Chapter 21

Faced with the unexpectedly sharp question, Jera’s mind went completely blank for an instant. Taking on a bewildered face, the child mumbled, stammering.

“Uh… because the numbers became zero…?”

Kay let out a low exclamation.

“Aha, I see.”

Then, expanding his hand in a flash, he firmly snatched the scruff of Jera’s neck.

“Fuck’s sake! Let go of our kid right now!”

“Uaaah, let me go!”

Kay spoke rapidly.

“There must have been a helper. I am aware there is an Asian engineer who frequents this place; was the name Shuri?”

From the backyard, the voice of another squad member echoed.

“There’s a car here!”

The squad member holding Jera cackled continually.

“A measly engineer parasitizing Zone A dares to steal our equipment?”

Kamal and Jera shouted at the same time.

“You imperialist lapdog, your ability to rope in completely innocent people is truly a work of art!”

“Uaaah, what does Shuri have to do with this?! I told you I’m the one who brought it!”

Disregarding their shouts entirely, Kay bellowed.

“Shuri! If you don’t come out right now, I’m going to drag all these thieves back to headquarters and teach them a lesson. Come out quietly!”

Shuri ground her teeth.

‘Those crazy bastards, they should have just quietly taken their equipment and left…!’

However, she could not let the armed squad members of the Human Liberation Front drag Kamal and Jera away. Kamal had dedicated his entire life to protecting the children. He was a person a hundred times grander than her, who had spent her whole life running away and protecting nothing. The young Jera went without saying.

Just as she shut her mouth and rose from her seat, Adam grabbed her arm.

“Shuri.”

He spoke in a low voice.

“A question. When the UH development team leader attempted to entrust Project Apple to you, you clearly tried to refuse on the grounds that you ‘hate humans.’ Yet why are you making this choice now?”

Shuri was flustered. She tried to pry her arm from Adam’s grasp, but she could not break free from the grip of a humanoid capable of exerting three times the strength of an average adult male.

“Do you absolutely have to ask that right now?”

“Yes. Because it just so happens that I need to buy a bit of time.”

Shuri realized that Adam was plotting something. And also that he had no intention of letting her know about it right this instant.

Narrowing her eyes, Shuri asked.

“How much time do you need to buy?”

“Fifty-six seconds remain.”

Letting out a brief sigh, she opened her mouth again.

“Right. I hate people. Because I have witnessed the cruelty of humans. But what I hate even more is becoming a person just as cruel as them. For example, fleeing right now while leaving Kamal and Jera behind.”

Shuri spoke in a somewhat agitated voice.

“I’d rather die than have that happen!”

Adam listened to her words until the very end. After that, he slowly released her arm.
Rubbing the spot where Adam had gripped her with her hand, Shuri asked.

“Is that an answer?”

It didn’t seem like a particularly grand answer, but Adam nodded easily.

“Yes, it was an answer that grants me conviction.”

At the word conviction, Shuri furrowed her brow slightly.

“What…”

“Shuri, fifty-six seconds have passed.”

Adam rose from his seat alongside her.

Shuri warned him.

“No. Those guys will definitely grow more excited if they see a robot. Just stay here.”

Adam playfully tilted his head, which was wrapped snugly in Shuri’s jacket.

“Since I am magnificently disguised, it will be fine.”

Shuri looked up at Adam with newfound eyes. With his pitch-black head concealed by her jacket, Adam did not look like a robot at all. He looked like nothing less than a perfect human.

To her eyes, that was how it appeared.

Shuri spoke in a skeptical voice.

“…Will those bastards fall for it? Adam, I don’t want my robot taken away by those anti-artificial intelligence activists.”

Shifting the jacket so that the ‘Beware of Dog’ and snarling Doberman embroidery were clearly visible from the front, Adam spoke.

“We are on the same page. I too have no desire to have you taken away even for a billionth of a second. Even more so if the opponents are dangerous individuals like them.”

Shuri looked up at Liut Corporation’s sexaroid with sorrowful eyes. Perhaps Adam planned to use the sexaroid as a sacrificial lamb. And the fifty-six seconds had been a mourning period for this humanoid.

She grew sorrowful.

‘I’ve only just begun to slightly understand the magnificence of this robot. Farewell, humanoid that is as expensive as a supercar.’

However, no matter how well-made and expensive a robot was, it could not be compared to a human life. After making the resolution to sacrifice the robot, Shuri nodded her head.

“If you go so far as to say that… fine, do as you please.”

She then opened the door of Soul Garden and stepped outside.

Kay cackled continuously as he watched Shuri walk out with her entire face crumpled. However, that smile vanished the moment he saw Adam. That was only natural, as no one would be able to laugh upon seeing a gigantic man with clothes tightly wrapped around his head.

It wasn’t just him. She could see the rest of the squad members—who had maintained a bystander attitude all along—slowly pushing themselves up and assuming a vigilant posture. This was a bad omen.

Stepping forward, Shuri spoke.

“I’ve come out quietly, so let go of the director and the kid Jera!”

Scoffing, Kay released Jera.

“Fine. Since we’ve snared the prey, we’ll let go of the bait.”

The released Jera tumbled onto the ground. Quickly shielding Jera with his body, Kamal spoke.

“Everything that happened here is my responsibility. Leave Shuri out of this!”

Standing beside Shuri before anyone realized it, Adam opened his mouth.

“Director, what are you saying? Having a strong sense of responsibility is magnificent, but this is not your responsibility.”

Two squad members loaded their guns with threatening clack-clack sounds.

“Where the hell did this crazy bastard pop out from?”

“Who the fuck are you?”

Wrapping one arm around Shuri’s shoulder, Adam spoke in a cheerful tone.

“I am Miss Shuri’s partner. I am learning love from her.”

This was a statement that left considerable room for misunderstanding. Shuri snapped her eyes wide open and looked up at Adam.

Shaking his gun barrel, Angel spoke threateningly.

“Cut the bullshit! Did you come here to play games?”

Adam nodded his head.

“Yes. The vegetable delivery was merely an excuse, and in truth, I wished to go on a date with Miss Shuri. Therefore, right now, I am not in a very good mood due to having my delightful time disrupted.”

Then, while Angel was left briefly speechless, Adam rattled on rapidly in a tone like a lawyer standing in a courtroom.

“Everyone, regrettably, we are currently in Zone F, where the governance of a sovereign state does not reach. However, you must not forget international humanitarian law, which protects civilians during armed conflicts.”

He then pointed toward Jera with his hand.

“First of all, the kid Jera is not at fault!”

Suddenly acquitted, Jera took on a bewildered face.

“Really?”

Adam nodded his head.

“For Jera to be guilty of theft, the ownership of the solar cell over there must belong to a terrorist organization, but you terrorists are merely claiming simple possession.”

“Aha!”

“The act of Jera and the other children bringing the solar cell was an action for survival. Even then, they clearly expressed their intent to return it the moment you appeared.”

Looking toward Kay and Angel this time, Adam spoke in a voice laced with faint rage.

“Yet how did you respond to that? You threatened children with guns and are attempting to drag in innocent citizens to make them targets of terror. This constitutes threats and violence against civilians, which is classified as a war crime!”

It appeared Adam’s fluent defense had dragged the squad members into a virtual courtroom. Angel, in particular, seemed to have been thoroughly dragged in.

As Adam’s speech stretched on, Angel’s face grew increasingly filled with regret and reflection, until he finally hugged his gun barrel and cried out like this.

“M-My true intentions weren’t like that!”

Adam spoke amiably.

“Right now, what is needed is an apology rather than an excuse, is it not?”

“I was wrong…! Kghck!”

Of course, that did not last long. The next instant, his head snapped violently. Kay had struck the back of his head with his rifle butt.

“I’ve listened and listened, but I can’t stand to hear any more! Who cares about your true intentions?”

He aimed his gun muzzle straight at Adam just like that.

“You’re a hilarious bastard. Shut your mouth and hand that woman over!”