Chapter. 17. Preparation for travel (11)
****
“Ugh~”
“Oh, I’m so sleepy that I’ll have to rummage around.”
“No, if we don’t rest even after coming to the dome, when will we rest? yes?”
“It’s not just a gathering, it’s a fully armed gathering. “This is absurd, absurd.”
The elite BDSM members gathered at the designated location within 10 minutes of being called, even though they said things like that.
“how is it. “Professor, doesn’t this seem like something that would all be useful for the ‘plan’ you mentioned?”
“surely. “At this level, it’s safe to say that they are all elite.”
When I saw the members gathered outside the Moby Dick management area for a moment, I felt like applauding them.
A mass of muscle sufficient to threaten the opponent.
As if it wasn’t enough to be covered in all sorts of large scars, the face was plastered with tattoos.
There is even a guy who wears necklaces and bracelets made from bones and dried internal organs, and even twirls a loaded gun on his finger.
In fact, there were a lot of people gathered who were infinitely close to ‘the person who seems to be the culprit for no reason when an accident occurs’.
and. inter alia.
“Is that guy a monster?”
“Ah, I can guess who it is without you saying anything.”
Among the countless criminal faces worthy of being called a master of the military world, there was one who was close to the pinnacle.
“Hey Budlam! “Come out for a moment!”
“No, Captain, if anything happens, call me first. “I was really diligent this time!”
“It’s not like that, dude. It’s a personal mission. “You know the guy next to me?”
“Hehehe, you just know. It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Wang. It’s a boodle. “I enjoyed watching the broadcast.”
“Please serve as an escort and accessory for him. “The two of us are on an infiltration mission together.”
“Oh, are you serious? Oooh! Please take care of me, Captain Wang! “This is an honor!”
“Oh, right…”
With a dazed feeling, I held out the hand of the black man who approached me like a flexible leopard.
black skin. A crop top and short jean shorts on the elastic muscles characteristic of black people.
“BDSM combat specialist Budlam!”
He hesitated –
his equipment was a shotgun and kukri. Additionally, colorful grenades in three colors, red, blue, and yellow, were attached to the multi-purpose color on the waist belt.
Hesitation!
On the face, which showed pure white teeth with a playful smile, was the word ‘Love’ engraved in white so large that it covered one cheek. In addition, her hair was shaved off on the sides and even dyed blonde.
“Wow, it’s perfect… This face is truly a symbol of the end of the century…!”
It was truly a pace close to that of a ‘complete criminal.’ If there is a fire nearby, he will be arrested, if an old man falls, he will be scolded, and if lightning strikes, he will naturally be criticized for doing this.
“It seems credible enough to say that they loot nursing homes and drug orphanages every day. Where on earth did you get such talent…?”
“It’s not talent, it’s human disaster. None of us can stop him. He looked so fierce that I asked him to at least grow his hair out, and he came out looking like that. I asked him if he wanted to get a tattoo to match the wasteland culture, even though he looked like that anyway, and he put something like that on the door. “The more I stimulate it, the worse it gets, so I gave up a long time ago.”
“Isn’t there a problem with this guy?”
“at all. A vegetarian with a subject that looks like that. “He is a devout Buddhist and a hard-working guy who donates half of his earnings to orphanages and saves the other half for his future dreams.”
He was even a very kind person.
“I think the operation is already half successful?”
Even I, who is not prejudiced against looks, would be reluctant to look at this guy.
How do criminals who have spent their entire lives observing what kind of person the person is in front of them look at and have formed a stereotype based on those judgments view this guy?
“They say everyone has their own use.”
“hmm? “What can you say?”
“Oh no. Let’s do well in the future. “The two of us.”
His appearance, as if he was born for this moment, was truly reassuring.
****
“….yes? Commander Wang, are you sane? “Wouldn’t it be okay to just go in normally and kill everyone?”
“If you do that, you’ll end up with a bunch of rat tails in your hands. “I’m struggling now because I don’t want to suffer later.”
“No, what…”
“You just have to stand there and make a frown. “I will take care of the rest.”
Budlam, who confirmed the outline of the operation, expressed his disapproval.
“So, you’re saying that only the two of us will go into the infiltration team and the rest will spread out and create a siege?”
“for now?”
If you look at the big picture, it’s not a very delicate operation.
The two of you go in to secure the information that is lacking and, if possible, rescue the citizens who are currently being held hostage and affected by the mutation.
When the security at the entrance is broken due to the commotion inside, Ian and the rest of the crew, who specialize in firepower assault, rush in. Other members form a large siege around the Let Human management area and kill any enemies who escape.
“No, so you’re saying that it’s impossible for Captain Wang, Professor Park, to disguise himself as a guest? Is there anyone in the dome who doesn’t know your face? Are you the most famous person in this town? If the kids in the neighborhood want to go a little deeper, they’ll start trading with their faces and weapons! “It’s impossible to dig in!”
“Who said they went in with their face covered? “You just have to be proud and go in.” To
begin
with, I came here wearing only a BDSM leather jacket and light weapons, such as two guns. It’s near the entrance to their base, so why don’t they even silence the sound of their footsteps? I want you to know that I’m coming.
“Hey, do you see this? “The ones sticking out on the backs of my arms and hands?”
“yes. “It’s glossy so it’s easy to see even in the dark.”
“yes? “Then anyone can see that it looks like someone suffering from the symptoms of mutation, right?”
“Isn’t that right?”
“What would happen if I exposed myself like this and went among those human trafficking rats?”
“Uh… they are the ones who capture people like that and sell them? Getting caught? Are you trying to get caught and infiltrate?”
“No! “That’s a very one-dimensional idea!”
Under the hazy moonlight, I hit the forehead of a guy who seemed to have only teeth and white ‘Love’ tattoos floating around on his eyes.
“An ordinary person would be arrested, but I am Professor Park, who ordered you. Um… I’d like to explain, but I’m already there. From here on out, there may be listening ears, so let’s be quiet. “If you go anyway, you’ll find out everything.”
“Ah, wow…. Are you really going in like this?”
“Trust me, dude. Remember, you’re just frowning! All you have to do is stand next to me with your arms crossed. Your role is as a malicious accessory to create an atmosphere. “If someone talks to you, frown, and if someone is bothering you, take out a knife and glare at them while licking them very slowly and stickily.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking.”
Budlam grumbles but checks the knife in his arms.
After giving Budlam one last warning, I approached the small pile of trash next to the shabby stall.
The entrance to the Let Human underground building that Ezel told me about. In the first place, how could there be such a thing as a garbage heap in a wasteland where everything from plastic scraps to tree sawdust is recycled?
I tapped the garbage pile here and there with my toe, and soon a window appeared in the middle that was barely visible to the eye.
“Squeak.”
It’s a secret phrase. Let’s see. What Ezel taught me was…
“…there is no such thing as a rat person.” After giving the
correct
answer, the entrance, cleverly disguised as a pile of trash, opened to the left and right, revealing a man with a bent back.
“Is it time to change this secret language? I understand that no one in particular introduced us to that…?”
“If you’re someone like me, you should get it even without a referral. Isn’t it? Let human.”
“Hihihihi, well, there is no one in this neighborhood whose identity is as clear as yours…”
The man who was laughing as if he had asthma showed the images of Budlam and me in his pupils.
“Well, my job is to let people in according to the procedures. Please come in, sir. Everything you want is down here. If I don’t have it, I’ll find it and sell it to you… hihihihihihi!”
The hunchback gatekeeper gave us an exaggerated greeting and made way for us.
“You just have to go down… The road will be dark, so go down while holding on to the wall… When you go down, there will be a few blind children, so if you catch someone and tell them that you have been assigned to ‘Room 27’, all the children will be guided to it. “I will do it…”
The hunchback said and lowered the lever. The light outside had completely disappeared and we had to walk down the steep, winding stairs, tracing the walls.
****
Tak.
“We have arrived in room 27, sir. Happy purchasing.”
The voice of a dazed boy who seemed to have lost all emotions.
The boy who was guiding me and Budlam in an underground building with no light source placed my hand on the doorknob for the last time and then walked away.
Underground where nothing can be seen. Nearby, only the faint sound of barefoot blind boys walking on the stone floor could be heard.
“[Devastatingly/thoroughly/security]”
“[Unidentified terrain/multiple/retreat/unrecognizable]” “[Already
secured structure/great/effort/result]”
“[space/shit/space/sucks !]”
Budlam and I were having a silent conversation while poking each other’s forearms.
‘Security is horribly tight.’
First of all, the underground structure was more complicated than expected.
Nothing was visible in the basement, where there was not a single ray of light, and guests were guided to their assigned rooms by trained blind boys.
There were spaces here and there that were wide enough to take your breath away, and the road wasn’t that narrow, and most of it was curved, so it wasn’t easy to reflect on the path we had taken so far.
No matter how many times you go in and out, you cannot guess the internal structure. Transactions take place face to face with only one merchant in one designated place among hundreds of secret rooms, so it is not easy to identify the number of people inside.
At this level, it feels like a great achievement for the inspection department agents to even understand the surface structure.
Crash.
A narrow but antique room with a desk and armchair. Yet, the secret room gives off a somewhat old and decadent feeling.
When Budlam and I entered, the merchant who came to deal with us was already waiting on the other side of the desk.
“Welcome, sir. This is Dilly Tail, which is in charge of the transaction in issue 27. I dressed up because I heard there was a big guest waiting… but it’s a bigger guest than I thought? Let’s see… Is that guy next to you an escort?”
“I don’t plan on walking in alone like a fool into this rat hole.”
“It’s a good attitude. The people of the wasteland have become very relaxed these days. Don’t you wander around the dark alleys alone? Don’t you think that wherever you go, agents from the inspection department will protect you? Do you really live as if you’ve gone back to the old days? That’s stupid. Isn’t being wary of the people you encounter the way to respect others in the wilderness? As expected of someone who is called a model of the wasteland, you are far from the idiots of today.”
match. match. match. match.
As the man’s dry fingers slowly clapped his hands and looked at the boodle, the man took out a knife and slowly licked it as if he had been waiting. It was subtle, but I could see the tension on the merchant’s face dissolving, as if he had been practicing it his whole life.
They probably thought that with that face, there was no way he would ever become an agent of the Inspection Department.
“…From the looks of it, I don’t think you came here to look for Yang Ji’s items. “It’s no wonder that you came to visit our Let Human, and that you put aside the Dome’s great agents and hired someone like that to escort you from outside.”
“I know very well. Where can I guess?”
“Hmm. If hallucinatory pain from virtual reality games is a problem, there is a very good electronic drug. Of course, there are also traditional chemical drugs. If you need a girl, there are those who are worn out, clean children who have never experienced the first night, and if you need a mercenary who can be used for a slightly dangerous job, there are those who are properly leashed. There is also ‘special’ variant by-product equipment that cannot be made even if you look at it from the outside. If you don’t see what you want among these, you can order it separately. Whatever it is, Let Human will bring you ‘anything’ you want. “As long as you pay a reasonable amount.”
“Special variant by-product equipment. And…did you just say ‘whatever’?”
As if I had been waiting, I bowed in front of the desk while receiving the merchant’s words.
It’s a sufficiently private space, but the gesture makes one wish it were a little more discreet.
As if hesitating, he slowly took off his gloves and rolled up his arms.
“Hoooh. “This is…”
“You know what this is.”
“I heard rumors that such people often exist. People who don’t change like the mutants that are out there now, but who don’t show any signs of turning back into humans. “I heard it’s a fairly rare symptom, but-”
“I already know everything, so just answer the questions.”
Unlike the relaxed and languid look in his eyes until now, the merchant’s pupils were dilated with tension or some kind of expectation.
As I watched his hand secretly go under the desk, I continued speaking in a strong tone, as if pressuring him.
“Is there one? “Isn’t there one?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“Change the question. Is there anything that sells it alive, other than selling it by parts? Or should I order it separately?”
“Oh my….”
The merchant’s frozen face softened as if he finally understood. On the contrary, Professor Park opens his leather jacket with a desperate expression, showing off his chest covered in metal plates and black hardened protrusions rising here and there on his body.
“If you deal with ‘that’, you probably know that this local variant continues to grow, right? As you all know, I am a person who finds a way to survive at all costs. Did you understand? I will find a way no matter what it takes. “I have absolutely no desire to come out of that hell alive and live a terminally ill life.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Now I understand why this famous person took such a cautious approach. Indeed… if you are purchasing it for ‘that’ purpose, it would not be enough to be more careful than you are now.”
The merchant looked at my tense expression and said, leaning back in his chair as if he had completely regained his composure.
“…So you came to buy a human with the same condition to use as a test subject? “Well, right now, it’s almost an incurable disease, and you must be scared because you don’t know when it will turn into a monster and be disintegrated one by one like the pigs in the butcher shop.”
“If I’m going to pick up all the nonsense, I’ll call another merchant. “Of course, after you find out my secret, I kill you.”
“You’re so scared.”
A threat mixed with a fearful, trembling voice. The merchant was now confident that he had the upper hand.
“You don’t need to be too nervous. Isn’t the person called the hero of the Dom also a person? No matter how good a person he is, he cannot escape from the framework of being essentially a ‘human being’. We are people who know that raw human being all too well. We can truly say that Professor Park has found the place he needs most. There is no need to be ashamed. Among our customers, there are many high-ranking and noble people other than Professor Park. “You just became one of Let Human’s VIPs, nothing special.”
Percussion!
“Just tell me the conclusion. Is there one? “Isn’t there one?”
“there is. “I don’t know if it’s enough, but I have enough to make sure it’s not lacking.”
“…I have enough money to rot. Before I knew it, I had accumulated so much money that I could never use it even if I used it all for the rest of my life.”
“It’s nice to hear that. Because the item is so rare and the handling risk is high, it is traded at a very high price. “Then, would you like to talk a little more specifically about what kind of item you want?”
The merchant said that and took out a small terminal from his pocket. On the blurry screen of the terminal, a variety of people, each with one or two mutations, were listed like products. There was also a photo of Camilla, whom I met this evening, and the phrase [in progress] was blinking underneath it.
You can easily guess what is going on without even asking.
“….I can’t recognize it on a screen like this. “At least I will check it with my own eyes and then calculate it.”
“Well sir. “That would be a bit difficult.”
“If that doesn’t work, it’s as if there was no transaction. Would you like to bet on whether you can safely remain in Let Human even if you miss out on a billion-dollar transaction? “I’m betting I don’t even have to do anything.”
“Hmm, you are not an easy person either.”
The merchant picked up the catalog terminal again, tapped the keyboard a few times, and then nodded with a deep sigh.
“Normally, I never show the product until I receive the deposit… but in the case of this transaction, since the size is so large and the customer is the customer, I think we can make an exception. hmm. “If it’s the dirty secret of the most powerful person in the dome, it’s more than enough to pay the upfront fee.”
“You bastard-”
“I’ll tell you in advance, all conversations here are recorded without leaving a trace. “You know what I mean, right?”
“….I get it.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Don’t be too upset. “It’s something I’m dying to do, so is this much indignity worth it?”
“Okay, so please guide me quickly.”
“I have given you the news, so someone will come to guide you. Do you remember the way we were guided when we got here? “You can go down the same way.”
As the merchant said that, the door opposite to the one where I came in opened, revealing a boy with his eyes covered with a cloth.
“I checked on the two customers going downstairs. “I will guide you.”
“Now, let’s go. “You need to find a way to heal your body quickly, right?”
The merchant gently bows and points to the boy, and Professor Park flutters his eyelids as if he is enduring shame. After that, Budlam silently crossed his arms and frowned.
As the two men held the blind boy’s hand and disappeared into the darkness, the skinny merchant took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat that had soaked his chest.
“He really wasn’t an ordinary person. Even in a situation where you have to bow down to us, you must be under a lot of pressure. In any case… I guess you were planning on killing a few people here and setting them up by force, right? “Seeing that such a crazy psychopath is here with me.”
Although it was a deal that risked his life, Dilly Tail, a dark dealer, could not hide his joy at the thought that he had somehow made it happen. Since we have concluded a deal worth tens of billions of shillings, we will soon be treated beyond the tail level and into the ‘claw’ level. Perhaps, since he has caught the weakness of a famous person named Professor Park, he may be treated as one of the few truly powerful rat heads within Let Human.
“Hehehehe… Once this deal is over, the people around Professor Park will be drawn in here one by one using the weaknesses discovered this time…” One by one, he
thinks of all the researchers and high-ranking officials at the BDSM Dome, as well as the dark-skinned Dana Elisha Hyacinth, who is said to be his lover. As Dili saw the rosy future unfolding before him so clearly, he couldn’t hide his laughter.
Bruises. Bruises. Bruise, bruise.
“[Operation Success]”
“[Madman!/Genius!/Skilled Commander!]”
“[Sighting/Learning/Newcomer/BDSM]”
“[Shock!]”
Of course, the two follow the blind boy down deeper underground. The person exchanging these hand signals was a merchant who had no idea.
****
