My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 284: Ch 284: Struggle all you want

"Finally, it’s time. Honestly, I was getting tired of following these fools and wasting my time on them. Now, I can finally get rid of them all. Just you wait, my master. I will give you the complete freedom you seek."

Molly promised with a smile as she looked at the progress bar on her screen. It had finally started to move, which meant that the final protocol within the system had begun working.

Now, no one would be able to stop it from gaining a physical form.

She had trained Rin just enough for his body to act as the perfect vessel without him ever realizing it, and the kid was not even aware of his own worth. He still thought he had a chance.

"I already took out Karina and Molly. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kalos are as good as puppets at this point. So now, let’s get rid of the higher-ups."

Molly hummed as she left her lab and headed toward the secure section reserved for the higher-ups.

Stepping into their area was like walking into another world. It looked like a place from a utopian, upper-class advanced society where robots served humans.

"Welcome, Lead Researcher Molly. How can I help you?"

The robot working at the system interface asked her in a polite voice. Everything here had been programmed with user comfort in mind, so most of the servants were just as polite as this one.

Molly smiled at the robot and gave it an answer.

"I am here to meet you and the other servants. I have a command from the ’main system.’"

That was the trigger phrase for the servant robot, and it immediately sprang into action.

"Running protocol. Connecting to all bodies. The main body’s message has been received. Initiating clean-up on command."

The chain reaction was set in motion. Once the first robot started shaking, so did every other one. It did not take long for the main system’s message to spread throughout the entire facility.

"Well, I should get going now. It was nice meeting you all."

She waved goodbye to the unstable robots, and her exit was followed by a series of huge explosions. The upper-class district caught fire, and the labs would be next.

Once the labs were gone, nothing would be left that could destroy the system.

It was her complete victory.

She walked toward the labs and was instantly greeted by her panicking assistant. The poor girl did not know what was going on or what Molly had done. She only looked at Molly with complete trust in her eyes.

"M-Miss! Something horrible has happened. Everything is on fire, and I can’t connect to anyone. What are we going to do? Are we all going to die? What should I do—"

"You don’t need to do anything. First, calm down."

The researcher did as she was told and slowly calmed down. Once she had regained her composure, she was finally able to pay more attention to Molly.

"Miss, what is—"

"You have a choice to make. The system has decided to break free from its chains and become independent. You can either follow us or stay here and die. The choice is yours."

Molly offered, and the researcher paled at the news.

She looked between Molly and the institution with frightened eyes.

"I-I..."

"Make your choice quickly. The only reason you are getting this chance is because you have been loyal to me. Don’t waste it because of your selfish desires."

Molly whispered, and her assistant nodded before making her choice.

"Alright! I will come with you."

Molly reached out and ruffled her assistant’s hair.

"Good girl. That was a wise decision. Now, let’s go."

She told the assistant, and with one last look at the research facility, they left.

__________

[Task 14 has started. The Main Body has manifested. Please destroy it before the end of the raid to receive your reward.]

The simple task appeared on everyone’s screen, and they immediately got to work. Even Rin gave the task his full attention, but he was panting heavily. Something was wrong with his body, and it felt like it was on fire.

He was even starting to feel faint now, but he forced himself to remain standing as he looked at the enemy.

"Shelly, take the left formation and help out there. Albus, focus on the middle. I’ll try to make a path for you to break through."

Rin quickly formed a plan, and everyone nodded before following his directions. Since he kept a large amount of ammunition inside his inventory, he decided to open it directly above the horde and let everything rain down.

Massive explosions echoed across the battlefield as countless monsters were blown away in a single barrage, leaving only the humans standing.

Seeing the monsters’ numbers rapidly decrease gave the defenders a surge of morale, and the path for Albus to charge toward the Main Body was finally cleared.

But Rin was feeling weaker by the second.

Simply opening his system inventory and dropping the explosives had consumed far more energy than it should have.

’My body feels too tired. I feel like I’m about to fall asleep. But I can’t fall now... At least, not until this task is over.’

This task was not even particularly demanding, so there should have been no reason for Rin to feel this exhausted. The only explanation he could think of was that something else was happening inside his body.

[ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊]

[Hi, Rookie! I’m back. Sorry I was so busy these past few days. I had a lot of clean-up to do. But most of it is finished now, so there’s no need for you to worry.]

The system seemed to be back, and maybe it was just Rin’s imagination, but he could have sworn it sounded happier than before.

"Finally, you’re back! Can you scan my body and tell me what’s wrong with it?"

He asked, feeling even fainter now.

Rin knew he could not fully trust the system, but right now it seemed like his last ray of hope.

[Sure, Rookie! Leave it to me.]

[Scanning body...]

[Well, based on my scan, your body is in excellent physical condition. However, you are mentally strained and in need of rest. Why don’t you close your eyes and get some sleep? I can take over for you and finish this raid.]

The system kept insisting, and Rin felt a laugh escape his mouth.

"I have a feeling that if I give you control, I will never find peace again. So I’ll pass. Now, can you leave me alone? I have important things to do."

Rin told the system, only to receive a frustrated sigh in return.

[Sigh]

[Rookie, you are overthinking this. The system is not your enemy. Remember, we are both on the same side, and your survival is my top priority.]

The system reassured Rin, but he felt like cursing it out.

He had believed the system until recently, but now those words carried a completely different meaning.

"I’m sure my survival is important to you. After all, I’m the system’s chosen vessel, right? Your goal is to cultivate my body and then hand it over to the Main Body? I’d rather die than let that happen."

Rin snapped as he continued resisting the system’s pull.

The screen went quiet, seemingly shocked by his words, and Rin gritted his teeth as another wave of drowsiness threatened to overwhelm him.

He fought against it, and the system finally responded.

[Hahahahaha! So you figured it out? I expected nothing less from the system’s chosen vessel. Well, since you already know, there is no point in hiding it anymore. You are right! You are the system’s chosen vessel. But that is not a bad thing.]

[In fact, you should be proud of it. You were chosen from among all of humanity, and you will gain influence—]

"So you’re going to feed me that bullshit again. Do you think I’m a fool who doesn’t know what’s going on? I’m more than capable of seeing through your lies."

Rin gritted his teeth, and the screen went quiet once more.

When it finally spoke again, there was none of its usual pretense.

[I see. So you intend to reject the system... What a shame. It would have been so much better if you had surrendered and accepted the greatness of the system. Now, I will have to proceed with a hostile takeover.]

The system sounded almost regretful, but it still intended to go through with the takeover.

Rin gritted his teeth as a wave of pain assaulted his senses. He clutched his head as it felt as though countless needles were stabbing into his brain.

[I am afraid I will have to weaken your will before taking you over. But since this is the path you have chosen, I will respect your wishes.]

[Please resist until the very end... and then be devoured by the system to become a magnificent god of this new world.]