The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 21

Ugh. Pondering my options, I hesitantly shuffled toward Frey. There was no rule in the manual against hugging him, so it should be fine, right? 

 

Squeak, squeak… Squeak, squeak…

 

Following my movements, the massive eyeballs rolled over. My reflection was captured perfectly within Frey’s pupils. 

 

‘Hiiieeeeek!’ 

 

I could bet my life that my body had turned a bruised shade of blue right now, as if all the blood had been drained out of me. 

 

Meanwhile, every worker held their breath at my sudden, unexpected action. 

 

Sure, they were probably curious about what this jelly was doing.

 

Even so, the workers’ hands did not stop.

 

The defective products filtered out by them were destined to travel down the line toward the furnace. 

 

If this attempt goes wrong, I will also be considered a defective product and sent to the blast furnace.

 

I swallowed hard.

 

Clack.

 

Clack, clack.

 

Clack.

 

The sounds of workers filtering out defects could be heard irregularly.

 

‘…Wait, the sound of filtering out defects?’

 

Squeak.

 

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind. 

 

I stopped in my tracks immediately. 

 

“Hello! Frey!”

 

The eyes that had been looking at me blinked as if returning the greeting.

 

Greeting the Chief Manager is part of the Middle Manager’s manual. 

 

If you don’t follow the manual, you are considered defective and disposed of. 

 

The same applied to the workers. 

 

And.

 

If there are manuals for the workers and Middle Managers?  

 

‘There must be a manual that the Chief Manager has to follow as well.’

 

Because no entity in this factory is free from the rules.

 

And what if the Chief Manager breaks a rule?

 

‘It will be considered a defective product.’

 

Then it might have to eliminate itself, or at the very least, it might cause an error in these rules. 

 

The problem is that I don’t know what manual has been assigned to the Chief Manager.

 

If that’s the case, I have to carefully observe what he does and what he doesn’t do. 

 

I remained standing still, locking eyes with Frey. 

 

First, let’s test how much movement is permitted for me. 

 

“Frey! Is it okay to resume the inspection work?”

 

“….”

 

Is even this not allowed? 

 

The moment I thought that, Frey obediently nodded its head.

 

It seems up to this point is within the permitted range.

 

Once permission was granted, the other animatronics began to scatter to manage the workers.

 

I also stared intently at Frey while taking steps backward.

 

The same spot, the same posture, the same reaction.

 

Frey has never once intervened directly in the work.

 

‘Is this his role?’

 

Not interfering. Only watching.

 

‘The Chief Manager doesn’t intervene.’

 

My mind started spinning. 

 

Even earlier, when he threw the worker who broke the manual into the furnace, Frey had intervened indirectly using a joystick. He could have just moved his hands directly. 

 

‘In that case…’

 

It was just as I was coming up with a few hypotheses.

 

Frey’s eyes suddenly moved upward.

 

‘What is it?’

 

Frey slowly lifted its hunched body.

 

Then the animatronics greeted Frey once again.

 

“Goodbye, Frey!”

 

“It was nice seeing you!”

 

“See you next time!”

 

Huh? They’re saying goodbye?

 

I grew anxious.

 

“Frey, are you leaving already?!”

 

Frey gave a small nod.

 

“When will you come next time?”

 

It didn’t answer this question.

 

This is bad. If it doesn’t come back for a few days like this……

 

I swallowed a groan as I looked at the workers. We weren’t animatronics; we were humans and an alien.

 

Living creatures that need to eat to survive! 

 

If we have to keep inspecting defects like this, we might end up starving to death.

 

I have to do something!

 

How do I make Frey perform an unexpected action?!

 

Just then, someone’s voice echoed in my head.

 

—Dodam!

 

I turned my head as if drawn by something. I locked eyes with my brother in the ventilation shaft.

 

The black flapjack octopus, with all its yellow eyes wide open, had its arms spread wide. As if asking for a hug!

 

“…!”

 

What that meant was clear.

 

I took a deep breath, ran toward Frey, and stretched out both arms.

 

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

 

“Frey, hug me!”

 

Flinch!

 

Frey’s arms moved ever so slightly.

 

Just a tiny bit.

 

It was a tremble that could be dismissed as a mechanical error.

 

But I clearly saw it.

 

Even the way Frey stopped, as if it realized it was a wrong motion!

 

‘This is it!’

 

I felt certain.

 

This factory runs on rules. Just as the floor workers and middle managers have manuals, the Supreme Manager definitely has a line it must keep.

 

“Frey!”

 

I shouted once more.

 

“Give me a hug!” 

 

“….”

 

This time, the hesitation was long.

 

Frey’s eyes trembled finely. As if something were clashing inside that massive body.

 

I spoke calmly once again.

 

“I’ll give you a hug.”

 

As if telling it not to hesitate anymore.

 

Then Frey slowly lifted its arms, trying to embrace me.

 

At the same time.

 

[Warning!]

[Chief Manager behavior pattern deviation!]

 

Red text floated above the factory.

 

Beep— Beep— Beep—

 

Warning sirens blared as the warning lights attached to the factory walls began to flash.

 

The floor rumbled, and the walls vibrated.

 

The conveyor belts stopped all at once, letting out metallic screeches.

 

It’s shaking—!

 

I clung tightly to a nearby pillar, while the workers tumbled to the floor.  

 

The animatronics were unable to manage the workers and were running around in confusion.

 

Just then.

 

[Unmanageable state detected.]

 

As the text appeared, the internal structure of the factory began to shift out of alignment. 

 

The production lines moved haphazardly, and defect judgments popped up and disappeared.

 

The floor split open with a crack.

 

Black fissures spread as hot air leaked out from inside.

 

“Oppa!”

 

Amidst the chaos, I turned my head to look for my brother. Right on time, my brother pushed open the ventilation shaft and jumped toward me.

 

As I hugged my brother tightly, music mixed with static flowed out of the factory’s speakers.

 

Chrrk—

 

Bzzzt—

 

♪ Ta-da, ta-da— ♪ 

 

…It was an overly cheerful melody you’d expect to hear at an amusement park.

 

Along with it, Frey’s eyes wavered. The gaze that had been fixed on me until just now wandered as if searching through the empty air.

 

[Startup log error]

[Restoring initial objective]

 

Overlapping voices flowed through the speakers.

 

[W—e—l—c—o—m—e]

[P—l—e—a—s—e—e—n—j—o—y—y—o—u—r—t—i—m—e]

 

I caught my breath.

 

It’s a theme park song.

 

That’s right. After being abandoned by humans, Frey had been building a theme park in the factory.

 

And originally, this was a place to greet each other and dance together.

 

Frey’s arms, which had stopped midway while trying to hug me, were trembling.

 

A faint friction sound came from the joints where metal and rubber interlocked.

 

The factory was strangely quiet. As if even the breathing sounds of the workers had ceased.

 

“…Hug…?”

 

Just then, Frey’s mouth mimicked human speech for the first time.

 

It wasn’t a complete sentence.

 

“If I give you a hug… will you… come back?”

 

“….”

 

That clumsy question somehow made my chest tighten.

 

The terrifying monster had instantly become an abandoned child.

 

No longer the Chief Manager, but the Frey of the original work, still yearning for the attention and love of the humans who abandoned him… 

 

Who turned you into such a terrifying monster?

 

I placed my brother on my head and spread my arms wide.

 

“Frey, I’m not just coming back. We’ll be together forever!”