Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Rescue Operation (8)

A line of countless women appeared on the screen. Beyond them, a ferry floated on the sea.

I drummed my finger on the armrest of the chair.

[Still thinking?]

The prisoners are almost at the pier. Boarding will begin soon. If I want to separate the high-level criminals, now is the time.

Order in the city. Respect for life.

At the start of the rescue plan, I didn’t think much about cutting off the high-level criminals. But now that it’s reality, my resolve is wavering. With one choice, tens or hundreds of people will be abandoned to die.

Couldn’t there be people who got caught up by chance, or brought in due to a wrongful investigation? Perhaps some are genuinely repenting and rehabilitating?

Leaving all of that aside… Even if they are clearly guilty and unrepentant, is it right for me to decide on my own that they should die? You might call it a weak excuse, but reasons not to leave them behind keep surfacing in my mind.

“It’d be nice to have acacia leaves right now, wouldn’t it? I could go, ‘leave them, take them, leave them, take them,’ just like that.” I mimicked plucking leaves one by one.

[There it is.]

“Hm?”

On the central control room screen, a single acacia leaf appeared.

[Want to pluck it?]

I gave a small laugh.

“It’s just a figure of speech.”

This isn’t something to leave to chance.

[Boarding will begin soon. Administrator, please make a decision.]

Rose, who is in charge on the scene, asked. She’s referring to my current dilemma: full relocation or partial relocation? I’ve never faced a problem this difficult in my entire life.

“If it’s a decision with no right answer…”

On the screen, a long line of women is visible. Most of them look weary and exhausted, but in their eyes, I can still see a glimmer of hope and vitality.

“Then I suppose the right thing to do is to face the consequences of my choice until the end.”

I might regret this decision later. But I’ll take responsibility for that regret. Even so…

“If this were the last ark in the world, I’d want it to hold not just survival but life itself.”

Unlike the extreme survival competition happening outside, there’s still plenty of room here.

“Take them all aboard. No partial transport. Full relocation.”

[Understood.]

I sank back into my chair.

[Are you uneasy?]

There’s no point in lying to Artemis.

“A little. I wonder if I’ve grown too accustomed to comfort and peace, and made an overly easy decision because of that.”

[We’ve run various simulations, and the likelihood of issues with maintaining the city is very low.]

She showed me the data. It detailed the jobs, skills, and physical capabilities of the prisoners.

[Most of them were unemployed, sex workers, simple laborers, service workers, office workers, or self-employed. None of them possess dangerous skills or enough power to challenge our system.]

“True. Even if they’re prisoners, they’re women after all.”

With male prisoners, many are skilled workers, carpenters, or engineers, who, if the surveillance slackens, often secretly create dangerous items. Even without skills, male prisoners who were soldiers, gang members, or CEOs can rally the others and cause trouble if the control loosens for just a moment.

Compared to such male prisoner groups, female prisoners are much easier to manage. When a salt round from a riot shotgun hits a fellow inmate’s belly, which group do you think would scatter faster and farther: men or women?

If the guards at the offshore prison were men, a rebellion wouldn’t have even been possible. And here, machines and overseers far scarier than male guards are keeping watch.

[There’s plenty of space on the ferry. Board at your own pace. No one will be left behind. Any prisoner who causes trouble during boarding will be immediately punished.]

Drones roamed the area, broadcasting this announcement.

[The first prisoner has boarded.]

Rose reported. Afterward, countless women crossed the stairs and set foot inside the ferry. Shoes, slippers, sneakers, bare feet. White feet, peach-colored feet, brown feet. Feet of all colors stepped aboard.

[This place is safe. All infected onboard the ferry have been eliminated. There may be traces of blood or signs of a battle, but don’t worry. You are safe.]

Drones moved through the crowd, repeating the announcement for crowd control. During the journey from the harbor to the island, all infected bodies were cleared, and much of the blood and flesh had been cleaned as well.

However, there wasn’t enough time or manpower for a perfect job. The women showed signs of panic at the sight of bloodstains here and there, but each time, nearby security robots calmed them down. No matter how terrifying the scene was, the presence of these powerful combat robots standing guard made the women feel secure.

[We’ve passed 50% boarding capacity.]

Rose reported.

It’s a large crowd, but it’s also a situation where over 2,000 hastily gathered people are being guided, so it’s taking time. There were occasional incidents.

A fight broke out between prisoners. It started with a slap, unlike fights with male prisoners. But once the fight got serious, punches and kicks were thrown. Both women had short hair, so there was no classic hair-pulling. Grappling didn’t occur as it usually does.

The surrounding prisoners didn’t get excited or try to stop them like a cliché. Instead, they wore annoyed expressions, muttering things like, “Take that crap somewhere else, you idiots,” and moved away.

The women were too worn down by hunger and exhaustion. The guards, who were huddled together, buried their faces in their knees, as if everything was too much for them. The guards' feet, black with dirt and dust, seemed to reflect their mental state. It wouldn’t help even if a guard intervened. Having been stripped of authority and left locked in cells for so long after the rebellion, their authority had long since evaporated.

Thus, it was the security robots that moved.

Bang!

"Aaaah!"

As the shotgun fired, a piercing scream echoed, and the fight came to a halt. The salt pellets that hit the metal ceiling fell to the floor with a soft clatter. As the two security robots approached the brawlers, the women sitting nearby quickly cleared the way.

[Both of you, sit down]

One of the security robots commanded.

“H-Hey, I wasn’t planning to resist!” One of the women, bleeding from her nose, quickly knelt down with her hands on her head. She was quick to adapt.

The other woman, glaring at her bleeding opponent while panting, was struck on the shoulder by the robot's stock. With a brief scream, she collapsed to the ground, and a series of screams erupted from the surrounding crowd.

The woman with the nosebleed dropped flat to the ground and placed her hands behind her head in a submission posture, similar to how criminals surrender to police officers in the U.S. She seemed like the type who wouldn’t die easily, no matter the situation. The security robot’s gaze lingered briefly on the back of her head before shifting away.

[There’s only one warning. This is an emergency situation. If you fail to follow orders quickly, we will resort to force. We have been granted unlimited authority over control.]

The security robot glanced at the fallen woman groaning on the floor.

[Kim Shinyoung. For causing a disturbance during an emergency and failing to follow instructions, you are sentenced to one week in solitary confinement and one month of observation. This will be enforced after essential checkups, sanitation, medical care, and meals at the shelter.]

Then, it looked at the woman with the nosebleed who was lying flat on the ground.

[Park Minji. For causing a disturbance during an emergency, you are sentenced to one week in solitary confinement. This will be enforced after essential checkups, sanitation, medical care, and meals at the shelter.]

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry,” Park Minji muttered and bowed her head repeatedly to the robot. The other women, initially terrified, widened their eyes at the mention of “checkups, sanitation, medical care, and meals.”

No further disturbances followed. Everyone was exhausted, the urgency of the situation was clear, and no one wanted to upset their new overseers, especially after the warnings from their leaders.

The next issue was hygiene. The ferry was packed to the brim with people, and it smelled like a sewer. The women who had bathed when they first discovered the island were rare exceptions. Most of the prisoners had simply lain around in their hunger and lethargy, leaving their cleanliness in a terrible state.

“The smell is awful. I hope this doesn’t lead to an outbreak.” I said.

[It won’t take long to get there. We should be fine for now.] Artemis reassured.

“How’s it looking on your end, Rose?”

[As you said, the stench is overwhelming.]

“Ugh…” At that moment, one of the women in the corner leaned over the side of the ferry and began vomiting. Tension filled the air. Since the ferry hadn’t even departed, it couldn’t be seasickness. Could it be an illness?

[Don’t worry. It’s just simple nausea from the stench. This is the third case so far. Most of them haven’t eaten much, so it’s mostly dry heaving.]

Rose explained as she approached the woman, patting her back and checking her condition before sending her back to her seat. The women scattered throughout the ferry glanced around nervously while the security robots continued patrolling.

[We’ve completed boarding.]

Rose reported. Just as the ferry seemed full, everyone had managed to get on.

“Let’s set off immediately.”

The ferry's engine roared to life and cut through the water as it moved forward. The countless women on board trembled with a mix of anxiety and hope as they watched the offshore prison fade into the distance. The empty docks, the silent prison—and just like that, another residence, now left in silence.

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