“Thank God… Pluto…”
Blood ran down from Zion Kang’s head. Warm blood spread from his side as well. He was losing consciousness. In his fading vision, he saw his own reflection in the robot’s metal body. He was smiling, though it was a sad smile.
“Power system conversion. Turbine booster ignition.”
A brief burst of flame erupted from the rear. A high-frequency whine rose sharply as the auxiliary turbine ignited. The moment the power limiter disengaged, Blackcar Y lunged forward as if gripping the road. The car crouched low and accelerated like a missile.
The suppression unit members who had slipped struggled back to their feet and resumed the chase, but they lost balance again on the lubricant-coated pavement. The undersides of their walkers scraped the asphalt, sparks flying. They grabbed onto each other and barely managed to stand.
“Long live Pluto! Long live Zion Kang!”
Several union members who had regained consciousness shouted.
“Live! Survive and win!”
Chairman Seo Dongjin, standing atop the armored bus, stared at the fleeing vehicle with a hardened expression. His jaw was clenched, anger suppressed beneath the surface.
“Deploy pursuit drones. Initiate swarming.”
The suppression unit commander gave the order coldly.
Shwaaa—
Rain fell.
“Rain? Rain…?” Zion Kang slowly opened his eyes. Cold raindrops kept striking his face. Staggering, he forced himself upright. His forehead felt strangely cool. When he raised his hand to it, something warm trickled down. Blood streamed from the cracked wound on his forehead.
“Ugh—”
A sharp pain shot through his side. Looking down, he saw a fragment of rebar lodged deep in his flesh. “Ah…” Shaking his head, he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He wanted to see clearly, but his vision kept blurring. He barely managed to make out the red letters on the sign: <Noah General Hospital Emergency Center>.
“Did they dump me here?”
He remembered how Pluto’s body had torn through the broken roof of the car. Before that, he had heard someone shout “Get in!” He got in—but once inside, it felt as though he was alone. That had seemed strange. Then his head had dropped. He must have lost consciousness then.
“Whoever it was… to dump me in front of a hospital like this.”
Staggering, Zion Kang walked toward the red-lit emergency entrance. He saw a nurse robot and a strangely shaped doctor robot rushing outside. The doctor robot had six arms, and on its chest a nameplate reading <North-1> shimmered under the rain.
“Are you alright, sir?”
The nurse robot quickly supported Zion Kang. The doctor robot’s red scanner swept across his body.
“Frontal scalp laceration, 6.3 centimeters. Linear fracture of the frontal bone. Epidural hemorrhage, 18 milliliters. Penetrating wound to the left abdomen. One rebar fragment retained. Four-centimeter laceration to the right hepatic lobe. Intra-abdominal bleeding confirmed. Fractures of right ribs seven and eight. Pulmonary contusion. Right hemothorax in progress. Entering hemorrhagic shock. Emergency surgery and massive transfusion required.”
Strangely reassured by the robot’s calm, low voice, Zion Kang’s consciousness faded further. In the nurse robot’s arms, he lost consciousness once again.
Ten minutes earlier—
Kiiiiiik—
Blackcar Y made a sharp turning curve in front of Noah General Hospital’s emergency entrance. The rear door flew open with a metallic snap, and someone tumbled out of the vehicle and rolled across the pavement. Startled pedestrians stared as Blackcar Y accelerated away.
A mechanical whir filled the air. People looked up to see a massive swarm of drones gathering like a hive of bees, then surging after Blackcar Y with a deep mechanical hum.
“Leo. Increase speed.”
“Unable. Turbine overheating. Booster terminated. Reverting to electric drive.”
Blackcar Y’s speed dropped noticeably. The pursuing drone swarm closed to within ninety meters behind the vehicle. Three drones shifted into targeting mode midair and flew toward Pluto, who was secured atop Blackcar Y.
Kwahng— Puh-pung—
The three drones collided with Pluto’s body and self-detonated. Five more drones switched to targeting mode. Ahead, an iron barricade blocked the road in Blackcar Y’s direction. The suppression unit commander shouted, “All units, aim!” The suppression unit members raised their machine guns and aimed at Blackcar Y.
Kiiiiiik—
Blackcar Y veered sharply, climbing up the incline of Naksan Road. Buaang— it surged forward, but fifteen seconds later its speed dropped again. The drone swarm roared louder as it closed to within twenty meters.
“Release towing device.”
Pluto’s mechanical voice suddenly spoke.
Clank—Leo disengaged the towing mechanism binding Pluto.
“What are you doing? That wasn’t my order!”
Mika shouted.
“I apologize, Master. Your safety is the priority.”
“No!”
Kwahng—
Before Mika could issue another command, Pluto dropped from Blackcar Y. His body struck the road and bounced more than ten meters before coming to a stop. The five drones that had already locked on lost their trajectory, falling around the moving Blackcar Y and exploding in bursts of fire.
The remaining swarming drones instantly changed direction, racing toward Pluto instead of the vehicle. Pluto rose with a metallic screech and sprinted forward at full speed. It was the Naksan hillside road, overlooking the night skyline of Seoul.
Pluto leapt toward the cliff below.
“Pluto!”
Kiiiiiik—
Mika leapt out of the braking Blackcar Y and looked up at Pluto suspended in the air. Pluto’s silhouette, falling beyond the full moon, was solemn and tragic.