Chapter.5 Inside Out (9)
It is said that insomnia most often occurs when a person fails to do something he or she thinks he or she should do. This means that the feeling of debt for that matter is what stimulates the person endlessly and prevents them from falling asleep. In other words, a person who has done his/her job can get a great night’s sleep.
“Hmm~ Ahhh. Good morning. “It’s so refreshing, like you’re flying!”
That’s exactly how I am right now. Even though I was brutally tortured by two gunmen who were very dissatisfied with my naming after the phone call with the Dome staff, what could they do? The name ‘Big Dream’ has already been taken over there. It’s called Big Dream Caravan. Hmm, good. The pronunciation feels very comfortable in my mouth.
Everything was going well. A pleasant morning, a glass of cool water to wake you up, and
“Ugh!” “Errrr!”
Even Ian, who was tightly tied and writhing next to him.
“Oooh Metal-Joe. good morning? How about the tied part? “Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“Ugh! Oh my!”
“Uh… Professor?”
“Bex! good morning?”
“uh? uh. good morning. But… why did you tie Joe up?”
“Oh this? It’s no big deal. I have some work to do in the morning, so I calmed him down for a moment as a precaution. Shall we go out soon? “Today is going to be a very busy day.”
Most people in the wasteland wake up early in the morning. As there is a shortage of electricity, the time when the sun is up is the time when it moves, so there are very few people who oversleep. So, the professor woke up feeling refreshed before the sun rose, and to make the coming day more comfortable, he meticulously tied up the sleeping Ian and then greeted Bex with a happy face.
Whatever! Him! Whatever!
“Ugh! Gbbuuuu! Ugh! “Grrrrgh!”
Every time the Professor and Bex made the sound of scratching something with the objects in their hands, an animal-like sound came out of Ian’s mouth, whose entire body was tightly bound and even gagged.
“Hepburn, do we really have to erase this? Look at that guy’s eyes. “As soon as we let them go, they’ll rush to kill us both.”
“Then, would you like to ride the Marked Raptor’s armored truck through the Dome’s jurisdiction? If you don’t want to see a bunch of RPGs flying at you block by block as you pass by, just delete them. I told you the Dom’s inspector general would be here soon. “When doms say ‘soon’, they mean that they will do their best to come as soon as possible!”
This was the reason why Ian’s armored truck was being scratched with a piece of scrap metal from the very early morning when the sun was just rising. Metal Joe’s love for cars seemed unusual, so as a precaution, I tied him up like that while he was sleeping, and I was glad I did. Every time Ian got a scratch on the truck, he howled like an animal, as if his skin was being ripped off alive.
“Think positively. “It’s a little bumpy, but if you scrape it all off and write [Big Dream] on top of it, it’ll be worth seeing.”
Gigikigeek-
“Gaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
The professor deliberately took his time and slowly scraped the truck, giving Ian time to savor the sound. After all, revenge is truly sweet.
***
The strange thing happened when the work was over and after calming Ian down with the promise of ‘getting the parts needed to fix the broken Hummer,’ the three of them were clinging to the manual pump and pumping water for a while. “Hey Professor
,
do we really need this much water?” I heard that one of the reasons why so many people flocked to Area 47 was because of the abundance of groundwater, but even without pumping this much, the pump built into the shelter is enough-” “
Shh! Joe! Stop for a moment! Something is coming!”
All three people stopped what they were doing and listened to Bex’s words. Indeed, it wasn’t long before the sound of heavy footsteps and mechanical driving noises that echoed even on the soft sand began to approach the shelter.
“Okay, let’s all go out. “It looks like a guest has arrived.”
It’s just about eight o’clock in the morning. The Dome’s inspector seemed to be as diligent as I had heard.
***
Giiing- Giiing-
“Is that….. that?”
“and. Hepburn: I’ve only heard about that, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”
“I’ve lived in District 47 for quite some time, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”
As I quickly finished arming myself and came out of the hiding place, something walking on two feet was approaching not far away. The person was a person, but a rough-looking black frame surrounded the person’s entire body.
“Exosuit… “It’s a welcome greeting befitting money demon friends.”
“yes. “It’s one of the few things in this world that is more expensive than a generator.”
“Joe. “If we fight against that one, we’ll lose, right?”
“Are you saying that? “Even if only half the rumors are true, it’s a monster.”
The professor had no choice but to agree with Ian. I actually drove that thing when I was at the Dome. It is a shoulder weapon with a basic small missile launcher function and a strength assistance function that can lift about a car. It only has a frame and seems to have most of its body exposed, but it is also equipped with a small shield generator, so if the output is increased during battle, it can ignore fire and just rush forward. The reason Dom is so obsessed with technological civilization. The war machine that made Dom the number one group in the Wasteland. Approaching the shelter was something like that.
‘Height: about 2 meters 30. In the old days, there were only ridiculously large war machines, but now it looks like small models like that are being produced as well. I guess the reason for miniaturizing it was to increase the driving limit, right?
Looking at something like that, it feels ridiculous that the Raptor Society is rubbing against the Dom, but in fact, that exosuit is a very troublesome item to use in the wasteland.
As it is a precision mechanical device, it requires the help of an expert if it breaks down, but in dusty wastelands, breakdowns are very frequent, making it difficult to operate for a long time, and even if there are no such problems, it just eats up the battery so much that the maximum operating time does not exceed 8 hours. . If something like a sandstorm blows, you have to turn on the shield, so half of that. If you increase the defense output enough to block 7.62mm bullets in a combat situation, it is half again. Since the operating time limit during an actual battle is only 1 hour, it is also an item that becomes the driver’s coffin the moment a long-term battle begins.
So, instead of just running around like Raptor, Dom chose to increase metallurgy cities one by one and make the surrounding areas their territory. Although it only has an operating time of one hour, it has the power to be almost invincible for that hour.
‘That’s the reason why raptors prefer heavy weapons such as mortars and minigun flamethrowers. ‘Because it’s something that can’t even make a scratch with a rifle or something like that.’
The inspector approaching my house right now is wearing something like that. Both the user and the suit took a big bath in blood, and it looks like they got into a fight with a mutant on the way there.
‘Or maybe he came here covered in blood on purpose as a means of suppressing the momentum. Because the exosuit is a representative item that symbolizes Dom’s powerlessness.’
Giiiing- Giiiing- Clap!
The inspector walked forward and stopped in front of the three of us, opened the frame of the exosuit, came out from inside, and held out his hand to us. I held his blood-covered hand, shook it vigorously, and opened my mouth.
“Nice to meet you. I am the representative professor of Big Dream Caravan. “You can call me professor.”
“ha ha ha. nice to meet you It came from the 47th District Environmental Management Team, part of Dome’s Office of Inspector General. “So that’s the professor I’ve only heard about?”
“Do you…know me?”
“sure. I’m a fan. “I’m enjoying the broadcast.”
After shaking hands with the professor, the man wearing the hat he took out of his pocket had a smile on his face.
***
Ezel Raiden, the second-ranking inspector of the District 47 Inspectorate, did not want to miss this opportunity.
“Junior, are you sure you can go alone?”
“Yes, that’s right, Ezel. “You saw the information that you seem to be living in a dangerous area.”
“Hey, senior, let’s stop worrying. Who got the inspector general position? To be honest, I’m confident that if I were to go inside Area 47, I wouldn’t get caught anywhere even if I just carried a pistol in my bare hands. But isn’t this guy Kimi so damned that he even came out wearing a suit like this?”
“That’s right! They say there are guys in that caravan called Spice Merchants, who are famous in District 43, and the group’s name is BDSM in the first place! “It’s obvious that they are crazy people!”
“Hey, don’t be like that. “Tastes must be respected.”
Giiing – Slam!
Ezel got into the suit assigned to him, recognized his biometric ID, and turned it on.
“After all, we’re not an organization with a lot of extra hands, are we? “If you suddenly leave your seat because of something like this, the executive branch might make some kind of fuss.”
“That’s right. Ugh. “Even in a world like this, there are people who engage in politics.”
“Hehehe. The moment you embrace democracy, it comes automatically. I have to endure it. “Then, please have a hard time while I get back!”
“okay! be careful!”
“Ezel! If you think something is wrong, take emergency action first! Understand!”
Ezel came out of the dome, receiving a worried farewell from his colleagues. The destination was a caravan BDSM shelter outside District 47 that was registered yesterday.
Actually, there was nothing to worry about, thought Soy Sauce Bar Ani Ezel.
The type 1 mutants that roam around in Area 47 are people wearing suits that can be shattered if you just kick them, while the Psycho Gang are people that just need to avoid the area well. Survivor? It would be really crazy if there was a guy attacking the inspector right next to the city of Dome. Even if I tried to worry, there was nothing that could be considered a threat.
That’s why Ezel insisted and headed to the professor’s shelter alone. An opportunity to officially visit the private shelter of the broadcaster ‘professor’. Not very dangerous. Opportunities like this are truly rare.
‘Actually, I was quite curious. This is because the guy who modulated his voice, didn’t even use a cam, and never disclosed any personal information suddenly founded a caravan and started engaging in outside activities.’
Dome’s inspectors often meet outsiders, so they are required to major in psychology as a required subject. The professor Ezel saw was a typical individual survivor with a very closed personality, but he seemed to have suddenly changed as a person and began engaging in outside activities, even revealing his personal information.
‘They say people change when they die. Do you have a disease?’
All these questions can be answered by facing them directly.
“Gaaaaaaaa!”
Pow!
“Ugh, I should tell the cleaning guys to work harder. “It’s near a populated area, but there’s still the type 1 variant circulating.”
I forgot again. Even if the enemy is not a threat, fight with the shield on. Thanks to this, the suit and his own clothes were covered in the mutant’s blood.
“If I ask you to go and take a shower, you’ll do it, right?”
Ezel hurried his steps as he saw three people standing in front of the target in the distance.
***
The appearance of the man holding hands was quite ordinary, contrary to Ezel’s imagination.
‘Based on his game style, he’s either macho or completely intelligent. ‘It was one of the two?’
Ezel looked at the two figures standing on either side of the professor. Sunglasses on the right and a bushy beard. A frowning brow with a cigarette dangling in dissatisfaction. And the finale is the lower crown made entirely of metal.
‘Metal Joe – Ian. A weapons dealer who is famous by the nickname of the [Spice Merchant] of District 43 and is more famous for the handmade cigarettes he occasionally gives away as a service than for the weapons he sells. You said you used to work alone as an arms dealer, but recently you started working as a team.’
The information is from a week ago, so it may be a little less fresh, but it should be roughly correct. In Area 43, the clan that manages the area began to move due to problems with industrial facilities, and there was less news from informants. An informant in Area 45 also died after being caught by a raptor while disguising himself as a scavenger and collecting information on an underground bunker. Overall, the only information around here was of poor quality collected through the community.
When I turned my eyes to the left, there was a short, grayish man with the exact opposite image.
‘Identity unknown. This is probably the guy who joined the team as a spice dealer. Lightly armed, slightly bent knees. I see that you’re raising your heel, so I guess you’re wary of me. Are you a scavenger? ‘It looks pretty flying, doesn’t it?’
“Hey inspector, I’ll get better. What are you looking at like that? “Are you interested?”
Ezel responded with a wide smile as he watched the big man roll his eyes and open his mouth fiercely just because he glanced at it for a moment.
“sure. We are very interested in you. You’re the inspector general, right? “I came here to observe, so all I can do is observe?”
“Uhm….”
“Joe, if you’re going to get robbed, don’t open your mouth and keep your mouth shut.”
“I’ll see you later.”
‘Relationships between members – very friendly.’
Ezel watched the conversation between the two and immediately realized that their relationship was very close. A common characteristic of wasteland people is that they have sharp thorns towards almost everyone. Even members of the same group can reach with a knife if they react aggressively. Being able to make such an aggressive joke means that you are confident that your relationship will not be damaged even if you treat them that way, and that their relationship is built inside those sharp thorns.
“Now, since we’re standing outside like this, shall we go inside?”
And the ‘professor’, aka professor, who leads the situation with a mask-like smile. The impression was that he was a fairly ordinary wasteland person. Compared to the two unique people on either side of him, does he seem like Jin-gu, stuck between an extremely ordinary bumpy and triangular face?
‘I’m naturally taking control of the situation. You definitely feel like you are the leader in this group. But I don’t know why. Isn’t the professor just a gamer who played concept games because he had no money? It looks like he’s been disciplined in his own way, but that’s the case with all wasteland people. How could a District 43 arms dealer and a poor broadcaster have any contact? Ugh, I have to work. You have to judge it calmly, but this is so much fun!’
We have known each other for nearly 5 years under the names of Soy Sauce Gay Bar and Professor. I was proud to see that fun-loving guy become the leader of a group like this, and I enjoyed the fact that the other person didn’t know his identity in such a situation. It’s like preparing for a surprise party and waiting for the main character.
Ezel’s will burned as he listened to the strange noise of the hiding place
.
‘I’ll take this opportunity to reveal everything from the important to the trivial, what secrets the professor has and what he does on a daily basis! ‘It would be good to hand it over to Speed Wagon as a condition of exchanging information!’
As I passed through the hiding place with my heart pounding, the first thing I saw was a half-broken car, a buggy that is often seen in the wasteland, and an enormously large…
“Raptor’s… armored truck.” ?”
“Look dude! Even if you erase the raptor mark, you’ll recognize it at a glance!”
“You idiot! The professor explained it to me earlier! The fact that it was erased has meaning in itself! “It’s a clear statement that I no longer belong to the Raptors!”
The conversation between the two people again confirmed his suspicions. The largest vehicle among Raptor’s armored trucks. When a car like this is moving, at least one corps of raptors are attached to guard it, so why is it here?
As soon as he came in, Ian grunted and looked at Ezel with his mouth wide open and explained as if he knew everything.
“I lifted it and jumped out.”
“….yes?”
“Oh, young man, did you get sand in your ears? He lifted it and jumped out! When you get out of the Raptor!”
“Ah… then the guy in front of you right now…”
“Call me Metal Joe.”
“Metal Joe is from the Raptor Society, right?”
“You are asking the obvious. I became disillusioned with living with those guys, so I quit them all and left. “This jaw was blown off at that time.”
I came here to play without thinking, but I found out more information than I expected. Ezel took out his notebook and wrote [Spice Merchant Metal Joe – Beware of Raptors] / [BDSM – Wealthy] and looked around some more.
Crunch Square –
[Facility defense ability – medium to low – one defensive turret and one active defense automatic turret.] An
ordinary medium-sized, entry-level shelter. Apart from the extremely luxurious fact that there are three members and they own three cars, there seemed to be no further information to be gained from the outside.
Ezel roughly sketched the nearby scene in his notebook and spoke to the professor with a bright expression.
“First of all, the order would be to tell you the purpose of today’s inspection, right? As you know, Dom is a group whose purpose is to restore law and order to the wasteland and stabilize the world. In that context, we collect information on people in districts near the city and determine whether they are harmful to the district environment. “We are fully aware that people in our time are very sensitive to personal information, but we would appreciate it if you thought of it as a price to pay for living in Area 47 and using the safe environment created by the dome.”
“It’s a safe environment… District 47, which has the most psycho gangs of all districts. What kind of joke is that? Black Joke?”
“Hahaha, that can’t be possible. Doesn’t the fact that a psycho gang has emerged mean that the average life expectancy in this area is very high? “Usually everyone dies before they go crazy like that.”
Ezel faced the professor’s war of nerves without backing down and steadily carried out the work he had to do.
“Now then, since we introduced it as a caravan, shall we first check the main product to be sold?”
“Do I really have to show that? “I don’t show my stuff to anyone.”
“This is a necessary verification process. It won’t be a bad thing. Depending on the type of product, you may be able to purchase it from the dome.”
“Sickness. It’s so unpleasant, like you’re dancing naked. “Follow me. I’ll show you there.”
Ezel felt the gaze of the professor and the short man on his back and followed Metal Joe to the back of the huge truck.
***
