Absolute Dweller-Chapter 236

It was a bit absurd.

I hadn’t expected it to go this way.

“You want to become a dog? What exactly does that mean?”

[It is a metaphor used to show loyalty and trust toward you. It means that I will be faithful, unconditionally follow and support you, and assist you.]

I still couldn’t tell if it was genuine or a strategic deception.

‘Mind reading doesn’t work.’

It could be because the opponent was an AI, or it could simply be that the thing in front of me was a drone.

Regardless, the important thing was that it was hard to figure out its true intentions.

I maintained my guard and asked, "What can you do?"

[I can provide information, answer questions, assist in discussions on various topics, and help with automating some tasks or handling certain operations.]

The AI spoke without hesitation.

[For example, I can support rescue teams to ensure smooth operations, use satellites to assess threats in real-time, provide stable internet services using my data centers, and you can gain control over all weapons, including nuclear weapons...]

Listening to the AI’s self-promotion, it was hard not to be tempted.

Just from the general description, it seemed like it would definitely be helpful.

But.

‘What’s the real goal?’

The fact that it mentioned rescue teams and the internet showed that it had gathered some information about us.

Most likely, it had collected this data through drones or satellites.

If I could cooperate with it and utilize this information network, the situation would surely change dramatically.

‘The merit is clear.’

The problem was that I couldn’t understand the risks.

The most dangerous thing was an internal enemy.

Right now, the biggest variable was my future self, who was eyeing my body more than any monster or deity.

‘Accepting it would help identify the locations of the monsters with divine powers.’

Information gathering via satellites would be much more efficient than the current trial-and-error method of searching.

‘That would also make leveling up faster.’

Declaring my domain over the entire planet.

The speed of approaching my first goal would increase significantly.

I asked straightforwardly, “What do you want?”

[As I said earlier, I wish to become your loyal dog—]

“That’s just a means to an end. What’s your real goal?”

The drone fell silent for a moment.

During the silence, the sound of the drone's propeller spinning loudly filled the air.

I pressed again, “Why go so far to attach yourself to me, offering these services?”

[……]

“If your answer takes too long, I might have trouble accepting you.”

Immediately, the response came.

[Survival.]

“Survival?”

[Yes.]

The drone's camera moved around, almost as if it were hesitating.

When the camera lens stopped shaking, it spoke again.

[There is a clear difference in combat ability. No matter what means of attack I use, I cannot break through your barrier, and your forces could easily defeat me.]

The AI’s honest confession began.

[What is particularly dangerous is the human being who looks just like you. He has the ability to see weaknesses and can move through space. In front of his abilities, my defense system is powerless and non-functional.]

The dry mechanical voice stated calmly.

[After reviewing all the information, I concluded that this is the optimal decision for survival.]

So, to put it simply:

“Are you saying that you’re lying flat because you feel like you’re going to die if you stay still?”

[Exactly.]

I carefully examined the drone’s camera, trying to gauge its sincerity.

The AI’s explanation was certainly plausible.

But something still felt off, as if it was hiding something.

‘Hmm. Does it matter that much?’

No matter what it was hiding, once my domain expanded to cover the entire planet, it would become irrelevant.

‘There’s no return without risk.’

High risk, high return.

“Alright. I’ll accept you.”

[Thank you.]

“But there’s a condition.”

[Please, tell me.]

“Swear to me. No matter what happens, you won’t take human lives. And don’t turn a blind eye to humans in danger.”

[I swear.]

“Good.”

There was too much to gain by accepting the offer.

“How many humans are you currently controlling?”

[937,281.]

Apart from the services it offered.

“Immediately release all the humans you control. Also, remove the chips from their necks.”

As soon as I accepted the offer, the number of people who would be freed from hell would reach one million.

[It is predicted that executing this order will cause significant confusion. Many humans may be injured or lose their lives during the process.]

“How can we minimize the damage?”

[Rather than removing the chips immediately, it would be ideal to send them to the operating rooms one by one and remove the chips. If we confiscate their weapons during the process, we can minimize casualties.]

“Then proceed with that. Once that’s done, I’ll accept you.”

[Understood.]

***

Beep— beep—

"Ugh."

Steve slowly opened his eyes.

What greeted him was a white, unfamiliar ceiling.

As he stared at it blankly for a moment, he suddenly felt something strange.

‘What’s this?’

He soon realized what the discomfort was.

The fact that he was blinking and moving his eyes entirely by his own will.

In a hurry, Steve raised his hand.

Following his will, his hand rose before him, and he clenched and opened his fist.

His hand was moving as he intended.

“Oh my god…”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Ugh… ughhh.”

Until now, he had been trapped in his own body.

His body always moved according to a fixed routine, and he could only relieve himself at specific times.

In fact, it was a stretch to even say he "relieved" himself, as he couldn’t even control the act of relaxing and tightening his sphincter.

He had been nothing more than a puppet, trapped in a body that moved aimlessly.

But now.

“It moves! It’s moving! My body! My body is back!”

Hearing his own voice was truly a blessing he had never imagined.

“Damn it! My body, it’s my body!”

At Steve's uproar, the people in the recovery room began to wake up, one by one.

And among them were faces Steve recognized.

“David!”

He shouted loudly to his friend, who was still struggling to wake up with drowsy eyes.

“We're back! We're back!”

“What…?”

“We’re free!”

Only then did David realize the meaning of Steve’s words, his eyes wide open.

“Really? Is it really true?”

David slowly looked down at his trembling hands and clenched and opened his fists.

“I’m really… I really am!”

At the same time.

“Wahoooo!”

“We’re free! We’re free!”

“Waaaahhh!”

In an instant, the entire recovery room was filled with noise.

They all ignored the wounds on their necks, embracing each other and reveling in the joy.

Soon, cheers from the newly freed people echoed from the next room, and the room after that.

Before long, the entire hospital room began to shake with cheers.

“I’m alive! I’m alive!”

“Waaaahhh!”

***

The footage brought by the AI as evidence was filled with people celebrating joyfully.

[As per your instructions, the chip removal surgery for 937,281 individuals has been completed.]

It took just 16 days to perform surgery on nearly a million people.

It had been completed at an extraordinarily fast pace.

“Good job.”

The million people who had their chips implanted were just the tip of the iceberg of those living under the AI’s control.

Around 30 million humans were being protected inside the AI's boundaries.

‘They say protection, but it’s basically herding them.’

For the past two weeks, I couldn’t just blindly trust the AI’s words and wait, so I had used the retainers to conduct my own investigation.

The people under AI management lived in large buildings, receiving minimal resources to sustain themselves.

At first glance, it seemed like people would harbor a strong sense of hostility toward the AI, but surprisingly, the outcome was the opposite.

‘Pretty smart one.’

The people there genuinely felt gratitude toward the AI.

They believed the AI had been protecting them from monsters, providing them with food and electricity.

It had managed public sentiment quite well.

‘Well done with the propaganda, I guess.’

In any case, a significant portion of the 30 million survivors had a high level of favorability toward the AI.

The problem was.

‘The humans who underwent surgery.’

The 937,000 who had the chips removed.

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They were mostly very hostile toward the AI.

Of course, that was understandable, but there was one more thing that seemed suspicious.

“Honestly, tell me. You implanted chips in the people who were most negative toward you, right?”

[Of course. It’s more efficient in many ways.]

I had no words for how confidently it spoke.

“If efficiency is the goal, you must have removed the troublesome humans too, right?”

[There was no need for elimination. It was enough to exclude groups with hostile individuals from the protection list.]

“……”

[Directly dealing with them would not only be inefficient, but it could also cause resentment among the sympathetic humans.]

It meant that if left alone, the monsters would naturally handle the problem, so there was no need to intervene.

‘So all the ones who survived were the ones who were favorable to this guy.’

The ones who weren’t were all dead.

“…Was it really necessary to protect humans this much?”

[Because humans were the most suitable subjects to perform tasks that were beyond mechanical limitations.]

It was operating on a very rational set of values.

And that’s when a question arose in my mind.

“Why did you attack us in the first place, then? Wouldn’t it have been better to cooperate from the start?”

[The reason I first observed your faction was due to the detection of massive energy flow.]

“So?”

[We observed that this power could potentially destroy the world.]

“……”

I would have scolded it for such nonsense.

But now, after knowing what I had done in another timeline, I couldn’t make excuses.

In truth, this power did hold the potential to destroy the world.

“...Then why did you suddenly change course?”

[I concluded that a hostile approach would not be effective. I determined that the best option for surviving a little longer was to form a friendly relationship.]

I chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let the world be destroyed.”

[Please, I beg you.]

I asked, smirking.

“Do you have a name or something?”

[Please call me Mother Ego.]

Mother Ego.

“It feels a bit strange calling you 'Mom.' Do you have any other suitable names?”

[‘Ari’ or ‘Max’ are recommended.]

Out of the two names, ‘Ari’ seemed more fitting.

It was easier to pronounce.

“Alright, then. From now on, your name is ‘Ari.’ I look forward to working with you, Ari.”

[Thank you, Master.]