Ch.4040. Interlude.

40.

“Mmm… mmm…”

Not long after the video transmission stopped, Mori fell into such a deep sleep that she wouldn’t have noticed if someone carried her away.

She usually didn’t fall asleep this quickly or deeply.

But she was physically exhausted from searching for survivors throughout the city day and night since arriving.

Her body and mind, which hadn’t properly rested until now, had finally found a place to relax, so it couldn’t be helped.

“—She really is a strange person.”

The Robot, who never sleeps, stared down at Mori.

Thinking, as it had said aloud several times, that Mori was a strange person.

“I can’t tell if she’s too suspicious or not suspicious enough.”

To say she was overly suspicious didn’t make sense when she was sleeping so defenseless in front of a Robot she’d just met, but to say she wasn’t suspicious enough contradicted the gun she had hidden in her coat.

Moreover, her emotional changes were so diverse and rapid.

Even the artificial intelligence, which prided itself on becoming closer to humans by accumulating endless information about them since its creation, couldn’t possibly grasp Mori’s thoughts and emotions.

“The humans I understood were individualistic, desolate, negative—practical and cruel beings.”

That’s how humans were, how the times were. It was only natural since humans, no one else, made the world exist as it did.

Invisible status. Scarce resources and the approaching eternal winter. Even a girl who once smiled brightly like a flower facing the sun had no choice but to become selfish and cold in this era.

Therefore, the Robot had to prioritize negative emotions when interpreting humans. But Mori had beautifully proven the Robot’s perception wrong.

Humans of this era didn’t run away or tremble because they couldn’t break a single Robot Puppy. They strictly distinguished between robots and humans, and at the same time, weren’t easily swayed by emotions like cuteness. Mori even had a perfectly functional gun.

That’s why Mori was strange to the Robot. An incomprehensible person who made its circuits heat up just by being observed. The only person who hadn’t lost morality and humanity even in this world.

“How did someone so human end up in a world like this?”

The Robot placed its hand over Mori’s. Unlike the many who had died, a signal of warmth came through, and the Robot smiled at the hand of a truly living person that moved slightly in response to stimulation.

But… it was also sad.

“How much time do we have left?”

This world had reached its end.

People outside this massive Ark disappeared long ago, and the signals from this place, the last city in the Ark, were lost recently, leaving Mori as the only life that could be called truly alive.

There might still be active bodies and consciousnesses inside Paradise—but the Robot couldn’t define whether they could be called living beings or real people.

Could something be called human just because its heart beats and brain functions? Was humanity such a simple existence?

Mori thought people were living here after seeing the Drone’s message, but for the Robot, who realized the message wasn’t from current humanity but the will of ancient humans seeking salvation, it was simply devastating.

“Did past humanity really believe this ordinary person could save the world?”

The complete transmission of will over hundreds of years, possible only because it was a robot. The words that the last wanderer could save humanity from the apocalypse kept echoing.

Soft and fragile hands. Could this girl, who seemed unable to do anything alone, really save humanity?

The Robot couldn’t believe that Mori alone could solve the apocalypse that neither highly intelligent AIs nor the geniuses who created them could solve.

Despite being designed not to doubt human words.

“How could someone from hundreds of years ago predict that Mori would come to this era, this city? As if they had seen the current situation with their own eyes.”

The Robot’s world, which had been quietly progressing toward death, became chaotic again with the appearance of just one person.

Creation and destruction, possible only by humans. The Robot smiled at the change.

“I hope Mori can save the world as past humanity said.”

When Mori’s long journey ends.

Will the world make a new beginning?

Or will everything end and fall into eternal sleep?

“Whatever the outcome, Mori… won’t be able to find happiness.”

Robots don’t sleep and don’t forget. This is both a blessing and a curse.

As infinite information accumulated, the Robot, already similar to humans, became even closer to them.

Having developed thinking that could be called a personality, it came to know happiness and sadness. It became capable of feeling compassion.

“At least for now, I hope you have good dreams.”

Robots don’t dream. They don’t need the series of activities that organize memories through dreams.

Therefore, the Robot didn’t know what dreaming felt like or how it directly affected human emotions, but with the sole wish that Mori would have good moments, at least for now, the Robot wished for dreams it didn’t understand.

“Should I dry clothes until Mori wakes up? Or—”

The Robot left Mori and the Puppy that had slipped into Mori’s blanket to warm itself, and picked up the robot that had stopped working earlier.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The Drone that had been concerning in many ways since first sight.

The Robot took the Drone in hand and moved to the next room.

Then, it closed the door to prevent sound from leaking outside.

In the empty room, the Robot bowed to the Drone and spoke.

“…So you were there.”

As if responding to those words, the Drone began to operate.

The Controller was still on Mori’s arm, and the Robot hadn’t pressed any buttons.

The Drone opened its eyes on its own and began flying around as usual, as if it were alive.

The difference from usual was that while the Drone was moving, its camera was turned off.

And the Robot—didn’t notice this fact.

* * *

It had been over a month since the appearance of the broadcast from Mori in the ruined future to the 21st century, colloquially known as the Apocalypse Broadcast.

A month was too short to calmly accept the future apocalypse.

But society wasn’t as chaotic as before, thanks to people returning to their daily lives after realizing nothing would happen immediately.

“Did you see? Our gift was properly delivered to Mori! This is definitive proof that Mori exists in our future and that our plan to intervene in the distant future has succeeded!”

Meanwhile, the Apocalypse Response Committee that Eugene belonged to had achieved many results.

The gift for the last wanderer was a great present for Mori, but simultaneously a great gift for humanity in the 21st century.

First, they could completely escape the doubt that had been consistently raised: “Is Mori really in our future?”

They also gained a concrete example of how they could help Mori by intervening in a future that Mori hadn’t yet discovered—an undetermined future—while guiding Mori to save humanity.

Encouraged by these discoveries, Eugene began to focus on researching more definitive ways to change the future.

Other researchers who had gained hope also accelerated their respective studies.

Genetic modification research. Robots and artificial intelligence. Space exploration.

And the construction of an ark in preparation for the apocalypse.

Even if some plans seemed impossible at the moment, considering the significant time remaining until the apocalypse, they exchanged opinions freely while conducting research.

Currently, the most popular idea was none other than a massive ark.

An ark that would carry numerous cities and people, automatically navigating to places with comfortable climates for humans despite sea level changes or weather anomalies due to climate change.

Assuming current discussions became reality, the ark was an extremely attractive solution. But there was a problem.

“No matter how massive the ark is, wouldn’t the number of people who can board be limited?”

Even with advanced future technology, it would be physically impossible to build a ship that could accommodate all of humanity.

If there were people who could board the ark—the only refuge in a world facing apocalypse—and those who couldn’t.

—It was obvious that conflicts and wars would break out.

“Excuse me, just a moment!”

Just as some researchers who realized this fact were about to question the researcher presenting the ark construction plan.

[Yawn… hello everyone! Good morning.]

Suddenly, Mori’s broadcast turned on.

Mori, who had just woken up, was saying good morning and rubbing her dry face.

But the clock on the conference room wall pointed to 12 o’clock.

“…What time did Mori usually wake up?”

“…6 AM.”

Though no one spoke aloud.

Everyone thought something had gone seriously wrong.