Clearing the Game at the End of the World Chapter 20

Chapter.3 For that handful of silver coins (3)

***

Calmness. composure.

For anyone living in a wasteland, this is a virtue that cannot be emphasized 100 times. In this bleak land, there is no time for regret, so suspicion is a virtue and it is wise to filter out suspicious information.

‘There is no need to rush. It is best not to create exceptional missions when you are outside the safe area. In any case, my goal is to pass through Area 45 and meet a business partner. It would be a loss to take any more risks.’

“Kihihi, how about it? Doesn’t it taste appealing? “Do you think that the glorious times that I dreamed about a hundred times would still remain?”

But even if the bait is big, it is too big. Immediately after World War III. The rich people’s panic room was sealed in virtually new condition when there were not many scavengers yet.

‘From a coldly conservative perspective…..’

“….What is the scale? “Exactly how many hours has it been since it was discovered?”

“There is no accurate information yet. “It’s been about six hours since it was discovered… I’ve only just started to look at the lid, but it seems like it was a hit from the start.”

“If it’s a big hit….”

“30 sets of protective suits for the 2050 orbital mission. “Like a preservation device.”

“Khehe!”

I was so surprised that I could hear the sound.

‘My coolness! Chi calm down! ‘Oh no!’

“That hmmm! Hmm!… If there is such a huge item, the nearby scavengers must have already robbed it, right?”

“hmm? Oh, not really. There were a ton of variants inside. “Maybe when World War III started, everyone moved in and waited inside until things stabilized, but then something went wrong and they couldn’t come out.”

gulp.

Let’s be patient. Let’s not be shaken. Hold on. It’s no big deal. No, it’s not a big deal, but the risk will be high. All the good stuff has already been taken out and only some old furniture remains –

“I know a little about such structures, but when rich people build panic rooms for long-term hiding, they never go in alone. After the situation is over, they take bodyguards with them to protect them in the messy outside environment. The protective clothing on the first floor was probably prepared for those people, so the number of shelters buried underground is probably at least 30, or around 780, right?”

I can’t stand it! 70 neatly preserved old-time shelters!!!!

Ttuk –

Ah, I’m sorry, my opposite sex. I failed to catch you again today.

“What is the entrance situation? What are the trends in large groups like the Dom or Raptor Society? “How big and what type of mutation is…”

“Woah, calm down, comrade. “There is an order to things, right?”

The short man unwrapped the dirty bandage on his right hand, took off the gloves underneath, and held out his sweaty hands, wiping them roughly on his collar.

“Vex People around me just call me Vex. The situation was like this, so I was looking for a colleague locally, and that person caught my eye. “That three-way point I mentioned earlier is a place I often use!”

“….Who do you think I am and ask you to come with me? To put it bluntly, what if I were the advance guard sent from the dome?”

“Kihihihi!”

Vex laughed hoarsely and grotesquely.

“I’m not good at acting. Well, it’s better to clear up unnecessary misunderstandings quickly. “You’re the one who travels alone, right?”

“…..”

“There is no need to answer. A movement that checks one’s position and exposed points with each step. It’s a habit that develops among those who go around alone without backup, guarding both front, left, and right sides. As for the map I mentioned earlier, they usually don’t go that far. “It’s proof that he’s been traveling alone for quite some time.”

“…That’s sharp.”

“Kihihi! It won’t be difficult. “Because that’s how I live!”

“But walking alone doesn’t guarantee you won’t be an enemy.”

“you’re welcome! Living alone in this day and age means a lot.

These are dangerous times, right? The weak gather under the strong, and the weaker die. The fact that I survived alone without belonging to a group means that I am at peace.

And not belonging to a group means that you don’t want to be bound by rules or have other personal reasons. Either way, it means that he is a guy with his own opinions. Those guys can at least communicate! Kihihi!”

“…So you chose me?”

“okay. Well, there is no end to risk, but is there a risk-free choice in today’s world? I have to endure it all. Since I have a military background, it will be easy for me to plan a strategy and I have the skills. I liked that one. How about we go hunting for treasure together?”

“…..”

I was conflicted for a moment, but my worries were short-lived. Now that the risk of 2.4 million is already approaching, if you can make a lot of money by taking a little risk, it is a profitable business.

The professor also unbuckled his wrists, took off his gloves, and held out his hands. I cannot reveal my real name. Because we’re not that close. Nicknames are not allowed either. If it turns out that I and the professor are the same person, someone could trace my movement path back and reveal the location of the shelter. Broadcasters are the number one prey of these scavengers. name. As for the name… it would be better for the name used externally to look a bit strong, right?

The professor said without much thought.

“It’s a hanged man. “Nice to meet you.”

“Comrade Kihit, your naming skills are terrible. “As expected, it will be short-lived.”

Wow.

Thus a temporary alliance was concluded. The hand of someone I held for the first time in a long time was, um… more unpleasant than I thought. Ugh, I feel uncomfortable.

***

After deciding to accompany him, Bex took the lead, saying he knew of a good place. Despite his small and dwarf physique, his movements were so agile that it was difficult to keep up with him.

“Anyway, uh… Hamman? Comrade-in-arms, you are lucky for once.”

“Hey, I was curious about it earlier. “Is that how it’s supposed to be spoken, or is it some new scavenger language?”

It bothered me earlier, but this guy named Bex spoke a bit strangely. The word order was strange and the words jumped out at me. I could understand it, but it was very annoying to my ears.

“Tsk. You would know this if you lived alone in the wasteland. “I don’t have any chance to talk to anyone.”

“Um….”

‘Master!’

‘Master niiiiim!’

‘Hehehe human!’

‘I’m the owner!’

It’s not. There’s a guy who’s so loud that I get neurotic.

“As I lived with blood on my hands every day and didn’t speak, the delusions in my head only increased. At one point, the words couldn’t keep up with my head. I’ve said everything in my head, but my mouth is still speaking. So, I started to limp and the words just came out the way I thought.”

hmm. It’s an interesting mental illness. They say there’s a mental problem… -1 point for colleague.

“Then isn’t it dangerous? Are you taking your medicine?”

“Are you saying something strange? Who isn’t crazy about this wild land? Everyone survived because they were all different in their own way. “I’m considered a noble person?”

Crack, tap!

Vex giggled and jumped over the wall at the end of the alley. No matter how you look at it, it’s not just about good body movements.

“Where did you serve?”

“huh? Kihihi! “When I asked you earlier, you just blew a cold wind!”

“We were enemies back then. “Because we are colleagues now.”

“Hi-Hi! Well, well. “I don’t want to tell you because I have pride, but if our lucky comrade asks a question, will you give me an answer?”

“Are you lucky? I?”

“then! “I came across the golden opportunity that every scavenger in the world dreams of, just in passing, so if this isn’t luck, what is it!”

well. If you were just trying to do something because you didn’t want to die in debt due to an AI that went crazy with impulse purchases, I think your thoughts would be a little different.

-Boo!

Bex, who used the elasticity of the de-energized wire to climb up to the three-story window at once, rolled up the cloth covering his wrists and said.

“I was in the Allied 3rd Airborne Division. It is also called Ball 3. Do you know? Hepburn?”

“It’s been less than three minutes since I said ‘Hangman.’”

“It’s not a matter of memory. “What should I do when I hear things come out of my mouth like that?” The professor climbed up the uneven exterior wall of the building and reached where Vex was

,

and felt that the tattoo he showed looked familiar.

“If it’s the 3rd one… Operation to retake the Tarel Ground?”

“oh! I know! Even if I gathered and condensed my entire shitty life, it couldn’t have been as shitty as that one day! Could it be that they fought on a battlefield like this? Hepburn, where were you?”

“Um…it was 14.”

The professor hesitated for a moment, but decided to just tell him. Since I was going to have to leave my back for a while anyway, I decided it would be a good idea to build up some level of friendship.

dump.

However, Bex, who had entered the abandoned building and was taking care of something, suddenly fell forward.

“Has the taste of my ears finally gone? 14? “You’re from the 14th Special Operations Unit?”

Bex

, who was nodding in the professor’s affirmation and saying something like ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ suddenly stood up and stretched out his hand towards the professor.

Less evil!

‘fast!’

reacted. No, I thought he had reacted, but before I knew it, Bex was grabbing the professor’s wrist and examining it.

“that! That’s right! “If you engrave it on your body, it won’t be erased!”

“Tattoo?”

“okay! Tattoo! show me! “You’re not going to say it doesn’t exist, right?”

‘….Is it really okay to go with this bastard? ‘It seems like your mind is much more unstable than before?’

His skills are clear based on what he has shown so far, but this isn’t bipolar disorder… Professor

Tuk Tuk

looked at Bex, who was still holding onto his wrist with a suspicious look in his eyes, and unbuckled his protective clothing to show him the tattoo on the back of his shoulder, above his wing bone. .

A small and simple tattoo. A small arrow set inside a thin circle. The meaning is

to kill everything except what is inside.

It was the unit mark of the 14th Special Eradication Operation Unit, commonly known as the 14th Special Operations Unit.

“Uh… ahhh…. 14…. it’s really 14 huh huh…. 14, it’s really 14…..”

Bex, who checked the tattoo, shook her hands and suddenly lost consciousness. He mumbled like someone who had just left, and started walking around the building at a fast pace, picking up and moving something. Most of them looked like miscellaneous pieces, seemingly moving around meaninglessly.

“Um… hey? Are you okay?”

“This crazy, amazing thing is having a hard time again today because of the wrong day…”

“Hey…Vex?”

“If I touch it and roll over, it will be small today@*($^[email protected])#&[email protected]%^”

‘Should I just throw it away?’

A former soldier, a scavenger who frequently speaks in tongues and is prone to emotional and sanity ups and downs.

No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like a trustworthy colleague.

***

While Vex’s adventures continued, the professor took out a telescope from his backpack and carefully looked outside.

“One, two, three, four… I guess Vex lied.”

What the professor counted were flags, not people.

“The red bramble flag… Those are the children of Tura. Of course Wanderer came. Because the distance is so close. Benny… is not visible. There are no raptors. Also… where was that flag? Was it Rolling Corpse? I thought it was wiped out there. What is all the rest? “It’s all full of flags that I’ve never seen before-”

“Hmm! You’re not sure, are you? “Area 45 is an area where new scavengers are born as soon as you look away.”

“Wow!”

The professor was suddenly startled by a voice coming from next to him.

At some point, Bex was looking out the window next to me, blocking the sunlight with her hand.

“I apologize. “I tend to get a little confused when things don’t go as planned.”

“If you just said ‘a little’… If you get into a lot of confusion, do you even dance with a Molotov cocktail in both hands?”

“no! This is just… a gift box for a plan gone awry… My heart melts when I see my plan being moved to the place I decided….”

?’

It’s a very strange way of speaking. It’s hard to understand, but the meaning is clear. It sounded like it meant calming down the frustration caused by a plan going awry by putting things in order.

“What kind of grand plan did you have to create such a mess?”

“hmm….. “That’s…”

Benny hesitated, fidgeting with his hands, then sighed and said.

“I tried to use you as bait to get in there.”

“I thought so.”

Yes, I thought he was very cooperative for someone I met for the first time. Still, I had a little faith in him because he was a soldier who fought on the same battlefield. I too have come a long way. I still trust everyone.

Looking at the number of scavengers gathering anyway, it seemed wrong to pick up and eat the soybeans.

The professor folded the binoculars and put them in his backpack, then packed up his belongings and got up.

“Where are you going, Hepburn?”

“Where are you going? I have to go my own way. It was a pleasure meeting you, comrade. “You helped me get here quickly, so I’ll punish you for tricking me.”

As I stood up, Vex began to visibly panic.

“Now wait a minute. “I’m not a prosperous person, I’m a pro-profit – anyway, I changed my plan!”

“It would be better for you to give up cleanly too. How can you escape with something worth making money in that evil bastard? Above all, you already fooled me once, right? It’s not right to ask a guy like that to stand behind me with a gun. “Let’s just part ways here.”

I felt a lot of regret inside, but I tried to forget it and turned my back on it. No, I tried to turn, but Vex approached me like a ghost and grabbed my wrist again.

“Let go.”

“…I can’t let go.”

“Vex. Let’s part ways on good terms. We haven’t done any harm to each other yet, have we? “Breaking up like this is a happy path for both of us.”

“Oh, no. “If Hepburn continues like this, I’ll be in big trouble.”

Bex put more pressure on her wrist.

Write-

‘Let’s see this, so let’s continue from before…!’

The professor pulled Bex’s arm with all his strength and pulled her into his arms. At the same time, he leaned forward and pressed down on Bex’s neck and chest with the opposite arm.

“I saw you touching me earlier because I was a little quick with my hands, but there’s a difference in weight class between you and me, right? They say they don’t do it. I won’t do it! “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

Bex, who was struggling to insert her fingers between the arms that were pressing her uvula, was able to breathe and screamed as if she was letting out all her pent-up anger.

“14aaaa!!!”

For a moment, the professor backed away slightly without realizing it. Vex, who was holding the arm that was pressing down on her neck, was crying.

“Yes!! I’m broken! I owe 14! I will never be able to repay you even if I live my whole life! If I let you go like this, I won’t be able to sort things out. If you don’t do something, things won’t get organized! forever! Aaaah!!!!”

Words that I still can’t understand, but the meaning is still there.

“Do you have debt? “Can’t you organize it?”

“Five years! I finally got my chance after 5 years! I don’t know why, but you smelled similar to them, so I was drawn to them without realizing it! If I let it go like this, I’ll die! Hepburn please! I won’t lie to you anymore. Please give me one more chance! “Never again like that day…!”

‘….It’s an obsession.’

I saw it often when I was on the battlefield. A guy who couldn’t sleep unless he carved three wooden spears and stuck them in the entrance of the barracks, and a guy who would panic if he didn’t have his beloved socks with holes in them. The symptoms Vex was experiencing were that it had become significantly distorted and deteriorated.

“Ugh!!! 14…. 14….!!! please! please!!”

‘The object of obsession…is it the 14th Special Operations Unit? Ha, indeed. ‘I got caught.’

If he was completely crazy, I would just think he was doing a good thing and punch a hole in his head, but even though he was crying like crazy, his fingertips did not stray more than a certain distance from the kukri tied to his waist.

‘This guy was able to escape, but he just let me take an advantageous position.’

The moment I decide to kill you, I will probably pull out my sword and release my control. It was not at a level that could be easily suppressed if a battle broke out. If you hear a gunshot, it will immediately attract the attention of the scavengers gathered in front of you, and that is also burdensome.

The professor eventually relaxed the arm that was holding down Vex.

“Ugh… Hepburn, I was the quickest guy on the 3-ball. It will be useful. please help me I want to get away now. please. Let me settle my debts for the day…” “

…Say them one by one. “Maybe it’s because the number of crazy people in this world is increasing, but wherever I go, crazy people are there… I need to do something good or something.”

Even if a guy like this is released, it will be a problem. He’s faster than me and hides better. He’s probably good at finding traces, so I didn’t even need to see that he would follow me to my house.

‘…There’s nothing we can do.’

While the professor was struggling, he picked up Bex’s turban, which had fallen on the floor, twisted it roughly with his hand, and then threw it to the guy.

“Hangman.”

“….eww?”

“Forgive me if I call you Hangman instead of Hepburn.”

Bex looked at the professor in disbelief for a moment, then tears poured out of her eyes.

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Haeb haeb…..”

Bex buried his face in the turban the professor threw him and cried for a long time.

***