Crossing the World

LXI - Shelters (Karen)

The next morning I actually intended to go to the artificial island. However, there seems to be some things that AI needs to discuss about some projects.

"The development of a new generation of teleporters is almost reaching the final process. It'll be finished in 751 days."

Hm, that's about two years from now.

The teleporter I am wearing now can only be used a maximum of twenty times before the battery runs out. It's true that I don't need more power for now, but replacing it every few times by teleporting is quite troublesome.

The AI says that the new generation teleporter will be usable about fifty times and its operating methods will be further simplified. However, he said, because this teleporter is expected to be used without connecting it to the user's brain network, there is a high possibility that I can not go to earth with the teleporter. Therefore, AI designed it into other accessories besides gloves.

I thought the discussion would be over just getting there, but it turns out that AI brings another topic about mining water in the sky. The design given by the Earth side turned out to have some incompatibility with our planet's atmosphere. In addition, the special ceramic materials they used to pierce the sky were very difficult for us to obtain. Therefore, I have to take into account the stock I need and prepare something as a medium of exchange with them.

All that boring talk really took up my time even until nightfall. In the end, I was late to go out. However, rather than rewind the schedule again like before, I decided to keep going no matter how.

I went back to visit the wooden house of two survivors who settled around the bunker to pick up Auri. As a security measure, I also brought two cyborg units and four black robes that could hide even up to our faces. In addition, the fabric used on the cloak is also made of primorial carbon so it is good enough in protecting us when bad things happen.

We teleport when it's late, hoping that the guard there starts to loosen and people don't do much outside.

The location of the oasis is on a very low plateau, making the weather and atmospheric pressure somewhat different from the environment around the bunker. Fortunately, a change in pressure this small would not have much effect on me. Auri also seemed unaffected by this.

In a place that was only illuminated by a faint moon due to dust particles that filled the air, there was a cluster of faint yellow light spots that might be about two kilometers from where we were. Objects used as lighting are not lights commonly found on earth. The difficulty of maintaining a flame due to low oxygen content is also not possible to use a torch. Well, then, I guess they're using something that can reflect light well. Unfortunately I don't know what kind of stuff they use.

The area of the community in front of me was not very large, probably only about ten square kilometers with a population of only one thousand to two thousand people. That number may have fallen sharply since the unrest some time ago.

"Then, let's walk carefully. I'll try to find a point where the guards don't notice."

Actually I could have directly teleported into the city so there was no need for us to manually sneak in like this. However, if I carelessly set foot without paying attention to its location accurately, the possibility of myself being known is much greater. I could have appeared on a crowded street, in a government building, or even in someone's house. Therefore I prefer to determine my location a few kilometers from the outer limit of the city.

As we walked slowly through the darkness of the night towards the city, the eyeballs of the two cyborgs I was controlling suddenly caught the silhouette of a human standing alone as it turned its gaze in various directions as if searching for something. At first I had intended to teleport a few hundred meters to another field to avoid that person, but his gaze suddenly stopped in our direction.

He seems to have very sharp eyes. Maybe even his eyesight was much better than mine.

I remember reading an article about an Earth human being who had a genetic mutation that had eyesight twenty times sharper than a normal human. I think that kind of things might happen here as well.

The figure ran up to us without hesitation. He grasped a metal spear that looked similar to the spears that rained down on me a few months ago, but it seemed that person had no intention of using it.

Our distance was now no more than three hundred meters away so that I could see his figure with no problems even in the dark of night.

He was a tall man with a sturdy body that was quite intimidating. His facial features and appearance looked like a person of around twenty years old. That person still ran over without any vigilance at all so it made me refrain from attacking him. Instead, the two cyborgs I brought stepped forward and became a meat shield for myself and Auri.

"Dalton?" Auri suddenly muttered something. I think he knows the guy who's approaching.

"You know him?"

"G ... "

"He's the soldier who helped us escape the riots a few months ago."

Ho's? It seemed like he was on the side of Auri's group. Well, then, I don't have to be too wary of him, do I?

Right after I was about to lower my vigilance a little, the man stopped about five steps away from us and started talking.

"Finally!" He looks so happy for whatever reason. "I can finally see the ancestors again after a long time!"

The word "ancestor" meant by him must have referred to people like me who were red-blooded and believed to be human generations before them. In other words, it was a mention that was used to call us the Shelter Dwellers. Unfortunately, since the last thousand years only I am a living person in the Shelter.

Then, why did he say that he was happy to have seen the ancestors again after so long? Is his life so long that he has met one of us before or is there actually a descendant of Shelter residents who roam the land all this time?

Point number two seems to make a lot more sense. Perhaps one of the soldiers who was sent out about a thousand years ago managed to survive somehow and have offspring.

Let's forget first about the Oasis expedition. I think taking her home and asking some questions should be prioritized now.

I subconsciously raised my right hand towards her, set the coordinates of Auri's house, and prepared to activate the teleport. There was actually no need for me to raise my hand, but sometimes I did it unconsciously when I wanted to bring another item with me.

When all the preparations had been made and the stay activated teleportation, the man - Dalton- - suddenly panicked and spoke nonsense.

"Wait first! Don't let my heart out by teleportation. Listen to my explanation!"

What does it mean to remove the heart by teleportation?How could such an abstract thing be done? In theory such a thing could not be done.

Yes, in theory ...

Nope, no. I think it might be possible. In that case, would the ancestor he encountered before be able to do such a terrifying thing? How appalling.

Well, let's leave this thing for later.

"Whatever you will do to him, please consider it first. He's not one to leak information easily."

It seems that Auri misunderstood me because of Dalton's strange response. Well, that doesn't mean I won't do anything bad if it's necessary.

"Then, explain it briefly and simply so as not to waste much of my time."

I said such a sentence while still pointing my palm at him just to keep him on my guard.

"You may not believe it or even expect it. However, Karen, this isn't our first meeting."

... huh?