episode_0163

162.

Hanna grips the strap of her handbag tightly. Inside, the only means she has left to protect herself. It’s roughly the 300th prototype, and while the performance is uncertain, based on her experience, she can at least fire one shot.

She couldn’t request parts from the blacksmith beforehand because she only had a rough theoretical understanding. Meaning she couldn’t proceed until she had a complete design, and only now has she achieved about 99% replication. Of course, it’s still theoretical.

‘It looks so familiar. This is… it must be from my world, just like me.’

In the dark, silent space, Hanna stays close to the wall, moving calmly. She naturally doesn’t know her way around, but this is nothing to be scared of.

The only thing concerning her is the building’s structure, designed for falls. There are primitive stairs as a way to move between floors. Falling is not just primitive, it’s logically unnecessary. The interior looks like an ordinary officetel. It makes no sense.

‘Was there an elevator here originally? I don’t know… I don’t even know how I fell…’

She passes by the doors in between. What if something is inside? It’s scary, and it’s a waste of time. Finding her way up is her priority. She wants to call out to her colleagues, but if the enemy hears, that would be troublesome. Even though she can fire one shot, there’s no guarantee of a perfect hit, or that it would be fatal. Besides, she doesn’t have the heart to harm anyone, so it’s really just a warning shot.

Only the sound of her footsteps echoes quietly.

‘In movies, at times like this, just when you feel safe…’

THUD.

“……A flag?”

A strange, deafening sound; it felt like the ground itself was trembling. Immediately after, a disturbing electrical crackle assaulted her ears.

She has to escape. But where? There were no forks in the road on the way here. Even in the darkness that is becoming familiar, there aren’t any intersections ahead. Judging by the basic structure, she needs go around a corner to find something. But she can’t tell where the sound is coming from.

Whrrr. Whrrrrrrr.

A motor sound. Definitely behind her. Her senses aren’t that sharp, but it’s definitely humming somewhere along that corridor.

‘Is there power? I don’t know what it is, but with that buried in the floor, nothing good is going to come of it… This is no time for this. Forward, I have to keep moving forward.’

She hadn’t realized, but her stamina was running out. Since coming to this world, her stamina has improved somewhat, likely due to the air, but it is only somewhat better than that of a typical desk researcher. She had climbed a mountain path and the tension was severely draining her energy.

Hanna begins to walk faster. Plant roots are spread out everywhere, and she has to be careful not to trip. Falling would be disastrous.

THUMP, Zzzzip―. Even though she’s fully focused, she can’t help but look back at the sound from behind.

A door opens, and something the size of a human emerges. It also looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time. It’s covered in moss, its original shape almost unrecognizable.

“A robot??”

The moving parts seem clogged with plants, and it makes an unstable, creaking noise; but it helps Hanna guess its identity instantly.

She quickens her pace, thinking.

‘Quadrupedal type… a security model? Think, think… can it harm people?’

“Intruder detected. Engaging.”

A distorted, cracking noise and an unstable robotic voice answers. At the same time, its internal weapon extends.

It still functions well despite having seemingly been here for a hundred years, and while Hanna is proud, it also leaves her with a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Only now does she realize her stamina has reached its limit.

‘It’s a machine, so I can’t even use a warning shot…!’

The gun, which had been her only light, feels like just dead weight.

If she runs, the distance will only close. And she might wake up more security robots ahead. Thinking that, Hanna rushes into the adjacent room. The automatic doors operate, meaning the power is still on. Taking a deep, ragged breath, she cautiously checks for any danger; thankfully, she doesn’t see anything immediately dangerous.

Click. Hanna turns on the room’s light switch. As she expected, the interior is a familiar style. A dusty, mossy, root-filled room welcomes her.

Carefully, she removes the moss, protecting her hands. The imminent threat of the robot was immediately forgotten.

‘I was… doing subassemblies here. …Interesting. So cool. Engineering is my specialty. I’m lucky.’

It was almost identical to the facility she used to work in. She hadn’t been working on robots, but she did understand some of the technology used. The power and moving parts were the most essential parts, so if she had the blueprints, she could find a way to force a shutdown.

Direct manipulation wasn’t possible; not for her at least. But she could make something like a remote control.

Luckily, and very luckily, she finds a sealed blueprint in a desk drawer. For security reasons, using analog blueprints was quite common, so it wasn’t strictly gambling, but the excellent condition was a stroke of luck.

Creak… Creak―.

No time to celebrate. Whether or not the weapons are operable, if even one works, it won’t end with a simple ‘ouch!’.

‘Okay, looks like an old system. …I only hope the tools are still here.’

She quickly checks the assembly equipment. She can’t be more thankful that it’s not a mass-produced model. Given factory equipment, the only option would have been to run. It truly feels like a movie.

But doubts remain. Security robots aren’t exactly commonplace, not something anyone can easily make. Because their lethality is regulated, the government strictly controls them. Even for criminals, on-site termination is unacceptable.

‘Focus. It’s been a while since I handled this kind of thing…’

For Hanna, surrounded by material that seemed straight from a fantasy novel, things she once found familiar now felt foreign.

Clang, Click….

The sounds are getting closer. She haphazardly cuts and splices wires, desperately modifying it. It’s frustrating that she can not be more precise concerning the components, but now is not the time for complaints.

Permanent power supply is impossible. The reason this building still functions is the power left in the internal generators, and the devices communicate with each other regarding energy needs. This is simple to Hanna; she understands the principle, even seeing the possibility of a shutdown.

Creak―!!

The automatic door opens with a disturbing noise, warning her.

“Fir―ing. ”

“Gasp!”

The gun barrel is pointed directly at her. The words are garbled with noise, but it’s undeniably kill mode. Hanna immediately raises her hastily-made remote control towards the security robot.

But in her haste, she drops it.

“Aaaaaah…!!!”

She dives for it, throwing herself to the ground to catch the remote. Four bullets slam into the ground almost instantly into the space just where she stood.

Had she been even a second slower, even if she’d activated the remote, she would have been instantly killed.

As soon as she picks up the remote, she manages to completely stop the robot. This is the fastest she has ever moved in her life.

It was short period, but it was a dangerous moment where life and death hung in the balance; her energy was completely drained. Her legs buckle and she collapses to the floor.

‘I’m completely crazy…!!’

No matter how much she breathes deeply, her rapidly beating heart won’t calm down. The familiarity of what seemed like a research facility is only a fleeting illusion. She’s completely exhausted.

Hanna sits there, quietly lost in thought.

‘Our lab… wasn’t exactly ethical, but this is too much.’

Before coming here, Hanna was a researcher, fully dedicated to her work. It was essentially forbidden, almost impossible research, but many talented people were gathered, working to somehow find a way to make it possible.

‘Time travel… time? I should have thought of that!!!!! You idiot!! My mind was somewhere else…!! But Erina-nim’s cock was amazing….’

Even tearing her hair out is too late. It was a hypothesis after all.

‘Time and space aren’t separate concepts…?’