I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 65



Chapter 65: The Doll and the Immortal Girl 2

Earnest Rail’s doll, at first glance, looked like a girl fitted with a mechanical body.

In fact, the mechanical body closely resembled a human form, making it hard to notice from a distance.

Moreover, the appearance of a young girl naturally drew attention.

From the perspective of the natives, it wasn’t uncommon for children to undergo such procedures early in life.

A girl who appeared not even fully grown equipping a mechanical body for self-defense would seem insignificant compared to the hunters and hounds of a Mega Corps.

As a result, both the criminals among external forces and the natives were prone to having vile thoughts upon seeing a doll with the shell of a girl.

External forces, after all, were largely composed of serious criminals and those who lived disastrous lives without proper education.

To them, an unguarded young girl bearing the hated mark of a Mega Corps wandering alone was nothing short of a tempting target.

“Little lady, want to go somewhere fun with me?”

“Wow, it’s been ages since we’ve had a treat.”

“Her mechanical limbs can be melted down and recast later.”

The girl’s body would soon be reduced to a toy for lust-starved predators.

Her mechanical body would fall into the hands of vagrants and marauders, and if she died, her flesh would serve as sustenance.

However, they failed to grasp the significance of a lone young girl wandering the outer forest rather than staying within the Ark.

In dangerous areas, if one encountered an old man or a child, they were likely either a calamity disguised as human or an asymmetrical power capable of confronting such calamities head-on.

The fate of those who dared approach Earnest Rail’s armed doll without hesitation was always the same.

“Wow, up close, her skin looks so smoo—ghhk!?”

“This, this crazy…! A chainsaw from her arm?!”

“K-kill her! She’s a corporate dog!”

“Ghhack!?”

“My, my magic won’t activate!”

“My abilities aren’t working either!”

The reason Earnest Rail’s doll was considered a masterpiece was not only because it was a formidable weapon.

It could also detonate a mana EMP, rendering all abilities, magic, and even machines and firearms useless within its vicinity.

Upon detecting humans within its range, the doll immediately activated a wide-area magic EMP to block all communications and approaches.

The doll then eliminated every human detected on its radar with its magic-enhanced chainsaw and anti-mana high-speed bullet machine gun.

Thus, defeating such a doll required overwhelming it with sheer physical force.

But to subdue the doll with brute strength alone, one needed at least a Second-Class Overseer, an A-rank hunter, or a company-sized force of Executors.

Consequently, external forces and natives avoided areas where EMP detonations blocked signals.

From the natives’ perspective, no one who ventured into those signal-blocked zones had ever returned alive.

The doll, created by Earnest Rail’s Mega Corps solely for killing and combat, was undoubtedly a powerful weapon.

However, due to the potential risks of being spotted by the ever-watchful Overseers or leaving surviving witnesses, it couldn’t be deployed frequently.

This northern front, however, was an exception.

The northern front was a major investment for Earnest Rail, mobilizing all available combat personnel and hiring over 500 hunters through intermediary exploration agencies.

Although it wasn’t a do-or-die situation, failure here would significantly weaken their influence in the region for the foreseeable future.

Headquarters would issue harsh reprimands, mass layoffs, and dispatch an audit team.

Mega Corps layoffs never ended peacefully.

So far, however, everything had proceeded smoothly.

They feigned alliances and inflicted significant damage on the Dawn Company, driving them entirely off the northern front.

The natives, leaderless, no longer posed a serious threat.

Once they eradicated the desperate monkeys who dared to interfere with the corporation’s supply lines, the northern region would be fully secured as Earnest Rail’s territory.

Milton, the department head, decided that now was not the time to hesitate in deploying the dolls, even if it seemed excessive.

Although it was a unilateral decision, the situation at the base wasn’t exactly favorable.

A particularly skilled awakened native, or perhaps several, managed to infiltrate the base undetected.

They looted meal kits and even severed all supply lines above and below ground.

For nearly two weeks, the staff had survived solely on nutrition capsules, unable to eat proper meals.

In the dense, undeveloped forest, prolonging the operation risked exposure to deteriorating weather conditions, including the infamous Rust Rain.

When that time came, retreat would be impossible, leaving them to slowly rot away.

If, after driving out Dawn Company, they were to fail against the natives and lose the northern front, word would undoubtedly reach higher-ups.

This would likely result in the entire staff being summarily dismissed.

Thus, the plan progressed methodically.

The dolls regarded all humans within their range as enemies.

As such, the key staff and contracted hunters couldn’t move freely.

Nevertheless, some of the 50 dolls launched attacks on small native camps, annihilating them.

At this rate, leaving things as they were for just a week would see the native population of the northern front eradicated.

With the dolls’ EMPs blocking communications, the monkeys would perish without even realizing their lives were on the line, much like fetuses suffocating in amniotic fluid.

That is, if it weren’t for Alice and her 20-strong Immortal Legion.

‘Weather: Overcast… Activating… Strategy… Optimal.’

A doll was walking through the forest.

Assigned the identifier D-69 by Earnest Rail, its mission was to annihilate all humans within its designated zone.

The obedient doll, prepared to deploy its built-in arsenal at any moment, wandered the forest aimlessly.

The overcast skies and unpaved forest paths might have been challenging for a human girl.

But to the doll, this appearance was merely bait.

This doll had learned through repeated encounters that, if humans saw a lone girl wandering in the wilderness, they were highly likely to approach.

For humans who drew close, it would take mere seconds to be dismantled by the doll.

Thus, D-69 walked endlessly, without closing its eyes, in search of prey.

D-69 was originally human, but its reason and sense of self had been worn away during its transformation into a doll, leaving no trace of guilt.

“Ah! There it is! There it is!”

-Clang!

At that moment, a soft voice caused an anti-mana-treated blade to spring from the doll’s hand.

As soon as it heard the voice, the doll identified it as belonging to a native child and immediately activated its kill circuits.

Unlike Alice’s mantis blade, the doll’s blade extended in a straight, drill-like fashion, threateningly searching for its prey.

However, the doll’s blade halted in mid-air.

“Wow! So pretty! Miss Alice was right!”

‘……Not human.’

The girl’s appearance, voice, and discernible intelligence in her speech patterns were unmistakably human.

However, D-69’s advanced detection radar confirmed that the girl wasn’t human but something closer to a monster.

Unfortunately for Milton, who had altered the doll’s orders to save operational resources, the command now read “eliminate all humans in the designated zone” instead of “eliminate all life.”

Because of this, D-69 didn’t attack the Immortal legion’s girl standing before it.

As she wasn’t a target, D-69 retracted its blade and prepared to walk past her.

“Hey, don’t go~!”

The girl’s hand grabbed D-69’s arm.

The strength from her small hand was so overwhelming that, under normal circumstances, even a fully grown man pulling with a truck couldn’t stop D-69.

Yet the doll had to halt due to the grip of this small girl’s hand.

Even so, D-69 still didn’t recognize the girl as an enemy.

It perceived her obstruction much like it would a pile of rocks blocking its path—something to navigate around.

“Heeheehee! You’re not going anywhere!”

“……”

The girl lifted D-69 into the air.

Dangling in mid-air, the doll’s feet kicked helplessly, but the girl easily carried the over-100kg doll as she began running somewhere.

‘Not human… Not a target for elimination.’

To D-69, a girl who was neither human nor an elimination target was akin to part of the natural environment.

Even as the girl lifted and carried it, the doll perceived the experience as if the ground beneath it had suddenly levitated and started moving.

D-69’s thought process went no further than, “Ah, something is carrying me somewhere.”

If D-69 had been equipped with the AI of a Dominator Robot or a combat drone, it might have declared, “You are infringing on the private property of Earnest Rail and will be terminated immediately,” before taking defensive action.

But D-69’s humanity and sense of self had been ground away to optimize its function as a weapon, limiting its autonomous decision-making capabilities.

“Miss Aaaalice~!”

By now, D-69 had been carried into a shelter-like structure.

Inside, several humanoid figures came into view.

“What’s this? What’s this?”

“Me too, me too!”

“Wow! So cute!”

“Whoa! Squishy!”

“Who’s that?”

As soon as it detected the humanoid figures, D-69’s internal radar activated.

However, like the girl who had carried it here, none of these human-like beings were actually human.

Having come this far, D-69 started to sense that something was amiss.

These non-human beings had brought it underground.

Although they hadn’t caused harm, if they interfered with its mission, D-69 would have to eliminate them.

Ready to deploy its weapons at any moment, D-69 began to assess the situation, looking for the optimal moment to strike.

“When I checked the place Miss Alice mentioned, it was really there!”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

Hearing the new voice and presence, D-69 turned its attention.

If the person giving the girl orders was human, there was a high chance they were a valid target.

“Looking closely, it’s quite unique.”

The speaker was slightly taller than the doll and had white hair.

D-69 immediately recognized that the entity called Alice had synthetic skin but a body made of titanium and alloys.

More importantly…

“Code of Earnest Rail’s Dominator Multipurpose Combat Robot detected in entity.”

“Huh?”

“Identified as a friendly unit. Disengaging combat mode.”

At those words, the Immortal legion girls turned their gaze toward Alice.

“Whoa! A spy!”

“Miss, is she a spy?!”

“It’s a spy!”

“A spy!”

“Tag, you’re it!”

“Squishy!!!”

“Ah, no. Oh, come on.”

The girls’ guns and blades gleamed like weapons turned on a cheating husband caught in the act.


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