Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Rescue Operation (3)

The rescue robot soldiers silently crossed the beach, filled with silence and darkness. A steel fence blocked their path. Above it, razor wire was tightly packed. This port, being a hub for exchanging supplies and prisoners with the offshore prison, had security facilities unlike an ordinary port.

In the distance, the ferry, their target, came into view. To reach it, they had to pass through the port administration building. Two squads kept watch on the surroundings while one squad gathered in front of the fence.

There was no need for low whispers or hand signals. Only radio waves were exchanged, leaving a chat log that was transmitted to the central control room screen in front of me.

The sliding gate of the fence was locked with chains.

[Echo Squad Leader: Securing passage.]

A squad member from the rear cut through the chain with a bolt cutter. As they cautiously opened the fence, a faint wail echoed from somewhere. For a brief moment, they remained on alert. But there were no signs of any infected.

The rescue team entered one by one through the gap in the fence. The area they entered was clean, but in the distance, bodies were hanging from various parts of the fence. The corpses had decomposed to the point where only clothes and bones remained, dangling gruesomely from the razor wire.

[Rose: We have entered the port grounds. Deploy the drones.]

Three palm-sized, silent drones launched from Echo Squad. After briefly circling, the drones landed in positions where they could monitor the operation route and retreat path in case of emergency, and switched to observation mode.

The ferry, the main target, was currently docked at the port. To undock and refuel, they needed access to the main computer in the port administration building. As a safety measure to prevent prisoners from hijacking the ship, it was impossible to undock the ferry without this access.

[Rose: First objective reached. Proceed to your positions.]

The rescue team reached the entrance of the port administration building. Alpha and Charlie squads were heavily armed with gas guns, flamethrowers, and a large amount of ammunition, ready for combat. In contrast, Echo Squad was equipped with gas guns as well, but also carried tools necessary for engineering tasks, such as fire axes, sledgehammers, and various other implements.

[Rose: The shutter is down. Secure the entrance.]

The robots, equipped with third-generation night vision technology, located the control box for the shutter. The box that controlled the shutter's movement was mounted high up, normally requiring a ladder, but there was no time to fetch one—and there was no need.

Two Echo squad members locked arms to create an impromptu ladder, and the Echo squad leader climbed up. Their bodies, made of steel frames, easily supported the three-digit weight of the leader climbing on top without budging. Though the control box was locked, the steel grip of the squad leader ripped the cover off, revealing the motor and circuit board inside.

[Echo Squad Leader: The power is out. Opening manually.]

The Echo squad leader reached into the motor connected to the shutter. His hand, unlike those of the other squad leaders, had taken on a different form.

Whirrrrr— The sound of a power drill echoed as the shutter slowly began to roll up. With a heavy rumble, the shutter continued to rise. At that moment, the wail returned, louder and closer this time.

"Keep the shutter opening. If we stop now, we're as good as dead."

The squad leader briefly hesitated, but at the command, he resumed the operation. The shutter was nearly open when…

"Screeeech!"

An infected appeared from the darkness.

Bang! A security robot fired immediately. With an explosion of liquid gas, a steel spike shot out and pierced through the infected's head. With a splattering sound, its skull burst like a watermelon, scattering brain matter and blood.

"Screeeech!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thud.

The second infected fell as it was struck through the forehead and eyes, dying instantly. The third had its neck torn, leaving its spinal cord severed, and only twitched on the spot.

[Alpha 5: Reloading.]

[Charlie 2: Reloading.]

While some squad members reloaded, others provided cover. Though the gas guns designed by Artemis had immense power, their range was short, and they only held three rounds. However, with robotic precision, they waited for the infected to come close and destroyed vital points with a single, well-aimed shot.

There is no instinctive fear like, “What if I miss?” There are no gaps caused by miscoordination during reloading either. The robots’ lack of emotion and precision minimized the weapon’s drawbacks while maximizing its strengths.

[Alpha Squad Leader: We’re moving in.]

The rescue team swiftly entered the port administration building through the open shutter.

“Screeech!”

Dozens of infected followed behind them, but grouping up and charging in a narrow space was not a wise move.

Fwoooosh!

The flamethrower’s blast instantly turned them all into roasted corpses. They couldn’t even scream. The intense blue-white flames scorched their throats so quickly that their vocal cords melted.

Leaving the charred bodies behind, the interior of the building came into view.

“It’s a storage warehouse.”

Inside were forklifts, pallets scattered about, and various cargo. However, there were no infected in sight. It seemed like the wails from outside were growing louder. The infected wandering outside had heard the sounds of battle and were now converging on the location. The rescue team quickly passed through the warehouse and entered the hallway.

The last remaining Echo squad members welded the entrance shut. With four robots working simultaneously, the task was completed in an instant. Even if the infected managed to reach the warehouse, breaking through that door would be a challenge.

“From now on, refrain from using flamethrowers. If the fire spreads and damages the port administration’s main computer, we’ll have to abandon the ferry.”

[Rose: Understood. Echo squad, close combat unit, provide support.]

The flamethrower unit pulled back, and some of Echo squad, equipped with engineering tools and fire axes, moved forward to assist the riflemen. Due to limited ammunition, Echo squad had to take the lead in situations where the infected could be dealt with without gunfire.

I couldn’t help but admire the robots’ coordinated movements as seen through the screen. They maintained low stances and moved swiftly without disrupting each other’s firing lines.

At the same time, their formation ensured that at least two would always be in position to respond, no matter where the enemy appeared. Add to that their calmness and near-perfect one-shot-one-kill accuracy. They were far more efficient than the subordinates I had commanded during my active service.

As they moved through the hallway, a chaotic office came into view.

“Screech—”

Bang! Before the infected lurking beside a cabinet could even let out a proper sound, its head was blown off. The steel spike buried itself deep into the concrete wall.

[Alpha Squad Leader: Unable to retrieve. Move forward.]

The gas gun designed by Artemis expels a measured amount of liquid gas during firing, causing an explosion that propels the steel spike. Although its mechanism differs, the weapon has similarities to a crossbow, allowing for potential reuse of the projectiles if recovered. Thus, all squad members were programmed to assess whether spike retrieval was possible after every shot.

“Skree—”

Two infected stumbled as they rose from a corner of the office, seemingly awakened late from dormancy.

Bang! Bang!

Their heads exploded, and they collapsed where they stood.

One-shot-one-kill indeed. The squad members in the optimal firing positions assigned targets and fired, with no misses or wasted ammunition from redundant shots.

“Screeeech—”

An infected lunged at them from around a corner. The sudden attack left no clear firing angle.

Thwack!

But the security robot remained calm and smashed its head with the butt of its rifle. With a splatter of blood, the infected flew back, crashing into the hallway wall and painting it red as it slowly slumped.

Another infected leaped over the body.

Bang!

A steel spike shot from behind pierced through its right arm and torso, pinning it to the wall. Now dangling like a marionette, it writhed and thrashed its head, but to no avail.

The rescue team swiftly moved past.

“Screeeech!”

Desperately, the infected stretched its neck, trying to bite at them, but it couldn’t reach. It howled in frustration, only to fall silent shortly after.

Whack!

One of the following security robots swung its fire axe and split its head open.

Splat— With a casual flick of the axe, blood splattered against the wall. The massive robot nonchalantly shook off the blood after dispatching the infected with a single blow. The sight was awe-inspiring.

[Rose: Entering the basement to activate the emergency generator.]

To undock and refuel the ferry, they needed to activate the main computer in the port administration building. Upon reaching the end of the hallway on the first floor, the entrance to the basement came into view.

[Rose: It’s a narrow passage. Big and Small formation.]

The rescue team immediately changed formation. Paired up in teams of two, one crouched and moved forward, while the other followed behind in a standing firing position. This was to maximize firepower while moving in a single file.

If human soldiers tried this, their leg muscles would cramp after a short while, but the robots advanced smoothly, even in this awkward formation. In the pitch-black darkness, only the red eyes of the security robots shone here and there.

Something suddenly moved in the corner of my vision.

Bang! A half-smashed rat was pinned to the wall.

[Rose: Cease fire. It's just an ordinary rat.]

A close-combat soldier approached, using the handle of their fire axe as a lever to extract the steel spike and toss it back.

Clink— The shooter caught it, checked its condition, and reloaded.

[Echo Squad Leader: We've found the emergency generator.]

On the Echo squad leader's screen, a building's emergency generator, filled with diesel, came into view.

[Rose: Awaiting orders.]

When dealing with critical objectives, unless it's an emergency, they need my command to proceed to the next step.

"Activate it."

[Echo Squad Leader: Roger.]

As the switch for the emergency generator was flipped, the motor roared to life, initiating the emergency power-up sequence. The gauge, which had been set to zero, swung sharply to the right and supplied power to the entire building. At the same time, an enormous rumbling filled the basement.

"If the noise attracts the infected in the building, it’ll become a hassle. Move quickly."

[Rose: Roger.]

The rescue team swiftly exited the basement and entered the first-floor hallway, but at that moment, disaster struck.

Bam! The two auditorium doors, which had been shut side by side, burst open as infected swarmed through. Caught off guard by the sudden flank attack, the formation crumbled.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shots were fired from both sides of the hallway as squad members struggled under the sheer number of infected. However, there were more infected pouring in than those falling. It was a hopeless situation—if this continued, it would be beyond recovery.

At that moment, the Echo squad leader’s screen shifted dramatically. He lowered his stance, raised his shoulders, and charged like a rugby player, sending the infected flying in all directions.

He reached the auditorium entrance via the shortest route, grabbed the door handles with both hands, and held them shut. By bracing himself against the massive doors, he created a temporary steel barricade. His shaky field of view revealed a wave of infected inside the auditorium.

“Screeeeech—!”

“Graaah—!”

“Rrrrraaaah—!”

There were over 200 infected, by a conservative estimate, charging toward us. They crashed into each other, tripped over the chairs, but their eyes, filled with malice, were fixed on us. It seemed that many of the infected had been in hibernation, as additional figures rose from all directions.

Among them were elderly, children, and students—this must have been a designated shelter for local residents after the outbreak. Some of the infected were also wearing military or police uniforms.

“Screeeeech—!”

The massive horde of infected swarmed the entrance, but one body of steel held them all back. The infected bit, clawed, and struck, but he didn’t budge an inch. During the time he bought, the infected in the hallway were all taken out, and finally, the flamethrower unit took position in front of the auditorium.

Fwooooosh—!

A column of blue-white flame poured into the auditorium.

“Groooaaarrr—!”

Hundreds of monsters howled in agony, their voices like a hellish choir rising from the depths. It was a grotesque cacophony, blending every range of scream audible to the human ear.

The infected, like moths to a flame, kept charging through the narrow entrance, only to be roasted alive. With so many packed into such a tight space, it didn’t take long to annihilate the horde.

There was no time to worry about putting out the fire. They had to prepare the ferry as quickly as possible while the power was still on.

“Move! We’re out of time!”

As the rescue team hurried to the second floor, the sight of a pitch-black, charred robot came into view. It was kneeling, both hands still gripping the door handles. Its head hung low, completely motionless.

It wasn’t an AI like Artemis, Rose, or Chloro—it was just a soulless machine that operated according to its programming. And yet, that noble image would remain etched in my memory forever.

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