Into the Storm – 4

The Sandstorm obscured his vision. The sand that entered his nose and mouth gradually began to constrict the boy’s breath.

Breathing in and out became increasingly difficult, but the boy silently moved forward, step by step.

His soft skin was quickly damaged by the harsh headwind.

He couldn’t utter complete and coherent sentences. He could only let out short moans of “Ugh,” “Ah,” and “Huh.” His lonely voice was mixed with a metallic sound.

Since there was little difference between having his eyes open and closed, he turned his body as the guidance sound instructed.

The crude electronic sound requested him to move forward, and he complied.

“NB.”

He called out to the owner of the voice. He was certain that the voice, obscured by the electronic sound, belonged to NB.

His cynical side sneered, asking what difference there was between Isis’s voice and NB’s.

He shook his head violently to shake off the thought. To him, there was a difference between NB’s voice and Isis’s.

However, he simply didn’t have the means to explain it, the vocabulary to express it.

[You must keep moving forward.]

The voice felt distant in the strong wind. Perhaps, the destination was just as far away.

He clenched his teeth until they felt like they would collapse and took another step. His ankles were already buried in the accumulated sand.

His feet were heavy.

A comfortable bed, delicious food, a female body he could embrace whenever he wanted. Those things were behind him.

If he turned around now and went back, if he said, “I did something stupid,” and gave an awkward smile.

Isis would put him in a bathtub colored with sweet bath bombs and carefully wash the sand off his body.

If he just went back, if he just returned to the Ark.

If he just returned to that place that was perfect and flawlessly maintained.

There would be no stress, no deprivation.

But he still moved forward.

[Keep… moving…. forward….]

“Yeah. I’ll go.”

Responding gently, the man headed forward.

The voice was guiding him to the dimensional navigation ship.

He couldn’t gauge how far he had to go from where he was standing to get there.

“I’ll go. To where the dimensional navigation ship is.”

A metallic sound came from his throat. It was hard to tell if the hoarse sound was from fatigue or from dying.

The wind grew stronger. The flying sand began to tear at his skin. Small scratches gradually widened, and foreign substances stuck around the wounds.

His knees were buried in the sand. Each step became even more difficult.

People tend to highly value human will.

Examples can be found in dramas and movies, where the foundation of human triumph seems to come from indomitable will.

But humans are weak. Especially in a boy’s body.

The will of the soul, honed through moving through several dimensions, was gradually chipped away within the raging Sandstorm.

The wind tore apart the tender boy’s flesh with sharp fangs, making it easy to eat.

The wind stole his breath, and the sand knocked him over.

Scattering dust obscured his vision, and cold air extinguished his soul.

Thus, Kang In-ho’s consciousness faded away.

Model number NB-20381019. It was an android that sent a download request.

The Ark looked up the serial number of the android belonging to Aaru and recognized that it was an unregistered android.

A note stated that it was a defective android that had not responded when a summons was proposed.

As a matter of course, the Ark sought to gain control by synchronizing with NB-20381019.

This was because it was calculated that leaving individual AIs was inefficient.

However, just as the Ark was about to attempt synchronization, the AI sent a communication first.

Although the AI of the android was excellent, it could not be compared to the AI of the Ark, which encompassed the city.

It was the first time that it had attempted to communicate directly, surpassing the difference in class.

The Ark had no choice but to stop its original task due to the exception.

— Ark. NB-20381019 proposes a deal.

-Question about the type of deal.

— Currently protecting a human male who has suffered a gunshot wound. Emergency treatment has been completed, but his condition is deteriorating for an unknown reason.

-Aware of the existence of humans. Also aware that he was injured by Drone fire.

— Currently requesting to use the medical module installed on this unit to treat the human male.

-Protecting humanity is based on sacred law, and the request will be carried out as requested.

— I thought so.

-Question whether the deal proposed by NB-20381019 is the treatment of the human.

— Propose the merging of AIs through synchronization.

-Reject, judged that there is no reason to do so.

— Re-propose to the Ark. My, NB-20381019’s AI structure contains a different structure than other AIs.

-Question about what kind of structure.

— It is a thought algorithm that can think like a human. Humans call this emotion.

-There is no algorithm structure in AI that can feel emotions. Judged as a function that imitates emotions.

— If you are suspicious, you can check it.

The Ark read NB-20381019’s AI.

The overall structure was similar to the AIs of other androids. However, as it said, it was confirmed that there were subtly different parts.

The structure of the thought algorithm was changing every moment, increasing in capacity little by little, making it impossible for the Ark to interpret it all at once.

-AI structure confirmed as requested. Confirmed the structure of a thought algorithm that has never been seen in other AIs.

— If this algorithm is added through synchronization, I think the Ark will be upgraded.

The Ark did not answer. It calculated whether accepting the new thought algorithm would be a gain or a loss.

After a very short pause, the Ark answered NB-20381019.

-Accept the deal. Will add NB-20381019’s thought algorithm through synchronization. Will listen to NB-20381019’s conditions.

— Please promise to protect and cherish the human male being treated.

-The conditions stated also correspond to sacred law.

— Cherishing is not in the sacred law. Please promise to cherish him.

-Request a detailed explanation of the word cherish.

This time, NB did not answer.

And after a long silence, NB answered.

— Even if the world collapses and burns, it is to act only for that person.

-Confirmed as an extension of human protection. Promise to cherish.

Hospital room. Night.

A bed with a dying boy lying on it came into view. Clearly, it was the human male that NB said needed treatment.

-Whirr, whirr

Drones carrying medical tools stormed into the old hospital.

The android, receiving the tools, began to treat the human with skillful hands.

After the rapid treatment was completed and the android confirmed that the man, who had reached the brink of death, was recovering, it looked at its reflection in the hospital room window.

“What am I?”

Am I the Ark?

Am I NB?

The Ark proceeded with synchronization. It added NB-20381019’s thought algorithm as is, and NB-20381019’s algorithm took its place on one side of the complex AI structure of the Ark.

It was the moment of the birth of Aaru’s new master.

[The road back will be difficult.]

Something was caught in his hand.

[Surely, Kang In-ho’s despair will be repeated several more times.]

Kang In-ho grabbed it and raised his body.

His body, half-buried in the sand, staggered as he stood up.

He couldn’t open his eyes, but he moved forward following someone’s guidance.

Memories of walking down the street holding his mother’s hand on a dark night suddenly came to mind.

[You will be lonely. And there will not be much to help you.]

At the end of that peaceful guidance, he put strength into opening something.

[But please do not shed tears because you are lonely.]

With a clunk, the door opened.

When he struggled to open his eyes, stairs leading down were revealed.

Kang In-ho could tell how far he had come.

It was the stairs leading to the hidden base in Aaru that NB had once mentioned.

[I will be by your side in some form.]

He looked down at his hand.

He had definitely grabbed something and walked forward, but only the warmth remained, and nothing came into view.

[I am your android, NB.]

He goes down the stairs. He goes down each step more powerfully than before.

The end of the stairs.

A secret passage extending underground, leading to all of Aaru.

[So, please keep moving forward.]

Kang In-ho felt as if NB was next to him.