The key

"Ow, that hurts! Little one, be gentle."

"I know, honestly. Didn't you wear a seat belt in there? You got banged up so badly you're bleeding..."

"I was in a hurry to shut down the tunnel boring machine, so I forgot~."

Koleda was applying medicine to Grace. Earlier, the violent jolting in the tunnel boring machine's cab had left her bruised in several places.

They had now returned to Grace's damaged workshop. Anton and Big Ben had gone outside to deal with the aftermath and assess the losses, while Red One and his two brothers, who had come along, stayed beside them.

Oh, and there were also the tunnel boring machine and the grabber, which had already had their four legs and equipment removed. Both were now suspended in midair by the workshop's hoist chains.

"I'm putting medicine on you. Stop moving!"

Koleda turned Grace's head back from where she had turned to look at Red One, then continued applying medicine to her forehead.

Beside them, Blue Two pulled a thermometer out of Red One's hair, checked it, and said:

"Mm, it's down to forty-two degrees now. You can touch people."

Red One ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh, the aftereffects of that mode are torture. I got so hot I nearly short-circuited."

Yellow Three: "Go back. Master. Repairs."

Blue Two: "Still as obscure and hard to understand as ever."

"President, I'm back."

Ben walked in through the huge hole in the wall, a notebook still in his hand.

Koleda: "Big Ben, you're back. How bad were the losses from this accident?"

"Well, things aren't looking very optimistic..."

Ben listed the losses tallied outside for Koleda, one by one, but her expression grew graver the more she heard. Red One and his brothers pretended to play on their phones while pricking up their ears to eavesdrop.

Ben: "...That's everything in detail. After tallying everything and converting the damage caused by the tunnel boring machine and the others into monetary terms, the total came to at least thirteen million Denny.

Some unfinished developments were also affected to varying degrees. Anton has already taken people to inspect them, but we don't have any results yet. Still, rest assured, President, this accident didn't cause any additional casualties."

Grace breathed a sigh of relief at that. At least no one had been hurt. But Koleda's young face remained just as grave.

The damage caused by the tunnel boring machine and the grabber was simply too great. Even setting aside the pile driver that had run into the Hollow, those two alone had caused over thirteen million in losses by wrecking machinery and smashing building materials.

More importantly, the accident had caused far too much of a commotion to cover up. Although Public Security hadn't been called in to handle it, spies from other companies would inevitably spread word of it.

Those rivals would love nothing more than for this to become as big a scandal as possible. If they used it to make a fuss about Belobog Heavy Industries, it would certainly have a considerable impact on the company.

Koleda shook her head, putting those thoughts aside for now. After bandaging the wound on Grace's forehead, she asked seriously:

"Grace, have you figured out why the tunnel boring machine and the others went out of control?"

"Mm, I already know what made the children lose control. Little one, look."

As she spoke, Grace took out her terminal and showed her a mass of incomprehensible data.

Grace: "These are what caused the children to lose control-these virus-like things!"

Koleda and Ben looked but couldn't understand it, though they still believed what Grace said. Red One and his brothers, stealing glances their way, focused their eyes on it, but couldn't understand a single passage either.

Grace: "I found this inside the tunnel boring machine. It was hidden extremely well, and it took me ages to remove it from that child's system. Oh, right, I'll have to inspect the grabber's system later too..."

"A virus... Could it be those bastards?! Damn it, have they actually stooped to using underhanded tricks like this just to suppress us?!"

Koleda spoke furiously, believing it was very likely the work of those rival companies that were always resorting to dirty tricks. Right then, she felt an urge to march over and hammer those rival companies into their foundations.

"W-well, Grace, can you trace the virus's source?"

As Ben spoke, Grace placed her hand on Koleda's head and rubbed it twice, explaining with a smile:

"Oh, little one, I haven't finished yet. Don't jump to conclusions so soon. I've checked, and this virus definitely wasn't their doing."

"Don't touch my head. I'll stop growing..." she muttered.

Koleda turned her head away and shyly removed Grace's hand, though it did soften the shifting expressions on her little face.

"Ahem. What do you mean?"

Grace: "After studying it carefully, I discovered that the culprit isn't actually a virus.

The reason I called it 'virus-like' is that it's incomplete, which makes it function like a virus."

Grace spoke rapidly while doing something on her terminal.

"It's actually a key program transmitted through signals that can seamlessly access every model of 'heavy intelligent construction machinery.' Even if they're shut down, as long as they have enough energy to start, it can initiate their startup sequence through a design feature I'd never noticed before.

And this key also contains operational instructions for 'intelligent heavy construction machinery,' along with other information. It seems to want them to do something, but we don't know what yet.

However, after examining it, I found that many parts were missing. It isn't complete. The reason they went berserk was probably this key's incomplete state.

On the way back here with you, I tried repairing it. There are still some gaps, but it can run normally now."

With that, Grace pressed the transmit button on her terminal. Then everyone, still rather bewildered by her explanation, saw the suspended tunnel boring machine turn on.

First, a broken ring rotated a few times on its screen, then an expression appeared.

"Hello, Grace. I am the 'Intelligent Heavy Construction Machinery for Hollow Use, Type III: Tunnel Boring Machine.' I will obey instructions and proceed to the Hollow at all costs... Coordinates **...***, area... Driver... Plaza."

An androgynous voice sounded from the tunnel boring machine, broadcasting in the format of a system report, but its tone changed the very next second.

"Wait, these location details are so incomplete, and you haven't even fitted my legs. How do you expect me to get there? Some parts feel strange. It's uncomfortable, and my voice sounds strange too. I want to change it..."

Grace went forward to soothe it. "There, there. I'm sorry for waking you so suddenly. Don't worry about any of that. Go back to sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up."

Tunnel boring machine: "Okay..."

After that single-word reply, Grace shut the tunnel boring machine down, sending it back to sleep. The sight left all five of them dumbfounded.

"So it actually has intelligence? I thought it was just a machine."

Red One stopped even pretending now and came closer to ask.

"As the very core of our competitive strength at Belobog Heavy Industries, such beautiful and powerful machines certainly can't be without souls to match!

That's why I've updated their logic cores many times, to make their souls fuller."

Blue Two: "So they have logic cores installed too?"

Yellow Three: "Me too. Surprised."

"They do. Their souls need vessels, after all."

Grace spoke with pride and fascination, then turned to look at Red One again, her expression growing increasingly entranced as she said:

"By the way, gentlemen, your bodies all seem to have been damaged by the tunnel boring machine, haven't they? If you don't mind, I can repair you here as compensation."