The group walked along as if they were out for a stroll.
At the front were two people, a man and a woman, talking continuously as they went.
Behind them were two women and one man. The YoRHa-type android named 2B looked as though she had already endured the secret of YoRHa and returned to her usual state.
But the way she walked—stumbling and nearly tripping several times—made it clear she had not recovered from the blow at all.
As for 9S, the YoRHa-type android, he looked as though he were listening very seriously to the conversation between the two in front.
And the last one was A2. She kept herself between the pair in front and the pair behind, listening closely to their dialogue as well.
It would be more accurate to say: they were finalizing a deal.
A human man from another world—Kain—would assist White with one matter: helping raise android morale, and "proving" that the Human Council the androids protected truly existed.
In exchange for that assistance, he would receive any help the androids could feasibly provide.
As for the compensation he demanded—he wanted the androids to manufacture something for him. Yet, perhaps because he did not fully trust Commander White, he wanted to appoint an agent in his place, someone responsible for liaising and cooperating with White.
And the person he named outright was A2.
In simple terms, A2 would also receive large-scale sponsorship from Commander White—equipment, resources, and the like—to help A2 build "something," and A2 would hold full control authority over everything involved.
As for YoRHa itself, at this moment it could be said that the commander had "abandoned" them, and they could be brought over as well.
However, A2—someone who had been betrayed before—still maintained the necessary vigilance.
Was it possible that Commander White exposing the secret and forcing YoRHa into betrayal was itself a conspiracy?
"Commander White, I'll tell you one last thing—the thing you want to know most. Why does my coming from another world have anything to do with A2?"
Was he about to expose the secret of the chat group?
"I can't explain the specifics, but you only need to know this: if A2 stops existing, then I won't be able to exist in this world either."
He was emphasizing her importance.
"Also, I can't stay in this world for long. I don't know exactly when I'll be forced back."
"Forced back?"
"Like… humans in the past had 'two-dimensional culture'? Do you know what that is?"
"I know a little."
"Humans created fictional stories. In those settings, some people are summoned by those from another world."
"So A2 is like that—she summoned you?"
"You can understand it that way. How long I can stay—hm? Wait, let me check… I have ninety-six hours left."
That made A2 freeze. How could he be so certain?
Realizing something, she immediately opened the chat group and took a look, and then she understood.
The chat group had changed. Now, inside the livestream room, she could create a private channel—one that belonged only to her and him, separate from the public channel used by everyone else.
And on that private channel was a countdown timer. When the time ran out, the private channel between the two of them would be dissolved.
So that countdown likely meant the amount of time he could remain in this world.
Also, there was a "Dissolve" button here. If she clicked it, would it send him back immediately?
"It's not necessarily that I can only go back after ninety-six hours. I can choose to leave right now. A2 also has the authority to make me leave immediately."
"I understand."
No matter how much of what he said was true, White could be certain of one thing.
He valued A2 very highly.
His condition for helping White was that A2 must be safe.
"9S."
"Huh?"
9S blinked, confused. Why was this human from another world calling him all of a sudden?
"I want to ask you for help. A favor that could be very dangerous."
As he spoke, Kain pulled something out from a pocket on his body—an object that looked like a hard drive from some ancient human computer.
"You want me to crack this?"
"Yes, but there may be an artificial intelligence inside it, or defensive software. Your scan could be treated as a viral intrusion. It could be disinfected—wiped out!"
So that was it. He was afraid 9S would be handled like malware.
"What kind of data is stored inside?"
9S asked with intense curiosity. He had noticed something earlier: when the man had been swarmed by countless mechanical spiders and subjected to suicidal explosions, and then detached from his armor, he had immediately patted a pocket on his body to confirm it was fine, visibly relaxing afterward.
The square bulge at that pocket position fit perfectly with storing an item like this, which meant this was something he cared about deeply.
So the armor and weapons—things that looked outdated—actually contained technology beyond imagination.
That made the importance of whatever was stored in this drive even more obvious.
"I don't know exactly. But it contains data related to certain products from the golden age when humanity in my world ruled the entire galaxy."
He shrugged as he said it.
That made 9S's eyes widen. Humanity in his world had advanced to that level?
It wasn't just 9S who was stunned—everyone was. Even 2B, still lost in confusion, looked shocked.
Ruling the galaxy?
Do they even understand how vast the galaxy is?
The Milky Way Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy system composed of roughly 100 to 400 billion stars, thousands of star clusters and nebulae, and interstellar gas and dust of many kinds.
Its diameter is about 100,000 light-years.
To rule a territory like that—do they understand how terrifying that would be?
And to move freely across a territory spanning 100,000 light-years meant humanity had mastered faster-than-light travel.
Otherwise, to go from one end to the other, how many generations would it take to arrive?
Of course, it might not be instant. It might take hundreds of years—but the humans of that era might have had lifespans long enough to endure such time.
And as for a device from such an era—if it truly contained an artificial intelligence or antivirus defense systems—then to this world, that level of advancement could be described as a difference in dimensions.
So if 9S recklessly scanned and invaded it, it would be like a moth flying into a flame.
Even knowing the gap in technology, 9S still felt restless with desire. He desperately wanted to see what technology looked like when it surpassed this world by countless eras.
But no matter how restless he was, reason still held his mind.
If he invaded carelessly, the one to suffer might not only be him. It could propagate outward from him as the center, invading and exterminating all androids.
One mistake, and every android could be wiped out.
Then again, android high command didn't like YoRHa anyway. Maybe he didn't need to care about "androids" as a whole.
If he was going to care, he should care about comrades who were also YoRHa.
"Mr. Kain, um… there's something odd about your wording. You deliberately called it a 'golden age.' It sounds like you're implying it's already a thing of the past."
9S caught the hint hidden in Kain's phrasing and asked with curiosity.
That brilliant era of humanity had already become history. The age of humanity ruling the galaxy had been shaken.
"Correct. Humanity's golden age has ended. So, take a guess: at humanity's brightest moment—an era so dazzling that ruling the entire universe was almost within reach—what caused that era to end so abruptly and plunge into a dark age?"
Mr. Kain said it with a playful edge.
But how were they supposed to guess?
No one present besides Mr. Kain came from his world. How could they possibly guess correctly?
So 9S began analyzing everything he had observed since he first took note of Mr. Kain—every word, every behavior.
He did not believe Kain would leave them with absolutely no clues and expect a blind guess. The clue had to be hidden in something already said, hidden within his words and actions.
So all the data and conclusions pointed to one possibility.
N-No way… right?!!!
(End of Chapter)
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