A giant robot that suddenly emerged in the world, the Steel Titan from P City, first attacked neighboring W City. It wasn’t due to any grudge between the cities; rather, P City must have been greedy for the resources flowing from W City.

P City, as an industrial city, would be rendered useless—a mere empty shell—if resources dried up. So, invading the resource-rich W City was an utterly rational decision.

Imagine a factory that, given the materials, can produce anything, moving on its own to seize resources. Meanwhile, what did the other cities do?

They just watched. To be precise, it wasn’t as if they only stood by and watched.

"Today, relief supplies from each city are arriving in W City every day..." "Refugees in W City are lining up to receive rations." "In response, the International Refugee Organization has issued a stern warning to P City—"

The other cities sent aid, tacitly condoning P City's actions.

It wasn’t an incomprehensible act. They were all afraid, most likely. After all, who could gauge the power of that giant robot smashing through anything in its path, be it a hero or a military weapon?

In such a situation, no city was willing to send its S-rank heroes to confront the robot.

The balance of power between heroes and villains in each city was relatively even. No one side had a clear advantage; they all wielded power equivalent to one another. In such a context, if an S-rank hero were to die in another city, it could lead to the collapse of the entire city.

“Did we send aid as well? For that?”

“Of course. If not there, then where else would we spend the money?”

“We are a criminal organization, right...?”

Just then, as we shared a brief laugh over the boss’s comment about sending aid, the TV flashed back to the giant robot, the Steel Titan, demolishing tanks and fighter jets.

Steam billowed from the Steel Titan’s entire body, and it moved with a speed inconceivable for a robot, seizing tanks with its massive hands.

What next? It flung them at the fighter jets. Despite the jet’s chaotic flight, the Steel Titan seemed to predict its trajectory perfectly, striking it down effortlessly.

Millions of dollars evaporated in an instant, and dozens of lives were lost meaninglessly. Even for us, who wore the villain label proudly, it was a disturbing sight.

‘Well, even villains and terrorists probably don’t kill more people than those who die in wars...’

War is dreadful, and humans who so easily wage wars are even more terrifying.

Freedom, as it seems, is too extravagant for humanity. Perhaps the proper course of action is to strip away everyone’s free will and grant them only preordained freedoms. As I pondered this, the TV screen changed.

It now showed citizens who hadn’t yet managed to escape and the heroes trying to save them.

“There’s no need to hurry! Everyone can get to safety as long as they follow the order—”

“The nation hasn’t fallen just because a building has! Citizens! Stealing or looting is a criminal act—”

Even in the midst of utter despair, they didn’t lose hope and continued to save people, sacrificing themselves for others. Watching that, any hatred for humanity melted away like snow, leaving only pure admiration and excitement in my heart.

While I watched, smiling faintly, the phone suddenly rang. The boss, after nodding a few times, looked at me with a cautious expression.

“—Scientist?”

“Yes, boss.”

“You have a visitor... What will you do?”

“A visitor, for me?”

Puzzled about who could possibly be looking for me, I briefly tilted my head, and the boss informed me who it was.

“A scientist you worked with back in P City. Someone called Steelstone.”

“Why is he here...?”

“Who knows. Will you meet him? Or refuse?”

For a moment, I was taken aback by the thought that Steelstone, who should be servicing the Steel Titan in P City, had come all the way here. Nevertheless, I agreed to meet him without hesitation.

Descending directly from the office to the lobby, I encountered Steelstone, who was even more soot-covered than he had been back at the lab.

“Steelstone! What brings you here...?”

Barely opening my mouth to speak, I noticed something peculiar about the cloak he wore. It was flapping around, and I quickly realized that his right arm was missing.

Realizing I had noticed something odd, Steelstone raised his empty right shoulder and greeted me with a light nod.

“—Hey, Dr. Eight.”

It had been a long time since I last saw him, and now Steelstone was missing his right arm.

 

“Green tea. Please, have some.”

“Thank you.”

Inside the lab, once we were out of others’ sight, Steelstone, having discarded his cloak, awkwardly grasped the teacup with his remaining hand.

It was clear he wasn’t yet used to having just one arm. From this, it was evident that his arm wasn’t always like this.

In other words, he hadn’t lost his arm long ago. It wasn’t hard to guess why.

‘Did he rebel against the Steel Titan, the robot he regarded as a son, as it went around killing people without a care?’

Of course, he was one of the few who knew the Steel Titan had been designed as a decisive weapon. But no matter the original intent, no parent can bear to see their child become a killer.

Especially someone like Steelstone, who created the Steel Titan not to kill but simply because he enjoyed building weapons.

“Your right arm...?”

“This thing? I left it behind. At the New Era.”

“That’s... your left arm, actually.”

As he looked at me as if asking what nonsense I was spouting, I coughed a few times, realizing what he meant by "New Era."

“You left, then? From Punk Technology?”

“After building the Steel Titan, they said they didn’t need me anymore. But they wouldn’t let me leave easily...”

“...Your arm.”

Steelstone caressed his severed right arm with a bitter smile. Losing the arm that had once built robots wasn’t just the loss of a limb; it symbolized much more.

It was also to prevent him from creating a weapon that could defeat the Steel Titan with the help of others.

“So, what brings you here to see me?”

“I have a few questions.”

“Go ahead.”

At that, Steelstone explained everything he had been through. From the day after I left, the Steel Titan’s sudden change, to how it followed commands and moved.

Listening to Steelstone, I realized why the Steel Titan had lost its hero’s spirit and was mercilessly massacring people.

“That’s... hacking, believe it or not.”

“Hacking? Can you hack a soul?”

“Yes, indeed. You can even hack humans, can’t you?”

“...Do you mean mind control?”

“Yes, exactly.”

I hadn’t considered it. The idea of someone trying to manipulate a machine’s mind, much less succeeding, was something I never imagined.

Yet, as we see time and time again, things that modern science deems impossible can be achieved through psychic powers. There’s a mystical quality to it that defies logical explanation.

For example, a psychic can summon wind in space, freeze fire, and even teleport without aid.

The belief that something can be done often makes it so, even if scientifically impossible.

“But it’s strange. I should have blocked external access.”

The odd thing was that the Steel Titan’s soul was deeply hidden. Without someone with psychic powers capable of brainwashing even machines, it was impossible to directly control the Steel Titan from within.

The fact that they managed it meant there was a spy within Punk Technology all along.

Or rather, based on P City’s actions, it was more likely that this had been their original goal from the start...

“So you’re saying that one of us made the Steel Titan this way?”

“It’s misleading to say ‘one of us.’ It was always meant to be a weapon like that. Everyone—except you, Steelstone—must have thought so.”

At this, Steelstone snorted for a while. Watching a grown man cry wasn’t the most dignified sight, but I quietly turned a blind eye.

After a long while, he looked up and murmured, “But... isn’t it just too sad?”

A newborn, forced to become a weapon of slaughter, due to the whims of adults. For Steelstone, who genuinely saw the Steel Titan as his child, it was pitiful.

“It’s too much. Shouldn’t people, humans, be better than this?”

“Yes, they should.”

“How... how could they do such a thing?”

After venting his frustrations, Steelstone wiped away his tears and met my gaze, having apparently made up his mind.

His once-ashen eyes now sparkled with a rekindled fire.

“—Help me, Dr. Eight.”

“...With what?”

“Saving the Steel Titan.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“If it’s you... you could, right?”

Steelstone muttered as if he knew everything. I stayed silent, gazing at him.

Seeing my expression, Steelstone flinched, then promptly knelt, banging his head on the ground.

“—I want to rescue my son from the hands of humans!”

A father’s sincerity sometimes moves even villains. I quietly took hold of his shoulder and lifted him to his feet.

“To break the Steel Titan’s brainwashing, you’d need to access the control unit. That would be difficult for you now, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ve already left the company...”

“Then there’s only one option left.”

“What do you mean...?”

“We need to take down the Steel Titan and connect directly to its core.”

At this, Steelstone looked up at me with disbelief. I nodded and smiled.

“You’ll have to build another child, Steelstone.”

I handed him a red pill. Looking at it, Steelstone gazed up at me with eyes filled with salvation. In his father’s eyes, I glimpsed humanity’s last shred of conscience.