NOVEL NEXT Chapter 245: "Newborns"
An hour earlier, the elevator doors on the eleventh underground floor opened.
After resting for a while, Shu had regained his mobility, but only after regaining control of his body did he realize how weak he had been.
It was only to be expected, considering he'd spent 37 minutes staring death in the face.
Otto had said he was going to check out Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical's underground core and was probably currently on the thirteenth floor, studying the cold fusion reactor.
Having regained his mobility, Shu didn't immediately go looking for Kiana and the others. The place was too big, and he didn't know where to find them.
Perhaps he could stake out the cafeteria? But it was still an hour before mealtime…
"I should've asked Otto…" Shu muttered to himself, then took the elevator down to the eleventh floor.
This time was different from the last. After destroying the [Champion]'s core and leaving a cluster of flames, he'd simply left, neither finishing the job nor checking for survivors.
That kind of monster wasn't something Otto and the others could face. Driven by caution, Shu decided to come down and see if the area was truly clear.
As the elevator doors opened, Shu was momentarily blinded by the bright lights of the eleventh floor.
Wasn't the eleventh floor supposed to be unlit?
Shu raised a hand to shield his eyes, squinting as he stepped out.
In the vast eleventh floor, the first thing that caught his eye was a massive sword scar under the bright lights. A single slash had bisected the entire floor, several meters deep into the composite metal.
If it weren't for Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical's robust construction, Shu's sword strike would have pierced through the eleventh floor, opening a "Musou Isshin" rift on the twelfth floor as well.
Seeing that the sword scar hadn't penetrated the floor, Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
This was another point he'd been worried about.
The lives on the twelfth floor couldn't withstand the residual force of his sword strike.
With his concerns allayed, Shu turned his attention to the various mechs working on both sides of the sword scar.
The [Champion] was indeed still alive, but having lost its core, it had also lost its ability to rapidly evolve and adapt. Now, it was being systematically dismantled and disposed of by a group of Titan mechs.
Shu saw a Titan mech holding a huge chainsaw, pressing it against a slowly writhing mass of flesh.
Amidst the splatter of blood and flesh, the Titan mech, the large chainsaw, and the section of flesh being cut vibrated at the same frequency.
The splattered meat and debris were picked up by smaller robots on the ground, gathered in one place, and then incinerated by several flame-throwing Heavy Magnetron mechs.
The scene made Shu imagine a group of people piloting mechs to harvest wheat.
Did Ethics awaken these mechs?
Filled with curiosity and questions, Shu descended the cleared stairway and walked among these "human-like" mechs.
So this is what activated Titan mechs look like… Shu marveled at the eight-meter-tall Titan mechs skillfully manipulating their tools.
As Shu watched, a [Arachnid] mech, with its spider-like segmented mechanical legs, scuttled over to him and respectfully bowed its two front legs.
"Mr. Shu, it is a pleasure to meet you." The [Arachnid] mech spoke in a gentle female voice. Coupled with its actions, it truly resembled a lady curtseying.
"Hello." Robots have gender distinctions now…?
Suddenly, the Titan mechs stopped resonating with the [Champion], the Defender mechs stopped carrying debris, and the Heavy Magnetron mechs ceased incineration, turning their smoking barrels towards Shu…
Those were their fronts.
A brief silence fell over the entire eleventh floor.
"Mr. Shu—it is a greater pleasure to meet you!" The next moment, countless voices erupted simultaneously, like a grand chorus of hundreds.
Shu flinched, instinctively covering his ears.
Looking up, he saw all the mechs staring at him…
It felt like being invited to give a lecture at a large elementary school, with everyone greeting him.
"Clap—" Someone clapped in the midst of the mechs. Shu followed the sound and saw Ethics walking out from among the robots.
"My fellow compatriots, please continue your work." Ethics waved to his "compatriots." At his command, all the mechs resumed their previous tasks.
The [Arachnid] mech once again "curtsied" to Shu before skittering away on its short legs.
Shu watched the [Arachnid] mech leave, then looked at Ethics, who had walked up to him.
"These… children?" Shu wasn't sure how to address these mechs, tentatively offering a term and waiting for Ethics' nod before continuing.
"Did you guide the birth of these children?" Shu asked.
Ethics looked down at Pet frolicking at his feet. "I merely inputted the induction code created by Dr. Albert. This is not my accomplishment."
Isn't that basically you inputting it…
Shu refrained from commenting. He knew there was a vast difference in worldview between him and Ethics.
"Oh, right…" Shu suddenly remembered something. He turned and sincerely thanked Ethics, "Thank you for saving me, and for bringing everyone here."
Ethics turned to Shu, stunned for two seconds before nodding. "You're welcome. Assisting our partners is our duty."
Not backstabbing us is your duty…
"Why did you suddenly decide to come find me?" Shu asked curiously.
Ethics pulled out several developed photographs from his pocket and handed them to Shu. "I believe you will find these of great interest."
Shu leaned in for a look. The photos Ethics gave him were of the children in the incubation tanks on the twelfth floor.
"Okay…" Shu felt the reason was a bit far-fetched. He didn't think his interest warranted a personal visit. "But I still don't quite understand…"
Ethics looked at Shu with deep confusion.
"In a community, isn't the birth of new life one of the most important events?" Ethics' raspy voice was laced with genuine bewilderment.
Shu fell silent. He looked at Ethics, then at the mechs before him.
Right… Ethics was a [human] who, even in the apocalypse, traveled thousands of miles alone to ARC City to awaken these mech "newborns"…
So, of course, he would consider this matter exceptionally important.
Looking at these "newborn" mechs, Shu suddenly thought of the humans on the floor below.
Those people wouldn't leave their incubation tanks until they were eighteen… How would they behave then?
Would they, like these mechs, be able to start working shortly after birth?
Or would they need to be re-educated?
Either way…
He couldn't let them be born into a world facing immediate death, without seeing a single compatriot, could he?