NOVEL NEXT Chapter 85
“Hmm hee~.”
Steelstone whistled a rare tune as he headed to the lab. Just because the Steel Titan was completed didn’t mean the ultimate weapon was ready to go.
There were still minor adjustments left to do, and hadn’t he forgotten to equip any weapons?
The only thing that changed was that he no longer had to work through the night.
“Son! Daddy’s here!”
Boldly greeting, Steelstone stepped inside the lab and tilted his head as he stared at his son, the Steel Titan, who stood there blankly.
Did someone turn off the power when they clocked out? The Steel Titan, who would normally welcome him enthusiastically, was unusually quiet.
Just as he was about to approach the computer controlling his son to see if something was wrong, the two lenses of the Steel Titan sparkled.
[─You have arrived.]
“Huh? You were awake…?”
[Master.]
“…What?”
[Please give me your orders.]
Steelstone’s eyes widened at his child’s cold response. He wondered if he had made a mistake, or if something had gone wrong with the soul implanted in the Steel Titan.
“W-What do you mean? Son… Master?!”
[My purpose of existence is to eliminate enemies.]
“Of course, you were born as a weapon, but that—”
[Personal feelings are meaningless for a weapon.]
What a shocking revelation it was. If his child was off smoking and drinking, he wouldn’t have been as stunned.
Steelstone stared incredulously at the Steel Titan. His trembling hands clenched and opened repeatedly.
Then, at some point, they went limp.
* * *
“Ugh-! Finally getting out of this wretched city.”
The next day.
Having finished the last adjustments on the Steel Titan, I wrapped up my contract with Punk Technology and left P City.
Galm was quite pleased with the escape. If it were up to him, I would have loved to see Galm suffer more while sightseeing in P City, but sadly, there was nothing even remotely touristy in that place.
It was just a desolate city filled with steam-emitting factories.
A city existing solely for labor.
“Well, at least this time, everything went smoothly.”
“That’s true. With you as the scientist, incidents were endless.”
“I’m not Conan or anything….”
“What’s Conan?”
After briefly lamenting the fact that this ignorant beast didn’t know who Conan was, I realized that it was a cultural reference from Earth, making it normal that the people in this world wouldn’t know it, and I quietly shut my mouth.
At times like these, I often feel an indescribable nostalgia. Every time I recall that no one in this world knows the things I take for granted, I feel like I’ve landed on an island full of aliens.
On the bright side, I found solace in not feeling much inconvenience in my daily life. Thank goodness this land resembled the modern era; if I had fallen into the medieval times, I’d probably be living as a slave or worse by now.
‘Did Steelstone say he likes Milk-a…?’
Gazing at P City fading into the distance, I thought I’d give Milk-a a heads-up later as I slowly closed my eyes.
The bleak factories zipped past as we passed through the empty plains and long roads, ultimately arriving in E City.
It was a short yet substantial journey that came to an end.
* * *
I headed to the chairwoman’s office to report the completion of my tasks.
Beep-! Checking my wristwatch that chimed just as I was entering the office, I was a bit surprised, but I figured there must be some CCTV inside.
That wasn’t it.
“…Scientist? You’re back. Thank goodness.”
“Yes, Boss. I’ve completed the orders you gave me and returned.”
“Phew- thankfully, you’re safe.”
“Safe? How so?”
It was a business trip along with two members of the Evil Organization’s management. There wasn’t really a chance of danger, was there?
However, the Boss silently turned his gaze to the TV. On it was a broadcast showing P City, where I had just been.
In the center of P City, filled with numerous factories, a gigantic robot appeared that was easily dozens of meters tall.
[─Thus, we declare to fight for the peace of P City.]
At the same time, a declaration of war from P City burst forth.
Watching the giant robot fly toward the neighboring city, I was momentarily stunned.
‘…Did I make some kind of design mistake?’
There was no other conclusion to reach. Seeing the giant robot rampaging and killing people made it impossible to think otherwise.
* * *
“P City has created a giant robot, which is the final weapon for fighting other cities.”
“…You just let them create something like that?”
“Would you like me to make one for you too, Boss?”
After hearing the declaration from P City, the first thing I did was terminate the contract with them.
Wasn’t it a contract utilizing superpowers? One that binds the soul and results in death for breaking it?
Of course, such a contract would be deemed unfair in Earth’s eyes. Human rights are held above all else, and one’s life cannot be bound by any contract.
Many methods for nullifying such contracts have been developed, so I used one of them to invalidate it. Afterward, I explained to the Boss what had happened in P City.
“And what I created was only a way for it to move on its own; the shell was already completed. Even if I hadn’t helped, it would’ve been finished eventually.”
“It wouldn’t have been completed so quickly.”
“I also set a leash on it. I just didn’t expect it to break so quickly…”
The Boss appeared displeased that I had helped complete P City’s ultimate weapon, but I didn’t see it that way.
That robot, already completed, would have finished regardless of whether I assisted or not. I could feel that from the ambition radiating from the many scientists gathered there.
Therefore, my duty was not to hasten the completion of the final product, but rather to impose restrictions on what would be completed. I put in my utmost effort on this part.
“That robot can’t— it likely won’t kill people. I gave it that kind of consciousness.”
“It can’t kill people? Then what is that?”
The Boss said while showing me the damage in W City. The city was nearly half-destroyed, and countless people lay dead or injured from the attacks of the giant robot.
I couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. I had nothing to say immediately, so I pondered why the Steel Titan was moving like that.
“There are two possibilities. The people who fell over there are all awful villains.”
If not that…
“Or the scientists in P City are smart enough to hack my technology.”
Both scenarios were terrifying. Of course, the latter was significantly worse. Is there really someone in this backward world with technology that could rival mine?
How genius would one have to be for that to be possible? Not just any genius could complete both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics simultaneously in the same era.
And to think such a genius could be on the opposing side was very frightening. This meant my scientific advantage could be shattered at any moment…
“Do you think it’s the first or the second?”
“I’d better hope it’s the second. The first one is surprisingly plausible.”
“That all those people are terrible villains?”
“Just because Jews were mercilessly tortured and slaughtered by Nazi Germany doesn’t mean they’re a worthless and lowly race that deserves to be turned into soap.”
“What does that even mean?”
Nazi Germany brutally tortured and slaughtered Jews. However, would such horrid things happen if Jews were truly a nation without value or quality, one that would even abandon God?
Absolutely not. The reason Nazi Germany was able to carry out such ruthless extermination was that their leaders had brainwashed the subordinates into believing Jews were worthless scum.
In other words, if false information could be instilled and made to be believed as the truth— even a hero, who wouldn’t typically kill villains, could be led to massacre people.
“The Steel Titan may have consciousness, but having the ability to make judgments doesn’t mean it can know everything.”
If only incorrect information and lies were fed to it, then even the Steel Titan might fail to make proper judgments.
I still wondered if that could be enough to corrupt a hero, but… the more I thought about it, the more probable it seemed than hacking.
Hearing my words, the Boss leaned back and cautiously raised an eyebrow.
“…I can’t understand any of what you’re saying. But I know this one thing.”
That he was confident he could win.
The Boss said that.
I lightly nodded in agreement and replied.
“We will win.”
Win.
It could be done starting from now.
I could create weapons capable of defeating the Steel Titan.
* * *
─Aaaah-!
Screams echoed everywhere, and the sounds of buildings collapsing enveloped the world. Standing amidst the noise, fiery explosions, and dust, the Steel Titan was methodically killing people.
Thud-!
One more down.
Crushing people underfoot like insects, the Steel Titan cautiously looked down at its feet.
Another life was extinguished.
Just like that.
[…What am I doing right now?]
As that thought struck, the superpower that dominated the Steel Titan’s circuits activated.
Pain didn’t seem to exist, but as it gripped its head, Steel Titan let out a moan.
[Ughh…!]
Every time it doubted whether this was right, pain assaulted it.
Pain that could break even a machine.
However, no matter how much pain could snap metal, it could never break the spirit of a hero.
[I am, I am…]
The hero, who had awakened once, fell back into slumber.
It would take time for the hero to re-awaken.
The machine that dominated the body silently followed the command.
The command to kill people.