Chapter 163. Dinner with a Golem (1)
No. 8 spread his wings and soared above the city.
The late-afternoon streets below looked peaceful.
After scanning the area a few times, he calmly descended into a secluded back alley.
The quiet backstreet felt almost deserted.
“It’s been a while since I came here too.”
At the end of the alley, a small restaurant caught his eye.
No. 8 sharpened his senses.
If he wanted to, he could detect nearly every movement within a forty-kilometer radius.
Figuring out what was inside a closed restaurant was easy.
A moment later, he muttered in disappointment,
“Hmm. I thought there might be a chance, but no one’s here.”
After Yukgap and Victoria escaped, Alpha had flown into a rage and ordered everyone to find them by any means necessary.
So No. 8 had started with the restaurant they used to run.
As expected, neither of them seemed to have come back.
“Well, that makes sense.”
“Who would choose the most obvious place?”
No. 8 smiled bitterly.
A hideout lost its value the moment its location was exposed.
More importantly, if they had hidden here, Alpha would have found them long ago.
“Hm?”
Then he suddenly sensed movement inside the restaurant.
It was stiff and cold, but there was definitely something in there.
“Don’t tell me they really are inside.”
No. 8 slowly approached the restaurant with a tense expression.
Whatever was inside, if it had anything to do with Yukgap or Victoria, he had a duty to investigate.
After all, Abraxas had given him the role of Watcher.
Just as he steeled himself, the restaurant door suddenly swung open.
A golem he had seen before stuck its face out.
[Who are you supposed to be?]
“Oh.”
“You’re that golem from before.”
No. 8 recognized him first.
The other party immediately sounded offended.
[I have a name.]
[I am Robert.]
[Mind your golem sensitivity, fleshbag.]
“Ah. My apologies.”
[Are you a customer?]
“In a sense.”
No. 8 answered playfully.
Robert’s eyes immediately lit up.
[Do not lie.]
[You are not a customer.]
[You are an Archon, just like Yukgap.]
[That makes you my enemy.]
Apparently, he remembered No. 8 from the previous attack on Restaurant Shelley.
No. 8 grinned.
“Thank you for remembering me.”
“I’m No. 8.”
“I belong to the Tracking Team, same as No. 6.”
The moment No. 8 admitted it, Robert openly became hostile.
[Eliminate! Eliminate! Eliminate!]
Robert’s chest armor opened.
A gun barrel emerged.
Then it immediately opened fire on No. 8.
“Whoa!”
Startled by the barrage of bullets, No. 8 instantly released his Archon form and took to the air.
Robert stared up at him and spoke in his flat mechanical voice.
[I am Robert.]
[I am guarding Restaurant Shelley until my master, Doctor Victoria Frankenstein, returns.]
[All approaching entities will be eliminated.]
Apparently, talking things out was not going to work.
No. 8 drew his overtechnology weapon from his waist.
The Noise Gun.
“You’re an impressively loyal golem.”
“But I have my own position to consider too.”
“I hope you understand.”
He aimed the Noise Gun at Robert.
Then unleashed a piercing ultrasonic blast.
BEEEEEEP!
The sound transformed into massive vibrations that crashed down over Robert.
But Robert had apparently prepared himself.
He pushed his output as high as it would go and endured the attack.
[Maximum output!]
No. 8 chuckled lightly.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’m not going to destroy you like last time.”
“More importantly, if I did that, I’d lose my chance to learn where Victoria and No. 6 are.”
[I do not know where Doctor Frankenstein and Yukgap went either.]
[But this is the home they will return to.]
[I will protect it!]
With a series of mechanical clicks, an enormous gun barrel emerged from Robert’s body.
Judging from the size and design, he had brought out his ultimate weapon.
No. 8 clicked his tongue.
“You really intend to take this all the way?”
He did not want to cause a disturbance in the middle of the city.
But if Robert insisted on fighting, he had no intention of backing down.
No. 8 raised the Noise Gun again.
He planned to counter the moment Robert attacked.
[...]
But for some reason, Robert did not move.
He remained frozen in his attack stance.
No. 8 sensed something was wrong and cautiously landed beside him.
Robert still did not react.
No. 8 inspected him several times.
Then realization finally dawned.
“Oh.”
“You forgot to charge yourself and ran completely out of power.”
[System activation.]
[Preparation complete.]
Light returned to Robert’s eyes.
He started moving again.
No. 8, who had been watching him, cautiously asked,
“Are you conscious now?”
The moment Robert saw him, he looked around in surprise.
They were inside Restaurant Shelley.
Apparently, No. 8 had carried him inside.
[Why are you and I inside Restaurant Shelley together?]
“You suddenly ran out of power.”
