"Emergency line…!"
Suppressing Jack's voice with her hand, Iberis addressed the administrative system. "I'll do the talking. Connect us now."
"Understood." The administrative system replied. In the following moment, a piercing noise resounded through the room.
"What is it…!" Jack grunted, his armored body stiffening.
Iberis, too, frowned and raised her voice to the administrative system. "It's being interfered with! Switch the hotline to another location! Once you do, cut off all internal access once and for all!"
After a short while, there was a beeping sound and then the noise abruptly disappeared. Then the administrative system announced in a straightforward manner.
"Hotline, G30 has been successfully connected. Initiating external communication."
"External…" Jack muttered and gulped.
Outside of this world.
The outside, the "real" world.
Yes, his own self that was here right now.
Everything in this world of nightmare was nothing but a construct.
A "fake".
"Can you hear me over…? Please respond. This is José Alfonso, Italian Mobile Police Department. If there is anyone alive, anything, please respond!"
The muffled voice of the young man reverberated across the room with a hint of noise. Iberis heard it and stilled with a start. Her remaining left hand was gripping the edge of the wheelchair. It was clenched so tight that blood vessels surfaced, and it was trembling.
Upon observing her condition, Jack softly opened his mouth.
"… Iberis. Please."
There, Iberis came to her senses. Then she caught her breath and spoke quietly.
"This transmission will likely be cut off soon. Please avoid unnecessary conversations. My name is Iberis. An autonomous AI created within this world."
Jack's eyes widened behind his helmet and he froze.
"AI…? Are there any survivors?"
The voice of the young man who had called himself José asked, oddly blurring.
"I can't answer that question very well. However, there are survivors. We don't know how many."
"…"
"I believe you've received the data we've transmitted. Currently, this Dataworld has been attacked by the terrorist act of Charlot Marvel, the developer of M.O.R.S. Please secure Charlot's body there as soon as possible."
"I knew it…" José grunted and continued in a strained tone, "Charlot Marvel is already in custody. But he shot himself in the head with a pistol the moment we secured him."
"Eh…?" Iberis turned pale at the unforeseen words. "T-That couldn't be…"
"But don't worry… He is barely 'alive'. We are in the process of suturing and healing the brain tissue. If we can restore consciousness to the brain, it is possible to bring Charlot back to his body after he retreated there."
"…"
Iberis was silent briefly, then asked quietly. "How long will that take?"
"He is currently in intensive care on high alert. Within 48 hours, he will be…"
"Too late…" Through gritted teeth, Iberis carried on in a narrow voice. "Before the treatment is complete, this world will be 'terminated' by the Apocrypha virus. Charlot has no intention of living from the beginning. Perhaps it is his wish to disappear with the world."
"I know. I understand that but…"
There, the noise in the communication started to buzz. Hearing this, Iberis proceeded to speak quickly.
"Charlot from our side is trying to jam our communication. We need immediate assistance from the outside."
"The 'data' you sent to us included a rough outline of what had transpired and the coordinates of the location. From here on, Iberis… that's your name, right? You will be granted 'administrative privileges' via our operation."
"…"
"Then I hope you can stop Charlot and secure 'his consciousness' intact within 48 hours."
Iberis closed her eyes and was silent for a while, but then she slowly raised her head and opened her eyes.
"I understand. Please do so."
◇
There was laughter ringing around. And there was a raspy, out-of-tune song.
Oh, HAPPY DAY.
The "demise" was like a turbulent stream that burst through a dam.
"Seriously! Monopolizing us, Master Lewis is truly HAPPY in his head!"
A hideous small man with an unusually swollen head and a strange appearance yelled in a squeaky cry. He was wearing a red suit. Next to him walked a small man with the same face, wearing a blue suit, laughing wildly.
Both of them were wearing gold bow ties. They were walking leisurely as if they were heading to some kind of fun place.
There was "nothing" behind them.
They stepped forward. What was behind them was disappearing, turning into fragments of data. Yes, everything they passed over turned into dust of nothingness and faded away.
"OH, HAPPY DAY…!"
"Kyahahahahahaha! Hiyayayayaya!"
"HAPPY! I am HAPPY! Yes, that's right!"
The Nightmare in red was Hatta.
The nightmare in blue was Haigha.
They were the heralds of beginning and ending.
"Come on, Haigha! Let's celebrate the 'Day of Nothing'!"
Beyond the desert where they were heading, the shelter that Alice and the others were in towered over.