Episode 367 Underground Expansion Construction (2)
Rebel Ten’s new construction has begun.
Digging down the inside of a giant volcano was a real arduous task.
Even Bikir, who has crossed countless dead lines, thought of this construction as ‘probably a heavy labor unprecedented in human history’.
…Wood Deuk!
Bikir rolled a huge boulder with his bare body.
The task of pushing a rock up a steep incline.
The rock was not only heavy, but also hot. As if it had just been taken out of the fire.
But it wasn’t just the rock that was being pushed up.
Digging earth, spouting groundwater, erupting sulfur gas, molten rock, rolling oil vapor, burning fire.
Everything in the construction site in the crater was extremely hot.
Prisoners had to walk barefoot and carry heavy objects on the bedrock that was burning like crazy.
In the interior of this extreme heat, the skin becomes dry and crispy.
Even the blood, sweat, and moisture of the flesh had all drained away, and beneath it, only bony bones and bundles of nerves remained.
Compared to this heavy labor, the entrance ceremony really feels like a child’s play in the cradle.
……If Bikir, who has risen to the ranks of superhumans, is at this level, what about the other prisoners?
Everywhere in the workshop, there were people falling down one after another, and whenever they did, the sound of whipping by the guards resonated.
High-level prisoners of level 6 or 7 and above also collapse one by one from the continuous high-intensity labor and poor meals.
Every time that happened, the low-level prisoners upstairs had to shudder.
“Did you hear? There was a death in Level Six this time.”
“What? Level 6 is where the weapon inmates are confined, right?”
“There are deaths there too. I thought it was a place where only pure monsters were gathered.”
“Even among those monsters, superiority and inferiority will be divided based on strength.”
“Damn, the guy who died there would have reigned like a king if he had been on our floor, right?”
How harsh is the depths of the workshop, seeing monsters much stronger and more ferocious than themselves fall like that?
That is why the prisoners on the upper floors are careful and careful not to be transferred to the lower floors.
Naturally, the vague fear of the prisoners downstairs who survived in such a harsh environment has no choice but to grow.
Meanwhile, the prisoners downstairs lived for the amusement of laughing and belittling their dying comrades and prisoners upstairs.
“Hey, I heard there was a dead person upstairs? It must have died while working.”
“At level 6? You’re doing all the disgrace of a weapon inmate. Such a weak fellow should have been moved upstairs.”
“So? Who ate it? A corpse. My mouth is watering…” “They said that all
the people around them had eaten it and there was nothing left. There was nothing left to eat because there were only bones and skins.”
It is a strangely perverted boast about the layer to which one belongs.
It was pride and a sense of superiority over who was enduring more severe pain.
In such an atmosphere, the corpse of a prisoner who died as dry as a mummy does not receive any sympathy or remembrance.
“That monster has finally died. There’s nothing to notice anymore.”
“Haha- I worked comfortably in a cooler place than I did, but I’m like that. It’s pathetic.”
Only fear, contempt, ridicule and a sigh of relief are sent to the dead.
Even a corpse is reduced to a piece of meat to be swallowed by chewing a few bites.
The construction site of ‘Level 10’ was such a place.
at that time.
Touu-
The sound of hornets announcing that it was time for lunch rang out from everywhere.
A honey-like 10-minute break. Time to melt faster than ice cream thrown into lava.
This mealtime was the only hope and oasis that made it possible to endure the day.
…tuk! …tuk! …tuk! …tuk!
Wardens circulated among the spread out prisoners, distributing food from baskets.
Bikir was also provided with lunch, the only meal distributed once a day.
…tuk!
What fell in front of my eyes was a loaf of bread charred to the point that I thought it might be coal.
It is originally a rough and hard bread, but it has become darker and harder as if there was some mistake in the cooking process.
Also, salted sardines that had not been gutted were served on bread, and a foul smell emanated from them, probably because they had been damaged in the heat during the transportation process.
But the prisoners ate even that thankfully.
Bikir thought intently as he chewed on bread and salted sardines.
‘……Was the message delivered well?’
Before being escorted to New Vague, a message was delivered to those who remained through Sindi Wendy.
And just in case, he even left a message through Isabella before entering the Iron Maiden.
You don’t know what demons will do on the ground without confidence.
It was clear that the rest of the 10-year-olds must be quite impatient now that their comrades have disappeared.
However, Bikir can no longer defend the ground because he has work to do here in Nouvelle Vague.
That’s why Bikir has shared his plans for the future through some trusted people.
‘I’ll have to do what I can for now.’
Bikir brushed off his thoughts and looked up.
What spreads out in front of you is a vast crater, a tunnel where sulfur gas and lava bubbling.
It is hard to believe that it is inside an extinct volcano.
‘Here’s what I’m looking for.’
Bikir peered into the bottom of the pit, not knowing how much longer he would have to dig.
At that time, Dekarabia, who had been silent on Vikir’s chest until now, opened her mouth.
[It’s not long. Surely ‘it’ is nearby.]
“I see. I thought so too.”
Bikir nodded, remembering the memories before returning.
The Rebel Ten project here in Nouvelle Vague aims to expand the interior space by digging deep into the extinct volcano.
And it also partially served Bikir’s purpose.
Bikir had to dig down this volcano because he had something to look for, even if it wasn’t for the level ten construction.
To do so, he personally came down to Nouvelle Vague even while embroidering.
It was as if the strength of countless prisoners was helping Bikir.
at that time.
“……!”
Something interrupted Bikir’s thoughts.
A group of prisoners could be heard giggling and shouting in the workshops up there.
“Hey! ‘Stupid Gareum’!”
“The number of breads is not enough! Damn it! What if I make a mistake with this!”
“Damn it again!? What is this saying, we’re going to starve!?”
“Give me your share of bread, you bastard!”
It was an amazing scene.
Prisoners were blaming and swearing at the guard.
And it seems that the jailer is rather embarrassed.
Bikir recognized the jailer’s face at a glance.
‘It seems strangely often.’
The jailer was Second Lieutenant Garreum, who had given Bikir various directions before.
The guard’s hat, which was worn deep enough to cover his face, and the burn scars covering his face made it easy to remember his face, but made it difficult to properly identify his features.
“I’m sorry. Prisoners. There is a problem with the bread distribution, so the number is not enough.”
“There’s a problem! You must have taken our bread to the other guards!”
The condemnation of the prisoners was fierce. It was only natural that I couldn’t eat the bread that was given once a day.
The work system of Nouvelle Vague is a bit unusual, with one guard directing dozens of prisoners to work in their respective areas.
The guard in charge and the prisoner in charge are changed every month, and all of these are recorded as monthly performance, giving both the prisoner and the prisoner advantages and disadvantages.
Therefore, the guards do their best to improve the work efficiency of the prisoners they are in charge of this month, mainly using whipping or solitary confinement as weapons.
However, working efficiency does not increase by just craving it. So, the guards encouraged the prisoners in charge by giving them good work tools or giving them another piece of bread.
And naturally, there are conflicts and wars of nerves between the guards, such as putting a prisoner who is good at listening to his team into his group or sneaking out more work tools or bread to give to the prisoners.
Of course, here in the New Wave, all goods are limited and extremely scarce, so if someone eats more, someone else must starve.
So, the prisoners who joined Second Lieutenant Garreum’s team were outraged at his timidity that, instead of bringing them more bread or work tools, he was taken away by other guards and prisoners.
“Damn it! What’s the point of being assigned to the group of ‘stupid garum’!”
“Among the new ensigns, I heard that son has the lowest performance?”
“It’s pitiful, but I’m ignored by my fellow guards and even by the prisoners.”
“Did you hear? Those burn marks on your face are also injuries from a prisoner?”
“Kuh-kuh-is that all? That idiot said that even his meals are taken away by the prisoners.”
“Should I tell you something more surprising? I heard that high-level prisoners even make him wait on him at night. Heck heck heck!”
It was only then that Bikir, who heard the prisoner’s story, realized why the guard’s face looked familiar.
‘It must have been all sorts of hard and difficult things that took place all the time.’
Even among the guards, going to guide the prisoners at Level 9 would be something that would be reluctant.
You never know when you’ll be in danger.
Meanwhile, even though 10 minutes had passed since the meal time, the prisoners in charge of Gareum were still stretching their legs out.
“I’m sick! I couldn’t even eat bread anyway, so I’m not working! Just hit me, hit me!”
“I’m not going to work either~”
“Since I’m in the stupid group anyway, this month’s workload has gone through the water.”
“I just want to be punished.”
“Hey, take out that triplet from your waist. Then kill me.”
In the midst of a group of prisoners, Lieutenant Garreum was at a loss, not knowing what to do.
Certainly, there seemed to be a bit of an awkward side to him.
Meanwhile, seeing it, Bikir thought.
‘Come to think of it, other prisoners also slow down.’
It is natural that the stronger and more ferocious prisoners are, the more uncooperative they are with the construction.
Prisoners who were imprisoned at a higher level tended to neglect their work, and the guards did not easily intervene with these prisoners.
It is because they are dangerous people who are fortunate enough not to cause a disturbance.
‘If I work too hard by myself in such a yard, that would look strange too.’
Vikir is an inmate of Level 9. Most of the floors of Level 9 are empty.
This is because most of them frequently go in and out of solitary confinement due to mutiny, dissent, or being taken as subjects of Level 1 transfer.
However, for personal reasons, Bikir had to participate diligently in the Rebel Ten construction work, but if he made a mistake, there was a risk of raising suspicion that he was doing his labor too diligently for a prisoner of Rebel Nine.
‘In order to do that, there must be at least one ‘justification’. …… And there’s one more thing I want to try.’
After completing the calculations, Bikir put down the rock he was holding.
Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The rock rolls down the slope at great speed.
“Ugh!? What’s that!”
“The rocks are rolling!”
“Don’t stop! No, no damage!”
The guards panicked and avoided their seats.
Kwak-kwang! Perong!
Eventually, the rock fell down into the lava pit, splashing falling rocks and lava drops in all directions with a loud explosion. Soon,
everyone’s eyes turned upwards. In
the area where the inmates of Level 9 work,
Bikir, the main culprit who threw the rock, was standing there with a calm
expression
.
