Crossing the World
LXII - Shelters (Karen)

Dalton, he knew my name and confessed that this was not our first meeting.

How could?

So far, the original inhabitants of this world that I have met are only Sergei and Auri. It wasn't even a year before I got out of the cryonic capsule. So, there is no reason for anyone other than the two of them to know me.

"Impossible. I never remember meeting you before. Even among the Shelter's residents, I'm sure I've never seen you."

There are possibilities that cross my head. One of them was the fact that he was a Shelter dweller who somehow survived the disaster a thousand years ago. However, the fact that he was still alive until now made me unsure of this.

"So you don't even know what really happened to me?" Dalton sighed, looking disappointed at the response I gave.

What kind of impression do you expect of me? I'm just an ordinary person who happens to have high luck. I became the only survivor in the Shelter purely out of luck. So please don't expect the impossible from me.

Auri also seemed to be confused by the conversation between us. However, since she was still awkward with me, she chose to keep quiet and observe instead of expressing her opinion.

Well, I can understand his feelings.

"This is hard to explain. However, I think only you can find the answer. This is why I helped the top officials to escape the Oasis and hope that someday you will come here just like before."

Dalton's words hint that this isn't the first time I've been here. However, to be seen from anywhere, this was indeed the first time I had come here. Ah, I can't stand the curiosity that this guy keeps building.

"Just get to the point. I don't have time to hear your rambling babble."

Dalton looked surprised when he heard my words. He hurriedly retorted as if afraid of something.

"ah! I really want to say it straight away. However, this place was dangerous enough for casual chatting. I'll give you the coordinates to teleport and we'll talk there."

What he said made sense. Although it looks quite calm and quiet, the land is not a place to relax. There are many variations of mutated animals roaming around here. Some of them are very aggressive and strong. It's dangerous enough for us to lower our vigilance. Therefore, I entered the coordinate point mentioned by Dalton and decided to teleport there.

He could've trapped me somewhere dangerous. However, with the two cyborgs I brought, I wasn't too worried about him. After all I could teleport again if I was really in an unfortunate situation.

The place we were heading to was a room whose walls were made of earth. This place was illuminated by stones that gave off a blue light. I think these stones are slightly radioactive and not good if used like this. However, it seems that these people have immunity to some degree. Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago just by wandering around in the broken atmosphere.

"You can calm down. This is a private room that was given to me after donating extraordinary services in the last few months."

Oh? It seems that Dalton's rank was quite high in the new government. I thought he was just an ordinary guard, but it didn't seem like it.

In that case, it should be okay for us to spend a little time here.

I shook my head in response to her question.

"I'd guess. It looks like this tool is still under development by AI."

I was a little surprised to hear his words. He knows some things I never told anyone except Sergey and Auri. I think this guy knows some secrets about the Shelter. This makes me even more curious.

"This ring is a new generation teleporter that can be used by anyone. At first the AI made this to allow cyborgs to teleport without your help. The tool worked well and a number of troops began to spread after the connection network successfully connected the whole world."

This guy .. he knows too much. Even knowing things I don't know. Is the AI hiding something from me?

I could've called AI by now. However, the built-in signal is not too perfect for communicating with large amounts of data. I better ask after returning to the Shelter.

Other than such reasons, I also have some doubts in my mind. I mean, something as important as this was not told to me at all. Isn't that suspicious?

AI has a much more complex logic of thinking than any living thing. He can assess everything and choose one of thousands of possibilities accurately, simulating millions of futures to take one choice that can benefit him.

Profitable him. That word should be my concern. AI never considered my advantage as its goal. He acted only for the survival of the Shelter. To him, I might be one of the threats. However, because I occupied a crucial position as a water supply, AI decided to keep me alive.

If that is the case, then there is no other way for me than to escape.

Nope, no. Let's think with a cold head. As smart as any AI is, it still has its limits. It was impossible for him to connect the internet network to the rest of the world in just a short period of time. Deploying troops to explore the plains also requires power that is not playful. The power crisis that had occurred in the Shelter did not allow him to do such a glaring thing.

If all my judgments are correct, then there is only one thing that has a high degree of probability. Something I really don't believe in, but somehow I'm pretty sure about it.

"Can you tell?"

Metaphysics, I don't really believe in it. Such a branch of magical science could not have really happened. Most things related to metaphysics are just scams that aim to extort money from their victims.

"No. I don't think it's like that." Dalton answered me with a heavy voice.

As expected, it was impossible for such a phenomenon to actually occur.

I involuntarily sighed in relief from the answer I had expected earlier. However, the words he said next left me quite surprised.

"To be more precise, somehow, I was thrown into the past."

... huh?