, wouldn’t the latter be sent out first?
However, the health of the residents is already strong enough to be reminiscent of the women of ancient Sparta.
Healthy food, clean air that is completely purified and free of fine dust, supply of balanced vitamins, a life close to abstinence from drinking and smoking, a leisure life focused on regular physical labor and sports, etc.
In terms of quality of life, including mental pleasure, it is naturally worse than the pre-war society, but in terms of physical health, it is probably the strongest group of women since the beginning of civilization.
“What are those?”
The women who were chattering and heading to the park and artificial lake stopped.
Rumbling.
A variety of heavy equipment vehicles were running in a line on the road in front of them.
A short woman stood close to the road and looked in the direction of the vehicle’s destination.
“Hey, get out of the way!”
Immediately after that, the tall woman grabbed her from behind.
Bread! Baaaaang!
“What a surprise!”
The woman backed away, swearing at the loud horn.
“Everyone step back. “Don’t bother the small intestine for no reason.”
When the tall woman who was pulling them shouted, everyone quickly backed away.
Artemis may be above the clouds, but everyone knows that her will is reflected in every single vehicle in front of her.
I wanted to avoid having my face stamped and looking hateful for just interfering with my career path.
“Look what’s really going on. This is the first time it’s been this loud. Except when we first moved in.”
“Let’s not talk about that time. “I still shudder.”
“Does anyone know anything?”
“At all. I asked Chrollo subtly why he was staying at home, but he just smiled and said no. “There wasn’t much to say on the radio.”
There are several names residents use to call shelter leadership.
In the case of AI counselors, they were usually called by their first names or used simple nicknames. On the other hand, Jinsu’s name was rarely used, and he was simply called by his nickname.
For example, there is a manager, boss, building owner, boss, uncle, that man, etc.
Since there is only one real number for man, personal pronouns such as uncle or that man are used as titles.
In the case of Artemis, many people called her the small intestine.
After spending time in prison, it seems that the title for the highest ranking person has become ‘major’ in everyone’s mind.
Strictly speaking, Jinsu may be more suitable for that position, but they are more afraid of the super artificial intelligence that can descend on them at any time with its transcendent intelligence and surveillance network.
Boom!
Rumbling!
With so many heavy equipment vehicles marching by, it feels more like thunder than an exhaust sound.
All the troops had already left, and the once quiet city suddenly became noisy like a war zone.
“It’s been a long time since I smelled smoke.”
“You sure they’re not going to build a shantytown or something to send us out?”
“Hey, don’t say anything sinister.”
“Chokkolok.”
After the last vehicle passed, the exhaust vents installed sparsely around them began to operate.
[Start the air conditioning system. Please maintain a distance of at least 1 meter. Thank you.]
A manual voice with a dry middle-aged male tone flows out and the fan starts. The rapidly rising smoke was sucked into it and disappeared.
In the lower area, if supply and exhaust vents are installed on the ceiling like a regular building, air exchange does not occur properly.
Therefore, additional vents were installed on the road floor and building walls, and littering and smoking were strictly controlled.
Soon after, the polluted air disappeared, and cleaning vehicles appeared and began to repair the road where the car parade had taken place.
The process was instantaneous and elaborately coordinated, as if white blood cells and antibodies within the human body were active.
* * *
[The standby order has been lifted as ordered. Residents are compliant.]
“Good job, Rose.”
I am outside the shelter receiving reports.
Now that the risk factors have been eliminated, the desire to go out into the field has grown.
You have the tendency to be a field commander, but when a genuine alien spaceship has landed, you can’t just look at it through the camera, right?
I wanted to see it with my own eyes. This is a temptation that no man can resist.
“What was Nina’s reaction? “Birthday cake.”
[Of course I was happy. Who wouldn’t dare accept a gift from the manager? I had a smile on my face the whole time as I shared it with my colleagues. However, I think she might like to give meat as a gift next time as her sex improves.]
“Send meat to celebrate a woman’s birthday?”
[Because Nina is not an ordinary woman. When she gets her meat set due to her personality, she will jump up and down and shout her hurray.]
It was something I definitely wanted to see.
As my vehicle approached the spaceship, I was amazed by her majesty.
As a shelter manager, she was always confident that nothing could compare to my perfect city, but honestly, that confidence fades in front of this spaceship.
I must definitely keep it a secret from Artemis.
“Stop here.”
[Roger.]
The security guard accompanying me opened the car door as if attending the chairman and spread out around the area, putting them on alert.
Even the four-star generals said that there was no need to take care of them like this and that they would at least open the car door themselves, but Artemis was stubborn.
“The treatment you receive is the authority of our city. “Don’t forget that.”
How could I resist someone saying this and carefully fixing my collar?
There was nothing I could do other than hug her tightly just as she was.
“It would have been nice if Artemis had come and seen it too.”
She stayed behind, saying she had no intention of going outside our city’s front yard.
“Never enter the spaceship!”
Instead, he held out his bent little finger to me.
Resolute eyebrows and tightly closed lips express the will not to allow counterarguments.
“I heard you know.”
I guess I have become untrustworthy for answering half-heartedly. He slapped my little finger out to catch me and started preaching further.
“There may be not only an unknown infectious agent inside, but also a separate alien pathogen. Like smallpox brought to the Americas by Europeans. There’s no need to talk about the poison gas we spread.”
He tapped my nose with his thin and pretty little finger and warned me several times.
“Are you listening properly?”
“Oh my.”
I didn’t know how long the sermon would continue, so I wrapped it around her little finger as if snatching it.
“Ah!”
And then bang the stamp with your thumb! Bang! Bang!
She took pictures from the front, took pictures from the side, and twisted them back and forth, like lovers sharing a deep kiss.
“Ruler! It was definitely blocked. Are you comfortable with this?”
“… Yes.”
The woman with a somewhat withdrawn attitude nodded her head.
That was dozens of minutes ago.
Rumbling.
“Oh! “You’re here.”
Shelter heavy equipment vehicle units arrived one after another around the spacecraft.
This is to establish an advance base here, and it will be the second external base following the research center where Solaver stays.
One of the reasons the ancient Roman army was so powerful was that they built road networks and camps wherever they stayed.
We don’t know what the future holds, but it is certain that we must solidify our control over this place since a spaceship of astronomical value has landed.
We plan to improve the terrain and repair roads around the spacecraft, and build checkpoints, high surveillance towers, and drone maintenance centers in important areas.
Looking at one side of the spaceship, there was already a procession of moving the corpses of infected people to the outside purification area.
Tap!
Kudang!
Bodies of all kinds are being thrown into a specially built mobile incinerator. A fire is lit, and numerous corpses are engulfed in flames.
The scene reminded me of the shelter restoration operation.
On the other side, the road is being laid, construction materials are being piled up in the yard, and large steel pillars are already being erected on the road. Next to the pillar are sentry guns and cartridges to be installed in the watchtower.
“I will use it for good purposes.”
I bowed lightly as I looked at the spaceship in the middle of it. With gratitude for all the sacrifices and efforts that took place in the process of getting this far.
After numerous incidents and accidents, the relic was finally recovered on a distant, remote planet. A piece of hope delivered to the last surviving civilization.
What I felt while watching it was not greed, but the call of a fateful connection.
