shouting for Help in a World Without  Hope or dreams (2)

[Re-detecting user’s vital signs. Restarting the Combat Armor System.]

[System reboot initiated.]

[Energy sword recharging.]

[User interface activating.]

[Remaining energy at 92%.]

[System reboot complete. Welcome, Ensign Han Yuseong of the Allied Space Force.]

A woman’s voice spoke from the robotic-like suit Yuseong was wearing.

“Huh? What is this now?”

The suit began making activation noises.

[User Han Yuseong. I recommend leaving the transport immediately.]

“Transport?”

[It’s about to crash.]

Crash? Fall? Yuseong looked around.

He was in a transport shuttle that had been wrecked, teetering dangerously in the middle of a building.

He didn’t need to think twice. Yuseong quickly got out of the shuttle.

Creak, creak, bang!

The moment he escaped, the transport shuttle plunged to the ground below.

If he had been even a little slower, he would have been smashed along with it.

“Uh… suit? Computer? Ugh, what do I even call you? Anyway, thanks.”

Yuseong expressed his gratitude to the mysterious voice that had warned him in time.

[I am Eve. A multipurpose AI assigned to assist user Han Yuseong through the Allied Space Force Officer Support Program.]

So, this world is that technologically advanced. An AI inside a suit, just like in the movies.

‘Wait a minute; if this AI is different from Titania, it might actually be able to help me.’

“Hey, Eve. Do you know where we are?”

[This is the capital city of the planet Caden, Ramdon.]

Just as he’d hoped, this AI named Eve knew way more than Titania.

“Who am I?”

[That’s a philosophical question.]

“No, I mean, who am I, and why am I here? Could you explain that?”

[User Han Yuseong. Ensign in the Allied Space Force, enlisted for one year, assigned to the multipurpose special forces unit ‘Undead’ under the Space Force. Deployed to retrieve research data stored at the Ramdon Research Center.]

“So then, what happened? Why did the transport crash?”

[The transport was severely damaged and crashed after an attack by an evolved species, the ‘Killer Bee.’ When the shuttle went down, you experienced a shock that temporarily stopped your vital signs.]

Attacked and then crashed… That was unexpected. He thought he was in a parallel world without monsters, but it was too soon to feel safe.

“So, what should I do now? It seems like I’m the only one who survived.”

[Continue the mission. The experimental data on the evolved species from Ramdon’s central research center must be recovered. Fortunately, the central research center isn’t far from here. I’ll guide you.]

“Damn.”

He’d secretly hoped the AI would suggest returning, but instead, it insisted on completing the mission.

[But why are you asking these questions? Knowing mission-related details should be fundamental.]

“I think… I have amnesia…”

[… Initiating brain scan.]

If Eve were a person, she’d probably be staring at Yuseong with a “what the heck” expression. Deciding there must be something wrong with his brain, Eve began scanning it.

[There are no abnormalities. However, based on your strange remarks, it’s likely there is some dysfunction in your brain. I recommend a thorough examination after returning.]

“…Got it.”

[Then let’s continue the mission. You should be able to retrieve weapons from the crashed Griffin transport. Let’s grab them and head out right away.]

The transport shuttle was embedded in the ground floor of the building. To get the weapons, Yuseong would have to go down.

[There is a working elevator within the building.]

Amazing. The AI, Eve, had kindly informed him about the elevator, even though he hadn’t asked.

Following Eve’s directions, Yuseong walked toward the elevator and pressed the button. But no matter how many times he pressed it, the light didn’t come on—it seemed like the power was out.

“This thing’s got no power.”

If there’s no power to operate the elevator, it won’t work. That would mean taking the stairs. And since this building seemed pretty tall, going down on foot would take a while.

[The Combat Armor’s internal power can be used to restore power to the elevator.]

“Great. So, what do I do?”

[Connect the terminal to the socket inside the elevator panel.]

Click!

Right as Eve finished speaking, a connector popped out of the suit’s right wrist. Yuseong opened the elevator panel and plugged the connector into the empty socket as Eve had instructed.

[Restoring elevator power… Remaining energy at 73%.]

“Didn’t I start with 92% energy?”

Powering the elevator had drained a significant amount of energy. Going from 92% to 73% in a flash felt like a bit of a waste.

Yuseong knew he’d have to conserve the remaining energy since running out would mean his suit’s functions and Eve would shut down.

[Elevator power restored.]

Yuseong stepped inside and pressed the button marked ‘L’ to go to the lobby.

Whirr, hummm…

The elevator doors closed, and it began its descent.

Ding! Whoosh!

When he reached the lobby, he saw the battered transport shuttle smashed into the building entrance. According to Eve, the weapons should be inside that wreck.

Yuseong cautiously stepped out of the elevator and looked around.

Behind what looked like an information desk was a wall with “Ramdon Stock Exchange” written on it. Even though it was written in English, thanks to Titania’s translation spell, it felt like he was reading it in Korean.

He carefully approached the wrecked shuttle. Since it had been attacked by that “evolved species,” the back section of the shuttle had been torn off and was completely empty.

He climbed in through the broken rear of the shuttle.

“Ugh, it’s a total mess.”

The impact on the ground had left the soldiers’ bodies in tatters. Most people would have freaked out at the sight of those bodies, but Yuseong had seen all sorts of things while working as a janitor, so it didn’t faze him too much.

“Still, you never really get used to this.”

Even so, seeing dead bodies always left him feeling a bit unsettled.

“Hope you rest in peace.”

After a brief prayer, Yuseong started rummaging through the shuttle. He found a few things that looked like guns, but most were broken or crushed because of the crash.

“Seriously, is every weapon in here just trashed?”

After searching for a while, he still hadn’t found an intact weapon. Just as he was thinking about giving up, he spotted a black case that had been flung outside the shuttle.

Something told him there might be something inside. Yuseong crouched in front of the case outside the shuttle. It was securely locked, likely requiring a password to open.

“Eve, what’s the password for this thing?”

[The password to the storage case is something the user should know—don’t you remember it?]

There was no way Yuseong could know. The Yuseong from this parallel world, who’d known the password, had died from the crash.

“Nope, no idea.”

[…I suggest using the energy sword.]

Eve paused for a moment before suggesting he use the energy sword.

“So, how do I use the energy sword?”

[The Combat Armor is synchronized with the user’s body.]

“Yeah, but could you just tell me how to activate it?”

[When you wish to activate the energy sword, it will respond to your brainwaves and deploy.]

“So, it works just by thinking about it, huh?”

They say any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and they’re right—controlling machines with brainwaves was almost magical.

When he thought about using the energy sword, a beam-like sword emerged from the lower part of his suit’s arm. It looked just like a weapon from a popular strategy game he used to play back in school, the kind used by certain alien characters.

“For Aiur…”

[What did you just say?]

“Oh, uh… nothing. Just forget it.”

He suddenly felt embarrassed. No one else was around to hear it, but he still felt awkward.

Pushing aside his embarrassment, Yuseong swung the energy sword at the case.

Whish!

Zzzzap!

As soon as the energy sword touched the case, sparks flew, and it cut cleanly through. The cut edge was smooth, as it was done with a plasma cutter.

“Whoa…”

He couldn’t help but marvel. The energy sword was even more effective than he’d expected—and it looked super cool.

Inside the case was, just as he’d thought, a weapon. It was a gun, but a bit larger than the ones he’d seen in movies.

It looked like something a soldier in an SF movie might use.

[This is the ‘M1 Jackal’ manufactured by Hephaestus Corp, a subsidiary of the Olympus Group. It features a ballistic mode using 10mm high-explosive armor-piercing rounds and a plasma-firing mode.]

Eve helpfully explained the Jackal’s features in detail.

[The armor-piercing rounds are effective for combat with evolved species, while the plasma mode is highly efficient against enemies in power armor.]

Eve mentioned “evolved species” again, making Yuseong curious. What exactly were they?

“Uh, Eve? About the evolved species—what are they, exactly?”

[Have you even forgotten about the evolved species? Evolved species are… right there! Take cover!]

Eve’s urgent voice, made Yuseong turn his head. He found himself staring at a monstrous creature with a grotesque appearance.

“Great…”

Now he knew exactly what an evolved species was—a creature capable of ripping people apart with ease. This thing was a monster-level threat.