It was the longest twelve hours Cain had ever waited through. Yet, it was also the shortest, thanks to his calm night within the ruins.
After spending the night inside the ruins he had discovered, Cain decided to report the finding to the people stationed at the excavation site.
The expedition itself hadn’t lasted long, yet the results he obtained were more than worth it, far exceeding the value of simply following the mission he had originally been assigned.
Still, the grey-haired boy lifted his face, staring at the massive monitor glowing brightly before him, overflowing with data that changed every second.
In the top-right corner of the screen, ARCHES wore a flat expression; no, it almost looked bored by the silence surrounding them.
Behind Cain, the rush of cascading water roared loudly, reminding him that ti continued to move forward even as he stood still, contemplating the problems that lay ahead.
’They won’t just sit back and do nothing.’
Cain rubbed his chin, his thoughts drifting to two particularly cunning individuals he knew were present at the excavation site.
Especially those two who had caught his attention: Senior Oliver and the person in charge of the site.
From the very first mont they t and shook hands, more accurately, they recognized one another from the get-go.
The two exchanged empty words, their faces hidden behind thick, smiling masks, concealing cores overflowing with greed.
It was difficult for soone without sensitivity toward others to notice. But that didn’t work on Cain.
He saw straight through the lies etched on their faces, and that alone made him extrely cautious, especially regarding this discovery.
’I should think of another way.’
Cain crossed his arms over his chest, fingers tapping endlessly as he sank deeper into thought.
It wasn’t that he wanted to monopolize the water behind him, nor was he trying to gain personal profit from it.
If possible, Cain wanted soone virtuous to take responsibility, soone who would use this resource for the good of all.
And if possible, a person who held much power.
The grey-haired boy didn’t even know whether concepts like embezzlent or corruption still existed in this dying world.
But at the very least, he wanted to be careful. Human greed could transcend even ti and ages after all.
If such things did exist, countless people would suffer as a result.
After pondering for a few seconds, the sound of footsteps approaching from afar broke his concentration.
He glanced toward the noise and found Luna, her silver hair fluttering down her back as she walked toward him.
Cain glanced for a brief mont, in daze. He was captivated by the sheer brilliance Luna carried by her beauty, almost like a goddess descended into a mortal realm.
...
The night before, just before Cain and the others went to sleep, he had shared the good news with his companions that the ruins they were staying in were free from cosmic virus contamination.
"Really?!"
Abel exclaid. The dumbfounded expression behind his visor was so ridiculous that Cain doubted he would ever forget it.
"Yes. I’m sure."
Hearing Cain’s calm yet firm response, Abel and the other four exchanged glances, then hesitantly opened their armour suits together.
In the end, they were finally able to enjoy a bit of freedom of movent for the next few hours, until it was ti to sleep.
...
"So you’re here."
Her gentle voice, like droplets of water in spring, soothed Cain’s heart.
Luna trotted over to his side. Then, without any warning, she leaned her shoulder against him, letting the warmth of her body seep into his.
"What are you doing here?"
The silver-haired girl leaned forward, peeking through Cain’s bangs.
Unable to resist Luna’s clingy nature, and combined with her familiar scent, Cain’s heart began pounding wildly. Blood rushed through his body, especially to his cheeks.
He shook his head lightly and shifted his gaze forward, staring at the emoji half-buried on the side of the screen, as if it were shy after witnessing his closeness with Luna.
’As expected of an artificial intelligence from the golden age of technology, it’s incredibly expressive, even as just an emoji.’
A faint smile ford on Cain’s lips as he spoke.
"Nothing. Just thinking about sothing."
"Hmm? What is it? Tell ."
Cain’s body stiffened instantly as Luna’s soft hair brushed against his skin while she rested her head on his shoulder.
The grey-haired boy clenched his teeth, trying to keep his teenage impulses from spilling out.
Lately, especially during this mission, Luna seed particularly fond of physical contact with him. He was oblivious as to what had caused it.
Was it worry? Or sothing else entirely?
He didn’t know.
And with both of them no longer wearing armour, dressed only in thin, tight suits, Cain beca painfully aware of her soft presence and of the overflowing feelings exuded from her.
Still, he swallowed to moisten his dry throat and took a slow breath.
’Calm down, Cain. This isn’t the ti for that.’
He repeated the words in his heart, not to reject Luna’s blatant affection, but to keep himself sharp and alert.
No matter how safe this place seed, they were still in an open zone, far from any external support.
After letting out a short breath, Cain narrowed his eyes and accidentally locked gazes with the artificial intelligence that had been stealing glances at his side all this ti.
"ARCHES, may I ask you sothing?"
The emoji widened its eyes, then slowly floated across the screen, settling in the centre.
{Go ahead. What would you like to ask?}
"As I told my companions, we’re returning to our base today to report on this place. Do you truly have no objections to that?"
For a mont, the AI fell silent, then its body shook vertically.
{Yes. I have no objections. This place was originally built as an ergency facility in the event that the Fourth World War occurred, an event estimated to result in extinction.}
Cain’s expression hardened.
This was the first ti he’d heard such information from knowledge dating back to the old era.
’World War...’
This ti, the vague fragnts of information stored in his mind slowly began fitting together like puzzle pieces, aligning until a larger picture erged.
’So that’s how it is. Instead of a world war, the cosmic teor fell... and brought about a true apocalypse.’
Seeing Cain fall silent, the emoji frowned slightly before adding.
{Cain, you don’t need to worry about the water distribution system we manage.}
Cain raised an eyebrow, blinking in confusion.
{Back then, we built an advanced irrigation system buried deep within the earth.}
At that point, the massive monitor flickered. Calculations and data slid aside, replaced by a world map.
ARCHES continued, its tone flat, yet faintly proud.
{That system is connected to all of our small bases scattered across the eastern continental peninsula. Don’t worry, those bases are also buried deep underground. No human of this era can access them... except you.}
ARCHES paused.
{Honestly, I still wonder how you managed to breach this facility’s firewall and even obtain the access codes.}
Its voice trailed off, giving Cain space to process the information while carefully shaping a concrete plan to ensure the water behind him would be properly distributed.
Once again, Cain looked at the monitor.
His gaze was distant, as if staring beyond the screen, toward every red point ARCHES had marked.
Cross-referencing the map with the data in his head, Cain estimated the water’s reach could supply more than five major nations.
Unfortunately, the distance between this ruin and Babylon City was far too great. That place would receive no benefit, except for the newly forming city.
The place was located close to the nearest water storage base.
Cain held his breath briefly, deep in thought.
’If our current technology can’t even detect this water source, just how advanced was the system they built?’
He shook his head, not daring to dig deeper, then spoke.
"Listen, ARCHES..."
His voice turned formal and stiff, unlike his usual self. Luna and ARCHES both turned to him, heads tilted in confusion.
"Would you object to transferring this place’s authority to soone else?"
The mont those words left his mouth, Luna’s eyes widened. The sa happened to the artificial intelligence on the screen.
A deafening silence descended upon the area. Heavy, but not filled with tension.
After a short while, the emoji directed its round eyes toward Cain. They locked gazes for several seconds.
Then, the AI broke the silence.
{As much as I don’t wish to betray my creator. This is not the ti to dwell on the past, as I was created for the future, so...}
ARCHES paused before continuing.
{I accept your offer.}
The feminine, childlike voice that usually echoed through the space deepened, now brimming with authority.
Even though it belonged to an artificial intelligence.
Without hesitation, Cain nodded and took Luna’s hand in his, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"C-Cain?! What are you?!"
Ignoring the slightly panicked girl beside him, Cain stepped closer to the monitor.
"Let’s begin the authority transfer process."
The emoji nodded and began issuing instructions for transferring control of the reservoir facility.
The process itself wasn’t complicated. Cain was simply tasked with creating a new access code to overwrite the old one.
Crossing his arms, Cain lowered his head.
Several seconds passed, then he lifted his face.
{Have you decided on a new access code?}
Cain nodded at ARCHES’s question and replied.
"Yes. I have. And the code is..."
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