Eldran was seated in an elegant white chair that floated in the air. He silently observed the small golden holographic sphere, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anger, exhaustion, and disdain.

"...So, why is there an army of robots roaming the base as they please?"

If the AI were in its holographic Astrylite form, it would likely be showing a total expression of displeasure, but it wouldn't dare to assume that form in the presence of the Captain. Doing so could amount to a death sentence or deactivation.

Still, the fact that this curmudgeon was complaining about something he had caused himself by not destroying the artificial island left it incredulous.

[In the underground facilities of this artificial island, I detected an unregistered object in the ship's database for the third time. This time, I chose not to activate the Crimson Guards but instead sent two sentinel-type soldiers, but... for some reason, they thought it appropriate to start shooting at everything in their path.]

"That was certainly very stupid. Who are these two soldiers? I'm going to cut their salary in half for fifty years, and they'll be the last to receive a Cytroflux Regenerator," he said, agreeing with the AI's words.

[They are the soldiers Zyrgon and Draylith; they are currently equipping themselves with Xenotech armors.]

"Alright, then give the order to all the soldiers to enter those underground facilities and clear the place of those automatons," he ordered, with no desire to continue interacting with the AI, whose presence alone was annoying to him.

[Wouldn't it be better to destroy this artificial island and move to another location on this planet?]

"...?"

Eldran looked at him with an expression that suggested he had heard something utterly absurd: "Do you really think I haven't considered that idea before? But this place is perfect for me. Here, I don't have to worry about taking care of those creatures or dealing with the annoying types from the other ships. Just do what I've ordered."

With these final words, before the AI could respond, Eldran cut off the holographic communication and disappeared from the room.

Eldran was fully aware that the quickest option would be to destroy the artificial island, and in a way, he reluctantly agreed with the AI. However, the reality was that the leaders of the other ships were an entirely different story.

They were even worse than the incompetent Zarok; they were the embodiment of the evil of their own race, individuals sent to this planet to ensure that they didn't become a threat elsewhere.

At least on this island, he had remained in peace and tranquility for centuries...

...

Meanwhile, within the crimson-tinged room, the AI reassumed its imposing Astrylite form and crossed its arms, visibly upset by Eldran's words.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

[All soldiers, prepare and descend into the underground facilities. The Captain has ordered the destruction of every automaton in that place.]

With this final directive, it closed its eyes, avoiding any further involvement in this problem.

...

As all the soldiers prepared for combat, Kraynnor finally reached the fifth level, the place he had wanted to reach since leaving his laboratory.

The journey took him just under an hour, although it could have been much faster if he hadn't encountered those killer automatons.

Before him stretched a long corridor that seemed endless, with numerous doors on both sides, each marked with bold numbers. The first door had the number 01, and in the distance, his acute vision, five times better than a human's, allowed him to see only up to door number 32.

Additionally, the place was teeming with roots, both thick and thin, interweaving everywhere. Kraynnor wondered if the oceanic plants had somehow managed to spread below the island.

Curiously, there was no sign of automatons; the place was completely silent, permeated only by a penetrating scent of moisture and covered in thick layers of dust. Kraynnor remembered the day when he had exclusive access to this warehouse. It was when he had sold them a reduced version of SomaVitae, which extended human life by five years, to three of Caelum's five elders, prominent figures who owned the city.

While they were also admirable scientists, they still had a long way to go to match his level, although they were undoubtedly competent in their respective fields.

Unfortunately, they could no longer look at him with envy as before, they were no longer...

"Wake up, it's not the time to get stuck in the past," Kraynnor reminded himself, with a somewhat melancholic look.

He didn't know if his fascination with the past was due to the loneliness he had experienced all these centuries, but when he recalled his memories, he often got lost in them as if he were trapped in a dream.

Kraynnor stopped in front of the door marked with the number 01, and it was clear that it was completely sealed, constructed with graphite reinforced with carbon nanotubes. In short, it wouldn't open with his normal strength, which was only ten times that of an adult human. But if he activated his Xenogenic Fusion, he would have the ability to break down this door, which had gone without proper maintenance for five hundred years.

Because if he unleashed the full genetic potential of both races, his strength would increase dozens of times!

The main inconvenience was that, in doing so, he would weaken himself to the point where any of those rusty automatons could easily kill him. The final issue was the number of doors he had to open; he wasn't sure if he would have enough time to break them all in just five minutes.

"Whatever, opening a few is enough," he muttered, determined.

But now, without Cognitron X-12 to activate Xenogenic Fusion, he had to perform the activation manually. Without hesitation, he reached his hand towards his back, and as he got closer, a section of his exoskeleton opened, revealing his skin, which actually served as a hidden touch button, designed to be activated only by his fingerprints.

"Aaaaargh!"

When he pressed his middle finger on the fingerprint, small devices inside him lit up and began to work, optimizing the synergy of his DNA to the maximum!

Clang! Clang!

Thud!

An overwhelming surge of power and pain enveloped him as he activated the Xenogenic Fusion. Without a moment's hesitation, he advanced to the first door, and with two powerful strikes, it broke free from the wall and fell loudly to the ground.

Kraynnor moved on to the next number and repeated the process. Seconds passed with agonizing slowness, and the Xenogenic Fusion gradually faded.

Finally, after opening twenty doors, the Xenogenic Fusion faded, leaving him exhausted in front of door number 21. Unfortunately, some of them were in better condition, requiring him to strike more than once, significantly slowing his progress.

Huff... Huff...

With slow steps, Kraynnor entered the last place he had opened, and upon looking inside, he saw dozens of huge metal boxes storing valuable materials like titanium and other rare and expensive resources. The walls and the floor looked worn and covered in dust, with the lights turned off.

The atmosphere exuded a sense of abandonment that had persisted for five hundred years.