Ch.6464. Uphill Road.

# 64.

“…The hole turned out much bigger than I expected.”

Despite my legs trembling from the explosion’s vibration, I somehow managed to stand up and look around.

A hole had formed at the explosion site, just as I’d hoped. A hole large enough to drive Alexander through.

Around it, parts of collapsed walls and debris were scattered quite extensively, with some fragments much larger than me.

“Really, it’s such a blessing they didn’t fly this way.”

If there had been more explosives, or if I hadn’t put enough distance between us, I might not be of this world anymore, caught in the explosion or hit by flying debris.

“You do realize we nearly died just now, don’t you?!”

“Squeak…”

“I was already thinking that, so spare me the lecture just this once. My head is ringing…”

My legs are trembling and my ears are muffled.

The fortunate thing was that I could still drive Alexander despite my condition.

“I’m suddenly wondering if it’s really appropriate for me—created to maintain and repair the city—to be accompanying a city destroyer like you.”

“I’ll try not to do this kind of thing again…”

I sat in the driver’s seat, the Robot in the cargo area, and the Puppy on my lap.

After confirming everyone was in their place, I carefully moved the steering wheel.

* * *

“It’s really dark. The structure seems similar to the Tower entrance we saw from below.”

“The explosion Mori just caused might have cut off the electricity that was working fine!”

“Oh come on, that can’t be. If that were the case, there would have been some way to open the door.”

I cautiously moved forward, relying on the headlights. The inside of the collapsed wall was made up of numerous gears and complex parts I had never seen before.

“I wonder if that’s a device for opening a large door, or a mechanism to support the weight of the massive floors above?”

Looking in wonder at the unfamiliar future technology, we entered and saw a motionless elevator.

“There’s no robot checking tickets here.”

“I suppose only selected people could come this far in the first place.”

Despite being built closer to Paradise, the elevator here was much cruder and shabbier than the one we’d seen on the lower floors.

“Judging by the wood and steel beams scattered around… this might have originally been used as a freight elevator.”

They must have stationed the gatekeeper robots later, after seeing people who climbed up here on their own. That thought came naturally, as this elevator looked completely different from the one we saw on the lower floors.

“Should we just check if it works? You never know.”

The door of the non-functioning elevator was wide open.

With a glimmer of hope, I drove Alexander into the elevator, got out, and pulled the rusty, damaged lever.

“Ah. It seems broken as expected.”

“It would be stranger if it worked properly in this condition.”

“True.”

Despite pulling the creaking lever all the way, the elevator didn’t move at all. There was a loud booming sound from somewhere, but it didn’t seem to be coming from the elevator.

Worried that the elevator might fall or something might fall from above, I quickly got back on Alexander and drove out of the elevator.

“I wonder if there’s… any other way up.”

I looked around slowly. Even in a world confident in robots and technology, they wouldn’t have created just one way up.

When exploring the city, this was the only structure connected to the upper floors of the Tower. But since there were no visible ramps or ladders outside, there must be some way to climb up inside.

“Mori. Couldn’t we go up through here?”

“Huh?”

I was in the middle of searching for a way up among the materials scattered randomly on the floor. Following the Robot’s voice to the end of the space, I found a ramp.

“…What? Why would they put a ramp in a place like this?”

I shined my flashlight at the ceiling. Inside the wide and tall pillar—so spacious that even my powerful flashlight couldn’t illuminate it completely—there was a spiral ramp.

It looked like I could drive Alexander up it, though it might be a bit dangerous without railings.

“I don’t get it. Why would they build something like this where there’s already an elevator?”

“Well, they usually put stairs next to elevators, don’t they?”

“That’s true, but… if they made it considering power outages or maintenance, they would have built space-saving, quick-access stairs. Not this leisurely ramp.”

Something doesn’t fit. If they had built the ramp outside with nothing inside, like they did below, I would understand. But why build this in the same space as the elevator?

It’s odd to think they considered elevator breakdowns but not situations where the doors wouldn’t open.

“Hmm… something feels off.”

While I’ve tried to accept and adapt to this unfamiliar world, understanding that I can’t comprehend everything, this particular situation gave me a strong sense of dissonance.

The ramp being just wide enough for Alexander to drive up, the slope being gentle enough not to slide down even when stationary…

All of this feels like a path designed to lead me to Paradise.

But—that possibility is close to zero.

How could people from the past have known I would come here riding Alexander?

It must be a path created for construction equipment or robots to move around.

“Anyway, it’s good we found a way up. Let’s go.”

Whatever the reason, it was fortunate for me.

I hurried back to Alexander and began climbing the pillar along the ramp.

* * *

“Round and round… round and round… I’m getting dizzy.”

The ramp inside the building was much more comfortable to travel than the exposed path outside.

First, there was no wind, and without wind, I could wear lighter clothes, so sitting in the driver’s seat wasn’t too stuffy.

Except for the darkness and lack of railings that required constant focus on the path ahead, it was quite a good road.

“Ugh, let’s take a short break.”

“Would you like some water?”

“Yes… please.”

The problem was that without the headlights, it was so dark you couldn’t see an inch in front of you, and one slip meant falling—making that one drawback feel enormous.

Maybe it was from staring at the bright lights all day while driving, but both my eyes and mind tired quickly. This was already my fifth break today. Considering I usually didn’t rest much from waking up until bedtime except for meals, I could tell this was physically demanding.

“I’m getting sleepy… should we stop here for the night?”

“That’s not a bad idea. If we push too hard and make a mistake, we all die.”

“…You sometimes say the most unpleasant things in such a calm manner.”

“Well, plain truth is often the cruelest thing in the world. Can’t help it!”

The wall had small recesses at regular intervals. Of course, they were small compared to the building, but large enough for me to crawl in and sleep, so I always used these recesses whenever I needed to rest or sleep.

“Phew. I’m really glad these recesses exist.”

It meant I wouldn’t roll over in my sleep and fall.

Of course, without these recesses, I would have managed somehow—sleeping at the steering wheel or tying myself securely in the cargo area to prevent falling.

Being able to stretch out and sleep comfortably like this was a good thing.

“My stomach is full, blanket is on… I’ll turn on the heater and take a nap.”

After finishing a simple meal, I prepared to sleep. I placed the heater at my feet and pressed the button firmly.

But.

“…Huh?”

The heater didn’t work.

Even pressing the button hard.

Even tapping the top part, the heater no longer emitted light.

“Looks like it’s out of fuel.”

“Ah…”

Well… I did use it for a long time. Thinking back to how the light had been growing dimmer for months, it actually lasted much longer than expected.

“It’s a shame, but… it wouldn’t be right to say ‘hang in there a little longer’ to something that’s done its job faithfully until the end.”

I patted the head of the heater that had fulfilled its role to the end, and put it inside Alexander.

A heater without fuel is nothing more than useless scrap metal, but perhaps because we’d been together for so long, I didn’t want to leave it behind in such a desolate place.

“There’s no wind here… and the blanket alone should be warm enough, so it’s fine.”

Without the heater, I just needed to use more blankets.

I curled up and closed my eyes. The Puppy climbed on top of me.

“What, are you trying to be my heater?”

The Puppy’s body radiated warmth, just like a real living puppy.

The thought occurred to me that, like the heater, the Puppy might also reach the end of its life after repeatedly generating heat like this.

“…It should be fine for a while.”

Wanting to enjoy the warm comfort for now, I pretended not to notice and closed my eyes.