Chapter. 10 Lead and Silver Coins (11)
****
Beep-. Beep-.
[Check signal. Signal (40.384.72630) / (40.384.57106) / (40.384.22498) 75 meters to cluster point.]
Crackling-
[Road surface is good. There is a large plastic panel on the left, so stick to the right.]
Crackling-
“check. “Communication ends until the signal point is visually confirmed.”
Crackling-
[check.]
Crackling-
[check.]
After Ian’s muffled voice, only the faint sound of the wind and the sound of the engine filled my ears.
Oh, one more thing. The sound of my pulse pounding loudly, as if someone was drumming behind my ears.
The moment the wheels of the large armored truck hit something like a tree branch or glass shard, goosebumps appeared all over my body and I had to move my hand to the loaded pistol several times.
Numerous rescue signals confirmed at the entrance to Area 40.
The closest signal was located less than 20 meters away, and we soon identified the signal point and drove slowly, as if crawling, through the cemetery-like signals, making as little noise as possible.
Crackling-
[Check signal point. Old generation van. Buggy. Shelter. Not a goal.]
Crackling-
[Radar overheating. Approximately 5 minutes to limit operating time. If you use it more, it may break down.]
Crackling-
Ezel’s voice, which had been quiet until now, came out of the communicator. The devastation at the entrance to Area 40. After seeing the endless procession of vehicles that had lost their owners and only had rescue signals flashing, the talkative guy started to keep his mouth shut. Me, Ian, and Bex. Even though people had seen the tragedy so many times that it would have caught their eye, they couldn’t stop themselves from breaking into a cold sweat in front of that bizarre scene.
‘It would have been better if there had been a body.’
No one in the group was unfamiliar with the massacre, but they had never experienced or imagined a scene of massacre where not even a trace of blood was left, let alone a corpse.
A variety of vehicles, camping trailers, shopping carts full of miscellaneous items, and even large backpacks.
The source of the signal was a pile of luggage that someone had packed in a hurry, but the owner of the item had disappeared somewhere without leaving behind a single drop of blood.
There is one reason to assume it was a massacre.
Corpse too. Although there was no blood, everything remaining at the signal point showed clear signs of being torn and shattered.
The professor lifted the telescope to check the status of the shelter, then whispered quietly to the communicator.
Crackling-
[The wheel marks are only traces of going in and no traces of coming out. More than 80% of the wall was damaged, and the half-destroyed turret had traces of melted muzzle. It appears that the people here gathered at this shelter during the evacuation and engaged in combat with an unidentified enemy. The shelter itself seems to be in relatively good condition. Please contact us if you have any additional comments.]
Crackling-
[There are claw marks and footprints near the ceiling that are identical to the traces so far. I think I went in through the skylight.]
[The marks are not visible. That means there could be something mysterious inside there that shrunk our balls to the size of a beanbag. I have one vote to get in.]
[I also voted. Anyway, we need to get some rest, both for radar operation and for our condition. If possible, a half-destroyed shelter would be better than an open area.]
[I can’t feel any traces of other living things around. I also agree.]
Crackling-
“Everyone agrees. Turn off the engine and pump up the bubbles. “First, go in and secure a shelter, and then move the vehicle inside.”
[Clap.]
Instead of answering, I heard a heavy metal sound, and it seemed like the guys in the other car had their hands halfway on the trigger.
Knock, kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
When I turned up the Geiger counter, the radiation level was still not reduced to level 5. Although it is much lower than the level 7 in the center of a nuclear explosion, where the measured level is meaningless, or in the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents, it is still enough to cause death to those exposed to it.
The bubble shield is a defective product that consumes less power and has perfect blocking ability, but loses defense and recovery speed. This meant that if you even slightly brushed against something during combat, you would be exposed to radiation at that point.
‘That’s why I wanted to drag it to a long-distance battle as much as possible, or to have no fighting at all… .’
Unfortunately, what he was holding in his right hand was a large-caliber pistol. I got used to using my left hand to some extent, but shooting was a different matter, so I had no choice but to choose a pistol that I could use with one hand.
Fortunately, this variant left arm achieved a miraculous value of 0% absorption rate in radiation exposure tests, so if a fight broke out and the enemy came close, the first person to move forward and greet the enemy was himself. At least my left arm was able to block enemy bullets without worrying about the bubble shield coming off.
Srrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr orbit!
[Ugh, I don’t think I can get used to this mask even after using it for several days.]
‘I think I’ve gotten used to it because I’ve been constantly rationalizing that I’m alive because of this.’
The gray skin mask had six tubes extending from the outside to the back, but unlike its hard exterior, the inside was quite soft and had a rather creepy feel. If you bring it to the corner of your mouth and lightly bite the tube-like protruding breathing part with your teeth, the contact surface will stick to your face, and it feels quite gross to see something writhing around inside. This mask clearly feels like a living biological filter. Still, it was a proper product that filtered out everything from radiation to dust, so it was worth bearing the disgust.
After confirming that the skin mask was completely attached to the corner of my mouth, I lifted the communicator.
Crackling-
[Count to five and start. Ezel, just in case, get on the suit and wait. Triangular formation. I’m in the front row, the other two are in the back row, taking care of cover.]
Crackling-
[…] .check.]
Seuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
I took a deep breath, maintained moderate tension, and grabbed the car door handle with my left hand.
[5. 4. 3. 2. 1-]
Jump up!
Jump, jump, jump!
As soon as I heard the count end, I saw Ian and Bex come out of the Hummer in front, kicking down the door.
Crash!
The three formed in an instant and dug into the ruined shelter, confirming each other’s direction of entry with short hand signals.
The tension of the actual battle ran down my spine and flowed through my fingertips.
****
That night.
Inside the shelter, the group huddled under a tarp like students playing a card game under blankets on a field trip, and were synthesizing the information they had gathered by relying on the light of a small flashlight. The sound of warm stew being slurped was heard among the group. Although it was far away from my house in District 40, the taste of the stew made by the shelter’s automatic cooker was so similar to the taste of my hometown that I felt like I had returned home.
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Yes, automatic cooking. Contrary to what I thought, there were no enemies inside the shelter, and compared to the rough destruction on the outside, most of the facilities inside were in good condition. Out of curiosity, I opened up the control panel and tried manipulating it… ..
“Shit. “It feels really strange to say this, but it’s so peaceful that I feel like I’m seeing nothing.”
Not only the electricity, but also the shield and cloaking cabinet were all working properly without a single thing missing. If there were no external enemies, I would have turned on the lights and rested comfortably.
“If you suspect something is wrong, you will slap yourself. Why are you slapping me?”
“sorry. “I even sent a ‘no problem’ signal, but the four guys who kicked in the door were so pathetic that I stopped.”
Ezel said while rubbing his red, swollen cheek and pointing a point at Ian, the person who made his cheek look like that.
“Put yourself in my shoes! Until now, I had only seen a sight that seemed to be possessed by something, but the party who went in armed and with a battle plan did not fire a single gunshot and only said ‘no problem’! If it were you, would you really see it as ‘nothing wrong’, or would it look like you were harmed by those unknown things? Honestly, I still look at it! “There are definitely traces of going inside and battle scars, but there are no traces of going outside!”
“excuse me… . Angel? Stop talking about that… . Can’t I do it? It’s because I’m scared. a little.”
Ian becomes grumpy and Ezel screams. Bex seemed to be doing fine these days, but he started talking again.
Perhaps because they had been on high alert against an imaginary enemy for several days, most of the group was on high alert.
Of course, that includes me too. There is no sound other than the wind nearby, but there are only traces of someone left and the noises I make are scratching my nerves like crazy. Even breathing was uncomfortable, and I was cracking up in this f*cking silence that drove people crazy! There were more than one time that I wanted to cry.
[Wake. Everyone is in a bad state right now, but if you lose your temper, you’ll get into a real accident.]
‘know. ‘We have to solve it somehow.’
There is only one reason why I am in better condition than my group. This was due to the presence of Hyde, where people could talk freely without having to worry about noise. Hyde, who had been rarely coming to the surface of my consciousness lately, saying he had work to do or was sleepy, seemed to recognize the seriousness of the situation and kept telling lame jokes in my head without stopping for a moment, so thanks to that, my condition wasn’t that bad. .
‘Well, since we’re all veterans, it’s not like we’re going to panic at this level… .’
“Where in the world are ghosts, you bastard? If there were ghosts, do you think I would still be alive today? “If only 1/10th of the people I killed had turned into ghosts, they would have flocked in like an army of ghosts from The Lord of the Rings.”
“So, how do you explain this current situation? There are traces of monsters, and there are also traces of bullets and explosions. There were countless skid marks from vehicles rushing away. But there isn’t even a trace of blood, let alone a body! “Isn’t there something like a ghost-type variant going around?”
Seeing him talk nonsense like that, I can’t even say he’s in his usual state. First of all, you need to organize something. If we at least present something that is clearly visible, the current confusion will subside.
“A variant is a variant caused by a virus. At least it’s something that can be physically explained. “It’s different from something like a ghost.”
Left ahhh.
The professor took out a piece of charcoal from his pocket, shining the dusty map in the light of the lantern.
“First, let’s summarize what we have personally confirmed. From rescue signals. How many did you check, Ezel?”
“wait for a sec. I made a note… . Ah, here it is. A total of 188 branches, with 65 buggies, 12 shelters, 55 general vehicles, and 56 other branches including shopping carts, carts, and backpacks. Since the radar operation time has been 47 hours so far, we have checked 4 items per hour. “The average number of individual survivors in the wasteland is about 3, so we estimate casualties at around 564.”
“Where does the signal originate?”
“this. Portable connector sold at Area 38 Dome. Of course GG doesn’t work, and the time multiplier is the same as reality, unlike regular connectors. Of course, it is difficult to follow chatting, so it is used to watch recorded videos or use exchanges. “The 40th division, which is the center of survival, has a lot of connectors to spare, but it’s much more convenient for those who have to wander around here and there.”
“Oh, that one. I have also used it a few times when making transactions. It’s expensive, but the durability is crap, so I didn’t use it much. “It takes about 2 hours to transmit to the community, so isn’t this garbage difficult to use for real-time communication?”
The item Ezel took out was one he had seen several times at the exchange. Although it failed to create a device that runs GG due to technological limitations, it was possible to connect to the public community, so a minor version of the connector was created. In fact, miniaturization was not the intention, but the body customization function of the general connector, temperature maintenance, and life preservation functions were all unnecessary because I could not play the game, so I removed them all and it became so small.
“Then the victims are most likely wanderers… . “I guess that’s what it sounds like?”
“yes. In the first place, while the regular connector is provided cheaply by the dome as a player incentive policy, the portable connector that cannot play games is sold at a very high price. “People who are settled down don’t need to have expensive portable devices.”
In response to Ezel’s words, the professor briefly noted, “Most victims are wanderers,” and then dotted the points where the signal was confirmed.
“Okay, next. “What information has been confirmed about the enemy?”
“The victim was an individual, and there were several bullet marks that had splattered in the opposite direction of the hypothetical enemy location. Since the caliber was the same, it is presumed that the bullet ricocheted off the enemy’s body. Among the explosion traces, there were many cases where soot appeared in the air. “Shields don’t ricochet like that, so the enemy is either an armored creature or a bipedal tank or something.”
“uh… . My thoughts are a little different. Hepburn, the signs of tearing up the car were evidence of a creature with claws or a large bladed cold weapon being used. If it’s not a human, I think it’s a species that resembles a cat. Some footprints have traces of the tips of the claws digging into them, and some have no traces left. “It means it’s possible to hide your claws.”
“Whatever it is, it’s clear that the enemy is playing with a small number of victims. All confirmed victims sent a rescue signal, except in cases where there was no device to send a signal. This is not a surprise attack, it means that time was given for the victim to sense the crisis and send a signal! Even if we missed one or two, all of the victims had time to send out a distress signal, which means there was no will to attack the enemy. He leisurely approached the victim, laughed off their struggles, and took everything without leaving a single piece of bone or a drop of blood! Ugh, if that’s not a ghost, what is it?”
“f*ck it, f*ck it. So you’re saying the enemy is a cat and a ghost wearing solid armor? “Isn’t that too innovative even for a ghost?”
“… .It could be that a new type 3 variant has appeared. “Someone like District 27’s [Green World Snake] or District 44’s [Walking Kane], who makes an area his own territory.”
Type 3 variant. The moment the story came up, the group members who were each expressing their opinions nodded in unison.
“Could it have happened so suddenly?”
“Not until now. “But there are no other beings that are beyond common sense, right?”
“….”
There was one more thing, but the professor swallowed those words that could have added to the group’s confusion.
What he confirmed while looking for various rescue signals.
It was a trace of sharp cuts here and there, and the amount of sand stuck in between them.
In this wasteland where sandstorms blew endlessly, the timing of the battle could be predicted to some extent by the traces of new destruction and the amount of fine sand between them.
The results of rough calculations based on the location of the trail and the degree of wind were surprising.
‘I can’t guarantee because I don’t have reliable measuring equipment… . It all happened about four days ago. And that didn’t happen within 24 hours four days ago, it all happened at the same time.’
It took our group 47 hours to get here. It advanced at a slow speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, checking 188 signal points and moving without stopping, except for brief stays.
Since we made it a rule not to spend more than 7 minutes per point, the distance we traveled by following the signal was approximately 330km.
330km is longer than the distance between Seoul and Busan.
Even if we calculate the error, the victims who were evenly distributed along that long road are said to have been attacked within an hour or two. Even the amount of sand traces did not increase sequentially as they moved, but increased, decreased, and became jumbled, and as Ezel said, the victims had time to send a rescue signal, so the enemy did not move at an incredible speed and attack the wanderers in Area 40.
An entity that exists in multiple places at the same time or has the ability to move close to them.
I forgot about it at the time, saying it had nothing to do with me, but I had met such a being.
[A man in a white suit. In a white suit… . what? A white suit and a flashlight… .]
‘Don’t you remember too? That guy. I’m sure we met, talked, and did business, but I don’t remember anything about what he looked like other than his suit and voice.’
[It is an honor to meet you. ‘professor’. It’s called ‘W’ for Artists’ Union.
He is the man who bought the paintings and watches from District 45 from me a few months ago, and the owner of the strange rumor that no matter where and at what time an appointment is made, he shows up and waits before the trader.
“… “Once I finish eating, I can sleep for just three hours and then move on.”
“We are now about a day away from the area of influence of the Area 38 dome. “Are you going to keep checking for rescue signals?”
“… .no. “I’ll stop by just one more place and then go straight to the dome.”
“One place?”
“Okay, here.”
The professor said, checking one of the rescue signal coordinates that Ezel had marked on the map.
“In a situation like this where I don’t know anything, I have an acquaintance who can be the most helpful.”
It may be a new variant that no one knows about, but it’s definitely someone who has information about groups that have been active in the wasteland for a long time, like the Artists’ Union.
[40.227.90381]
The professor folded the map with a confused look on his face, looking at the dot at the same location as the coordinates written in his notebook.
“I didn’t want to meet you like this… . “I know you’re not an ordinary guy, so I hope you don’t suffer in vain.”
The notebook the professor opened contains the coordinates [40.227.90381] along with ‘Speed Wagon’ / ‘Tangency area? business? It was written, ‘I will meet you first.’
****
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