Chapter 140: Code of Hammurabi

The Tree Crystals had given up on humanity.

That did not mean no new Monoz would be born.

The Tree Crystals, apparently silicon-based life-forms at their core, were subtly long-lived in the way they thought. Before, a contract had been almost guaranteed. Now the rate had dropped to about thirty percent. Still, there were some who chose the human side.

As for existing Monoz, an order went out: ask them.

Ask whether they would continue with you or not.

If yes, the contract remained. If no, the contract was dissolved.

That was the flow.

Sometimes, you found broken Monoz dumped in the shadows.

The result of being told no, I suppose.

When I saw that sort of thing, well, I did start to feel that maybe the Tree Crystals giving up on humanity was not completely incomprehensible.

The core was usually intact, so when I told Rat Unit to collect them and handle the rest however it saw fit, it mailed them to Mr. Pearl.

For now, it sent the package cash-on-delivery.

Evil magistrate: You are quite wicked yourself, aren’t you?

“…”

This is exactly the sort of thing that makes the Tree Crystals give up on—

While doing idiotic things like that, I continued fighting the war.

Maybe because they had begun backing the Insectum in earnest, individual Insectum were becoming stronger, newer.

Because of that, the front line was being pushed back.

Except it was not.

Humans cling to life in ugly ways.

The same could be said of Tooths, who had evolved from humans. Give humanity a common enemy, and we can pull off a trick like standing together.

Well.

On the surface, anyway.

Behind the scenes, of course, everyone was pulling everyone else’s legs properly. Or rather, moving in preparation for after the war.

Securing excellent fighting strength was part of that.

After a war, things get rough, and violence grows stronger than law. Since corporations, not nations, were the main actors, that would probably be even more obvious.

I had been scouted by three major corporations and my wife’s family.

When I lined up the four business cards, I thought: this is exactly the sort of thing that makes the Tree Crystals—

Well, surprisingly, there was little confusion.

Probably because the information being released had been chosen carefully.

They did not say the Tree Crystals had wills, or that they had given up on humanity. What spread was the slightly true-sounding information that they had changed.

Since we used them as energy, total rejection was, well, impossible.

As a survival strategy, making the other side dependent on you is a clever move.

Even if the human side won, their species would not be wiped out.

“…Is Rabbit Unit their true nature?”

I said that, looking down at the small Monoz rolling at my feet.

The search specialist who raised its kill score without dirtying its own hands was a black-hearted rabbit.

Lawsuit: I’ll see you in court!

“No, let’s not.”

It looked like I might get sued, so I obediently apologized.

I had no intention of fighting in court during a war.

Seeing the word lawsuit appear on my terminal made me remember something.

“…Mr. Pearl talked, didn’t he?”

Even though you all never spoke, no matter how many Miku-sans I installed…

At most, you suddenly started singing Rin-chan Now! as a duet…

It was only a small mutter, but Monkey Unit apparently picked it up.

Its eye blinked.

A message appeared on my terminal.

Response: Miku-san is Vocaloid.

“I installed the Kotonoha sisters too, though?”

Response: Seyana.

“…”

The feeling that I had just been mocked was no joke.

It might have been the effect of the Tree Crystals’ defection.

Unfortunately, I also had the feeling they had always been like this.

***

That morning, what woke me was Rudo’s nonstop barking.

Had I kept a dog five hundred years ago?

It sounded like the way dogs bark when a delivery comes.

That was what I thought.

But I was five hundred years removed from that memory now. Dogs in this era had been genetically improved, and their intelligence had risen with it. They did not bark for no reason.

Which meant there was a reason Rudo would keep barking without pause.

I woke.

I crawled out of bed and began putting on the Centipede I had left by my pillow.

“Touji, I’m going ahead. —Evacuation from the tents comes first, right?”

“Please.”

At times like these, Tooths, with their biological exoskeletons, were fast. E.B. should have woken at the same time as me, but she was already armored all the way up to that pteranodon-like headpiece, ready for battle.

Her inhuman right arm opened, swallowing AR biological rounds into itself. The pshhh of escaping air was probably leakage from the gill-like heat exhaust organs.

Something.

Something heavy.

The sound of it falling echoed through the camp.

“…”

Where had it landed?

I tried listening, but unfortunately, I could not tell.

DNA filaments made from blood twined around the artificial spinal cord. What had only been fitted over me like a shell began to move like my own arms and legs.

The gray Centipede.

Hound Model.

Its mono-eye lit, announcing activation.

As if matching that, several Monos came to pick me up.

“Situation.”

Report: Evacuation from the tents is being ordered.

Report: Enemy is Insectum. Surprise attack via underground tunnels.

Additional report: Enemy type, Armor Ant.

Additional report: Simultaneous shelling currently striking the tent village.

What Ox Unit offered me was the Type Seven light machine gun for short-to-mid-range work.

I reached for it—then stopped.

Basically, when I used that thing, I was just spraying bullets. Better not to use it somewhere allies were mixed in. Instead, I took about five pistol magazines, drew the handgun from my hip holster, and loaded up.

If we did it, then of course the enemy would do it too.

We had crushed a colony. Naturally, they would aim for our base in the same way. Obvious, if you thought about it.

But being on the receiving end was very unpleasant.

Anyone who had taken the opening hit was already “done.”

I sighed.

“Once Rabbit Unit finishes confirmation, we collapse the tents. Rabbit Unit, Snake Unit, Horse Unit, Sheep Unit. Sheep Unit leads.”

Objection: Sheep Unit is currently central to constructing exterior defensive equipment.

Rat Unit’s opinion.

As expected of Sheep Unit, perhaps.

That saved me from giving the next order.

“Then deploy Team Momotaro instead. Leader is Dog Unit… no. Monkey Unit.”

They were only tents, but still, we were destroying structures. It was better to let someone with strength in that direction take command.

I went outside.

The combat children were frantically putting on Centipedes while their Monoz guarded them. Under E.B.’s direction, the technical team children were being gathered in one place.

Changing quickly into a Centipede was an essential mercenary skill.

If you could not do it, you were better off wearing your Centipede even while resting.

Unfortunately, the only ones who had finished changing were the few who had been on watch, and even they were rattled by the sudden enemy attack. Three of them were pouring gunfire into a single Armor Ant that had surfaced nearby.

Overkill.

Just then, Sheep Unit, who had been giving instructions to the technical team’s Monos, noticed me and came over.

Confirmation: What should be done with the defensive equipment?

“Set it up in a circle over the tent site. Make it large. Accept evacuees from the surrounding area. —Rat Unit.”

Complete: The Monoz in the surrounding tents have already been notified.

As if to prove those words, tents began folding down, and people started gathering.

Insectum that had been hidden by the tents appeared in the firing lines. Scattered fighting broke out in several places.

Ah.

This was a little bad.

No one was coordinated.

Unfortunately, I had no ability to take command of them.

What to do?

As I was thinking that, Rudo came running over. His tongue was out from excitement, so he looked a little lacking in tension.

Good work, I thought, and patted him.

At the same time, a transmission came in.

The other party was—

『Yo. Fine morning, isn’t it, you bastards? Everybody’s favorite Uncle Smile here!』

『Halloween, green.』

“Hound, green.”

『Highball, yellow! Those bastards popped up in my tent!』

『Goodman, yellow. Supporting Highball.』

『Okay, I already know the state of you two pieces of shit with your rotten daily conduct. Halloween, back them up.』

『Ya.』

『And Hooound! Good boy, aren’t you? I’m sending people your way. First, I’m sending the technical bean sprouts, so have them build the base.』

“Understood. Ah, sorry, but command of the surrounding tents too—”

『Take a look around, Hound. Uncle Smile works fast.』

“…”

I looked.

The scattered fighting around us had already ended. Groups had formed, and the response had turned organized. They were deployed around the site where my base was going to be built, forming a defensive line against the enemy.

How was he grasping all this?

Ah.

This.

A wired drone was rolling around at my feet. He had rushed them out to get a grasp on the situation and perform scouting.

But that would not be very effective.

The problem was not the infantry. If we did not do something about the artillery farther out, this would get bad.

Even now, a tent that had taken a direct hit was burning. Some kind of incendiary round, probably. The smoke from the burning tent was black, and it was stealing visibility too. Not good.

“So, since I’m a good boy, I get to take a break—obviously not, right?”

As I said it, I beckoned to Horse Unit, who had finished dismantling tents, and ordered it to become Monok.

『Of course not, Hound. Since you’re such a good boy, I’m taking you on a picnic.』

“…Yaaay.”

『You sound thrilled.』

“I’m weak when I have to run around, you know? Different company, but can’t you borrow Shepherd?”

『He’s off on a solo picnic too. Give up.』

I tried to scratch my head.

The head armor got in the way.

…Well, yes.

Of course.

“Hound, understood. Send me the sector.”