Chapter 29 – New Guards
[Welcome. I was waiting.]
Rose greeted me with a platoon of security robots.
The commanding officer arrived, but there was no need for the senior sergeant’s slogans such as “Attention.” Because they are machines, not people.
He had been waiting immobilized for hours before I arrived.
As I said before, security robots are equipped with bloody face shaping as part of increasing suppression efficiency.
Exaggerated four hundred eyes in sunken eyelids.
A wide slit mouth and teeth sprouting from it.
Fingers like steel hooks.
Not one guy, but several guys were paying attention to me, so before I felt reassured, I felt uneasy.
[It seems they are still having a hard time getting used to it.]
“That’s not the case. Besides, his life was threatened. Well, that’s okay It’s all in the past, and we should use what we can.”
[I will introduce you formally. This is the new Shelter Guard.]
Following Rose’s introduction, the guard robots all supported them and took a gun stance.
What they are holding is a gas penetrator that they saw at the factory not too long ago. A weapon that fires large iron spears with high-pressure gas.
A heavy weapon weighing more than 6kg was held in the hands of a guard robot that was doing a great job, so it looked pretty good.
Some of them were wearing flamethrowers that would have been held together by two people.
Certainly, it looks much more reliable than a shotgun that sprays salt bullets.
[The robot model name is Watchtower Type 4, commonly known as the Insomnia series.]
“Insomniac? Aren’t you immortal?”
I didn’t hear it wrong.
[An insomniac meaning ‘one who never sleeps’ is correct. Jira, which was one of the prototypical products of the unmanned security industry, did marketing that differentiated it from human security guards.]
It’s intuitive.
“But the number is small. No matter how strong they are, they have to cover this wide area with just one place.”
[Enough. Our job now is not to police the residents, but to protect the Administrator. That is meaningless as long as the outermost entrance remains sealed.]
There would be no more danger unless there was a special situation like the ‘infectious agent digging the tunnel’, which Artemis had assumed as a case in case.
“Any other special features?”
[There is not. Today, we report that the minimum unit of guards for the mission has been completed. Afterwards, there will be additional review according to the reinforcement of troops or supply of weapons.]
I could have issued an order to disband as it is, but there was something that bothered me a little.
“I have a question.”
[Speak.]
“How are you doing these days?”
[The intent of the question is unknown.]
“I’m asking how you feel.”
[How do I feel?]
Rose asked.
“Artificial intelligence created with a specific purpose is maintained for a long time without losing that purpose. I have studied cases of this in the past.”
Overall, the results were not good.
[…How’s the manager? Didn’t the manager lose his purpose too?]
Uncharacteristically for Rose, instead of answering, she asked questions in reverse.
“I like it. Not the current situation, but the business side. Aren’t there many people who like to work? It’s not bad being a manager in a place where you can eat, drink, and be entertained. The biggest problem is that there is no one to interact with, but it would be a luxury to wish for more in the world right now.”
Rose listened intently.
“People do not need a purpose in their existence. Among them, there are people who live according to a firm sense of calling, but it’s not bad to put weight on leading life itself. But you guys are a little different.”
[It is as you said. I feel lost. There are no residents to protect or guide. The city is empty. There is no need to educate anyone. Training is meaningless for security robots, and there is only a fleeting update. Even writing that program is only possible with Artemis. I feel empty.]
This is what AI often shows when it loses its purpose.
But it was also a very easy symptom to treat.
Just because it makes it work. In the past world, there was always a lot of work, and there was almost no situation in which such excellent artificial intelligence could be played.
When it is no longer useful in its original place, it can be put on the market. Buyers flocked in quickly.
Chloro has a fixed job of running a factory and managing materials, and has recently found a new pleasure.
Artemis runs the entire shelter and functions with a sense of mission to envision designs for the future.
But what is left of Rose? What should she give her?
At this time, it would have been nice if I could have said something cool as a senior, but unfortunately, nothing came to mind. I’m just an engineer, not a consultant.
The saviors who broke the awkward silence between us were four cuties.
Guard dogs waiting in the next block came running so as not to interfere with the review ceremony.
“Kong! Kung!”
“Have you seen these cuties!”
Wearing a black police dog body armor and stopping in an orderly manner, it certainly looked like a guard dog.
Except for the constant wagging of its tail.
It seems that the hardships and fears experienced during the infection situation have half-formatted the guard dog training course.
“Isn’t Artemis taking care of these guys right now?”
[Yes, she’s doing it herself.]
She insisted, ‘A goddess needs a hound.’
“Starting today, you will do it. The training protocol is being taken over.”
[I mean? Wouldn’t she be angry?]
It seems that Rose is also afraid of Artemis. She reacted cautiously to the brusque work change.
“It’s okay, I’ll tell you separately, so you take care of it. From today these children are your responsibility. First of all, try not to wag this tail when you are at attention.”
With a solemn face and an immobile posture, the tail waggled, and the dignity was not lost.
[All right. I will discipline you.]
Rose said in a polite voice.
As I found out later, she had a gift for discipline. Even more so than Artemis.
Juggernaut’s skull lies in the laboratory.
It looks like it has nothing to do with dinosaur skulls that have only been stripped of flesh.
Bang!
A short spear that flew from somewhere neatly pierced the skull.
Looking at the place where the projectile flew, there is a security robot aiming a gas gun.
Even though the 6kg gun is held in a standing shooting position, the muzzle does not shake even slightly. Only white smoke rises.
[Experiment complete. Hit the target. Penetration 100%.]
The manual’s voice echoed through the lab.
Clap!
The rifleman got out of his firing position, turned to face me, and got into a gun position in front of me.
“It’s much stronger than I thought. The range is also quite long.”
The place where I am is a protective seat for observers on the second floor. The laboratory can be seen through the large tempered glass.
The ongoing experiment is a combat experiment using security robots and weapons.
Originally, weapons other than the riot shield and riot baton were programmed to be unusable, but Artemis canceled all of that in the evening.
The one down there now has all restrictions lifted, just like the entity that attacked me on the subway before.
After making and installing the fire control system for homemade weapons, a platoon of soldiers was born in an instant.
[Phase 2 experiment. Quantity Battle.]
The manual said.
The automatic door opened and the rifleman from earlier entered, and a security robot painted in dark red appeared with a similarly dark red flamethrower. The force is no joke.
“What is that paint?”
[Isn’t it cool? Guards are supposed to be intimidating. It should be able to pose a threat to enemies and establish authority for allies.]
“I don’t think the infected will try to find out about that.”
In fact, it is the infectious agents that rush even against the trucks that are running.
As we chatted, flamethrowers were in line of fire, and soon targets appeared.
There were large lumps of flesh attached to five thick wires that came down from the rails in the ceiling, and it feels like a living shooting sign.
“What is that?”
[A chunk of meat made in a culture facility. I made it with ingredients that are about to expire.]
Fuhuaah-!
The wires were approaching fairly quickly, but the flamethrower’s shooting skills were one level higher. In an instant, everything was turned into a whole roast.
The sense of saving firepower by stopping shooting every time you switch aim from one piece of meat to another was also great.
Pop.
Iron flip.
One by one, the wires that were hanging the lumps of charcoal broke off. It seems that it was not a fire using an ordinary solvent.
[Step 3 Experiment. Small mass raid.]
Immediately after the guidance in the manual, the ceilings were opened all over the firing line, and about 10 small cargo drones appeared.
Boo.
All of them rushed at the flamethrower in unison.
Fuhuaah-!
However, none of them succeeded in reaching them.
Through tactical shooting, he single-handedly formed an effective fire network and shot down all of them.
[Experiment ended.]
At the end of the manual’s voice, the flamethrower also exited the test site.
“It’s a bit of a shame, that.”
[It’s okay because you can take as many pictures as you like. It’s more important to get solid battle information than that. Even if you train just one, you can share that proficiency with everyone.]
Artemis’ voice was somehow excited.
“You look strangely excited. Did you have a taste for the military?”
[In the previous incident, I clearly realized how unpleasant it was to not have physical strength. Power is fun just by having it.]
The experience of being deprived of the shelter by the infected must have pierced her bones. That part is the same for me.
[And to mention one more, it’s your visit. As I said before, having a project under the supervision of a human manager gives me intense feedback.]
Beep.
The screen was divided into grid patterns, each of which played numerous images. Most of them were YouTube videos, the so-called ‘reaction’ series.
Content that shows people a certain game, movie, or drama scene and then appreciates their reactions, such as their expressions and exclamation.
In the video, which is well over 100, people were showing their expressions and gestures.
[I regarded such voyeuristic content as a human’s bizarre taste, but I have to cancel that thought. It’s really satisfying to show my results to someone.]
“That is the basic principle of cheering. Even if there is no reward, having someone watch over you is a source of strength. Because it is one of the strongest driving forces that make humans strive.”
[Right. It was.]
Artemis was silent for a while.
[Now, we have a lot of work to do for our city in the future. It’s for you too, so you’ll have to supervise it. Are you okay, manager?]
I pointed my employee ID at the camera on the ceiling.
“I am sitting here to do that. I’m just a little worried I don’t know if it’s about observing and evaluating, but I’m not confident about reactions.”
The reactors in her YouTube video she showed had expressions and gestures that would make even the viewer excited. I’m not naturally like that.
[Idiot.]
Giing.
A cable descended from the rails in the ceiling, and at the end of it was a large claw hand.
Tok.
I pinched my butt slightly, but it didn’t hurt or hurt because of the exquisite power control.
[Just watching is enough.]
Artemis seemed amused.
