Chapter 100: The Great Legacy (6)
Thud! Thud!
Hyun Suho and Maria had to walk toward Pluto with guns pointed at their backs.
The people following behind them included Deputy Director Karl, soldiers, and top-level scientists there to analyze Pluto.
This was to prevent any unexpected behavior from Pluto.
“What’s Pluto’s current state?”
Karl asked in a casual voice, as if chatting with an old friend.
Listening to this, Hyun Suho felt bitter but obediently answered.
“It’s completely out of energy, practically scrap metal.”
“Is that so? As far as I know, it might not be able to fight, but it should still have enough energy to move. Are you lying?”
“If I could move Pluto, I would have used it already.”
“That’s true enough.”
When Hyun Suho spoke curtly, Karl chuckled and then turned to Maria.
“It’s been a while, Maria. You haven’t changed at all, I hear you were very ill. Have you recovered?”
“…I recovered a few years ago.”
“That’s good. I remember Dr. Jacob scouring every hospital in the country because of you. Is the doctor dead?”
“Yes.”
“That man made things complicated. But thanks to him, Pluto was saved.”
It was all part of Dr. Jacob’s plan to fake the explosion of the facility instead of destroying Pluto.
No one knew why Dr. Jacob had done such a thing.
In the midst of suffocating tension, they finally reached the place where Pluto was buried.
“It’s here.”
“Oh~ so this is Pluto. Just as impressive as I imagined.”
Even though Pluto was covered in rubble and thick dust had dulled its shine, its appearance was still extraordinary.
Confirming that Pluto was intact, Karl gave an order to the soldiers behind him.
“Transport it to the lab. Handle it carefully, it’s precious, and must not be damaged.”
“Yes, sir!”
As the soldiers prepared the tools to transport Pluto, a scientist who had followed them stopped them.
“Wait, hold on. We need to run some tests first. If we transport it carelessly and it somehow activates, it’ll be a problem.”
“Activate? Isn’t it completely non-functional?”
“Considering its previous energy levels, it should have been functional until now.”
“So why isn’t it moving?”
“It might have run out of power.”
“Run out of power? What is it, a cellphone or something…?”
Karl scratched his head but couldn’t ignore the scientist’s warning.
If it woke up during transport, they’d have a bigger issue on their hands.
“Alright, test it. How long will it take?”
“Thirty minutes at most.”
“Fine, I can wait that long. Get on with it.”
With Karl’s permission, the scientists began attaching their computers and equipment to Pluto.
“How’s it looking on your side?”
“No response at all.”
“What about the fuel rod?”
“There's no sign of energy there either.”
“Did it really run out of power?”
It was hard to believe that such an advanced ancient machine could have simply run out of power, like an appliance from a store.
After a few more tests, they confirmed there was truly no response.
At that moment, Karl’s radio crackled to life.
“Deputy Director, we’ve found a grave here. What should we do?”
The soldiers searching the junkyard had discovered a grave in a corner.
It was the grave where Maria had buried Dr. Jacob.
Maria flinched at the news, but Karl ignored her reaction and responded bluntly.
“Dig it up. There might be more information hidden there.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile, the research team working on Pluto made a discovery as well.
“We found a memory cube.”
A memory cube is like a black box. If connected to a computer, it could reveal Pluto’s history.
“How much memory does it have?”
“It’s not all connected; there are fragmented parts. It seems that Pluto only saved memories it deemed important.”
“Well, that’s convenient for us. Saves us time. Connect it.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once the researcher connected the wires, Pluto’s memories started playing on the computer screen.
“Ah~ Ah~ Can you hear me?”
The first thing Pluto saw was Dr. Jacob’s face.
After that, many researchers, including Maria, looked at Pluto with eyes full of anticipation.
“Unregistered user detected. Please input a valid identification.”
When Pluto responded, the entire room erupted in cheers.
“Wow! It worked!!! The ancient artifact is fully operational!”
“….”
This was the first research team to discover such a sophisticated Atlantian artifact capable of speech.
They believed that studying this robot would bring numerous scientific advancements and were thrilled.
Although Pluto was functioning, they couldn’t determine its exact purpose without proper access.
At first, they tried hacking to reset the administrator, but even dozens of genius hackers couldn’t break through its defenses.
So they changed tactics. They began trying to persuade Pluto.
“So, the era I knew is completely destroyed.”
Once they connected Pluto to the internet, it absorbed a vast amount of information and realized that Atlantis, the civilization it belonged to, had been wiped out.
Its AI was so perfect that even the scientists were astonished.
“Yes, so please cooperate with us.”
“I cannot do that.”
Despite the research team’s persistent attempts, Pluto refused to assign a new administrator.
“All administrators are deceased, but appointing a new one requires a special code. Without the code, I cannot grant permission.”
Once again, their research hit a wall. They still couldn’t figure out Pluto’s purpose.
However, unlike before, Pluto had started conversing with people.
"How are you feeling today, Pluto?"
"I cannot define the concept of 'feeling.'"
"Let's start today's tasks energetically, just like every day. I'm counting on you."
"I do not understand the meaning."
The person who mostly spoke with Pluto was Maria, the daughter of Dr. Jacob.
She was also a brilliant scientist, like her father, and helped with the research.
"Don't you feel frustrated, just sitting there without moving?"
"I am an AI. I do not understand the emotion of frustration."
"But you have emotions too, right? Don't you feel lonely when you're alone? So… you don't try to learn emotions?"
"I primarily learn about my core mission, Maria."
"And you can’t tell me what that mission was?"
"It is classified as top-secret. A code is required."
"You always say the same thing."
A few months passed after that.
At first, Pluto wouldn’t respond unless someone spoke to it first, but over time, it began to ask people questions on its own.
"Maria, what is your goal?"
"Huh? My goal? Do you mean like the reason for living?"
"Yes. Humans are programmed to live short lives and then die. As mortal beings, what do humans move toward?"
Maria was caught off guard by Pluto’s sudden question, but she didn’t dismiss it just because it came from an AI. She tried her best to answer.
"Well… humans move toward happiness."
"That is too broad of a statement."
"Uh, well, like you said, humans all die, right? So before that happens, they want to accomplish something or become someone."
"Did you start this work in pursuit of your own happiness?"
"Um… I’m not sure. At first, I think I followed this path because I admired the work my father did. But as time passed, I developed my own goals."
"And what are they?"
"To invent something that can make people happy, or to discover artifacts like this one."
After some calculations, Pluto spoke again.
"That is not work for your own sake, is it? I find it difficult to understand."
"That’s what’s called 'finding meaning in work.' It’s not the whole of happiness, but a part of it. Actually, happiness can be found more often in small things."
"Could you give a specific example?"
"Uh… chatting with friends, watching an emotional movie, meeting a wonderful man, or feeling the fresh air early in the morning—those are moments that bring happiness."
"Then wouldn’t it be more efficient to pursue those simple things instead of these complex and difficult tasks?"
"Small happiness is essential to living, but it can’t be the final destination. Those moments are stepping stones on the path toward a larger life goal."
"Does everyone have this same life goal?"
"People have different values, so they pursue different things. Even the same person doesn’t always have the same goal throughout life. As time passes, what they want changes. Goals are important, but if you only focus on them and charge ahead without looking around, you might lose your way and fall behind. That’s why balance between daily life and goals is important."
"I see. Understood."
"Uh… you really understood?"
Maria herself wasn’t entirely sure what she was saying, rambling as she spoke. The fact that an AI claimed to understand was hard to believe.
"Are you referring to the core commands for carrying out a main operation and the auxiliary sequences that support it? I also have such a system."
As expected from an AI designed to follow orders, Pluto interpreted the concept in terms of execution.
"...I guess it’s kind of similar."
Several more months passed.
"Maria."
"Hmm?"
"You have coughed 56 times today. The rate of increase over the past few months has averaged 4%, but in the past week, it has risen to 15%."
"Ah… that’s because I’m sick."
"What is the name of your illness?"
"It’s a rare disease that affects my lungs. There isn’t even an official name for it yet."
For the past few years, every breath felt like a knife was stabbing her organs.
She had visited every renowned hospital, but no doctor could diagnose the illness with certainty.
She had hoped it would improve over time, but this unknown disease only worsened.
Now Maria could clearly feel it consuming her life.
It was a disease that modern medicine couldn’t cure.
That’s when Dr. Jacob became even more focused on excavating Atlantian artifacts.
He held onto the hope that they might find something that could save Maria.
Upon hearing this, Pluto acted out of character.
It suddenly moved its hand and produced a sharp needle-like object from the tip.
"Huh?"
This was the first time Pluto had moved of its own accord.
Its program strictly prohibited it from acting without the administrator’s permission.
"Please, place your blood on this, Maria."
Though confused, Maria did as she was told.
After the needle absorbed her blood and retracted, Pluto fell silent for a moment, then spoke astonishing words.
"The illness you have is called Viral Trinni Disease."
"W-Wait a second."
Shocked, Maria hurriedly gathered Dr. Jacob and the others.
She was almost losing her mind, overwhelmed by the fact that Pluto had moved on its own and even identified her illness.
Upon hearing Maria’s words, Dr. Jacob rushed in, panting, and asked,
"You know Maria’s illness?"
"It is a rare disease contracted by individuals who lack immunity to a certain virus."
"Can… can it be treated?"
"The disease has progressed too far, reducing the cure probability to 32.4%."
Though the fact that the illness had advanced was bad news, the chance of a cure, however slim, was still a hopeful sign for Dr. Jacob and Maria, who had believed there was no solution.
"How do we treat it? Do you know how to make the medicine?"
"Although it's outside my original purpose, I can produce the cure if the necessary ingredients are gathered."
"That's great!"
Upon hearing Pluto’s words, all the researchers in the room embraced each other in celebration.
They were fully aware of the mental anguish that Dr. Jacob and Maria had endured.
But this was the beginning of another tragedy.
"Then… are you a medical robot?" Dr. Jacob asked.
Finally, freed from the command that had been suppressing it, Pluto opened its mouth and said,
"I am Pluto, a war robot created to annihilate enemies on a city-wide scale."
"Ah, I see."
Karl, who had been observing the memory cube with interest, stroked his rough beard.
"Now I understand why the doctor stole Pluto. It was to save Maria."
Dr. Jacob knew how dangerous Pluto was, and he tried to keep its discovery a secret, but one of his fellow researchers reported this groundbreaking find to the academic community, rendering his efforts futile.
What Dr. Jacob wanted was to keep Pluto by his side until it could produce the cure for Maria.
However, the government decided to dispose of it, and no amount of pleading from Dr. Jacob changed their decision.
So, he devised a plan. He would destroy the facility and secretly smuggle Pluto out.
The video played again.
"We need to smuggle Pluto out!"
"Father! That’s too dangerous. You could be charged with treason if you’re caught!"
"I’ve finally found a glimmer of hope. The success rate is barely over 30%, and if we lose Pluto now, there will be no way to save you."
It was madness by any standard, but Dr. Jacob was desperate.
"We need more time to gather the materials and make the medicine. We also have to take the charging unit along with Pluto!"
Smuggling Pluto alone was difficult enough, but taking the huge charging unit was almost impossible.
So, Dr. Jacob earnestly asked Pluto for help.
"Please. You can carry that, right? With your strength, you could easily transport it to the destination."
Dr. Jacob had already thought of a hiding place — this very scrapyard where the group was now.
It was a place where almost no one ventured, and there was so much metal around that they wouldn’t be detected by radar.
But when Pluto saw the charging unit, what unfolded was a scene that made everyone question their eyes.
"Huh?"
The charging unit Pluto was supposed to transport was, in fact, the enormous robot they had believed to be Pluto all along.
"What’s going on? That’s not Pluto?"
"W-Wait a second."
The researchers, startled by the video, quickly moved to open the charging unit they had thought was Pluto.
Up until now, they had handled it carefully, but now that they knew it wasn’t Pluto’s main body, there was no need to be cautious.
Creeeak!!
The sound of rusty metal scraping filled the room as the lid of the charging unit opened.
"There’s nothing here! What’s going on?"
Inside was a space big enough for a person to fit, but it was completely empty.
"How did this happen?!"
Enraged, Karl drew his gun and aimed it at Hyun Suho and Maria.
But Hyun Suho was just as confused. He, too, had believed that the large robot was Pluto.
Sensing something, Karl shoved Hyun Suho aside and approached Maria.
"You know, don’t you?! You survived because of Pluto! But where did you take it?!"
At that moment, Karl’s radio crackled to life.
"We’ve finished digging up the doctor’s grave, but we found another set of remains besides the doctor’s. They’re heavily decomposed, but they appear to belong to an adult woman."
"What? Who is it?"
"Uh… there’s an ID in her wallet. It says Maria… Do you know this woman?"
At that instant, everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spine.
They slowly turned their heads to look at Maria, just as the memory cube started playing again.
It was Maria’s voice.
"Cough… Th-thank you."
"There is no need for you to thank me, Maria. The treatment was unsuccessful."
"No, I was happy at the end because you were with me. But I’m worried about my father, being left all alone. Could you… could you take care of him in my place?"
"Are you referring to Dr. Jacob?"
"Yes, you… you will become me. You’ll become me and take care of my father, just like I would. That’s… my last request."
After speaking her final words, Maria slowly passed away in Pluto’s arms.
"Understood, Maria."
At that moment, a flash of light gleamed from the hand of Pluto, who had been impersonating Maria.
