“Captain, how are you feeling?”“Kyle…”A faint silence passed between them.And yet, the emotion within it wasn’t unpleasant.“To anyone watching, it’d look like you came back from the dead.”“It does feel a bit like that.”Benjamin responded with his usual easy humor, while Eli, with a serious gaze, examined his body up and down.When her eyes finally reached his face, her expression darkened.“There’s going to be a scar.”“Well, that’s nothing.”It was a stark contrast to the deadly situation they’d just endured—but none of them looked too gloomy.“That’s a relief.”“I’m just glad you were able to get up so soon…”He felt a faint embarrassment.With a slight smile, he erased the awkward sentiment.There was no time to dwell on such feelings—they’d already lost enough time.“Anyway… what’s the situation?”“Someone just showed up out of nowhere and claimed they’d be putting the Ark unit under their command.”“…?”Under their command?Were they insane?“So we tied them up and started interrogating them.”“Good work. If it were me, I wouldn’t have bothered with interrogation—I’d have scrapped them immediately.”“I was tempted to, believe me.”Kyle began to piece together why these people had come.Their numbers were few, so they must have been desperate to recruit a force as elite as the Ark.But trying to absorb a bonded, self-sufficient unit like theirs? Impossible.“Eli, you said you already got the important intel. Did they confess easily?”“No. I tried hacking—and surprisingly, it worked right away.”So that’s how it was.Kyle nodded, unsurprised by Eli’s proud tone.Given her expertise in android engineering, it wasn’t exactly shocking.“Well done.”“Right? Since I hacked into all of the android’s sensory logs, we can probably find their base soon.”Indeed.If she’d accessed the sensory records, then even just recreating the visuals could lead them straight to the hideout.“Captain, should we prepare to launch an operation immediately?”But—“Not yet.”Now wasn’t the time.“Mm.”“It’d be better to make sure we understand everything first.”His gaze shifted toward Benjamin.“What I’m about to tell you might be… unpleasant.”“I’m listening.”A deep breath followed.What came next was about the Special Forces—the Transhumans.“To get straight to the point—their goal is extermination of mutants using nuclear weapons.”“…!?”The shock hit immediately.Benjamin stared blankly for a moment before blurting out:“You mean… they’re planning to use nuclear weapons in the city? They can’t seriously think that’s a good idea, can they?”“They do.”“Those lunatics…”Using nuclear weapons on a city.On the surface, it might seem like the fastest, easiest solution—But as Benjamin said, it was an utterly one-dimensional plan.[Ending: Annihilation]—the kind of playthrough where you aim only to clear the game, not survive.If survival was the goal, that choice was nothing but a catastrophe.“So the Special Forces plan to lure the entities in with high-frequency waves and then nuke them all at once.”Eli, who had quickly grasped the essence of it, looked grave.“Then all the more reason we can’t let that happen.”The threat of an enemy still operating in the shadows weighed heavily on them.A suffocating silence hung over the room.That was exactly why Kyle broke it—keeping his tone casual to ease the tension.“As I said, not yet.”Yes—there was no need to act right away.There was still time.To activate a nuclear launch protocol, specific conditions had to be met.And those conditions were complex.‘And I’m the one holding the master key that bypasses all of them.’Without that master key, it would take them at least a few months to complete preparations.Which meant—around the end of winter.As Kyle explained this, Benjamin and Eli’s tense expressions finally softened.After some time, the briefing came to an end.Eli, who had been silent for a while, spoke up.“Still… we can’t just leave them be.”Benjamin nodded.“I agree with Miss Eli. Even if we’ve got some time, they’re still the most dangerous threat out there.”“Never underestimate a war between humans.When humans turn their malice on their own kind, the results are beyond imagining.We can’t predict what might happen.”Transhumans.To be frank, with the Ark as it was now—and with their nation’s power—they could probably crush them in open combat.But that assumed a fair fight.If the Transhumans resorted to suicide bombings or lured entities into cities—their side would suffer heavy casualties too.“Do you have a plan in mind, Captain?”“Of course.”He couldn’t just let the enemy be.But there was a more efficient way to deal with them.“Set a thief to catch a thief.”“Sir?”“Benjamin, remember your proposal about forming a special task force?”“Of course.”“Once we return, we’ll seriously consider it—for the sake of what might come.”If they could assemble such a unit, there was one particular person they’d need to visit—Mother.‘Her hatred for the Special Forces is… indescribable.’Back when the entire city rose up against her and slaughtered her children,it was the Transhuman Special Forces who led the charge.Depending on the situation, she might not act—but if they gave her even a little breathing room, she and her personal guard would move.And if things went well, Kyle’s group wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.“We’ll talk more about that later.”“Yes, sir.”“Eli, just locate their base for now. After that, we’ll use unmanned drones to track their movements.”“Got it.”“Benjamin, how’s the operation progressing?”“Knew you’d ask.”Benjamin’s confident tone already said it all.“The power lines to the nuclear plant and the substation repairs are nearly complete. We should finish within two days.”“Then it’s time to restart the reactor.”“The cultured-meat facilities will be operational soon, too.”“Phew…”Kyle let out a quiet sigh of relief—a sigh of satisfaction.Despite a few setbacks, things were finally going their way.“Let’s go.”The area was buzzing with voices.The Ark’s commander had returned.“Did you hear? They say he killed thousands on his own.”“Rumors always exaggerate. It was probably just a few hundred.”“What are you talking about? My friend’s in the Ark unit—he said Kyle held off hundreds of thousands!”Amid the noise, a black-haired man in glasses strode confidently at the front.To his left and right were Eli Wayless and Benjamin Howard,and behind them, dozens of soldiers marched in perfect formation.“He really is the Captain… there’s just something different about him.”“Yeah, definitely…”The gazes directed at Kyle were full of awe.The Ark’s commanding officer—so ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) close, yet untouchable.People like that always seemed larger than life.His recent unbelievable feat had turned him into a living legend—his presence radiated a brilliance that inspired admiration everywhere he went.Every soldier they passed snapped to salute, respect evident in their movements.“Chief of Staff.”“Yes, Captain.”“Was it always this lively before?”Benjamin hesitated before replying.“Sir, I think you need to realize just what you’ve accomplished.”“…Maybe.”As they made their way toward the power plant, Kyle’s questions didn’t stop.“I’m seeing some new faces.”“Some civilians volunteered to join after the recent explosion mission. While you were away, we gave them temporary protection.”“Good work. Did all of them choose to join?”“Not quite. The distrust toward outsiders is still intense. Fewer than a third agreed.”“I see…”Understandable.After everything they’d suffered at the hands of outsiders, even joining the military wouldn’t have seemed safe.But it wasn’t a problem they could solve easily—they didn’t have the luxury to heal broken minds.As Kyle’s thoughts drifted, Benjamin spoke quietly, his tone low enough that only Kyle could hear.“The number of survivors Tyrone’s gathering is increasing rapidly.”“Oh?”Kyle’s face brightened at the good news—but then frowned, sensing Benjamin’s hesitation.“The only issue is… he seems pretty dejected.”“Why?”“It seems he blames himself for not coming to help you when things got dangerous.”“Tyrone worries too much about meaningless things.”Kyle didn’t elaborate.Benjamin’s expression was too serious to tease him further.As the massive nuclear plant came into view, Kyle turned to Eli.“Eli.”“Yes?”“Once this operation’s done, I want to station some combat-type androids here for defense. Is that possible?”Eli thought for a moment, then nodded.“If we only use the units stored at base, yes.”“And building new ones?”“That’s hard. Combat androids aren’t easy to manufacture—and we don’t even have the right facilities.”In other words, it was impossible for now.Their manpower was already stretched too thin to guard every location.“But if we can extend our reach to the eastern Willow region, production should be possible.”“The eastern Willow…”“That’s where most of the facilities are concentrated.”Eastern Willow—more precisely, Willow Route, where Pommell Corporation’s android production district was located.Kyle scratched his forehead thoughtfully, then nodded.“Alright. Deploy whatever units we have for now. Benjamin, select personnel to guard this place.”“Yes, sir.”“I’ll also use some of the humanoid android parts we have stored at HQ. The ones with egos installed would be more effective.”Benjamin’s brow furrowed slightly.“You’re planning to restore those scrap units?”“Kyle probably scrapped them cleanly for this very reason.”‘…Did I?’That was news to him—but he stayed silent, letting the two talk.“So their memories will be restored too?”“No. Best not to.”Kyle stayed quiet.He knew why Benjamin had reacted that way.Kim Philip.The humanoid android Benjamin often thought about.If that one got its memories back… the emotions it would stir in him would be complicated indeed.“Discuss the details with the Chief of Staff and proceed as you see fit.”Sometimes, letting others decide was the better choice.With that quiet instruction, Kyle’s group turned toward the massive entrance ahead.“We’re here.”The Boxwood Nuclear Power Plant.As they stood before the building, everyone’s eyes flickered faintly.If they could restart this reactor, the underground cave could be restored—and they’d finally have a safe place to live again.“Phew…”“This is a little nerve-racking.”“Let’s go inside.”[Authorization recognized.][Master Key verified.]“Open.”Kyle’s voice echoed against the building.[Opening the entrance to the Boxwood Nuclear Power Plant.]Giiiing…!Even though it hadn’t been long, the shield doors groaned like rusted iron, scraping against their nerves.But that didn’t matter.What mattered was that the door had opened.A faint stench wafted from inside.Lifeless androids, long out of power, were scattered across the floor.“Shall we proceed?”Kyle nodded, and Benjamin turned to the soldiers.“Move in.”The unit advanced, tension thick in the air—“Stay sharp.”“Yes, sir!!”But the sight before them stopped them cold.“What is this…?”“Kyle…”“Captain.”A terrible scene.Those who’d failed to make it outside—withered corpses, dried and brittle.“So this was the source of the stench.”Had they no choice but to endure starvation and dehydration to the bitter end?Deeper inside, the picture became clearer—Hundreds of people lay dead, hollow expressions frozen on their faces.

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