Chapter 53

Chapter 5 Inside Out (1)

***

Rattle-

Sizzle!

In the quiet and tidy room, the access device opened, and a pale man crawled out.

“I, I did it...”

His limbs moved like those of an invertebrate, wobbling as he tried to stand. It couldn't be helped; he had been lying in the access device for nearly five days, playing games without moving. Thanks to the 'Optimal Play Device' function, he had been fed a thin meal and his physiological needs had been taken care of while lying there for five days. He could feel his joints creaking painfully.

“You can sleep inside and come out, but then you might feel like something has gone stale.”

After all, humans should live in the real world.

The professor crawled to the old sofa next to the access device and immediately slumped down, falling asleep.

***

A few hours later.

The professor, who had been sleeping like the dead, was awakened by a smell so enticing and primal that it could make anyone jump out of bed, especially someone who had only eaten nutritious gruel for days.

“Corduroy...?”

“Ah, Master! Did you sleep well?”

The professor half-heartedly acknowledged Corduroy’s greeting, his eyes fixed on the small robotic arm from the drone, which was vigorously shaking a frying pan.

Sizzle-

On a small fire, a large piece of meat was being grilled, turning a delicious brown.

It’s meat. Meat. Not the usual dry calorie bars, but real meat!

Just before he lunged at it, the professor managed to regain his composure.

“Corduroy?”

“Yes!”

“Is this... by any chance, ‘expensive meat’?”

“Of course not! Do you think I’m just a regular can robot? I’m a learning AI! I learned from the last disaster and didn’t buy anything this time. This is a free gift.”

“A free... gift? In this wasteland?”

“Well... apparently. The items I ordered from the marketplace a few days ago all arrived yesterday, and they included a piece of meat as a thank-you gift for a big transaction. So don’t worry. It’s free, free. The marketplace is a company from the dome, so they wouldn’t use strange meat.”

“Hmm... a free gift...”

The professor looked at the well-grilled steak being placed on an elegant plate and the large piece of meat next to it. Even if cut into large pieces, it would serve 9 to 10 people. It must be quite expensive. To think that the money-grubbing marketplace would send this as a gift?

The professor stared at the steak on the table, his mouth watering, but also suspicious. This is too suspicious, making his mouth water uncontrollably. Very suspicious.

“Do they have some ulterior motive? The marketplace guys wouldn’t give anything for free, right?”

“Hmm... maybe not?”

“What do you mean?”

Corduroy pointed to the well-packaged wooden crates stacked in a corner of the shelter with the robotic arm.

“Those. A shower booth, air purifiers, automatic turrets, and a small auxiliary shield generator. Just looking at the list, if you add a generator, you could build a makeshift new settlement, right?”

“R-Right?”

“The marketplace probably judged that a new force with this level of purchasing power has appeared and sent this gift to show goodwill for the future.”

“Sent meat as a gesture of goodwill...”

Corduroy’s words made sense. The generator could be acquired from somewhere since there was nothing to sell, and with the shield and automatic turrets, some defense was possible. If the air purifiers could block the sand...

‘It’s a forward base type shelter, isn’t it?’

The professor finally understood the marketplace’s intention. They must have mistaken him for a vanguard of a group of some size. Setting up a forward base with a few scouts before expanding into other zones was quite common. Perhaps this gift was a subtle signal that they would tolerate his presence as long as he didn’t touch the dome.

The professor cut a large slice of steak with a knife and threw a spoon at Corduroy’s drone.

Clang!

“Ouch! Why? I didn’t do anything wrong this time!”

“Hey, you said we could build a small shelter with the items you bought. Wouldn’t that make me angry?”

“Well, that was... with good intentions...!”

“Isaac also had good intentions, you bastard. He did all that to save humanity.”

There were many things to think about regarding Isaac. He didn’t seem to be just a madman. It was a problem worth considering, but...

‘For now, let’s eat.’

As he cut a large piece of steak with the knife attached under the table, it split smoothly, revealing a pink interior and oozing juices.

For a moment, he wondered if it was safe since it wasn’t seafood, but his hand was already bringing the cut piece to his mouth.

Crunch-

The moment he put it in his mouth, the rich, savory flavor of the meat, the umami, and the overwhelming taste filled his mouth!

The meat was so tender that it crumbled with a pleasant resistance the moment it touched his teeth, and as it slid down his throat, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah!”

“Isn’t it great? I calculated your bio-rhythm to wake you up at the most comfortable time and used the happiest method to do so. Did you like it?”

The professor, with his mouth full of meat, couldn’t speak, so he raised his thumb to commend his diligent servant.

In the clean and spacious house, eating the luxurious food he had bought with his own money (considering the free gift as part of the purchase), he felt a sense of pride. It was like buying new clothes with his first paycheck and going out to eat.

“You’ve grown, Professor Park.”

While stuffing the remaining steak into his mouth, the professor thought that indulging in luxury like this once in a while wasn’t so bad.

***

After filling his stomach, the first thing the professor did was to tear open the package sent by the marketplace via the GG drone. While the other items could be installed slowly, there was one thing that needed to be installed immediately, no matter what.

Rip- Thud, Thud! Sizzle!

With the eyes of a madman, he tore open the packaging, and at the bottom, the item he had been desperately seeking shyly displayed its exquisite form.

[Kiral Tec. Shower Booth Set]

The logo of Kiral Tec, known for its cutting-edge technology post-catastrophe, was clearly marked in bright yellow on the thick, opaque glass.

Two enclosed shower booths, a small underground water pump, and thick filtration panels for the pump. It was the pinnacle of functional beauty. It was beautiful. He couldn’t wait to use it!

“Corduroy.”

“Yes, Master?! Are you okay? Your condition is a bit...”

“What do you mean? I’m extremely rational, calm, and stable. Anyway, I need to install this pump. Is there a suitable place on the shelter floor?”

“Hmm... I’m not sure. Since the building is so sturdy, I’ll have to look around, but there should be a hole near the drainage pipe. If we do some construction, it should be enough...”

“I don’t have time for construction. I asked because I need to use this right now. Right now.”

The professor, with a bright face, carried the pump and ran towards the greenhouse.

“Wait! There’s no spare land in the greenhouse! Where are you going to install it...”

“Move!”

“Gah!”

The professor, ignoring Corduroy’s frantic movements, trampled a newly sprouted potato field at the edge of the greenhouse with his muddy feet.

“Oh no! The potatoes! The calories needed for survival!”

“Shut up! I need this more to survive!”

Click! Click!

Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud-

After roughly clearing the soil with his feet and placing the pump in the center of the cleared space, the pump, true to Kiral Tec’s reputation for advanced technology, automatically secured itself and began to install the pipes underground.

While the pump was setting up, the professor brought the two small bathtubs and placed them on the soft soil. Waiting idly felt like torture.

“Corduroy. Why did you buy two of these?”

“Well... they offered a discount if you bought a set of two. They said you could use them together as a large bathtub, and I... I’m sorry!”

“No, you did very well. Very well.”

“?”

The professor watched the pump burrow into the ground with a reverent posture.

Click!

As soon as the pump was fully installed, he connected it to the power from the greenhouse’s charger and assembled the two shower booths, fitting them together perfectly.

Thus, the completed shower facility in the greenhouse.

Swallow-

The professor, with a trembling heart, lifted the faucet.

Whoosh-

“Aaaah... water...”

The professor quickly stripped off his clothes and closed the door of the shower booth. The completely sealed booth began to fill with water.

“Water, water...”

Yes, I know. I understand that this emotion, this happiness, is part of the ‘infiltration’ from the game.

But to the professor now, such trivial issues didn’t matter.

‘Water... refreshing water... hehe, hehe, hehe...’

“M-Master? The water is still filling up?”

“Bubbles-”

“Master! Open the door! You’ll drown! Drown!”

The professor ignored Corduroy and filled the shower booth with water, feeling a new life being infused into his body, exhausted from five days of non-stop play.

‘Hehe, hehe, hehe...’

Bang, Bang, Bang! Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!

“Aaaaah! Please! Open the door, you crazy master! Open it!”

***