Chapter 245 – Tanis – Race Snatch
We departed as soon as we finished eating, resting a bit, and regrouping.
Time is not on our side. Neither the batteries of the stalker robots nor the colony of infected organisms that would have taken over the spaceship site by now will wait for us. Maybe he’s knocking on the front door of the shelter.
The sandstorm outside has weakened somewhat, but it is not showing any signs of subsiding.
“Can you hear this?”
The storm was so strong that if you put your ear to the cave wall, you could faintly hear the vibrations.
“I wish they could completely wipe out the infectious agents.”
“If you expect that, you will be disappointed.”
The cave was quite long. It is said to be a cave formed in the form of penetrating a mountain range.
“If we keep going like this, we’ll be able to get out the other side.”
Perhaps because it was connected to a water source inside the mountain range, the spring water, which was just enough to make the surface of the cave shiny, gradually grew larger.
Shoot.
Later, even a small waterfall appeared. When I reach out my hand and catch the pouring water, the feeling makes me feel at ease.
Since we were able to avoid the storm and move while minimizing the threat of infectious agents, the tension that had been building was gradually relieved.
If you look around, you will see spring water flowing beautifully thanks to luminous stalactites, moss, and unidentifiable flowers.
“I want to show it to Artemis too.”
She will love it, both emotionally and scientifically.
“If everything is handled properly, it is not impossible.”
It was a meaningless remark, but Solaver took it quite seriously.
Luminous stalactites brighten your view, and there is no risk of being attacked as it is a one-way cave with no places to ambush. A little conversation would be okay.
“What if we retrieve the vaccine, purify the world of infection, and completely absorb the technological power of the spacecraft that landed on Earth? You will be able to walk wherever you want. It would be possible for the two of you to come here. It may take a lot of time.”
The wide road was gradually becoming narrower. Below that empty spot, dark spring water flows.
“She is a good girl. “Is there any other woman who could support you with so much wisdom and infinite affection?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while, but is there a precedent for the relationship between me and Artemis?”
“Of course. There are as many precedents for the relationship between the Creator and creation as there is in the history of the universe. However, you two are special.”
“How do you mean?”
“The creature has never been so powerful.”
The sound of rippling water is getting louder, making it seem like we are getting closer to the water source.
“The relationship between you and Artemis will not simply end up as a strange couple. Overwhelming intelligence and knowledge, cognition not limited by the body, an army and a kingdom that can be treated like limbs. The end of her world stripped her of the constraints of law and ethics. As the name suggests, he is truly becoming closer to a god.”
“In front of me, she’s a proud but sometimes sloppy girl.”
I pictured him crying while massaging the red soles of his feet on the acupressure trail, and of him being held in my arms from start to finish at the movie theater.
“That is something that only you are allowed to do. Her essence is a monster that devours knowledge and technology infinitely. “Please forgive me if the expression ‘monster’ offends me.”
“Don’t worry. “I have often felt that way.”
I remembered when Artemis arrived at the shelter and was synchronized through my passionate appeals and courtship.
Soon after, she poured out her heart and thoughts to me generously. It’s as if she wants to make her own feelings known even more than what I have conveyed to her.
However, the language and thoughts she expressed without adding or subtracting were too high-dimensional for my intellect to understand.
Eventually, Artemis calmed down her excitement and spoke at my level. That relationship continues to this day.
“Is that why?”
Suddenly, an assumption occurred to me.
Maybe that’s why her superficially polite attitude when we first met disappeared, and she continued to treat me like a rude person.
Even though she passionately poured out her feelings, I couldn’t even understand my shortcomings due to the difference in intellect. Should I say sulking about that?
Since gaining her body, she has shown a more human-like side to me, but I am aware that her essence is a transcendent being.
“Then the story will be quick. In today’s completely destroyed and fragmented world, there is absolutely no element that can restrain Artemis. No army can surpass the sentinels that guard your home. And no law can stop her exploration and development.”
“So far, I think we have exercised our influence based on our conscience and morality.”
“Of course. “I have no intention of disparaging the actions you have shown.”
We stopped walking. Accordingly, the robots that were moving forward in formation went into a state of alert at their respective positions.
“What I am saying now is not as your friend, but as a representative of a pioneering civilization.”
The way Solaver looked at me was serious, without a hint of regret.
“She loves you just as much as you love Artemis. And she is ready to conceive a child together. So, I ask you, can a child born like that really be called a human being? “Can you be sure that it is the same species as today’s Homo sapiens?”
“That’s…”
To be honest, I never thought much about it until then. Vaguely, I am human, and she also has human form, so wouldn’t she have children like any other family? I just thought so.
“I don’t think so. That child must be something else. She has a human form, but what is inside her must be something that goes far beyond existing humanity. And…”
He continued speaking very cautiously. As if he was worried that he might go against my feelings.
“I know of no planet where two different types of intelligence have coexisted in harmony.”
“It’s like there can’t be two kings in one country.”
“It’s the nature of the world for someone to dominate and someone to obey. We prevent that natural order from extending beyond the planet, but we do not interfere with what happens within the planet. You can’t block it.”
“I think you are saying such scary things. “If we were to marry and have children, how many would there be?”
From our time living together, I could clearly see that Artemis also desired physical contact with me. Her desire boiled like the sun, yet sank like a glacier.
However, given Artemis’ nature, it is unlikely that she would want fertility.
“It doesn’t matter if the number of children is small or large. If a divine being infinitely blesses only his children, there is only one future that can be reached. That’s a regime change. “I have to ask you one thing.”
“You tell me.”
“Do you think Artemis will just get over it when her child is treated poorly or insulted?”
“… I just remember her saying she wouldn’t be a good mother.”
Haha!”
Our fairly serious conversation ended with his easy laughter.
Maybe Solaver didn’t want to talk more.
But she came to realize that having a child with Artemis was more than just raising a normal family.
It is something that will change the world forever.
When my thoughts reached that point, what I felt was not pressure or fear.
It was just heart pounding.
A fundamental sense of satisfaction that comes from somewhere in my genes. It is the joy of extremely selfish genes.
But I didn’t hate that selfish voice.
Even though I was in the middle of a serious operation, I had a strong desire to see Artemis and hold her in my arms.
It may not be that the reproductive instinct naturally boiled over because they felt their lives were in danger.
The determined motivation to complete the mission grew even stronger.
Ha… I miss Artemis.
* * *
We are now more than halfway through the cave. You can no longer find straight containers or dry floors.
The road narrowed significantly, highlighting the dark springs on the left and right. Are there fish down there?
[Pause.]
Alpha Stalker, who was walking while maintaining an alert posture, took out the secondary weapon on his back. It is a flamethrower filled with compressed fuel.
Chic.
The flamethrower, with a small spark rising, headed forward.
There are stepping stones covered in moss. I had to jump across those places.
Puhwaaaaak!
The fire spewed out and instantly burned up the moss and moisture on the area where I stepped.
We jumped over the floors where shallow flames remained.
Solaver, who was worried that he might be left behind, is following this forced march very well.
It’s not as good as Nana’s stalker robots that underwent enhancement surgery, but it doesn’t seem like that physical strength is going anywhere.
How long did you walk?
“It is light.”
Now, as we passed the halfway point and reached the other side, an open ceiling appeared above us.
There is a small lake in front of us. Isn’t it quite romantic to see a large lake in a cave?
In areas that are not submerged in water, not only moss but also weeds, flowers, and lively trees are growing up.
The combination of light pouring from the open sky and the luminescence of stalactites hanging around the cave ceiling creates a fantastic atmosphere.
Tree roots larger than a drum extend from somewhere and cross the lake like a bridge. It was a natural bridge that led us to the end of the cave on the other side.
“Be careful. “It’s a dangerous place where you can’t be intoxicated by beauty.”
Before Solaver’s warning, Tango brought out something. It is an autonomous robot that looks similar to a loach.
Fondant!
The loach that escapes Tango’s touch melts into the lake. And a few seconds later.
Ping!
Sonar was launched towards the entire lake.
The sound waves reflected after hitting something were replaced with a red grid pattern and transmitted to the visor.
From the edge of the lake where we were to the other side, everything under the water was covered with a red grid.
I could see that the bottom of the lake was deeper than it looked and was inhabited by dozens of small fish. But that’s not the point.
“Damn.”
A huge creature is locked on the floor. Its size is the same as that of a saltwater crocodile.
“Did you see it?”
Solaver nodded as the unidentified monster pointed to the locked area. His visor is also linked.
Ping!
The loach fired the sonar again.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what kind of creature it is. “I’m sure it’s not a herbivore.”
Next to the monster marked with a red grid, there were large pieces of bone. They must be native animals that had the misfortune to come here.
If you look closely, you can see scratches all over the tree root bridge that connects both sides of the lake. It’s probably a blemish that was created when catching the prey that was up there.
“You seem to be very interested in us.”
I don’t know how it noticed our presence under the water, but its face is clearly facing this way.
You must cross this lake to head to the cave on the other side.
Although the Tree Root Bridge looks very sturdy, it is only about 1 meter above the lake surface.
If that guy attacks, he has no choice but to stand there and do nothing. It wouldn’t be a wise idea to fall into the water and fight on his home ground.
Crash.
Alpha loaded the electric shock grenade and aimed at the area where the monster sank. And then he glances at me as if asking for my permission.
Me and the other robots are scattered and preparing to catch the big fish that will soon jump out.
“Shoot.”
As soon as the command was given, the grenade was launched at a straight angle. One second after a fairly large ripple occurs.
The cave became bright blue and white with a loud electric shock sound.
“Kwaaaaa unique –!?)
A huge monster leapt out of the lake, making a huge splash.
It looks like a mixture of half anglerfish and half crocodile. The greedy face and mouth resembled a monkfish, and the hard yet bulky body and limbs were reminiscent of a crocodile.
However, the sharpness and length of the teeth far outweigh the two. It was on the level of a T. rex and a Beetle.
Ta-ta-tang!
The muzzles with silencers removed spouted fire all at once.
It seems he was taken aback by the intruder’s strong attack. He struggled and hurriedly hid inside the lake, pouring out flesh and blood.
But it’s no use.
[2nd shot fired.]
Charlie fired an electric bomb in that direction.
Once again, a blue flash filled the cave, and a painful scream rang out.
The guy climbed to the other side of the lake and tried to escape.
Whoa!
Several explosive shells hit the exposed back of his head, shattering his skull. The shock wave that penetrates the crack concusses the brain and turns it into a mush.
“Top.”
The monster stuck out its tongue. His arms that were hanging on the shore of the lake lost strength and his body slowly sank into the water.
[Confirmation of cessation of vital activity.]
Charlie said.
“I know it when I see it.”
The monster’s overturned body floated with its yellowish-white belly covered.
Many fish caught up in this fight were caught in the electric shock and explosion and emerged with their bellies exposed. It tastes a little bitter.
“Let’s move forward.”
But there is no time to express condolences.
Step on the moist tree roots, cross the lake, and proceed beyond the cave on the other side.
The sky visible through the open ceiling had become quite clear. The sandstorm will gradually subside.
After walking for a few more minutes, we finally reached the end of the cave.
“Walking through the cave was easy, but now it’s time to get nervous again.”
I held on tightly to the gun in my hand.
A colorful forest with lush greenery and sound. An alien forest with strange colors and shapes was welcoming us.
