Past the slums, there were the Farlands, a place where the abandoned robots of the past gathered and built their homes. It wasn't as messy as the slums, but it had the same broken-down look.
It was another ecosystem of its own, one built on the few maintenance skills robots managed to teach themselves. Not many know of this place since few robots cared to explore this far.
With Genji's assistance, the group easily reached this place without interruptions.
"How far until we reach your destination?" Genji asked as they stopped to rest.
"Should be soon. My map says it's past this place," Rosaline replied.
"Sure, whatever you say." Genji finished his meal and closed his eyes.
"How are you not tired from all that?" Bennet couldn't help but ask. As far as he could tell, they had the same level of fitness, so Bennet couldn't understand how Genji could be so relaxed. They had been traveling for two days and Bennet was completely drained, yet Genji hadn't even broken a sweat.
"My movements are optimized to conserve energy," Genji replied.
Putting aside the journey, Genji was more curious about why Bennet had the same physical stats as him. Didn't he say he was a scientist that got transported to this world?
Why would someone like that possess twice the stats of a champion-level athlete? One had to understand not even Genji could reach such a superhuman level of training without EverRealm's assistance.
This then led to the second oddity about Bennet: his inexperience with the supernatural. From their interactions in the past two days, Genji knew Bennet's world was similar to his own, one that focused on technological advancements.
There were no supernatural forces or factors that could disrupt the world. That was why they were so shocked when Genji demonstrated his stealth abilities. Yet this brings Genji back to his initial question: how does Bennet have the same stats as him?
More specifically, how does he have such a strong body when he isn't involved with anything supernatural? And why does he consider these stats the norm? The more Genji knew about the situation, the weirder it became. Something wasn't adding up, but he didn't know enough to say what.
After Bennet rested for some time, the group set off again, traversing the outskirts of this unknown location. On their trip, they saw a few rustly androids wander the area. These were an old bunch, consisting of ancient models that were more boxlike than humanoid.
Rosaline didn't know how long these inhabitants had been here, but she knew this model had been discontinued for at least 300 years. The surprising thing was that they were moving without issues, barring the grime and rust that clung to their outer shells.
'They must have a specialized mechanic. Most androids don't have that information in their built-in database.'
"Be careful. They're looking at you weirdly," Genji whispered from the shadows.
"Weird? How so? Isn't that normal?" Rosaline asked.
"Their looks aren't normal. They're thinking about something."
"How can you tell anyway? Aren't they just chunks of metal?" Bennet asked curiously.
"Intent isn't determined by looks but actions. Right now, their subtle movements don't match an observer's."
"No way right? You must be overthinking it," Rosaline denied, unable to believe his reason.
"Suit yourself," Genji said before minimizing his presence further. Since they were unwilling to believe him, they could deal with the potential consequences. It wasn't like he would be implicated by it since the surrounding robots never saw him. At worst, he would step in when they couldn't handle the situation anymore.
*Sigh* 'When was the last time I had to babysit someone like this?'
A few minutes later, trouble came as Genji expected. As they turned past a corner, a group of robots surrounded Rosaline and Bennet. Seeing this scene, Genji shook his head and took an ambushing position.
"Can I help you?" Rosaline asked.
"Nothing much. Give us the human." the leader of the group replied.
"That's an outrageous request? You think I will just hand him over because you asked?"
"You can't put it like that. You should have gotten the news of the escaped terrorist. We just want to make sure he's not the one."
"Well, he's not. Can you let us go now?"
"How can we believe your words? For all we know, you could be in cahoots with him. Think about it. A city bot comes into the slums with a human right when the terrorist disappears. How suspicious is that?"
"That's a load of crap. You know the terrorist doesn't look like that."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Our models are outdated so there's no way we could have gotten a clear image of the target. To fulfill our civic duties, we will need you to fulfill our request."
"Civic duties my ass. You just want to rob me."
"You're resisting? Then you must be with the terrorist. Take her down!" At his command, the surrounding robots pulled out their weapons and menacingly closed in on them.
Seeing this, Rosaline realized that everything was an excuse and she was the real target. Otherwise, they wouldn't have latched onto this excuse so quickly. Without hesitation, Rosaline pulled out her pistol and knocked down the closest targets.
"I'm warning you." She said, entering a staredown with the surrounding androids. "Let us through and no one gets hurt."
Rosaline was apprehensive about this battle because she was worried that Bennet might get injured in the skirmish. That was why she wanted to end this peacefully if possible, even if these robots were targeting her.
The robots exchanged glances with each other before one of them shouted, "Use it."
Rosaline was confused by what he meant, but before she could think further, a disruptive pulse crashed into her. Looking over, she saw a metallic barrel with coils lining the interiors. It was an older weapon, but it didn't affect its effectiveness in the slightest.
'An EMP Gun? Why do they have one of those? Aren't they supposed to be banned?'
The next moment, both Rosaline and Bennet collapsed, unable to endure the disruption.
"You! You're the Vultures!" Rosaline weakly muttered, realizing only one group could possess such weapons.
"That's right, but it's too late now."
'Dammit. Of all people, why do we have to run into them?' Rosaline despaired, understanding their fearsome reputation.
Although the Vultures didn't sound special, they were the most troubling terrorist group in the city. Deep Blue had tried many times to end them, but they'd always managed to escape its pursuit. The main reason for this was the numerous banned technologies they had, all of which could disrupt their pursuers.
Take the EMP gun for example. It was a weapon that could emit disruptive electromagnetic waves capable of crippling most machines. That was why Deep Blue banned it in the first place. Could you imagine the damage it could do to a city made from machines?
The manufacturers took this into account after the first attack, but the Vultures always managed to modify their EMP guns to exploit other weaknesses. To this day, they still couldn't figure out an affordable way to cover this weakness, which was why Rosaline succumbed to it despite her advanced defenses.
Other than the EMP Gun, there were also other troublesome equipment like the dynamic cloak, which protects them from EMP waves, the pulse rifle, which shoots a condensed wave of EMP, and the Frequency bomb, which overloads most processing systems.
That was all the banned technology Rosaline knew of, but she didn't doubt the Vultures had more hidden. They have a competent researcher after all, and applying the technique to other weapons wouldn't be hard.
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Due to this, anyone found to be in collaboration with the Vultures would immediately be shut down, regardless of circumstances. Rosaline understood this, which was why she was so distressed. After all, who would agree to exchange hostages with such a group?
And even if they did, how could they ensure it wouldn't be a trap? Since that was the case, they might as well not bother, leaving only one reason why they attacked her: her advanced parts. More specifically, they wanted to break her apart and repurpose her body, an act no different than murder.
Rosaline knew because this wasn't the first time this had happened. Where else could they have gotten so many parts to build their advanced weapons?
'Is this how everything ends?' Rosaline wondered as she stared up at the approaching figures. 'I'm sorry father. I've been a bad daughter.'
"You really can't move, can you?" Genji's voice suddenly rang out and startled the robots.
Hearing the abrupt voice from beside them, they all jumped backward and reached for their weapons. But before they could do anything, they slid apart, their diced bodies too agitated by the motion.
"How interesting. To think something can disable you like this. I should hold onto it. It seems useful," he commented, picking up the dropped EMP Gun.
"W-when did you?" Bennet asked, struggling to push himself off the ground. Since he wasn't a mechanical being, he wasn't prone to a full shutdown, but he still had to endure a painful headache akin to someone taking a metal baseball bat and pummeling the back of his head without mercy.
"Before I revealed myself," Genji replied, understanding that Bennet was talking about the timing of the robot's destruction. "I would be stupid otherwise."
A few seconds later, Bennet recovered enough to stand and gave Genji a doubtful look, unable to believe his answer. However, he didn't dwell on this issue too much since Rosaline was still paralyzed on the ground.
"Can you stand, Rosaline?"
"No. That attack destroyed some of my crucial circuits. You're going to need to go on without me."
"Absolutely not. I'm not leaving you behind like this."
"You don't have a choice. If you want a chance to return, you have to."
"I don't care about going back! Why do you keep disregarding yourself for me? We shouldn't be that close." Bennet asked.
"This...," Rosaline's eyes darted to Genji, who pretended not to notice. Then, she looked elsewhere, doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with Bennet.
"I'm not leaving until you tell me the truth," Bennet affirmed, determined to obtain an answer.
Left with no choice, Rosaline could only sigh and admit her thought process. "If you really are from the past, all this won't matter because the timeline will have changed. The difference will be so big that I might not even exist. Or better yet, our current dystopia will become a real utopia. Why wouldn't I do everything I can to send you back?"
Bennet was taken aback by the revelation. He knew Rosaline had ideas for improving robot society, but he never expected that she would choose time travel as her solution. How could he have considered such an outcome when time travel was such a tricky topic?
"Then what happens if the world becomes like this because you sent me back? Have you thought about that?"
"Unlikely. Even with extensive research, I can't find traces of you in our history. But that's impossible if the current timeline accounted for your return. As long as you introduce a single piece of technology from this era, you will be hailed as the one who kick-started the technology revolution and your name passed down to this day. That only leaves two possibilities: either you create a new timeline when you return or you change this one. I'm fine with either option."
"You... You thought so deeply about this?"
"Of course. Why else would I risk my life for you?"
Rosaline's answer was very methodical and based on logic. Bennet didn't know how to refute her, but he still didn't feel comfortable with how casually she was treating her own life. It was like as long as he returned to his world, she didn't care what happened to her. It was very one-track-minded, disregarding the possibility of failure.
At this moment, Genji cleared his throat and interrupted their bonding session. "I hate to be that person, but can you two save this for sometime later? We're still in the middle of the street and I would prefer not to deal with any more trouble."
Hearing his words, Bennet snapped out of his daze and looked at Genji with hope. "Can we save her?"
"If you carry her, I don't mind looking for someone to check her out. Otherwise, forget it. I'll just consider this trip a failure and send you back."
From his words, Bennet knew Genji had no intention of carrying the paralyzed Rosaline. In his view, the effort put in was not worth the rewards when they were in such a hectic place.
This left Bennet with no choice, but to find a way himself. He knew he couldn't lift Rosaline himself since she weighed a hefty sum, a result of her metal body. After racking his mind for some time, Bennet gathered some scraps and constructed a makeshift wagon. Genji watched this and nodded his head in admiration for the scientist's ingenuity.
"Seems like you found a way. Fine, let me help you out," Genji said and walked to Rosaline's legs.
Understanding his intentions, Bennet followed and stood behind her shoulders. They reached down, grabbed her limbs, and Bennet started a countdown.
"3...2...1...Lift."
On the last word, both of them exerted their full strength and barely pulled Rosaline onto the wagon. Like this, they continued onward, ignoring the unusual gazes of the nearby androids.
A few of them tried to pull a similar move as the group before, but Genji easily disposed of them. This left the remaining onlookers wary of this unknown human that seemed to appear without warning.
"Wait, isn't he that wanted human?" One android finally recognized Genji and let out a soft gasp. With his remainder, the other androids also pulled up the news from days prior and did a full comparison.
"Hisss...No doubt about it. He's the one, alright."
"But what's he doing here of all places? Isn't he afraid of getting reported?"
"Reported to who? We're all part of the group so who would do something like that? We're already struggling enough with hiding from Deep Blue so why would we draw attention to ourselves?"
"And even if we report him, he will be long gone by then. There's just no point."
"Is that so? And you said that everyone's part of the same group?" Genji's voice came from behind them, causing many to reflexively draw their weapons and spin around.
"Yep, that answers that question," Genji continued, noticing the same model of EMP pistol as the one he picked up.
"How did you get there?" They asked, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"I don't think that matters. You should be more concerned about pointing that at me. Are you sure you want to do that?"
Seeing how relaxed Genji was, the androids quickly suppressed their combat instincts and lowered their weapons. They had seen the result of pointing a weapon at the human and they didn't intend to replicate it. Just that weird weapon that shoots streaks of light was enough to make them apprehensive.
"That's better. How about we have a little talk now?"
"What do you want?"
"You should have seen the robot girl I'm protecting, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" They asked cautiously, afraid of agitating the beast that could massacre them in seconds.
"She's been hit by one of your EMP guns."
The robots slowly inched backward, not liking the direction of the conversation. "Okay?"
"So I was wondering if you know someone who can fix her right up." Genji stared at them menacingly and clenched his weapon, warning them to think carefully before they answered.
"Y-yeah. O-of course," one robot replied with nervous laughter. "I can lead you right there."
"That's good. I was worried I might have to remove some more useless junk."
'This guy's not even hiding his intentions. How arrogant. Isn't it just some unknown technology? Just wait until we analyze it and make a counter.'
The androids kept these thoughts to themselves and said, "Follow me."
Genji nodded and waved to Bennet.
"What did you do? How come they're all friendly now?"
"I negotiated with them."
"Negotiate? As if. If the Vultures can be negotiated with, they wouldn't have such a notorious reputation," Rosaline interjected.
"That's because I'm especially good at making friends. Don't you agree, my friends?"
Hearing his words, the androids inwardly cursed his shamelessness. How could that be called making friends? Didn't he threaten them into it? Was that any way to treat a friend? If so, he must have a lot of "friends." However, they didn't dare neglect his question and hurriedly agreed.
"See? Even they agreed. There should be no problem with it."
When Bennet and Rosaline saw their reactions, they couldn't help but recall their encounter with Genji. Didn't they also have to agree with him despite not liking his proposals? Why did this scene resemble that situation so much?
Putting aside the strange friendship between Genji and the androids, they soon arrived at a rundown warehouse. This was a surprising sight because this was the first intact building they had seen in the Farlands. All the other ones were either in ruins with collapsed ceilings or had many holes, making the walls practically nonexistent.
They walked inside and the androids called out to the owner with respect. "Mechanic Joe, we got you something."
Seconds after the call, the clangs of metal and the shuffling of gears stopped. Then a weird scurrying of axles sounded as a 6-wheeled vehicle drove over to them. The vehicle stopped beside them and a wacky robot with disproportionate limps jumped out.
"What is it?" It asked in an annoyed tone.
The androids simply pointed to Rosaline, which caused Joe's eyes to light up.
"You got such an advanced model for me to dissect? How lucky of you. Alright, I'll record your contributions. Now shoo. I need to get started on it."
"Ummm..." they trailed off, shooting uncertain looks at Genji.
"What is it? Out with it already."
At this moment, Genji stepped out and said, "Friend. We're here to get some repairs. I'm sure you are happy to help."
Then he drew his weapon and slashed down sideways, unleashing a massive wave of light. When everything calmed down, a long, thin crevice tore through the ground and sliced the building walls. It was a smooth cut, one that rivaled the perfection of a laser cutter.
"What the! Who the hell are you!?!?" Joe screamed, devastated by the destruction of his well-maintained workshop.
"I'm your friend, didn't I say it before?"
"You destroyed MY place!!!!"
"I'm sorry. I was too anxious about my friend's damage and accidentally destroyed some things. How about I compensate you after you repair her?"
"What compensation?!?! How can I work when it's like this?"
"Don't be like this, friend. If you're too upset, I might also become anxious again. If that happens, I don't know if I have enough to compensate you."
Hearing his naked threat, Joe pushed down the urge to call for reinforcements. The workshop was damaged enough and he didn't need any more problems.
"Fine. I'll do the repairs," Joe growled and pulled on the wagon. As he turned around, a dark glint flashed through his eyes. 'You want repairs? I'll give you something you can't even repair. How dare you walk into my place and destroy things as you please.'
"Oh yeah, I should probably mention one thing," Genji called out, "If something unspeakable happens to my friend, I will be greatly saddened and I might lose control. When that happens, I don't know if I can distinguish between things. Everything might just be destroyed and cause a massive explosion. I hope that doesn't happen because it's such a nice place you have here. It would be a shame if it becomes a casualty of my rampage."
This caused Joe to briefly pause his steps before he continued walking, this time, with an added "appreciation" on the handle of the wagon.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to her."
"That's good. I look forward to the good news," Genji said in an uplifting tone, seemingly oblivious to the tension around him.