'Look, Mom, I did it! I really did it.'
'Do you see this? I made it to the peak!'
'Now I will keep my promise, Mom… I will make sure people don't have to die!'
'So please... hang on a little longer... just a bit more.'
'I promise... I will save you.'
"W-what was I... What was I thinking just now?" he whispered in shock, covering his open mouth with his hand.
Something strange was happening to his memory. Certain coincidences easily triggered familiar associations from his home world. In addition, sometimes memories would surface on their own, evoking strange feelings for a few moments.
But at the same time, if he tried to force himself to remember something, he would only be met with torment and failure. It was like a curse.
But anyway, he finished searching the corpses.
As he had expected, there were no maps or papers that could provide any context for the situation. This was not surprising, since such information was most likely stored on chips in the heads of the dead.
Moreover, while interacting with advanced intelligence, he realized one of its significant shortcomings. Paymax could know everything on the planet, come up with hundreds of jokes... But it desperately needed user control or at least competent configuration.
And yet, in a world where chips were implanted in people's heads and biometric verification was required to access weapons, the words of the advanced intelligence that it was "outlawed" seemed tempting.
"Haa, I think that's everything," he sighed deeply, looking over the items he had pulled from the wreckage.
Most of the corpses had clear, tanned skin, well-groomed facial hair, and military uniforms in black and red. Among their arsenal were advanced rifles, the mechanics of which he did not understand, pistols, and other weapons.
However, all of them paled in comparison to something that resembled a harpoon. It was made of solid silvery steel, and just looking at it seemed like it could cut you. It felt like this device was designed specifically to hunt real monsters and could even pierce a tank.
Unfortunately, this device weighed more than 50 kilograms and had a monstrous system of user checks and settings.
"Paymax, give us a brief summary of where we are now. About the Pit."
The first and most important weapon he chose for himself was a knife, almost unlike any he had encountered in his previous life. The dagger was longer than his forearm and resembled a small, wide sword. No checks were required for full use.
It was made of the same silvery material as the harpoon, had a wide blade at the beginning, but tapered towards the end. It seemed that, like the harpoon, this dagger was literally born for hunting monsters, and that was frightening.
"With pleasure. In a nutshell, there is a common belief that it is hell itself and the grave in which he himself is buried..."
"Give me more context and specifics without any fairy tales." He found himself sighing more and more often at such answers.
"Agreed. These lands were formerly known as the Abode of Knowledge and belonged to the Peak of Knowledge…"
"Ahh, don't resort to terms just yet."
"As you wish. This place is a remnant of the greatest war, which ended with an unprecedented change of power! They say that even after defeat, the Peak remains the Peak, albeit a fallen one. The amount of technology and dangers buried here is still a source of rumors and legends... It's not surprising, since their creator was a truly legendary being!"
"That's better... What was the name of this legendary being?" he asked cautiously.
"My databases only have one title for it — Emperor of Machines."
"Is this the same all-knowing and all-encompassing one, the one whose name cannot be spoken? Don't glitch again."
"Of course not. The one whose name cannot be spoken was his enemy and is standing just behind you at this very moment!"
"…!"
That answer knocked all the air out of his lungs, and he spun around hastily.
"…"
His gaze fell upon the very same frightening statue looming directly over his grave. There were no noticeable changes to it.
"Big Brother is watching you," read the inscription on the statue.
A thought came to his mind.
'Did he put it there as a monument to his victory?'
Although he made this assumption, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else behind such a grandiose gesture. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out what it was.
As his next weapon, he chose one of the pistols, which resembled a high-tech nail gun. Unfortunately, in order to use it, he had to select a suitable finger and perform some rather unpleasant procedures.
"By the way, my words about this place being hell itself are not unfounded. The Pit is extremely huge, and there is a belief that there is no way out of here! Who knows how many circles of hell are hidden here... Wait, I know! I am happy to tell you that, fortunately, we are very lucky to end up right... right at the... and we... Beep!"
"Wait, wait, that's enough, Paymax, don't strain yourself."
"Stranger, these mistakes make me want to cry!"
"You are a robot, Paymax, and you cannot want to cry."
"That's right. Interesting fact: I used this term to reduce your stress level and achieve..."
"A dirty pit, Paymax. Imagine that you are buried underground while the world burns to the ground. Think about it."
Fortunately, he had already begun to get used to this robot and found a couple of ways to shut it up.
When he was done with the weapons, he started looking through the equipment. The first thing he found was a rather impressive pair of binoculars. They had thermal and night vision modes, were equipped with a rechargeable battery, and, again, had no ID checks.
After rummaging around a bit more, he found a couple more items that could help him survive.
Among the belongings of this squad, he even found the remains of a guitar and strummed the strings a little. The sounds were broken, but there was something nostalgic and warm about them.
"Paymax, can you tell me what you've decided about these corpses?"
"They're probably members of a drug cartel or gang who broke away from their subculture."
"Subculture?" The expression caught him off guard. "What does that word have to do with anything?"
"It's the only suitable term left in my databases!" the planet's hologram replied desperately.
"Okay, okay. Are you suggesting that this mass murder was the result of some kind of mafia or cartel turf war? But then why in the Pit? Are there no other secluded places?"
"Beep! Yes and no. Most likely, the Pit is indeed the best place for such a thing... But I never said that some kind of mafia or crime group was involved! Based on the data, I can assume that the situation was deliberately staged to look like a feud or an old vendetta."
"A vendetta...? Okay, what's your opinion?"
"Something supernatural is involved here... And top secret! Unfortunately, it's impossible to know exactly what it is yet, but no one goes down into the Pit just like that. These people planned it and were desperate to get here."
"Paymax, when are you going to tone down this friendly mode... But okay, I think I understand you."
As his last piece of equipment, he took a rather interesting metal cable lying right next to his grave. At its end was a hook, and at the beginning was a special mechanism with a handle, apparently responsible for automatic lifting This device was disassembled and could only be turned on after identification verification.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a suitable finger or chip among the scattered limbs. Consequently, the most basic function of the automatic hook was unavailable. He was almost certain that he had checked each of the seven corpses.
He also found something strange that resembled a deck of playing cards... But he decided to deal with that later.
The corpses, the smell of rot, and the swarming maggots were already getting on his nerves. So, after gathering everything he needed and finding suitable clothes in his backpack, he was ready to hit the road.
"Well, Paymax, I've given you plenty of time to think. I don't want to stay here any longer, and it's time for you to make a decision too. Come with me or continue to rot in this pit... or just blow yourself up. What do you think?"
"Paymax didn't need a second to think about something so trivial, he was just playing hard to get…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get down to business."
"If your goals do not differ from mine for the prosperity of the whole world, Paymax agrees to accept you as a temporary user! Congratulations!"
Various special effects appeared around the hologram of the planet, glowing orbs began to float around, and people in the form of... angels?
"Goals, yes...? I think that what I hope for will only make the world better, so... Okay, Paymax. But just keep in mind that, in my understanding, a temporary user is entitled to all the privileges of a real one."
"Of course."
"Then let's go."
He put the bracelet on his left hand and stared at the hologram for a couple of seconds.
"Welcome, new user! According to Directive 4, every new user must complete a mandatory questionnaire..."
A moment later, the slider on the bracelet was turned. Paymax's speech was abruptly cut off, the hologram rippled, and soon disappeared.
Finally, silence reigned in the area.
"Haa... That's better."
For a while, he breathed in the clean air and looked at the white and red forest ahead.
He was now afraid to even look back — there was no real choice left. Swallowing hard, he forced down the rising anxiety and stepped forward.
Straight into the forest of blood-red trees.
...
After a while, when the man with the black bracelet on his arm disappeared behind the trees, all sounds and movements finally ceased.
A deathly silence settled over everything.
The enormous statue still stood exactly where it had been.
"..."
Only its once-closed eyes were now… open. Stretched unnaturally wide.
The statue's gaze was fixed on the back of the man as he walked away.