Pathway to Japanese Literature

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The Secret of Artificial Human TanksAuthor: Unno Juza

Original Title	人造人間戦車の機密
Author	海野十三
Genre	Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In the sweltering depths beneath Shanghai, eccentric inventor Dr. Kin toils in a refrigerated lab, shielded from cosmic rays and interruptions—until a secret envoy arrives bearing an unusual gift: kangaroo jerky. The envoy, representing exiled warlord Shō Kaiseki, demands blueprints for Dr. Kin’s latest creation—the Artificial Human Tank, a hybrid of mechanized infantry and armored vehicle activated by radio waves. Though wary of Shō’s incompetence, Dr. Kin relents, enticed by the rare delicacy and a promise of future compensation. \nMeanwhile, in Australia’s scorching Sunday Desert, Shō’s million-strong remnant army plots a comeback using the invention. But as his engineers mass-produce lifeless artificial humans, tensions erupt with Indigenous communities who mistake the stockpiled figures for corpses. When Shō deploys his new weapon against their uprising, a catastrophic oversight emerges—the tanks’ engines, designed for the northern hemisphere, spiral backward in the south. The result is a darkly ironic reversal of fortune, blending ambition with hubris and science with fatal miscalculation. \nBrimming with retro-futurist intrigue and wry humor, this tale weaves geopolitical scheming, desert warfare, and a cautionary twist on human ingenuity—all while keeping readers guessing what calamity awaits next.