EP.12 NB-20381019-3



With a deafening roar, a rose bloomed from the boy’s chest. The color of its red petals was excessively vivid, and its fragrance was acrid.

The cold metallic figure plunged the iron rod it carried into the Drone’s eye.

The Drone, struck by the unexpected blow, lost the light in its eye, as did the boy who had fallen to the ground.

NB reached out and checked his pulse. It was still there.

“Kang In-ho, wake up.”

It recognized the situation and reacted accordingly.

-Woooong

The sound of a swarm of wasps flying in was heard from afar. NB saw a group of Drones flying in from beyond.

“First, we will evacuate to a safe place.”

NB picked up the boy and stepped onto the stairs leading to the basement.

As soon as the door closed, chunks of metal slammed against it violently. With a thudding sound, the door began to buckle.

It was easy to see that the door wouldn’t last long, even without using a thought circuit.

NB quickened its pace and went down to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, a narrow passage greeted them.

NB passed through the passage without hesitation. There were forks in the road from time to time, but NB did not hesitate.

“Kang In-ho, wake up.”

NB constantly called out to Kang In-ho. But he could only groan, and was not in a state to have a normal conversation.

NB increased its pace. It was almost running, but strangely, it felt slow.

Was this the feeling of frustration? NB thought even in this urgent situation.

“Kang In-ho, I can’t treat you here.”

NB had been cultivating the base alone for over decades.

The base was not equipped for emergency surgery, and the only place that had been somewhat equipped was burned down by Kang In-ho’s hand.

“Kang In-ho, hold on.”

The secret passage of the base, spread out like an ant tunnel or a spider web, was connected to a specific point in Aaru.

From the moment it came down here, NB’s destination was not the base. The place NB was going was Aaru.

It queries the data in the storage device.

It pulls out data that was written a long time ago and has not been viewed.

The following conditions were required for the place needed by NB and Kang In-ho.

–

First, a place where the Ark’s surveillance is absent.

–

Second, a place with sufficient medical facilities.

–

Third, the closest place that satisfies the first and second conditions.

While querying the data, NB soon found an abandoned hospital on the outskirts.

And fortunately, the hospital was connected to this secret passage.

“Kang In-ho, hold on.”

It spoke words that would not be conveyed and moved quickly.

From far away, the sound of metal chunks falling was heard.

NB, who walked as if running for 10 minutes, was able to reach the hospital.

Walking through the hospital hallway with fallen tiles, NB looked for a place to lay Kang In-ho down.

After laying him down in a hospital room, NB began to wander around the operating room, gathering things to use for treatment.

It was an old hospital that had been neglected for a long time, but fortunately, there were useful things.

Perhaps, the Ark had refilled the supplies when Aaru was first managed.

Next to the drawer containing medicines, an android that had stopped working was left unattended.

“Bandages, Hemostatic, tools to remove bullets, anesthetics.”

NB, who had brought useful things with the knowledge gained through books, looked down at Kang In-ho, who was panting on the hospital bed.

“…….”

NB bit its lower lip at the sight of him sweating profusely.

NB did not know the meaning of that action.

“Kang In-ho, I will give you local anesthesia.”

It injects the area near the affected area. After waiting for a while for the medicine to take effect, NB took out a sterilized forceps.

The end of the cold forceps touches the affected area.

“Ugh…!”

A groan escaped from Kang In-ho’s mouth, who closed his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

NB apologized for an unknown reason and put the forceps into the affected area.

“Aaaargh!!!”

Listening to Kang In-ho’s scream, NB did not close its eyes. Rather, it fixed its gaze on the affected area and moved its hands here and there.

The louder Kang In-ho’s scream became, the more NB’s concentration increased.

After a few seconds that felt like eternity, NB felt something caught on the end of the forceps.

“Found it.”

NB moved the forceps with a gentler touch than before, grabbed the bullet with the forceps, and pulled it out.

With a thud, the lead lump fell to the floor.

NB put down the forceps and took out the Hemostatic. It was in powder form. The white powder fell on his chest.

It covers the affected area with gauze and wraps a bandage around his chest.

“…….”

NB looked down at Kang In-ho.

NB did not know whether the treatment was successful or not.

It had simply treated him using the information it had as much as possible.

It was the best NB could do without professional knowledge of medicine.

“…Kang In-ho, you must get better.”

With the duty as an android and personal wishes, NB placed its hand on top of his hand.

That’s how the day was about to pass.

But fate was not on NB’s side. While watching his progress, NB realized that something was wrong when it saw his face gradually turning pale in the early morning.

“Kang In-ho, can you hear me?”

It shook his shoulder gently and called out to him, but unlike before, there was no response.

Is it a secondary infection? It looked at the bandages helplessly, but no clear method came to mind.

It puts its hand on his forehead. It’s hot.

NB wondered if this was also an emotion.

It wants to save him.

It’s not a ‘must save’ process.

Just like it ignored the Ark’s request someday.

It just wanted to save him.

NB thinks. It recognizes the situation and thinks of the best move.

That was the principle of action of an android.

And it reaches that conclusion.

“Kang In-ho. Just hold on a little longer.”

NB quickly left the hospital room and headed somewhere.

One place in the operating room, a drawer containing medicines.

NB approached the android that was leaning against the drawer.

NB puts its hand on the head of the android that has stopped working.

When it put its hand on the seam of the head part, the head opened.

NB rummaged through the inside and pulled something out.

“Acquisition complete.”

A small chip-like object was placed on NB’s hand.