Chapter.5 Inside Out (11)
***
“Yes, yes. Seniors. It’s no big deal. No, I’m not being threatened. yes? Password? I forgot-”
“[#*(&[email protected]&*()*$(!!!!!]”
“Ahh! I remembered! I remembered!. It’s candy in a rocket, right? How many times have I told you that I’m not being threatened? “Are you saying? Yes? Team 3 has already dropped everything they were doing and prepared for deployment? Even loading up their weapons?”
After the professor’s group’s desperate efforts, Ezel stood up holding his swollen cheeks, and with a blank expression for a moment, started firing rapidly from the professor’s mouth. “I tried to understand the current situation, and before I knew it, I saw the sun starting to slowly sink in the west, and I became thoughtful, so I ran to the chute and stayed next to the built-in transceiver for over 10 minutes, whining like a salaryman who lost his contract.
” Hey, Vex. What are you talking about?
Can you hear me?” “Shh! I can’t hear you all because there’s a bit of a distance… rockets – deployment – armament? You’re talking about something like this?”
“You’re saying they’re attacking us! Professor! All of this. ! There is no time to stay like this! You guys should start packing your bags right now! I will set up all the traps I have on the way in!” “If we have to, let’s
take that guy hostage. I did a hostage game in Tobrunn recently, and I am good at this too. “I think there is one.”
“Shouldn’t you have cut that rope earlier?”
“I didn’t know I would have to use it one more time.”
Without knowing that the three friends were plotting a dark plan behind his back, Ezel somehow succeeded in defusing the situation. There was.
“Yes, yes. Okay, what about the city report? You already said that the wallpaper at the Inspection Bureau is old and you don’t want to look at it all the time, but that’s good. I’m going to use this opportunity to plaster it all over the city paper. Don’t worry, go in. I’ll give it to my friends from Team 3 with public money. At least buy me a drink. Ah, by the way. Of course, it will be deducted from my salary later. Yes, yes. I will be back soon. Yes, please go in~”
Fit-
Ezel sighed in relief as he put down the in-ears. He went back and went to the carpet. There were more than one person who had to fight five times in a row, but I felt like I had managed to end the urgent situation well.
‘It doesn’t seem like the professor has as much of a grudge against me as I thought.’
Anyway, as long as I get back safely like this, everything will be fine. Isn’t this going to work out well? If Suzy has resolved her long-standing grudge with the head of BDSM with dozens of pages of condolences, it is not an ordinary case for Suzy to get hit.
‘okay! This is actually an opportunity! Given the skills of professors and spice merchants, it is obvious that BDSM will grow in size in the future! If I use my friendship with the professor to show that I can act as a bridgehead for dom and BDSM, I might get a promotion, not to mention disciplinary action!’
Also, if a BDSM person is recruited into the dome while maintaining a good relationship, the professor will also come to live in the dome. Isn’t this a win-win that makes everyone happy?
“You look really good, don’t you?”
“Huh!”
Ezel was taken out of the land of happiness as he saw the professor talking to him next to him.
“hmm? Oh, that’s it. “The conversation went well.”
“Did it work out well?”
“That’s right. I tried desperately to convince him, but somehow he understood. “The problem will not spread here.”
“oh. That’s a good thing. Hey Bex! Put that thing down! “They say there’s no chance of an attack in the dome!”
“huh?”
Ezel suddenly turns his head to see the professor shouting behind him, and wonders when the old man named Bex is close behind him, holding something that looks like a sack of rice.
“No raid? “Then we don’t have to kidnap him, right?”
“Kidnapped me?”
“huh. okay. Luckily it ended well. I’m so glad. yes? Are you going?”
Ezel was nodding frantically as he looked at the professor, who was tapping his shoulder and smiling brightly.
Obviously the professor was still his friend, but he was a very scary friend. It seemed like most of the old grudges were just resolved and brushed aside, but there was still one more thing the professor didn’t know. A very fresh grudge that Ezel created last night at the inspection department.
‘If it gets that far, it could end up becoming fertilizer in that greenhouse and end its life.’
The professor, who did not know Ezel’s feelings, was very disappointed that his acquaintance, whom he had barely seen in five years, was leaving right away.
“Ezel, are you leaving right now?”
“huh? Ah, I have to go right away. Even now, it is quite late to return, and if it is any later, the enforcement department, not our inspection department, may take action. “Because the exo suit is Dom’s asset.”
“but. Although it is not as capable as the Dom, it does not mean that the Raptor does not have technical personnel. “The moment there is even a minor copy of the Exo suit, it will be over.”
“So, it is designed to self-destruct if the registered user’s heartbeat stops and no new registration is made within 15 minutes.”
Giiing-clap.
Ezel, who got into the exo suit, decided to ask one last question before saying goodbye to the professor and his group.
“professor. “Can I ask you one thing?”
“hmm? What?”
“Area 45. “How on earth did you know and prepare?”
Dom had an informant in Area 45 in advance, and since it was an incident that arose from a raptor conflict that he was always watching, he was able to recognize and prepare for it sooner than others. Based on information about past building owners in the area stored in the database, they obtained the blueprints of the underground bunker and, assuming that it would be a complex, long-term battle, prepared and dispatched personnel with the most appropriate equipment and appropriate abilities. However, the professor was struggling in GG until two days before the conflict in Area 45 intensified. How on earth did he know and prepare?
“Oh, that? Actually, it’s nothing that great. I just met a little friend here on the way to Area 43 to get a refund, and he said there was a great treasure in Area 45, so I thought it would be more profitable, so I went in there. “I met the big guy there.”
“Uh… So, it wasn’t a mission that went into thorough preparations in advance, but rather a plan that went in and out by working together with people I met while passing by?”
“Hmm… that’s a summary, right?”
“Hehehe! I didn’t know that I would meet a customer in that mess. “Not even just customers, but customers who came to ask for a refund.”
Rattling –
Ezel was once again overcome with fear as he watched them snickering while pointing at the shotgun in the professor’s hand. I just passed by and brushed it off. Dom and Raptor gritted their teeth and with twinkles in their eyes, they brushed off the hellish place they had been stuck in as if they had just visited some town.
“hmm? Ezel, why are you sweating so much again? “Ah, you said you have hyperhidrosis earlier, right?”
“Uh oh oh! “That’s right!”
“Ugh. I’m lucky I live in District 47. If you lived in an area with insufficient water, you would have had a hard time living for a long time. “Take this and drink it.”
Whick!
Ezel barely caught the canteen the professor threw at him and then greeted him with an awkward smile.
“Then am I really going?”
“Oh right. “Let me ask you one thing too.”
Rattling!
Ezel was sure that his heart had just dropped to near his kidneys. What else? Did you really notice? Did I change my name?
The professor approached me while scratching his head and opened his mouth in a fairly calm voice.
“You said you were 22 now, so five years ago you were 17, right? “What did you do then?”
“uh? So, you were going to school, right? Dome is trying to provide citizens with an environment as similar to the old world as possible. “The subjects taught are different from the past, but there are elementary, middle, and high schools.”
“okay? Hmm… then it definitely has nothing to do with it. I get it. Be careful and go. I stop by sometimes if I’m passing by. Oh! “If possible, please only say good things about our ‘Big Dream Caravan.’”
“That’s right! No problem! See you in the chat room!”
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of so
of my 1 minute and 1 second meeting that seemed like an eternity, and Ezel finally got out of the sight of the professor and his group and started running toward the dome with all his might.
‘He sneaked in with a few passers-by as if he was out to play in a closed space between the largest fighting group in the wasteland called Dom and Raptor without any information, did all his business, and came out without any casualties? Is that human?! We were underestimating that side too much. I don’t know what they did, but HIV is a stronger group than Dom expected!’
And Ezel had set fire to the monster’s butt last night. The moment the professor’s caravan begins its external activities, what he has done will be clearly revealed.
‘Ah, it’s karma. They say that all the sins committed in life come back like a boomerang. There are so many sins I have committed…’
With that, Ezel arrived at the Armory of the Inspection Bureau with a swollen face and tears of repentance, and immediately began writing a report, pushing away Kimi who was asking what the hell was going on. Not long after, Ezel completed a report full of his sincerity and immediately submitted it to the director. The report, with the
words [BDSM Caravan Risk Adjustment and Response Manual Proposal] clearly stamped on it, clearly showed how powerful this group is, usually as a caravan. There was a lot of concern about how much damage it would cause to the dome if they thought about it and responded accordingly.
***
“He was a strange guy.”
“He was a strange guy.”
“Leave it alone. “Because that’s just the way he is.”
After the commotion, while Bex and Ian were cleaning up the messy house, the professor approached Corduro’s drone and turned on the audio device that had been turned off beforehand.
Tiriririk-
“Puh-ha! Oh my, I thought I was going to die of frustration, master! “If I could speak, such a minor misunderstanding would have been resolved quickly!”
“You must have created an incredibly large misunderstanding while resolving a minor misunderstanding. Even if you don’t watch it, it’s a video. “Go and cook something.”
“Hey.”
With a grunt, Corduro prepared a hearty dinner using the last of the meat, potatoes, carrots, and other edible plants from the garden, and put it on the table.
“Hey. It’s a sumptuous feast, isn’t it? “Professor, have you always eaten this kind of food?”
“For me, this is the first time in 5 years since my mother passed away. Since we need to save power for refrigeration, it is best to eat meat, etc., as soon as it arrives. Today is the last time we have a fancy meal like this. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be chewing on calorie-dense bars made with potatoes and grass cutlets, right?”
“Tsk! I can’t live off of that kind of food. “We have a lot of money, so let’s buy some meat and eat it.”
“Yes, that’s right. It means I’m no longer a moneyless scavenger. “I can buy Hepburn and Joe meat side dishes.”
The professor asked Bex as he put the cube steak on top of the large pen into a bowl.
“So, you said the key is still on the exchange, right?”
“Gulp- oh right. The price is still going up so I’m holding on to it. “Joe, give me some carrots.”
Dalkak-
“Now. But how much has it gone up now?”
“I guess I’ll have to check to find out. Uh… corduroy? “Is remote access possible?”
“yep! Of course, new master! Due to the time scale, it is impossible to enter data related to GG when the player is not in the connection, but it is possible to view the displayed data! Would you like to connect under the new owner’s name?”
“uh. Please enter as ‘unemployed’.”
After entering his nickname and completing recognition of his bio pattern, Bex accessed the exchange and turned the screen to the professor.
“Now here. “It’s gone up quite a bit while I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“Mumbling mumbling – then I wonder where I can afford to buy meat side dishes -”
[Auction: Area 45 underground bunker security key 1/2 (left) – Auction starting price (1000k / sil) / highest bid (10320k / sil)]
“ Fuuuuuup-!”
“Ugh!”
“Urajil! Professor Park! “Are you eating alone?”
“What… is this…”
Is Ian swearing behind me? Vex grumbling? I couldn’t hear anything. 10320k. What does k stand for? When you express 1000 units, you add it at the end, right? Hey, that can’t be possible. So that booger-sized key is worth over 10 million shillings? It can’t be like that, right?
“It was an abbreviation for Korea, right? Before I knew it, a new currency called Korean Shilling had appeared. Right, Vex? “That’s 11,320 Korean shillings, right?”
“What kind of crazy talk are you talking about? “When did something like a country disappear?”
The professor grumbled that the food had splattered, but held on to Bex’s arm as she put vegetables and meat into her bowl.
“So that’s really 1320,000 shillings?”
“yes?”
Slurp-
slurp!
The professor suddenly lost strength in his legs and collapsed.
“Hehehe. I, too, thought I fainted when that Bex guy showed me the listing on the top of the exchange, saying he wanted to use it as public money. “Are you saying that the real wasteland survivor Scavenger has a unique eye for seeing what makes money?”
Between the two grinning people, the professor’s head was spinning as if it were powered by a motor.
‘The original estimate was around 5 million at most. How can prices skyrocket that high? The only two groups that can raise prices that high are Dom and Raptor. situation? Things have changed? Butterfly effect of recent events?’
As he recalled the major events that had recently occurred, a conclusion was naturally drawn in the professor’s mind.
“Arms race… Isn’t that simply the price for that facility?”
“He’s a guy with an awesome head, after all. “The results of our discussion for three days and nights are revealed in one minute.”
“Hehe! “Because he makes a living from just that.”
Ian and Bex’s conversation indicated that they also agreed with the professor’s opinion. The professor spoke the conclusion he had drawn in his head in a trembling voice.
“The situation has become too good for Dom. As you know, Dom is a group that can project unreasonable combat power only near its own city, that is, in areas where exo suits can be maintained and recharged. On the other hand, if you leave that area, you won’t be able to attack the raptor. “Naturally, the Dom was committed to building the city, and the Raptor was committed to preventing it.”
The professor’s voice was changing from a tremble of embarrassment to a tremor of excitement. The fact that I had taken an absurd opportunity began to sink in through my interpretation of the situation.
“In that situation, Dom and Raptor faced off in Area 45, and this strange conclusion was reached. “Even if one side pushes the other out on the ground, you can’t access the bunker system, so if you go in there, it’s like being a rat in a poison.”
“yes. “If you can’t use ventilation in an underground bunker like that, even if you make a complaint from above, it will just turn into a coffin.”
“In the end, Raptor was in a situation where he could stop the expansion of the dome by simply obtaining that key. On the other hand, the Dome says that the key is a necessary condition for victory, but since they are running out of money, the moment the auction is held, the key is as if it were theirs. If they push out the Raptor forces, the scavengers will be massacred and the city will be empty and radioactive. “We can now easily occupy Area 45, where a considerable amount of the skeleton remains!”
Ten million shillings? If you look at it this way, it’s like giving it for free. That’s the same as the key to the gate of the new city that will be built in District 45. In that sense, there is still room for the price to rise.
“Bex, you have become ridiculously rich…”
“Hehehe. I feel sorry for you. You should say us. “That money will be used as public funds needed to settle here and operate the caravan.”
Well, I guess I could buy meat every day with just the change I had left after spending it like that.
The professor’s eyes filled with tears as he heard Bex’s words.
“Since Hepburn was mentioned, let me ask you a question. “When do you think I should sell that?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just hold on and hold on? “Neither the Dom nor the Raptor will want to let go of their hands easily, right?”
“No, you have to sell it right now.”
Ian and Bex expressed doubt at the professor’s firm voice.
“already? “Is it possible to climb further?”
“It’s a problem because it goes up further. “We will start calculating profit and loss in the dome.”
Ten million shillings is a lot of money for individuals like us, but it is only a small loss in the budget of a group the size of a dome. But what if the bleeding gets bigger?
“The moment the price of that key exceeds what Dom thinks will be the expected battle cost incurred when fighting against [I don’t know for sure, but the fierce-looking fighting group HIV], they will rush at us without hesitation, kill us, and take the key. . Because we happen to be in the dome’s territory. The reason we lasted until 10 million was probably because we crawled into Area 47 on our own and the Dome saw our potential to recruit us and calculated the loss if we failed to recruit them.”
At the professor’s words, the two slapped their knees.
“Shit! Then, I would have held on a little longer in Area 43 and sold it at a high price!”
“Not like that again. Raptor will not even think about calculating and will try to wipe out the HIV base the moment it discovers it. I heard that big people were leaving District 43? Those friends were suppressing Raptor, but now that that suppression is gone, wouldn’t Raptor be able to freely enter and exit Area 43? “It was wise to move into the Dome’s territory.” The professor,
who
got up and sat down in his chair again, said as he put slightly cooled steak and vegetables into his mouth.
“In the end, one way or another, the current auction price is the highest price we can get.”
“Hehehe. but. “At around 1,320,000 shillings, I made a pretty decent amount of money for three days of hard work.”
“hmm. Well then. “It is only a small gain compared to the size of our big dream.”
Contrary to what they said, both of them were grinning and couldn’t hide the laughter that was leaking from their lips.
The professor thought as he watched the two people lost in happy imagination, wondering what to do with this money.
‘The outside work is almost completely organized. Now… I can go back to solving my problems.’
Big Dream has successfully launched. I made a great impression on the Dome side, and the guy said he spoke well, so I guess I can get decent treatment. Living with Bex and Ian made me safer from external threats. We’ve become hostile with the Raptors, but that’s nothing to worry about as long as you don’t leave Area 47.
‘I’ve sorted out the little things. Now it’s time to solve the big problem.’
[Giggles. Did you call me?]
‘Yeah, dude. You. You.’
Hyde. Another soul that took up residence in his head. A pathogen that grows like cancer and will one day consume his consciousness. It is slim, but the only one who has a chance of curing this thing is the GG that created it.
“Let’s start the chicken race again, Hyde.”
The professor looked at the interface and smiled viciously.
***
