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2024-10-29 19:42:562050, the Earth…
My name is Yuusha, which just translates to "hero". I am a freelancer, mainly doing engineering and technical work such as fixing electronic devices in households. Sometimes I accept projects and commissions. I have a deep passion for science and dream to do something big for this world using my knowledge. But the dream seems very far away. I am twenty-three years old this year.
And to be honest, I am completely blind when talking about my future. Although I want to do something big, I do not know where to start. I do not even know what the world needs, because there is probably someone out there having the same idea as mine, who started doing it already.
But that is at least what I am thinking as of now. That day has changed my life forever.
- Delivery!
Maybe my relatives or my friends send me a package because I have no recollection of ordering something online. I receive the package and sign the confirmation paper, then bring it into my living room. I use a photon knife to cut the cardboard box, and under layers and layers of styrofoam and bubble wrap, there is a tablet. It is as thin as a glass sheet, and I think that it is not something from this present era.
I check the box, but the only information I see is my house address, and the sender part says that the package is from 2100. Yes, in 2040, delivery through space and time has been enabled with the revolution in special relativity technology, and one can send a package to the past or the future. However, who would send me a package?
I take the tablet out of the box and inspect it. There is a power button, so I turn it on. The tablet screen shows the loading screen, and after some kind of compiling information, a hologram of a young, female scientist appears.
- This following message is a confidential one, so please make sure that if you are the receiver of this package, you are the only person to know about this.
This is becoming scary. I flickered my hand to signal to close all windows and doors and continue hearing the message.
- Hi there, my name is Mirai, and I am a scientist travelling back from 2100. Now, listen closely to this. In 2100, the Earth will be dominated by an alien species called the Intruders. So, in short, what is happening now is that this package is sent to 2050 as a warning, and also as a help to humanity to prepare for such chaos.
Everything is going off the track from this point after I hear such warnings. I know that I want to do something for the world, but this seems a bit overwhelming to absorb.
- Basically, you would have a 50-year period to prepare to fight the final war in 2100, so, of course, I would be helping you in this journey. But first, from this tablet, access the arsenal. This is a collection of human weapons from all time, at least until 2100. Tap on the submachine gun called SMG01 to summon it.
Although I am still suspicious of everything, and a bit scared, I still do like Mirai said. A beam of light shines on my hands, and a submachine gun appears out of nowhere. It looks more like a laser gun that kids usually play with.
- Yes, this is your first weapon, the submachine gun SMG01. Intruders cannot be killed with material projectiles due to their very hard shells, so we need to penetrate their shells to break their core, which is somewhere in their head, or their upper chest, depends. This will be your friend for quite a long time, so please be familiar with holding it.
I inspect the gun, and it seems that there are no major differences between today's weapon technology. Moreover, it is lightweight and quite small in size, so I can carry it with me.
- Now, they are heading this way. Get ready for your first battle. – The tablet says.
- Who is heading this way? – I ask.
- The Intruders.
Suddenly, my door breaks down, and two ugly creatures with weapons came in. In fear, my hands unknowingly direct the submachine gun at the Intruders, and my pointer finger presses the trigger before I even realise it. A powerful laser beam emits from the barrel, pierces through the Intruder, and makes it immobile. The next moment, my gun is already aimed at the second Intruder and makes it collapse with a second shot. I am still trying to regain my consciousness.
- This is the aim assistance function of the gun, which I have equipped on other weapons in the arsenal for you also. All that is needed is for a person to wield it.
So that is not my instinct at all. I should have not been expecting much from myself, an amateur in such gun issues.
- By the way, we are not done with the issues. Now, I need you to hold for some time. The Intruders in 2100 should have sent their army back to 2050 to kill you, the person ruining their invasion plan.
To be honest, I do not even need her to tell me that. Faraway, I see some black dots in the sky approaching me. I quickly glance at the arsenal and take out a mounted plasma launcher. They are coming in planes, so why not?
Suddenly, there are many more black dots in the sky. I lock the targets and press the trigger. A burning plasma ray penetrates the atmosphere and vaporises every plane on its path. Seems like everything will be okay. I continue locking on other targets and knock down quite a number of them, but then the planes just continue approaching.
They start firing laser missiles in my direction, and I have no choice but to redirect my plasma launcher to destroy them first. The planes keep coming, so close, very, very close. What to do now?
In just a tick, I cannot keep up with the shooting, and I feel the heat of a missile touching my skin…
Goodbye.
...
Wait, I am still alive. What happened? The planes disappear, and I am unscathed.
- Congrats on your trial. The disappearance of the planes signals that humanity has been saved from the Intruders. However, this also means that we need to be very cautious in every of our move, so that we actually win the whole battle, as the future predicts. Now, let me guide you through the use of the Codex.
The screen automatically switches to the arsenal, and some of the words are highlighted. Then, the holograms of highlighted items appear one by one.
- As you can see, our arsenal consists of three main functions: offensive, defensive and support items. Simple as it is, offensive items deal damage to the Intruders, such as armaments. Defensive items protect you from the Intruders, such as barriers and shields. Support items aid you when you wield offensive items, such as tactical throwables, trackers, EMP devices and UAVs. For example, when facing an Intruder holding a machine, use the EMP device to disable the machine, then use throwables to distract them and a gun to finish it off. – Mirai instructs me on the foundation of the tablet.
Then, the tablet switches to the Intruders encyclopedia part. The information on Intruder types and what major events would happen at what time is clearly stated here.
- So that is all for today. I hope you can remember this information as soon as possible. We will be departing for our first mission soon. But before that…
- Yes?
- Staying in this tablet is a bit uncomfortable for me, so I would like you to assemble a physical shell for me to stay in. You are an engineer, so I do not have many worries, but I will still instruct you on how to do so. The components are all stored in the arsenal already. It would take some time to assemble, so you can get rest for today.
Oh… A physical version of Mirai… Yep, definitely benefit from it.
I do all the personal hygiene and go to bed. Of course, I am having the tablet with me now to read through the encyclopedia again.
Sure enough, reading something is a perfect way to make yourself asleep at lightspeed, and I am already sleeping, holding the tablet with the screen still turned on, without myself even noticing…
The next morning comes, and I, who never wake up early, am now fully awake at exactly seven in the morning, crafting a robot.
- Yes, you connect these two wires together to link the battery with this motor. Solder these parts together and link them to the control panel in the right arm. Yes, correct…
- Ok, so we have this right arm done. Let me try it out a bit to see if it is working.
Mirai says that everything is in the arsenal, but then why am I doing everything from scratch? What a pain.
I continue to spend the whole day finishing making other body parts, then connect them together and test run to ensure stability and other factors. After a few tries, the machinery part is done, and I use the same human-skin-like material to cover the physical body, aesthetic purposes mainly. For the last part, I let Mirai upload her data onto the central processing unit of the physical body, including the arsenal and Intruder encyclopedia. Now, functioning exactly like a living tablet, she can also summon items and inform me about Intruders whenever I forget.
After the upload, the physical body started to move its fingers, then its hands, limbs, and finally the body. Even I feel impressed with the masterpiece I have built. But then…
- Thanks for making this physical body for me. Nothing more to expect from a freelancer engineer. I really appreciate your efforts, and I know that you are quite asleep now, but can you build a portable solar battery for me also? The instructions are on the tablet.
And I spend the rest of the night designing a solar battery. It will be placed on Mirai's back, near the control system in her head.
Working an 18-hour shift is a nightmare for a freelancer like me who can freely choose when to work, and this drains all of my energy. I get on the bed as soon as I attach the battery to Mirai's back. While lying on the bed, I just think that now, technically I am possessing a robot assistant, which resembles a beautiful girl and is topped with future knowledge and skills. What luck I have.
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Chapter 106 - Project Tomorrow (part 5)
- Quick! Secure all exits of the television studio. Initiate first-level protocol. Focus security around studio 4-A. Hurried footsteps echo through the corridors and halls, as fully-armed police and military personnel impose a lockdown on the studio and check every nook and cranny for any intruders. The studio that hosts the game show is located in a fairly remote region near Cairo. As a national studio that produces most of the programmes in the country, its level of security is on par with a military base. The specific information of measures implemented is obfuscated to the public. Still, with some observation, one would realise that making any move within the studio needs meticulous planning from the most intelligent of humanity. As soon as every staff in the studio is mobilised, the girl starts to move. The trip sensors she installed throughout the studio have simultaneously triggered, capturing a huge movement.__________- The twelfth question is another
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Chapter 105 - Project Tomorrow (part 4)
- ... and despite being the country with the largest area in the world, boasting up to eleven different time zones, Russia is surprisingly not the country with the most time zones in the world. In fact, it is France that claims the crown as the country with the most time zones in the world, with twelve different time zones ranging from UTC-10:00 to UTC+12:00! This is attributed to the fact that France has many territories worldwide, which also highlights their significant presence worldwide.- Wow, that is a very detailed description, although it may be difficult for the audience to grasp what you are trying to say. But yes, the correct answer to the country with the most time zones is B, France! Let us give another round of applause for the amount of wisdom this fortitudinous man possesses! With Mirai's assistance from somewhere outside the studio, we breeze through the first ten questions ranging in all sorts of topics and requiring countless hours every day look
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Chapter 104 - Project Tomorrow (part 3)
- Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the thousandth show of the series "Who Wants to Be the Zillionaire?", a weekly trivia game show every Tuesday only available on Al-Hayat TV. I am your host, Ali, and today, to commemorate the thousandth show, the stakes have been raised. There are still fifteen questions, but each question is exponentially harder. In return, once the player clears all fifteen questions, he will win up to... A billion Egyptian pounds, approximately three billion yen or twenty million US dollars. That is ten years' worth of my previous salary or more. For thirty-three years of my life, I have never thought about this, because the odds of reaching the final question are as high as winning a lottery. However, with Mirai's help, getting the winning prize will be a breeze.- Let's welcome our player for today! Due to special circumstances, we will refer to him as T. Mr. T, please come in. The door to the game show arena opens., and I am immediately
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Chapter 103 - Project Tomorrow (part 2)
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Chapter 102 - Project Tomorrow (part 1)
2060, Sahara desert... Project Ashita... After the brief exchange with the Colonel-ranked Intruder named Lamabula, Mirai and I spent countless hours after the construction observation duty hours to devise a plan. After careful consideration, the seeds of Project Ashita are sown. Before introducing the project to the CEA survivors, Mirai initially hesitated, but she ultimately discussed it with Lamabula. Without a doubt, he burst into his signature, explosive laughter and rejoiced the moment Mirai mentioned the scale of the project, and willingly lent a portion of the base's space for the construction of the colossal battleship. So long as he deemed us subpar compared to the Intruders, he would continue lending assistance. However, the dangerous part of this rigged contract is that we do not know until when he would deem us sufficiently dangerous and suddenly cut all support. However, that has never been Mirai's concern, who can fight head-on with Lamabula, and whose distrust a
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Chapter 101 - The Future that Bet Life to Believe
Counter-Extraterrestrial Association, Egypt branch, 2060, From the outside, it looks like a small stand-up comedy house within the bustling tourist area of Cairo. However, in the basement, its true form is revealed. More than half of the basement area is for equipment and vehicle storage, and in the corner, a hydraulic lift is responsible for carrying them to the first floor. Deeper into the basement is the meeting room. Around the table, Mirai and Wilhelm sit next to each other, on the largest seat designated for high-ranking officials of the CEA or important people. Then, Ernst, Gottlob, Arthur, Maric, and I sit on the remaining seats. At the centre of the table, a hologram depicts the images of the current situation. Under the table, each seat will have a mouse which resembles a ball, so anyone can freely rotate or zoom in on the hologram projection for better observation. - Thank you everyone for being here. Before we start the impromptu meeting, two more people wo
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Interlude 7 - Rendezvous
And then, the two hands of the clock of fate met. What happens is bound to happen, and humanity is none the wiser. After being separated from the tomb's lid, the mysterious device's defensive mechanism went off, resulting in vibrations across the entire pyramid. The team immediately fled from the chamber, with Wilhelm leading and Ernst in the back. Gottlob and Arthur kept close to Maric, the only person without any firearm or combat experience. - Mileva, you stick to us at all times. We will handle this. - As if I have another choice. - Watch out! A stone fragment cracked from the ceiling and fell down. Ernst charged forward, pushing both Maric and Arthur forward, right before it hit the ground and shattered. - I told you, stay vigilant! - Sorry, sir. The only things Maric could hear were the chaotic rustling and the humming from the vibrations. Never would she think that a life-and-death situation occurred to her simply due to
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Interlude 6 - Pursuit
Humans immerse themselves in illusions, but who dares to break through such sweet dreams and pursue reality? - Wow, look at this artefact, guys. - Let me see, let me see. - So cool! The next day, Maric's group visited the cluster of pyramids in Giza. To avoid the tour buses flocking in and causing an influx of tourists to roam around. Thus, the poor soul who returned to the hotel late after the stand-up comedy show was sleep-deprived, against her gang whose energy and enthusiasm were over the roof. Waking up as soon as six in the morning to have an indulgent breakfast and catch the earliest bus, they reached the foot of the most colossal one, the Great Pyramid of Giza at eight-thirty. They shared money to book a guide for the entire visit, and the man in summer clothing and a hat was already there, waving at them. The pyramid visit was expected to last half an hour. Because there were few people in the tunnels, the occasional breeze that traver
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Interlude 5 - Mileva
To leave everything behind. For the greater cause. Ever since then, the words echoed in her head, like an enclosed chamber with a perfect reflection. The words were stuck there, and it made her unable to think properly. What did they mean? - What is on your mind, darling? - Nothing. Just weird, personal stuff. After getting close to a science major graduate from the University of New South Wales, the two decided to come together and live under the same roof. They had a lovely child, and their road ahead was paved with rose petals. Of course, no happiness is eternal. On that fateful day, she heard the words. _____________________________________ - Huh, Egypt? Of all places? - Come on, you are a sociology bachelor. Why so sceptical? Just consider it a cultural appreciation trip. Her group of colleagues were planning to visit another country during their precious holidays. Unlike everyone, who seemed to be very ecstatic about the tr
