I am a mindless machine.

Chapter 53 Secret Base

In the small, dark cave, only a few wooden sticks fitted with water-fired stones hung on the walls, emitting a warm orange glow. A damp atmosphere permeated the cave, and water dripped from the stone pillars high above.

This is the secret base of the ghosts that roam the skies above this endless war.

—A year has passed since that meeting that will not be remembered in history.

With his bandaged hands trembling slightly, Liku placed the white chess piece on the table—on a chessboard marked with a map of the great battle.

"In that case, the trend has been roughly determined."

Then, with a tone of certainty, he smiled and said this to the petite girl standing in front of him—his beloved wife, Huggie.

The forest elf who called himself Sink Nielbaren lived up to his reputation as a genius. After learning the information that Riku had deliberately given him, he made the best decision in the best interests of the forest elves. He won over the already friendly fairy race and increased the number of contracts with the dragon elves who could fight against the goblin air fleet. The forest elf alliance, which regarded the goblins as hypothetical enemies, was rock solid.

On the other hand, the geniuses among the goblins were equally impressive. In addition to the giants, with whom they already had a good relationship, they also spread information about the forest elves' secret weapon—the Void Zero Blessing, which used the detonation of the fantasy species' core as a trigger—and reached a war agreement with many fantasy species. Thus, the Goblin Alliance was born in a magnificent way.

However, there was still a greatest enemy: the strongest being on a neighboring continent, the God of War Arthut, who controlled hundreds of Skywing creatures. Thus, these two races, deeply antagonistic and wielding the most powerful weapons, had no choice but to temporarily set aside their hatred and forge a precarious pact to avoid annihilation, becoming the second most powerful force in this great war—an alliance.

—All of the above events were exactly as Liku had predicted.

If one were to calculate the hearts and minds of each individual, even someone as intelligent as him could not have achieved what he has today. However, the goals of each race are now too easy to identify—those hungry hyenas will not hesitate to devour any tempting meat (the weak) without hesitation. Therefore, Occam's razor can be used to roughly control the situation.

However... it's impossible for a human to do these things without paying a price.

"[Greeting] What a coincidence, I just happened to run into you here."

A clear, even voice rang out from the cave entrance, followed by two soft footsteps.

"Long time no see... Hmm, how are you...?" Dressed in a black dress, Sunset followed Yunyou slowly into the secret base. Seeing Riku's current miserable state, she couldn't help but ask with some concern. Although they had met Riku a few times in the past year, each time they met, he was injured even more severely, which made Sunset's question almost a routine.

Because she said it each time with the feeling that it was the last time she would say it, she didn't find it troublesome.

Riku's entire body was now wrapped in bandages. His skin, thoroughly corroded by the black ash, would feel an excruciating pain as if it were being melted by boiling iron, even with the slightest breeze. The sleeve of his left arm could only swing helplessly in the air because it had lost its original support. His left eye was severely damaged... or rather, he couldn't see at all, so he simply wrapped it up in bandages as well.

In addition, his internal organs and blood have also been damaged to some extent, and he can now only absorb liquid food.

Such a tragic situation makes one feel that it is truly a miracle that he is still alive and able to speak.

"Ha... it's barely passable, but at this level, it's not a big deal." Riku answered the girl's question with a wry smile. In fact, he was right—all 177 ghosts who were originally human and who had cooperated with him in the secret manipulation had suffered this level of harm, or even more.

In order to deceive those unreasonable races—by taking poison, disguising themselves as spirits, or sacrificing their limbs—they would do anything to increase the success rate of their goal, even if there was only a 1% chance.

However, just as they initially stipulated that no one should die—to this day, none of them have died. This is a total of 179 miracles.

Riku shifted his gaze from the strategic map to the two girls who had entered through the cave entrance.

Yes, if there was anything in this great battle that he couldn't predict at all, it was these two people in front of him. Like chaotic symbols abruptly added to a standard formula, one wrong move and all the calculations would be rendered meaningless.

Riku smiled bitterly to himself. Even he, who had always appeared so composed, couldn't understand the thoughts of the two people before him—no, to be more precise, he couldn't understand Yun You's thoughts. Xi Yang's words, however, were very easy to understand.

At first, the other party claimed to be helping him complete his plan under the pretext of needing to analyze the heart. However, Riku could easily tell that the person who said such a thing was strange, and that his entire behavior was very odd.

If Yunyou were the first Machine Race he encountered, he might not have been able to make a judgment, given the small sample size. However, because of the example of Shubi, and because Riku asked Shubi many questions after seeing Yunyou, he can now make this judgment.

Yun You—she must have always possessed a heart. Otherwise, there's no way to explain her capricious, human-like behavior, which completely defies normal logical reasoning.

Yun You did indeed complete the task he had initially assigned her... far exceeding his initial expectations. She went from casually doing it to seriously carrying it out, even venturing into the capitals of various races. What truly made her famous was her possession of the power of the Skywing race, yet after infiltrating all the cities and defeating various powerful figures—she didn't kill a single person.

At the same time, when she leaves, she will definitely say in a calm voice, "I won this battle (game), and I look forward to your next challenge (game)!"

And so, naturally, the nickname "the whimsical mechanical girl" spread throughout the war. She became a target of suspicion for all races. This greatly enhanced Yun You's tactical value and also diverted the attention of most races; if it were a mission evaluation system, she would probably be rated S++.

But—as if deliberately, she completely ignored their actions. It was as if she were leaving them to their own devices, not intending to interfere. She didn't ask any questions, simply watching as the ghosts carried out one risky action after another.

If it were said that the machine race was cold-hearted and completely indifferent to the success of their plan, that would be one thing—but the problem is, from the meetings and discussions between the two sides over the past year, it's clear that the girl herself also hoped for the end of this great war.

Such contradictory actions...it's almost as if they're afraid of hindering their own actions.

Why is it?

As Riku pondered this, he still couldn't understand the other's thoughts. He couldn't help but agree with the various races' ambiguous and neutral perception of the girl. Predicting the thoughts of a mind-controlled Mech was simply too difficult.

So he decided to temporarily abandon this unsolvable problem and cautiously asked the white-haired girl, whose expression was unreadable:

"So, you deliberately chose this time and place to appear because you have something to say to me?"

Chapter Fifty-Four Worries

Yunyou didn't stand there blankly. Instead, she took Xiyang's hand and walked to the stone bench opposite Riku and Shiro. She smoothed the hem of her white robe and sat down quietly. The girl placed her hands on the table, interlacing her slender fingers to cover half of her face, revealing only her red eyes beneath her bangs, staring at Riku without any emotion.

Riku noticed that the girl's previously loose, flowing white hair was now tied into a long, waist-length ponytail, swaying behind her. This seemed to be a slight alteration made to make it easier for her to engage in intense battles.

"[Speculation] Riku, your plan—has progressed to its final stage, hasn't it?"

The girl asked in a calm voice.

Liku instantly felt a chill on the back of his neck.

This was the first time the girl had asked him about the plan to end the war. Previously, even when the two met, they would only recount where Yunyou had gone and what she had done, allowing Riku to assess how to adjust the ghosts' actions. For example, after receiving information six months ago that Yunyou had single-handedly stormed the goblin capital and enabled Ronnie to reach a new level of skill, Riku immediately deduced that the forest elves, as the goblins' enemies, would likely suffer a defeat in the subsequent war. Therefore, he immediately disseminated this information to maintain the balance of the war.

But apart from that, the two never discussed the plan even once. Even if Riku deliberately steered the conversation in that direction, Yunyou would cleverly skip that part with other information and then unilaterally end the topic on her own.

Over time, Riku realized that the other party seemed to have other concerns, and thus actively cooperated with the girl's actions. He dared not reveal the truth, fearing that it would cause a falling out with Yunyou, this unstable element, and lead to the collapse of the entire plan.

But now, what was bound to happen has finally arrived. And it just so happens that he asked that question on the eve of the plan's completion, when he and Hugh were both in the cave... No matter how you look at it, this cannot be a coincidence.

So, what does she want to do now?

He could almost feel the cold sweat trickling down behind his ears, but it was just a psychological illusion. On the surface, he maintained a composed smile and replied, "Yes, just one more step... just one more step, and this battle, which feels like an endless nightmare, will come to an end." Fortunately, he had spent the last few years with Shubi, and while he couldn't say it was 100%, if it was just a simple deception...

Just as Riku was thinking this, his gaze met the girl's beautiful red eyes.

"[Understanding] In that case, we'll await your good news."

Completely contrary to Riku's initial expectations, the girl simply nodded slightly and did not continue to ask questions. Then, as usual, she began to report on her experiences over the past two months.

For example, you might accidentally bump into a Skywing that came alone to hunt you down after hearing the news that a rare Platinum-ranked Mech has broken free of its bond! After easily driving it away, it's like a group of stubborn kids, gathering six Skywings to come back and attack again... and the number keeps increasing.

—Then, in the final battle, she defeated fifteen Skywings in one fell swoop, and with the frantic help of Sunset, escaped the pursuit of the remaining ten Skywings while on the verge of death. It seems that the original individual Azriel, the commander of the opposing force, issued an order forbidding them from engaging in combat with that special Mech-type individual, and in any case, she was no longer pursued.

Perhaps with a major battle imminent, the enemy is unwilling to expend extra effort to fight a mosquito that grows significantly every time and has an exceptionally good ability to escape.

"【Completed】That concludes the report. I wish you all the best in your plans." After saying this, Yun You stood up from the stone chair, nodded politely, and then seemed to be preparing to leave.

"Lady Yu, you..." The woman, who had been sitting silently beside her, pursed her lips, looked at Yun You, and finally spoke hesitantly. However, the girl did not respond, only shaking her head slightly at the woman without a word. Then she continued walking outside.

After hesitating for a moment, the setting sun also lowered its head and silently followed.

...

...

"Riku...why...why won't you let Yunyou and the others help...! If this continues, your body...will break down!"

After confirming that Yunyou and the other person had left, Shubi spoke to Riku as if in a mournful cry, her tone anxious and almost accusatory. In fact, she had been trying to ask Yunyou for help throughout the conversation, but Riku had been holding her hand tightly under the table, preventing her from doing so.

"I'm sorry, Ashubi, for making you worry... but it's impossible to ask those two for help."

Riku offered a wry smile as he comforted Shubi, the mere gesture sending a shiver of pain through him, as if his trachea were being torn apart. He then said in a low voice, "I've told you before, haven't I? Let's leave aside Yuuyo, since she and Yunyou are practically one... As for Yunyou, she's been deliberately avoiding the topic. I initially thought she was doing it to avoid risking her life, but you just heard it. A Skywing... and actively waiting for the enemy to bring reinforcements. How could someone capable of such suicidal behavior be afraid of death?"

Riku sighed.

"So she wasn't afraid of dying or getting into trouble, but rather deliberately turning a blind eye for some other reason."

"But...didn't she just...proactively mention the plan...?" Hugh tilted her head, puzzled, and asked hesitantly. "Doesn't that mean...she's willing to help us...? Based on the analysis and calculations...that sentence didn't sound like she was urging us..."

"Yes, what's troubling me now is why she only mentioned that one sentence and didn't say anything else... At first, I thought she wanted to make a move in this final stage and seize the Star Grail that can control everything in the world."

Riku recalled what he had just seen: those red eyes that seemed to know everything—even the future—and that fleeting emotion. His bitter smile deepened.

"But no, not at all. She seemed completely indifferent to that Star Cup. Instead, she had a more ordinary, more human reason..."

"reason?"

"Yes. What I saw in that instant... was fear."

As he said this, not only did Shubi show an expression of disbelief, but even Riku doubted whether he had seen it wrong. But that should be impossible. Observing other people's emotions to deduce their inner thoughts was almost an instinct ingrained in his genes. He couldn't possibly be wrong.

But is it true? Is Yun You afraid? Afraid of what? The destruction of the world? — Countless hypotheses flashed through his mind, only to be eliminated one by one with various reasons. Originally, the answer should have been the one left after all the eliminations…

But in the end, no options were left, leaving the page completely blank.

"Haha... I just can't understand what she's thinking. Just as the other races say, she's a capricious (incomprehensible) person (an unstable factor). But for now, maintaining the status quo is the best outcome."

Thinking this, Riku moved his body to the bed and lay down weakly. The fatigue and pain that wrapped around his body, like thorns burrowing into every nerve, made him desperately want to close his eyes immediately and leave this painful body.

But no, he couldn't leave before the plan was complete. And... leaving this world alone, leaving Shubi all alone, was something he absolutely couldn't do.

So, hang in there... Whether it's the power of love or anything else, you absolutely must keep going...

"Shubi, I'm sorry, I need to rest for a while now. Could you please—hold my hand tightly?"

".........Um."

Hughie nodded slightly.

—Now she understands that this is Riku's way of restraining her. He doesn't want her to set up the traffic control measures to achieve the final goal on her own, so he's using this tactic.

After a while, Riku, tormented by intense pain and unable to maintain his senses, finally drifted into a deep sleep.

Riku needs to live for another 91 years, although with his current body, it would be a problem if he could even last another week... But once he obtains the Star Cup, that will become a certainty!

So, before that—!

Slowly, with a gentle movement as if afraid of breaking something fragile, Hughie gently pulled her hand away from Riku's.

"I'm sorry, Riku... I'll be back soon..."

...

...

"Lord Yu...is this really alright?"

Above the cave, two girls, whose presence was perfectly concealed by illusion magic, watched as Shubi flew away alone into the distance at great speed.

The setting sun hesitated, then turned its head to look at the girl and uttered the words it had left unsaid in the cave.

The girl's eerily purplish-red eyes, now filled with worry, continued, "Halfway through the journey, you suddenly decided to return. Was it because you knew this would happen...?"

"So now, are you sure it's okay if you don't stop her?"