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What kind of cause could bring down a nation that ruled a Milky Way spanning over 100,000 light-years, a nation only one step away from ruling the entire universe?
Hearing that, A2 began to think as well. She tried to imagine what kind of enemy could possibly end humanity's march after they had developed to such a level.
She expanded her imagination using everything she remembered and knew, but no matter what she tried, A2 could not picture an enemy capable of doing it.
Then again, that "enemy" did not necessarily have to be something concrete like the aliens in this world, or the machine lifeforms those aliens created.
That enemy could be abstract.
Just like how humanity in this world had perished because of the White Chlorination Syndrome.
So perhaps the galaxy in the world of that human named Kain had suffered something similar. Perhaps it had been infected by some kind of particle—something akin to maso particles—that threatened life itself.
That infection had to be beyond imagination. For it to spread across an entire galaxy, it would have to be some special kind of radiative particle, moving faster than light, capable of penetrating everything.
Those particles could have caused abnormalities in the human body, triggering mutation, dragging a glorious golden age into a dark age.
As for why Kain looked like he had been fighting something in his own world, perhaps the infected humans, like the humans here, would go berserk and lose control.
Meaning the enemy was humanity itself—humanity out of control.
And his equipment, which looked crude and rough to the eye, also clearly suggested the state of his world: harsh.
So harsh that they could not establish advanced manufacturing plants, could not maintain anything properly, and could only produce and process equipment in a crude manner.
In other words, the predicament of his world might be similar to the predicament of humanity in this world. That was why A2 and the others had guessed along those lines.
Because the answer felt like it had to be within the bounds of what they could imagine.
"The humans in your world suffered something like what happened here too, then? A sudden infection, some kind of virus?"
The first to speak was actually the quietest one: 2B. It seemed her train of thought was almost identical to A2's.
However, after 2B spoke, A2 noticed something.
Commander White and 9S were abnormally silent.
Something was off. The two of them clearly had a different answer from A2 and 2B, and that answer was so heavy that they could not bring themselves to say it.
No, not that they could not say it.
They did not dare say it.
"It looks like Commander White and 9S have both arrived at the same correct answer."
That was what Kain said.
Which meant 2B was wrong, and A2's speculation was wrong as well.
But how could he be so sure that what Commander White and 9S were thinking—what they still had not voiced—was the correct answer?
"Androids betrayed humanity. That's the answer, isn't it?"
9S said it in a low voice.
And from the look on Kain's face, it was obvious.
He had guessed right.
No wonder, earlier on, some of the things Kain had said to 2B carried malice toward androids. He had said that if humans still existed right now, that might not be a good thing for the android high command.
It was as if he believed androids, like machine lifeforms, would no longer need their creators, and if the creators still existed, they would destroy them.
So it was because his own world had suffered something like this that he carried such a preconception, such malicious suspicion.
But was it really just malicious suspicion?
Given Project YoRHa, given what YoRHa's fate would be, perhaps the high command truly had changed.
"Betrayal…?"
2B murmured in shock.
If she thought back, Kain had already implied early on that he did not trust androids, and he had even hypothesized that if humans in this world were still alive, androids might betray them.
By rights, 2B should have reached the same conclusion as 9S.
But the opposite had happened.
When 2B replayed what he had said to her, she had unconsciously eliminated the possibility of "android betrayal" first.
The reason was simple.
2B could not believe androids would ever betray humans. Androids existed to serve humans.
Moreover, how could humans who had already developed to the point of ruling the entire galaxy possibly be cornered into disaster by betrayal from androids?
"Is that why you don't really trust us?"
White asked the human before her with a bitter expression.
Some of what he had said to 2B was partially correct, but not the part about androids betraying humanity.
Rather, it was that the android high command truly had other thoughts.
But those thoughts were absolutely not "betray humanity."
The high command had realized that if they kept hiding humanity's extinction, and kept letting androids fight a war "for humanity" forever, then sooner or later the truth would be exposed.
And when it was, androids would collapse. They would die in massive numbers.
So the high command had already begun thinking about how to transform the thinking of most androids.
So that they would no longer live purely for the goal of reclaiming Earth for humanity, but would also learn to live for themselves.
That was why Project YoRHa existed.
It was the final shot of adrenaline for a time when morale was failing.
After that, the plan would slowly, subtly reshape the androids' faith in battle, little by little.
So that the android collective could continue.
And then, even if they learned humanity was extinct, it would not be catastrophic.
They could still continue on as inheritors of the human identity, as the successors who carried forward human civilization and culture, preserving proof that the human species had existed.
As long as androids continued to exist, proof that humanity had existed would continue to exist in this world as well.
As long as androids still lived, humanity still lived.
"Yes. More precisely, I don't really trust the android high command of today. But I can exclude you from that."
"Exclude me?"
White froze.
Was that him saying he trusted her?
In the next moment—
The location shifted to a Resistance outpost.
The leader here—an android named Anemone—had always been steady and composed, but now her mood was tense.
The reason she was tense was not because Commander White had arrived on the surface. She did not care much for that woman.
The reason she was tense was because Commander White had revealed the identity of one person in their group.
A human.
A genuine human.
Anemone had embraced him herself. It could be said that it was the brightest moment of her life.
Even if she died now, it would be worth it.
And now, the reason for her tension was worry.
She was worried for his safety.
She was worried that news of his presence on the surface would be discovered by the machine lifeforms.
At this moment, he was inside a sealed chamber, a chamber that blocked signals.
He, along with 9S and 2B from YoRHa, were in that chamber, apparently cracking some kind of device, and they had to cut off all signals to the outside world.
"A2, how is it?"
White, who had not entered the chamber, asked A2, who was also waiting outside.
White had not stayed outside because she feared the measures inside the drive would invade her.
Rather, Kain had requested that she remain outside.
A2 remained outside as well, but White felt that A2 had a way to learn what was happening inside.
"I don't know."
In truth, A2 did know a little. She could ask him through their private channel in the chat group.
She simply did not want to tell the commander.
…
Inside the sealed chamber, built from heavy metal, Kain stared at 9S the entire time, watching for any abnormality.
And the reason 2B had entered was the same: to protect him.
She had insisted on coming in, stubborn to the point of force.
It seemed that because Kain had recognized she was an android rather than a machine lifeform, she had clung even harder to her original duty—protecting humans.
Suddenly, 9S's expression shifted.
Kain's eyes narrowed at once, and he prepared for the worst, tightening his grip on his bolt pistol.
Was there an intelligent program inside? Had 9S been invaded and taken over?
If not…
Then what kind of weaponship schematics, what kind of manufacturing data, could make 9S look like that?
(End of Chapter)
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