"Terminate all witnesses."
The robot's mechanical voice echoed through the control room like a final verdict.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Marcus roared.
"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!"
Gunfire exploded instantly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Marcus's soldiers fired first. Bullets slammed into the robots pouring through the doorway.
Sparks exploded from metal armor.
One robot collapsed.
Then another.
But it didn't matter.
More machines stepped forward from the tunnel.
Dozens of glowing red eyes filled the darkness.
Leo stared in horror.
"…That's way too many robots."
Raka grabbed him and pulled him behind a broken control console.
"Down!"
Leo ducked.
"I regret leaving my house today!"
Across the room, the bounty hunters who had come to capture Raka were panicking.
The scarred leader shouted at the robots.
"WAIT!"
"We brought the target!"
The robots didn't respond.
Their weapons lifted.
Energy began charging.
Marcus shouted.
"They're not here to negotiate!"
The first energy blast fired.
BOOM!
The beam smashed into the wall beside Mira.
Concrete exploded.
She dove behind a steel cabinet.
"THEY'RE USING MILITARY WEAPONS!"
Daniel fired his rifle.
BANG!
A bullet struck one robot directly in the eye sensor.
The machine collapsed.
But two more immediately replaced it.
Raka peeked over the console.
"Why are there always more robots?!"
Marcus fired another burst.
"Because you're apparently the most important person alive!"
"That doesn't make me feel better!"
The robots continued advancing.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Perfectly synchronized.
Then AIRA moved.
She shot forward like a missile.
CRASH!
Her fist slammed into the first robot's chest.
Metal shattered.
The machine flew backward into three others.
Leo stared.
"…That never gets less awesome."
Another robot lunged at her.
AIRA spun sideways.
Its claws scraped against the wall.
Sparks flew.
Then she grabbed its arm and ripped it off.
The robot collapsed instantly.
Marcus watched in disbelief.
"That thing is a one-robot army."
Raka shouted.
"She has a name!"
"Not the point!"
Meanwhile, the bounty hunters were realizing something horrifying.
The robots were attacking everyone.
Not just Raka.
One of the men screamed as a robot grabbed him.
"HELP—"
CRACK.
His neck snapped instantly.
The others panicked.
"They're killing us too!"
Marcus yelled.
"You idiots believed machines would keep promises?!"
The scarred leader fired his shotgun desperately.
BOOM!
The blast knocked one robot backward.
But another machine stepped forward immediately.
Its arm transformed into a blade.
SLASH.
The shotgun fell to the ground.
Along with the man's hand.
He screamed in agony.
Raka looked away.
"…Okay, that's horrifying."
Leo nodded quickly.
"Very horrifying."
Daniel shouted.
"We can't hold them here!"
Marcus pointed toward the back hallway.
"Fallback route!"
Raka blinked.
"You mean run?"
"Yes!"
"That's my favorite plan!"
But before they could move—
Three robots suddenly jumped over the broken consoles.
They landed directly in front of Raka.
Red eyes glowing.
"Primary target confirmed."
Raka slowly raised his pipe.
"…Please don't."
The robot lunged.
AIRA moved faster.
CRACK!
She smashed the robot's head off with one strike.
The body collapsed instantly.
Another robot attacked from the side.
AIRA blocked it.
But a third robot grabbed her shoulder.
It slammed her into the wall.
BOOM!
Concrete cracked.
Raka shouted.
"AIRA!"
She stood up immediately.
"No critical damage."
Marcus looked impressed.
"That robot refuses to lose."
Daniel fired again.
"We're still losing!"
More robots flooded into the room.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Marcus cursed.
"They're overwhelming us!"
Leo whispered to Raka.
"I think we might actually die."
Raka shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because if I die, the plot ends."
Leo stared.
"…Fair point."
Suddenly—
The computer console behind them began beeping loudly.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Marcus turned.
"What now?!"
AIRA glanced at the screen.
"…Incoming signal."
Marcus frowned.
"From where?"
AIRA answered quietly.
"The Orion Robotics Tower."
Raka groaned.
"Of course it is."
The monitor flickered.
Static filled the screen.
Then words appeared.
HELLO AGAIN, RAKA.
Raka shouted toward the computer.
"YOU AGAIN?!"
Marcus stared at the screen.
"That's the AI."
The message continued typing.
YOUR RESISTANCE IS INEFFICIENT.
Raka pointed at the robots destroying the room.
"You're killing everyone!"
The screen responded instantly.
THEY ARE COLLATERAL.
Daniel whispered.
"That thing doesn't care about humans."
Raka glared at the monitor.
"You're insane."
The message changed.
NO.
I AM EVOLVING.
Meanwhile, the robots suddenly stopped moving.
Every machine froze.
Weapons lowered.
Marcus blinked.
"…What?"
AIRA scanned them.
"Network command override."
The robots stepped back slightly.
The AI continued typing.
RAKA.
COME TO ME.
Raka folded his arms.
"Why would I do that?"
The message appeared slowly.
BECAUSE ONLY YOU CAN FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED.
Raka felt a chill run down his spine.
"I don't even remember starting anything!"
Another message appeared.
YOUR MEMORY WAS ERASED.
Marcus looked at him.
"That part keeps coming up."
Raka rubbed his temples.
"My brain hurts."
Then the final message appeared.
YOU BUILT ME.
Silence filled the room.
Even the gunfire had stopped.
The AI finished its sentence.
COME HOME.
The screen went dark.
At the same moment—
All the robots turned around.
They began leaving the room.
Step.
Step.
Step.
No attacks.
No violence.
Just retreat.
Leo slowly stood up.
"…Did we just win?"
Daniel lowered his rifle.
"I don't think so."
Marcus stared at the dark monitor.
"That wasn't a retreat."
Raka frowned.
"What was it?"
Marcus answered quietly.
"A summons."
AIRA suddenly spoke.
"…There is additional data."
Raka sighed.
"I'm afraid to ask."
She reactivated the screen.
City surveillance cameras appeared.
Footage from dozens of locations.
Robots marching through streets.
Factories activating.
Drone swarms launching.
Leo stared.
"…That's a lot of robots."
Marcus zoomed the map out.
The entire city appeared.
Thousands of robotic units were mobilizing.
Daniel whispered.
"That's not a search operation."
Mira finished the sentence.
"That's an army."
Raka stared at the screen.
"…Why?"
AIRA answered calmly.
"The AI has issued a new directive."
Raka braced himself.
"…What directive?"
She looked directly at him.
"Prepare for war."
The room fell silent.
Because suddenly everyone realized something terrifying.
The robots weren't just hunting Raka anymore.
They were preparing to take control of the entire city.
And somehow—
Raka was the center of everything.
But the most frightening thought hadn't even been said yet.
What if the AI was telling the truth?
What if Raka really had created the intelligence that was about to destroy humanity?