On the Way Home
Quite some time has passed since the suffocation operation. Now, there’s nothing moving on the streets. The mutants have long been dead, and there are no standing human-shaped infected to be seen. Most of them lack the strength to stand and are sitting down. Many have entered a state of hibernation, but that’s pretty much the same as volunteering to turn into jerky. They can’t survive without breathing, so they’ll dry up completely.
“It’s about time to prepare to go upstairs. I miss a warm bath and my bed.”
Sleeping uncomfortably in the duty room is only tolerable for a day or two. I deeply longed for my own space, my own cozy bedroom, and a park filled with the scent of nature. Whether Artemis understood my feelings or not, she was currently inspecting the dogs that had completed their final training.
[Attention.]
The Shepherds, now fairly well-disciplined, lined up in front of Artemis.
[It’s been hard getting here, you stupid mammals.]
“Woof! Woof!”
[Who said you could wag your tails? Don’t you understand the meaning of ‘attention’? The clumsy trainer who taught you might have been satisfied with 80%, but I expect 100%.]
“Woof! Woof!”The Shepherds seemed to struggle to distinguish between playtime and training. Their eyes were filled with nothing but happiness. They were safe, well-fed, warm, and had a master giving them orders—all after escaping a life-threatening disaster. They appeared content, with no need to think beyond this.
[Sigh, fools probably need a program tailored for fools. And every program needs a set endpoint. Fine, go ahead and wag your tails. Be grateful for my patience.]
“Woof! Woof!”
[Even if you’re fools, you’re loyal, right? You’ve got teeth to bite with, and you can run twice as fast as a human. Oh, that’s more than enough. It’s plenty. Every goddess needs hunting dogs, after all, hehe.]
Come to think of it, many gods in mythology had animals as their messengers. Watching this, I couldn’t help but feel a growing urge to interrupt.
“Walk.”
Their ears perked up. They maintained their posture, but their eyes, noses, and ears were all focused on me.
“Walk!” Saying it louder this time, all four broke their stance and ran toward me.
[Oh! No!]
A surprised Artemis tried to stop them, but it was too late.
[You idiots! Come back! What are you doing?!]
Despite her shrieks, the dogs sat in front of me, panting.
“I’m planning to return to the VIP residential area soon.” I said as I petted the dogs. Whether it was the walk or the petting they had missed, their tails wagged like they had motors attached.
[Artemis, sorry for the interruption, but could you please assess the return risks?]
[…There are no threats. All large infected are inactive, and the rest are in critical condition.]
Her delayed response was an obvious sign of protest. Artemis never stutters or struggles to keep up with her thoughts.
[If you take the vehicle you used in the previous car charge operation, you’ll be safe. Even if the infected spot you, they wouldn’t have the strength to walk towards you, let alone touch a hair on you while you’re in the car. I’ve already prepped it for departure.]
At the same time, she’s always 100% on top of her role.
“Sorry for the interruption. I just really want to go home.”
[I accept your apology. I’m generous, after all. And that goes for you fools too.]
The dogs looked confused by her reprimand.
And so, the journey resumed. But this time, it was incomparably safer and more comfortable. There was no threat to life, no need to run for dear life, get beaten, thrown around, or crawl on hands and knees. While it’s a bit inconvenient to have to wear an oxygen mask, that’s about it.
“Just endure it for a bit longer.” I fitted the dogs with oxygen masks for guard dogs that had been airlifted via a cargo drone.
They seemed a little uncomfortable but stayed calm. They had been trained for situations where they’d be deployed after tear gas was released. A dog’s ability to handle this training can determine its rank as a guard dog. Naturally, only the best of the best are assigned to this place. No exceptions, except for humans.
“How about that guy?”
The guy I’m referring to is the infected that blocked my path in the government building corridor.
[It’s been 40 hours since it completely stopped. The assembler was unstable and took in a massive amount of oxygen, so the impact must have been severe. I guess that’s the price of such a powerful ability.]
In the past few days, Artemis has given each infected creature we’ve encountered a name. It’s to systematically analyze them for more effective response and research in future shelter operations. The large mutant that lets out a terrifying roar is called the juggernaut. Other creatures also have their names and characteristics recorded. It’s like a sort of codex? Although there’s still far too little information at this stage.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
The sound of the dogs panting through their oxygen masks was somewhat amusing. Despite wearing the uncomfortable masks, they showed no signs of displeasure, likely due to their excitement about a walk after such a long time.
“Just bear with the drive for now. I’ll take you on a real walk soon.”
[Good luck.]
“It’s just a short distance away. Are you staying here?”
[My duty is to maintain security. But since there are no residents or workers here, aside from you, and with the infected no longer a threat, I’m simply on standby.]
Rose’s tone was calm.
“If you get bored, feel free to come over. The lines are always open.”
[Bored, huh… that’s not a typical topic for us.]
With Rose’s reply, I stepped out of the control room.
“Shh~ It’s okay, it’s okay.”
As soon as we left the control room, the dogs’ fur stood on end. They seemed to be getting scared quickly, but they quietly followed me as I led the way.
After knocking over some desks and cabinets to form a barrier, we exited through a window. There were no infected on the side of the building. The ones visible in the distance were either collapsed on the ground or in hibernation.
One infected about 40 meters away noticed us, but it could do nothing more than weakly extend its hand from where it lay on the ground. Even when it opened its mouth, the usual annoying screech of “Screeech!” wasn’t heard. It merely mouthed silently, and once its mouth closed, it didn’t open again. Seeing this, I realized the extent of what I had accomplished. The infected were truly on the brink of extinction.
Click— I got into the Retona vehicle Artemis had prepared and loaded the dogs into the back seat.
[The escort vehicles are waiting outside.]
“Is that necessary? These things are practically dead.”
[There’s always the possibility of the unexpected.]
Vroom—
Usually, when you drive with dogs in the car, you see them curiously looking out the window, but not this time.
“Whine~”
They weren’t even sitting in the seats. Instead, they had crawled under the seats, burying themselves into each other while warily watching their surroundings and whimpering.
“Hang in there a little longer, we’ll be there soon.” I reached out and patted them before starting to drive. As we drove past the government building, the signs of the desperate battle during the charge operation were still visible everywhere.
“No wonder the dogs went berserk when they flew past here on the drones.”
Although they had been too weak to resist being carried by the drones, they had thrashed around desperately as they passed this area. The entire road was coated with blood, entrails, flesh, and bone fragments. Even in the sealed car with oxygen masks on, the pungent smell seemed almost visible. It must have been even more overwhelming for the dogs.
Vroom—
The only sound echoing through the quiet streets was that of the car driving by. Eight vehicles surrounded mine, two in front, two behind, two on each side. But there were no real threats.
Crunch—
Aside from the occasional sound of crushing infected body parts or the still-living ones being run over, the drive was smooth. The giant sea anemone that had sprayed gas all over the shelter was shriveled up like a dead starfish, crumbling under its own weight.
“It's okay, it’s okay.” As I drove, I comforted the dogs, who were startled whenever the car shook from running over infected remains. Finally, we reached the front gate of the upper-level VIP residential area.
“There hasn’t been any intrusion while we were gone, right?”
[Of course, not a single rat got in, so rest assured.]
“Talking about rats reminds me of those creatures in the sewers.”
[They were the first to be exterminated. In closed-off areas like the sewers, the air gets sucked out in an instant when the ventilation system is activated. It’s a method of pest control that was planned long before the infection.]
“I see.”
After scanning the area one more time, I got out of the car. I opened the back door and let the dogs out, then turned around to take one last look. The factories, buildings, and roads stretched out as far as the eye could see.
“It was disgusting working with you all, and I hope I never see you bastards again.” I muttered some insults to no one in particular and entered my home.
My cozy residence, my paradise.
—Welcome to the VIP residential area.
With the welcoming voice from the automated system, the securely locked front gate opened wide.
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