The sunset was truly beautiful as the water swept through the place, making it feel as if we were in the middle of the sea. After about 5 minutes of enjoying the view and getting lost in thought, I spoke up, saying, "Hey, Julius, can you keep rowing in that direction, please?" Julius replied, "Alright, no problem." While Julius continued rowing, we started our second discussion.
"Our priority now is to survive for a week and try to distribute the supplies among the three of us, while also being cautious of any dangers." Julius interrupted, asking, "Are we going to face other dangers besides the debris?" I responded, "Not necessarily, but for example, we might not only stay here for a week; we could be here for up to 15 more days." Both Julius and Noor exclaimed, "What?!"
I answered them firmly, "That's right. 016 predicted that we would stay for a week, but I believe we might stay for 12 or 14 days, depending on the available water." Noor interrupted, asking, "But isn't AI smarter than humans? If what you're saying is true, I don't think we can survive with such a small amount of supplies!"
I answered Noor, who seemed confused, "It's true that humans aren't as precise as AI, but remember, who created robots in the first place? We, humans, made them and taught them how to do things. They just learned how to do it accurately. As for 016, it isn't equipped with a system to calculate the impact of floods and the resulting damage, so I think it calculated based on normal floods, only adjusting for water levels. I don't think it considered that this was an abnormal tsunami."
I continued, "As for my estimation, I based it on a story from ancient times, where a man named Prophet Noah survived a flood that swept the entire world. The duration he stayed in the water was around a month and a few days, so I expect us to stay at least 13 days. Now, let me answer the main question: how will we survive for 13 days?"
I took a deep breath, sighed, and continued speaking, "First, we will rely on the supplies for the next week. If things worsen, we'll have to eat the bodies around us!" Noor reacted harshly, "How can you say that like it's nothing? That's disgusting and disgraceful! What are you trying to do exactly?!"
I coldly replied, with a sadistic smile appearing on my face, "I'm trying to stay alive here. I will do whatever it takes to survive. If you want to die, then do nothing." Noor was completely shocked and horrified by my words. She even asked, "Why? You grew up in a normal life, unlike us. Why do you like these things? It's really strange."
I answered her carelessly, "Why? Haha, you can read minds, right? Why not read my thoughts to find the answer?" But Noor started screaming and going crazy when she saw my thoughts, until she fainted.
I turned to Julius and said, "Why didn't you stop me or your sister? Aren't you afraid she'll go crazy because of me?" Julius smiled and responded, "Listen, do you think my sister survived all those years in the lab by luck? She's been through bad situations too. But what she saw in your mind will hurt her more than the experiments she endured. However, it won't be enough to drive her insane. On top of that, my sister is very curious. It won't take long before she discovers the truth. Since you've decided to tell her now, I won't oppose it. Anyway, let's stop beating around the bush. You're trying to survive for the next two weeks, but does that mean we won't suffer on land, once the water dries?"
I smiled and said, "Haha, as always, you remain calm in tough situations. Right now, I'm heading towards the lab. Amelia probably left enough food to last us for about 10 months." Julius muttered, "So, you had a solution from the start," then said audibly, "Why didn't you tell us your goal from the beginning?" I gave him the simplest answer ever while holding my head and turning to the left, "I forgot."
This answer annoyed Julius, as he dislikes long explanations and prefers brevity. He sighed and asked, "But may I ask, why are we heading in this direction?" I turned to answer his question, raising my finger toward the sky, which had now darkened, "Do you see that star over there, Julius? It's called Vega, and next to it is Altair, a star located in the constellation of Aquila... After 5 minutes... visible from the northern hemisphere... After 10 minutes... and it ranks as the 12th brightest star in the night sky."
"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense. Just give me the summary," Julius interrupted mockingly, nearly making me lose my temper. I calmed down and took a deep breath. "The lab is located between those two stars," I said. Julius replied sarcastically, "Wouldn't it have been better if you told me that from the beginning, you chatterbox?"
At that point, I lost it. I took out an extending stick from my pocket and started hitting Julius with it while he tried to apologize for his bluntness. When I calmed down, Julius asked me another question, "But Ali, will we find the lab using the stars alone?" I refused to answer at first, but after he kept asking for forgiveness, I finally felt satisfied and said, "Of course not, you idiot. The stars will only guide us to our location relative to the lab. They won't pinpoint its exact position."
Julius interrupted, "Then how will we find it? And will it even be okay after the flood?" I answered excitedly, "Of course! The lab is one of the hardest buildings to penetrate, whether by environmental factors, wild creatures, or humans. It's inside a large mountain, and we built a system to block water from entering while still allowing us to get inside. To find it, we'll need someone... someone like Miss Amelia." Julius exclaimed, "What?! Do you think she's still alive?"
I rubbed my chin, thinking. "It's a good question. She's in the lab most of the time, but that doesn't rule out the possibility that she drowned in the giant wave." Julius interrupted, "But why do we need her help at all?" I mumbled and then said, "In short, I need someone from inside to modify the door system to make it an underwater entrance!"
Julius interrupted again, "Wait a second. Didn't you say we would enter when the water completely disappears? Why all this talk about water?" I told him, "You idiot, the cave entrance slopes downward and is 80 meters long, so it will take longer for it to drain."
Julius said, "Then it's settled. If it's about diving 80 meters, I think I can manage that." I grabbed my head in frustration, "Who will open the door for you without letting the water in? And will the door even open for you at all? It's not meant for just anyone, you know. Do you understand?"
Julius, disappointed, muttered, "Damn it, everything's a problem." I reassured him, "Don't worry. I follow a principle: for every problem, there's a solution. I'll find a way to solve this. But if Amelia is inside, it will make things a thousand times easier." Julius asked, "How so?" I told him, "You'll find out when we get there."
At that moment, Noor started regaining consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw me, I expected her to be angry with me, or even refuse to speak to me. But what she did was shocking. She hugged me tightly and said two words, "I'm sorry, Ali." I was surprised and couldn't comprehend it. Has she really gone mad? My expressions were a mixture of pity and astonishment, while Julius laughed and said, "Haha, it seems like you really upset her."'''
I couldn't understand what was happening. Had she really gone mad? My expression at the time was a mix of pity and surprise. Julius laughed and said, "Haha, it seems you misunderstood something. Noor's ability is to merge her consciousness with yours, which means she didn't just see your past, but she also felt it. Everything you went through, she experienced in a single moment. That's why her brain couldn't keep up with it all."
"Ah, so that's what happened to her. It seems she really was in pain." Then, I said in a shaky voice, "Could you please get off me?" But she didn't listen at all. I decided to leave her alone, gently patting her head out of pity. After ten minutes, I started to hate the situation, to be honest. I'm not used to being around girls, so I tried to push her off me by force, but she clung to me like a stubborn child. This led to me accidentally losing my balance, and we both fell into the water.
I thought to myself, "You idiot! Look at what you've done! I swear I will... huh? What's this?" We were in the water, but her hand was trembling as she held onto my arm. I realized she was scared. Hmm, so this is the downside of her ability. She has to endure others' pain, joy, and all their emotions in just moments. "Ah, well, I guess I'll let her hold onto me for a little longer."
While I was in the water, just before I resurfaced, I noticed something approaching us slowly from below. It was a few meters away. I surfaced and told Julius to get away from the area. After Julius moved away, the object started to float up, and it turned out to be a shipping container!
It was a container. After Noor and I returned to the boat, she let go of me and apologized shyly before hiding behind her brother, who showed a fake expression of kindness as he looked at me and said, "What? Are you jealous? Haha." I replied angrily, "Jealous? Of what? Get lost, you little brat. Enough joking around. Let's get started." He responded, "Started with what?" I told him, "Obviously, we're going to explore the contents of this container."
I explained the plan to him and told him he would be the one to go inside with the help of 016, once I rebooted it. Meanwhile, Noor and I would stay here. Julius expressed his frustration, not liking the idea of doing all the work by himself, saying, "Huh, that's not fair, Ali. Shouldn't at least one of you help me? Noor, can't you see through things? If so, please check if it's worth the effort."
Noor said, "Brother, from what I can see, it contains a bit of gold and enough food for us to last for..." She didn't finish her sentence before Julius jumped into the water, shouting at 016, "Come on, you slowpoke! Hurry up! She said gold! Gold!!" 016 declared, "Lord Ali, what is Julius' value to you?" I asked, "Why are you asking?" He replied, "To determine if keeping him with us on this journey is useful or not."
I said with curiosity, "What if I said he wasn't useful?" I received a quick response from 016, "Then I will kill him." I grabbed him quickly and shouted, "Stop, stop! I was just kidding. Please take care of him." 016 responded with pessimism, "Your wishes are my commands, Lord Ali."
"Come on, you pile of scrap! You're so slow!" If 016 had veins, I would have seen his blood pressure rising from afar. Truly, machines have their own ways of punishing us.
After the two of them went into the water, I turned to Noor and said, "Alright, why did you lie to your brother?"
She clasped her hands behind her back and said with a cheerful face, "Because he's dumb. Fools are meant to be tricked, right, Brother Ali?" I smiled and said, "Yes, of course. And to teach him from his mistakes. Haha. So, what's really in the container?"
She said, "There is some gold, so I wasn't entirely lying. There's also a bracelet for a girl who's still alive inside the container!"
Just as she finished speaking, Julius returned, dragging a body through the water!
It was a girl. She was naked, and Julius quickly covered her with his shirt. She had red hair and was about the same age as me. But there was something wrong. She was bound with chains from her legs to her arms, and even her neck. Was she a slave or a kidnapped person? I looked at the bracelet on her wrist, and it bore one of the seven sacred symbols—the symbol of the ruling dynasty in the Fire Empire. Wait, red hair and the ruling dynasty...
She is Kobayashi Lina, the second princess of the Fire Empire!!!
After we laid the girl on the boat, 016 began diagnosing her condition with a laser. A few questions crossed my mind: Why is she here? Was it a kidnapping? Why was she stripped of all her clothes except for the bracelet that reveals her identity? This incident must have happened recently, given that no news had been announced yet, meaning it occurred just a few days ago. But why did all of this happen on the date 2/22/2222?
Is this a conspiracy against the Fire Empire? And were we, from the Sand Empire, victims of it? Damn, this world is full of mysteries.
My deep thoughts were interrupted by the voice of 016, who said, "She will be fine soon with proper nutrition, as she was exposed to a lot of carbon dioxide." Here's the problem: we had been rationing the little food we had among the three of us to survive for as long as possible, but now we have to feed her well too. We're four now. This is a real dilemma.
Well, it seems we need to reconsider everything.
I turned to Julius, who was rowing and staring at the sky, and Noor was also gazing at the sky. Hmm, what's up with them? But the view was so beautiful that it made you forget all your troubles. I looked at the sleeping Lina and thought to myself, "Whatever happens, the four of us will survive, no matter the cost."
For now, I'll stop thinking about the exhausting thoughts I've been having since the beginning of this disaster and just enjoy the breathtaking view. The scene was more beautiful than any painting I had ever encountered: an uncountable number of stars, with nebulae swimming among them in stunning colors. It was, in simpler terms, a small glimpse of the grandeur of the universe and how small we are within it.
The boat stopped moving, and I turned to see Noor resting her head on her brother's lap. She then asked him, "Brother, why do you think the sky is so beautiful?" He answered with the best reply I could imagine: "Because humans don't live there."
His words were so wise that I doubted it was Julius who said them, but truly, humans are like bacteria to the universe. Power, perfection, control, beauty... these are all traits that make humans more harmful than anything else. They destroy everything in their path to achieve them. Haha, we really are pitiful creatures.
Noor interrupted my train of thought using her telepathy, saying, I think your view of humanity, Ali, is a bit too dark.
I turned to her angrily and continued the mental conversation. Could you please stop reading my mind, Noor? I can't think properly if you keep doing that. Where's the privacy? Noor laughed and said, Alright, let's say this will be the last time. But do you mind if I discuss the matter with you a little?
I asked, What matter?
She said, About humans being evil creatures.
I replied, Ah, sure, go ahead. What do you think?
She said, Part of what you said is true, but the rest isn't.
I was surprised by her words and responded, If humans were as you say, we wouldn't have survived until now. Good and evil are relative concepts. Even if a person is at their best, killing and corruption are inevitable. By killing, I mean the killing of other creatures to live and feed on their flesh. Even if humans only ate plants, plants are also living beings; they just don't express their pain. If wars never existed and we lived in a place free from danger, like paradise, our numbers would multiply, and eventually, everything we step on would be destroyed. Therefore, the concepts of good and evil must exist in our world and be balanced.
Even in this world, which you claim is hopeless because of humans, I'm happy to say that there are still good people like you. And if you think you are not one of them, look at me. I will guide you to the right path.
Noor finished speaking, and I stood in awe. I asked her out loud this time, unlike the previous mental conversation, "Are you really just a ten-year-old girl?" Noor laughed, and I followed with a smile. Julius, however, was confused by what had happened between us and said, "Hey! What were you guys talking about without me? That's not fair at all!"
Shortly after, Lina woke up. As she tried to comprehend where she was and who we were, she suddenly screamed, "Who are you?" We all turned to her and saw the fear on her face. We exchanged looks, and Noor decided to speak to her, being a girl herself. Noor told her the entire story up to the point where we found her. When Noor finished, Lina spoke in a language that wasn't from the New Engram Era: "(Is what you're saying really true? Were you kidnapped? But why? How? Am I really the second princess? It seems to me that it's better not to trust them so easily.)"
What surprised her was Noor's response, "It's okay if you don't trust us right now. Anyone in your position would be cautious." Lina was shocked and said, "Can you speak Persian?" Noor replied, "It's not that, but you can think of it like that."
It seemed Noor understood her emotions by reading her thoughts. Julius looked puzzled, so I volunteered to explain, "Lina said: '(
I interrupted her, "Yes, you're the second princess of the Fire Empire. We already know that. The real question is, what are you doing in this container? We are the ones who have the right to ask questions. And speaking of questions, why haven't I heard a word of thanks from you after we saved you from death? Have the morals of the Fire Empire deteriorated this much? Really, you women are the lowest."
I finished my sentence, completely despising her. Both Julius and Noor thought the same words, stunned by my disdain for the princess, "Despise her!!!" They tried to intervene and calm the situation, but suddenly Lina collapsed to the ground and started crying!!!...