Ch.59Codename Zero (1)

It was a face I’d never seen in the original work.

Flowing gray braided hair and her attire was… how should I describe it?

While it’s true that heroes equip costumes that match their individuality, she in particular wore something that looked like it came straight out of a fantasy.

Like a princess knight.

With an exquisite outfit somewhere between armor and dress, she silently revealed herself before us.

The artificial human who stepped forward to the round table.

Homunculus – Zero’s eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever.

Her eyes were somehow bitter, to the point where I felt empty just looking at them.

“Now, Zero. Please introduce yourself to the S-class heroes here, Princess Hoshino, and that fine gentleman over there.”

“Yes. Understood, Councilor.”

Is that really an artificially created life form?

It was hard to believe she was born in a cold glass tube rather than a woman’s womb—the quality was that convincing.

Just like a real human.

All five of us sitting at the round table couldn’t help but be surprised as Zero bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle to introduce herself.

“Pleased to meet you, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Zero. I am a homunculus who opened my eyes in the Hero Association’s underground research wing, B4 floor, A-21 floor.”

“What in the…”

“How…!”

“Though I am a disgusting and worthless life form compared to you real humans, I pride myself on at least being able to serve as a meat shield. I look forward to working with you all.”

“What do you think? This homunculus. Doesn’t it make you imagine humanity achieving perfect victory against monsters already?”

Avanka stroked Zero’s head after she greeted us exactly as instructed.

She was clearly expecting us to react the same way she did as she looked at us.

But an artificially created ‘human weapon’?

This was far too immoral a creation for humanity to accept yet.

At the same time, it was also too ‘progressive’ a plan.

“Creating a person artificially! Councilor Avanka… do you truly have no concept of ‘human rights’?!”

“Whoa, whoa. Why are you getting so angry, Master Makoto?”

The first to react was Master Makoto, who had the highest hero ranking among us.

“Think about it! An artificial life form… and a human at that! What if this technology leaks out and her enemy becomes not monsters but us humans?!”

“Hahaha. As expected of the head of a historic hunter family, what a ‘conservative’ way of thinking. Haven’t you watched too many apocalypse movies?”

“What did you say?!”

However, Councilor Avanka simply shrugged off Master Makoto’s words with a laugh.

She firmly denied the warning that homunculus technology could fall into the hands of humans who are no better than monsters.

“First of all, the homunculus created with current scientific technology is only this one, codename Zero.”

“…!”

“That child… is the only artificial human?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Lady Roselia. Despite concerns about technology leaks, even this child is merely a being created by a ‘miracle.'”

“Miracle?”

The underground research wing of A-City, where the highest level of scientific technology in Hero City is concentrated.

Even there, Zero was a life form created by chance, through a miraculous one-in-a-billion probability.

She was a being that was almost discarded, deemed worthless.

“Of course, as science continues to advance in the future, we may eventually be able to create homunculi like Zero easily.”

“But… it’s difficult right now?”

“Yes. In fact, the research facility that created Zero has now closed. Having obtained this valuable sample, we don’t want to rely on such miraculous probabilities again. So we’re gathering a new research team to start from scratch, focusing on Zero.”

And that wasn’t all.

“Also, Master Makoto?”

“…What is it?”

“You asked me earlier if I have no concept of human rights. That question was wrong from the start.”

“What?”

Councilor Avanka walked right up to Zero as if all of Master Makoto’s thoughts were mistaken.

Then she grabbed Zero’s collar and—

Riiiiip.

“Wh-what?!”

“Oh…!”

“?! Janghoon, cover your eyes!”

For whatever reason, she tore open Zero’s shirt, exposing her ample breasts.

Everyone at the round table was shocked by this sudden ‘sexual harassment.’

Especially Miss Hoshino, who was sitting next to me, pulled my head between her breasts as if telling me to look only at hers.

“Wh-what are you doing?! And with a man present!”

“That’s right, Councilor Avanka. This is clearly sexual harassment.”

“Sexual harassment? Against whom?”

“Against whom? Well…”

No matter how much gender norms had changed in this reversed world, suddenly exposing someone’s upper body was disrespectful regardless of gender.

Because of this, Master Makoto was about to say something to Councilor Avanka for abusing her power as a hero.

But.

“Zero, are you angry that I exposed your chest?”

“No. Such emotions are a luxury for a fake like me. And I affirm everything that real humans do.”

There was no victim here.

So everyone quickly fell silent.

“…!”

Despite having her breasts forcibly exposed—a humiliating act—the homunculus just stood there calmly.

Councilor Avanka continued her questioning, saying this was nothing.

“Zero, are you human?”

“No. I am a fake human. Therefore, I have no human rights.”

“If I told you to die, would you?”

“Yes. Of course. I would follow orders not just from Councilor Avanka, but from any other worthy person in Hero City.”

With those words, Zero pointed the greatsword she was holding at her own neck.

Everyone at the round table, including myself, was at a loss for words.

The only person smiling was Councilor Avanka, essentially Zero’s handler.

“Do you see, heroes? This is humanity’s ‘future.'”

“Future…? You’re saying our future is something this chilling that will commit suicide without any will of its own, just following orders?”

“Yes! But there’s no need to worry, Master Makoto! This child will only point her sword at monsters.”

“That’s right. I will never harm real humans.”

“How can we believe that?”

That’s when it happened.

Yoon Ha-eun, who had been quiet all this time.

She stared at Zero with eyes pulsing with heart-shaped light, wanting a definitive answer.

“Zero… proof that you cannot harm us real humans. Honestly, anyone could say such things.”

“I affirm that, Hero Yoon Ha-eun.”

“Among monsters, there have been many who tried to deceive us like that and then stab us in the back. Do you have any means to prove your words?”

Certainly.

Anyone can claim to be an astronaut or president with just words.

That’s why we needed solid ‘confirmation’ rather than just words.

Right then.

“Virus.”

“Vi…”

“rus?”

Councilor Avanka spoke on Zero’s behalf.

“That’s right. I told you, didn’t I? Zero is an artificial human created in a test tube.”

“But what does that have to do with this virus thing?”

“It’s exactly as it sounds. Though she appears to have the figure of an adult woman, Zero’s actual age is just over 500 days.”

“5…”

“500 days?!”

A year has 365 days.

That means she’s not even 2 years old yet.

“And it hasn’t even been a month since Zero came out of the test tube.”

“Exactly 27 days have passed, Councilor Avanka.”

“Yes, yes. Anyway, Zero was ‘manufactured’ by a computer with programmed inputs from inside the test tube.”

“Program… manufactured…”

“You’re speaking as if she was ‘created’ like a game character?”

“Oh! What a truly ‘progressive’ expression, fine gentleman. That’s exactly right.”

Zero was created by a computer, and in the process, programs were installed in her brain that prevent her from defying real humans, along with a firewall as a precaution.

This double firewall is a virus—a deadly poison—that automatically activates if the fake human forgets her place and tries to challenge the authority of real humans.

“Wait, so… she was born with something like a time bomb inside her body from birth?”

“Hahaha. A time bomb… that’s another progressive expression, sir. Or should I say, Kang Janghoon?”

“So why did you bring this thing that’s not even human before us?”

An unpleasant life form that looks human but is confirmed not to be human.

Master Makoto, who had made that determination about Zero, wanted to hear the main point quickly, if only to leave this useless meeting sooner.

Then, as if she’d been waiting for this.

“It’s simple. I’m thinking of putting Zero in one of the S-class positions that will be added this time.”

Councilor Avanka revealed her intentions.

“Wh-what?!”

“Something that’s not even human… in S-class?”

“Whose approval did you get to put such a thing in an S-class position?!”

S-class heroes, well-known as humanity’s greatest fighting force.

When told that an artificial life form that merely resembled humans would enter such an honorable position, the three S-class heroes were literally outraged.

All of them stood up from their seats in anger.

But Councilor Avanka, who thought this was just the behavior of ‘conservative’ humans afraid of ‘change’…

Ring ring ring.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

With a relaxed smile at the timely phone call.

“Perfect timing. I’ll be right there.”

Hearing news of a monster on the other end of the phone, she seemed rather excited and pointed at Zero.

“Then let’s do a performance test.”

“Performance…”

“Test?”

“Yes. A Level 2 monster, the ‘Bat Monster,’ has appeared in B-City, not far from here in A-City. As you know, only upper A-class heroes and above can defeat Level 2 or higher monsters single-handedly, right?”

“That’s true…”

“Yes. So let’s watch. If Zero gets devoured by a mere Bat Monster here, we’ll pretend everything that happened today never occurred.”