Chapter. 24. The greatest creditor (1)
****
Weuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu up out there down up
out of the way.
[-B28…-B27….]
‘Let’s see…. When I go up, I’ll first contact General Young and check the battle preparation status. . Ah, oil. I decided to take fuel for the transport plane. Judging from the shape of the bomb shelter, it looks like it was being used as a military facility, so there must be at least one above-ground oil depot, right?’
As I was blankly watching the numbers in the elevator decrease, I thought it was like a countdown.
Return to the main unit and join the Dome Expeditionary Force’s strategy that needs to be revised based on the facts learned here… The moment you return to the surface from underground, where radio waves do not work, you will be so busy that you will not even be able to blink, so the only time I can take a breather is actually with the collector. It was only a brief ride on this elevator between work and the Dome Expeditionary Force’s work.
“It’s so insignificant.”
“hmm?”
“No, just. Everyone around me praised me as a saint and a hero, so without realizing it I thought, ‘Is that really true? ‘Is that enough for me?’ I think I had the same thought. “When I separate myself from other people, I feel like I’m just a guy struggling in an uncontrollable flow.”
Deuldeuldeul-
[-B24….-B23….]
“I guess so. “There may be some difference.”
“difference?”
“Ordinarily, if people are swept away and struggling, doesn’t it feel like you are struggling on a boat as you row desperately to rescue them?”
“…Well, even so, it’s clear that he’s just an individual who can’t stop the flow.”
“hmm.” As if signaling the end of
a short
break, the broken communication on the concrete wall became static and tickled my ears.
“what. “I have to try as hard as I can.”
I don’t know if it was because I caught my breath for a moment or because I was looking at Cheonryuje, which had become calm like a monk who attained enlightenment, but the impatience I felt when I first came down here had calmed down considerably.
okay. As always, we take things one at a time. Because looking far doesn’t mean you can reach far. You learned it at April World, right? This means that people other than me are trying to resolve the situations we face together with as much passion and sincerity as I do.
All you have to do is solve the situations in front of you one by one and unravel such a complicated, thread-like situation.
‘Let’s not be impatient, Professor Park.’
With one last sigh, I composed myself.
[-B7….-B6….-B5….]
The moment we leave here is the beginning of war, and we are prepared and stand at the starting line fully prepared.
[-B3….-B2….-B1….]
You can do it. This time too, just like we have done so far.
Hey guys – rattle!
-Dang!
[It’s the 1st floor.]
With my mind firmly held, I stepped out of the elevator door.
Crackling, crackling! –
Countless communication requests come before the musty smell of dust outside the shelter.
[….Soo- Hey, this slut-…. -T-like-….]
[….Take off your feet! Like this… Ah… … That’s enough! None…-]
[Chiik! Reply…D. …. Answer! …de ….! Repeat! Code red! Code Red!]
The voices divided into numerous pieces each contained a different kind of urgency.
Chijiik-!
[Professor Park! Professor Park, you fucking deaf bastard! Are you alive? If you’re alive, answer me! Because I’m heading that way right now!]
The first connection was with Ian, who was already yelling in a hoarse voice.
[Cheek! Respond! This is the Dome Command Center! Respond! Code red! Code red! Leave the area immediately! Repeat! Leave the area!]
The next thing to be heard is the urgent voice of the Dome signalman, who seems even more hoarse than he is.
[Please connect, please…! Since there is no fuel, I can’t fly alone anyway…!]
The last thing I heard was the voice of Heungan Mandu, desperately looking for me, accompanied by the dull flying sound characteristic of a biplane for some reason.
‘All three have urgent voices. BDSM coming this way. Code Red. The transport plane took off first?’
The sense of crisis that was conveyed over the communications system instantly led to an accident.
‘Ian asked me if I was alive or dead. ‘The fact that he is coming this way with a useful ally can be seen as an intention to rescue me.’
‘Code red. This means that the area I am in is a dead zone and is included in the firepower projection range of friendly forces.’
‘Does the fact that Dumpling took off first… mean that the transport plane will be attacked if it remains on the ground?’
In an instant, I realized that the situation was intersecting.
‘The gas at the entrance to the Artists’ Union.’
Maybe the time I lost my mind was longer than I thought.
‘Underground nuclear shelter.’
From the beginning, the collector invited me into an environment that was blocked from the outside world.
‘A collector who can spy on the inside of the Raptor Society.’
If her fingertips had touched Gedreutz, she would have been able to interact with them in the same way as she did with me.
“okay. “It was a choice…!”
The Collector urged me to join them, but I refused.
So I also chose a collector.
“Professor Park. That is…”
“Yes. “I can see it too.”
The place where Cheonryuje’s gaze pointed was to the sky.
A deep dark night. Stars were floating in the night sky of the wasteland, which should have been pitch black due to the thick dust and sandstorm.
They quietly broke through the dust clouds and embroidered the night sky with regular blinking, indicating that they were man-made products, and were showing one consistent movement.
“It’s already started.”
We have already stepped into the middle of a war without our knowledge.
[You, Professor Park, are the center of all his actions.]
“You fucking isolated me and cut off the starting line in the meantime!”
[Andrei Gedroits. He intended to save humanity from its planned destruction.]
If his goal still remains the same. What will Gedroitz pursue now?
The inner self that he thought was good is abusing the technology he develops, but it is distorted in all kinds of ways. In the end, he is deeply disappointed in humanity, which has not shown even a speck of hope even in hundreds of millions of simulations. Now, Gedroitz is preparing for the ‘next generation’. What is there to do?
[There is everything you need up there. A treatment for mutant viruses, terraforming technology to overcome the polluted environment, and even a gene bank to restore extinct organisms -]
The answer came from a conversation with the collector.
Numerous genetic samples stored in a server room in orbit, out of reach of humans, to restore extinct species of organisms.
“….organize. He’s trying to clean things up… In his view, he’s trying to get rid of ‘modern humans’ who have been polluted beyond repair and start anew! Just like in a laboratory, a failed sample is discarded and a new sample cultured in a clean room is placed!”
“Next generation. Because it is a plan for the ‘next generation’ after the destruction!”
The gene bank also contains the genes of humans who are about to become extinct.
The past of humanity. A plan so arrogant as to make you cry, to have pure humanity, untainted by religion, culture, ideology, and customs, start over in a new world where traces of the past have been erased.
We were not at the starting line or facing the beginning of war.
It was only now that we were facing an opponent who was already at the end of the war and was looking at the finish line.
My hardened heart, which had been wrong from the beginning, was falling apart.
****
Chiik-
“Heungan dumplings.”
[….you! You fucking idiot-!]
“I couldn’t contact you because I was in the underground nuclear bomb shelter. What is the situation? Why did you take off first?”
[You bastard! Do you know how much blood I pooped out here alone! Even if I look at the wrong person, I have been wrong for a long time-]
“You will listen to my swearing for hours later, so report the situation first! situation! Danger to enemies and allies! right now!”
It is never too late to despair.
The fact that the enemy wanted to suppress my actions means that if I moved in a timely manner, I could have disrupted the enemy’s actions.
….It may not be too late yet.
So we had to move a little faster.
[Oil! Give me the fucking oil! Oil! That’s the whole situation, you bastard!]
“How much fuel do you have left?”
[30 minutes… no, 20 minutes! This is the time calculated for successful eco-driving of a lifetime, risking one’s life!]
“Why did you take off?”
[A huge amount of black dust was observed at the bottom of the hill, but then disappeared like a lie!]
“Concealment… The raptor’s nest is coming this way.”
[okay! If it was a distance that could be observed with binoculars, it would have already been within the range of a howitzer! The equipment they use is active equipment from World War III, so it includes a lot of anti-aircraft equipment that is now useless! I launched the plane first before it became impossible to return!]
“What direction?”
[About 4km due east from where you are! Judging by the lack of movement, it slowed down in that area!]
East. If it’s east of here… it’s Gedroitz’s unmanned spacecraft base.
“good job.”
[Of course you did well! So where is the rendezvous point? What about fuel? What is the dome identification code?]
“Nothing. Just like this, you and the transport plane leave. “Fly as much as possible in the opposite direction of the enemy observation point, turn on the rescue signal and wait.”
[….what? [Sounds that don’t even seem to be saying anything]
“There is no time to explain. Heungan dumplings. No, Bae Seongju, Seongju.”
Before I cut off communication, the guy, not his nickname, called me by his real name.
“I’ll see you alive.”
[Hey hey hey hey! Even if you say such a shameful thing-!]
Took-
After exchanging only the necessary information, we immediately cut off communication. There was continuous communication from the built-in communicator to the transport code, but it was neatly ignored.
Chijik-
[This is Professor Park. Change the commander-in-chief.]
[I’ve been holding onto it for a while already.]
The next connection was the communication from the Dome Expeditionary Force.
[I’ll check the report after everything is over to find out why they’re there and why they couldn’t be contacted. Did Professor Park do something just now?]
“If you’re talking about those things moving in the sky, I didn’t do it.”
[This is the worst. We didn’t do it either. Given the circumstances, we have no choice but to assume that the Raptor Society tampered with some kind of equipment.]
“If you thought that was the worst, go and get a drink. “As far as I know, there are worse cases than that.”
[If it’s alcohol, you already have it in your hand.]
“Is there anyone you share this call with?”
[They are trustworthy confidants who would be willing to share their lives with me.]
“Andrey Gedroits is the leader of the Raptors.”
[…!]
Silence followed for a moment, accompanied by the sound of a quick intake of breath.
[….I guess I should quit drinking. I can hear auditory hallucinations.]
“Gustav Al Harb Raptor. He has already been taken over by the ghost of Gedroitz. Connector, electronic personality, the body infused with it. “The dome will have accumulated long-term and practical observation data about it.”
[oh my god. Is that Gedreutz like that?]
“This is the information I came here and confirmed. Based on this information, can you guess what is happening in the sky right now? Or things like orbital rays that you only see in cartoons, or the extinction of humanity due to cosmic waves…!”
[So far, we have excluded many assumptions from a realistic perspective, but if the subject of that act is Gedreutz… it would be meaningless to assume the impossible. First of all, most of the ones that are moving are satellites located in Earth’s orbit.]
“If it’s a satellite… a military satellite?”
[Everything, regardless of type. They are moving in whatever way they can, from civilian satellites, military satellites, communication satellites to research space telescopes.]
“Do you mean everything?”
President Young did not respond, but the silence over the communication line spoke of their heavy feelings.
In 2055, astronomers officially gave up observing astronomical objects from the Earth’s surface, except through space telescopes. With space technology advancing day by day, the Earth’s orbit was filled with countless space launch vehicles, and eventually, when observing space through a telescope, all that was visible was space debris and satellites.
There were so many space satellites that they already reached that level 20 years ago.
Although the whole world put their heads together and invested hundreds of trillions of dollars, it ended up only collecting about 1% of space debris, which was another outer wall of the Earth, which had become countless.
This means that all of the satellites are now showing regular movement. The metal balls that mankind has been shooting into space for decades.
[….You know what is in the direction of the raptor’s movement.]
“Next Space. A space base prepared by Gedroitz for completionists.”
[okay. We don’t know what it is, but the enemy is preparing something so great that we can’t do anything about it. And the subject of the act has now arrived at the brink of the only means of reaching space. In this situation, the best order I could give was to attack that space base in order to somehow block the Raptor’s intentions.] [Our
troops are advancing towards that direction at top speed. As soon as it enters the attack range, it will launch indiscriminate bombardment towards the space base.]
“The Dome’s optical equipment will have extremely poor range in this dusty environment.”
[I guess that’s why we have time to contact each other like this. If we had long-range, live-fire artillery equipment as good as the Raptor, we would have blown up the entire area, even ignoring whether you were alive or dead.]
“Chief.”
[As the one in charge of the Dome’s millions of people, I must give orders. The movement in the sky is on a scale that cannot be blocked by the dome’s defense power. I have a duty to take all possible measures to block it before it activates.]
“I’m not criticizing you. “That is a reasonable enough order.”
“I was just trying to say that I was so emotionally invested that I risked everything.”
Raptor. Gedreuz. A group of space satellites. Perhaps the last means to reach the only space left on Earth.
As thoughts and thoughts continued to follow each other, I conveyed my thoughts carefully, hoping that President Young would regain his composure.
[Gambling?]
“Yes. “The enemy has already controlled a constellation of satellites on the ground, so what if there is no problem with its authority even if that spaceship base is destroyed?”
[That…]
“That thing over there is ‘our only means of transportation to space.’ “The goal was not destruction, but preoccupation!”
[If they had those means, they would have devastated that place already! Rather than occupying and protecting!]
“Please! That’s an unknown fact at the moment! “They may have a few more cards, but for us, that’s the only win condition!”
“The server room! This is a facility created to pass on everything to Gedroitz before he becomes completely disappointed in humanity! everything! Everything, including the means to restore and revive the world, as well as the means to control the enormous mess in the sky! “I understand!”
[There are too many lives at stake to have hope in such uncertain facts!]
“The possibilities at stake are too great to be blown away by such uncertain anxiety! “That’s the only one!!!”
President Young and me. Opinions to destroy Next Space occupied by Raptor and opinions to exploit it in some way are in sharp conflict.
The heavy voice of the commander-in-chief was heard through the communication device, which was coldly drowned out by the shouts of the commander-in-chief and the chief of staff.
[….The operation continues. Destroys the space base as soon as it enters the range.]
“Alexander Young, you fucking idiot-!”
[step! As pointed out by the Chief of Staff, the effective range of friendly forces in this area is drastically reduced, so it is expected that it will take some time for the friendly troops to hit the target. Considering that the battle may be a long one, the Exo-suit unit that is most efficient in this environment will perform that mission.]
“….Director Young?”
The exosuit unit carries out the operation. This means that, rather than firing from a distance, the entire unit intends to move until it reaches close range of Next Space.
[So, I don’t know what they were thinking about going there and acting alone… but it would be possible to impose operational autonomy equal to the remaining travel time on the elite agents who occupied the area and were carrying out special operations.] General
Young said I didn’t break my will. Considering the safety of the Dome and its members as the top priority, he chose to destroy this space base.
But still… as if making excuses, he was saying that he would bet all of the time he had created in the meantime, without specifically saying how long it would take, on me.
Considering his knife-like personality, this is so unusual that one wonders if the person on the other end of the phone is really Alexander Young.
[If I value rational judgment, I likewise prefer measures that have actual results rather than mere theory.]
[You have risked the lives of the Dome and its members in ways I could not have imagined, both during the Executive Rebellion and the Raptor Attack and in the all-out war in Area 38. I protected it.]
[So, this time, I hope you prove this idiot’s judgment wrong.]
[That’s it.] With that, President
Chiik-
Young unilaterally cut off communication.
Although I was dumbfounded by the unexpected result, it was clear that I had a chance.
Chijiik-
[….Ian.]
[This is harder to contact than my wife who left home.]
The last communication I connected was from Ian who said he was running this way.
[While you were arguing with the president, they relayed the general outline of the situation. Alive and fucked. Are you saying you’re going to space?]
“It’s unbelievably accurate.”
[Hehehehe! This really makes you Rocket Man! I can show off somewhere!]
“Oh, it’s okay. “Who else would climb the highest point in the wasteland but me?”
It’s really fun. As soon as I heard that guy’s raunchy laugh, the laughter came out of my mouth and my head became empty, just as the steam was drained from my boiling head.
The tension disappeared, composure returned, and my creaky brain became as smooth as a well-oiled machine.
[Now that that’s the case, we advance on the same line as Dom’s exosuit unit.]
“Okay, OK.”
[Let me ask you just one question. Honestly, didn’t you do something? You had an accident, right?]
“You said no?”
[okay?]
.
.
.
.
[Then do something from now on. Just like every time.]
“….Okay. “Just like it always has been.”
click.
The familiar sound of a lighter was heard over the communication line.
[See you at Blood Planet, Buzz Lightyear. It will be there soon.]
“At least prepare your Picat and wait. “I’ll be there before you come.”
[Write ‘Welcome Earth!’ on the barrel of the Raptor’s tank and wave it—-]
Chiik chiikiik—-
Ian’s nonsense sound was buried in the noise of the communicator. Not only Ian’s but also President Young Mandu’s and all the other radio waves that attempted to contact him through the lines were scattered and became static.
“It’s a jammer.”
“Because the Raptor Nest is located less than 10km away. It means that they have put their butts together to the point that the Noisy Pack is active. “It is also clear evidence that Raptors were stationed in Next Space.”
In the silence that suddenly descended, like a sudden commotion, a cluster of stars created by humans decorated the dark night sky with artificial movements.
“You’ve lived quite well.”
“….suddenly?”
“I’m saying this because I think it’s time to break up. “It may have proceeded in a somewhat strange way, but the reason I followed you was to observe whether the life of Professor Park was the same as the ideal I was pursuing.”
Cheonryuje said as he sat down on a pile of junk nearby, as if he had no intention of moving from here.
“If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my life, it’s that this world is extremely complex and interconnected. Just like how Han Seo-ho volunteered for an experiment in Kracolanzia and found the infected and dying boy, lived as a Cheonryuje in the wasteland, observed a person named Professor Park, and ended up coming here and making my own conclusion.”
“When I thought about it this way, I realized that my remaining here might be connected in some larger sense. So I just wanted to convey my impressions. Everything pays off. “One way or another.”
“Do you want to stay here? Will it soon become a battlefield?”
“I can’t follow you. “You have a mutant body that can run 2km as if walking, but right now I only have a very well-trained human body with sensitive senses.”
Cheon Ryu-je lay down on the junk piled up on top of the bomb shelter as if he wanted to relieve his fatigue here. The dust of the wasteland drifted over the radiation protection suit he wore.
“The terrain here is high and quite far from the battlefield, and there is an air-raid shelter right behind it that can withstand a nuclear explosion. The alliance is a bit tricky, but you can just hide in one of the many structures on the way down there. “This is the best place for me, now that I am helpless, to remain in my current situation.”
“…Then there is nothing we can do.”
When I agreed, Cheonryuje held out his remaining left hand.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Professor Park.”
“okay. “It wasn’t that bad, Cheonryuje.”
“Remember. Everything in this world costs a price in one way or another. “Even though it’s only half-hearted, it’s still coming from someone who was the closest to a complete person after you.”
“…Once you feel better, move in the direction the transport plane flew. “The rescue team will be heading in that direction.”
Cheonryuje’s attitude suddenly became strange.
‘It’s probably because I said I was fine, but in reality, my physical condition wasn’t fine.’
This is a guy who had his right arm torn off in a lump, along with a chunk of flesh connected to his brain and body tissue near his spine. I thought that Chen Liujie’s strange attitude was because he was worried that I would carry around such a guy like a burden.
“I’ll finish it soon, so hang in there.”
“hmm? “I misunderstood something.”
“What is the misunderstanding?”
Instead of saying hello, I slapped his hand away and turned around.
By comparing the coordinates of this place with the coordinates of Next Space in my memory, I estimated the target direction beyond the sandstorm.
2km ahead. Perhaps the main force of the Raptor Society is encamped.
‘….There is a cure anyway.’
As I put pressure on my feet, I felt the toenails that had pierced through my military boots a while ago sinking into the ground.
I had already been moving for several hours, but instead of feeling tired, I felt like the vitality was filling my body and pouring out of my nose.
A body that is rapidly escaping from humanity. And my experience of using such a body more intensely and for a longer period than anyone else.
Kwaduk, Quad, Quad, Quad!
Not only did the feet stick to the ground, but both hands also dug into the ground. Using the dug-in limbs as support, he endlessly condenses his strength, causing his thighs to swell to the point where his uniform pants are torn.
‘So it’s unreasonable.’
The body, pulled like a bowstring, releases its strength in an instant –
‘If I don’t reach the server room, I’ll die anyway!’
Kuaaaaaaaaaa!
Gedreutz’s game. The high-speed movement of the ‘Red Mute’, like a cannonball, which only existed in that fictional world, was recreated in the wasteland of reality.
****
Tuhwaaagh-!!
.
.
.
.
“That’s amazing.”
Even if you see it with your own eyes, it is a sight that makes you doubt whether that is the person who was talking next to him just a moment ago.
Tian Liujie got up from the pile of trash he was lying on, following the black mass that was quickly moving away.
“…I hope you stop coming out now.”
A shout into empty space.
“Is this truly an amazing feeling?”
But a clear answer emerged among the clutter.
Old, worn and torn military uniform.
Likewise, old but well-maintained firearms and knives.
Skin that shows the passage of time and fur that is like a flame that is revealed between the torn skin.
“Is it called Buru…?”
“You are Cheonryu Zero. “He’s a guy I thought was pretty good, but he unfortunately came in second place in my personal rivalry.”
He said, looking curiously at the person he once hoped would be his death.
“Is there any reason to block my path like this? From what I’ve heard, it seems like you are now free from the obsession with having to sharpen yourself. Is there no reason to take on a fight against a strong enemy like me? Moreover, you shouldn’t make such a fuss.”
A tiger wearing human skin pointed to the right arm of his baggy protective clothing.
“That’s right. “Now that I have finally regained my life, I have started to think a little about God.”
“But why?”
“That’s because I knew you guys would go after Professor Park.”
Chen Liujie roughly pulled the starting cord of the laser chainsaw in his left hand with his mouth.
Clap, whew!
A chainsaw that cries fiercely as it starts. A blue oval blade that rotates sequentially to reveal energy chunks that can tear through steel plates like sheets of paper, one by one. The weapon he used because he thought it was the closest form to an Auror in reality.
Wow –
Emperor Chen Liu’s attitude changed into the most intense one in his life.
Although it was a twisted and misaligned desire, it was ultimately the driving force that made him live until this moment.
Gi Su-sik, a human who has fought more battles than anyone else to push himself to his limits.
“If you were going to eavesdrop, you should have listened to the end. Didn’t I tell you? “Everything has to be repaid.”
And from there it changes again. The upper body leans a little more to the right to balance the empty right arm. A defensive fighting style that relies more on the destructive power of the weapon’s blade to compensate for decreased strength.
“I fulfilled my life’s aspirations here. So shouldn’t we do this to Professor Park?”
The moment in his life when ‘Han Seo-ho’ disappeared and he stood alone as a person named Cheon Ryu-je.
“haha. This is so….”
Crunch crunch!
Buru felt unbearable jealousy as he saw the human form refined to its incredibly straight limits.
“If you provoke me this much, I have no choice but to get caught even though I know it’s a fake….”
“No problem. “It might be a little too much for Jeong Jeong-ah, who has yet to escape from herself.”
-Tdu-duk!
And the more you feel that way.
The tiger, who had truly hated the only person who treated him sincerely until the end, ate him, pierced his old skin and exposed his rotting body.
“….OK. If that’s the case-”
Cha-ga-aak!
“Prove that your claws are my death!”
Unable to escape on his own, the human who took the form of a tiger rushed towards the prosecutor alone. The claws of a wild beast had torn the skin not only from the hands and feet, but also from the chest, sides, thighs, and head, creating an ugly monster that looked like neither a human nor a tiger.
Cheonryuje calmly raised the chainsaw while observing the bizarre charge. His gaze was focused on the sight of a human being gradually approaching outside of the open air raid shelter beyond the clawed monster.
‘I don’t know how long I can endure.’
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
The blue blade of science and the claws with rotten meat collided, creating a fierce flame. It was a powerful blow that made my legs shake for a moment.
‘I wouldn’t have lived so vainly that it wasn’t enough.’
Kwachaang!
The tip of Cheonryuje’s blade penetrated the gap and smoothly tore the flesh of the animal.
This was his answer.
This was his answer to Professor Park’s question about how he would live in the future.
A very short and concise ‘Chun Ryu-je’s remaining life’ was planned the moment he sensed the scent of a wild beast that was following Professor Park extremely secretly deep underground in the bomb shelter.
like that. Although the direction was wrong, the great swordsman who conquered destruction with only his sword. At the mouth of the Master Sword who descended to the earth.
“…if you really want it.”
After going through countless hardships, self-deprecation, and suffering.
“I will allow my name, Cheonryuje, to become your death.”
“I will engrave my name on the tombstone not only for you, but also for all the beasts behind you!”
Kwachaaaang!
Finally, the form of life with which he was most familiar took hold.
A smile like a blue line drawn by the edge of the blade appeared on the prosecutor’s lips.
****
