Clearing the Game at the End of the World Chapter 156

Chapter. 10 Lead and Silver Coins (10)

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Two dissected cyborg bottles.

They were equipped with a different type of equipment than the ones I had seen before in the main power generation room of the Area 47 dome.

“I don’t know anything else, but I was wondering how to solve the power problem…”

“What is this? It’s not an advancement in technology, it’s more of a regression. “It also adds a lot of human dignity and morality and almost buries it into the ground.”

As I heard before, cyborgization surgery is a lost technology. It is not a simple prosthetic hand, but all kinds of reactive electrodes and mechanical devices connected to the spinal cord or other deep places cause a huge rejection reaction, leading to the death of the user, and are full of disadvantages such as having to carry a power engine, including fuel, in order to produce sufficient output for the original purpose. technology.

The way the Raptor Society engineers solved this problem was extremely simple.

‘Empty what you don’t need and fill what you need.’

In the data prepared by the officer, the stomach and kidneys of the dissected cyborg were missing, most of the small intestine had been removed, and in its place was a cold and gloomy power device.

“Ugh, I think I’m going to throw up.”

“Puke. “The person in charge said he would send this to the Dome anyway, so you can read it at the inspection department if necessary.”

I left the pale Ezel behind and focused on reading the material.

Five types of narcotic analgesics were detected in lethal doses. A record showing that the remaining 15% of the small intestine contained starch that was so finely ground that it did not need to be digested.

So, these guys didn’t have some kind of amazing technology and replaced internal organs with machines like in science fiction novels to turn them into high-functioning organs, but they just removed everything that could be removed. Since we only need to feed them porridge, which they do not need to digest for the rest of their lives, most of the stomach and small intestines are removed. Since you have to undergo regular maintenance anyway, waste products that the kidneys cannot filter out are filtered out through dialysis. The power engine needed to move the mechanical prosthetic hand was inserted into the empty space thus created.

“Ugh… What I don’t understand is, if you treat your allies that harshly, will the group be able to survive? If someone orders me, ‘For the rest of your life, eat only porridge, wear a pee bag, have to drain it frequently, and live a life of hemodialysis and painkillers every day!’ “If I do that, I think we’ll start the Rambo show right away.”

“If it’s forced, yes. “My personal opinion is that all of these cyborgs would have volunteered to undergo this procedure.”

Ian, who frowned seriously at Ezel, who came back with a worse look on his face, as if he had really been vomiting, continued speaking.

“Raptors are different from the normal group you think of. Although it is a group of people, in some ways it is closer to the wild than living in the wasteland. This is a place where the logic of power is everything. The lowest level worker who could not even become the lowest soldier in the Dome. Since what they eat every day anyway is sticks made from ground up bugs or food scraps, eating only porridge for the rest of their lives is more like a reward. If the procedure is successful, your status will be instantly upgraded from a member of the lowest class, like a kidnapped enemy laborer, to an important special forces unit. This means that you can have any woman you want and wield omnipotent power over civilians within the Nest. The military rank must be very high, just below the pack leader, right? Actually, there is no need to make such complicated assumptions. Because….”

Knock knock.

Ian tapped his finger on the part about five types of drugs.

“There are a lot of drug addicts in Raptor. There are people who become addicted voluntarily, and there are many who are forcibly addicted by sneaking in cigarettes. It is no exaggeration to say that most of the kidnapped civilians are addicts. “People who will do anything if you give them drugs.”

“…You used drugs as bait to get people to participate in the procedure.”

“okay. If it was really a painkiller for rejection, at most one or two types would have been detected. Only two people were dissected, and the fact that five or six types of narcotic substances were found in both of them means that they used a blend of high-strength painkillers for pleasure rather than simply as medicine. ‘If you undergo mechanized treatment, we provide unlimited drugs for free!’. Kyaaa – Drug dealers who sell their own children for drugs can’t stand this. “The survival rate for mechanized procedures administered at the dome was 30%, right?”

Nod.

“Looking at the tail now, it seems that Raptor’s improved mechanized procedure is not even 10% effective. However, the fact that the Raptor cyborgs are roaming the wasteland clearly shows how many applicants there are.”

“….”

“Brace yourselves, faggot. “Your main enemy is a group of psychos who deviate from human common sense.”

Ezel swallows his saliva at Ian’s words and examines the anatomy of the cyborg bottle.

“Whoa. good. So these guys are wandering around Area 42?”

“okay. Maybe it has something to do with Muglers, who have become several times more numerous and more ferocious than last year. “How far is it from Area 43 to here?”

“Let’s see… In terms of straight-line distance, it’s a lot farther than coming from Area 47 to here, but considering the distance back to the barrier of that old tree variety, I don’t think there’s much difference in travel distance.”

also. This means that if they put their mind to it, this area could well be included in the scope of their guerrilla operations in Area 43.

The equipment they used for the treatment was also unique. It’s not intuitive combat equipment like a chainsaw or hydraulic pistons, but something at the end of a mechanical arm… Is it a rammer? It had a metal plate with a spring attached, similar to one used to level the ground at a construction site.

‘At least, it’s clear that they were created for a special purpose, not a combat type. Dome has already begun construction on the underground bunker in Area 45. It’s clear that the weakened Raptor will do something…’

Jiying –

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t seem to come up with any more correct information, so I turned off the imaging device for now.

“Let’s stop speculating here. There are many cases where a move is made based on unclear information and then ends up reaching a goal if the information is not true. First of all, three things were confirmed from the officer’s data. It’s not because the transport team was making a fuss because it’s fall, but even before then, the aggressiveness of the mutants in this area suddenly increased and their numbers increased. “The Raptors are very crazy idiots, and the super drug soldiers they created are plotting something around here.”

“Did you have any information about the transportation team that went ahead?”

“There was no connection other than a brief exchange while passing by. First of all, the transportation team departed equipped with all the equipment to mainly operate the exosuit, so their penetration and firepower would be superior to ours. At least it means that we didn’t feel the need to resupply on our way here.”

Information was obtained and distribution was completed. There is nothing to see here anymore.

“Let’s leave quickly. “If you are planning something on Raptor, it would be helpful to move quickly.”

With those words, the four people stood up.

****

The supply has been completed and the necessary information has been obtained. The group, not feeling the need to stay at the station any longer, drove further north, leaving behind the officer’s recommendation to rest more and the supply officer’s screams, which eventually drove them to the bottom. Fortunately, unlike the south side of Working Kane’s barrier, the north side had been somewhat cleaned up thanks to the efforts of various stations and nearby scavengers, and the party passed through the mountains of butchered corpses of Muglers and finally reached the first. I was able to arrive at the place where the customer was waiting.

“Thank you for selling me such a good product. These days, caravans don’t have the courage to do anything, so if they feel the slightest danger, they close down their business and lock themselves away. “Thanks to you, I was able to breathe.”

Area 41 It is the home of the largest scavenger ‘Hydra’ in the entire area.

A man with a name you can’t even remember, Diego Alejandro Peña González, one of the three leaders of Hydra, couldn’t help but be amazed as he looked at the six gun cases neatly spread out on the rosewood table.

“The intelligence merchant said he had valuable information, so he pretended to be deceived and gave me money. Do you know what I thought when it was news about Dome’s easing of technology leak restrictions?”

“…This is an opportunity to dramatically increase Hydra’s power?”

“No no no no….. no dealer.”

A man with one eye and a hideous appearance, with more scars on his face than normal skin, held up a sniping coil gun neatly packaged in a gun case. Satisfaction bloomed on his face as he looked around with his only remaining eye.

“I thought the intelligence dealer was finally going to leave me with a bang. There was a time when I tried to catch that guy. I thought they were trying to hit Hydra’s head with the hands of the Metal Giant of that horrible dome by entangling me with something that had accidentally flowed out of the dome. “Well, this is really a thing.”

Slam!

Alejandro, who was savoring each piece of transitional equipment in the gun case, looked back and forth between the prosthetic hand cannon and his own hand, which had only two fingers remaining, and smiled, distorting the scar around his mouth.

“It’s a newly created caravan that even the person in charge of the transaction had never heard of. First of all, I placed an order even though it was a waste of information since I bought it with money, but I had no idea that you guys would come this far. It was really… unexpected. I was impressed, dealer. “You impressed me.”

“The second head of the three-headed warrior is so touching… So. “You probably know how to show gratitude to a merchant, right?”

“of course.”

Sigh!

The scarred man snapped his fingers, and the green hooded scavengers behind him placed a large box in front of Ian.

“Do you plan to pay in kind?”

“Because we do not attach value to things that have no substance. Even when we ran a farm before the war, the payment was always in gold. “Open it.”

Creak, squeak!

At his words, the scavengers who were waiting pulled out the nails of the box with a hammer and opened the lid.

“I love my family’s traditions, but I’m not stupid enough to prepare useless gold to protect the traditions.”

“…La Emme. “You impressed me this time.”

“An eye for an eye. This includes: “I just gave back what I received.”

What was inside the box was the solar power generator that the professor and his group had been looking for so long.

“This is something I found in a residential area in District 37 six months ago. The guy who brought this died from radiation poisoning, but it’s too good of an item for the price of his life. So, are you satisfied with this level?”

“…Are you the type of person who enjoys asking questions with predetermined answers?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! “I like it… I like it a lot.”

The two people, with similar smiles on their faces, stood up, shaking hands to signify the deal was concluded. Ian sighed inwardly that the fairly risky transaction had ended without incident, and prayed that they would not make any foolish moves until the end.

“Okay… next time, I hope we can also see that cowardly leader who didn’t even have the guts to come here. I can’t believe a man like you is contained in such a small container. “It’s a shame.”

“…Tsk.”

Slam!

Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam!

At Alejandro’s last words, a large revolver came out of Ian’s arms, and the muzzles of the scavengers surrounding him were pointed at Ian’s head.

“…Did I say something wrong dealer?”

“I said something foolish, La Emme.”

An imminent situation. Ian put the gun to Alejandro’s forehead and pulled the trigger on his fingertip without hesitation.

click!

flinch!

The sound of the revolver striking the empty chamber broke the silence, and the gun aimed at Ian’s head slowly turned upward. Bring a weapon, but come with an empty chamber. Since that side was the first to keep their long-standing traditions, they had to respect the leader until he received an order.

Ian stood up and said as he left Alejandro’s luxurious room behind him.

“The reason I came here is because you are not qualified to meet that guy.”

“Qualifications… from District 40 to District 42. “Alejandro of Hydra, who has the greatest influence in all three districts?”

“okay.”

As soon as he opened the door,

Ian felt a draft coming inside, and then the other person offered him a drink. He took off his skin mask, which he had not taken off even when talking, and lit a cigarette.

“If you want to at least meet the leader of our caravan, collect the three snake heads and ask for them. “Forget these modifications.”

“Aren’t we overconfident?”

“It’s not just pride, it’s service to great customers. “If I can save the life of a customer who might become a regular with just one piece of advice, then I have a good business.”

Phew-

Ian walked out and wrinkled his nose at the strange lingering scent that still lingered in the air.

A small incense burner lit in a corner of Alejandro’s room.

“…It’s not easy because I’m a dirty customer who pays well.”

If he remembered correctly, it was some kind of mild stimulant. Often used in raptor brothels.

****

Chijik-

“So. “You sold 1/3 of your regular firearms for 6 pieces of transitional equipment?”

As I listened to Ian’s story after returning to the vehicle-to-vehicle radio, I was amazed when I saw the trailer reflected in the rearview mirror.

When Ian, dressed up in a coat and vest hat pulled out of the truck, said he would go alone, I wondered what kind of crazy this was. In the end, I couldn’t overcome my stubbornness and let him go, and since he didn’t come for a while, I spent two hours trying to stop Bex, who wanted to sneak in and find out, with Ezel.

Ian returned with a scavenger carrying a large box in the distance, his coat waving, and as soon as the scavengers who had loaded the baggage returned, he took a deep breath and urged them to escape quickly. Since I got the money, I don’t have to see it anymore. It is said that if unlucky, scavengers armed with ‘voluntary loyalty’ may attack arbitrarily.

“okay. I bought a lot more than I ordered. Since they have territory in the middle of this mess, they must have needed a lot of weapons.”

“…What is the possibility that it will all pass over to Raptor?”

“I don’t think there is. Hydras are like bats. If it’s beneficial, they join hands with anyone and betray them for the same reason. Right now, they are taking a fairly cooperative stance with the Dom, so they won’t let go that easily. Well, I don’t know if they offer ‘too much money to refuse’. We don’t need to worry about it up to that point. “From the beginning, the amount was released by the Dome with the expectation that it would go over to the other side to some extent.”

It was an hour before we hurriedly left Hydra’s main base and headed north. When I felt that I was somewhat far from their attack range, I put on the brakes and jumped into the trunk to check the transaction price that Ian had told me.

“A generator. It’s not even small, but even among medium-sized ones, it’s so healthy…” ”

So, you told me to leave the business to you, right? Surprisingly, these meat-eating customers often need to be touched on their emotional side rather than their rational side, and it is difficult for people who do not know their traditions or culture to approach them easily.”

Ian grins, running his hands through his sweaty hair.

“But even so, with just one generator… isn’t that leaving too much of a margin?”

“Hehehe. These guys are just doing the extra business. This is not a token of gratitude or anything. “It was a transaction that even considered payback.”

Tang tang!

Ian, who pretended to be relaxed but was quite nervous, took a sip of alcohol from the hip sack in his arms and patted the neat generator that had been decontaminated.

“When we told them we were going deeper, they immediately mentioned spot trading. They say they cleaned up their area, but even though they say that, they believe there is a high possibility that we who go inside will die. This means that when we die, they will take away all the things that are left there. Since giving it a seal wouldn’t work, they came up with a generator that is sturdy and can survive a few turns of a truck. In your mind, you’re probably thinking, “Go ahead and die!” “You’re like a child with an open mind.”

“Really… what on earth is going around that makes everyone think they’re going to die…”

“It goes without saying that the more risk a business carries, the more profits are maximized. There is already one medium-sized generator. I have to go inside and sell everything that’s left, and then sell everything I bought there in Area 47. If we do well, we might be able to get most of the supplies the village needs in this one trip.”

Shake! Rattling rattling!

While we were talking and driving, the armored truck was starting to shake on the rough road.

When you live in a wasteland, it becomes easy to find even the slightest traces of people. Things like a piece of stone that was slightly dug into the sand after being stepped on by a shoe, or a trace of something being roughly dug out or torn, or a small blood stain.

After the road started to become rough, those traces slowly began to disappear. Not audible silence, but sensuous silence.

Although no one said anything, the three vehicles slowly slowed down. As if he knew he shouldn’t break this silence.

“Check the bubble. Never take off your mask. As I said in advance, from now on I will avoid fighting as much as possible. Regardless of whether you win or lose, I believe that fighting is a fatal loss. If you spot something in the lead Hummer, signal immediately. Especially Vex.”

Crackling –

“I understand.”

“Ezel, I think we’ll use up all the batteries between now and Area 38. Turn on the echo radar. Turn the signal detector to maximum output. If the transportation team that went ahead had been hit by something, they would have turned on the rescue signal. Climb up while mainly checking for rescue signals on the route to Area 38. “The panel is connected to the driver’s seat, right?”

Chijik-

“Confirmed. “When I go back, I will spend the rest of my life dealing with radioactive industrial disasters.”

Ezel guy. Even in this situation, it’s a joke.

There was some noise in the radio between vehicles, and then the radio came back from Ezel.

Crackling-

Beep-…… Beep-…..

“Connected. Can you hear me? There’s one that’s right in the direction we’re going. Looks like I found the right path-”

Beep-. Beep-. Beep-. Beep-.

“Uh….”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

increasingly faster. Rescue signals, almost like data terminals, appeared one by one and quickly grew in number, filling Ezel’s car with beeping sounds.

“What is this….”

Crackling-

“…Turn down the volume, Ezel. Unless you want to stay here with one of those beeps.”

The professor bit his lip amidst the noise made up of electronic sounds.

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

The needle of the Geiger counter received from the station was trembling violently with a characteristic scratching sound.

The end of Area 41. It was the beginning of a full-fledged radioactive area.

****