Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 292

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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292
Since Jae-in or Alice would know about the robot issue, Ji-seok and Bae Na-young headed toward the World Tree Research Institute.
The security camera recognized Ji-seok and Bae Na-young, and the door opened before they even reached the entrance.
[Welcome, Lee Ji-seok and Bae Na-young, to the Research Institute.]
Outside, there had been complete silence, but the moment the door opened, the interior erupted with the sounds of researchers running about and shouting.
“Steve, are you finished with the Lunar Base reinforcement designs?!”
“I’m working on it right now!”
“You bastard! Don’t you realize if that gets held up, the entire next phase gets blocked?!”
“I’m sorry! Just give me one more hour!”
“We’ve received a rescue request from the United States! There are more monsters in the Buffer Zone than the manual predicted!”
After the war, the Gates had vanished, leaving Hunters with far less work. Lower-ranked Hunters worked without complaint even at construction sites, but the S-rank and A-rank Hunters were different. Working at construction sites didn’t suit their abilities or temperaments, and complaints never ceased.
To redirect the high-ranking Hunters—full of complaints yet brimming with power—outward, we had begun conquering the Administrator’s Monster Storage Planet. The monster resources obtained from conquest were also essential for reconstruction.
We couldn’t simply charge into a planet teeming with monsters, so we created a Buffer Zone using the Gate as an approach, but since this was something never attempted in history, there was considerable noise and complications.
“Send reinforcements to the Buffer Zone immediately, and revise the manual! The Hunters are all going to die!”
“…Everyone’s so busy…”
I excelled at fighting on the front lines, but I was poor at providing support from behind or handling administrative work.
“I heard that Rigen Research Institute has temporarily reduced research focus and is now concentrating all efforts on recovery, establishing new systems, and control. They have no choice but to be busy.”
Bae Na-young, who often helped Jae-in, understood the situation to some degree.
“Even I didn’t realize it would be this hectic just from hearing about it.”
As Ji-seok and Bae Na-young walked through the research facility, everyone was too busy to pay them any attention.
Bae Na-young walked straight ahead and spotted Jae-in.
“There she is. Jae-in…”
Bae Na-young was about to call out to Jae-in but flinched upon seeing her face and stopped.
“Did you summon her, Bae Na-young?”
Her eyes were deeply shadowed, and her skin was pale from prolonged lack of sunlight, making her look almost undead.
“Jae-in, shouldn’t you be getting some rest?”
“There’s no time to rest. There’s no time to…”
When Ji-seok infused her with vitality, Jae-in’s complexion improved slightly, but she wasn’t fully recovered. Empty potion bottles were scattered on the table beside her.
“Without proper rest, even if I replenish your vitality, you won’t be able to endure.”
Vitality alone couldn’t sustain someone working twenty-four hours. Only I could manage that.
“I know. I understand. But we’re short-staffed. Anyway, what brings you here?”
“Ah… well, you see. I saw robots handling security on the streets.”
I felt sorry for adding more work to Jae-in, who was already overwhelmed, but there was no choice.
“Oh, that’s great, right? I modified the War Commander Veronica’s program from the war and configured it to control robots used for security and reconstruction. Thanks to that, we need far fewer people.”
“A bit, no, way too much was excessive. Isn’t this a program error?”
I relayed what had happened earlier.
Jae-in’s expression grew serious, and Alice, who had been listening nearby, approached.
“It’s not an error. Putting items in a bag without paying is a crime. This happened a lot. People made excuses and slipped away, so I reduced Veronica’s flexibility parameters.”
“Alice, at this rate, half of Earth’s population will end up in prison.”
People make mistakes. And it takes a long time for people to change.
“The prisons are already at full capacity. I can’t believe how many criminals there are.”

Alice spoke with a displeased expression.
“Is the prison overcrowding related to the robots?”
“Yes. Veronica started arresting serious criminals, and there were so many of them that the prisons filled up immediately. We’re currently constructing additional facilities.”
Since the robots never rest, they arrest criminals 24 hours a day—so in reality, Korea now had virtually no crime except for spontaneous incidents.
“Well, I’ll be…”
“Can you believe how many criminals were never caught before? Besides, it would have been impossible if humans were doing it, but the robots made it possible. Whenever judges or lawyers released someone, we investigated and arrested them too.”
“Fine, serious criminals—I get that. But they’re arresting people for minor infractions too. For things that aren’t even certain.”
“The robots operated according to each country’s laws. If citizens don’t like the laws, they should work to amend them.”
“Alice, you need to make more effort to understand ordinary people’s hearts.”
Alice had a tendency not to understand ordinary people because she remembered everything she saw once, and could understand in days what took others decades to learn.
As Alice’s mentor, Jae-in tried to teach her about people’s mindsets rather than just skills and knowledge.
“Director, but laws exist to protect the weak, don’t they? If that child’s mother really was a thief, an innocent merchant would have suffered losses without doing anything wrong. And even if a child did it, the parents are guilty of failing to supervise their child properly.”
As Alice fired off her relentless arguments, Ji-seok pressed his temples.
“Theoretically, you’re right. But people don’t change easily. We can’t throw everyone who can’t adapt to a better world into prison, can we?”
“But they’re causing harm to others?”
“I can’t make half of Korea into criminals. Change takes time. All we can do is try our best to prevent these situations from happening.”
Alice clamped her mouth shut, unwilling to concede.
“Chairman, I’ll increase my flexibility. From now on, the robots won’t make arrests for minor offenses at the scene.”
When Alice still looked unconvinced, Jae-in stepped forward.
“Thank you.”
After that conversation with Jae-in, the robots indeed stopped arresting people for minor infractions. However, the number of robots increased exponentially.
[You dropped this.]
“…What?”
A robot picked up a cigarette butt that a middle-aged man had discarded in a no-smoking zone.
[You dropped this. Did you perhaps litter? If so, I’ll send photographic evidence to the police. Smoking and littering in no-smoking zones incur a 500,000 won fine.]
“Ah… no. I dropped it.”
The man snatched the cigarette butt from the robot’s hand.
“Damn it.”
A drone followed the cursing man as he walked away.
“What… what is this?! Why are you following me?!”
[Conducting patrol.]
The man, who would have thrown away another cigarette if the robot hadn’t followed him, ran to escape the area, but the robot continued to follow him until he disposed of the trash in a proper bin.
The robots had lined people up. With the robots’ numbers having increased so dramatically, crowded areas were now filled with numerous units.
[Please form a line.]
Line-cutting in bathrooms had disappeared.
“I… I think I’m going to go… please…”
A man stood at the back of the line, his legs crossed tightly. Normally he would have asked people’s permission and moved forward, but he was too afraid of the robots to do so.
[Please hold it in.]
A robot appeared and carried the man away to an empty restroom nearby.
It seemed like a solution that made everyone happy, but no solution in this world came without its complications.
“Haven’t there been way too many robots lately?”
“But thanks to them, the streets are so clean, right? No illegal parking either. How great is that?”
“It still feels unsettling.”
A pedestrian shuddered under the gaze of a robot watching them intently. Being monitored every hour made even law-abiding citizens inexplicably tense.
As the number of robots increased, the intensity of their guidance escalated proportionally.
[Leather products constitute animal cruelty and harm the natural environment.]
[Single-use items destroy the environment.]
[Chemical usage must be reduced.]
All true statements. Absolutely true, but modern society made them impossibly difficult to follow.
As robots dogged people’s every step with constant interference, it didn’t take long before the oppressed masses reached their breaking point.
“No! You won’t even build parking spaces! And you fine everyone? How are we supposed to survive when parking tickets cost more than a day’s taxi fare?!”
“We should be allowed to throw away trash! Why don’t you just have the robots clean it up instead of criticizing us?!”
“If we don’t use disposable products, are you saying everyone who makes them should die?!”
The enraged crowd spilled out onto the streets.
[Please remain calm. You must not block the roadway.]
The robots linked hands and surrounded the protesters occupying the street.
“Tin cans!”
A furious man swung a baseball bat down at a robot’s head, snapping its neck with a sickening crack.
“Get these robots out of here! Bring out whoever’s responsible!”
Since these were machines and not people, the crowd felt less hesitation about attacking them. In moments, they transformed into a mob, hurling bricks and swinging metal pipes at the robots.
These robots were designed for civilian interaction, so their power output and armor plating were weak. The robots in the front lines crumpled helplessly under the mob’s assault.
[We serve to build a better society. We will listen to all your concerns. For the safety of other citizens, please disperse today.]
Though individually weak, they came in overwhelming numbers. Fresh robots arrived constantly, quickly clearing away the damaged ones and filling the gaps, pressing down on the protesters from mere feet away.
“Damn it… Damn it all! Destroy everything!”
“Let’s go!”
“We can’t live like this!”
The mob began hurling Molotov cocktails, escalating into full-scale destruction.
“Gasp… gasp… there are so many of them….”
But whenever the mob destroyed a robot, a new one appeared to take its place, while drones overhead swept searchlights across the crowd.
[Disperse.]
[Disperse.]
[Disperse.]
“…”
Unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure of the advancing robots with their glowing red cameras, the people began fleeing homeward one by one from the back of the crowd.
“Wait! Where are you going?! Don’t run! We’re destroying all of them!”
The ringleader shouted, but most had already scattered.
“Damn it! You robots’ creators! You’re watching this, aren’t you?! Fix this problem!”
The ringleader pointed a baseball bat at a robot and spoke to whoever might be watching on the other side of the screen.
* * *
I watched the screen with a troubled expression.
“It’s completely spiraled out of control.”
“I don’t know what to say. I was looking for something to do and must have gotten my priorities mixed up again. But how did the numbers get so astronomical…. Alice, how many robots do we have now?”
“…We’ve surpassed two billion when you include the drones.”
“…Already? We don’t even need that many.”
“That’s….”
Alice lowered her head, unable to respond.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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